RESPECT’s candidate in the August 2004 Millwall by election was Paul McGarr. Liam Mac Uaid talked to him

Millwall ward used to be famous for electing a BNP councillor ten years ago. What changes has the ward seen since then that made you think Respect has a chance of doing well?

The political climate is very different to a decade ago nationally. Eight years of Blair’s government, great mobilisations like the anti-war movement have an impact in Millwall as everywhere.

More specifically in this area there have been some significant changes. The enormous development around Canary Wharf has continued, and with it an explosion of luxury compounds for the wealthy along the riverside.

This has changed the make up of the population from mainly working class to a sharply divided area, with still big numbers of working class people, but also large numbers of very wealthy people.

The Tories have a base among the wealthy, and in fact in the 10 June elections they topped the poll in this ward.

The number of black and Asian people living here has grown, but the ward is still overwhelmingly white. The key to doing well is winning white working class votes.

In the working class areas the gulf between rich and poor, the failure of the New Labour government and local council to deliver change for the better, have combined to create a deep cynicism towards all the established parties. “They’re all the same” is a refrain you get over and over on the doorsteps.

One effect is that turnout at elections here is even lower than the low levels it has sunk to nationally, at barely over 20 percent on 10 June Respect has to try to reach out to some of these people who didn’t vote, convince them we are different.

You meet racism here of course, the legacy of a decade ago has an echo still. But over the last ten years there have been a number of successful local campaigns uniting black, white and Asian people, to save a local community centre, the local health clinic and most recently the local post office. These have had a powerful effect in undercutting racism.

Respect did spectacularly well in Tower Hamlets in the mayoral and GLA elections, to say nothing of Oli Rahman’s win. Why were voters there so much more responsive to its message?

I’m not sure that the difference is that great with other areas, at least not as much as the 10 June figures could suggest. What we did in east London was find a way to build the kind of political coalition and movement which was able to tap the underlying feeling which is, to a degree, common in many other areas. If there is a greater receptiveness in east London to Respect’s message a number of factors are involved.

One is the class bitterness is very, very deep here. You have some of the richest areas in the country literally facing some of the poorest across the width of a street. The feeling against our local MPs for backing the war when the vast majority of local people opposed it is undoubtedly important. Perhaps the strong local tradition built over recent years of united political movements, such as Stop the War but many others too, has helped.

Some Labour Party members say that the Respect vote is a clientalist vote, that you have no support outside the Muslim community. Is this true?

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I hear such rubbish. Of course we got votes from working class Asians and Somalis in east London who are Muslims. In Tower Hamlets they make up around half the population it would be strange if we didn’t. I don’t remember anyone attacking Labour in this fashion when most of the local Asian population used to vote Labour.

We are proud that Respect here contains many Muslim activists and stands against the racism Muslims face today.

But when you talk to working class Muslims they have the same worries as white working class people, health education, jobs, poverty, pensions, housing. Our message on these issues wins us activists and votes from all sections of the community, white black and Asian.

Symbolically you can see it in the endorsement we won from a well known former Labour mayor, Labour council leader and chair of housing (all white). Here in Millwall our activists include (white) pensioners, (white) ex-dockers, and (white) long standing members of the local Labour Party who have now left to join us.

Respect in east London reflects all sections of our community, as it should.

What do you say to those critics who complain that Respect will allow Tories and Liberals to win Labour seats?

When Labour lose seats it is because they deserve to lose them because of the record of Blair’s government on everything from war to privatisation, and the way New Labour councils have behaved.

If Respect didn’t give a left alternative to people feeling betrayed by and angry at New Labour those people would not vote or could even be conned into supporting the Liberals, the Tories, or worse.

We can’t accept the blackmail that says we have to just put up with New Labour because the Tories or Liberals are the only alternative. We have to create an alternative and fight to establish it.

You had a very important role in the recent elections. Can you say something about Respect’s strategy in East London? It seemed to be slightly different from what happened in other areas.

To be honest I haven’t compared what we did in east London to what happened elsewhere, we just haven’t had time to draw breath since 10 June with first the Stepney election and now Millwall.

Our strategy in east London was clear and simple, and most importantly was agreed and understood by a wide core of activists. We drew from the wider political situation that we could do well and therefore had to have a campaign which was ambitious, not simply a routine campaign hoping to pick up a small vote.

On example was our decision to produce an eight page local tabloid paper rather than just rely on election leaflets, to project us as serious players. This had major impact.

We drew heavily on the networks created in the area through the anti-war movement and actively sought to involve them in Respect’s campaign. We were open to new people and fought hard not to limit the campaign just to established activists.

We also had a particular dynamic to the campaign which proved very successful. Early on we identified some key events, a local Mela, a round of public meetings, the battle bus tours, which we would use to make a huge impact.

That impact drew new people around us. We then worked hard to involve these new people in smaller scale activities before then gathering our now bigger forces together to make an even bigger impact at the next major event. That in turn expanded the numbers around us.

This back and forth momentum helped create a kind of us continuos spiral upwards in size and strength and I believe was crucial in our success.

How do you see Respect developing in Tower Hamlets between now and the general election?

Of course fighting whatever elections come along and involving ourselves in key campaigns. But we also have a lot of work to do to draw together the people we have won around us into a more coherent organisation with proper and democratic structures and so on. We will also have to discuss and develop policy on a wide range if issues.

The RMT and FBU have separated from Labour. In the medium term do you think this means anything for Respect?

These developments are an enormous step forward. Locally it means we have to work with those unions and seeking to establish links between them and Respect, and that goes wider than just those two unions.

I don’t know what form those links can or should take at the moment. But I am sure the issue of driving Respect into the unions, locally as much as nationally is going to be a big priority in the coming months.