RELEASE THESE HEROES NOW

The Respect Party is calling on the British government to act urgently to secure the release of 28 British nationals who are confirmed missing after the Israeli assault on the Gaza aid flotilla. These were members and supporters of Viva Palestina, the Free Gaza movement and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. So far, the Foreign Office has failed to reply to urgent requests for information regarding the fate of these heroic volunteers.

All were aboard ships taking 10,000 tonnes of construction materials and human assistance to Gaza in defiance of the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade. The flotilla was attacked in international waters and so far 19 aid volunteers are known to have died. This was an act of piracy and murder.

All five ships were boarded, commandeered and towed to Ashdod port in Israel . The aid was confiscated and all the aid volunteers were arrested. The Israeli government has failed to release any information on their whereabouts or health so they are missing at this time. The full list of those who we know are missing is below.

Among them is Kevin Ovenden, the international coordinator and leading force in the creation and development of Viva Palestina. He has led three aid convoys to break the siege of Gaza since March 2009 and is the epitome of tireless heroism and sacrifice in support of Palestine .

Kevin is a hugely influential and cherished comrade in the Respect Party. He is a member of the Executive Committee, the National Council and a leading figure in Tower Hamlets Respect. He led the Viva Palestina group that joined the Gaza aid flotilla this week and carries the pride and passion of our entire party and movement with dignity and intelligence in this daring mission.

We demand the immediate release of Kevin Ovenden. The Respect Party has firm information that Kevin was unharmed in the assault on the flotilla and we expect his unharmed release from detention forthwith.

We demand the release of all those detained in this murderous attack. These people are heroes who have risked everything to help Palestine . They will be honoured upon return. In particular, we draw attention to Ahsan Shamruk, who travelled with Viva Palestina and was injured in the attack. He is reported to be in a stable condition and we send our thoughts and wishes for his safe return home. 

The full list of British nationals (provisional) is as follows:
Laura Macdonald Stuart
Ebrahim Musaji
Jamal Sayed
Parveen Yaqub
Baboo Adem Zanghar
Ahsan Shamruk
Mustafa Cengiz Ahmet
Tauqir Sharif
Boudejma Bounoua
Mohammad Bounoua
Sakir Yildirim
Kenneth O'Keefe
Ali El-Awaisi
Mohammed Bhaiyat
Lort Phillips Alexandra Mary
Sarah Nancy Colborne
Ismail Adam Patel
Nader Daher
Mahi Mohammed Abid
Nur-E-Azom Choudhury
Kevin Ovenden
Peter Venner
Clifford Gardner Hanley
Muzzammil Layth Chogley
Jamaluddin Mohammad Farid Elshayyal
Hassan Al Banna Ghani
Lazrag Salah
Ali Altan

Results for Enfield Southgate

David Burrowes Conservative 21,928 49.4%
Bambos Charalambous Labour 14,302 32.2%
Johar Khan Liberal Democrat 6,124 13.8%
Peter Krakowiak Green 632 1.4%
Bob Brock UK Independence Party 505 1.1%
Asit Mukhopadhyay Independent 391 0.9%
Samad Billoo Respect-Unity Coalition 174 0.4%
Ben Weald English Democrats 173 0.4%
Mal Malakounides Independent 88 0.2%
Jeremy Sturgess Better Britain Party, The 35 0.1%
Majority 7,626 17.2
Turnout 44,352 69.2 5.7

Thank you to all our supporters

The polls have now closed and we await the results. Respect would like to say a big thank you to all our members and supporters who have worked so hard over the last few weeks to give people a real choice at the election.

We will publish the results as soon as we are able. You can get results of left candidates as they come in at Liam Mac Uaid's blog here.

George Galloway on the London Debate

On Tuesday an audience of Londoners will quiz Labour, Conservatives, Lib Democrats and hear from the smaller parties hoping to make an impact on 6 May.

The candidates appearing will be:

Tessa Jowell (Labour)

Jeremy Hunt (Conservative)

Tom Brake (Lib Dem)

George Galloway (Respect)

Natalie Bennett (Green)

David Coburn (UKIP)

You can watch the programme on BBC 1 in London on Tuesday 27 April from 10.50pm.

Outside London you can watch on the BBC website

Samad Billoo on N21.net

N21.net

Respect Party to launch manifesto for a hung parliament

Respect Office, 9 Club Row, London E1 6JX
Noon, Tuesday 27th April 2010

George Galloway will launch the Respect Party manifesto for a hung parliament tomorrow. He will highlight the policies Respect MPs will press for where no party has an overall majority and the major parties are seeking support from minor party MPs.

Respect expects to elect three MPs in the general election, George Galloway and Abjol Miah in Tower Hamlets and Salma Yaqoob in Birmingham. Respect MPs have ruled out supporting a Conservative government. The conditions they will place on support for a government in the next parliament will be a massive investment into council housing, withdrawal from Afghanistan and the scrapping of Trident and democratic reform of parliament including the introduction for fair voting.

Election meets Alice in Wonderland

Last night's leaders debate was strange affair. It was supposed to discuss foreign affairs but what should have been the biggest TV topic of debate was passed over with barely a flutter. The issue is, of course Afghanistan, where British soldiers continue to kill and be killed in an un-winnable war.

According to a poll in the Independent on Sunday, 77% of people in the UK want the troops brought home. Respect agrees. But sadly all the three old parties promise to keep them there - ensuring more blood is spilt needlessly. It's time to get round the table and talk peace and bring British troops home to their families.

My fellow candidate Dr Kay Phiilips in Manchester wrote the article below for her election website after the first debate. It sort of sums up the election so far: the election has been reduced, by the media, to three men and a question of who can look most 'prime ministerial'. Meanwhile our services face a decade of Thatcherite cuts. But should it really matter how 'calm and assured' they look as they wield the axe?

George Galloway on the Daily Politics show

George appeared on Andrew Neil's Daily Politics and predicted Respect will collect three seats and could have a crucial role in a hung Parliament.

You can watch the video on the BBC website here

No progress without struggle

I have always thought it crazy that 16 year olds could be sent to war, but could not vote against the politicians who wanted to send them there. I support proposals to lower the voting age. But even if such changes were introduced, how many young people would avail of the opportunity to vote?

Survey after survey shows that young people have strong opinions about politics, but very little faith in the political system. Parliament is seen as aloof, sleazy and indifferent. Many feel cynical about whether their vote makes any difference. That cynicism is understandable, but doesn’t really help much.

If we want change, we have to engage. As the great anti-slavery campaigner Fredrick Douglas said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favour freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without ploughing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.” That struggle is waged outside parliament, for example, by workers in trade unions campaigning for decent wages and conditions, by people trying to raise awareness and solidarity about climate change, or Third World Debt, or Palestine.

But that struggle can also waged inside Parliament as well. One of the great weaknesses of the anti-war movement was that while we had plenty of supporters on the streets, we had few inside the House of Commons. That needs to change. Parliament needs to be more representative of the people.

On May 6 this country will elect a new parliament. If you want Britain to be more committed to values of peace, justice and equality, you need to put politicians into parliament who will advocate on your behalf. But in order to vote you have got to be registered to vote. The closing date to register is April 20. The General Election is an opportunity to effect change. My advice would be, don’t waste it.

George Galloway: The fight is on

Labour is soft on the bankers. The Tories are the bankers.

So it’s not surprising that each of them is planning massive cuts to public services if they win the next election. The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, promises cuts that will be “deeper and tougher” than those carried out by Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s.

Those cuts, we should remember, led to city after city in Britain becoming industrial ghost-towns, as millions were thrown on the scrap heap of the dole. Meanwhile from Toxteth to St Pauls, Brixton to Handsworth our inner cities burned as riots erupted out of anger and frustration.

So we have Labour’s manifesto in a nutshell. ‘A future fair for all’ translates as vote for us and we’ll deliver cuts deeper and tougher than the axe woman herself.

Save the NHS

Mike Marqusee is a journalist who is currently being treated for multiple myeloma, and in a recent article he contrasts the British and American health systems. It makes sober reading. I wish him a speedy recovery. In his article he writes:

“All the political parties promise to protect the NHS in the coming bout of spending cuts, but in reality the NHS is already being subject to a severe financial squeeze; services and jobs are being lost. After the election, the NHS will be asked to make bigger savings, i.e. deeper cuts. Health workers’ wages will suffer and the private sector will further penetrate the NHS at various levels, from primary care to specialist services to hospital finance. Unless we stop it, The NHS – and all that makes it better than the US system – cannot be taken for granted.” Read the full article here.

Vote for change

The revelation that three former Labour ministers were bidding for consultancy work by parading their government connections gives further insight into the shabby morality of Westminster politics.

But when politicians can get away with leading this country into wars based on lies, it is hardly surprising that they think they can get away with anything.We need greater transparency and more genuine democracy.

That’s why I am a supporter of Vote for Change. They are a lobby group campaigning for electoral reform. As they state on their excellent website ‘the only way we're going to make politicians understand their responsibilities to the people they represent is to make them more accountable at elections. It's time to kick out the antiquated First-Past-the-Post voting system that has allowed them to get away with so much and bring in a new style of elections where every single vote counts.’

Islamophobia - a threat to democracy

We are concerned by the rise of Islamophobia, the negative coverage of Muslims in the media, the violent street mobilisations of extreme rightwing organisations like the English Defence League, and the rising electoral support for the British National party (The battle for Barking, Weekend, 13 March). Following Channel 4’s recent inflammatory documentary, Britain’s Islamic Republic, which saw concentrated attacks on the East London Mosque, the English Defence League marched through central London with placards including the demand “Close the East London Mosque now”.

The East End of London is not new to having its communities attacked by fascists and the media. The 1930s saw the Battle of Cable Street when Oswald Mosley's blackshirts attempted to march into the Jewish community in the area. We cannot allow this terrible history to repeat itself. Further, the documentary, and articles since, have attacked the participation in politics by the Muslim community. We cannot stand by and watch this continue without remark or action.

In the runup to the general election, all parts of the population should be actively encouraged to exercise their votes. That is democracy. We welcome the work of organisations who work to this end. We call for solidarity and support for those organisations that work to encourage political participation from all sections of society, including Muslims, and condemn those who seek to undermine it.

Enfield's Social Housing Crisis

Shelter, the housing charity, has produced a league table of local authorities. The table ranks councils by how good they are at getting affordable homes built. Enfield ranks 199th out of 323 councils in England and 18th out of 33 councils in the Greater London. The verdict on the Borough has to be that it could do a lot better.

The housing waiting list is approaching 6,258 households and Shelter says that almost 2,916 new affordable homes are needed every year. But in 2008/9 Enfield delivered only 15% of the affordable homes needed and just 423 homes were provided. The total number of lettings made to new social tenants last year was 776. At this rate, according to experts, it will take approximately 8 years to clear the current waiting list.

Shelter says that there are things councils can do, if they make housing a priority. This includes things like selling council land at below market prices to be developed for affordable housing, rather than taking the highest offer.

Housing is a basic human need but our housing system is clearly failing. The average house price in Enfield last year was £228,500. To buy that average home, Shelter calculates that you would need an annual income of £50,622. But the average income was just £24,195 a year.

Most people are simply priced out of the housing market. It is a gap that local councils should be filling. Even within the current failed system there is room for improvement. But there needs to be a radical break at national level with a policy that has put an end to the building of council houses, and gambled everything on the private sector.

Public investment in massive house building programme would go a long way to tackling the housing crisis and at the same time help to stop the economy plunging back into recession.

Live! George vs Jim

George Galloway will be going head to head with Jim Fitzpatrick, who he's challenging for the seat of Poplar and Limehouse at the General Election, on BBC1 London on Sunday 21st any time from 12.10pm - although most likely from around 12.30pm. The programme will be live from London City Hall. Don't miss it and tell your friends.

Those outside London can watch live on the BBC website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007tjl5

An alternative to the cuts agenda

On the main issues facing the British people today, there is only the appearance of policy differences between Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems.

Take the economy. For years, all three parties have embraced and celebrated the neo-liberal free market dogma responsible for record levels of wealth inequality and the worst recession in over fifty years. They are also united on the necessity of vicious cuts as the solution to the crisis, divided only on the timescale for the implementation of those cuts.

But their consensus is being challenged. The Robin Hood Tax is one such challenge. It’s originators argue that imposing a 'tiny tax' on bankers 'would give billions to tackle poverty and climate change, here and abroad. This tax on banks – not you or I - has the power to raise hundreds of billions every year. It could give a vital boost to the NHS, our schools, and the fight against child poverty in the UK – as well as tackling poverty and climate change around the world.’ Sounds like a lot of sense to me. Read more here.

Seven policies for a fairer society

Investment NOT cuts
Slashing public spending will only deepen the recession. Instead of the obsession with cuts we need to invest for growth. This will allow Government income to rise and cut unemployment. That is the best way to reduce the national debt.

Fairer Taxation
Too many people on average or low incomes are paying too much tax. Meanwhile the super rich employ an army of accountants to avoid paying their fair share. We cannot afford to allow the richest in our society to get away with tax dodges when services are being cut.

Affordable housing
Our housing waiting lists are a scandal.  We need a massive house building programme to reduce waiting lists and overcrowding.

One Society, Many Cultures
We should be proud of our diverse and vibrant city. Everyone is equal no matter their race, religion or lifestyle. We are different, but we are one society. We should not be divided by racism and intolerance.

Free School Meals
Many parents struggle to find the money for school meals, yet worry about providing a healthy lunch for their children. We could provide free meals for every child for a tiny fraction of the cost of the banking bailout - ensuring every child has a well-cooked, nutritious meal at school every day.

New Green Deal
We need to save the environment and we need to create jobs. The UK could create up to 400,000 jobs in new green industries. Instead of wasting tens of billions of pounds on new Trident nuclear weapons, we should invest in green technology to save our planet.

Troops out of Afghanistan
Too many lives have been lost. Escalating the conflict can only make things worse. We need to find a peaceful solution. We need to bring the troops home now.

Respect for Enfield Southgate

Cutting public spending may not reduce debt

The Tory economic case is simple: Britain’s national debt is too high, paying it off is a priority, and the way to do that is to cut public expenditure, and then cut it some more. If we are unlucky enough to be landed with a Tory government at the next election, then that is the medicine we are going to be forced to take.

At first sight it looks like common sense. After all, if we allowed our overdraft to get out of control, the rational thing to do is cut back on some of our spending. But running a national economy is not the same thing at all as running a household budget.

There was a very interesting letter in Wednesday’s Guardian (3 March) from a group of influential economic historians who challenge some of these common-sense myths.

They argue that, “British public debt is not high by the standards of the past 200 years”. There have been long periods when our debt burden has been far higher than today.

They also observe that our debt is low in comparison to many of our competitors; “…only Germany and Canada’s are lower among the larger industrialised powers”.

And they argue that it is economic growth that is the key to paying off debt, which is exactly how Britain paid off previous high debts in the post-war period and earlier.

A strategy for growth does not start with massive cuts in public spending. That would guarantee a slow, sluggish recovery or even risk a new and damaging recession. Cutting investment and taking money out of the economy would be the quickest way to guarantee that a debt problem turned into a real crisis.

When we oppose cuts and support keeping our public services alive we are also promoting a rational economic policy that has the lessons of history in its favour.

Uniting for social justice

On the occasions that national debate rises above the issue of Gordon Brown’s temper, the topic is cuts, cuts and more cuts. Not cuts for the bankers or the rich tax evaders, only cuts for the public sector. This obsession is economically damaging – risking a new recession - and disastrous for the millions who work for and use public services.

The financial markets were let off the leash, bankers and shareholders greedily pursued super profits, and we were landed with the worst financial crisis in history. But still these people live in a world far removed from most of us. The Royal Bank of Scotland, 84% state owned, and on course for a £4bn loss this year, is about to dish out £1.3bn in bonuses. This is rewarding failure on an obscene scale.

But the consensus among our political parties is that the public sector must pay for an economic crisis it did not cause. People who have worked hard to provide vital services, often for low wages, face attacks on jobs, wages and pensions. This consensus has to be challenged. The public sector cannot be the scapegoat for a private sector that has failed us abysmally. We need to value public service above private profits.

With an election just weeks away we really need to shift the terms of debate towards a much more positive view of public services and public servants.
The PCS union – representing civil servants and public sector workers – is asking all parliamentary candidates to sign up to five pledges. And they are asking all their members to ‘Make Your Vote Count’.

Here are the pledges:

1. I pledge to work to ensure that public services are properly resourced and delivered by the public sector and that there are no further local office closures, public sector job cuts or privatizations.

2. I pledge to support measures aimed at closing the UK tax gap including recruiting HMRC staff and ensuring tax loopholes are closed.

3. I pledge to support civil service national pay bargaining and to press the government to offer pay increases to public sector workers at least in line with inflation.

4. I pledge to honour the 2005 commitment on public sector pensions and defend the rights of existing members of the civil service compensation scheme.

5. I pledge to campaign to ensure any changes to public services are only made after proper equality impact assessments have been conducted and their findings implemented.

Dutch troops to leave Afghanistan

Latest news carries the shocking report that NATO airstrikes have killed 33 civilians in Afghanistan. Opposition to the occupation is growing, especially in those countries who have troops deployed there. Dutch troops are to be withdrawn following the collapse of the Dutch centre-right coalition over the issue of their deployment, raising a risk of a domino effect in other countries. There is an urgent need for the implementation of a peace process. The ever informative Juan Cole raises pertinent questions that examine NATO policy in Afghanistan in his ‘Five Questions for the Afghan Surge; Or, Getting Past the Hype’. It is well worth a read.

This is from Salma's blog.

Truth behind Daily Express smears

Respect Party leader, Salma Yaqoob has taken the Daily Express to task for its demonisation of asylum seekers.

The Daily Express had an ‘exclusive’ yesterday about the way immigrants are having ‘fun and games as they wait to get into Britain’. Apparently, French charities have converted a warehouse to provide sheltered accommodation for immigrants at Calais. The report describes the centre like it was some kind of holiday resort, where guests ‘are being treated like VIP’s’. Read past the headlines though and you find the centre was actually ‘closed down 12 days previously after Calais authorities deemed it unfit for public use’. Some resort.

Read a bit further and you find that the notorious CRS riot squads cleared the centre of the remaining charity workers and users, with the aid of their batons and riot shields. Not exactly my idea of a holiday. In other words, the Express story is in substance a non-story. Just another way to feed hatred and suspicion about immigrants. As if we don’t have enough already. And even if there did exist for a brief period of time a well resourced centre for those in need of shelter, so what?

Surely, that is a humane thing to do for the many men, women and children gathered in Calais in the desperate hope of starting a new life? Of course it is, but you won’t find many politicians saying so. Instead, most are too happy to pander to ugly demonizations of asylum seekers and immigrants.

Viva Palestina Convoy Celebration Day

Tuesday 23 February 2010 sees a celebration of the recent Viva Palestina convoy to Gaza. 

The public event from 7pm - 9pm at the Conway Hall will include: 

• Keynote speech by George Galloway MP 
• A pictorial slideshow and presentation of the Viva Palestina convoy and the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza 
• An award ceremony to the representatives of the Viva Palestina Convoy.

Venue: The Conway Hall 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London, WC1R 4RL
Nearest tube station is Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines) approx 3 min walk.

The organisers are the Palestinian Forum of Britain (PFB), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Islamic Unity Forum (IUF) with support from British Muslim Initiative (BMI) , Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) , Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) , Stop The War Coalition (STW) , Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) , Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS)

ALL WELCOME

Galloway demands answers over Dubai assassination

Respect MP George Galloway has written to the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister and tabled Parliamentary Questions concerning the news this morning that six of the suspects in the assassination of a Palestinian national in Dubai were British passport holders.

The Parliamentary Questions:

To ask the Foreign Secretary
What discussions he has had with his counterpart in Dubai concerning the Interpol request made by the authorities in Dubai in relation to six British passport holders suspected of involvement in the murder of a Palestinian national in a Dubai hotel and if he will make statement.
To ask The Home Secretary
If the following British passport holders Louis Graham, Paul Keeley, James Clarke, Melvyn Mildiner, Michael Barney, Stephen Hodes reported to Interpol by the authorities in Dubai are British citizens and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Home Secretary
If any of the following British passport holders: Louis Graham, Paul Keeley, James Clarke, Melvyn Mildiner, Michael Barney, Stephen Hodes, are also nationals of other states and if so what states and will he make a statement.
To ask the Prime minister
If he has had discussions with the ruler of Dubai about the grave international crisis over the murder of a Palestinian national allegedly by a group of 11 assassins including six British passport holders and if he will make a statement.

Why am I standing for Respect?

“I am proud to be a Respect party candidate for Enfield Southgate constituency, as I believe in Peace, Justice and Equality for all. I will be campaigning against cuts in education, healthcare, care for the elderly and other vulnerable groups in the community, etc.

“Mainstream politicians have let us all down; they don't care about ordinary people. They grovel to the rich and powerful. They line their pockets with expenses. It's no wonder people don't feel like voting. Respect is offering a different type of politics.

“All three so called ‘BIG’ parties propose big cuts in public services which will destroy our already suffering economy. Respect opposes these cuts to avoid more job losses.

”Present government has spent billions on bailing out the banking system and wants to make cuts in public services. Why should we pay for the mistakes made by bankers who still get huge bonuses? Respect would take control of the banks and invest in jobs and public services.

”Invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of war on terror is another mistake of new labour which is costing Britain billions of pounds and lives of our soldiers. No wonder people are being deprived of their rights to jobs and public services. This is an unwinnable conflict. Respect opposes this British and US adventure. We are campaigning to bring the troops home now. We do not want any more deaths for US power. We should escalate our efforts for peace.

“One of the best things about London is its cultural diversity, and its 'live and let live' attitude, Some want to scapegoat for lack of resources. Instead of blaming the council or the government, they blame immigrants. Respect rejects this rubbish.

“We fight for equality for all communities and resources for all. Sticking together is a better way to fight for houses and services. “

Contact Samad

You can get in contact with Samad Billoo by email at samad@therespectparty.info

You can find out more about the Respect Party on our national website at www.respectparty.org

Register to Vote

IT IS YOUR VOTE USE IT DON’T LOOSE IT
There will be a General Election and local council elections in 2010.

The Respect Party opposes the public service cuts proposed by the three old parties. We do not believe that ordinary people should be forced to pay painful price for the mess the bonus-hungry bankers have made of the economy.

We will be calling for an end to privatisation, public investment with an environmental job creation programme, pulling the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan and defence of our multi-cultural society against racism and Islamophobia.

We obviously hope you will vote for Respect. But whoever you wish to vote for your name must first appear on the electoral register. Unless you are registered you will not be able to vote in any of next year's elections.

For more details about registering to vote please visit http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/ where you can fill in an online form which you can then print off, sign and send to your local council.

You can also contact the local council at Electoral Services Office, First Floor, 1 Gentleman’s Row, Enfield EN2 6QQ. Telephone: 020 8379 8582; Fax: 020 8379 8584. Their opening hours are Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm.

Remember, you can’t vote for anyone unless you are registered.

Make a donation for peace, justice and equality

Donations to Samad's election campaign can be made online using a debit or credit card or Paypal account. Donations will be processed via the Respect Party Paypal account and forwarded to Samad's campaign in Enfield Southgate.

You can also send cheques - made payable to Respect Party (write Samad Billoo Campaign on the back) to Respect Party, PO Box 167, Manchester, M19 0AH.

To comply with UK laws please read the statement below before making a donation. Thank you.

Terms and conditions - please read carefully

In compliance with party funding laws, if I am donating more than £50, I understand that my details will be checked to ensure I am registered on a UK electoral register (this applies to overseas residents as well as UK residents). If I donate more than £7,500 to Respect nationally in the course of a calendar year (or £1,500 to a single Respect branch or election campaign) I understand that my name and the amount of the donation will be reported to the Electoral Commission for publication on their public register of donations to Respect.

Make a donation to Samad's campaign

Make a donation to Respect's national election campaign

About Respect

The Respect Party was set up in January 2004. It was formed because of the need for a left-wing alternative to the three established parties - New Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.

None of those parties represent the interests of ordinary working-class people or those who want a fairer, more equal and just society.

When millions marched against the invasion of Iraq, the government ignored us.

When workers and communities take strike action or protest against privatisation, job losses and cuts to our services, they are criticised by the New Labour government and the other parties.

The Respect Party is opposed to war, privatisation and unemployment.

The Respect Party stands for peace, publicly owned services and a decent future for all.

We want a world in which the democratic demands of the people are carried out; a world based on need not profit; a world where solidarity rather than self-interest is the spirit of the age.

We want to reach out to all those who share our views, to build a new party for change in the interests of ordinary people.

Election Successes
Respect has made progress since it was set up in January 2004.

In the 2005 general election Respect got impressive results despite the 'first past the post' electoral system, which makes things difficult for a new party. We were able to win results in a clutch of inner-city working class constituencies which no other left party had achieved for a very long time.

Expelled Labour MP George Galloway stood for Respect in the east London constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow and overturned a 10,000 majority held by the New Labour pro-war MP Oona King.

In two other east London constituencies, East and West Ham, Respect came second to Labour. In another east London constituency, Poplar and Canning Town, we came third.

In Sparkbrook and Small Heath in Birmingham Salma Yaqoob won 27.5 percent of the vote - only 3,000 votes short of winning the seat.

We now have six councillors on Tower Hamlets council, a councillor in the London Borough of Newham and three councillors on Birmingham City Council.

If you would like to find out more then get in touch or join us.