On May 5th, George Galloway will be standing for election to Holyrood. The former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin is heading the George Galloway (Respect) – Coalition Against Cuts list. He has the backing of Solidarity, the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party in Scotland. On his election website, Galloway pledges to “oppose every cut to schools, hospitals and public services” and “fight for a parliament with the powers to tax the rich bankers and big business to help pay for jobs and decent public services.” It sounds fine, but there is no way those on the left can extend any level of support for George Galloway.
Galloway is a supporter of the Islamic Republic of Iran. When questioned at a recent public meeting, Galloway denied ever supporting President Ahmadinejad and even offered ￡1000 to anyone who could prove his support. However, while interviewing the Iranian President on his Press TV show, The Real Deal, last August Galloway stated that he requires “police protection in London from the Iranian opposition because of my support for your election campaign. I mention this so you know where I’m coming from.” In fact, while Iran’s 2009 election is widely accepted to have been rigged, Galloway has stated in his Daily Record blog that the electoral count “was awesome” and the million+ protesters took to the streets because “too MANY people were allowed to vote” (his emphasis).
The Iranian regime incarcerates, tortures and executes political opponents, including leftists, trades unionists and leaders of the radical students’ movement. It does the same to those found guilty of “war against god”, a charge levelled at political dissidents. Confessions are extracted under torture and duress and at times broadcast on state TV channels, including Press TV. Those found guilty of adultery and homosexuality can face the death penalty. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (called “the so-called stoning case” by Galloway on Press TV) was sentenced to death by stoning in a court speaking a language she didn’t speak herself. George Galloway denies that homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran. On The Wright Show, Galloway stated that “the papers seem to imply that you get executed in Iran for being gay. That’s not true.” He then inferred that the boyfriend of gay Iranian asylum seeker, Mehdi Kazemi, had been executed for “sex crimes” against young boys and not for being gay.
It’s unsurprising that Galloway publicly supports the Islamic Republic. He is an employee of Press TV, the Iranian state propaganda channel. While serving as a MP, Galloway was forced to declare his earnings from Press TV, which ranged from between￡5000 and￡20,000 for his various shows.
As pro-democracy protests engulf Syria, it’s worth remembering that Galloway has previously heaped praise upon the Syrian regime and authoritarian ruler, Bashar al-Assad. Addressing Damascus University in late 2005, Galloway said: “For me he is the last Arab ruler, and Syria is the last Arab country. It is the fortress of the remaining dignity of the Arabs”. Galloway has expressed approval for other dictators too, once describing Parkistan’s General Musharraf as “upright sort”. Far from a consistent democrat, after the 1999 coup brought Musharraf to power, Galloway told The Mail on Sunday that “Only the armed forces can really be counted on to hold such a country together… Democracy is a means, not an end in itself and it has a bad name on the streets of Karachi and Lahore.”
Galloway’s Christian beliefs have influenced his views on abortion and stem cell research. He doesn’t believe in evolution. In The Independent on Sunday in 2004 Galloway said “I’m strongly against abortion. I believe life begins at conception, and therefore unborn babies have rights. I think abortion is immoral”. He was absent from all votes on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (which included attempts to reduce the abortion time limit in the UK). His notable absenteeism extends to many LGBT issues and euthanasia. Then again, Galloway always had fairly lamentable levels of parliamentary participation. As a Respect MP, Galloway only participated in 98 out of 1288 votes. In 2006, he claimed more expenses than any other backbench MP in parliament.
Galloway’s egoism has always been astounding. While most socialists consider it standard for workers’ representatives to be elected on a workers’ wage (not an impoverishing amount, but the salary of a skilled worker), Galloway has declared he couldn’t possibly live on “three workers’ wages”. And what else other than pure vanity can have driven an appearance on Big Brother, which discredited whole sections of the left? Finally, it’s worth remembering that Respect’s own councillors in Tower Hamlets have voted through cuts to public services.
We call on socialists to offer no support for Galloway’s election campaign.
Moshé Machover (Israeli socialist) – Torab Saleth (Workers Left Unity – Iran) – Mehdi Kia (Co-Editor Middle East Left Forum) – Charlie Pottins (Unite and HOPI Steering Committee) – Rosie Kane (Scottish Socialist Party) – Nima Kisomi (Iranian socialist) – Sahar G (Iranian socialist) – Suran Badfar (Iranian Socialist) – Vicky Thompson (HOPI) – Tami Peterson (National Union of Students LGBT Committee, Bi Rep ’09-’11) – David Broder (Commune) – Steve Ryan (Commune) – Barry Biddulph (Commune) – Sinead Rylance (Communist Students) – Ustun Yazar (Communist Students) – Reyhaneh Sadegzadeh (Communist Students) – Alex Allan (Communist Students) – James O’Leary (Communist Students) – Sebastian Osthoff (Communist Students) – Komsan Duke (Anarchist Federation) – William J Martin (Batley and Spen CLP) – Elsie Wraight (Manchester Labour Students) – Rachael Howe (Love Leveshulme Hate Cuts Campaign) – Karen Broady (Unison) – Ste Monaghan (GMB) – Edd Mustill (NUJ) – Dan Read (NUJ) – Pete Cookson (NUT) – Joe Broady (BECTU) – Raphie De Santos (The left banker) – Andrew Coates (Socialist blogger) – Michael Leversha (Student activist) – Beth Marshall (Student activist) – Nima Barazandeh (Student activist) – Democratic Socialist Alliance (organisation)
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
[...] From Infantile and Disorderly [...]
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Please come and join us in masturbating our way to world revolution!
May 6th, 2011 at 1:38 am
Let me get this straight. You would never work with ,say, the CPB or the morning star – because, you know, they support the dictatorship in China.
You would never work with anyone who thinks cuba is socialist?
You have members of the cpgb signing the open letter. their organisation was founded, and still led, by people who justified worse crimes in Russia and beyond than those that Galloway is keen to sweep under the carpet vis a vi Iran.
You dont have any kind of analysis here – just a list of greivances that you’ve obviously spent years accumulating and researching.
I’m almost lost for words by your utter stupidity. You are everything thats wrong with the UK left.
The UK left specialises in your sort of gormless crap. Politics nothing but a shopping list of things you don’t like, crying like a baby when people to the right of you don’t adhere to your ideas – why would they? Saying things over and over again that people already know; Galloway is a cynical operator and has some dodgy ideas and the sky is blue.
Brainless gimp.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Sure, let’s get this straight. George Galloway is paid by a dictatorship that murders socialists. Galloway is EMPLOYED by a regime that tortures, imprisons and murders comrades. If you think it’s okay for leftists to still support him, that’s fine with me. You don’t have any principles and you don’t know the first thing about internationalism, but go ahead. Last time I looked the CPB (and to be honest, they’re a fairly disgusting organisation anyway) weren’t employed by the Chinese government. Please feel free to correct me if this has changed.
Here’s more proof that you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Not a single member of the CPGB has signed this letter. Who on earth do you think is in the CPGB? Their members didn’t sign the letter because the CPGB backed George Galloway in the election. They’re also particularly vocal anti-Stalinists. In fact, I think you’re getting the CPB and the CPGB mixed up.
It’s amusing that you’re lost for words at my stupidity. You don’t appear to know the first thing about Galloway, the left or socialism.
May 10th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Allan Armstrong, Nick Clarke, and Bob Goupillot, editors of Emancipation & Liberation would like to add their names to this Open Letter, but with the following reservation regarding phrase the He doesn’t believe in evolution.
Galloway dues support evolution as scientific fact – see article below from ‘Daily Record’.
http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/georgegalloway/2009/02/student-critic-creates-a-fuss.html
The one thing that does not appear in the letter of protest is Galloway’s public incitement to violence against those who failed to support Sheridan in court in his attempt to use his political position for purely personal gain. We are pleased to see that Rosie Kane, who has been the subject of particularly foul abuse and attention from this quarter, has signed this letter.
May 11th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Perhaps Galloway has changed his mind on evolution?
http://notsofriendlyhumanist.wordpress.com/tag/george-galloway/
As his stance on Sheridan showed, it won’t be his first change of heart. I particularly enjoyed his initial reaction, which was basically that Anvar Khan was too ugly to have sex with and not a patch on Sheridan’s “fragrant” wife. I’m also pleased that Rosie Kane signed.
http://www.davidosler.com/2010/12/george-galloway-tommy-sheridan-don%E2%80%99t-fancy-yours-much/
EDIT: http://www.johannhari.com/2007/12/09/george-galloway-comes-out-as-a-creationist- <- The Johann Hari article referred to in the first blog post.
May 11th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Allan Armstrong
Its obviously not ok with if I want to support Galloway. Your signing a letter asking me not to support him.
And anyone who supports cuba or china – just for example, also supports regimes which kill our comrades.
You think offering political support for a vile regime is only a bad thing if they are paying you. Of course you do – because your in the SSP and they support a regime that kills socialists. They just don’t get paid for it.
And memebers of the CPGB’s youth wing have signed the letter.
Get your facts right you moronic sectarian turd.
May 11th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
“moronic sectarian turd”
Oh, look, I exposed your stupidity and now you feel the need to come back with a few more insults to make yourself feel all tough and manly.
Was it not enough to make yourself look stupid once?
Not one of the members of Communist Students are in the CPGB (you know, because the CPGB didn’t support the letter).
Haha.
May 11th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
[...] was issued by the Manchester-based blogger, ‘Infantile and disorderly‘, on May [...]
May 19th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
[...] elections on May 5th. The Open Letter was originally published on the Manchester-based blog, Infantile and disorderly (The Editorial Board of Emancipation & Liberation added its members’ names after the initial [...]
May 20th, 2011 at 6:00 am
James Turley of the CPGB published an article in reply to those who signed the Open Letter in last week’s ‘Weekly Worker’. You can find my reply to that article at:-
http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2011/05/19/a-reply-to-james-turleys-whose-afraid-of-george-galloway/
May 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Hi Allen,
I haven’t had the time to read Turley’s reply or your response yet. I hope you sent it to the WW. I imagine they’ll print it. Watch the spelling of “who’s” in the title!