The Socialist Alliance (SA) pushed ahead with its campaign to put socialist politics before the Queensland electorate, as the ALP government faced annihilation in the state election held on March 24. Although everyone knew the government was unpopular, the sheer size of the Liberal National Party (LNP) win took all commentators by surprise.
The election result has left Labor with only seven or eight seats compared with the LNP’s probable 78. The Bligh ALP government suffered a record two-party swing away of 15%.
The political fallout will be felt for many years to come at a federal and state level.
Meanwhile, SA experienced a modest swing in its favour in the three seats it contested. In South Brisbane, Socialist Alliance candidate Liam Flenady won 1.9% (434 votes).
This compares with a 1.5% vote in the same seat in the 2009 state election.
Mike Crook, running for SA for the second time in the seat of Sandgate for SA, won 1.6% (434 votes), compared with 1.3% in 2009.
In the north Queensland seat of Dalrymple, Jason Briskey, running for the first time as a candidate for SA, had received 0.55% (110 votes).
At the Brisbane election night party on March 24, SA members and supporters watched the ALP rout on a big screen TV but expressed a determination to fight back against the likely reactionary onslaught from the incoming Campbell Newman LNP government.
“Socialism has been demonised in recent decades,” Mike Crook told the audience. “But socialism is the only viable message of hope and a progressive future.
“Socialist Alliance will continue the struggle from tomorrow. The unions and the environment movement will need to mobilise to face the coming attacks.
“Tomorrow is the first day of the people’s fight back in Queensland.”
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