11.05.1995

Election fight for workers’ organisation

Communists took their election campaign to both young and old

THE COMMUNIST Party’s election campaign in England brought the tasks of the left in this period into sharp relief for the comrades involved.

In all the areas in which we stood the feeling of discontent and anger ran very high amongst the working class. From Manchester to Kent communists knocking on doors generally received a warm response.

Many people were angry at the whole system and the feeling against all politicians was dominant. Our job was to explain why communists are different. But the very fact that communists were welcomed on the doorstep marks a change in politics over the last few years.

There was very little hostility. People were interested in our ideas and not afraid to talk about the profit system as the root of many of their individual problems and those of society as a whole. The slogan, ‘Put people before profit’, was particularly popular.

The response in the Moss Side area of Manchester in particular was very enthusiastic. Even if people had not read our literature, they were keen to talk politics on the doorstep.

Working class people who have seen their wages plunge, living conditions deteriorate and job opportunities close up are looking for ways out of the rot. But in the absence of strong, independent organisation, most workers see little alternative but to vote Labour.

In Moss Side itself Labour achieved a massive majority with 1,701 votes. Next was the Tory with 132. Throughout the country, as we know, the Labour Party won a huge percentage of the votes. This was the problem that communists had to address in these local elections and will have to address in the future, not least in the general election.

From work in these elections we have certainly confirmed our view that there is a vacuum in society. Labour has moved to the right to join the Tories, but nobody is giving people the real answers that they need. We have to turn our political strength into a mass organisation that can provide a credible alternative.

Much of the left still tells workers to vote Labour. We must fight for working class organisation now, because everybody in reality knows that Labour will continue the attacks on the working class. Workers tell us this on the doorstep, but will still vote Labour to get the Tories out. In elections we have a hard but vital task to fight for independent working class organisation. Labour is already setting itself up for a major onslaught on workers’ lives. We cannot tell people to vote for this.

Our fight against Labourism may be hard, but it is essential. There is massive discontent, but we cannot wait for a Labour government for this to spontaneously explode. Workers’ anger can only take a positive form if we are organised.

After the elections our task must be to build that organisation. To build strong communist branches ready to fight for working class demands in the next elections and to fight for what we need against Labour’s promised attacks.

Helen Ellis

Communist votes

Markus Miller, Moss Side in Manchester - 80 votes (3.6%)

Roger Harper, Hulme in Manchester - 36 votes (3.4%)

Tom May, Dallow Ward in Luton, Bedfordshire - 51 votes (1%)

Phil Railston, Temple Farm in Strood, Kent - 44 votes (1%)

Other left votes

Militant Labour/ Welsh Militant Labour:

St Michaels, Coventry (Dave Nellist) 1357 votes (40.1%)

Butwell 653 (27%)

Park Ward, Sheffield 594 (21.5%)

St Thomas, Swansea 310 and 401 (19%)

Hucknell 348 (17.5%)

Worsborough, Barnsley 422 (16.4%)

Bristol 313 (16%) and 251

Howden 320 (15.5%)

Thanet 262 (15.2%)

Newcastle-Under-Lyme 269 (13.8%)

Gateshead 186 (13.5%)

Rugby 185 (13.8%)

Netherley, Liverpool 290 (13.2%)

Rusholme, Manchester 371 (12%)

St Oswalds 210 (11.5%)

Jarrow, South Tyne 233 (10.4%)

Hardwick, Teeside 100 (10.3%) and 97

Granby, Liverpool 219 (10.2%)

University Ward, Leeds 368 (10.2%)

Cardiff 365 (10.1%)

Little Horton, Bradford 312 (9.1%)

Tipton, Sandwell 192 (8.8%)

Swindon 133 (8.4%)

Sheffield 200 (8.2%)

Breckfield, Liverpool 201 (8%)

Melrose, Liverpool 201 (8%)

Netherton, Sefton 198 (7.7%)

Orrell, Sefton 198 (7.7%)

Upper Stoke, Coventry 294 (7.5%)

Bandley Hill, Stevenage 131 (7.2%)

Brighton 195 (7.1%)

Leicester 146 (6%)

Castle, Swansea 378 (5.4%)

Sheppel, Stevenage 58 (5%)

Gillingham 86 (4.3%)

Fazakerley, Liverpool 110 (3.5%)

Southampton 107 (3.5%)

Townhill, Swansea 149 (3.5%)

Ipswich 63 (3.4%)

Pitsea East, Basildon 86 (2.6%)

West Hull 130, 113 and 93

East Hull 223, 115 and 100

Communist League:

Fallowfield, Manchester 234

Levensholme, Manchester 16

Central, Manchester 15