When Trots Fall Out: Osler on Livingstone, SWP, Respect

Dave Osler has caught Ken Livingstone omitting to include "Comrades: Sisters and Brothers" in his future scoping for London and the country in Friday's Guardian. Very New Labour?

Possibly. Perhaps just a soupcon of the post-industrial pragmatism required to get elected and maintain power and get things done. And he did of course score 20% more backing than New Labour.

A comrade by the name of "Lenin" claimed in the comments that the Left List's campaign (0.9%) suffered because of the various name changes of these revolutionaries. Whose fault is that exactly SWP?

"Lenin", or Doorak as he would be known back in the mother country, claimed that elsewhere in the country the LL has done better. My arse! In Manchester Rusholme Nahella. a hard working candidate slumped to well under half her 2006 vote having already tumbled - as Respect's sole candidate city-wide - in 2007.

Meanwhile our friends in the North - Respect Renewal - who had been forced to stand down in 2007, polled almost exactly the same 500 votes as in 2006. Through Dr Kay.

As to Ken and the absence of a Unions namecheck in his analysis? It is possible too much can be made of that.

Socialist Unity meanwhile had repeated another Trial by Jeory exclusive on the possible rationale - apart from pure hatred - for the Standard's campaign against Ken. They feared he would stop them sticking out the Metro. And the graphic's theirs also.