No2EU:Yes to Democracy coalition convener Bob Crow has called for urgent discussions involving socialist organisations, campaigns and trade unions to build a concerted response following the election of two fascists from the BNP to the European Parliament. It issued this press release today:
No2EU was the first progressive EU-critical coalition to stand in Britain in any election and it gained 153,236 votes despite an almost complete media blackout.The combined vote in Thursday's poll for No2EU, the Socialist Labour Party and some of the smaller left parties stacks up to nearly a third of a million votes - just over 2% of the total. In Scotland, the combined left vote was close to 4%.
Meanwhile, the Labour share of the vote has dropped by a massive 31%, the Lib Dems by over 7% and the Tories, despite all the hype, have only managed a tiny increase in share with turnout collapsing to just over 30%.
Bob Crow said today:
"There is no question that the BNP have benefitted from the collapse of the establishment political parties and from media coverage that has pumped them up like celebrities on "I'm a Nazi - Get Me Out of Here."
"Sections of the press, which have deliberately ignored anti-establishment parties from the left, need to take a long, hard look at the way the blanket coverage they have given to the fascists from the BNP has contributed to their success.
"But it's the collapse of public support for the three main parties - each of which is pro-business, pro-EU and supportive of the anti-union laws - which has created the conditions for the scapegoat-politics of the BNP to thrive.
"The fascists support in former mining communities like Barnsley is shocking and throws down a massive challenge to the Labour and Trade Union movement.
"Along with our colleagues from the SLP and other left groups we won nearly a third of a million votes. From No2EU we won over 150,000 supporters from a standing start in the teeth of a media blackout. That gives us a solid platform to build from.
"We now need urgent discussions with political parties, campaigns and our colleagues in other unions like the CWU to develop a political and industrial response to this crisis.
" I also want to pay tribute to our colleagues from the Hope Not Hate campaign. There is no doubt that without their tireless efforts the BNP would have won even more seats," he said.
(The statement that "No2EU was the first progressive EU-critical coalition to stand in Britain in any election" is mistaken. Respect - The Unity Coalition opposed the EU in the 2004 European elections. The Socialist Labour and Green parties called for withdrawal from the EU in the 1990s. - The editors)
2 comments
danny phillips · 8 June 2009
I am an SWP member of 36 years standing in a small town (mansfield) with no real left organisation (for which I probably share some responsibility).
For some years voting L:abour while holding your nose has been impossible.
Without good enough discussion within my own organisation I was left with a problem as to what do this time round. Arthur was too much of a prima donna; I didn't think that the Greens had any real chance of a seat locally so I decided to vote for you. I rang London and after some difficulty got put through to an RMT fulltimer and asked for literature to use on paper sales and a banner (we've got a 40 foot frontage on a major local road in town.
I was promised contact locally. Zilch.
Talking with a handfull of people I will have gained 10 or so votes. It could have been 10 times that.
Yes common action is needed but so is competence.
I hope this does not sound as negative as it might. If we do not het together diusasters will follow. Success however is possible if we deemphasise egos.
danny phillips
Duncan · 9 June 2009
Hi Danny, I think you make a good point, but it could go further. Back in March, a statement from Socialist Resistance (/?p=422) made the point that grass-roots democracy is key to building common work, especially because a democratic organisation is one in which secondary differences can be accepted and lived with. The campaign needed open organisation on the county and borough level, and it wasn't there.
So the question is, what can activist socialists like us do to encourage the No2EU people to build a more open, stronger, national organisation. We'll be raising that in Respect, and I hope you'll be discussing that too in the SWP.
Duncan.