Back to main newsThe Glasgow North West Communist Campaign - an Analysis
Tue 11 May 2010
Author: John FosterMarc Livingstone’s 179 vote, though relatively small, was better than any Communist vote in Scotland for many years. Marc’s performance was particularly strong given he was a new candidate contesting a seat not fought by the Communist Party since the 1970s. The Communist vote in the Central Glasgow constituency in the 2005 parliamentary election was 80 (0.3 per cent). In the 2001 election there were 174 Communist votes in Govan. This seat had been contested over many years.
The Communist vote was not significantly lower than that of other Left parties with less demanding ideological platforms. The leader of the SSP Colin Fox got 319 votes (0.7 per cent of the poll against Marc’s 0.5 per cent) in Edinburgh SW. The TUSC votes in Glasgow North and North East were 287 and 187 respectively. Tommy Sheridan gained 931 votes in Glasgow SW where the SSP in 2005 had secured 1,666.
Marc’s vote was also among the best of the Communist votes in Britain. Marc’s 179 (0.5) compares with Rob Griffiths’s 196 (0.4 per cent) in Cardiff S, Martin Levy’s 177 (0.5) in Newcastle East, Ben Stevenson’s 160 (0.3) in Croydon, Steve Andrew’s 139 in Sheffield SE (0.3) and Gerry Sables’s 96 in North Devon (0.2 per cent).
However, the objective of the campaign was not primarily votes but to raise issues and rebuild a network of support. Here Marc’s sterling performances at the PCS and Jordanhill Hustings were very effective in punching home the Communist case - as were his contributions to the local press. Even more important was the direct contact with voters on the doorstep and at the polling stations. Work was maintained on a virtually daily basis over three weeks. Many people indicated general sympathy for our position but wanted to vote Labour to keep out the Conservatives. Quite a number of new contacts were won for the party.
Finally Marc made the case against the BNP. Party comrades also helped distribute Hope not Hate leaflets across the constituency. The appearance of the BNP on the podium at the Count shows the work that will have to be done over the next year to win a full No platforms position among all parties well ahead of the Scottish parliamentary elections.
The party’s overall assessment of the election result can be found on the British website.
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