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"It's time to give working people back their political voice," said Cllr Dave Nellist, leader of the Socialist group on Coventry City Council, in the wake of yesterday's local council elections which saw another low turnout of 36% and disastrous results for Labour with the loss of over 250 seats. "It has never been clearer that there is a need for a new mass left party," he continued. "Labour's lurch to the right has created a political void and left many people feeling there is simply no point in voting. Others have voted for the far-right BNP in the mistaken belief that they will stand up for working-class people. Labour may try and hide their election defeat by sacking Charles Clarke and re-shuffling the Cabinet, but it can not hide the fact that working class voters have deserted them in droves since 1997."

The relative success of the far-right BNP should not be seen as demonstrating an appetite for far right wing politics. The BNP have no solutions to the real problems facing working-class people. They claim to fight against New Labour's anti-working class policies but when they have been elected they vote for the same policies! In Burnley, the BNP councillors didn't even turn up to the council meeting where council tax rises and 1 million pounds worth of cuts were voted through. In Stoke, BNP councillors voted in favour of a dramatic rise in council tax equal to almost double inflation. In reality the BNP is a racist party that lays the blame for the problems local communities face - poor housing, privatisation and council service cuts - at the door of ethnic minorities and asylum seekers.

But where working-class voters had the choice of a left candidate, there were some notable successes:

• The Socialist Party gained a seat on Coventry Council with 40% of the vote.
• The Socialist Party held on to its two seats in Lewisham and a third candidate got over 800 votes.
• Health Campaigner and Socialist Party member Dr Jackie Grunsell won a seat on Huddersfield Council by over 700 votes with 35% of the poll.
• Respect won 11 Council seats in Tower Hamlets.

Elsewhere, socialist and socialist green candidates performed well, polling between 5% and 17%, a marked improvement on previous years

The Campaign for a New Workers' Party aims to provide a political home for all those voters who feel abandoned by New Labour and for those who have become so disillusioned with mainstream politics that they do not vote or mistakenly vote for far right candidates who disguise their true politics and prey on people's fears.

"We are already working to build a new left party," said Cllr Nellist, who is also national chair of the Campaign for a New Workers Party. "Watch this space; the fight back has begun."

NOTES

The Campaign for a New Workers Party (CNWP) was launched in London at a Conference attended by 450 socialists on March 19. It already has affiliations from a number of groups on the left, including the Socialist Party, Workers Power and the Socialist Alliance. Officers and a Steering Committee have been elected.

For further information contact:

Pete McLaren on 07881 520626

Dave Nellist on 07970 294237

or

Email: pete.mclaren@virgin.net

info@cnwp.org.uk

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