Undetected and deep underground a seismic shift has happened in Southall. MPACUK will leave the general analysis of by-elections to the political commentators who are best placed to look into the competing strengths and failures of each of the parties, their campaigns, their leadership and their respective candidates.

MPACUK will comment on the Southall by-election as a group of Muslim civil rights activists who were working to promote democracy and empower Muslims to use the power of the ballot box. The last election campaign we were involved in London was during the 2005 general election when we campaigned in Ilford exposing the vice chair of the Friends of Israel Mike Gapes MP, and another pro Israeli MP Andrew Dismore, to their Muslim constituencies. Two years ago explaining the need to vote, and the need to be a floating voters, and if necessary to punish Labour for the war on Iraq, we were struggling to get a real sense of momentum. In 2005 for every one person who agreed, 2 would disagree and 3 would incredibly argue about the merits of voting!

But over the last 3 weeks, as painful as the actual campaigning is, the MPACUK team made inroads into the Muslim psyche and managed to convince a large enough number of them (Muslims) to vote and those who do vote, to ditch their party loyalties and become swing voters. A large slice of Muslims have not only done this as a sign of protest but as an endorsement of the Lib Dems policy of asking for a troop withdrawal in Iraq, opposing the Islamophobic terror legislation, and demanding Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon immediately in last years War. Muslims voted on Policy rather than on loyalty.

That is the crux of it, that’s the strategic prize, the goal that MPACUK have worked for since the 2001 elections. To turn the Muslim vote into a swing vote, to turn the tide of voting loyally for Labour, and getting them to focus on policies and candidates. MPACUK know that a large section of the Muslim community stuck to their guns and voted Labour but large sections, notably from the Somali community and the second generation Pakistani community listened to our message and has turned a Safe Labour seat into a vulnerable seat, a seat that the Lib Dems could win in the general election, or one the Tories could with the right candidate and right Policies.

So why is turning the Muslim vote into swing voters important? Why is this strategic? Because after the 2001 election MPACUK did the math’s and of the top 50 Muslim constituencies were all in safe Labour seats, a considerable number had openly Zionist MP’s (Mike Gapes, Jack Straw, Lorna Fitzsimons, Phil Woolas, etc). As these seats were safe, Labour had no need to worry about losing these seats and the other parties had little to gain by targeting those seats or voters. So Policy stagnation on issues that directly affects Muslims from all the parties as Muslims were not in the election calculation.

When elections are planned and polices are made, political parties need to look at marginal seats and then target those voters with focus groups, and then policies that appeal to swing voters. Simple, nothing undemocratic (a tad cynical by the political parties, but who thinks politicians are above abusing the democratic system). And something that because Muslims have been loyal to Labour for generations, therefore have had their voice ignored and discarded or in the case of Iraq, Palestine, and Terror Legislation, trampled on.

So the strategic objective of MPACUK is to turn the Muslim voting block into a swing voting block owing no political allegiance and able to punish those MP’s or Parties that take us on for example unethical and illegal wars. This increase of marginal seats in effect strengthen democracy, more people enter the electoral calculation, the more people the more representative policies and candidates become, that helps everyone in the country regardless of race, religion and any other community they may fall into.

And that change has been demonstrated, in Southall a massively strong fortress for Labour is now vulnerable. If MPACUK can break the old Labour party loyalty and the Lib Dems (and Tories, shame not this time) can continue to reach out to Muslims with polices rather then spin. Muslim will become an electoral force and polices that alienate Muslim will be challenged and reversed through the ballot box and through debate.

And what of once a seat is lost from Labour, and we get an Islamophobic Tory or a Zionist Lib-dem? The thing is that those seats that Labour have lost are still marginal, and if the current incumbent party betrays their electorate like so many Labour MP’s did in the war in Iraq, over Palestine and terror legislation, then we can switch back to Labour, and they (Labour) will be more than grateful.

As earlier stated that 6 years ago in the 2001 general election the top 50 Muslim constituencies were all Labour, MPACUK are beginning to be cut the umbilical cord, the following eight areas are where MPACUK have campaigned over the last 7 years to promote democracy and voting, and are now vulnerable to change hands in the next election.

Ilford North (conservative), Bethnal Green (Respect), Southall (Labour), Rochdale (lib Dems), Watford (Labour), Finchley (Labour), Hendon (Labour), Brent East (lid Dems),

MPACUK need members to join us and help us turn potential into reality if you are energetic, politically motivated to help those who are unfortunate then spare your time and join MPACUK.