Socialist ideas adopted by a new generation

The ‘most boring election’ in history ended with a far-from
boring election night. Two main factors drove the election process – a
burning desire to punish New Labour and Tony Blair in particular – and
a horror of Howard winning the election.

For Socialist Party members up and down the country this was the best
election campaign we have ever been involved in.

In four weeks we raised over £11,000 for our fighting fund. This
money was made up of tens of thousands small donations from workers and
young people who wanted to assist our campaign.

We sold record numbers of The Socialist in many parts of the country.
Most importantly of all our raised profile meant that more people found
out about socialist ideas – our leaflets reached more than 700,000
households – and many people – especially young people – have
joined us in the struggle for socialism as a result.

Election results

Electorally, we achieved some creditable results. In Coventry North
East Councillor Dave Nellist received 1874 (5%). In Coventry South Rob
Windsor received 1097 (2.7%).

In London’s Lewisham Deptford Councillor Ian Page received 742
(2.4%).

In Newcastle East, standing for the first time, Bill Hopwood gained
582 votes (1.8%).

In London’s Walthamstow constituency Nancy Taaffe received 727
(2.4%). But our vote in no way reflected the support we found for our
ideas.

Anxious to give Blair a bloody nose, people who would have liked to
vote for us instead looked for a party that they felt could inflict
damage on New Labour nationally.

The Liberal Democrats – as one of the three mainstream parties (and
in some areas the Greens) – were seen as the most viable means to do
so by many.

Other workers voted Labour out of fear of a Tory victory, despite
agreeing 100% with our description of New Labour as a party of the
fat-cats.

Fear of Tory victory

However, where people felt free to vote on the basis of whose ideas
they liked best, we came out extremely well.

 In a Newsnight piece where candidates were interviewed be
members of the public without their parties being known our candidate
came second out of fifteen. And in a number of debates in schools, the
Socialist Party came first or second in the vote.

But it wasn’t only amongst young people that we struck a chord.
Pensioners also approached us inspired to see a new generation of young
people take up the struggle for socialism.

For example, one woman, the wife of a Labour councillor, came up to
us to say how happy she was to discover that socialism hadn’t died
when Blairism destroyed it in the Labour Party – and that, in fact,
socialist ideas were being adopted by a new generation.

This election marks a turning point in Britain. The next Labour
government will be far weaker and more unstable than previous ones but
this will not prevent them launching an onslaught of privatisation and
cuts on the working class.

In seat after seat, as other candidates limited themselves to
pleasantries, our candidates warned New Labour that workers are going to
fight back against their Tory policies – and socialists will be at the
fore of those struggles.


Details of Socialist Party results

Results for Socialist Alternative – the electoral name of the
Socialist Party

East Midlands

Leicester West  Steve Score: 552 (1.7%)

London

Lewisham Deptford Councillor Ian Page: 742 (2.4%)

Walthamstow Nancy Taaffe: 727 (2.1%)

North-East

Newcastle East and Wallsend William Hopwood: 582 (1.8%)

North-West

Wythenshawe and Sale East Lynn Worthington: 369 (1.0%)

Bootle Peter Glover: 655 (2.5%)

South-East

Brighton Kemptown Phil Clarke: 113 (0.3%)

South-West

Bristol North West Graeme Jones: 565 (1.2%)

Wales

Swansea West Robert Williams: 288 (0.87%)

Cardiff South and Penarth Dave Bartlett: 269 (0.7%)

West Midlands

Coventry South Rob Windsor: 1,097 (2.7%)

Coventry North East Councillor Dave Nellist: 1,874 (5.04%)

Coventry North West Nicola Downes: 615 (1.4%)

Birmingham Northfields Louise Houldey: 120 (0.38%)

Stoke-on-Trent Central Jim Cessford: 246 (0.9%)

Yorkshire

Sheffield Heeley Mark Dunnell: 265 (0.77%)

Wakefield Mick Griffiths: 319 (0.7%)