22.05.1997

‘Nothing to fear from debate’

SLP Branch reports

The general election results were good for the SLP - both nationally and here in Barnsley too.

Of course the general election was completely different from the by-election here last December. There was a tremendous desire to get rid of the Tories, and for a party that has only been going for 12 months to get the results we did - I don’t know where there’s a parallel for it.

I was quite pleased with 2.8%. Before the election I would have told you (privately of course!) that I was expecting a lot less. New parties tend to get squeezed right out.

Nevertheless a lot of people were prepared to vote for us, even when all the pressure on them was to vote for one of the mainstream parties. Every night on TV it was not the SLP who got the mention - the main three got all the coverage. All the psychological propaganda was aimed at ensuring that.

The establishment encouraged a vote for New Labour. Democracy has to ‘demock’ in order to work. Labour became ‘electable’ and it was time for a change. No matter what the Tories did, it counted for nothing in the media. It reminded me of the 80s when it was Labour who could do nothing right in their eyes.

All of that put pressure on the electors. And you could understand their feelings after 18 years. So I was happier with my result in the general election than the 5.3% I got last December, when we were expecting more.

It will be very important to stand in the local elections in all the areas where we campaigned. Next year people might be looking for us.

We made some recruits in the campaign, although we didn’t have large numbers helping us or any support from other areas like we had in the by-election. A lot of people went to help in Newport East. But we do know now where most of our voters are and we must build on that support.

It’s like in the miners’ strike in 1984 when there was a psychological struggle being waged every day. We didn’t see the results in terms of mass support until 1992.

We can afford to congratulate ourselves, but then we must get down to making a realistic appraisal of the way forward for the left. We need an open discussion - a real open dialogue - on how we see ourselves. And of course we need to learn the organisational lessons from the election.

We have made the break from Labour as we aimed to do. Now we have to ask people what they want from the SLP.

We have nothing whatsoever to fear from a wide debate. That should certainly take place in the pages of Socialist News - that is fundamental to democracy. A letters page would allow all sorts of opinions to be expressed.

It is entirely healthy that people are encouraged to speak openly at our meetings and conferences. We’ll be the stronger for it.

We should organise weekend schools on tactics and strategy, on election experiences, as well as for political discussion.

Sacked docker slams New Labour’s welfare wrecker

About 15 people were out canvassing for Socialist Labour’s candidate, Mick Cullen in Birkenhead, who received 2.97% of the vote. There are about 40 members in the branch.

It was clear what a difference canvassing made and the vote could have been increased tremendously with more people helping in the campaign.

Mick Cullen is one of the sacked dockers but had to step in at the last moment to replace the previous candidate, Alec McFadden who had to step down after a personal tragedy.

The overwhelming feeling on the campaign trail was that people were going to vote Labour just to get the Tories out, even though the Tories had no chance of winning the seat.

Many voters agreed with many of the SLP policies and considered themselves old Labour, which Blair’s party clearly was not. However, this time most voters were determined not to give the Tories a chance.

Many people did not want the SLP to rock the boat. Nevertheless there was little enthusiasm associated with the Labour vote. Though Frank Field increased his majority from 1992, the actual number of votes he received went down. Only 60% of the electorate actually voted in this area, with a lot of young people not even on the electoral role.

The Liverpool docks dispute was not a big issue in the area with people being less concerned with the anti-trade union laws and more concerned with the attacks on the health service, education and the Jobseekers Allowance.

Frank Field has launched straight into the attack on the welfare state, particularly targeting single mothers, that all too familiar scapegoat. While insisting that single mothers should go out to work, there is no improvement in childcare provision or wages so that working parents can actually afford childcare provision.

David Blunkett has begun the attack on teachers, blaming them for the failure of the education system, while in the local area parents were asked to raise £99 each to pay for a teacher and have been running car boot sales to buy equipment and books for the schools.

The SLP made a few recruits during the course of the campaign and hopes to solidify its support in next year’s local elections as Labour in power goes on the attack against the working class.

The Liverpool dockers are having an international conference in Montreal on Monday, hoping to step up the action after the general election.

‘Go beyond electoral campaigns’

Lewisham SLP were pleased with their very respectable result, in the context of other SLP votes. John Mulrenan received the eighth highest SLP vote with 2.96% in the Deptford constituency.

Though like all the SLP campaigns the branch did not have massive resources, on one weekend 35 people were out canvassing. The main barrier was the need to explain to people why a votefor the SLP was by no means a wasted vote and how important it was for the class to raise its challenge to the capitalist parties.

Incredibly Joan Ruddock, the New Labour candidate, is still considered a leftwinger of some sort. A lot of people who have left the Labour Party and consider themselves on the left still voted Labour, lacking any confidence in the self-activity of the working class.

The Lewisham branch has about 40 SLP members in several different constituencies, with a further 25 people recruited during the course of the campaign.

Most people canvassed had heard of the SLP but were still not ready to vote or join.

For the SLP to build there needs to be discussion on what sort of party it should be. SLP work needs to go beyond electoral campaigns, which of course raise the profile of the party but extra-parliamentary work is essential if the working class is to become a real force for change.

Part of building the SLP must include discussions with other groups and political organisations, including the Socialist Party, which has activists in the area, so the left can become a united and credible alternative.

John Mulrenan points out that debate on the left is essential in the coming period.

West London makes its mark

Some members in the West London area had originally hoped that all the comrades would concentrate their forces into the one constituency of Ealing Acton and Shepherds Bush. The candidate, Jack Gilbert, who gained 1.32% of the vote, was therefore disappointed when Brent branch decided to stand against Ken Livingstone.

West London comrades were even more surprised to receive a phone call from Arthur Scargill just prior to the closure of nominations, telling them that leading Indian Workers Association member Harpal Brar would be standing in Ealing Southall. He had only joined the SLP two days previous to the announcement of his candidature, so West London comrades are keen to debate these issues at their regular aggregate meetings in order to re-instil some cohesion in the area.

Comrade Brar’s excellent result of over 2000 votes was achieved largely as a result of his wide support in the Southall area, though it is difficult to tell which votes were for the SLP and which for the Indian Workers Association.

The constituency where Jack Gilbert stood is a staunchly working class area. There were about 12 people helping with the campaign, leafleting job centres, civic centres, Hammersmith hospital and weekly stalls in Acton and Shepherds Bush markets.

There was little time left for canvassing the three main council estates, but about half were covered. The branch also organised two public meetings around Ireland and trade unions, where there were lively discussions. Arthur Scargill addressed a rally and the SLP attended numerous meetings organised by local community groups.

Support for the SLP was extremely positive, but though this was a safe Labour seat the mood was still one determined to make sure the Tories fell this time. Nevertheless there was certainly no enthusiasm for Labour in the vote.

It seems that Ealing council has plans to privatise South Acton estate, with the Nat West bank interested in the spoils.

Jack Gilbert is a member of Harrow SLP, where two Labour MPs took previously Tory seats. The major issue in the area was the closure of Edgware hospital. There was a massive vote for Labour to reverse its closure and yet Labour has now announced that the closure will go ahead.

There is already a lot of anger about this, leaving the SLP well placed to stand in the council by-elections which will be held as a result of the Labour councillors being elected as MPs.

Local lackey

The conflict between democrats and witch hunters sharpened dramatically in the West London Socialist Labour Party branch on May 16 when the new influx of members of the Indian Workers Association and the Stalin Society (sic) around the parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall, Harpal Brar, came together in a post-election meeting with a number of the leading activists in the branch, including the parliamentary candidate for the other Ealing constituency, Acton and Shepherds Bush, Jack Gilbert.

Having played no part in the party before the election period, Brar’s candidacy was announced over the heads of the members and elected officers of the constituency party. The officers wrote a letter of protest to acting general secretary Arthur Scargill, complaining at the breach of democracy. To date, no reply has been forthcoming, as with Brent East Constituency Socialist Labour Party’s letters.

However, it emerged that Jack Gilbert’s election agent, Steve Cowan, who had previously upheld democratic rights within the party, seems to have accepted appointment as Arthur Scargill’s personal local representative. After Cowan attacked Brent SLP branch in the local newspapers, using the title “spokesperson for Arthur Scargill”, it seems Arthur sent his local lackey a copy of the Ealing Southall CSLP’s protest letter. Comrade Steve duly supplied Arthur with a draft reply justifying the undemocratic imposition of Brar as candidate.

A motion of censure against comrade Cowan was narrowly lost, Stalinists outnumbering democrats on this occasion, and during the protracted debates of the evening the majority made clear their view that it is not legitimate at all to question decisions of the National Executive Committee, whether in relation to the rights of individual members like Brent East’s parliamentary candidate Stan Keable, the voiding of party organisations such as Vauxhall CSLP, or party policy on Europe - adopted without a congress decision - which many find uncomfortably close to that of the UK Independence Party.

Fortunately, being neither a branch nor a CSLP meeting, none of the decisions of May 16 carry any official validity. No doubt a number of West London activists will be attending the conference of the campaign for democracy in the SLP on Saturday June 14 at Conway Hall.

Meanwhile Brent SLP Branch is busy with a programme of study and discussion for its new recruits.