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No [i]scottish[/i] law is made in Westminster. 🙄
I thought that the Scotch were governed by the same tax laws re: VAT on pies as everyone else?
or is there a separate scots law on pasties?
Erm.... uncle Jezza.... I'm agreeing with you. I'm wasn't saying disillusion started with this Tory government.
The last supposed 'Labour' lot were made up of essentially right wing, authoritarian, privately educated, over-privileged career politicians too. No different from this lot, really. Just worse at doing their sums
They're as representative as me in the north as they are of you in Scotland. ie: not one single little bit. The only difference is that you've had an alternative to vote for. We haven't. We need one though. And fast!
Do you spend so much time in the south that you know the feelings of the people down here?
no but he can see how they vote - he said the further north you go so that means leaving the South surely to get to the North so it is not even a comment on the South but the North.
I like characters like George ...we need more people like him [ from all political sides] that are in politics for something other than climbing the pole to power and sacrificing what they believe in to achieve it...Nick clegg and the lib dems for example.
Its a by election they are not really indicative of anything tbh other than people get to do a protest vote as it wont alter who governs
I gues we now they are unhappy with all the parties
Teej! You're back!
How was your exile? Productive?
His comment that his win was a "Bradford Spring" is interesting in that his attempt to link it to the "Arab Spring", steals from something that has seen the downfall of the sort of slimy dictator that he evidently used to be quite fond of...
is there a separate scots law on pasties?
I think TJ was trying to help you understand that "Scots Law" is, by definition, a product of the Scottish legal and legislative process, although you are correct that VAT is still a reserved matter for Westminster.
On the matter of Gorgeous George, speaking as a former constituent of his back in his Glasgow days, he's not without his redeeming qualities as a local MP, but he's a far too in love with his own 'cult of personality' for my liking.
How short memories are! How could anyone vote for the fool who sucked-up to Saddam Hussein and performed an excruiciationg cat impression on Celebrity Big Brother?
A Bradford Spring? No, like our current weather it be gone in a week or two.
[i]I think TJ was trying to help you understand that "Scots Law" is, by definition, a product of the Scottish legal and legislative process[/i]
I did know that, but I thought listing all the nuances of national and international law/etc that is controlled by the Westminster Parliament vs that controlled by the Scottish one would have just made dull and uninteresting reading when I wanted to do was say that the Tories and their policies/actions are far from irrelevant for most people who live in Scotland.
Clearly now TJ's back I should focus on the dull and uninteresting rather than trying to get a point across in a concise fashion so as not to offend his sensibilities on Scottish law.
Do you actually believe that a broadly left-of-centre party would have any chance at all of getting to power in England?binners - Member
They're as representative as me in the north as they are of you in Scotland. ie: not one single little bit. The only difference is that you've had an alternative to vote for. We haven't. We need one though. And fast!
Sweet Jesus TJ. Can we leave the whole Scottish thing alone please? Its been done to death. Other subjects are available.
In this case Bradford, George Galloway and how the labour party have just turned Call-me-Daves worst week in office into his best. Quite a momentous achievement. He must be cracking the bubbly open at number ten this morning!
If Labour doesn't learn fast and ditch the useless, spineless geek pronto, then they're staring down the barrel of their next general election performance
They won't of course. Its utterly depressing
thought this was gonan be about this guy:
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no but he can see how they vote - he said the further north you go so that means leaving the South surely to get to the North so it is not even a comment on the South but the North.
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that man has a vase of flowers on top of a lit wood burning stove.
genius.
Do you actually believe that a broadly left-of-centre party would have any chance at all of getting to power in England?
Which is why northern England needs to join Scotland when you go independent.
Independence for the South East of England is the answer. Once those lot **** off, I'm sure the rest of us would bump along quite happily 😀
Anyway, back on topic.
I wonder which role George enjoyed more - being Rula Lenska's pussy or Saddam Hussein's lapdog?
TandemJeremy - MemberScotland [s]- the tories are[/s] is a small irrelevant [s]party[/s] country
TFTFY 😆
I can't believe that the Tories, the party of government, got 8.4% of the vote. As far as I can figure out the Tories have never received less than 30% of the vote in Bradford West for over a 100 years.
How many of those votes were mid-term by-elections where an independent candidate won?
I must say that I find this result pretty depressing. George Galloway is at best an odious man who for all his postulating is only really interested in promoting himself.
As well as being a pretty lazy MP (see attendance record referenced above), he is also a dark master of divisive politics - the campaign he fought against Oona King in 2005 was characterised by him saying things that were patently untrue. He ingratiated himself to the largely Muslim population of Bethnal Green largely by repeatedly focussing on the fact that Oona King's mum was Jewish - and perpetuated the discussion of this by using the Muslim Association of Britain and local mosques. That sort of behaviour simply isn't acceptable in my book and is entirely incompatible with being a good MP.
What worse about the actual 2005 result was that he unseated a very hard working constituency MP (this was recognised across the partly lines) and then failed to turn up to Parliament to represent the people he'd hoodwinked and instead spent his time castigating the Senate and pretending to be a cat on Big Brother.
The population of Bradford West will get exactly what they deserve as it can't have been made any clearer what kind of man they were electing.
That is quite a remarkable achievement - he has finally found somewhere else that is stupid enough to elect him and restart his gravy train. I had hoped we'd seen the last of him after he was humiliated in the Scottish Parliament elections last year, but not to be.
People tend to like because he gives a good soundbite and there is an impression that he is standing up to The Man. However the more you get to know him as either just as a representative or more closely if you are involved in certain political causes / groups then that attitude rapidly changes to one that instead considers him to be a self serving repulsive sleazeball!
He's a very good public speaker, probably a complete creep but no worse than the usual calibre of politician, and at least he's giving Labour a big kick up the arse which they so badly need.
I salute your indefagitability...
He's an utter scumbag and douchebag. There are no lengths to which he will not go to sustain himself. It is not for nothing that he has had to move twice to continue his political career.
Binners - you raised Scotland and the SNP and made a fundamental error in the way you described them.
TJ - you know what I'm saying. The main parties are no longer remotely connected to the people they're supposed to represent. Actually... the Tories probably are. Labour is now totally remote from its core vote, which it has shamelessly taken for granted for decades
The only place where a credible alternative has been put before the voters is north of the border. And look what happened? Or do you think everyone vote SNP because they're all rabid nationalists, desperate for independence?
I don't even think Alex himself is daft enough to believe that!
The north is crying out for an credible alternative. There can be no clearer demonstration of that than a self-regarding idiot like George Galloway overturning a 5,000 labour majority to win by 10,000 votes. Thats a ridiculous swing. Will it register in the dinner parties of Islington where the 'Labour' party now bases its powerbase? Of course it won't!
binners - surely the Labour Party (and others) are aware of the wishes of the electorate - all those focus groups and so on? That being the case, I still can't see that there is a massive demand for a left-of-centre party in England.
I know - it's all a bit chicken-and-egg. No party = no voters, no voters = no party...
Point taken binners
the problem has been that a few tens of thousands of swing voters in a few dozen marginal seats decide elections. Labour went for that centre ground under Blair and captured it. all the English parties are now fighting for that centre ground - thats where Cameron made his gains.
Unfortunately labour have lost their roots along the way and lack the courage to become a crusading party of the left again - create a constituency and drive a national mood forward with desire to reform.
I believe they could do this this and reconnect with their constituency if they wanted to or had the courage - they are still running scared from the 80s tho where a combination of good PR from the Tories, the splint in the left with the SDP and poor leadership from labour lost them elections. they made the wrong diagnosis here thinking it was socialism that was the deciding factor not teh SDP splitting the vote and poor leadership in labour
They should have chosen the brother that can speak properly.
Proud of Bradford this morning. He's a shit cat but a good thorn in their sides.
I believe they could do this this and reconnect with their constituency
what constituency? you're twenty five years too late to revive any sort of social/cultural/racial/religious partisan alignment that would win an election. The social markers are all gone and voted participation has evaporated.
Labour have to be really careful. The North has traditionally voted Labour, and I've seen plenty of examples of fathers pretty much forcing sons/daughters to vote Labour at polling booths when I worked them due to 'traditional' values. The thing is those traditional values have almost been long forgotten and it won't be long before the next generations question the 'traditions'. A lot of Labour voters I've dealt with hold almost diametric values to the Labour party.
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Who is the rodeo guy on the left and what does he stand for? Shooting a spinning girl from a horse?
I'd vote for that.
He's fighting it on the issues.
http://hurryupharry.org/2012/03/30/the-return-of-galloway-the-return-of-sectarian-britain/
[b]George Gallaway in Blatant Opportunism Shocka[/b]
The North has traditionally voted Labour, and I've seen plenty of examples of fathers pretty much forcing sons/daughters to vote Labour at polling booths when I worked them due to 'traditional' values.
Hahahahaha that is just a ridiculous and stupid caricature of the "northern working classes", you need to spend a little less time watching soaps and try observing real people, next you will be claiming all women within the m25 are perfect mythical mothers.
an interesting take on things from within the grass roots @ Labout Uncut
http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2012/03/30/is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-ed-miliband/
Is this the beginning of the end for Ed Miliband?
No. The beginning of the end was when he looked as shocked as everyone that he had been elected. This is 'the end'. Or it bloody well should be!
Dode Galloway is a legend,end of. Long may he continue to upset mainstream parties and congressmen,oh and STW members. He came from a shite background and has hauled himself up by the bootstraps, an example to every schemie. Stood up against the Iraq war knowing what it would do to his chances of remaining in the labour party, which to me suggests that he is maybe not quite as self-serving as some might like to paint him. Long may he continue.
The best thing about George is his ability to throw the failings of others into sharp relief.
Yes, he's obnoxious - usually only to those who absolutely deserve a take down.
Yes, he's a mediaphile - I'll guarantee you that in the big three parties, conversations are going on right now along the lines of 'how can we be more like him but stay on message? hmm, i think the problem is that he's right, he knows it and so do they. Hmm yes tricky, has anyone got Rebekah's number, oh shit i forgot, nevermind'
PMQ's are going to get a little spicier
The North has traditionally voted Labour, and I've seen plenty of examples of flat cap wearers pretty much bribing their whippets with steak and kidney puddings to vote Labour at polling booths when I worked them due to 'traditional' values.
* on Corrie.
Yep, but he does frequently actually fight for the right causes.
About as often as he fights for the wrong one. Let's not forget that he supported Saddam and Bashar al-Assad, despite being quite aware of the atrocities they committed (and the latter continues to commit). It seems that his rationale is no better than "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".
I predict that the citizens of Bradford will tire of him topping up his perma-tan in Portugal rather than attending parliament, and boot him out next time.
Galloway is a self-promoting egotistical tosspot.
Whatever names you can throw at George, I can't understand why many people's reaction is to dismiss him.
George has obviously tapped into something in this particular constituency, just as Peter Griffiths and Nick Griffin did.
Its a by election they are not really indicative of anything tbh other than people get to do a protest vote as it wont alter who governs
If that is true and this is just a "protest vote", then the seat will simply revert back to Labour in 2015. Only it won't, in fact I predict that Galloway will remain MP for Bradford West for a great many years.
Furthermore when there is a negative attitude prevalent among the electorate which creates the conditions for a "protest vote", then it also creates the conditions for a very low turnout. The turnout was much higher that expected as voter apathy was incorrectly predicted.
All the indications are that this was a positive vote for Galloway who was seen as a credible alternative. Labour would have walked it if Galloway hadn't stood against them.
Do you actually believe that a broadly left-of-centre party would have any chance at all of getting to power in England?
Very much so. Galloway's election wins proves that voters in England are prepared to vote for a radical alternative to Labour. And don't forget Galloway didn't just scrape in, he received 55.9% of the vote and has an over 10,000 majority, very few MPs enjoy that level of support.
Ken Livingstone also proved that an electorate in England (involving millions) is prepared to vote for a radical alternative to Labour, when he stood as an independent. Even though he had been for years personified as the "looney left of Labour" by the Tory press. Firmly nailing the New Labour lie that voters will never vote for a radical left-wing candidate. And in the case of London voters had a clear choice between a radical left-wing candidate and a "moderate" New Labour one. They made it clear which one they preferred.