London Indymedia

George Galloway wins in Bethnal Green.

Guido | 07.05.2005 12:14 | Analysis | London

Whatever you think of Galloway and his politics (most people seem to have an opinion) this much is true:

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.
Launch rally Liverpool st.

On the campaign trail, Columbia road.
On the campaign trail, Columbia road.

Cable Street veterans add their support.
Cable Street veterans add their support.

The Respect army arrive for the final weekend of canvassing.
The Respect army arrive for the final weekend of canvassing.

The word on the street.
The word on the street.

News reaches Bethnal Green that Oona has demanded a recount.
News reaches Bethnal Green that Oona has demanded a recount.

The final result is announced.
The final result is announced.

George returns to Brick lane to thank his supporters.
George returns to Brick lane to thank his supporters.


Exactly how significant this result is remains to be seen. Aside from Bethnal Green Respect got very high votes in Newham where both candidates came 2nd to Labour with 20%. In Birmingham Salma Yaqoob came second with 28%. Even some of the more low key campaigns managed to tap into working class anger. One such example was Tottenham north London where Janet Alder (whose brother Christopher was killed in Police custody) polled over 2,000 votes mostly from the Broadwater farm area.

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 just say I'm very pleased Oona lost! ;-)

@


let's put electioneering vs. grass roots politics in perspective?

07.05.2005 13:48

Right let's put this report in perspective - what's it doing on indymedia for a start?
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

Like to add my congratulations to those above. For me, the best part of election night (apart from watching Reg Keys make Bliar squirm) was seeing Galloway give that public school oik Paxman the short shrift he deserves. Playboy, yes; opportunist, maybe, but he now has the mandate of 15,000 of some of the poorest people in the country - lets hope he uses it wisely and that we see a sea of Respect councillors spring up in the Rotten Boroughs of East London next May.

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

(to be sung to the tune of Peter Paul & Mary - Where have all the flowers gone)

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

"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."


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

It's a good thing he got elected. It was really a big symbolic victory.

"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

Why did Galloway choose to challenge a Jewish MP who has been outspoken on Israel/Palestine? Uber-Blairite she may be, but surely it's counterproductive to target one of the few MPs with the courage to speak out publicly? Links below.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,975423,00.html

 http://www.palestinemonitor.org/Feature/Time%20to%20get%20tough.htm

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

we live in the fucking area. until two days ago we didn't know oona was jewish. it has never been an issue. why make it one if not to stir up trouble.
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

"Right let's put this report in perspective - what's it doing on indymedia for a start?"

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
mail e-mail: guidoreports@riseup.net


Two Posts above...

08.05.2005 09:43

Am I the only one that finds the sort of outrageous comment above really sinister. New Labour were trounced in one of their safest seats in the country because they have for too long ignored their social base, attacked working people's living standards and engaged in a criminal war of aggression at the behest of the christian fundamentalist overlords of the USA. If anyone made an issue out of race, it was Oona King. Respect canvassed everywhere in the constituency, whereas Oona King soon concentrated her efforts on the white population. Indeed, she went to the length of removing all reference to muslims from her campaign literature. Indeed, if race was such an issue to New Labour, why did they run a white man against Salma Yaqoob in Birmingham, thus denying a hijab wearing female muslim Respect candidate another seat in parliament by only a couple of thousand votes. The real racists are those that support the war in Iraq.

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

If you've got a problem with George Galloway then let's here it. Why resort to nonsense if you've got something genuine to say?

"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

These anarchist trolls have nothing to offer ordinary people. If they stood in an election they would not even get their own vote. The confine themselves to publicity stunts like banner drops and vandalism because these don’t involve anyone beyond their own miniscule supporters. And they spew more bile and filth towards RESPECT than they do New Labour because they are not serious about fighting the system and don’t take any responsibility for organising resistance beyond their own deluded followers. Such heckling from the margins of political life is the luxury of those who abstain from the struggle. That’s why they will never grow beyond a handful of freaks.

Him


Galloway says...

08.05.2005 13:48

Transcripts of Galloway's acceptance speech and victory speech to his supporters are posted at  http://www.redpepper.org.uk/brit/x-may2005-galloway.htm

not george


one for george, nill for blair

08.05.2005 13:52

George was smeared by an MI5/Sunday Times conspiracy. Anyone who upsets the state in this way must have something about them.

Hmmm


Can't believe the whiners!

08.05.2005 20:14

Can't believe the people whining that George Galloway won. Maybe it would have been better if Blair got back in with a 300 seat majority and unquestioned authority????

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

More on the ridiculous allegations that Respect stirred up racial hatred in Bethnal Green and Bow - sorry for the other media link.  http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/londonnews/articles/18174365

Your Class, Right or Wrong.


Getting it in perspective

08.05.2005 22:57

Hi
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

If RESPECT is the reason a sectarian freak like you left the SWP then the entire project recommends itself to me even more :-)

Me


RESPECT must break into the white area

10.05.2005 15:45

Well done RESPECT. The battle now lies in the white working class areas. RESPECT most not be a one trick pony. It has to give hope to all people, we need a proper alternative to LABOUR. The SWP have done a good job they were the main players of this success. But it will be very intersting to see how things develop. My guess is that RESPECT will win about 10-15 council seats in MAY 06. Then what?

p.s. is that Mark Steel in the photo?

respectable


Well done contributors

12.05.2005 03:54

The tenor of these contributions so far has been excellent, really bucking the trend of the bile and venom that holier-than-thou idiots sometimes deposit here. Keep it up.

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
mail e-mail: mark.harvey@linklaters.com


RESPECT called for a vote for Labour!

12.05.2005 04:16

RESPECT simply called a vote for Labour.

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

To Mark Harvey
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

Both the comments above from Anon and J2K well demonstrate whats wrong with most dedicated 'Anarchists'. You see I cant help thinking that people are wasting a huge amount of time and energy monitoring the performance of, and slagging off the SWP. Imagine what things could be like if we used that energy building an alternative. Look at any of our European contempories and you will see Anarchists that:
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

Anarchist who wished he lived somewhere else.

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

GOOD RIDDANCE OONA BLEEDING KING HAS GONE, SHE WAS A RUBBISH MP AND DIDN'T HAVE THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF BOW AND BETHNAL GREEN. SHE WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING THAT TERRORIST BULLY TONY "LIAR" BLAIR.

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


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