A few impressions from Manchester

Margaret Manning

The Green Party got around 200 in nearly every ward (a couple of wards around 100) which was the same for working class and more middle class areas. They got nearer 400 in 4 of richest/middle class wards. The Greens got 539 in Hulme, the only ward they worked in, as they have a councillor there, but they got no where near another one last year or this year -something I want to talk with them about - not to ignore rest of city - they could at least put a leaflet out in other wards.

Also their councillor is a bit of a disappointment from what I see/hear -e.g. she doesn't get involved in most of community/tenants stuff in her ward. She is seen as just interested in the small area where they get most support -which is some old council housing and some new housing coop-with populations mainly of student, ex student/trendy/anarchisty bit . The rest of the ward is a mix of new 'trendy' inner city housing and a lot of council/social housing, where neither she, nor the other Green Party activists seem to get involved. Also there has been no impact through the media /using their own publicity / use of her council position to promote green or other policies. I know one councillor on their own can't get resolutions through, but they could promote some positive policies and put out press releases and leaflets etc based on the ideas, and get wider campaigns on some of them across the city.

Given the results in Manchester I wondered if 200 is roughly the size of 'protest'/anti mainstream parties vote in most areas, as in Bury where in 6 wards candidates for the Save Our Schools group all got around 200 votes. However Lynn Worthington in Baguley, a big council housing area, part of Wythenshawe, Manchester for SP/Socialist Alternative got 214 and Greens 220 -so maybe having 2 protest/left/alternative candidates helps.

Respect got a better vote in Rusholme than previous left results - but generally where biggish Asian population, like there, the Asian candidate for any party gets best vote and she was the only Asian candidate in that ward - so maybe like Tower Hamlets it is more 'community' based voting.

Labour got 4 seats back from Lib Dems -maybe people fed up of Libs wild lies/claims - even worse on this and pavement politics/rubbish/asbos etc than Labour -though that main content of all the Labour leaflets I saw

Pity the Community Action Party in Wigan lost 3 seats to Labour (taking them down to 4) - at least they are an alternative and though a mixed bag, generally stand up to Labour and for asylum seekers and against racism. Even bigger pity when we think how well SA did there when stood.

Comment on if a Socialist candidate splits the Labour vote/helps the BNP - some were accusing the Socialist Alliance (SA) of this in Oldham few years ago - but where SA worked hard/did well the Labour vote went up even more -I guess it made them work and they romped in,. the BNP did not do well at all -so would say generally left candidates help ensure decent anti racist campaign from Labour as well -and if it doesn't -then LP fault not socialists.

 

Full Manchester Election Results

 

 

May 2006

> > home page > >