On the days and weeks before the 23rd of October, the eyes of the UK were trained on Caerphilly. A constituency in the South Wales Valleys, a place embedded in working-class history and not far from where the red flag first rose, Caerphilly was undergoing an historic battle.

Due to the tragic passing of their member of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), a by-election had to be held. But what would have, in past years, been a run-of-the mill affair turned into a test of not just the Welsh, but the UK political landscape.

The Valleys, with a rich working-class tradition, were one of the places worst hit by the deindustrialisation, austerity and capitalism of the Thatcher era. Places where neoliberalism stripped the very fabric of society, from jobs to youth centres, from public transport to health. Working-class communities were decimated and left behind, something that Welsh Labour, which had a bastion in the Valleys (where Labour was first elected), never even lifted a finger to solve.

These are the type of places that the commentariat and political circles think are the most vulnerable to the far-right, and where Reform UK, the cousin of Chega and Vox, expects to do better. But more than that, Wales, which has been a bastion for Labour since its inception, is seen as a prime target for the far-right.

So it was no surprise when this election became a test of the political landscape in Wales and the whole UK.

Nigel Farage vowed that Reform UK would “throw everything” at this election - and they did. From Farage’s and co. trips to Caerphilly, to bussed in canvassers, thousands of leaflets and placards, a barrage of bots and online comments, several media articles, and far-right groups lining up to stoke racism, they used all the weapons in their arsenal - and they still lost.

That would not have been possible without the on-the-ground organising of anti-racists and anti-fascists, including and especially Stand Up to Racism and its Valleys branch. And the hard work of Plaid Cymru (the Welsh left-of-centre party) campaigners and their candidate, Lindsay Whittle, whose roots and respected status in the local community helped secure votes.

Stand Up to Racism Valleys and its supporters undertook a truly herculean effort. They ran several sessions where they distributed thousands of leaflets, engaged with constituents at stalls and organised a “Defend the Nation of Sanctuary” counter demonstration, opposing a far-right demo, where they gathered more than 100 people, outnumbering the fascists ten to one.

But we need to be clear. Although Lindsay Whittle’s record and standing in the community is indisputable and helped secure votes, for many members of working-class communities, this was less of a vote to get Plaid in than a vote to keep Reform out. Stand Up to Racism were asked repeatedly who was best to vote for to beat Reform, and even Plaid explicitly called for a tactical vote to defeat Reform.

So, what can we learn to beat the far-right in the ballot box, in the streets and in our communities?

The first lesson is that we need to have confidence in the working-class. While many commentators — including some on the left — warned Stand Up to Racism Valleys not to talk about racism, claiming that it wouldn’t dissuade the people of Caerphilly and urging them to “tone down” their message, one thing was clear; it was precisely their anti-racist, pro-working-class message that resonated most and mobilised people to defeat Reform.

Reform’s message was all about immigration and against Wales' “Nation of Sanctuary” scheme, a scheme that helps refugees and asylum seekers rebuild their lives. Although a section of the working class may be drawn in by Reform’s lies, the wider layers of our class roundly reject them. A viral clip from the BBC Wales debate, where a mixed-heritage family from Caerphilly spoke about being afraid to leave the house because of Reform’s racist rhetoric really struck a chord, as did Stand Up to Racism’s message of working-class unity against racism, division, and anti-working-class policies.

It definitely changed some minds, but most importantly, it mobilised the vast majority of people that are anti-racist but justifiably disillusioned with electoral politics. It helped them realise that this election was not just for another seat, but a test where we needed to stand up for our class - against hate, racism, austerity, and the capitalist class that promotes and sustains it.

Because, unlike some, we are clear- racism is a class issue and the best layers of the working-class and youth understand this. They understand that it’s an incessant message from the ruling class, to pit us against each other. The continuous stream of racist messages from not just the far-right, but the media, the traditional parties and even from the mouths of capitalists themselves such as Elon Musk, are intended to drown the working-class in ideas that divide us and make it easier to oppress our revolutions.

The second lesson is that there is no substitute for hard work and on-the-ground organising. Social media is important, but Reform relied heavily on it - every single post by anti-racists was swarmed with “Vote Reform” comments. And they lost. It was the work of socialists, anti-fascists and community organisers - campaigning on the streets and communities not just to explain the danger of Reform, but to boost the anti-racist mobilisation - that led to this result. Because this was far from being a predetermined outcome. There is no magic formula to stop the far-right- those that are looking for a simple fix will not get it. Stand Up to Racism and other organisations worked tirelessly on the ground - that is what wins people over, that is how a movement is built.

The third lesson is that you do not win by kowtowing to racism. Labour’s and Welsh Labour’s government legacy is one of managing and imposing austerity and capitalism. The lurch of the Labour leadership to the right, promoting racist ideas - from Starmer’s “Island of Strangers” speech to the deportation videos and the new ILR rules, whilst at the same time facilitating the life of the profit-makers at the cost of the working-class, has decimated the Labour vote in Wales. For too long, Labour took Wales for granted, treating Wales not as a diverse, inclusive and rich nation but as a fiefdom that owed it loyalty. Even Plaid kowtowed to it, conceding to the false narrative of “illegal vs legal” migration. The consequences are clear.

The fourth, and most important is that the only way to truly beat the far-right is by building a rank-and-file, uncompromising, socialist, revolutionary party. Plaid Cymru deserves credit. Many of its members are genuine socialists who fight tirelessly for equality - but its record in power is less spotless. Plaid has implemented cuts in councils where they are in power. They have failed to stand up against austerity in practice, and have ceded ground by engaging in the manufactured discourse of “legal vs illegal” immigration.

We need to develop class politics and a united working-class response against fascism and capitalism - to decisively reject those forces that want to syphon the power and struggle from the streets, communities and workplaces, immobilising them and channeling them to elections that only happen every 5 years. No parliament will defeat fascism, as it has been created and controlled by the same system that breeds it.

And we need to be clear - far-right and fascism are not an anomaly but a consequence of capitalism. Our class went through the experience of the 1930s, and it is marked in our historical memory - as long as capitalism is allowed to fester, fascism will be the result of its decay. It will appear with different clothes and words, but its content and objectives will be the same. To defeat fascism we need to go to the source - to defeat and replace capitalism with a system that democratically plans and safeguards the lives and aspirations of all - a socialist system.

And to do that, we need a party that can absorb and distil the lessons and the methods etched in our history, a party that draws the best elements of our class and that is clear that there is only one way to defeat racism and capitalism - not just fighting for small improvements which are taken from us again and again- that is a sisyphean task.

Of course we will fight for any improvements tooth and nail, and we will use any avenue necessary and available, including parliament, as a platform for our struggle. But we need a party that develops the forces and the leadership capable of replacing the system we live in from top to bottom- a revolutionary party that understands that does not happen in corridors and backrooms but in the day-to-day, in communities, workplaces and neighbourhoods. A revolutionary party that is capable of winning the power for the working-class and oppressed, by replacing capitalism with a democratic system that plans and delivers for the needs and aspirations of all- a socialist system.

The working-class and youth waits for no teachers or lecturers - that is not our job as revolutionaries, to harangue our class when they move into action. Our job is to lead by example, to intervene in the movement by demonstrating and arguing our ideas in practice. The best layers of workers, youth and oppressed have shown time and time again, from Palestine Solidarity to the anti-racist movement, from the labour movement to the climate strikes, that they are not afraid to move into action.

As a proud members of our class, our job is to build the party with the actions and methods that can liberate us all- a revolutionary, internationalist, socialist party.

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