Around the Left

Respect launches its campaign with a rally in London tonight, which is likely to emphasise its anti-war stance and attacks on civil liberties. Lib Dem voter Tariq Ali is amongst the speakers.

The Scottish Socialist Party hopes to bring the rail industry back into public ownership and promises to campaign for an eight pounds an hour minimum wage.

The Green Party is promoting eight key pledges, including promises to expose British contractors’ role in profiteering from foreign aid and shut the revolving door between government and big business. Climate change is also high on its agenda, as it is for the Alliance for Green Socialism (AGS), whose stronghold is in Leeds. AGS must also be one of the first parties to have already published its manifesto, which can be found here.

Forward Wales is emphasising the role of its candidates as community campaigners (perhaps that’s why its website looks a bit amateur? It currently features a lo-fi rip-off of some Labour/Tory subvertising).

The election isn’t just the focus for political parties, though. The RMT has timed its Rail Against Privatisation initiative to coincide with the campaign. The same issue is also the subject of a recent Catalyst briefing, which sets out how Labour could implement its annual conference commitment (an oxymoron?) to introduce “an integrated, accountable and publicly owned railway.”

Last, but not least, the World Development Movement has issued an election briefing which compares the main parties’ records on global justice issues. OR

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Comments

[dearkitty]

Former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, now standing as an independent anti-war candidate against [Blair's Foreign Secretary] Jack Straw: see interview etc. at http://dearkitty.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=545382

[Communist Party]

COMMUNISTS TO CONTEST SIX SEATS

Press conference:
Brockway Room, Conway Hall
Red Lion Square, London (LU station: Holborn)
11 a.m.

Britain's Communist Party is to fight six seats in the General Election on May 5.
The party will unveil its election manifesto 'No to war, racism and privatisation' on Thursday, April 14. Among the main planks of its electoral platform will be:

- withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq and an independent foreign policy for Britain
- public ownership of the railway, coal, electricity, gas and water industries and an end to all forms of privatisation including the Private Finance Initiative
- state shareholdings in failing private enterprises which receive government aid
- limits on the export of capital and other measures to compel investment in British manufacturing jobs
- a windfall tax on oil and bank super-profits which total £48 billions
- a wealth tax on the richest 5 per cent of the population who own 62 per cent of Britain's non-housing wealth
- repeal of racist immigration and nationality laws and of all anti-civil liberties legislation including the anti-trade union laws
- opposition to the EU constitution and British adoption of the euro.

The party's candidates are general secretary Robert Griffiths in Pontypridd (against government minister Kim Howells), leading peace campaigner Elinor McKenzie in Glasgow Central, veteran anti-fascist Monty Goldman in Hackney South & Shoreditch, prominent trade unionist Martin Levy in Newcastle East & Wallsend, former building worker Glyn Davies in Alyn & Deeside and Cuba solidarity organiser Geoff Bottoms in Liverpool Crosby.
In most other constituencies, the Communist Party of Britain will be calling for a Labour victory, except where leading members of the 'war cabinet' are standing.

END

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Note to editors:
Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths and other candidates will be available for individual interviews at the press conference from 10.15 am and immediately after the main session.

[Refusenik Boy]

Are the Alliance for Green Socialism really standing against the Green Party in Brighton Pavillion, which is one of the Green's strongest constituencies? It baffles me, it really does. Surely they should be entryists into the Green Party or something? The Greens may not be for the expropriation of private property, but surely the most important thing in this election is establishing the possibility of viable left alternatives to the Labour Party....