Home By a Socialist Resistance supporter
It was quite remarkable that at 7.30pm on a cold and wet Saturday night, an audience of 250 should assemble to listen to the platform of a political 'party' no-one has heard of and that has yet to contest a single election!
Some people, however, were disappointed that the numbers were down on the 500-plus attending meetings last year called by the Stop the War Coalition with similar platforms !
Platform speakers were: George Galloway MP, Yvonne Ridley, Michael Lavalette, local StWC activists, the Imam from one of the local mosques (who I think is an SocialistAlliance member), FBU - Lancashire Secretary, CWU - Preston Secretary. (Both the last two in a clear personal capacity).
The audience was about 90% Muslim and overwhelmingly working class, which is common with many meetings of this sort in Preston these days.
The meeting made quite a splash in the local daily evening paper - see below.
There were only a few ex-Labour and Labour people present, though it did include two Labour Councillors who are cabinet members (Deputy Leader and Housing). One is sympathetic to Respect and may even defect as she has been deselected for the local elections, although selected to fight a liberal held seat. The other was quoted in the local press as being hostile.
There was a smattering of people I recognised as trade union activists and of course the SWP were the only prominent left group with stalls, paper sellers etc. There are a few CPB in Lancashire, though I didn't see any at the meeting. No SP presence though they have had occasional forays into Preston and (very briefly!) had a councillor.
Lavalette was speaking on behalf of the Socialist Alliance, standing in for John Rees. He gave a good account of the issues over the war in Iraq, the failings of Labour and the need to challenge Labour. He didn't however mention the role of the SA or socialism, other than that he was speaking on their behalf and had been elected under that banner. Ridley was also quite good on attacking the Labour front bench and local MP - Mark Hendrick - though very emotive rather than rational. She made clear her strong support for Respect.
Galloway continued the attack and explained the purpose of Respect. The two trade union speakers spoke about Labour's attacks on their members - they both supported Respect, but made it clear that they were not sure about whether workers needed to change the Labour Party or create a new party. The RMT situation was raised. Unfortuately the trade union conference in February was not mentioned, nor were there any leaflets or transport arranged.
There were posters - put up by the SWP, I think - for the Respect conference in January but it was not announced but I understand there are about 30 planning on going from Preston.
A major part of the discussion was about the politicisation of the Muslim community through the war. Yvonne Ridley has converted to islam and this was a major area of interest by the audience. The imam from the mosque explained how the Muslim community in Britain had avoided politics in the past (one of the floor questioners raised in a critical way the fact that 10 years ago the only Muslim engagement in political issues was to go around burning copies of the 'Satanic Verses). It is claimed that Hendrick is bringing in people from Pakistan to argue muslims should stay out of left wing politics.
A major weakness was that there was no apparent engagement with the other main minority ethnic community in Preston - the predominantly Indian Hindu community. There was a lot of talk along the lines of 'there are 10,000 Muslims in Preston - the same as the Labour MP's majority, so we can get rid of him the same way we got Michael Lavalette elected'. This was without reference to the need to secure support from other communities.
( Lavalette himself estimates that only about 30% of his vote was from the Muslim community - it was the degree of support from the Muslim community that gave confidence to the left, white and Hindu communities that Lavalette could win and swung their votes to him). [The meeting the SA organised a couple of years ago with speakers from both Pakistan and India was before the upsurge in support for
candidates against Labour and only attracted a few dozen].
Galloway was very unclear about whether Respect was a short term project to prepare for a re-engagement with the Labour Party or
whether it was a long term attempt to build an alternative party. Galloway said he thought Lavalette should head the Respect list in the north west, and a vote of 10,000 plus from Preston should provide a base for election as an MEP. (Nobody mentioned that given their votes in Burnley, Oldham and elsewhere, the BNP were also likely to
win an MEP from the North West!).
It wasn't discussed but it was assumed that Respect would also contest the Preston City Council elections on the same day. There are probably three seats worth contesting and one at least is winnable
(Lavalette's - 'Town Centre Ward'). There are no elections in the ward held by the two independent ex-Labour, ex-SA councillors, and they didn't attend the meeting (I don't know why).
I think there is now a movement building up behind Lavalette contesting thegeneral election, where I think he would have good chance of getting 10,000 votes, though Valerie Wise could also have got that if
she'd stood as an 'independent'. However she remains in the Labour
Party though not active or supportive (she voted SA). Livingstone's readmission might have an impact on some of the former hard left labour activists of whom there are still many in Preston.
Lancashire Evening Post Monday 19 January 2004
Galloway launches new party and attack on MP
Controversial former Labour MP George Galloway launched a new political party tostand at Preston's June elections - and a stinging
But Mark Hendrick fired a salvo back and dismissed Galloway's new group as a fringe concern. Mr Galloway spoke to a mainly Muslim audience at Noor Hall, in St Paul's Road, to galvanise support for RESPECT-Unity.
The coalition, which stands for Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace,
Environmentalism, Community and Trade Unions, is seen as an alternative to New Labour for people who were opposed to the war in Iraq, the continuing war against terrorism and those who feel Tony Blair has done little for the ordinary folk of Preston.
But today political leaders across the city blasted the sentiments of the new party. Mr Galloway was joined by members of the fire brigade
union and communication workers union and journalist Yvonne Ridley who converted to Islam after her
capture by the Taliban in 2001.
Socialist Alliance Coun Michael Lavalette also spoke to the crowd before it was announced that he would stand for the new party in
next June's European election, an all postal vote in conjunction with the
Mr Galloway said: "You have to ask yourself do you want to reward Blair, Bush and Preston MP Mark Hendrick for the lies they have
perpetrated. "If only half of the two million people who
demonstrated against the war last year signed their X beside the RESPECT party it would shake the very timbers of parliament and it will be noticed across Europe. "We are not asking people to face the guns and bombs, only to put an X on a piece of paper."
Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour Party last year when he was found guilty of four charges brought against him by the party's leadership.
Coun Pat Woods, deputy leader of Preston Labour group, was at the meeting. She said: "They're using this as a front to undermine
the Labour party, both nationally and locally. "If I was to say it was inflammatory, I would be understating it. It was total incitement and I didn't like the feeling that was coming out of the meeting. "I went with an open mind but I felt really uncomfortable and I didn't like what I saw."
Preston MP Mark Hendrick, who was not at the meeting, said: "We believe the party is a front for revolutionary Trotskyite parties such as Socialist Action, Socialist Worker parties and other extreme left-wing