Respect's best result so far has been in West Ham. Here's what candidate Abdul Khaliq Mian had to say on his respectable second place there:
"Its fantastic to be such a strong second
in a seat that's been Labour for 100 years.
"This result has created a stepping stone for the Respect Coalition to build on in future. We've got local council elections here in Newham next year where we hope to do very well.
"This wasn't just a vote about the war. That's an important issue, but not the only one. People are unhappy about council housing, education and other issues in this area, and are no longer prepared to just accept the New Labour message.
"Nationally, we'd like to think we've done quite well. Respect is only 1 ½ years old and to grow so quickly is absolutely fantastic. No doubt we'll build on that.
"As for George Galloway, as far as we know he's won but we're still waiting for the official announcement of the result." OR
Abdul Khaliq Mian ran in East Ham, coming second with 8,171 votes.
Lindsey German was Respect's candidate in West Ham, also coming second with 6,039 votes
Posted by: carlton | Saturday, May 07, 2005 at 06:07 PM