After the count

Was at the count in Wandsworth Town Hall last night where the votes for Putney and Tooting as well as Battersea were being counted. Saw Labour take Battersea from the Tories and nearly taking even Putney. Labour held Tooting, though a Green we met as their candidate in Wandsworth & Merton in the 2012 Greater London elections pointed out that the first thing she did after winning the by-election to replace Sadiq Khan (he was there) when he became Mayor of London was to vote for Trident.

Anyway, here are the results (not good) for the two London constituencies we contested:

Battersea:

Labour 25,292

Tory 22,876

LD 4,401

Ind 1234

Green 866

UKIP 357

Socialist 32 (0.06 %)

Islington North:

Labour (Corbyn) 40,086 (73 percent)

Tory 6871

LD 4946

Green 2229

UKIP 413

Ind 208

Monster Raving Loony 106

Ind 41

Socialist 21 (0.04%)

Communist League 7

Turnout: 73.3 percent

Last time we got 112 votes, so it seems that some who voted Socialist last time have been carried away by Corbymania.

Another letter

In today's Richmond and Twickenham Times under their heading of "We Own it"

George Galloway (RTT, April 8) is right to pick up on Sadiq Khan's promise to be "the most pro-business Mayor ever". This shows that Labour, even under Corbyn, still wants to be seen as better managers of the capitalist system than the Tories. But capitalism can never be run for the benefit of those who, in Galloway's words, "work for businesses". This is why it needs to be replaced by a system based on common ownership and democratic control not production by profit-seeking businesses.
Adam Buick, Socialist Party candidate GLA South West constituency