All I’m asking, is for a little Respect: assessing the performance of Britain’s most successful radical left party

Citation

Peace T (2013) All I’m asking, is for a little Respect: assessing the performance of Britain’s most successful radical left party. Parliamentary Affairs, 66 (2), pp. 405-424. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsr064

Abstract
This article offers an overview of the genesis, development and decline of the Respect Party, a rare example of a radical left party which has achieved some degree of success in the UK. It analyses the party's electoral fortunes and the reasons for its inability to expand on its early breakthroughs in East London and Birmingham. Respect received much of its support from Muslim voters, although the mere presence of Muslims in a given area was not enough for Respect candidates to get elected. Indeed, despite criticism of the party for courting only Muslims, it did not aim to draw its support from these voters alone. Moreover, its reliance on young people and investment in local campaigning on specific political issues were often in opposition to the traditional ethnic politics which have characterised the electoral process in some areas.

Keywords
Respect Party; radical left; George Galloway; Salma Yaqoob; Muslim voters

Journal
Parliamentary Affairs: Volume 66, Issue 2