Labour Representation Committee

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06 May 2008

2008 May Manifesto Petition

I put out this statement today - to sign up please email info@l-r-c.org.uk with 'petition' in the title and your name and CLP or trade union.

In the light of Labour's election defeat last week, John McDonnell MP is circulating a manifesto petition to Labour Party members, trade unons and MPs to gain large scale rank and file support for a new policy programme for Labour to bring about a radical change in political direction for the Laboour Government.

John McDonnell MP said:

"After the serious rejection of New Labour at the polls last week assurances that the Government is listening are simply not going to be enough to restore any sense of belief in the Labour Party. What is needed is a radical change of political direction.

"We have to demonstrate that change by introducing a new policy programme that specifically and very concretely addreses peoples' concerns raised on the doorstep. This May manifesto petition is launched so that all our supporters can have a say in pressing for the changes we need."

We believe that Labour can win back the support of our people by adopting a new 2008 May Manifesto, which should include:

Nailing the 10p tax mistake by the introduction of a fair tax system removing the low paid from taxation and ensuring the wealthiest and corporations pay their fair share
An increase in the basic state pension, immediately restoring the link with earnings, lifting people off means tested benefits and providing free care for the elderly
An immediate start on a large scale council house building programme and assistance for those facing repossession
Immediate end to programme of local Post Office closures and liberalisation of postal services
An end to the privatisation of our public services
A new pay deal for public sector workers to protect their living standards and tackle low pay
Abolishing tuition fees and restoring maintenance grants for all students
Scrapping ID cards and abandoning 42 days detention
Introduction of a trade union freedom bill and measures to protect temporary and agency workers
Rejecting the proposals to renew Trident

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02 May 2008

London decides

The 'Every Evening sub-Standard Tory Propaganda' may have called it for Boris, but we're still waiting for the official results . . .

21:00 - We start with a shock! Labour has gained the Brent & Harrow GLA seat, with Navin Shah narrowly defeating Tory incumbent Bob Blackman.

Is this is a sign that things aren't so bad in London or is this a false dawn?

21:25 - First preference votes in for three GLA constituencies. In Bexley & Bromley, Boris won 122,000 to Ken's 40,000. In City & East Ken beat Boris 94,000 to 49,000, and by a similar margin (96,000 to 57,000) in North East.

21:30 - another win for Boris as he takes Havering & Redbridge by 87,302 to Ken's 45905. Overall, after 4/14 results I make Boris about 40,000 first preference votes ahead. BNP polls over 5% too.

21:40 - Not good. Ken scrapes home in his old stomping ground of Brent & Harrow: 65,862 to 61,825. Last time, in 2004, Ken was 12,000 clear of Norris here. On a more positive note, BNP candidate gets a paltry 1.65%.

21:55 - Another win for Ken, so it's 4-2 in constituencies, but Ken has only won by 12,000 votes in Greenwich and Lewisham (he won by double that margin in 2004). Boris remains ahead on 1st prefs - and he still has several Tory strongholds to come. Start hoping those 2nd prefs favour Ken heavily. BNP polls around 3% in G&L.

At the mo it's Boris on 45% and Ken on 42%.

22:15 - In the constituency seats, Labour has held City & East, and North East under John Biggs and Jennette Arnold respectively. Meanwhile Tories have held Havering & Redbridge and Bexley & Bromley.

Worrying votes for fascists: The NF came 4th in B&B, with nearly 6% of the vote; and in C&E the BNP came 4th with just under 10%.

22:30 - Sky says Boris has won West Central first pref votes, but no breakdown yet. In at 23:15, Boris storms it by 91,000 to 47,000. BNP a paltry 1% if that's any consolation.

22:40 - BNP Mayoral candidate polled only just over 5% in City & East. This is probably a good sign - as it is slightly less than the 5.6% the BNP mayoral candidate polled in C&E in 2004. Need to keep them below 5% to stop them getting representation, but C&E is one of their better areas, and they've only just got above. Then again their GLA candidate was only just shy of 10%, ahead of the Lib Dems (5th) but behind Respect (3rd).

22:45 - Ken has apparently won in Enfield & Haringey and in Lambeth & Southwark - details to come . . . L&S in at 23:20 - big win for Ken 80,000 to 47,000. Another of Ken's old stomping grounds. Any results for Henley? No? Oh that's because Boris has never represented London . . . until now . . . probably.

22:55 - 10 out of 14 and its 43% Boris, 40% Ken. Still awaiting Merton & Wandsworth though (prob Tory). Ken around 60,000 votes behind on 1st prefs with 4 to go. Enfield & Haringey saw Ken win by 6,000, compared with 17,000 margin in 2004. Boris won in SW by 32,000 margin - Ken won by 7,000 last time. It's not good, not good at all.

23:05 - bit of a lull. so time to stop and analyse. Sky says Boris is ahead in 4 remaining constituencies to declare: Barnet & Camden, Croydon & Sutton, Ealing & Hillingdon, Merton & Wandsworth. The really worrying thing is that Ken beat Norris in 3 out of 4 of these (not C&S) in 2004.

23:15 - Boris has taken Croydon & Sutton. It's now 42% to 37% - and a 95,000 vote lead to Boris, as Boris wins by a massive 35,000 margin.

23:25 - Looks like Boris has also now taken Merton & Wandsworth and Barnet & Camden. B&C confirmed - an 18,000 margin to Boris, Ken won by 7,000 last time . . . and now M&W with over 45% to Ken's 35.6%.

23:35 - With 13 of 14 results in, Boris has a 130,000 lead on 1st prefs - 43% to 37%. Similar win for Boris in Ealing & Hillingdon with 45% to 34%, and that's 14. Still 43% to 37%, but a 150,000 lead on 1st prefs. It will need a miracle on 2nd prefs

23:40 - Taking stock - Ken's vote has held up on last time (a little up in numbers), but the Tories have mobilised their vote massively. Boris polled 43%, Ken 37%. In the country last night, the Tories had 44% to Labour's 24%. That reflects Ken's personal vote - 14 points. Reducing a 20 point gap to six.

23:50 - Final vote, with 2nd prefs, done. Boris has been inflicted upon London (124977 2nd prefs to Boris, 135089 2nd prefs to Ken - not enough).

00:00 - John McDonnell, LRC Chair, said: "This is desperately worrying for London. It is also a personal tragedy for Ken who has devoted his life to the capital city and its residents"

"Ken has been the victim of the backlash against New Labour".

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. . . and the carnage continues

10:30 - Labour has now breached 150 council seats lost (net) with still more than a third of seats to declare. Losses in Wales, where there have been all-out elections, are looking just as bad as those in England.

A new rush of results is expected between 11:30-12:30pm.

11:00 - A bit of analysis, since we're in a results lull: Labour has been hit hardest in its supposed heartlands, showing that we have alienated our core vote. Turnout at 35% is roughly the same as in recent years - and so it is likely that Labour support has, in even higher numbers this time, stayed at home.

Meanwhile Tory voters, smelling blood, have been motivated to come out. We've had several reports emailed in to the LRC of Tory canvassers out in force and more motivated than in recent years. Labour has a fight on its hands, but with average constituency membership now under 300 (and in dozens of areas down to two figures) have we got the activists on the ground anymore to turn it around?

13:00 - Labour has now lost more than 200 councillors, and has lost control of Reading and Wolverhampton councils in the last hour.

Reports are that turnout in London has hit 45%. The interesting thing will be how that breaks down between inner and outer London.

14:00 - Labour has now lost more than 250 council seats. The loss of Reading (noted above) means that Labour has no councils in the whole of the South East region.

Labour has also lost Caerphilly, and Sheffield has gone from NOC to the Lib Dems.

15:30 - The exception of the night: Labour takes Slough, gaining 4 seats. Slough replaces Reading as Labour's only council in the South East region.

However, Labour was nearly pushed into third in Northumberland, demonstrating Labour's collapse in its heartlands; and despite losing eight seats, Labour has hung on to Wakefield by a whisker.

The London result looks to be coming later than expected due to the higher turnout.

17:00 - With only a couple of council results left to declare, Labour has now lost more than 300 council seats.

20:00 - In the downtime before the London results start coming in, let's look at how MPs have responded to the results. Derek Wyatt MP, loyalist MP for Sittingborne and Sheppey, said: "Look at the situation with fuel prices, the non-doms and the 10p tax band. Gordon has committed spectacular own-goals and the public is punishing him for it". John McDonnell said "Without a radical change of direction, we are witnessing a Labour Government slipping away". Ian Gibson has urged the Prime Minister to offer railway renationalisation, union rights for agency workers and a more generous minimum wage to restore the confidence of traditional Labour voters. Tamworth Labour MP Brian Jenkins said: "I understand people want to give the Government a kicking. But it is unfortunate this reflects on a lot of good people who stood [in Tamworth]. It is all about national issues and had they voted on who they want to run the town, the result would have been different". Blairite Birmingham MP Sion Simon said: "As a Government we have to listen to ordinary working class voters in Labour heartlands like Erdington more clearly if we want to be successful in the future". Linda Gilroy said: "People expect us to be fair in a consistent way and we haven't been"

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After Labour's electoral disaster - we demand action on policies

PRESS NOTICE

John McDonnell MP, LRC Chair, said:

"After the worse results in 40 years, it is intellectually unsustainable for ministers to simply tell the electorate that the government is listening. Prevarication will only lead to a Tory government - what people want is decisive action to change the policies immediately.

If Ken does hang on, it will be as a result of his perceived independence from New Labour and should not be interpreted by Gordon Brown as any vote of confidence in New Labour in London."

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01 May 2008

Results start coming in

23:20 - No surprise perhaps, but Tories hold Tamworth. Gaining one council seat. Given Labour's low base from 2004, this doesn't bode well for Brian Jenkins, local Labour who would need less than a 3% swing against him to lose at the next General Election.

23:40 - BBC reports turnout in London may be higher in some constituencies than in the last general election.

00:25 - a few interesting results: Labour lose five councillors, but hold Sunderland; Lib Dems gain Kingston-upon-Hull; Tories gain Harlow

All three of these boroughs have Labour MPs. Overall as at 00:25, Labour has lost 14 councillors. Early indications also seem to show that the Tories are squeezing the Lib Dems in the south of England.

00:30 - BNP gains 2 seats in Nuneaton and Bedworth, which has also turned Tory from Labour

01:30 - Labour has now lost a total of over 50 councillors - and has lost seats (net) in every English region. The BBC is projecting 24% share of the vote for Labour.

1:40 - BBC's projected national share of the vote, based on over 1.5m votes in key seats shows Labour on 24%, Tories on 44%, with Lib Dems on 25%. Showing Labour in third and Lib Dems also squeezed by Tories. Almost a reverse of 1995 when Labour polled 47% to 25% to Tories - and that led to Labour landslide in 1997

2:00 - Commenting to the media, John McDonnell MP (LRC Chair) said: "Despite all the warnings from Labour MPs and Labour Party activists on the ground, New Labour's policies have brought us close to a potentially irretrievable tipping point.
"Without a radical change of direction, we are witnessing a Labour Government slipping away."

2:40 - Over 100 Labour councillors have now lost their seats. BNP has gained 2 seats in Amber Valley and 1 in Thurrock.

John McDonnell has just been interviewed on Radio 4 - I'm sure you can listen again online.

3:45 - FINAL UPDATE - Being interviewed on BBC and Sky, LRC Chair John McDonnell MP said that "Labour is in danger of sleepwalking into a Tory Government . . . which would be a disaster for this country".
Labour has now lost 130 council seats with over one-third of councils yet to declare
With Labour's share of the vote reduced to 24%, and Labour pushed into third place, John added: "If Ken wins in London, which looks increasingly tough, it will be because of his personal vote and the policies he's introduced."

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Polls close

10:05 - first results are expected at around 11:30pm. Early results are expected from Broxbourne (where BNP is standing), Plymouth, Tamworth, and Salford.

A reminder that London results are not due in until tomorrow. Evening Standard seemed confident that their man had won. Ken thinks he's got it 52%-48%. Tomorrow tea time we'll know.

Still awaiting first exit polls.

11pm update - Still no exit polls one hour after polls close. However, a BBC poll shows poor personal ratings for Gordon Brown as leader.

Just half an hour to go until the first results expected.

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Elections 2008

8am update - the polls have been open for an hour now for local elections in much of England and Wales. Most of these seats were last contested in 2004, when Labour's national share of the vote sunk to just 26%.

Voters in London have three votes: one for Mayor, one for their local GLA member, and one for the top-up party list of GLA members. At the last GLA elections, the BNP came within a whisker of winning a GLA seat in the top-up category after polling 4.8% (5% is all they need).

As LRC Chair John McDonnell MP said: "These elections are critical to halt the fascists in their tracks, and to prevent further erosion of Labour support by the Tories.

"This is no time to stay at home"

3pm update - We're now over halfway through polling. Polls close at 10pm - be sure to encourage everyone to get out and vote - turnout is key to stopping the BNP. Likewise, if we want to avoid the nightmare of Boris being London Mayor, so encourage all your friends, family, workmates and neighbours to get out and vote.

6pm update - There are 159 councils holiding elections across England and Wales, with a total of 4,102 seats up for grabs. First results are expected shortly after 11:30pm.

Counting of the GLA and Mayoral vote does not start until Friday morning - with results expected to be announced from early afternoon.

8pm update - Great minds think alike! Searchlight's Hope Not Hate website will be hosting a live blog through the night too. Visit www.hopenothate.org.uk. They've also got an interactive map with the key BNP battlegrounds for the elections. If you, or anyone you know, hasn't voted yet - get to a polling station. Nothing beats the BNP like high turnout. Less than 2 hours to go.

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