01.05.1997

Voided branch drives on

Despite being voided by the NEC, Vauxhall Constituency SLP continues to function and campaigned energetically for its candidate, Ian Driver. The branch has held together and increased its membership and activity. During the election campaign, local SLP activists held regular street meetings, canvassed, distributed leaflets at tube stations every evening and put up election posters all around the constituency. The SLP was easily the most visible of the parties on the streets. SLP members from around London gave support. In total, around 30 activists campaigned for Ian Driver in Vauxhall.

The official, NEC-recognised CSLP has only two members - both of whom support the ranting, homophobic Economic and Philosophical Science Review. Neither live in the constituency. Adrian Greenman of the EPSR appointed himself Ian Driver’s election agent and claimed an election register from the returning officer. Given that Ian is his own agent, the ‘official’ CSLP’s first bit of fundraising will be in order to pay back the £150 the register cost.

The future looks bright. The branch has had 16 people expressing an interest in joining the SLP. Many of these new people worked enthusiastically for the Driver campaign.

As well as these new recruits, the campaign was given support by a broad range of local forces: from disillusioned elements of New Labour, Civil Rights UK leader Rudy Narayan to the Spartacist League. The local Lambeth Socialist Party was excellent in its support and joint activity with it after the election looks likely.

The public meeting for the campaign was attended by 50 people - a leading Latin America refugee activist joined. Vauxhall recruited two people after Ian spoke at the Swing the Vote public meeting. Labour MP Kate Hoey, well known friend of the Ulster Unionists and admirer of the police, refused to face the young black voters of Vauxhall. In contrast, the SLP candidate publicly sided with those the police oppress and said the SLP will stand shoulder to shoulder with the local community and drive the police from the streets of Brixton if necessary.

Throughout the campaign, comrade Driver insisted that the SLP stands for overthrowing the whole system, not tinkering at its edges. After speaking at the Lambeth Pensioners’ Forum, the Vauxhall CSLP recruited a leading pensioners’ activist, despite the overt pro-Labour sentiments of the chair.

After the election, whatever the result, the voided members of Vauxhall will continue their fight for reinstatement. They have been voided for continuing to recognise branch member Barry Biddulph. Comrade Biddulph was bureaucratically excluded from the party with no reason given, no evidence produced and no right of appeal.

As well as continuing to build the profile of the SLP, the task set is also to work with as broad a number of local working class and socialist forces as possible to fight against the sectarianism of the left and point towards the sort of party the working class needs.

Vauxhall’s new recruits are being won to this perspective. They are becoming fighters, not just for socialism, but for a democratic SLP. The ball is in your court, Arthur.