Socialist Outlook seems to be swallowing New Labour's victory much too easily. Three important features of the results have been overlooked.
First, the biggest electoral shift was not more Labour votes but a dramatic collapse in Tory votes. Compared to the 1992 general election, the Tories won five million fewer votes: one and a half times the number of votes won over by Labour. Labour's share of the vote is still less than it averaged in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Conservatives usually governed.
Secondly, Labour failed to win a majority of votes yet won two-thirds of the seats. This is entirely a product of our undemocratic electoral system.
Roughly speaking the Tories got £.... plus a donation of £...
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Post Code 2 votes for every 3 Labour votes yet won only 1 MP for every 3 Labour MPs. The scale of Labour's victory was certainly down to New Labour's "Operation Victory". Labour targeted the 70,000 people in marginal seats who actually decide which party rules. Thirdly, the vote for socialist candidates who ran against Labour was actually quite good. Socialist candidates stood in one in seven constituencies, winning 75,683 votes. On average, Socialist Labour won 1.85 per cent, the Scottish Socialist Alliance won 1.83 per cent and even the Socialist Party (formerly Militant) won 1.21 per cent. For first attempts, these results compare well with long established left parties elsewhere in Europe. The SLP and SSA fared better than Subscribe now to Your marxist, internationalist view on a world of struggles and issues, 20 SPECIAL OFFER, one month only, 12 issues plus a copy of the new Socia ist Outlook pamphlet Trade Unions in the Nineties (normal purchase price OVERSEAS SUBSCRIBERS: 12 issues for just £20.00. Please send me 12 issues of Socialist Outlook. I enclose a cheque/order fo SEND JO. Socialist Outlook. PO Box 1109, Condon 114 2UU many of the north European munist, Green and New Left p during the 1980s, prior to the 1 the Berlin Wall. Far from weakening the abi! social democracy to defeat right parties, socialist election camp actually increase and sustain th of centre vote.
In terms of European electi one-party monopoly on left of ‹ votes aids the right, because d sionment in that single party pressed in elections as support f right.
Elsewhere, a range of parties on the working class and progr movements means that voters turn away from one party tend t within the same camp, rather swinging over to the right.
Duncan Char Age.......
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