| |
Other candidates cannot hope to match Glenda’s record
• LET’S be clear: the most important result from the Hampstead Town by-election was the derisory vote the British National Party received.
Hopefully they will have learned that no one in Hampstead has any truck with their racist, divisive, policies and they won’t darken our ballot boxes again.
But the suggestion that the Lib Dems will translate their success in Hampstead Town to winning the general election (Is Linda’s win a step towards ousting Labour’s Glenda? October 2) is very wide of the mark.
Our share of the vote held steady in Hampstead Town, despite the Lib Dems and Tories scrabbling for any votes going.
Make no mistake, this was a dreadful night for the Tories in Hampstead, but the GLA election proves that there is a big difference between voting in a council by-election and voting in a major election for regional or national government. Don’t forget, the Lib Dems did atrociously in the London elections in May.
They won just 11 per cent of the mayoral vote in Camden.
Even in Liberal strongholds, like Fortune Green and West Hampstead, they came third while Labour topped both mayoral and assembly polls.
Given how quickly they jumped into bed with the Tories and implemented right-wing, service-cutting policies in the Town Hall, it is easy to see why many left-of-centre voters deserted the Lib Dems in May.
When it comes to a general election, and faced with the threat of letting the Tories back into government to cut services for the needy and introduce tax cuts for the super-wealthy, progressive voters will want their votes to count, and will back Labour.
This is not to say we are complacent about the next election. We know that this will be tough fight against a resurgent Tory party.
But in Glenda Jackson, Labour has a candidate with a strong, independent voice and an excellent record in fighting for local people other candidates cannot hope to match.
However the Lib Dem’s town hall spin-doctors want to dress it up, progressive voters should know that the only way to beat the Tories in Hampstead & Kilburn seat is to vote Labour.
MIKE KATZ
Chair, Hampstead & Kilburn
Labour Party, NW6
|
 |
|
| |
