18.09.2002

Abbott and Foot share platform

Support anti-war candidate for Hackney mayor

Paul Foot's campaign as Socialist Alliance candidate for Hackney mayor has stepped up a couple of gears over the last week. He has featured in the national as well as local press and we have every intention of ensuring that this high profile is maintained. Comrade Foot has addressed several local meetings and got a good reception from staff and parents alike when he visited the Rainbow nursery, the latest in a long line of community services threatened with closure by the axe-wielding Labour council. On Tuesday September 17 he spoke at a packed meeting called by Hackney Stop the War Coalition, which also featured Diane Abbott. It was highly significant that comrade Abbott agreed to share a platform with the Socialist Alliance candidate in the middle of a highly charged election campaign, where a key issue is the threat of war against Iraq. Comrade Foot is the anti-war, pro-working class candidate, while his Labour opponent, council leader Jules Pipe, has been four-square behind the imperialist war drive and one of the main architects of Labour's assault on Hackney jobs and services. In last year's general election comrade Abbott openly stated her support for the SA's priority pledges. Comrade Foot, a prominent member of the Socialist Workers Party, emphasised to the 200-strong audience in Bullion Hall that the Socialist Alliance, as with all principled socialists, was against the war, whether it was supported by the United Nations or not. The UN, far from speaking for the masses of ordinary people, was made up overwhelmingly of representatives of big business, the rich and corrupt, while the security council was an "imperialist club". Comrade Foot contrasted the widespread deprivation in Hackney with the no-expense-spared mobilisation against Saddam Hussein. Yet the cost of one missile would be sufficient to resolve Hackney's financial crisis. His SWP comrade, Assad Rahman, speaking for Globalise Resistance, adopted the same approach. He pointed out that we need to take political control over the wealth we ourselves create: "Give us the money, Tony, and we will show you how to spend it," he said. We should of course not concern ourselves with how much our rulers say they can afford - we fight for what our class needs. Nevertheless New Labour's willingness to invest in war while cutting back on basics clearly demonstrates capitalism's distorted agenda based on putting profit before people. Comrade Rahman said his father had recently visited Iraq and found people frightened by the prospect of war. They did not want America to 'liberate' them. Saddam Hussein is unpopular, but it has to be up to the Iraqis themselves to remove him. Comrade Rahman quipped: "If there is regime change it should be yours, Tony Blair." Diane Abbott, seemingly unperturbed by such comments, said that war now seemed more or less inevitable but, as in 1968 over Vietnam, it could well be a "defining moment in history". The sides that people take on this issue will define their political stance for years to come. Sophie Bolt of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was concerned about possible nuclear war and pointed out that public opinion was against an attack on Iraq. She said that CND had grown by 180% over recent months due to widespread discontent. All her criticisms were directed at the USA and she too emphasised welfare concerns. Several speakers emphasised the need to link the war with domestic political issues and of course Paul Foot's campaign for mayor is attempting to do just that. Now the need is to further step up the campaign. A substantial part of the borough has been leafleted already, but we need to complete distribution to all of Hackney's 80,000 households as soon as possible, and then start delivering our eight-page 'Foot for mayor' tabloid. We have also produced a special education leaflet, which has gone into several schools. Then from October 6 - the day after ballot papers are issued - we aim to be out canvassing as widely as we possibly can. Hackney people can expect to see a reappearance of the battle bus that featured in previous elections around that time. We aim to keep up the pressure right up to polling day, October 17. Previous postal elections have shown that most people tend to leave voting until the last three days. We need every SA supporter to spend as much time as they can in Hackney, especially at weekends. Comrades are invited to meet every Saturday and Sunday on the steps of Hackney town hall at 12 noon (2pm on Sunday September 29). We are hoping that comrades coming to London for the October 12 SA conference on Europe will make a weekend of it and lend a hand on the Sunday (Hackney comrades are offering accommodation). Phone election agent Mike Arrowsmith on 07946 380370 if you want to help at other times. Phil Kent