Socialist Resistance has been part of Respect since its foundation and played a major role in sustaining it during the acrimonious split in 2007. So, naturally, we begin our review of the elections with Respect’s campaign …
Respect are running a highly focussed and limited general election campaign standing in just 11 seats, compared to 26 seats in 2005.
However Respect stand the best chance of winning a seat of any national left wing party – with three key target seats: Birmingham Hall Green, Poplar and Limehouse; Bethnal Green & Bow. Expect very late declarations around 4 or 5AM at the earliest due to the close fought nature of the campaign and the expected chaos caused by postal voting.
Other seats to watch for include Blackley & Broughton in Manchester/Salford being fought by Respect chair Kay Phillips against Labour’s Graham Stringer with a unique alliance with the Green Party, and also in Manchester, Gorton where Respect are running against Gerald Kaufman. This is the only seat in England where Respect and TUSC go head to head. Most of the other seats being contested by Respect were fought in 2005 so are an unknown quantity and results are likely to be varied.
Respect’s candidates:
| Bethnal Green & Bow | Abjol Miah |
8,532 - 16.8% Third |
| Birmingham Hall Green | Salma Yaqoob | 12,240 25.1% SECOND |
| Blackley & Broughton | Kay Phillips | 996 votes 2.9% |
| Bradford West | Arshad Ali | 1,245 votes 3.1% |
| Brent Central | Abdi Duale | 230 votes 0.5% |
| Croydon North | Mohommad Shaikh | 272 votes 0.5% |
| Enfield Southgate | Samad Billoo | 174 votes |
| Garston & Halewood | Diana Raby | 286 votes 0.6% |
| Manchester Gorton | Mohammed Zulfikar | 507 1.3% +1.3 |
| Oldham West & Royton | Shahid Miah | 627 1.5% |
| Poplar & Limehouse | George Galloway |
8,160 – 17.5% |
Liam redux 
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