BY ALISON DELLIT
"We stood up for our principles against the power of the major parties and we have stood tall", indigenous activist Sam Watson, the lead Senate candidate for the Socialist Alliance in Queensland, told the alliance's Brisbane election night party. Watson received more than 6500 votes in the November 10 federal poll.
One of the bright spots in the election was the relative success of the Socialist Alliance. The newly formed alliance contested 15 House of Representative seats, winning more than 1% of the vote in eight seats on an anti-war, anti-racist, refugee rights and pro-worker platform.
"This is a fantastic result", Lisa Macdonald, the alliance's candidate for Reid, told Green Left Weekly. "For a brand new, openly socialist force to win the support of 800-1000 people in a seat is significant." Macdonald received 1.43% of the vote in the western Sydney seat.
"Organising a rally against the war in the electorate on October 20 was a great thing to do. It helped to build links with local groups, and strengthened the alliance's local profile as well as building opposition to the war."
On polling day, more than 1000 people came around the country out to help the Socialist Alliance campaign, many motivated by fierce opposition to the war in Afghanistan.
"The war was the stand-out question", the alliance's Wills candidate, David Glanz, told GLW. " We had a very lively anti-war campaign on every booth and that convinced people". Glanz scored 1.34% of the Wills vote.
"We also got support from an important minority because we stood out as being pro-working class and pro-union in a way the Greens are not, and Labor certainly isn't." Glanz's supporters included four ALP members, one of whom helped hand out Socialist Alliance how to vote cards. "It was a good start", said Glanz.
The alliance also did well the inner-western Sydney seat of Grayndler where Sue Johnson received 1.33% of the vote, and in the Wollongong seat of Throsby, where Margaret Perrott received 1.39% of the vote. The alliance's highest vote was received in the ACT seat of Fraser, where anti-corporate campaigner James Vassilopoulos received 1181 votes, 1.46% of the total votes cast.
"The result can't just be measured in votes", Vassilopoulos told GLW. "The Socialist Alliance used the elections to draw more people into the campaign against the war in Afghanistan and xenophobic refugee policies. We handed out 45,000 leaflets calling for an end to war and racism. A week before the election, Canberra had its largest ever demonstration in support of refugees.
"One of the highlights of the campaign was the links that we made. We received support from sections of the migrant Turkish community, the Sri Lankan community and the Muslim community. We were well received when we spoke at the Trades and Labor Council. These are all things we can build on for next time."
While its candidates did not have their party affiliation listed on ballot papers, the Socialist Alliance received 0.61% of the Senate vote in the Northern Territory, where the ticket was headed by Larrakia anti-racist campaigner June Mills.
The alliance will be holding meetings around the country to assess the election result and its future campaigns, including, in NSW, organising to get the Socialist Alliance registered as a political party before the 2003 state elections.
From Green Left Weekly, November 14, 2001.
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