He's done it!
"By the grace of God, we have won the most sensational victory in British political history".
In a stunning by-election victory, won over less than three short weeks, Respect's George Galloway has shaken up the political 'establishment.' Labour's is vote down, the Tory is vote down and the Lib-Dems are reduced to the fringe. Surely the austerity agenda of the Con-Dem coalition or the 'austerity-lite' of New Labour fails utterly to address the concerns of everyday people.
More here.
What a great day for the anti-war movement and what a great day for democracy in Britain. Don’t forget, Britain’s unrepresentative neocon/neoliberal elite have done all they can to destroy this man, but they have failed in the most spectacular fashion.
UPDATE: Isn't it great to have the author of this superb article back in Parliament.
A couple of extracts:
We were told the 10-week bombing campaign of Serbia and Kosovo would end suffering. It intensified it. We were told it was done for the highest ideals, indeed contrary to any grubby interest - that it marked the end of imperialist hypocrisy and war. In fact, it was the precursor, lowering the threshold to a decade of war which continues into this decade.
Our masters, however...... have no interest in the people of Syria. But they do have a vital interest in seeking to ensure that the outcome is a weakened Syria with, they hope, a government more pliable, more accommodating to Western suzerainty and prepared to sign a surrender peace with Israel. Crucially, they want a Syria that will join rather than resist the military encirclement of Iran.
FURTHER UPDATE: Don't miss this brilliant piece in today's Guardian by the man of the moment.
Here's a couple of tasters:
The Bradford spring. No matter how seemingly powerful, no corrupted, out-of-touch elite can last forever........
Labour, above all, should learn this rude lesson. It cannot continue on the disastrous path set by Tony Blair, of war and occupation abroad and inequality at home. That's what lay behind the loss of a "safe seat", held for 38 years, just as the party lost London's East End in 2005.
The real Labour values I stood for in this election swept the Tories and Lib Dems away, and swept into every part of the constituency – including those areas where some voters, only a few years ago, had succumbed to the siren calls of the racists and fascists.
The media, especially the London media, should also smell the coffee. Something is happening in this country outside of the echo chamber.
FURTHER UPDATE: As John Edwards mentions in the comments, there's a terrific piece by Peter Hitchens in today's Mail on Sunday, not just on GG, and his admiration for him, but on the rottenness of our political elite. You can read Peter's piece here.
8 comments:
Not all citizens of the state of New York were pleased when Hillary Clinton, a long-time resident of Arkansas and Washington DC, moved to New York, and then decided to run for US Senator from New York. But enough citizens were ok with it for her to be elected.
I was unaware that George Galloway had moved from Bethnal Green and Bow until today. You already know that I am no great fan of Mr. Galloway, but if the voters wish to send him to Parliament, I bow to the will of the voters.
Do you consider this a vote of no confidence in the Cameron-Clegg coalition, or a vote of no confidence in British politics in general?
Hi Douglas,
This is not just a massive vote of no-confidence in our truly appalling govt, but a vote of no confidence in our political elite in general. The majority of people in Britain don't want privatisation and war, but that's all the elite want to give us.
Great to see Galloway back. On the other side of the political spectrum I thought Peter Hitchens produced a brilliant summary of the state of Britain and its political elite in his Mail on Sunday column this morning. As I think you once said when Peter Hitchens gets it right there is no one better...
Hi John,
Absolutely. PH is on cracking form at present.
yet for all the congratulations THEY are still in power and misusing it to the detriment of many coutries and their peoples.Its only in a 'democracy' that you can get war criminals openly planning crimes calling them freedom and democracy initiatives and noone in a position stops them...Elections have the unfortunate effect that they seem to grant the winner a mandate to do what they please.
It is now established that George Galloway won every ward in Bradford West, Asian and white, working-class and middle-class, including 85 per cent of the vote in the university ward, beating the anointee of the Pakistani patriarchs into the ground while also blowing away the 2010 swing to the Conservatives.
To Westminster Villagers he is a thing of terrifying fascination, a man who can get himself into Parliament while neither one of them nor with any aspiration to become so, but rather actively opposed by and to their entire subculture.
Galloway will not be repeating the moment of madness that cost Respect half a dozen to a dozen seats in this hung Parliament. If he continues to play his cards right, then it could be looking at 15 to 20 seats in the next hung Parliament for the alliance of at least wannabe Trotskyists and at least wannabe Islamists that has such a manifest appeal to middle-class white youths and to working-class or poorer British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi youths under the infinitely shrewder leadership of a pro-life Catholic with Old Labour economic, civil libertarian, Eurosceptical and Unionist views.
How about 15 to 20 more for a formation capable of reaching very different sections of society on much the same actual basis but with no need to pretend otherwise, also keeping Ed Miliband's coming, and urgently needed, Labour Government from doing anything silly under pernicious media influence? Where is that formation?
Wikipedia informs me that 16% of Bradford citizens identified themselves as Muslims in the 2001 census. Do you think the percentage has increased or decreased since then?
I've read that the Muslim voters of Bradford came out overwhelmingly in favor of George Galloway.
For reasons I don't understand, the city of Dearborn, Michigan has become an American version of Bradford, only more so (40% Arab and Arab-American) There have been numerous instances of violations of Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom to practice one's religion.
You may be happy with George Galloway now, but when he starts proclaiming that the UK belongs to Islam, you may change your tune
Cute ploy doug..when has Galloway said UK belongs to islam?
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