Red Pepper's Election Blues

The big picture – fragmentation and the case for PR

Labour looks like winning on 36% of the vote – the lowest share of the vote for a winning party in the modern era. Between them, the two leading parties look like gaining less than 70% of the vote, unprecedented in the post-war period. The Lib Dems had their best result since the 1920s, fuelled by large swings in some key constituencies where anti-war tactical voting (Hornsey) and student votes (Manchester Withington) played a role.

The bigger picture should also look at the remarkable 8% taken by 'others' - smaller parties and independent candidates. Abstentions are still very high too: turnout is only up around 2% on its record low of 2001, standing now at just over 60%. This shift can largely be accounted for by the rise of postal voting.

High levels of abstention and the rise of smaller parties are not unusual to the UK. A similar pattern has been seen elsewhere in Western Europe in recent years. Major parties have been haemorrhaging support, as their vote is fragmented across a whole range of smaller parties. The most notable instance of this is probably in France, where far left and far right have both recorded large gains in national elections. There are important political reasons for this fragmentation: with major parties converging on a neoliberal economic model, there are no longer serious political disputes 'at the centre', which means that the losers from that system are left looking for another home. This doesn't mean, of course, that these discontents will be expressed as renewed strength for the left.

In Britain up to now, the First Past the Post (FPTP) system has acted as a check upon this fragmentation. When political commentators start to reflect on this, many will no doubt see it as an additional argument in favour of Britain's current electoral system.

The left may be tempted by this argument too. Certainly, squeezing the electoral preferences of the nation into a winner-takes-all model of single member, single vote constituencies does make the electoral rise of far right (as well as far left) more difficult: it is hard to imagine an equivalent to Le Pen breaking through in Britain as has happened in France. But it does not make the rise of far right politics any trickier. This election campaign has seen attacks on immigrants and gypsies, as scapegoats are sought to explain away social discontents. This political strategy, spearheaded by the Conservatives' authoritarian populist campaign, but acquiesced by Labour too, is designed to appeal to an imagined, reactionary core of the British electorate – the 'middle England' voters who populate the marginal seats that the parties know determine their fate in electoral competition. As a result, the political centre has been pushed further to the right during the campaign – and the electoral system, which encourages this kind of pandering to a lowest common denominator, is a part of that big picture.  OR, 7.22am

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The left so far

Plaid Cymru's Hywel Williams - who voted against the war, foundation hospitals and control orders, and brings a good voice of dissent to the House - has been re-elected as MP for Caernarfon.

Elfyn Llwyd - a Plaid MP with a similarly positive voting record - has also held on to Merionnydd Nant Conwy.

Jill Russell, standing for Respect in Tyne Bridge, picked up 1.7% of the vote.

Bill Bonnar of the SSP, standing in Rutherglen & Hamilton West, received 2.7% and 1,164 votes.

Peter Beck, Green Party candidate in Birmingham Edgebaston (where Labour's Gisela Stuart held on) got 3% of the vote, or 1,116.

... and Red Pepper editor Hilary Wainwright, who's commentating on the election for the BBC World Service, is predicting a respectable result for Reg Keys in Sedgefield.

Mapping Dissent

Ever since '97 the left has found coping with this right wing Labour government extremely difficult. As the General Election approaches those problems are thrown into ever sharper focus, producing a mosaic of opposition that is simultaneously cutting with the grain of public opinion but is itself too often disorientated, fragmented and punching below its weight.

Red Pepper has teamed up with the Socialist Unity Network to produce the definitive dissenter's   guide to the election. Use the map to find progressive candidates in your constituency.

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Around the Left (2)

The Left may not have a fighting chance in many constituencies, but it certainly seems to relish the chance to fight election campaigns. The latest party to launch its campaign is Peace and Progress, founded by actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave and Azmat Begg (father of Moazzam Begg, the former Guantanamo Bay detainee). The Redgraves – formerly of the Communist Workers’ Revolutionary Party – seem to have undergone a Respect-style makeover and are now promoting human rights, respect for international law and the UN system. Azmat Begg will stand in Birmingham Hodge Hill and Sylvia Dunn, founder and president of the National Association of Gypsy Women, will contest Michael Howard’s Folkestone seat. At today’s press launch, she compared the Tory leaders’ proposals on travellers to those ‘of the Gestapo’.

Elsewhere, the Socialist Party is promoting a slate of candidates in over 15 seats, including former Labour MP Dave Nellist in Coventry North East and local councillor Ian Page in Lewisham Deptford. In 2001, Nellist picked up 2,638 votes, which was the best result for any candidate of the the now-defunct Socialist Alliance.

Maurice Leen is the candidate for the Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) in Oxford East. The Association, which promotes ‘working class rule in working class areas’, currently has 3 seats on Oxford City Council.   OR

Part one of ‘around the left’

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Red and Green

The Socialist Unity election questionnaire is doing the rounds, and the answers are coming in thick and fast from left wing candidates all round the country. Most of the people who have responded so far have been from the Green Party. Critics of the Greens may be quick to write them off as ‘petit-bourgeois reformists’, but many of the candidates in this election are standing on very progressive platforms that may be worth the attention of any red-blooded socialist.

Graham Elliot, standing in Waveney writes that “climate change, peace and public services” are the most important issues for him in this election. A valid criticism of Respect, despite being very strong on anti-war and public services issues, is that they have not paid enough attention to the environment part of their name, which is central to Green Party policy.

Derek Wall, Green candidate for Windsor, describing himself as an Eco-Marxist, goes further to say “I believe that only a socialist society will meet human needs and sustain ecological diversity, politics is based on class struggle, it isn't a matter of changing a few laws we live in a social totality that is utterly destructive and must be replaced. Revolution is a break between one social system and another.”

Demonstrating that the grass can be just as green on the other side of the fence, Scottish Socialist Party candidate for Western Isles, Joanne Telfer, says that one of her aims in the election is “Demonstrating that we are becoming a green as well as a socialist movement.” She continues by championing the merits of off-shore wind and wave power, instead of using nuclear energy as a means of lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile Colin Turbett, SSP candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran, says that the only justifiable war is class war!

Tom Woodcock, of Cambridge, the first Respect candidate to reply, says that he thinks the most important issue in this election is “Electoral Reform! I meet as many people who are not voting as who are, and whether they are voting or not most people lack trust in the system.” Whilst admitting that victory in Cambridge against sitting Labour MP Anne Campbell is very unlikely, Tom says that there is much more to be gained in standing than simply votes; “A political base and voice for the progressive left is so important here and we feel we are winning battles every day! We of course aim to continue influencing the mainstream debate.”

Andy Newman is standing in North Swindon under the Socialist Unity electoral banner, and has made an agreement to avoid clashes with the Greens, who are standing in South Swindon. He says that he made the decision to stand as a Socialist Unity candidate because; “I would have preferred to stand for the Socialist Alliance, as we had used that name in previous elections, but that organisation was prematurely killed off. I have no desire to stand for Respect, as I believe that organisation is undemocratic” In response to what question he wished was on the questionnaire, Andy replied “I am very interested in peoples' views about Venezuela, which I think is very exciting.”

More replies are coming in each day, so be sure to keep checking back to the Socialist Unity Network website to hear more from the left candidates in the election.

SS

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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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Right result, wrong election

This is a bit off topic, but if you're on the left then good news is difficult to come by. Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right Casa delle Liberta has suffered a heavy defeat in Italy's regional elections, which took place last weekend. The centre-left L’Ulivio Coalition won in 11 of the 13 regions, with a higher than expected 71% turnout. The left now controls 16 of Italy’s 20 regional governments. The most remarkable news, from a left perspective, was the victory of Niki Vendola, a Catholic gay communist and member of Rifondazione Comunista, in traditionally conservative Puglia. A full, region by region, breakdown of the election results can be found here.   OR

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