04.09.2002

Foot for mayor

Paul Foot's selection as Socialist Alliance candidate for mayor of Hackney has put the wind up New Labour. Millbank are worried that the October 17 election will produce a result far worse than the election of a monkey in Hartlepool or 'Robocop' Ray Mallon in Middlesbrough - the election of a revolutionary socialist in London. So fearful are they that ex-minister Mo Mowlam, recently moved to Hackney, was approached by the Labour machine and pressurised to stand. This was all done without the knowledge of the local party, who had already selected Jules Pipe, leader of the council. However, Mowlam refused to bend to the pressure and Pipe remains Labour candidate. According to The Independent, "The former secretary of state for Northern Ireland, who believes that her ministerial career was ended by the party's spin machine, had little hesitation in declining" (August 30). But a snub from Millbank is the least of Jules Pipe's problems. He is a hardly a popular person in Hackney - at least not among those who have been on the receiving end of his policies in the last few years. A reliable toadying Blairite, he has presided over the slashing of services and the sell-off of council property to fat cat entrepreneurs. He is seen as a hatchet man for New Labour. His unpopularity is reflected in the local party, where he only narrowly won the nomination against opposition from a significant leftwing minority. The New Labour machine is right to be uneasy. As The Independent comments, "The widespread and growing antipathy to the council and the maverick voting pattern established so far in the mayoral elections may mean "¦ that Mr Foot will do much better than could be expected as a candidate outside the mainstream". What is more, comrade Foot stands in stark and utter contrast to Pipe. He is respected as a fighter and an outspoken critic of New Labour and its fawning before big business and the ethos of greed. Of course we have our criticisms - comrade Foot is a loyal member of the Socialist Workers Party - although reportedly on its right wing. That means, when it comes to issues such as September 11, Palestine, Ireland and Iraq, he always writes within the narrow strictures of SWP orthodoxy - economistic and soft on reactionary anti-capitalisms. Nevertheless he is a tireless campaigner. Indeed his exposure of official foul play, corruption and double-talk is legendary - not least as a regular Guardian columnist and contributor to Private Eye. The SA national executive has decided to prioritise the campaign and national secretary Rob Hoveman is closely involved. Hackney achieved some of the best results across the country in the recent local elections and comrade Foot himself won over 20% of the vote. There is something substantial to be built on. And a high-profile and successful campaign could revitalise the whole SA project - something which is badly needed. Crucially this election provides a platform to take on the government, particularly important now in the run-up to the threatened war on Iraq. Quite rightly therefore, comrades have decided that opposition to the war will be one of our main priorities. Paul Foot has committed himself to be "a mayoral candidate totally opposed to the war and constantly prepared to say so". Public meetings are planned on the question and there will be a large Hackney contingent on the September 28 national demonstration. A number of ideas for action have been discussed, including holding a public ballot on the war during the election campaign. With the government's own divisions reflecting both Blair's determination to stay as close to the US administration as possible and the opposition of much of the population, the conditions are ripe for a deep split to open up in the labour movment and the Labour Party. Blair is vulnerable. He is now being forced to produce a 'dossier of evidence' on why Iraq should be attacked - it will be half old hat and half lies. In such an environment the anti-war movement and the Socialist Alliance must seize the opportunity. Paul Foot could potentially become a national figure championing opposition to the war. Another key slogan in the campaign is the call to defend asylum-seekers and economic refugees. Comrade Foot says: "As mayor, I would campaign to stop deportations of people who had fled persecution, and oppose the detention of people not accused of any crime. I would demand that Hackney's social services and housing departments give asylum-seekers the benefits they are entitled to and are not dispersed across the country against their will." It is excellent that our campaign has taken a bold stance on these big national and international questions and not confined itself simply to local issues (there are enough of them in Hackney). Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the issue of drugs. We have agreed to campaign for the legalisation of cannabis - bound to be a 'vote-winner', it is said. But the suggestion that this must be linked to the call for the decriminalisation of all drugs (in accordance with People before profit, the SA's programmatic document) has not been accepted. At recent policy meetings the discussion has continued on how this question should be approached but appears not yet to have been resolved. CPGB representatives were adamant that it would be opportunist for us not to include this slogan as part of our campaign. There seems to be support for this position from some independents and SWP members. We need to actively fight against the criminalisation of drug-users, not shelve the issue because of the current moral panic about crack cocaine and heroin. We cannot raise the issue of the legalisation of cannabis and not expect people to ask our view on other drugs. Should we mumble and walk away or highlight our principled position? The answer is obvious. The fight for votes should not lead to the dumping of policies seen to be unpopular. We need a consistent approach on these questions. If not, we will end up as the kind of 'electoralists' that the SWP used to condemn - before it correctly decided to use the electoral tactic. I am happy to report that red will be the colour of our campaign. A proposal by national chair Liz Davies, with the initial backing of some SWP members, to dilute red with green and purple - on rosettes leaflets, etc - was defeated at a recent meeting. Comrade Davies's proposal was vigorously opposed on political grounds by myself. When it came to the discussion at the meeting, however, the SWP (obviously having caucused beforehand) side-stepped the issue and proposed that we do not have rosettes at all rather than argue about the colours! Diplomatic but pathetic. Our flag - and rosettes - stays red. Finally let me stress once again the importance of making the Hackney mayoral contest a national campaign - London Socialist Alliance comrades in particular should help with raising finances, campaigning and building support. For all the reasons set out above, it is not beyond the realms of possibility for us to make a real breakthrough on October 17. That would be a massive step forward for the Socialist Alliance. But, victory aside, the impact our campaign will have in terms of the anti-war movement could be considerable. The first election leaflets are being handed out this week at schools across the borough. Meetings have begun to take place and an election newspaper is in the pipeline. Paul Foot has been out and about pledging his support to campaigns formed to resist cuts spearheaded by Jules Pipe - who is currently on holiday. Last weekend comrade Foot visited St Johns nursery, which was occupied by parents opposed to its closure. All SA members - especially in London - who possibly can should come to Hackney to help with the campaign - we must make the most of this opportunity. Anne Mc Shane * For details of how to get involved phone 020 8525 6616, email info@hackneysa.net or visit the campaign website at www.foot4mayor.org