British DUer's: Any thoughts on Galloway's new party?

[T_i_B]

George Galloway, the former Labour MP who has been forced out of that party over Iraq and who is suing the Telegraph for alleging that he was in the pay of Saddam Hussein has a new party that will be standing in the European elections. Any thoughts on the RESPECT coalition?

http://www.respectcoalition.org/

The two most important statistics in contemporary politics highlight the growing chasm between ordinary working people and the political establishment—on the one hand we have participated in the greatest political demonstrations in modern history, and on the other hand the last general election saw the lowest turnout since universal suffrage was introduced.

This chasm is at its widest on the question of war and peace. Tony Blair’s New Labour has taken us to war five times in the last six years, each time with calamitous consequences. The bloodshed, the waste of precious economic resources, the lying and hypocrisy that have accompanied the attack on Iraq have brought many to the conclusion that they must rethink their traditional political allegiance.

But the yearning for a political alternative is even wider than the anti-war movement. Pensioners, students, trade unionists, Muslims and other faith groups, socialists, ethnic minorities and many others have been deeply disappointed by the authoritarian social policies and profit-centred, neo-liberal economic strategy of the government.

There is a crisis of representation, a democratic deficit, at the heart of politics in Britain. We aim to offer a solution to this crisis.

[Michael_UK]

1. I can't say I've a lot of time for Galloway.

I believe he should be working from within the Labour Party, rather than rail against it at every step of the way. I know he was booted out, but I thought his conduct in the run-up to the war left the party with very little choice. I tend to think that the progressives should stick together, rather than tear itself apart. That only leads to a Tory government.

[Spentastic]

2. Welcome to DU

Bu please dispense with the canard

" tend to think that the progressives should stick together, rather than tear itself apart. That only leads to a Tory government."

When an incumbent government acts like Blair's has done capitualtion gets us nowhere.

That said Galloway's party stands an Ice cube in hells chance.

[Michael_UK]

6. Thanks

I'll put my cards on the table. I'm a labour party member who opposed the war. There were a great number like me who opposed the war. I think among the general membership, the vast majority opposed the war.
Galloway was correct to oppose the war, but he crossed a line. There are plenty in parliament who opposed the war, but haven't been booted out.I have a great deal more respect for someone like Robin Cook. He resigned from the cabinet and debated forcefully and passionately against the war. I'll use a cliche (sorry) but in the Party, there really is more that unites than divides.

[Spentastic]

10. I'm a Brit too

Currently stumping for the Lib Dems as I despise the third way. I believe that Tony Toryism is very similar to Thatcher Toryism he just uses more lube.

I marched against the war on the basis that I knew what was going to happen. It didn't take a genius to work out that Iraq would not peacefully become a nice little Middle Eastern democracy.

The manipulation of the party by Blair and his handlers is one of the reasons I cannot abide the man or his style. Opposition is squeched by his heavies (Reid and Prescott. I know of at least one MP who was told priviledges would be witheld if a vote was not cast in a certain way.

Galloway is a bit too much of a firebrand for me. i'm not comfortable with shouters. However it has to be conceeded that his charges in respect of the Iraq invasion have laregly been proved right. Instead of addressing the content of the charges the party spin machine decided to destroy him. The implication that he received money from Saddam for example. Party members were spouting that shit.

I like Cook too, far more than Clare turncoat Short for example. I have no time for Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, John Prescott, David Blunkett, John Reid and for some reason Patricia Hewitt makes me apoplectic every time she opens her stupid mouth.

[tkmorris]

3. Do you imply

that Galloway should have backed Blair in going to war in Iraq in the interests of party unity? That's quite mad you know. The Iraq war was quite polarizing and well it should have been.

[Vladimir]

5. Work towards what exactly?

welcome to DU mate :hi:

GG has at times been the only voice in parliament prepared to give Labour hell over their military escapades - working from within was hardly going to get him anywhere. If you can't dissent when Labour has a majority of 160, when can you dissent?

V

[Vladimir]

4. Well its interesting, isn't it?

Britain is in a political crisis of sorts, with party memebership at an all time low, turnouts hitting new all-time lows every election, unions disaffiliating from the Labour party etc. At the same time, the 'third party', i.e. the Lib Dems are seeemingly unable to take advantage of the mire in which Labour and the Tories find themselves. So from that POV, there is hardly a better time to launch a new political party, although it has been a blow to RESPECT that neither the Communist Party of Britain nor the Greens have affiliated/joined or agreed to stand a slate with them. I have a lot of time for RESPECT's platform, but as to whether they can have an impact is a different matter. What one can take heart from is the way that the SSP (Scottish Socialist Party) has risen to prominance winning seats in the devolved assembly over the last 6 years.

V

[RogueTrooper]

7. Well, personally, I cannot stand George Galloway

I have always thought he was a bit of a twat ( this comes from the time I was active in Scottish politics ).

From what I have gathered the "RESPECT" coalition is nothing more than a front for the Socialist Workers Party ( don't start singing their praises, they are anti-semitic fools ). Stop The War has suffered from a great deal of "entryism" over the last couple of months.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Galloway himself limits the possibilities

Because he himself has come across as an apologist for Saddam. The quote: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability and I want you to know that we are with you" (which he claims was "So, ... " and addressed to the Iraqi people, not Saddam) will stay with him always - personally, it sounds like 'Sir' to me. I'd trust him even less than Blair.

The party platform sounds quite reasonable - basically 'old' Labour. But until they put figures on the higher taxes for the rich it'll stay a theoretical party - for those who don't have to put their policies into practice. And if the Lib Dems have trouble persuading people to vote for their policies, I think these days a true left wing party will have even more difficulties.

[Vladimir]

9. Galloway

was campaining against Saddam and protesting against Saddam in the 80s while Britain and the US were selling him guns. He has his faults - attention seeking, bombastic, arrogant, you name it - but dishonesty and lack of principle are hardly amongst them.

V

[RogueTrooper]

11. Well. I'm tempted to take the opportunity

about commenting about Galloway from the saftey of America's libel laws. However, I will demure.

[Vladimir]

12. Go on, I am geniuinely interested

seriously, I read your post above, and I am interested: what bad personal experiences did you have with him? Don't get me wrong, I don't worship GG like some people, but I dislike the standard establishment attacks on him.

V

[RogueTrooper]

14. I was an elected office in NUS Scotland

and he was threatening to sue us. It went quite far ( lawyers at dawn ). NUS is the National Union of Students.

[Vladimir]

15. Yeah, I know what the NUS is

I am NUS/OUSU rep for my MCR... why was he trying to sue you?

V

[T_i_B]

16. It's the George Galloway show!

I agree that Galloway does limit the party, and that as a result it does run the risk of ending up like Arthur Scargil's Socalist Labour Party, a wee parochial rump, relying on the draw of a far left relic. If Galloway loses his action aginst the Telegraph then the RESPECT coalition is buggered. If I had a crystal ball I would say there is a good chance of this lot ending up part of the Socialist Alliance anyway though.

And Galloway's pro-Saddam reputation alone will scare off a lot of people from it. No doubt about that.

[Guy_Montag]

13. GG

I can't help thinking that this will sink like a stone, along with Arthur Scargil's party (name? please).

He is competing not with Labour, but with the SSP & Greens, who are, let's face it, minority parties.

I believe he is too much of a firebrand to appeal to the Lib Dem supporters, and while he may take a few Labour supprters with him I don't imagine he'll get enough to make an impact.

Too many people vote Labour in the west of Scotland, because they always have, without thinking about it.

Just my humble opinions.