Last week I took a look at the election of September 7 and how the far right fared. While results have still to be finalised, here’s a brief account of the material verdict of history enacted upon the candidates for the far left. Note that the CPA did not stand any candidates at this election, nor did the CPA(ML), SAlt or TP; the Sparts denounced everyone else on the PSEUDO-left in this handy leaflet.
Communist League
In a move that shocked many most some me, Ron Poulsen of the mighty Communist League elected not to battle for the seat of Blaxland this year, choosing instead to fly the red flag in the NSW Senate. As a result, Ron received 148 votes [FINAL], or 0.0003 of a capitalist quota.
Progressive Labour Party
Technically speaking, the PLP didn’t run a candidate this election, but supported Susanna Scurry in her attempt to snatch the seat of Newcastle. In the end Susanna scored 1,026 class-conscious votes (1.20%) [FINAL].
Socialist Alliance
SA stood seven candidates for the Lower House and a Senate ticket in NSW.
Liah Lazarou in Adelaide scored 980 votes (1.07%) [FINAL] and came last of six candidates. Corio (VIC) has been confirmed as a decidedly un-Christian location, with Godless Communism (aka Sue Bull: 680 votes/0.75%) [FINAL] beating both the Australian Christians’ and Rise Up Australia candidates (550/0.61% and 364/0.40% respectively). In Fremantle, Atheistic Socialism done OK too, Sam Wainwright beating the CEC (131), APP (205) and RUA (416) candidates: his 743 votes (0.85%) [FINAL] leaving SA in striking distance of Family First (0.93), Katter’s Australian Party (1.22) and Australian Christians (1.34%). In a crowded field of eleven, Liam Flenady gained 377 votes (0.44%) [FINAL] in Griffith (QLD), Socialism proving to be more popular than Stable Population (165/0.19%) but not much else (including fundamentalist Christianity). In Newcastle, Zane Alcorn (616 votes/0.72%) [FINAL] proved too popular for the Australian Independents (367/0.43%) but no others, including the fascist Australia First Party. Peter Boyle in Sydney done a bit better: his 614 votes (0.70%) [FINAL] forcing independent Joanna Rzetelski (602/0.68%) into last place but also confirming that trainspotters are a force to be reckoned with the Bullet Train for Australia candidate seizing 793 train-conscious votes. Finally, in Wills (VIC), Margarita Windisch got 1,024 votes (1.13%) [FINAL], and placed last; Clive Palmer, Family, Sex & BEER proving to be marginally more attractive than Marxism.
In the race for a Senate seat, the SA team gained 2,728 votes, or 0.06% [FINAL], a decline of 0.50 on 2010’s efforts, a little less than half the number received by the Carers Alliance (5,498/0.13) but more than Senator Online (Internet Voting Bills/Issues) (2,502/0.06), Australian Voice (2,587/0.06), Australian Protectionist Party (2,424/0.06), Building Australia Party (2,309/0.05), Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) (1,357/0.03), The Australian Republicans (1,932/0.04), Socialist Equality Party (1,800/0.04) and the Uniting Australia Party (2,187/0.05).
Socialist Equality Party
The Leadership Of The World Socialist Movement stood candidates for the Australian Senate in NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and WA. In NSW The Leadership got 1,800 votes (0.04%, a decline of 0.05) [FINAL]; in QLD 1,642 (0.06) [FINAL]; in SA 2,857 (0.28) [FINAL]; in VIC 2,332 (0.07, a decline of 0.25) [FINAL]; in WA 1,155 (0.09%) [FINAL]. In total, OVER 9000!!! voters recognised the world-historical mission of the International Committee of the Fourth International to smash global capitalism and achieve the full material and spiritual liberation of the toilers and exploited through the socialist revolution.
Socialist Party
Hamstrung, like the other socialists, by a lack of access to millions of dollars in campaign funding, the SP’s Anthony Main gaining a semi-respectable 1,140 votes (1.35%) in Melbourne, proving to be slightly less popular than SEX! but more popular than independence, families, Clive Palmer, stable populations, democratic labour, animal justice, bullet trains, Christian fundamentalism and secularism.
Otherwise, the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty examines the dilemmas of the Australian election here, while Socialist Alternative’s Louise O’Shea claims that SA is the only principled left party what run here, scandalously ignoring the CL, PLP, SEP and SP candidates.
Only through the growth of train-consciousness can humanity be liberated from its lack of bullet trains!
Only through the train-conscious organisation of the masses into shock labour brigades to build bullet trains will humanity be saved from their ignorance and moral corruption by turning all their energies into constructing the only alternative to world destruction!
Complete the Five Year Plan in Four Years!
Down with the Car-Roaders!
All hail the Bullet Train Revolution!
Don’t worry comrades, I’m sure if we start building now we can avoid the wooden spoon in 2016.
What a lot of wasted time and effort that could have been spent on grassroots campaigns.
“… nobody should be fooled by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) who are political bandits, flying any flag that suits them.”
Wise words that were clearly well heeded by the workers and peasants.
@ndy, do we know if any of these revolutionary vanguard parties engaged in the preference swaps of the minor parties of capital?
The Socialist Alliance explains their preference policy here:
https://www. greenleft.org.au/node/54829
Copy it into your browser, delete the space and then hit enter.
It looks principled enough to me. The Greens got up to some shenanigans and the Sex Party was up to its neck in them. For a small outfit, if you want to maximise your chances of being elected, you have to get into the horse trading, at least to some extent. If your intention is to reach people with your arguments, and you consider getting elected is secondary to that (at least at this stage), there is no pressure to deviate from principle.
While I don’t criticise the Socialist Alliance’s principles in their preference policy, I do question their judgement on some points. In particular, they placed One Nation last in the NSW Senate ballot, despite the fact that two actual Fascist parties were running: the Australia First Party and the Australian Protectionist Party. One Nation, despite being Right wing populists and riddled with Fascists, is not in itself a Fascist party and deserves to be put ahead of actual Fascists.