La snel or ine social Lanes increasingry Walsall [and now in The letter from Southampton readers in Red Weekly 9 September opened up ar important debate on election strategy, a question that is going to face revolutionassentialv ine comrades were correct The basis for standing a candidate in Stechford] against the Labour Party is invaria. Altough ™ both by-elections the Socialist Worker candidates and Taria Ali of the Inter national Marxist Group will take up class questions, what has happened in each constituency une Socialist Worker candidates or putting up our own candidate? In Walsall, , was decision to support the Socialist Worke candidate taken with any knowledge of the Labour Party candidate, just happens to be involved in the local anti-cuts campaign? We cannot ignore this The record of the far left in dealing with social democracy is not a proud one. No harm will be done if we try to come to grips with the problem of elections, for in deciding to stand candidates it is necessary to avoid sectarian errors and ine adaptationist approach that considers 'before a mass revolutionary party, no candidates'.
Given that we must use elections to explain our politics to the working class it is mistaken to rush off in support of th most left candidates. Initially we should fight for candidates WHo DoDose anti-working class policies of the Govand only when we lose tha emment. struggle co we nave any basis to stan In Walsall, how can we explain to the vanGuare. let alone working class, that the local Labour candidate is not a class struggle candicater we cannor. moreonora wo way De able to, but we have not even formally fought for a class struggle type candidate as a successor to -nowever Hmmed Roy Jenkins.
If in Stechford the Labour candidate ПОТ partially oppose policies of the Labour leadership on the most essential questions [cuts, unemployment, racism]. then despite errors being made, the IMG is on the correc course in attempting to get a joint IS/IMG candidate. for reasons diven above we should be saying to the IS 'put the interests of the working class before that of the vanguard withdraw your candidate!
We must in the process explain that the only real basis for opposing Labour canaluate [there will many stances, is ine rerusal drune LaDOUT candidate to fight the election on the side of the working class against cuts, racism and oiner such cuestons mar anse PAT FIELD [New Cross].
See article on back page ...Confused?
In its recent commentary on the coming by-elections at Walsall and Stechford, 1 believe Red Weekly has made two errors When the Socialist analysis Worker → announcer International Sedialise ember timmy Red Weekly (correctly, Maccallun think) called for support on the grounds that his programme, whilst being inade qualitatively better than the cuate. was Labour Party's.
Undoubtedly the way this campaigr will be run will ensure that only the Is struggle, will gain. If, however, one is serious about proposing an alternative -inat Is. candidates wilose programmig can simultaneously attract the wides support whilst also embodying the most urgent demands of the workers move ment - then it requires careful prepara tion and foresight. This apparently was not done. It is, therefore, merely camou flage to attack the is tor not adopting uni approach excuse for avoiding self-criticism This confusion is evident in the dis cussion on the Stechford by-election.
an IS candidate for this seat represents a "fighting alternative' to the Labour Gov ernment why consider standing Tari Ali? Obviously because the latter's pro aramme is better than that o candidate. But if this goes for Stech ford, why not Walsall?
Indeed, if, as Red Weekly has con stantly argued, the Stonehouse alta was the tip of a rotten Labour iceberg. is it not doubly important that a Red Weekl candidate stands in Walsall? The IS w simply scream abuse at the ex-MP, a Re Weekly candidate could explain co stens or class ConSCIOUs woes fight the Labour Party bureaucracy Finally, having arrived belatedi correct amoroach to election. Red Weekly would make