Why we are standing

Well, here's one reason:

"The number of people in "water poverty" will rise, says the water consumer watchdog for England and Wales.

"The Consumer Council for Water uses the term for people whose water bills cost more than 3% of their income after tax.

"It estimates a third of people living in the South West will fit this criteria by 2010."

A resource that's free from the sky and ground, and thousands of people in the UK - fourth wealthiest economy in the world, they keep telling us, will be struggling to pay.

This is the kind of insanity we think the concerted co-operation of working folk could end. The capacity and capability is there to ensure security for all in the basic necessities of life once we are freed from the constraints that the market system is clearly imposing on us.

Who are the "Left List"?

In case people are wondering who they are, they're a new front organisation for the SWP formed after they lost the name RESPECT to George Galloway and his followers. Their programme can be expected be the same list of reformist demands as before when they were Respect. Incidentally, they are still calling themselves this but can't do so on the ballot paper. So there's going to be 2 rival Respect lists, ensuring that as in the Scottish Parliament elections following the split in the SSP neither of them will get anywhere -- though Galloway's list should do better than the SWP's.

Back on the campaign trail

OK, we're back again, here is the list of official candidates for the Lambeth and Southwark constituency in the GLA elections:

Lambeth and Southwark

Candidate name	Party name
Shane Collins	Green Party
Jasmijn De Boo	Animals Count
Shirley Houghton	Conservative Party
Daniel Lambert	The Socialist Party
Geoffrey Macharia	Christian Peoples Alliance
Caroline Pidgeon	Liberal Democrats
Janus Polenceus	The English Democrats Party
Valerie Shawcross	The Labour Party
Jens Winton	UK Independence Party
Katt Young	Left List

London Elects for the full listings.

It'll be interesting to see where we come. Be nice to beat Polenceus again. It would also be good to come in above the Left List. 1,000 votes? Why not.