I don't know why you still think your view, based as it is on a total lack of knowledge of the situation, is relevant.
The Green Party got plenty of press from
> running Ralph Nader, but it would be more impressive if a small party
> could get a no-name person elected.
The Green Party didn't get a single Senator elected, I note, and there isn't a Green Congressman. But the situation in Bethnal Green & Bow required the electoral overthrow of a mountainous plurality with a record swing of the vote, and we pulled that off against a hostile press and a powerful enemy. In addition, several other Labour heartlands - the safest seats in the country - almost fell to Respect. In Birmingham, our previously nameless candidate (who has now made a name for herself, which enables her to make a great inroads as a Muslim woman combatting the government's Islamophobic attacks, for example) came within a small margin of defeating the sitting Labour MP. So, whether you personally are impressed or not, it counts. By contrast, your view doesn't count, because you know nothing of the terrain.
Of course, as you point out, getting third party candidates elected to
> parliament is extremely difficult. So why bother? If they system is
> designed to prevent entry from third parties, why do these so-called
> socialists persist? Because they are Trots who see entryism as the
> answer to every political puzzle?
Your argument is x is difficult, so don't bother with x. Anyone who does bother with x is an entryist. There is another way of looking at it, of course, but you would have to remove your sectarian blinkers and the ridiculous condescending comportment you have adopted. One possibility is that despite the difficulties, it brings substantial enough gains in certain situations, particularly in light of the crisis on the Left generated by the twin offenses of neo-conservative foreign policy and neoliberal domestic policies. The Labour Party is a tenacious reformist party with a long history, and if there is to be any chance for a radical, much less revolutionary left, then its hold on the Left vote has to be attacked. This isn't enough, of course, since one also has to win over the organised working class (ie trade unions) most of whom still support Labour. And finally, the emphasis has to continue to be on street politics, which is what has happened. We decided that x was difficult, but we would try - and we succeeded in securing a vital beach-head as a result.
One other thing, while I'm here. You don't know what entryism is. If you did, you would not be under the impression that a coalition formed openly between different parties and individuals constituted a strategy of entryism. I recommend a cold shower and a dictionary.