Discussion points from Stuart Fairweather on the performance of Scotland’s explicitly socialist candidates in the recent general election: their results brought them little joy
Now that the dust has settled on the results of the UK general election there is time to look at the detail of the results for the overtly socialist candidates that stood for election in Scotland.
Democratic Left is of the view that there are socialists amongst the membership of the three main left of centre parties in Scotland - SNP, Labour and Greens – and some of these hold elected office at Wesminster, at Holyrood and on local councils. The details of who was selected, ran and won from this cohort is for another article. It is worth noting at this point however that the campaign of Niall Christie (Greens) that we featured in an earlier article on the website resulted in over 5,000 votes – a 13.1% share.
What we focus on here are the candidates in Scottish seats supported by the Scottish Socialist Party (2), Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (4), Communist Party of Britain (3), Socialist Labour Party (3) and the Socialist Equality Party (1). In addition, there were candidates franchised by the Workers Party of Great Britain (2).
All these candidates should be assumed to have been sincere, with positive intentions to promote progressive politics. This is so despite some on the left debating the benefits and limitations of electoralism, and arguing that small groups standing candidates can only take away from the possibility of success for the best placed ‘mainstream’ candidate who is of (or towards) the left. Each of the candidates listed below enjoyed different degrees of social base and all had clear left-wing messages (with the exception of the Workers Party, which is arguably more ideologically ambiguous).
In spite of their efforts, none of them achieved any breakthrough, as a survey of the results shows:
Lucas Grant, TUSC - Aberdeen North 214
Tom Flanagan, Workers Party GB - Alloa and Grangemouth 223
Louise McDaid, Soc. Labour - Central Ayrshire 329
Drew Gilchrist, CPB - Coatbridge/Bellshill 181
Jim McFarlane, TUSC - Dundee Central 600
Raymond Mennie, Workers Party GB - Dundee Central 192
David Jacobsen, Soc. Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith 227
Richard Shillcock, CPB - Edinburgh North and Leith 189
Liam McLaughlin, SSP - Glasgow East 466
Chris Sermanni, TUSC - Glasgow North East 236
Gary Steele CPB, - Glasgow North East 146
Brian Smith TUSC, - Glasgow South 473
Darren Paxton, Soc. Equality - Inverness, Skye / West-Rossshire 178
James McDaid, Soc. Labour - North Ayrshire/Arran 232
Bill Bonnar, SSP - Rutherglen 541
None of these fifteen campaigns achieved as much as 2% of the vote in their constituencies, even where the candidates were known to the community and/or active in their trades unions. No doubt the different parties will have their own view on their campaigns and the hurdles they faced, the Westminster voting system being significant amongst these. But sadly, little joy can be taken from these results.
Perhaps the organisations that put up candidates in the 12 constituencies will now feel they have a toe-hold for the 2026 Holyrood elections and their endeavours and the contacts they will have made can assist them in building their parties. But we are a long way off from seeing, as we once did, a Scotland-wide unified socialist slate that manages to elect MSPs. This is in spite of the hard work of the 2024 candidates and the variety of links that they have to the labour movement and wider progressive campaigns.
Hopefully some careful thought will be given to who, how and if such candidates stand in future elections. And how this part of the Left can relate to the others. And, most importantly - how best Scotland's citizens can be offered an opportunity to vote for candidates that oppose neoliberalism and who will actually win elections. Just how this is done should involve an ongoing discussion that starts now.
Published 14 July 2024.