While results have yet to be finalised, I thought I may as well take note of how Socialists and communists fared at the federal election …
As one of 20 Ungrouped candidates in the NSW race for a Senate seat, Ron Poulsen (Communist League) received 46 (class-conscious) votes in 2016, meaning at least five other candidates got fewer.
The Socialist Alliance contested four Lower House seats. In Sydney (NSW), Peter Boyle got the grand sum of 414 votes (0.60%), a reduction of 0.03% on 2013’s effort. One of 10 candidates, Boyle beat Online Direct Democracy – (Empowering the People!) into last place (295 votes). In Corio (VIC), Sue Bull scored 992 votes (1.17%/+0.42%), very narrowly outscoring the last-placed Bullet Train For Australia candidate (987 votes/1.16%). In Fremantle, Chris Jenkins placed last (1,143 votes/1.61%/+0.75%), improving on 2013’s tally but still failing to outscore the mighty Mature Australia Party candidate (1,842 votes/2.60%). Finally, in Wills, Zane Alcorn (554 votes/0.69%) lost votes on 2013’s effort (-0.44%), but still managed to be more popular than the last-placed candidate for the leadership of the world socialist movement, Will Fulgenzi (248 votes/0.31%).
In the race for the Senate, SAll doubled their score in NSW (4,143 votes/0.12%/+0.06%), outpolling the Citizens Electoral Council (1,360 votes), the Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) (1,723 votes), the Australian Progressives (1,750 votes), the Palmer United Party (2,023 votes), the Secular Party of Australia (2,004 votes), the Socialist Equality Party (2,074 votes), CountryMinded (2,279 votes), Mature Australia (2,378 votes) and Katter’s Australian Party (3,565 votes). In VIC, SAll did less well, gaining 1,847 votes; still enough to defeat the Secular Party of Australia (1,678 votes) and the CEC (1,432 votes) for last place. Finally, in WA, SAll scored 1,860 votes (0.17%/+0.11%), again defeating the CEC (1,644 votes) and VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy! (1,204 votes).
The world leadership of the socialist movement, AKA the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), contested three Lower House seats. In addition to Wills (see above), in Blaxland, Gabriela Zabala placed 5th of 5 candidates (815 votes/1.19%/1.19%) while in Grayndler, Oscar Grenfell came 11th of 11 candidates (268 votes/0.36%/+0.36%), proving less popular than the Animal Justice, Drug Law Reform, Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma MEOW-MEOW (Science Party), Australian Sex, Australian Cyclists, Renewable Energy and the Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group).
For the Senate, the SEP stood candidates in NSW (2,074 votes/0.06%/+0.02%), in QLD (1,236 votes/0.06%/+0.00%) and VIC (2,311 votes/0.09%/+0.02%).
Otherwise, the Socialist Alliance appears to be in something of a crisis at the moment, as the following suggests:
It is with regret that we announce our resignation from Socialist Alliance. We are members of the party who have been involved in the 21st Century Socialism Tendency, and some who have not been. We include the overwhelming majority of active members of the party’s Brisbane branch, as well as individual members from other branches.
The tendency launched approximately two months ago, based on concerns that had been simmering in the party for at least the previous four years. Following a series of individual and group efforts to raise questions regarding the political orientation of the party, and questions around party democracy and organisation, a small number of members were faced with a decision to leave the party, or to stay and test the capacity of the party to change. A decision to do the latter resulted in the formation of the tendency some months after the last National Conference.
See also : The Socialist Alliance (and basically why it sucks now), Sean Vickery (July 2003) | Lenin ~versus~ #ausvotes (June 28, 2016).
*Oh yeah: Joseph Toscano scored 986 votes (1.29%) in the VIC seat of Dunkley.
