Socialist Alliance polls well in local elections
Socialist Outlook2000sThe publication's own web text.
The Socialist Alliance stood 209 candidates on May 2, by far the largest number on the left. The result was the best set of results it has achieved to date- much better than in last year’s general election even when the lower turnout is taken into account.
Within this there was a wide variation of results. Some were clearly breakthrough results others were more modest scores, putting down markers for future contests and getting the name of the Alliance more widely known.
In London the Socialist Alliance scored an average of 7.5% across the 88 seats it contested - nearly double its score in the London Assembly election. The strongest borough was Hackney with an average score of nearly 12% across the 13 seats contested.
The SA beat the Tories in 10 of the 13 wards. This reflected both the crisis which has existed in Hackney council and a strong campaign by the local Alliance.
Campaigning journalist Paul Foot had the best results in Clissold ward with a score of 20.8%. He was followed by Polly Matcham (Hackney Downs) with 17.5 and Richard Peacock (Leabridge) with 16.3, both of whom had been particularly active in disability campaigns.
There were strong results in other parts of London as well. In Camden Alan Walters scored 14.2% and in Haringey Simon Hester polled 16.6%.
In Lambeth (Brixton Hill) Julia Hall polled 12.8. In Newham Paul Philips (Forest Gate North) polled 12.7% and Muhin Haq (Forest Gate South) polled 12.5%.
In Tower Hamlets Mark Weeks polled 17.4% and in Waltham Forest Lee Rock (William Morris) polled 9.2%.
Outside London the best scores were in Wigan , where Barry Conway polled 21.4 and Judith Ford (Whelley) scored 8.3%.
In Makerfield Michael Doherty scored 12.7% and Jacqui Pointon 9.9%.
In Swindon Andy Newton scored 10.9%.
These results were won by candidates who stood on a socialist platform which did not just include opposition to cuts and privatisation, important as that is, but opposition the war, solidarity with the Palestinians, and in defence of asylum seekers to this country.
These results are an important step forward for the Alliance. We now have an opportunity to build and revitalise the Alliance.
The SA did not go confidently into these local elections, there had been a few poor by-election results and many SA members were uncertian as to our electoral prospects at the present time.
This election has changed all that. It will increase our confidence in electoral work and invigorate future interventions.
The SA is in very good shape. In the course of a few months it has held a trade union conference of over 1,000 activists, and have done well in these elections.
Already there are by-elections in the offing in Tower Hamlets and in Luton. There are now some very good results to be built upon.