Leon Parissi analyses the statistics.
Below you can find the % votes for the Left in the Lower House of the 10 November federal elections. Of the Socialist Alliance (SA) results the best is 1.5% in Fraser, a northern Canberra electorate. The worst SA vote was 0.3% in Page a country seat based on Lismore and held by the conservative National Party.
The average 'best' SA vote was about 1.2% - 1.4% in 7 electorates out of the 15 contested. These figures are based on over 90% of the votes being counted. Final figures are not yet available.
With the view held by both the major SA groups (the DSP and the ISO) that `electoralism' was to be avoided at all costs as this would turn off the street militant youth a lot of time was spent building the Stop the War rallies and asylum seeker support actions. Worker militants were they may have been available to contest the elections were passed over in favour of youth candidates in some cases.
In any case only 4 out of 30 candidates admitted to being union delegates. This pattern was in part a reflection of the history of the two biggest groups in the SA as activist organisations. Both the ISO and the DSP are not known for carrying out patient consistent work in unions and workplaces. Their membership reflects this. Both groups but especially the ISO have a lot of trouble imbuing their young militants with enthusiasm for work in the `electoral' enterprise of the Socialist Alliance. This is not surprising given that street militant credibility is the mainstay of these organisations' recruitment strategy.
Read on in the email discussion archive 'more Aus federal election analysis' 7 December.
Here are the promised statistics to save you a trip to the archive.
A proper comparison with the 1998 elections is not yet possible as final figures are not available. This is the results for most of the left (not including ALP and GREEN ).
Socialist Alliance House of Representatives
(over 90% counted)
Queensland Brisbane 864 votes 1.01%
New South Wales Newcastle 354 votes 0.44% Page 231votes 0.31% Grayndler 954 votes 1.29% Kingsford-Smith 558 votes 0.73% Lowe 267 votes 0.36% Reid 916 votes 1.43% Throsby 1,043 votes 1.36%
Australian Capital Territory Fraser 1,369 votes 1.34%
Victoria Wills 1,036 votes 1.32% Corio 698 votes 0.89% Gellibrand 963 votes 1.26% Batman 1,064 votes 1.34%
West Australia Perth 568 votes 0.77% Fremantle 588 votes 0.81%
Senate
Victoria 1,386 votes 0.05%
Queensland 6571
NSW 1,106 votes 0.03%
Tasmania 270
South Australia 850
Western Australia 240
Northern Territory 472
Communist Party of Australia Port Adelaide 571 votes 0.9%
Socialist Party Melbourne 1054 votes 1.6%
Progressive Labour Party Newcastle 3419 votes 5.0% - up 3.4% on the last
election result. Robertson 274 0.4%
Communist League Watson 322 0.46%
More election result discussion is in the archive too. Please join in.
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