George Galloway is to contest the forthcoming Bradford West by-election on behalf of Respect.
When he unseated Oona King in 2005, he did so by having SWP students deliver leaflets in Bengali denouncing her support for "abortion, and equal rights for homosexuals".
Doubtless, the ones in Urdu and Punjabi have already been printed.
And doubtless, the SWP students, some of whom were only 12 in 2005, are already being lined up for delivery duties.
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His 2005 victory was the first in an English seat by a left of Labour party since the 30s. I suppose the Greens in Brighton Pavilion now count as that. But even so, we could do with another.
ReplyDeleteBut him, though? He squandered the 2005 victory by appearing in Big Brother. He surrounds himself, as set out in this post, with Trots and Islamists. He has endorsed Ennhada. He is now campaigning for a transfer of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is a dazzling speaker, a great working-class autodidact, a pro-life Catholic, an opponent of Scottish independence, and an enemy of the only EU that really exists or ever will. But even so.
I would like to see Galloway back in parliament. He is a great opponent of our foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteThe last time that he was in, he hardly ever turned up. He is already proving that he can do the rest as well without a parliamentary salary as with one.
ReplyDeleteIt would depend who else was on the ballot paper, I suppose.
Good day David, I hope this comment finds you well.
ReplyDeleteYou may be aware that there was a split between Respect and the SWP (unusual for the far left, I know) some years ago. Therefore, the SWP probably doesn't want their members to leaflet for Galloway.
Incidentally, the below anecdote may be of amusement to yourself and readers of this fine blog:
At University I used to amuse myself by winding up the SWPers at their campus stalls, exposing their poor understanding of marxist theory (particularly their insistence that Marx advocated the "blank slate" theory, clearly none of them had deigned to read Capital). I had a favourite target who always defended Galloway vigorously and, indeed, did so a few days before the Respect/SWP split.
However, when I again spoke to him on the day following the split he claimed the SWP had known all along that Galloway was a raving reactionary who was "in with the Islamists" and they had in fact never really liked him. Whether that was true or not I still haven't decided.
These splits are largely for show. For whom are they going to campaign against him? Well, there you are, then.
ReplyDelete"It would depend who else was on the ballot paper, I suppose."
ReplyDeleteNominations are now closed David. Who wins your endorsement?
I wasn't talking about myself.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that I ought to endorse Galloway, since the Labour candidate is younger than I am. Couldn't happen round here. He couldn't be on a council above parish level at all at 33, never mind Deputy Leader of it.
ReplyDelete