Liam redux

Respect defections – could get bumpy

This is probably not the week’s big political story but it’s interesting enough. Last week’s East London Advertiser reported that ex-Labour councillor Kumar Murshid has joined Respect. The current print edition of the paper adds a bit of detail. On page 3 it quotes George Galloway as saying “I’ve always said that our next MP…

Liam
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This is probably not the week’s big political story but it’s interesting enough. Last week’s East London Advertiser reported that ex-Labour councillor Kumar Murshid has joined Respect. The current print edition of the paper adds a bit of detail. On page 3 it quotes George Galloway as saying “I’ve always said that our next MP would come from our 11 Tower Hamlets councillors. But to that field I think we should now add the name of Kumar Murshid.”

On page 12 the paper’s well connected chief reporter Ted Jeory says that “in erudite Kumar Murshid Respect has gained a multimillion pound star striker.”

Bludgeoning the football metaphor he continues ” Many of Respect’s players have spent an age on the training ground dreaming of being capped as a future MP. So when news emerged of Kumar’s signing ceremony a Respect midfield general called to say the troops were boycotting the event. “

Only two councillors turned up. To be fair it was on a Tuesday. Nevertheless I think this bears out the point that I’ve made in previous posts that the selection battle will be savage and not terribly political. It will turn on who can best mobilise their support base rather than on ideology. In any case it’s a racing certainty the Blairites will win back the seat. That is a backward step.

11 responses to “Respect defections – could get bumpy”

  1. Mick Avatar
    Mick

    A backward step but Kumar will clearly be the candidate.As a local councillor he was a dire failure

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  2. muon Avatar
    muon

    If you think that a New labour victory would be such a backward step why do you constantly highlight what you see as their good chance of winning? The election is probably still two years away, and who knows what the state of affairs will be by then. But what is certain is that your blog could provide New Labour with a rich source of quotes from a former Respect member if they chose to use them when the campaign comes. ‘Former Respect supporter says Labour victory is ‘a racing certainty’ etc.And I bet you wouldn’t have predicted the votes in Preston or Bolsover before the event either.. I reckon you jumped too soon, and for no good reason. Now you just sound like a grumpy old man.

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  3. Liam Mac Uaid Avatar
    Liam Mac Uaid

    Well Muon your criticism seems to be that I’m giving comfort to the enemy. I’m flattered that you think that this site has such an impact in the real world. I’m not convinced.The very enthusiastic pieces I wrote last year during the council election didn’t seem to swing the voters in this ward. The politics and the campaign did that.But rather than speculate on how grumpy, smelly or unsightly I am it would be more interesting to give a political response to some of the political points I’ve made in my pieces on Respect. No pro-Respect person has tried to do that.I still maintain that it was the best opportunity to create a mass working class alternative to Labour’s left. It has failed in this project and it will take big advances in the class struggle befoe an alternative developsI continue to chronicle local developments, from sources which are entirely in the public domain, because there is a high level of interest and these are important lessons for a future effort to build a class struggle alternative. I intend to be part of that.

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  4. neprimerimye Avatar
    neprimerimye

    A vote for Labour in East London is a vote against Respect. And is the best way to help the SWP regain some shred of socialist principle by destroying that abomination.

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  5. Muon Avatar
    Muon

    A vote for Labour anywhere Respect are standing is a vote against Respect. So Nepri, were you for a Labour vote in Preston last week? And in Bolsover?And Liam, would you endorse Nepri’s honest and open (and shamefull) support for Labour? Which way would you advocate ppl vote in BG and B, assuming that the new Respect candidate was someone with credibility (the likes of Oliur Rahman for example). Me I reckon whatever its faults (and they are real) Respect is still the best hope for an alternative to Labour, and the very encouraging results in Preston and Bolsover, as well as unexpectedly good polls in Cambridge, Dudley and elsewhere shows that Liam (and others like him) jumped too soon.

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  6. Liam Mac Uaid Avatar
    Liam Mac Uaid

    Muon in most wards last week socialists were left with no alternative other than voting Labour. It’s not something anybody could do with much enthusiasm for most Labour candidates but when there is no choice…Also let’s keep things in perspective. A net gain of one council seat is not exactly much of a blow to Labourism nor indicative of a steadily upward trend.In the last parliamentary election SR supporters in London mobilised in a very serious way to support Oli’s campaign. We would do that again for any similar Respect candidate.

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  7. Muon Avatar
    Muon

    Fair enough

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  8. Jo Avatar
    Jo

    Oli is clearly identifying as being on the ‘political’ wing of Respect, and its keen to wrestle the Tower Hsmlets council leadership (and handsome allowance as Opposition Leader) for Abjol Miah, a Shadwell Councillor with no track record of political involvement or activism.This will be an interesting contest for the future of Respect. It seems likely that several Councillors would leave in Oil won the leadership and sit as “Independants” or set up a Bangladeshi Community Party.Interesting times lie ahead.All in all thought I think Liam is right that Respect will loose heavily at the next election.

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  9. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    A net gain of one seat? Where?Before: Lavalette, Aziz, Muldoon (plus 15 not contested this time round)After: Lavalette, Ishtiaq, Holmes (plus 15)I make that a net gain of zero – or a loss of two if you include Wais Islam and Steven Brookes.

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  10. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Phil – the net gain is Bolsover. You need to distinguish between councillors who defect, and elections won.Respect had not previously won the seats contested by Muldoon and Aziz. Nor the one vacated by Brooks (which has never even been contested by Respect). They were all defectors who switched parties.Respect had previously won Sparkbrook and the Socialist Alliance had won Preston Town Centre, so they count as holding wards previously won. That leaves Bolsover which was won for the first time and therefore a gain.

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  11. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    I’m aware of all that (and covered it in a tediously detailed blog post). My point was just that they had 18 councillors before the elections (including two defectors) and they’ve got 18 now (not including any defectors). You can only make that a net gain of 1 if you not only exclude defectors but count wards represented rather than individual councillors, which strikes me as a bit elaborate.

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