The case for voting Left List

[This is the letter in full that Lindsey German sent to The Guardian in response to their leader column in fullsome support of ever rightwards moving Ken Livingstone...]

Your leader (April 26) calls for a vote for Ken and dismisses the smaller parties as not having made as much impact as last time. As you point out, in 2004 those parties gained 19% of the mayoral vote. What you don't say is that not a single opinion poll came close to predicting this result, since smaller parties are usually under represented in the polls.

We are confident that the response to our campaign has been better than last time. We are making an impact among teachers and other public sector workers, among pensioners and students, anti war campaigners and those who feel the cut in the 10p tax is unjust.

Left List candidates have consistently called on our supporters to give their second preference vote to Ken in the Mayoral race. We believe that our campaign will bring voters to the polls who will not otherwise vote and we will do our best to ensure that they vote to stop the advance of the Tories under Boris Johnson.

It must now be clear that London is not going to be immune to the gloabl recession. Perhaps it is now time for Ken to revise the pro-property developer stance, especially in the east end around the Olympic development, and return to a stance which prioritieses the poor over the needs of the City rich in London.

The Clinton-Blair tactic of ignoring your traditional supporters and going for the conservative middle ground is simply disastrous when a really right wing politician like Johnson is determined to stoke every prejudice in order to win votes.

It should be hard for Boris Johnson to win this election but Ken can lose it if he does not inspire and encourage traditional left of centre voters who are a majority in London. We will do our best in this regard, but he could do so much more if he decisively altered course and speak up for London's workers against London's rich.

Lindsey German
Left List candidate for Mayor