31.03.2010
McDonnell campaign hots up
Tina Becker reports from Hayes and Harlington on the problem of distinguishing candidate from party
Last Sunday, CPGB comrades went to Hayes and Harlington to help with the election campaign of John McDonnell MP. The borders of his constituency have recently been redrawn, with much of the newly incorporated areas being pretty rightwing. His 2005 majority of just over 10,000 votes (58.7%) could be considerably reduced and his victory is far from certain. Everybody here still remembers 1992, when comrade McDonnell just lost out to the Tory, Terence Dicks - by 53 votes. There is no room for complacency.
However, the 20 or so helpers were in good spirit, despite it being a grey, rainy day. It became obvious very quickly that most Labour Party members locally are extremely loyal to comrade McDonnell - and his leftwing politics. In fact, quite a few of the people who were out canvassing are also members of the Labour Representation Committee. And from the discussions we had with them on the day, we got the impression that most voters share his opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and his stance against public sector cuts and support for trade union struggles.
His biggest problem, then, is the policy of the Labour government. Take the most pressing local issue: the government’s plan to build a third runway at Heathrow airport (which is part of comrade McDonnell’s constituency). The medieval village of Sipson would be totally wiped off the map. The neighbouring village of Harmondsworth would be partially destroyed. Seven hundred houses would be demolished, affecting an estimated 4,000 residents.
John is a key member of the No Third Runway Action Group campaign (Notrag) and last week helped to secure a temporary victory against the government in high court. If it wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion, it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway, the judge ordered.
However, despite his prominent role in opposing the plans, comrade McDonnell has to constantly fight against being found guilty by association. He told us that many voters are unable - or unwilling - to distinguish between himself and his party in government, be it on the question of the war, letting bankers off the hook or the building of the third runway.
Of course, there is also the complication that many airport workers believe that the expansion would secure their jobs. Many of those work for British Airways and are under unprecedented attack by chief executive Willie Walsh. So comrade McDonnell often has to square quite a few issues when he addresses BA workers.
We were quite surprised about the other big local issue. When we mentioned to the organiser of the canvassing that somebody we had just spoken to had raised a problem, she replied: “Let me guess, it’s about immigration.” It certainly was - but not in the way we expected. Quite a few people on the doorstep, many of them Asian, complained that they had tried to get family members over to Britain - and failed.
Although Hayes and Harlington is quite a mixed and rather poor constituency, the British National Party is struggling to get a toehold. In the 2001 and 2005 elections, it achieved 2.2% and 2.6% respectively and it has no councillors in the borough of Hillingdon (of which Hayes is a part). Undoubtedly, comrade McDonnell will have played a huge role in denying them the chance to exploit ‘hot topics’.
Comrade McDonnell constantly pushes against the boundaries of what you can do as a Labour MP. He might even be able to secure a bigger vote if he stood as an independent. But, quite rightly, he has made the decision to stay with the Labour Party. In the absence of any viable alternative, it is still the party that most working people in Britain consider their own.
The period after the general election could open up a tremendous space for the left. While nobody is hoping for a Tory victory, such an eventuality could end up pushing the Labour Party to the left. Similarly if there were a hung parliament. It just depends on the pressure from below. And comrade McDonnell has an impressive record in exercising such pressure.
Not only does he fight openly and actively on the side of workers in struggle, supporting striking BA cabin crew, the PCS union demonstrators and the planned RMT strike action. He is also an active supporter of Hands Off the People of Iran and the Stop the War Coalition. In parliament, John is the chair of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs.
As chair of the Labour Repre-sentation Committee he attempted to stand as an openly socialist candidate against Gordon Brown for leadership of the Labour Party in 2006. However, such is the dire state of the Labour left, he was unable to secure sufficient nominations even to get onto the ballot paper and he was almost totally blanked by the bourgeois media. Despite this bad experience, he told us that he would run again, “if the LRC and the labour movement should choose so”.
We urge Weekly Worker readers to get involved in comrade McDonnell’s election campaign. Canvassing takes place every Sunday. Meet 10.30am at the constituency office in Pump Lane, very near Hayes and Harlington railway station. For more information on how to get involved, check out www.john-mcdonnell.net