George Galloway wins in Bethnal Green.
Guido | 07.05.2005 12:14 | Analysis | London
He could have quite easily led a comfortable retirement with the 1/4 million he has been awarded in compensation for the media hate campaign run against him during the war. His integrity would have stayed intact.
Instead he has spent his time and libel damages on giving Tony Blair the kick in the ballots he so richly deserves. It's true that just one MP will not change much but there is now a voice in parliament that will not be silenced by party whips. A voice that supports the Palestinians, the Iraqi resistance and condemns the 'War on Terror' and the erosion of our civil liberties. That will really, really piss off New Labour.
It also has to be said that Oona King was one of the more repulsive characters served up by Blair and his mates so good riddance to her.
Launch rally Liverpool st.
On the campaign trail, Columbia road.
Cable Street veterans add their support.
The Respect army arrive for the final weekend of canvassing.
The word on the street.
News reaches Bethnal Green that Oona has demanded a recount.
The final result is announced.
George returns to Brick lane to thank his supporters.
Of course with enough work all these results can be translated into council seats. However if Respect are going to gain meaningful credibility they will have to concentrate on a lot more than just elections. One thing that was comforting is that their average vote was much higher than that of the BNP and the various leftist electoral failures that have plagued England and Wales over the last few years. For an organisation thats less than 1 year old thats not a bad start. What happens now the election is out of the way will probably define how much they really have to offer.
Guido
e-mail:
guidoreports@riseup.net
Comments
Hide the following 25 comments
Great!
07.05.2005 13:39
@
let's put electioneering vs. grass roots politics in perspective?
07.05.2005 13:48
reports like this that read as a eulogy for a political party shouldn't be tolerated on a grass roots news site like indymedia. Indymedias priorities clearly lie with reporting grass roots news and not electioneering.
"He could have quite easily led a comfortable retirement with the 1/4 million he has been awarded in compensation for the media hate campaign run against him during the war. His integrity would have stayed intact."
you really think george could retire on a quarter of a million pounds?! you clearly are deluding yourself guido. I really don't think that could sustain his designer bourgeois lifestyle and his multiple properties. It's in galloway's financial as well as his egotistical interests to get re-elected into the house of commons.
Integrity?! well we all know how *indefatigable* george's integrity is, don't we?!
Although i think the paxman interview with galloway after his election revealed something sinister about paxman's almost psy-op connections with the establishment, the following comment that galloway is a carpet bagger really kinda rang true. Why wasn't someone from the local community contesting that seat instead of a white ex-labour MP? Galloway's opportunism and political ego need to be put into context.
And as for neo-labours Oona King, well yeah you're right - i hope she is consigned to the dustbin of political mediocrity forever - but surely all professional politicians should be consigned there too?
What I do want to raise is the fact that so much time, effort and money was hijacked by all this electioneering when in reality it has done little to stop the occupation of iraq, afghanistan and palestine. In fact, if I was gonna be really cynical I could claim that this election has swallowed up and effectively de-politicised a lot of issues and strategies that people were working on previously. For instance, the premise that the war on terror can be effectively resisted through electoral means is very far fetched - the only way we can effectively fight this 4th world war is through grass roots direct resistance and not electing so-called representatives to the house of commons. just imagine if all that time and money had been directed to raising awareness about the occupation and directly confronting the war-profiteers and the arms trade we might be seeing something completely different.
what I do want to ask is how long will galloway share his parliamentary bed with the likes of the SWPies? Now that he's been re-elected, how long will it be before the SWP are forced to leave respect? Where will the parasitical trot left look to now when in reality george and friends disagree on so many fundamental social issues - like abortion, gender equality, abortion rights and homosexuality? the mind boggles - where you going next SWPies?
Work your acitvist arse off to support george's lifestyle!
Well Done George!
07.05.2005 15:15
One of the interesting things for me was the failure of the Greens to better capitalise on the widespread anti-government mood. For me, their attitude to Respect has been very childish. Hopefully now they can at least sort out some sort of non-aggression pact. It would make sense for the Greens to focus more on suburban area, where they poll the best, whilst Respect concentrates on deprived inner-city areas.
Anyway, delighted that the first left wing MP in opposition to Labour to be elected since the 1945 election has come along to shake up the cosy little East London sinecure. Lets hope he is the first of many.
The Ghost of Phil Piratin.
This calls for a song
07.05.2005 15:43
Where have all the sectarians gone, long time passing?
Where have all the sectarians gone, long time ago?
Where have all the sectarians gone?
RESPECT broke their hearts, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the anarchists gone, long time passing?
Where have all the anarchists gone, long time ago?
Where have all the anarchists gone?
Gone for lunch at Claridges, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the Indymedia trolls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the Indymedia trolls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the Indymedia trolls gone?
They backed Oona, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the doubters gone, long time passing?
Where have all the doubters gone, long time ago?
Where have all the doubters gone?
They knew better, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the islamophobes gone, long time passing?
Where have all the islamophobes gone, long time ago?
Where have all the islamophobes gone?
Still polishing their Programmes, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the sectarians gone, long time passing?
Where have all the sectarians gone, long time ago?
Where have all the sectarians gone?
RESPECT broke their hearts, everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Memory-Hole-Catchers-Mitt
Brilliant!
07.05.2005 17:43
Wasn't that the core of Respects campaign? And it worked we have got something completely different! For most people who are not activists or Indymedia readers starting with electoral politics is how they connect with politics and that's where Respect has connected with them, showed they are not on their own and opened them up to all kinds of ideas and that are more than about electioneering
Congrats to all those hard working Respect activists up and down the country, we're still shaking them up.
matt
...
07.05.2005 18:09
"Why wasn't someone from the local community contesting that seat instead of a white ex-labour MP"
Well, he doesn't look very white to me. And the truth of the matter is, if someone else had contested it, they wouldn't have won. George Galloway has used his position as an MP to criticise the war and the illegal occupation of the Palestinians, and helped give the issues a high profile.
We shouldn't avoid fighting in any turf, and that includes in Parliament. Simple to avoid Parliament and the elections is really a terrible strategy, because otherwise you are simply in a position of reacting to everything the government does, rather than putting yourself in a position to effect change. I say this from Venezuela, where I can see how useful and how much more effective it is to have a left-wing government, than to avoid this sphere of conflict altogether.
Hermes
Galloway's opportunism really needs questioning
07.05.2005 20:22
It was grossly opportunist to select a Jewish target - one with a huge majority in a majority Muslim constituency - that's bad enough - but why on earth would Galloway want to get rid of one of his potential allies in the Commons on an issue he professes to care deeply about? Opportunist and unforgiveable...
Galloway doesn't give a toss about palestinian solidarity
oi, munter above....chill out!!
07.05.2005 23:22
she lost because on the most important issues in OUR day to day lifes she failed to represent our interests, even though she knew how we felt.
no other reason.
no body in particular
............................
08.05.2005 06:40
erm...it's a news story thats of obvious interest to anyone who hates neo Labour and opposed the war. What are you doing on Indymedia if you dont believe in free speech?
"reports like this that read as a eulogy for a political party"
Wrong again. The original post contains no party line. It expresses a hand full of opinions and asks a few questions. Have a look a Respect's website if you can't tell diference.
"Indymedias priorities clearly lie with reporting grass roots news"
Well spotted. The next time I write about thousands of impoverished east Londoners rejecting government propaganda and mainstream media smears; I will also be sure to include an anecdote about some student sat in a field smoking a joint while listening to CRASS. That should keep everyone happy.
"and not electioneering."
'Electioneering' is when you take steps through the use of party political propaganda to influence the outcome of an election. Writing about the outcome of an election after the event is called 'reporting'.
Guido
e-mail:
guidoreports@riseup.net
Two Posts above...
08.05.2005 09:43
And why shouldn't Respect stand in Bethnal Green? They polled the most votes in that area in the European elections. Indeed, Respect averaged over 20% of the vote in Bethnal Green, Poplar, East and West Ham. What these results show is that working class people are sick of careerist politicians such as Tony Banks, who stood down complaining of his constituents 'tedious' problems. A new political force has arisen in London, something to which New Labour has no response - hence the desperate smears by the post above, and their friends Nick Cohen and David Aranovich. The New Labour policy of triangulation is dead - that they can chase tory votes on tory terms because their working class base has nowhere else to go. I for one am jumping up and down with joy on its' grave!
Well Done Respect!
Wake up to the new political reality saddo!
Re: Galloway doesn't give a toss about Palestinian Solidarity
08.05.2005 09:49
"doesn't give a toss about Palestinian Solidarity" - well... er... it's quite obvious that if there's one thing he does give a toss about it's that.
bloke
RESPECT
08.05.2005 12:48
Him
Galloway says...
08.05.2005 13:48
not george
one for george, nill for blair
08.05.2005 13:52
Hmmm
Can't believe the whiners!
08.05.2005 20:14
The point about Respect is not that in itself it will change anything; as, after all, the political structures in this country preclude any such change; but rather, given the low level of working class struggle in this country in the wake of the right wing onslaught of the 80's and 90's, Galloways election provides another front to open up against our common enemies. We face immediate attacks on our civil liberties, on our pension rights and on our public services. The fact that we have elected representatives opposed to this will help not only to encourage resistance, but also to help fracture the common front of our enemies - who in parliament, for example,spoke up for the Rovwer workers or against the argument that the free market rules?. Of course, at the end of the day, only ourselves can fight for a better world, but I feel that Galloway, at the very least, will prove a valuable irritant at the heart of the beast.
I also feel that Respect should be congratulated for politicising a whole generation of muslim youth, not only in the East End, but all over the country. They have not only marginalised the medaevalists, but also attracted these fine young people to a progressive party of the left.
Well done Galloway and good luck Respect.
Respectful
The Final Word on Racism...
08.05.2005 20:19
Your Class, Right or Wrong.
Getting it in perspective
08.05.2005 22:57
There are a few things i wanna say about Galloway's election victory.
1. He is an opportunist and not to be trusted
2. He wouldn't have even stood for respect had the labour party not kicked him out
3. On the other hand, this is a sign of a growing radicalisation
RESPECT is one of the (many)reasons I left the SWP (aside from general dissalusionment with being a trot paperboy). Attending Marxist Forums re-named 'respect meetings' yet reaturing the same faces was farcical. The socialist worker has become an advert for parliamentary politics, while the SWP has convieniently forgotten its alleged anti-parliamentary stance. There is so much wrong with RESPECT it is unreal. I would no sooner vote for Galloway than any other upper class wanker in a suit.
It is obvious that Galloway has used the SWP to claw himself back in, and will inevitably dump them as soon as it becomes convienient, and it serves them right for compromising the parties supposed revolutionary beliefs for such an obviously dodgy guy.
HOWEVER
It is a kick in the balls for Blair, and while i couldn't give a shit who wins, we have seen that the mood is out there. Im not condoning RESPECT, the SWP or Galloway, or any interaction with parliamentary politics, but we have at least seen that many people are pissed off, and are taking any oppertunity to express their disgust at Blair (or be it in what i consider to be a misguided way). Right? Right?
I have no doubt that horizontal grass roots activism is the only way we will achieve a world of love not fear, and peace rather than war, and i couldn't give a shit that that smug opportunist has clawed his way back into parliament with the help of yet another ridiculous SWP front group (see Globalise Resistance, Unite etc etc). What I do care about is the people who voted for him, seeing him as a chance to vent their fustration with the murder in Iraq and other issues.
Peace and love
J2K xxx
J2K
Fantastic news
09.05.2005 08:48
Me
RESPECT must break into the white area
10.05.2005 15:45
p.s. is that Mark Steel in the photo?
respectable
Well done contributors
12.05.2005 03:54
Just a factual point: the SWP has never been opposed to involvement in parliamentary elections (hence the fact they republished the book "Bolsheviks in the Tsarist Duma" a long time ago), just to the idea that you can use parliament to change society. Parliament can however be used as a platform to make effective propaganda - QED.
Mark Harvey
e-mail:
mark.harvey@linklaters.com
RESPECT called for a vote for Labour!
12.05.2005 04:16
If RESPECT were truly against the war, then surely they would of stood against so called "anti-war" Labour MP's! Did they? NO! They only stood against Pro-War Labour MPs. By doing this RESPECT are saying it was ok to vote for Anti-War Labour MPs. BUT it was Labour that took us to "war" with Iraq, and help kill over 100,000 innocent Iraqis. If people where against the war, then they shouldn't of voted for Labour, POINT BLANK!
By voting for an Anti-War Labour MP, you voted for Labour. And we know what Labour did in Iraq.
If people want to make a real change and help create a socialist Britain, then by voting for RESPECT, your not going to do that! RESPECT are NOT again Capitalism or Imperialism. They support it! If your read their manifesto, it proved this. If RESPECT got in to power, they world cut spending in the Military, and put it into the health service and in to education. Sounds great! BUT…….where does the vast majority of Britain’s wealth come from? By companies exploiting people in this country and abroad. Cutting spending of the military and putting it in the health etc, does not change this. By not attacking capitalism and imperialism, it shows RESPECTS middle class position.
For those that voted for RESPECT, you voted for a reactionary party, who like all the others, are not going to make a change for the working class.
And how many of you listen to the WHOLE of Galloway’s speech? I see very little about it here, so I guess not! For those that didn’t, which I assume is all of you, is that Galloway was supportive of Oona King. Say that she would become an MP again, etc etc! If Galloway was against Labour why did he say what he said? Because Galloway is a reactionary, who has his own interestes. Those being, protecting his middle class life style!
If you want to make a real difference in this country for the working class, then by voting for RESPECT is not it! Voting is not it!
btw, since when has RESPECT and the SWP publically stated its support for the Iraqi and Palestinian resistance?
Anon...
SWP pamphlet
12.05.2005 21:03
While the SWP has published some literature which contradicts the views they profess to represent, have you ever read the Pat Stack pamphlet 'Can Socialism come through parliament?', in Stack's estimation, and presumably that of the publishers, the SWP, a resounding NO. Also, nestled in amongst the RESPECT propaganda in the Socialist Worker, please see the 'where we stand' section, which pretty clearly spells out the SWP's views on parliamentary politics. I'm afriad this is a double standard on the part of the SWP, and I am led to wonder why a group that believes that a revolution is neccasary for a peaceful and equal society would give so much support to a group that, by the SWPs own admission, cannot (by the constraints placed upon them by the very nature of the parliamentary system)be a catalyst for positive change. On the same note, I would be interested to know the SWPs views on overthrowing RESPECT, should they ever break into the mainstream of party politics! I look forward to your response.
Peace and solidarity
J2K (A)
J2K
Get a life! (it costs nothing)
13.05.2005 09:44
1) Organise through syndicates (Trade Unions) and represent working class people.
2) Organise community resistance by being inclusive rather than sectarian.
3) Build vibrant organisations that include a greater range of people than just middle class student ketamine heads and bitter and twisted ex-trots.
It's easy to slag off the SWP and other lefties when you have achieved very little and represent noone so there is no point of comparison. Look at any major revolutionary situation of the last 70 years and you will see movements that came together by recognising their common ground to defeat their common enemies. My maintaining a culture of snide and bickering sectarianism you are just doing the state a huge favour.
Its also very obvious that most of the SWP's most vitriolic critics are ex-members. Look it's not our fault that you spent years dedicating your Saturday mornings to selling that paper only to feel betrayed and undervalued. Just deal with it and move on!
For what it's worth I'm no fan of Galloway but I'm very pleased he won. Not because it represents a victory for the trots or party politics. Put simply, nearly 16,000 people in Bethnal Green stuck two fingers up to Blair, Murdoch and everything that this fucking awful system tries to maintain. That has to be worth something, and we have to start somewhere.
Anarchist who wished he lived somewhere else.
Oh my.....
13.05.2005 21:18
Would you rather we got another Labour party, that being RESPECT, or not?
So by tell people here the truth about RESPECT, people will realise that! Unless you want an other Labour party that says they support the working class, then find, vote RESPECT!
BTW, i'm NOT an ex SWP member, nor am i an Anarchist! ok!
Anon...
Good Riddance Oona King stickers on sale at all good Halal outlets
18.05.2005 13:27
WELL DONE GEORGE YOU GIVE IT TO THOSE TRASH IN THE AMERICAN SENATE AND TO EVERYONE ELSE, STICKERS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM ALL GOOD HALAL OUTLETS SAYING GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE TO OONA BLOODY KING.
Ali