RESPECT The Unity Coalition

RESPECT The Unity Coalition is a political party in England and in Wales located at the extreme left of the political chessboard and founded the January 25th 2005.

Its name is a Acronyme for Respect, Égalité, Socialisme, Paix, Environment, Communauté, and Trade-unionism ( Syndicalisme , in English).

The party is characterized by its active opposition to the Guerre in Iraq (2003-2006) and several from its leaders (John Rees, Lindsey German…) also take part in the movement anti-war, the Stop the War Coalition. It received the support of part of the Muslim population of the country, as in Tower Hamlets, a commune of the east of London where reside in particular a big number of people originating in Bengal (India, Bangladesh).

In 2007, its leader is the trade unionist Linda Smith and its only deputy is George Galloway, a former Labor deputy excluded from New Labor of Tony Blair for his remarks about the British participation in the war in Iraq. Two other very known members of the party are Salma Yaqoob, a buckled Moslem young woman who were elected municipal adviser in Birmingham, and the scenario writer trotskist Ken Loach. In addition, the party is supported by several small formations trotskists of which most important is Socialist Workers Party (SWP).

With the legislative elections of 2005, the twenty-six candidates of this party obtained 68.000 votes is 0,3% of the voices. In spite of this weak presence at the national level, it could make elect George Galloway in Tower Hamlets, where it overcame the outgoing deputy Labor pro-Blair, Oona King.

At the time of the local elections of May 4th 2007 the party carried out an opening or consolidated its position in several poor districts of London, Birmingham and the periphery of Manchester (Preston) and obtained honourable scores in other big cities (Bristol-board, Sheffield). It also obtained a seat with Bolsover, a small town of the north of the country very touched by the closing of the mines where its candidate is a former minor, Ray Holmes.

In September 2007, the party is struck by a violent conflict between two groups, the first joining together inter alia Galloway, Yaqoob, Smith and Loach, second composed inter alia militants of Socialist Workers Party of which the national secretary of RESPECT, John Rees. The Galloway group requires in particular the replacement of Rees and is opposed to the behavior of annual convention, under the pretext which its preparation did not respect the rights of all the members.

In November 2007, the National council is divided into two quasi equal groups and four of the twelve elected officials of Tower Hamlets leave the RESPECT group at the municipal council to protest against the behavior " anti-démocratique" of its leader Abjol Miah, who has the support of Galloway. The Galloway group refuses to take part in the annual convention of the party and organizes a gathering the same day under the banner of the “renewal of RESPECT” (“Renewal RESPECT”). Even if many sections of the party remain plain, division is such as the party seems to move towards a défintive scission.

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