I think it is very significant. It was an astonishing result, in many ways more remarkable than his result in Bethnal Green and Bow. Whatever you may think about Galloway, you can't really argue with that. Of course there was a huge Galloway factor in play. But it goes much deeper than that. It shows that Labour cannot take its working-class voters for granted any more. Labour has presented little if any opposition to the Con-Dem coalition. Miliband and Balls have supported the government's austerity programme. Labour supports privatisation and PFI. It never supports workers who take strike action, whether it be on pension cuts or anything else. So, what is the point of Labour. There is a space to the left of Labour. All three main parties say pretty much the same thing. We need a real, nation debate on what sort of economy and what sort of society we want. Do we want one that is subservient to the banks, big business and company executives, or do we want one that serves the needs of ordinary people. TUSC wants to make sure that the disillusionment with Labour and the other established parties finds an expression in a serious party that aims to build everywhere. The small, relatively new Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition aims to raise this debate. It is standing a list of candidates in the London Assembly elections on 3 May. It stands in opposition to all cuts, privatisation, PFI and the anti-union legislation. It completely rejects the three-party consensus in favour of austerity and war.
