19.12.1996

Spring bulbs planted

Ken Capstick, the Socialist Labour Party’s candidate in last week’s Barnsley East by-election, reflects on the result and on the SLP’s prospects

“Looking back, 5.3% was a fantastic result. We set off right at the beginning aiming to save our deposit. We campaigned vigorously and leafleted the entire constituency, and from canvassing we started to have higher expectations that didn’t materialise. We were hoping for eight to 10%.

We concentrated our campaign where the Labour vote was, and took 949 votes from them. Perhaps we got a distorted picture, because we canvassed in the most favourable areas. Maybe we could have better attacked the situation, deploying people in a better way.

But I still think, for all that, it was an excellent result for a new party. If you’re not one of the three main parties, you’re likely to get one percent. Also you have to take into account that we didn’t choose this by-election - it chose us. We were faced with a huge Labour majority. If it had been a marginal seat, we would have had a devastating effect.

The Labour Party at the beginning of the century didn’t reach anything like five percent, so there is no need for us to be despondent. Don’t forget: the first miner who stood as a Labour candidate was stoned - by the miners. They thought he was going to let the Tories in instead of the Liberals. The sitting MP, Benjamin Pickard, was president of the Yorkshire miners.

Another thing - I was unable to be interviewed for TV. Jeff Ennis for Labour refused to speak to the cameras, so that locked us all out because of the electoral laws. They could only interview Arthur, and I had to stand next to him, nodding like a ventriloquist’s dummy. If we have 50 candidates at the general election, we will have an election broadcast. I don’t think this result means we will do badly. We have done better in local elections, including winning 20% in Forest Gate.

There is also the danger of being a prophet in your own village. Perhaps Arthur and myself aren’t so popular in our own area as in other places. We are all only human and people know our faults and the mistakes we make.

But I don’t think we could have done better by changing the emphasis of the campaign. From my experience in the NUM we were often saying things that people think are a little bit over the top, but later come to accept. For example, when we warned of the massive pit closure programme, a lot of people didn’t believe us, but in 1992 they had to admit we were right.

It could all turn around in two years’ time with the election of a Blair government. Blair will be the next Tory prime minister, I’m sure of that. But we’ll be there, saying it was all going to happen all along. The campaign was putting out those ideas. It’s like planting daffodils. At first you can’t see the result of your work - you can’t see the bulbs. But one day soon those daffodils will come up.

It will be interesting to see what happens with left Labour MPs. I don’t think people like Livingstone or Corbyn would come over to us unless we took off in a big way. It’s more likely that MPs with absolutely nothing to lose would join us after the election - those on their last lap.

There are lots of good leftwingers around, including Labour MPs. I would like to think that they will all join Socialist Labour. But there is no chance of us cooperating with Militant Labour. We are not going to build alliances - formal or informal - Scargill is absolutely adamant and I can’t see a change in that. How much do Militant or the CPGB get when they stand in elections - one percent? I know Dave Nellist and Tommy Sheridan have done better, but there were local circumstances. Dave Nellist should come and join us.

I don’t think that is sectarian - they would say that. We want one mass party. You say it’s unrealistic for them all to close down their parties, but they are not too distant from us - why don’t they make the break and come in?

When it comes to the CPGB joining the SLP without closing down the Weekly Worker, I’d have a talk to Arthur. I don’t know what his feelings would be.”

Barnsley East by-election result

Jeff Ennis (Labour)                              13,6837                6.4%
David Willis (Lib Dem)                       1,502                      8.4%
Jane Ellison (Conservative)               1,299                      7.2%
Ken Capstick (SLP)                               949                         5.3%
Nikolai Tolstoy (UKI)                          378                         2.1%
Julie Hyland (SEP)                                89                           0.5%

Majority 12,181   Turnout 33.7%