Left List is an electoral label for a group resulting from the split within Respect – The Unity Coalition in late 2007. Respect – The Unity Coalition is a Left wing political party in England and Wales founded on 25 January, 2004 in London. It is backed by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The Socialist Workers Party ( SWP) is the largest political party of the Far left in Britain that stands in the revolutionary socialist tradition The label faced its first major electoral test in the London mayoral elections and London Assembly elections on 1 May 2008. The London mayoral election 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May, 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May, 2008, along with the London mayoral election 2008. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Lindsey German, the Mayoral candidate, came seventh and in both the Mayoral and Assembly elections, Left List received less than 1% of the vote, well down on Respect's performance in 2004. Lindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a member of the central committee of the Trotskyist

Contents 1 History 1.1 The crisis in Respect 1.2 Left List emerges 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

History

Respect was created in January 2004^[1], using the issue of the war in Iraq to mobilise its vote. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Beyond this issue, it attempted to have a broad socialist agenda. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Respect allows its members to hold membership of other political organisations and notably included the SWP. The party's most high profile figure is George Galloway, Respect Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow who was expelled from the Labour Party for "bringing the party into disrepute". George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style Respect – The Unity Coalition is a Left wing political party in England and Wales founded on 25 January, 2004 in London. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Bethnal Green and Bow is a Constituency located in Greater London, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the

The crisis in Respect

Main article: The split in Respect

In September 2007, Galloway wrote a letter to Respect's national council members saying that the party was "too disorganised" and "faced oblivion" unless it reformed its internal party management. Respect – The Unity Coalition is a Left wing political party in England and Wales founded on 25 January, 2004 in London. ^[2] The letter also criticised the amount of money spent on the Organising for Fighting Unions conference and on an intervention at the Pride London LGBT rights event. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual

The letter was the opening shot in a dispute in Respect initially between Galloway and his supporters (including founding member Salma Yaqoob) on one side, and supporters of the SWP on the other. Salma Yaqoob (born 1971) is the vice- chair of Respect – The Unity Coalition and a Birmingham City Councillor She is also the head of the However the arguments later began to affect all of the membership including those not in the SWP or close to Galloway or Yaqoob. In particular, Galloway called for the appointment of a National Organiser, who would support the National Secretary, John Rees (SWP Member). John Rees may refer to John Rees (activist, British political activist (RESPECT/Socialist Workers' Party John Rees (journalist, American The SWP perceived this to be an attempt to undermine John Rees who was the dominant voice for the SWP within Respect's leadership. A letter from their Central Committee stated: "The SWP believed that the post was created to undermine Respect National Secretary John Rees. "^[3]

In the course of the dispute, the SWP expelled three members who sided with Galloway: Kevin Ovenden and Rob Hoveman, who both worked for George Galloway, and Nick Wrack, who was nominated for the position of National Organiser.

On 3 November 2007, Galloway's side announced plans to hold a "Respect Renewal" conference on 17 November, the same day as the planned national conference of Respect. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Respect Renewal is a group that emerged as a faction from the 2007 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition a UK political party Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers The Respect Renewal conference was an open event and organisers claim 350 people attended. This figure has been disputed. The Respect national conference, which went ahead on the same day was attended by 270 delegates from 49 local branches and 17 student groups, as well as 90 observers. ^[4]

Linda Smith, Respect's national chair at the time of the split, has claimed: "The sectarianism and ‘control freak’ methods of the SWP have led us to a situation where Respect is irretrievably split. "^[5] The SWP has attributed the split to a shift to the right by George Galloway and his allies, motivated by electoralism (placing election-winning above other principles). This, say the SWP leadership, led to attacks on the SWP as the most prominent left group in Respect. ^[6]

Left List emerges

The Electoral Commission has refused to take a side in the split and therefore continues to recognise Linda Smith as the Nominating Officer for Respect. The Electoral Commission is a Non-departmental public body with powers in the United Kingdom, which was created by an Act of Parliament, the Political ^[7] This means that her signature is required for candidates wishing to use the electoral label "Respect" (and similar registered names) on ballot papers in UK elections. A letter from the Electoral Commission to Linda Smith on 23 January 2008, set out its position on the split, following confusion on the matter from both sides. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[8]

Following the split, the side that included the SWP (but not Galloway or Linda Smith) nominated candidates in two district council by-elections. They could not use the name "Respect" on ballot papers without the signature of the nominating officer. Instead, both had no label on the ballot papers. ^[9][10]

This side in the Respect split has announced that in the London mayoral elections planned for 1st May 2008 it will stand Lindsey German for mayor (Respect's candidate in 2004 and chosen as Respect's candidate in 2007 prior to the schism) and candidates for the London Assembly, elected on the same date. The London mayoral election 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May, 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Lindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a member of the central committee of the Trotskyist It has announced that its candidates will contest these elections under a new electoral label, the Left List, since Linda Smith has not allowed them to be listed on ballot papers as Respect candidates. ^[11][12][13]

The Left List contested every constituency as well as standing on the London-wide proportional representation list. At the 1st May 2008 Council Elections, the Left List also contested seats as the Left List or the Left Party, Maxine Bowler in Burngreave, Sheffield. ^[14] Respect Renewal stood in the City and East London constituency as well as contesting the London-wide list. Respect Renewal is a group that emerged as a faction from the 2007 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition a UK political party George Galloway headed the London-wide party list, and Respect Renewal candidates will be standing under the name 'Respect (George Galloway)'. Respect Renewal is a group that emerged as a faction from the 2007 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition a UK political party ^[15][16]

Both factions of Respect suffered as a result and together failed to reach the previous number of votes.

See also

• Stop the War Coalition
• Respect Coalition
• Socialist Workers Party
• Lindsey German
• John Rees
• International Socialism (journal)

References

External links

• RESPECT website (Left List faction)
• RESPECT website (Renewal faction)

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic