24.04.2002

Getting into gear

Waltham Forest Socialist Alliance is standing eight candidates in the May 2 local elections - four members of the Socialist Workers Party, one from the CPGB and three independents. Four of the wards we are contesting are in the Leyton/Leytonstone area, where we stood Sally Labern in the general election. Sally is a candidate in the Cann Hall ward this time. The other four are in Walthamstow - including Cecilia Prosper (Hoe Street ward), who has previously contested North East London in the elections to the Greater London Authority and Hackney South and Shoreditch in the general election. I am standing in the William Morris ward. We are calling for a vote for the Socialist Party's three candidates in St James, but some of the Green Party's eight candidates are opposing SA comrades. The campaign plan has been to leaflet all wards where we are standing once and then focus on four of the eight, including those contested by comrades Labern, Prosper and myself. A second leaflet has been prepared for this purpose and it is hoped that some canvassing will take place in at least two wards. We are now getting into gear after a slow start. However, the disappointing levels of active support have meant that it took nearly three weeks to complete the first round of leafleting, resulting in the likelihood that canvassing will have to be very limited. Stalls have not been as well attended as they could be - in Walthamstow, although the SWP has been the most insistent on their usefulness, only one SWP comrade has shown in two weeks. One unfortunate aspect of the campaign was the fact that I was prevented from describing myself as a communist in my election address. This decision was initiated by SWP comrades - in particular Mark Campbell, who is leading the SWP intervention in the SA campaign in Waltham Forest. The steering committee voted by six to two for a ban, with one abstention. All three SWPers voted in favour. The main argument used was that the word 'communist', presented without any explanation, would put people off and cost us votes. It was also falsely claimed that the SA national committee had agreed such a position. Lee Rock