Respect's showing in the local election results was indeed impressive.
Given a rotten first past the post electoral system, to get sixteen councillors elected is something to celebrate.
Salma Yacoob's stunning VIctory Birmingham. twelve seats in Tower Hamlets and three in Newham need to be viewed in the context of strong showings elsewhere in those areas - and across the
The results certainly show that Respect has come a long wav mn we soort unde sunce lu was launched. They are qualitatively better than what was achieved by the Socialist Alliance and outstrip the traditional scores of the far left in this country.
The election overall confirms what Socialist Resistance has always argued - the need for an alternative party to the left of new Labour.
The results also remind us of the real certainly show dangers where that does not exist on a national basis - that the far right will benefit from the crisis of Labourism.
The BNP have grown in strength in areas where industry has been decimated and where the welfare state is under attack. It has also gained support from real frustration with the lack of quality of existing services - most obviously on the question of housing. In this context it is all too easy to whip up a racist backlash.
While the experience of building broad campaigns
against the BNP in the North
West has reaped important
successes and prevented them
gaining further seats in areas
where they made some breakthrough last time, in the end
only strong socialist policies
can provide a genuine altermalve visione
It is not enough to sav
"defend council housing" for
example in situations where
there is a massive shortage of
affordable homes and where
many families are living in
dwellings unfit for human
habitation.
Respect has many of the
answers - at least on paper. By
and large the material produced to support Respect candidates across the country was
more hard hitting than in previous campaigns. This is to be
welcomed.
On the other hand it is
untortunate that Respect's
comprehensive policy paper The results "Another world is
possible", agreed by the National that Respect Com-mittee
the run has come a
these long way since has been hidden it was awav on the web
site. launched
should already have
been printed and distributed
to all local groups - whether
or not they were standing
candidates this time round.
In any event it should now
be produced as an aid to the
work that now needs to take
place in every locality to build
on our successes and overcome our weaknesses.
One of the factors limiting
the very positive achievements of manv Kespect campaigns around the country has been the lack of adequate national profile for the organisation, and the common peror around its periphery that it is little more than an anti-war party or a support group for George Galloway.
Intensive work in some localised wards has shown that Respect can make a limited but significant impact, often lifting off with 10 percent or more of the vote: but this is generally not enough to win seats and is onlv the start of a much more systematic challenge that has to be built if we are to develop a left alternative to labour.
The organisation needs to find ways to raise its profile and establish a reputation for campaigning on a wide range ot social issues. offering a focal point for those turning in disgust from New Labour.
And Respect also needs to ensure that it quickly develps stegy to support unuse voted into office.
Having councillors elected is important if it builds the protile of the organisation locally and nationally and if they can work with activists outside the council chamber to give more prominence to key issues.
With so much power stripped from town halls, the opportunities for decisive victories through the counci chamber itself are more limited - but that means that it is even more crucial that we seize those chances that do come our way and make the most of them.
page 4 of the scan
Andrew Wiard