John Marek Independent Party
The
John Marek Independent Party (JMIP) is a political party in North
Wales. It was formed in March 2003 by
John Marek, who was deselected by Labour over his criticisms of its rightward march. It stood on a left-wing platform that included public ownership of the railways and greater powers for the Assembly. The media portrayed the JMIP as a real threat to Labour in North-East Wales.
The party stood in the constituencies of Wrexham and Clwyd South. The party also had a list in the North Wales region. Their candidates were:
- John Marek (Wrexham, former Labour MP/AM)
- Colin Jones (Second on the North Wales List, Anti-War Activist)
- Marc Jones (Clwyd South, BBC Wales Director and Producer)
On
May 1,
2003, Marek won Wrexham with 6,539 votes or 37.7% of the vote. Elsewhere they got 2,210 or 11.8% in Clwyd South and 11,008 or 6.3% on the North Wales list. It was the only minor party to retain its deposit in the regional lists and its constituency result compared favourably with other left-wing candidates.
The JMIP has forged strong links with the Scottish Socialist Party and Tommy Sheridan spoke at its Summer Gathering in August 2003.
On November 8 2003, the JMIP held a conference and re-launched itself as Forward Wales. Its aims are for a democratic socialist Wales.
See also: Welsh Socialist Alliance
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