General Election 2001

Election 2001: A Dramatic Shift In Outlook

SUPERFICIALLY THE general election changed nothing in British politics. New Labour was returned by a landslide for the second time. Yet in reality, the election signified a dramatic shift in the outlook of people in Britain.

Hannah Sell, Socialist Party Campaigns Organiser

Turnout in the election plummeted by 12.5% to 59%. Four out of ten electors refused to vote. For the first time since 1923 the number of people who voted for the government was outnumbered by those who refused to vote.

Turnout fell most dramatically in working class, traditionally Labour supporting areas. Jack Straw, the new Foreign Secretary, tried to explain the appalling turnout away as showing the 'politics of contentment'.

Much more accurate was Paddy Ashdown's comment that voters weren't suffering from apathy but from antipathy to politicians.

The election took place against the background of strikes in the Post Office, and riots in Oldham, Leeds and Aylesbury. The Fire Brigades Union conference, meeting during the campaign, foreshadowed future developments when they passed a motion to start supporting 'non-Labour' election candidates.

Turnout fell most sharply among 25- to 35-year-olds, many of whom will have first voted in 1997. Millions of people, predominantly working class, refused to vote because they felt betrayed by New Labour's continuation of Tory policies in office.

Increased socialist support

ONE OF the most commonly expressed attitudes during the election campaign was 'what's the point of voting, they're all the same anyway'. This anger led to a semi-conscious 'boycott' of the elections by millions.

However, a glimpse of what could have happened if there had been a major party fighting a radical campaign was demonstrated in Wyre Forest. Not only did a retired doctor decisively defeat a Labour minister, on the issue of local NHS cuts, but turnout was substantially higher than elsewhere - at 68%.

The increased support for socialist candidates was also significant. The Scottish Socialist Party and the Socialist Party in England and Wales doubled their average votes compared to 1997. Other Socialist Alliance candidates also received some good results.

Even the Socialist Labour Party, whose share of the vote fell, had some creditable results. Dave Nellist, Coventry Socialist Party councillor, received the highest vote of any socialist candidate.

New Labour's support amongst the working class fell but the election confirmed New Labour's popularity with another section of the population - the capitalists. New Labour is now the first choice of the majority of the capitalist class in Britain.

Every national newspaper (except the Telegraph) supported New Labour in this election.

This is hardly surprising, as Michael Heseltine commented in The Observer following the election: "Tony Blair talks about a third way, but that is rubbish. What he has done is consolidate the Tory revolution with a social democratic government. So you get new titles, new phrases, new language but the policies are the policies that the Tories forced the Labour Party to accept in the 80s and 90s. He has paid the Conservatives the greatest compliment of all by being like them without sounding like them."

Many workers, particularly older ones, voted New Labour to give them a second chance. However, hopes that New Labour will deliver in their second term are going to be cruelly shattered.

More privatisation

UNDER PRESSURE, the government may be forced to increase health and education spending. However, this will be linked to increased privatisation. During the election, Blair was blatant about his intentions to step up privatisation in the next four years.

In their election manifesto, New Labour talk about their vision for the next few years saying that "a spirit of enterprise should apply as much to the public sector as to business". In other words they want to bring private companies in to run more and more of our few remaining public services.

The manifesto even talks about surgical units in the NHS being managed by the private sector. As The Guardian pointed out on May 16: "Policy advisers close to Downing Street are proposing as a centrepiece of a Labour second term that private contractors routinely run swathes of publicly owned services, including clinical health services, school management and most aspects of local government.

If New Labour imagines that its parliamentary majority will mean that they are guaranteed an easy ride; they are making a big mistake. Virtually everyone who works in the public sector is opposed to further privatisation. NHS consultants have come out against the Private Finance Initiative. Under pressure from their members Bill Morris (general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union) and Dave Prentice (general secretary of UNISON) have, in the days after the election, been forced to publicly condemn New Labour's privatisation plans.

Unfortunately, this does not mean that they are willing to lead a serious struggle to defeat the government's plans. However, there will be mass opposition to further privatisation of services and the trade union leaders will come under huge pressure to act.

Tory catastrophe

WHILST NEW Labour will face mass opposition to their policies amongst the population, inside Westminster's hallowed halls they are virtually unopposed. The Tories had a catastrophic general election.

It is clear that the Tory 'wets', such as Heseltine and Clarke, hope that the scale of the defeat will reverse the rightward march of the Tory Party.

However, they face a major obstacle - the membership of the Tory Party - who are overwhelmingly dyed in the wool Thatcherites. As a result the Tory Party is heading towards a vicious internal conflict which is likely to lead to splits. It is difficult to see how they can recover from their current crisis. Even the election of a 'moderate' Tory leader may not be enough to rescue them.

Kennedy has declared that the Liberal Democrats are "the opposition now". He correctly states that the election was not about which party would form the next government, that was already clear, but about who would form the opposition.

The Liberal Democrats aim to be the second party of capitalism in Britain, a safe second eleven. Wherever they have been in power in local authorities they have shown just how 'safe' they are, by carrying through the same programme of cuts and privatisation as the other parties.

However, there is no doubt that they gained in this election by appealing to 'Old Labour's' ground. They talked about increased spending on public services and of being the 'voice of the voiceless'. In the next period they could gain some electoral support on the basis of this kind of rhetoric.

However, opposition to Blair will come in the stormy struggles that are going to take place in the workplaces, in communities and on the streets against New Labour's policies.

The Communication Workers Union conference that took place during the election campaign gave a glimpse of the opposition New Labour's privatisation schemes will face.

Additionally, when the effects of the US recession hits Britain, it will mean huge increases in unemployment and poverty. The easy ride that New Labour has had to date will be over.

Socialist alternative needed

IT'S NOT automatic that discontent with New Labour will lead to an increase in support for the Left.

The votes that the Nazi British National Party received in Oldham (almost 12,000 across two constituencies) give a warning, how, if no alternative is on offer, the far right can capitalise.

However, the main trend in Britain is to the Left. The vast majority of the population is far to the left of all of the major parties.

Renationalisation of privatised utilities is supported by the vast majority - even the Daily Mail called for renationalisation of the railways. The experience of privatisation has forced renationalisation onto the agenda.

At present, it is only a minority who go further and consciously look for a socialist solution. But, on the basis of experiencing a second Labour term their numbers will grow dramatically.

SOCIALIST PARTY members in England and Wales have been celebrating some excellent election results.

Socialist Party Councillor, Dave Nellist, standing for the Socialist Alliance in Coventry North-East,  achieved the highest vote of any socialist candidate in Britain, with 2,638 votes (7.5%). This was in a constituency that he has not stood in before.

Two other Socialist Party councillors also did very well; Rob Windsor with 1,475 votes in Coventry South, and Ian Page, in Deptford, London, with 1,260 votes.

Standing for the first time in Walthamstow, London, Simon Donovan achieved an excellent first vote of 806. In Bootle, Merseyside, Pete Glover increased his 1997 vote by 60%, receiving 672 votes this time. This was despite Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party standing against him. In Cardiff South and Penarth, Dave Bartlett, standing for the Welsh Socialist Alliance, received 427 votes, increasing the socialist vote by 24% compared with 1997.

In the constituencies that we have stood in before, in most cases we increased our vote this time.

However, in this election, we were standing for the first time in most of the seats in which we had candidates, and this makes the results all the more striking. Also, we know from our canvassing, that the votes we received do not reflect our real level of support.

This is because many of our supporters were disillusioned with the first New Labour government and fed up with the election as a whole and did not bother to vote. Many others decided to vote New Labour to give Blair a 'last chance', and to make doubly sure there would be no return of the Tories.

This situation will change as anger increases towards New Labour, increasing the opportunities for left candidates.

The aim of our campaigns was to reach as many people as possible with socialist ideas, and to win new members and supporters to our party and to the Socialist Alliance.

We have achieved success on both accounts; in the seats where Socialist Party members were candidates, we reached over 700,000 people with our election addresses, and spoke to many thousands on the doorstep, during street stalls and at public meetings. We have left a lasting influence on working class communities in all the areas, one that we can build on in the future.

Our party branches have been strengthened with new members in every seat, for instance in Hayes and Harlington, where Wally Kennedy received 648 votes, over 60 people have joined our party! In Wakefield, on the election night itself, three people added their names to those wanting to become members.

All Socialist Party members can be justifiably proud of our campaigns.

The three main political parties certainly did not create an inspiring election. But in areas where we stood, we succeeded in livening up the debates, and inspiring a layer of people with socialist ideas. In every area we have laid important roots for the future.

From The Socialist 9 June 2001

THE SOCIALIST Party took part in the Socialist Alliance election campaign in England and Wales.

By Hannah Sell

By combining the forces of different socialist organisations and individuals the Socialist Alliance was able to contest over 100 seats across England and Wales. At the same time, the Scottish Socialist Party contested all the seats in Scotland.

Despite the election as a whole leaving most people completely cold, the results for socialists were very positive.

The figures clearly demonstrate that a growing minority of people are consciously looking for a socialist alternative.

At. the time of going to press the Socialist Alliance had averaged 770 votes per seat. The Scottish Socialist Party seemed on course to get a creditable 70,000-plus votes across Scotland.

This is an important step forward. However, it is a small fraction of the vote that socialists could potentially win.

In areas where socialist candidates were seen by voters as credible they were able to convince a broader layer of people to come out and vote socialist. For example, Coventry Socialist Party councillor, Dave Nellist, (Chair of the Socialist Alliance) had, at the time of going to press, received the highest socialist vote in Britain with 2,638 votes.

Very good votes were also achieved in St Helens South, where the Socialist Alliance candidate, Neil Thompson, received 2,325 votes and Glasgow Pollok, where the Scottish Socialist Party candidate received 2,522 votes.

In the next four years, under the impact of New Labour's vicious privatisation policies and the effects of a world recession, millions of working-class people will begin to look for an alternative to Blair's neoliberal policies.

The potential exists to build on the successes in this election, and to create in England and Wales, a Socialist Alliance that includes significant groups of workers and young people.

However, to succeed in doing this the Alliance will have to take an inclusive and welcoming attitude to the new forces who, in the coming months and years, will begin to draw the conclusion that working class people need political representation.

Unfortunately, the Socialist Workers' Party (SWP), who currently dominate the Alliance, have not taken this approach to date.

In Hackney, for example, the SWP and their supporters have taken a high-handed and arrogant approach to the 26 UNISON shop stewards who recently decided to stand an anti-cuts candidate in a council by-election.

In the next few weeks the Socialist Party will be putting forward proposals for discussion within the Socialist Alliance to try and ensure that we build on the significant successes the Alliance has achieved in this election.

From The Socialist 9 June 2001

Summary

Socialist Alternative: 1,454 (2 seats)

Socialist Alliance: 57,553

Scottish Socialist Party 72,518

Socialist Labour Party 57,289

Total main Left vote: 188,814

Green Vote: 166,477

The Scottish Socialist Party’s 72,518 from 72 candidates compares with 39,720 in the June 1999 Euro election and 46,635 in the May 1999 elections to the Scottish Parliament.

Labour Party’s 10,740,168 (40.7% of those voting) compares with 13,518,167 (43.2%) in the May 1997 General election, a loss of a fifth of its vote. 

The BNP and National Front (NF) contested 38 seats and got 49,669 votes. In 1997 they ran in 57 seats getting 35,832 votes.

England and Wales

Seats and Candidates

Aberavon

Martin Chapman (Welsh Socialist Alliance) 256 (0.8%)

Aldridge-Brownhills

John Rothery (Socialist Alliance) 379 (1.0%)

Ashfield

George Watson (Socialist Alliance) 590 (1.5%)

Barnsley Central

Henry Rajch (Socialist Alliance) 703 (2.6%)

Basildon

Dick Duane (Socialist Alliance) 423 (1.0%)

Birmingham Erdington

Steve Godward (Socialist Alliance) 669 (2.2%)

Birmingham Northfield

Clive Walder (Socialist Alliance) 193 (1.0%)

Birmingham Perry Bar

Caroline Johnson (Socialist Alliance) 465 (1.2%)

Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath

Salman Mirza (Socialist Alliance) 304 (0.8%)

Blackburn

Jim Nichol (Socialist Alliance) 532 (1.3%)

Bolton West

Dave Toomer (Socialist Alliance) 397 (1.0%)

Bootle

Pete Glover (Socialist Alliance) 672 (2.4%)

Bradford South

Ateeq Siddique (Socialist Alliance) 302 (0.9%)

Brentford & Isleworth

Danny Faith (Socialist Alliance) 408 (0.9%)

Brent South

Mick McDonnell (Socialist Alliance) 491 (1.7%)

Bristol East

Andy Pryor (Socialist Alliance) 331 (0.8%)

Bristol South

Brian Drummond (Socialist Alliance) 496 (1.2%)

Camberwell & Peckham

John Mulrenan (Socialist Alliance) 478 (1.9%)

Cambridge

Howard Senter (Socialist Alliance) 716 (1.7%)

Cardiff Central

Julian Goss (Socialist Alliance) 283 (0.8%)

Cardiff South & Penarth

Dave Bartlett (Socialist Alliance) 427 (1.2%)

Carlisle

Paul Wilcox (Socialist Alliance) 269 (0.8%)

Chesterfield

Jeannie Robinson (Socialist Alliance) 437 (1.0%)

Coventry North East

Dave Nellist (Socialist Alliance) 2,638 (7.5%)

Coventry South

Rob Windsor (Socialist Alliance) 1,475 (3.6%)

Crawley

Muriel Hirsch (Socialist Alliance) 251 (0.6%)

Croydon North

Don Madgwick 539 (1.3%)

Dagenham

Berlyne Hamilton (Socialist Alliance) 262 (0.9%)

Darlington

Alan Docherty (Socialist Alliance) 229

Doncaster Central

Janet Terry (Socialist Alliance) 517 (1.5%)

Dudley South

Angela Thompson (Socialist Alliance) 663

Dulwich & West Norwood

Brian Kelly (Socialist Alliance) 839 (2.2%)

Ealing Acton & Shepherd's Bush

Nick Grant (Socialist Alliance) 529 (1.4%)

Edmonton

Howard Medwell (Socialist Alliance) 296

Exeter

Fran Choules (Socialist Alliance) 530 (1.0%)

Gillingham

W. Vaughan Thomas(Socialist Alliance) 232 (0.5%)

Gloucester

S. Smythe (Socialist Alliance) 272 (0.6%)

Greenwich & Woolwich

Kirstie Paton (Socialist Alliance) 481 (1.5%)

Hackney South & Shorditch

Cecillia Prosper (Socialist Alliance) 1401 (4.6%)

Hampstead & Highgate

Maddy Cooper (Socialist Alliance) 559 (1.5%)

Harlow

John Hobbs (Socialist Alliance) 401

Hayes and Harlington

Wally Kennedy (Socialist Alternative) 648 (2.0%)

Holborn & St Pancras

Candy Udwin (Socialist Alliance) 971 (3.1%)

Hornsey & Wood Green

Louise Christian (Socialist Alliance) 1,106 (2.5%)

Hove

Andy Richards (Socialist Alliance) 531 (1.3%)

Huddersfield Central

Graham Hallawell (Socialist Alliance) 374 (1.0%)

Hull North

Roger Smith (Socialist Alliance) 490 (1.7%)

Ipswich

Peter Leech (Socialist Alliance) 305 (0.8%)

Islington South

Janine Booth (Socialist Alliance) 817 (2.9%)

Leeds Central

Steve Johnston (Socialist Alliance) 751 (2.7%)

Leicester West

Steve Score (Socialist Alliance) 321 (1%)

Lewisham Deptford

Ian Page (Socialist Alliance) 1,260 (4.3%)

Lewisham East

Jean Kysow (Socialist Alliance) 464

Leyton & Wanstead

Sally Labern (Socialist Alliance) 709 (2.07%)

Liverpool Riverside

Cathy Wilson (Socialist Alliance) 909 (0.0%)

Liverpool Wavertree

Mark O'Brien (Socialist Alliance) 349 (0.0%)

Luton South

Joe Hearne (Socialist Alliance) 271

Makerfield

Malcolm Jones (Socialist Alliance) 858 (2.5%)

Manchester Blackley

Karen Reissmann (Socialist Alliance) 461

Manchester Withington

John Clegg (Socialist Alliance) 1,208 (3.5%)

Middlesborough

Geoff Kerr Morgan (Socialist Alliance) 577 (1.9%)

Milton Keynes South West

D. Bradbury (Socialist Alliance) 261 (0.6%)

Neath

Huw Pudner (Socialist Alliance) 483 (1.4%)

Newark

Ian Thompson (Socialist Alliance) 462

Northampton North

Gordon White (Socialist Alliance) 414

Norwich South

Dave Manningham (Socialist Alliance) 507 (1.2%)

Nottingham East

Pete Radcliff (Socialist Alliance) 1,117 (3.8%)

Oxford East

John Lister (Socialist Alliance) 708 (1.8%)

Plymouth Devonport

Tony Staunton (Socialist Alliance) 334 (0.8%)

Pontefract & Castleford

John Gill (Socialist Alliance) 330 (1.1%)

Poplar & Canning Town

Kambiz Boomla (Socialist Alliance) 950 (2.8%)

Portsmouth South

John Molyneux (Socialist Alliance) 647 (1.6%)

Reading East

Darren Williams (Socialist Alliance) 394

Regent's Park & North Kensington

China Meiville (Socialist Alliance) 459

Rotherham

Freda Smith (Socialist Alliance) 352 (1.2%)

St Helens South

Neil Thompson (Socialist Alliance) 2,325 (6.9%)

Salford

Peter Grant (Socialist Alliance) 414 (1.8%)

Sheffield Brightside

Brian Wilson (Socialist Alliance) 361 (1.4%)

Sheffield Central

Nick Riley (Socialist Alliance) 759 (2.5%)

Southampton Itchen

Gavin Marsh (Socialist Alliance) 236 (1.0%)

Southampton Test

Mark Abel (Socialist Alliance) 442 (0.9%)

Stevenage

Steve Glennon (Socialist Alliance) 449 (2.0%)

Streatham

Greg Tucker (Socialist Alliance) 906 (2.4%)

Stockton South

Lawrie Coombes (Socialist Alliance) 455

Swansea West

Alec Thraves (Welsh Socialist Alliance) 366 (1.1%)

Telford

Mike Jeffries (Socialist Alliance) 469 (1.5%)

Torfaen

Steve Bell (Welsh Socialist Alliance) 443

Tottenham

Weyman Bennett (Socialist Alliance) 1,162 (3.7%)

Tyne Bridge

Sam Robson (Socialist Alliance) 485 (1.9%)

Tyneside North

Pete Burnett (Socialist Alliance) 324

Vauxhall

Theresa Bennett (Socialist Alliance) 853 (2.6%)

Wakefield

Mick Griffifths (Socialist Alliance) 541 (1.3%)

Walsall North

Dave Church (Socialist Alliance) 410 (1.2%)

Walsall South

Peter Smith (Socialist Alliance) 343 (0.9%)

Walthamstow

Simon Donovan (Socialist Alternative) 806 (2.34%)

Warwick & Leamington

Alison Claire Kime (Socialist Alliance) 664 (1.3%)

Watford

Jon Berry (Socialist Alliance) 420

Waveney

Rupert Mallin (Socialist Alliance) 442 (0.9%)

Wigan

Dave Lowe (Socialist Alliance) 886 (0.0%)

York

Frank Ormston (Socialist Alliance) 674 (1.4%)

Scotland - Scottish Socialist Party

Aberdeen Central

Andy Cumbers 717 (2.7%)

Aberdeen North

Shona Forman 454 (1.5%)

Aberdeen South

D. Watt 495 (1.3%)

Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine

Alan Manley 418 (1.1%)

Airdrie & Shotts

Kenny McGulgan 1,171 (3.7%)

Angus

Bruce Wallace 732 (2.1%)

Argyll & Bute

Des Divers 1251

Ayr

James Stewart 692 (1.8%)

Banff & Buchan

A. Rowan 447

Caithness & Sunderland

Karn Mabon 544 (2.2%)

Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley

A. McFarlane 1,058 (2.6%)

Clydebank & Milngavie

Dawn Brennan 1,294 (4.0%)

Clydesdale

Paul Cocksholt 974 (2.5%)

Coatbridge & Cryston

Lyn Sheridan 1,547 (5.1%)

Cumbernauld

Kenny McEwan 1,287 (4.3%)

Cunninghame North

Sean Scott 964 (2.9%)

Cunninghame South

Rosemary Byrne 1,233 (4.3%)

Dumbarton

Les Robertson 1,354 (4.0%)

Dumfries

John Dennis 702 (1.6%)

Dundee East

Harvey Duke 879 (2.7%)

Dundee West

Jim McFarlane 1,192 (4.1%)

Dunfermline East

Andy Jackson 770 (2.6%)

Dunfermline West

Kate Stewart 746 (2.4%)

East Kilbride

D. Stevenson 1,519 (3.6%)

East Lothian

Derrick Whyte 624 (1.7%)

Eastwood

P. Murrey 814 (1.7%)

Edinburgh Central

Kevin Williamson 1,258 (3.7%)

Edinburgh East & Musselburgh

Derek Durkin 1,487 (4.3%)

Edinburgh North & Leith

Catriona Grant 1,334 (4.0%)

Edinburgh Pentlands

Jimmy Mearns 555 (1.4%)

Edinburgh South

Colin Fox 933 (2.5%)

Edinburgh West

Bill Scott 688 (1.7%)

Falkirk East

Tony Weir 785 (2.2%)

Falkirk West

Mhairi McAlpine 707 (2.3%)

Fife Central

Morag Balfour 841 (2.6%)

Fife North East

Keith White 610 (1.8%)

Galloway & Upper Nithsdale

A. Harvey 588 (1.6%)

Glasgow Anniesland

Charlie McCarthy 1,486 (5.6%)

Glasgow Ballieston

Jim McVicar 1,569 (6.7%)

Glasgow Cathcart

Ronnie Stevenson 1,730 (6.3%)

Glasgow Govan

Willie McGartland 1,531 (6.1%)

Glasgow Kelvin

Heather Ritchie 1,847 (6.9%)

Glasgow Maryhill

Gordon Scott 1,745 (7.8%)

Glasgow Pollock

Keith Baldassara 2,522 (10%)

Glasgow Rutherglen

Bill Bonnar 1,328 (4.5%)

Glasgow Shettleston

Rosie Kane 1,396 (6.8%)

Glasgow Springburn

Carolyn Leckle 1,879 (7.8%)

Gordon

J. Sangster 534 (1.4%)

Greenock & Inverclyde

Davey Landels 1,203 (4.2%)

Hamilton North & Bellshill

Shareen Blackall 1189

Hamilton South

Gena Mitchell 1,187 (4.4%)

Inverness East

Steve Arnott 894 (2.1%)

Inverness West

Stuart Topp 683 (2.0%)

Kilmarnock

Jason Muir 1,027 (2.7%)

Kirkcaldy

Dougle Kinnear 804 (2.9%)

Linlithgow

Eddie Cornoch 695 (2.2%)

Livingston

Wendy Milne 1,110 (3.1%)

Midlothian

Bob Goupillot 837

Moray

Norma Anderson 821 (2.5%)

Motherwell & Wishaw

S. Smellie 1260

Ochil

Pauline Thompson 751

Orkney & Shetland

Peter Andrews 776

Paisley North

Jim Halfpenny 982

Paisley South

Frances Curran 835

Perth

F. Byrne 899 (2.4%)

Renfrewshire West

Arlene Nunnery 925 (2.8%)

Roxburgh & Berwickshire

Amanda Millar 463 (1.6%)

Stirling

Clark Mullen 1012

Strathkelvin & Bearsden

Willie Telfer 1,393 (3.4%)

Tweedale, Ettrick & Lauderdale

Norman Lockhart 695 (1.2%)

Tayside North

Rosie Adams 620 (1.6%)

Western Isles

Joanne Telfer 286

International Socialists (IS) members are in bold type.

The International Socialists is the Scottish section of the Committee for a Workers' International - CWI - the socialist international organisation to which the Socialist Party is affiliated.