Unstinting Labour loyalist that I am, I will of course be backing Ken Livingstone in the London mayoral contest. I will also smilingly vote for whatever pack of chainstore-suited neoliberal Stepford Wives and ‘I speak your weight’ machines that must by now have emerged to make up my party’s list of Greater London Assembly candidates.
But somewhere deep inside in the cerebral cortex – presumably next to that bit that continues to urge you to smoke, however long ago you gave up – whispers a siren voice of temptation. As an ex-Trot, I am experiencing the political equivalent of nicotine cravings.
The thing is, these elections offer London voters who identify ideologically as either leftists or rightists the chance to mark a first preference for whatever whackjob outfit comes closest to their ideal, and then pragmatically transfer to either Labour or the Conservatives. It won't make any difference at the end of the day.
Given the choice of three – count ‘em, three – leftwing alternatives to New Labour, why not indulge in what would amount to no more than a minor extramarital knee-trembler in the privacy of the voting booth? Go on, you know you want to! Labour HQ will never find out!
I’m even spoiled for choice. While manufacturers of high definition televisions have been able to agree on a standard format, the Socialist Workers' Party and the British section of the Fourth International clearly haven’t, so both versions of Respect will be touting their wares. Pictured are George Galloway (left) and Lindsey German (right), two of the people the factionally divided organisation will be standing on May 1, as well as some other guy in a stripey sweatshirt.
And if I suddenly come over all tankie – well, the election is on May Day, tovarisch - the Communist Party of Britain is after my business, too.
Sure, supporting these tickets would be gesture politics of the purest kind. None of them believe in a parliamentary road to socialism, but all have plenty of experience of the municipal road to lost deposits; they cannot be expecting anything other than humiliating drubbings.
But then, gesture politics shouldn’t automatically be ruled out. Wouldn’t the largest possible left of Labour vote underline to the Labour leadership that a section of the electorate cannot be taken for granted? Wouldn’t that indirectly benefit the Labour left?
That’s a possible argument. But I am a Labour Party member, and it is an entirely reasonably requirement for membership of any party to vote for those it nominates for public office.
I suppose my major reason for not backing the trio of Marxist lists – even clandestinely – is that they all strike me as entirely pointless. I could understand, for instance, if the SWP wanted to run what gets called in Trot jargon a ‘propaganda candidacy’, using the London-wide mailouts and the free broadcasts to push the full revolutionary programme, with the general idea of picking up a few recruits.
But instead, all three far left alternatives are standing on an almost identical political basis; each of them wants to go back to the Old Labour future. Only sectarianism and accumulated grudges prevent them from getting their act together and creating a unified platform that could perhaps have pulled in union support. If the far left doesn't take itself seriously, why should anybody else?
Livingstone, meanwhile, has of course called on RMT members to cross picket lines and backed the Met over the Jean Charles de Menezes case. Allegedly he pours whisky on his cornflakes.
The incumbent is even said to be under the sway of fanatical Trotskyites, hell bent on turning London into a socialist city-state through the unorthodox tactic of doling out bucketloads of spondoolicks to any women they vaguely fancy, in the vain hope of luring them into cold rubber-insulated sex in a Manchester hotel bedroom. Incredibly, some commentators say this like it is a bad thing.
Ultimately, it is continued Labour occupation of City Hall that will create the best conditions for the left to promulgate its ideas and promote its campaigns in the UK capital. The best way of ensuring that is to cut to the chase and vote Labour.
Posted at 20:26, 12 March 2008
Comments (18)
Whatever happened to the Independent Working Class Association which tempted a few punters - er hum' - last time round?
Or for those of you wanting a revolutionary alternative, just write "World socialism" across your ballot paper - co-ordinated spoilt ballots: it worked in Argentina!
(Except, in Lambeth and Southwark constituency, vote SPGB!).
You're joking aren't you, you do know who John Rees is really, don't you? An item on the news earlier quoting a Labour Party person saying that they weren't worried about all the taxes on everything going up putting people off voting Labour, because their research had showed that people were happy to pay higher taxes for public services. I am quite happy to pay higher taxes for public services, I expect everyone is, but unfortunately, our taxes are going into the pockets of Northern Rock, multi-national healthcare companies etc etc. The Labour Party think they can con everyone by slapping a bit of paint on a wall and by renting superdooper cancer diagonsis machines, but eventually it will catch up with them. I honestly don't know what the result of the local elections will be. Last Sunday we saw some old friends who used to be rock solid Labour loyalists, Labour councillors etc but they admitted to us that they were having grave doubts about voting Labour.
As I'm sure you know, the mayoral election uses a system which can only be described as weird: you get two preferences, but your second preference only come into play (a) if your first-pref candidate has been eliminated, and more importantly (b) if it's for one of the top two candidates. Losing candidates aren't eliminated one by one with their second preferences rolled into the remaining candidates' votes - all candidates but the top two (on first pref votes) are eliminated all at once, and any second pref votes for those two candidates are added to their total.
Realistically, candidates 1 and 2 on first pref votes are going to be Ken and Boris de Pfeffel, although not necessarily in that order. So any voter who's leaning towards Ken rather than Boris (and if you're leaning towards Boris I'd like to know why you're reading this blog) has absolutely nothing to lose by putting Ken in second place and Lindsey German or Sian Berry in first place: it will have exactly the same effect as voting Ken 1. Not only that, but anyone who's going to vote Ken 1 has absolutely no reason to cast a second vote, as it's guaranteed not to count.
It's a weird system.
The CPB do believe in a parliamentary road to socialism. Do try and keep up.
the only truth is that with labour in power it does open up possibilities for the left, and more to the point it creates friction with some unions wanting to disaffiliate and hopefully then pressure for them to launch a positive political alternative.
i wouldn't advocate voting new labour like dave does however. i know most on the left think a 2nd vote for ken is sensible though in this situation.
ks
The most important point is that both the Mayoral election and the Assembly elections will by proportional representation.
As Phil points out above, if you are Left and worried about the possibility of Boris Johnson being elected you can still VOTE GERMAN AS YOUR FIRST PREFERENCE - AND LIVINGSTONE AS YOUR SECOND PREFERENCE.
I’m actively supporting the Respect / Left List candidates. http://electrespectcoalition.org
To clarify a point in Dave’s article - I’m aware of just ONE Left of Labour candidate standing to be Mayor of London: Lindsey German the Respect / Left List candidate (she’s also a leading member of the SWP).
The other Left groups standing - Respect Renewal (the Galloway side of Respect) and the Communist Party of Britain (associated with the Morning Star newspaper) will be standing - as will Respect / Left List - for the seats in the Greater London Assembly.
The election will very much focus on the Mayoral election; the Assembly members have little power. Respect / Left List will be standing for all the Assembly seats. I doubt that the other Left groups will.
The Left charge sheet against Livingstone - the friend of the developers, businessmen, the City, strike breakers and the cops is long - Dave mentions just a few in his article
But what has Livingstone done positive? I’m afraid that a lot of Left support for him is just a witless regurgitating of his content-devoid PR.
On transport, for example, ‘progressive’ stuff like the ‘Oyster card’ is mentioned. What difference does it make whether your ticket is a piece of plastic or cardboard especially when the former is also a tracking device? It’s the fare that matters, not the ticket.
Or people may mention ‘half price fares for the unemployed’. It’s actually 55% (50p instead of 90p) bus fares for those on income support (unemployed people don’t get IS and are thus ineligible). That’s better than a kick in the face but why set your sights so low - even the new Labour government is introducing a scheme for free bus travel for all pensioners anywhere in Britain.
There’s no basis to presume, as Dave does, that Respect / Left List will receive a ‘humiliating drubbing’. Last time German beat the Greens (and the BNP) and wasn’t far off securing an Assembly seat. As then, the Green got a lot more publicity in the media before the poll and many a husting invited just the main three parties and the Green (as they are doing so now) - but still, on the day, German trounced whichever forgotten Green stood.
I think there will be a substantial number of low paid secretaries in Southall, badly remunerated binmen in Barking and Left minded ex Livingstone supporters in Lewisham, etc., etc., who would be interested in supporting a Left alternative to Labour.
And remember the very large majority of such people seeing 'Left List’ on a piece of paper will have never have heard of the ‘SWP’, ‘Trotsky’, ‘popular front’ or quite possibly ‘Respect’ and will have none of the jaded cynicism that contributors in Left blogland display. Respect / Left List could poll well.
I don’t know why Respect / Left List will be running such a reformist programme. I reckon it will hardly affect the vote whether you are somewhat to the Left of Labour or sharply to the Left - in the absence of other candidates (in the mayoral election).
Dave is right on one thing - “Wouldn’t the largest possible left of Labour vote underline to the Labour leadership that a section of the electorate cannot be taken for granted? Absolutely.
And maybe, just maybe from that we could start to build a Left of Labour alternative - as the Scots did (do?) and the French, Germans, Dutch, Italians, Spaniards, Danes, and Norwegians any many more do now.
It’s time to stop grumbling about the few crumbs and burnt bits and worse that Livingstone may deem to push your way - and start demanding more or even the whole cake.
Don't be daft, Punchie. If the secretary from Southall has never heard of the SWP, the words left list will mean nothing, either.
And the breakdown of Respect's vote in 2004 showed it heavily concentrated on East End Muslims. If they stick with Respect at all, they'll be voting for the Galloway outfit.
Take it from me, German will get hammered. And not in a good way.
The secretary from Southall - being of a Left bent but not being or having ever had contact with the 'organised' Left - may be looking for a Left alternative. She may take the words 'Left List' to be self explanatory or even better have read the address in the election leaflet or even have seen other Respect / Left List propaganda. Her vote can be won.
Respect's 2004 vote wasn't, as I recall, as heavily concentrated as Dave suggests. Few people vote as 'Muslims' (or 'Christians') etc but overwhelmingly do so as workers, bosses, etc. Appraisals suggesting a Muslim voting bloc can descend into racism - 'like they're all stupid and vote how the (fictitious) 'community' elders tell them'.
Sure there was (and will be) a higher anti War vote for German amongst those who may look to co-religionists (rather than class brothers and sisters) first - but those numbers are dwarfed by those who are to the Left of Livingstone - from clerical workers in Croydon to call centre workers in Cricklewood. Their votes can be won.
Dave hasn’t got a time machine. Neither he nor I know what the vote for Respect /Left List will be but I shall work to make it as large as possible.
Southpawpunch
Southpaw:
"but still, on the day, German trounced whichever forgotten Green stood."
Well that forgotten Green was elected to the London Assembly in that very election - Darren Johnson. So he's not quite as forgotten as Lindsey outside of the tight revolutionary cliques.
Also trouncing is an interesting word to use. The actual vote - should you care to refer to the facts were - German 61,731 (3.2%) 1st prefs and 63,294 (3.3%) 2nds prefs as opposed to Johnson's 57,331 (2.9%) 1st prefs and 208,686 (10.9%) 2nd prefs.
Even if you only care about first pref votes 3.2 to 2.9 is really much of a muchness don't you think? and if we do care about whether people want to vote for your prefered candidate at all (which I think you do, when it suits you) then Johnson getting more than quarter of a million votes from Londoners (ie more than twice German's) makes this trouncing business of yours a little far fetched. No?
For those candidates to the left of Labour it's the number of people elected to the assembly that will make the difference in the long run, as indeed it has over the last four years.
Southpaw, we do know what the vote for reespect will be...we know electoral politics...people vote for what they recognise and that is not the 'left list' who had a member that 'left' to join the tories....the SWP Reespect will lose all the money it has spent on deposits on a vanity project.
Jim Jay,
Indeed trounced would be the wrong word to use. German beat the Greens (and the BNP).
Atis Mia,
Another time traveller. Can I have a ride? (back to 1918 maybe).
The flaw in your argument is demonstrated by the results of the 2004 election. Very few indeed would have recognised the name Lindsey German on the ballot paper in 2004. And even if Respect was known by more, certainly the Greens were (and are) more familiar to a larger number. And the result - German beat etc.
A self-explanatory (I would have thought) 'Left List' could tap into the large gap to the left of Livingstone and Labour.
If you are socialist, and even if you have reservations about the SWP (I do) you should still fight how things are (as opposed as how you want them to be).
There's one one Left candidate standing to be Mayor - Lindsey German. Contact the campaign to offer your support and see how you can help.
I think that the Left list needs better candidates, why don't they ask David Shayler?
Shayler is well known for his connection to the SWP.
Shayler? Last I heard he was convinced he was the Messiah.
I think we all know, that really, he's just a very naughty boy.
But seriously, it was very distressing to see how ill had become. The stress of being a whistleblower i suppose...
A Messiah!! Isn't that just what we need?
I agree that the title 'Left List' makes a pretty clear statement, but I can't see them picking up more than a handful of votes on that basis. People who take politics seriously like to have some idea of who they're voting for - and people who don't take politics seriously don't vote for principled minor parties, except as a joke.
The time to start building the profile of the Left List was last November, after the SWP generously handed over the name of RESPECT to the Renewal group. The Left List wasn't even registered until three days ago - less than two months before the election.
In 2004, the ballot box counts clearly showed that "Respect" won two Newham wards in most of the GLA and European Parliaeent elections.
But even then and there Lindsay German couldn't beat Ken Livingstone. And by 2006 Labour had won one of those wards back and the other was very close.
It's over.
If I were a London resident (will be again shortly, but briefly out of town for health reasons) then I'd probably vote Livingstone.
But this would be entirely based on the individual candidates. Livingstone may not be perfect, but he's hardly a Blairite and appears to be reasonably competent, while Mayor Boris is a fairly terrifying concept. I also fear Boris will get a substantial idiot vote simply by being famous and having a memorable hairstyle.
I don't buy the argument that a vote for Labour in general elections means a lot any more, now they've presided over (to take just one of many issues) the fastest increase in income inequality since 1945.