Solidarity campaign makes impact in Glasgow North East
Tommy Sheridan clearly seen as main left alternative
Tommy Sheridan stood for Solidarity in the Glasgow North East election. Standing as a workers’ MP on a worker’s wage, Tommy came 5th out of 13 candidates, winning 794 votes which was 3.9% of the poll. He came well ahead of the Lib Dems, polling almost double their vote, and won more than double the vote of the Greens. Unfortunately, despite Solidarity supporting left unity discussions to try and avoid more than one socialist candidate both the Scottish Socialist Party and the Socialist Labour Party rejected any idea of a united left candidate and also stood in the election.
In the event, Tommy Sheridan was clearly seen as the only viable socialist candidate and he won 80% of the socialist vote, polling 5 votes for every 1 vote for the SSP and 17 for every SLP vote. The SSP could only hold onto 152 votes (0.76%), the lowest number ever for the SSP in a by election, which was a loss of 85% compared to the last time they stood in the same seat in the general election of 2005. This was the worst ever elections result for the SSP in Glasgow, and is a clear indication that the remnants of the SSP are no longer a significant electoral force.
Despite not having stood in an election since 2007, and while still fighting a titanic battle against the Scottish legal establishment and the Rupert Murdoch media empire, Tommy Sheridan is still seen among important layers of the working class as a socialist fighter of standing. Tommy’s political profile has inevitable dipped since losing his seat in the Scottish parliament in 2007, but during this election and despite minimal media coverage, Solidarity’s campaign fought to raise the key issues of the recession, public ownership, the need for a mass working class party and opposition to wars and nuclear weapons. This was linked to Tommy’s record as an uncompromising fighter for the interests of working class and having lived as a workers’ MSP on a workers wage for eight years between 1999 and 2007.
Alongside the dozens of street stall and tens of thousands of leaflets distributed, Solidarity was the only party with the confidence to hold public meetings – 7 in all – during the campaign. 350 people came out on the Tuesday before polling day to hear Tommy, George Galloway, and International Socialists members Luke Ivory and postal worker Gary Clark speak at four meetings across the constituency. These meetings resulted in dozens of people looking for more information about joining Solidarity.
BNP
Many people were shocked at the fact that the BNP took over 1,000 votes in coming fourth, only 50 votes behind the Tory candidate. This is the largest vote ever for the racist party in Scotland in an election. In fact the BNP have had a significant vote in the Glasgow North East area for a number of years having consciously targeted the area which has a relatively large number of asylum seekers and immigrant communities. They achieved 4.4% in June during the European election, but despite having seen two MEPs elected and the massive publicity generated around Nick Griffin’s appearance on the BBC’s Question Time they will be disappointed that they were unable to hold their deposit. Nevertheless the size of the BNP vote is a warning which, in the main, reflects both a rise in racism and anger at the failure of the main establishment parties, particularly New Labour, who have abandoned the working class. Tommy Sheridan’s campaign and the 800 votes won for fighting socialist policies almost certainly prevented the BNP from going over the 5% threshold.
The need to build a more powerful working class and socialist alternative to the parties of big business, as well as to racism and the BNP, is an urgent task. While Solidarity is clearly the biggest and only viable socialist party in Scotland, the need for a bigger left alternative in Scotland and across Britain is essential. Solidarity participated in the RMT-led coalition, No2EU, in the European elections in June this year. In Glasgow North East No2EU won 1.4%. Tommy Sheridan and Solidarity pushed that left vote up to just under 4% during this by election.
Solidarity has enthusiastically supported the process, led by Bob Crow and the Socialist Party in England and Wales, among others, aimed at agreeing an electoral formation to contest the Westminster elections. It is vitally important that this process of discussion comes to a successful conclusion that allows Solidarity and the International Socialists, who played a central role in Tommy Sheridan’s election campaign, to help spearhead the building of a bigger working class alternative in Scotland in conjunction with wider trade union and left forces.
