Holly Johnston, nurse, health activist and Socialist Party member

Socialism 2022: vital preparation for the new era of class struggle
Socialism 2022, held on Saturday and Sunday 19-20 November 2022 was a huge success. Over 700 people attended, with a big proportion attending their first Socialism weekend, and even their first ever Socialist Party event.
The first speaker at the Saturday night rally was nurse, health activist and Socialist Party member Holly Johnston. The very fact that close to one million health workers are balloting to join the strike wave is an indication of the new period of intensified class struggle we have entered.
Many health workers, Holly said, have taken confidence from the strike wave this year. And health workers recognise they need to organise and join the action in order to save the NHS.
Holly’s speech, like all the rally speeches, was interrupted by clapping. In between, in the quietness of the hall, you could feel socialist ideas being absorbed.
In every one of the 35 workshops - from discussion on the 1926 general strike, to how to fight sexism and sexual harassment, to the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism - there was a mix of experienced fighters and new youth hungry for socialist ideas.
There was a tremendous response to the fighting fund appeal, with the £36,689 donated, smashing the £25,000 target.