George Galloway

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Person.png George Galloway   Powerbase Sourcewatch Twitter WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician)
Gorton George.jpg
Born1954-08-16
Dundee, Scotland
NationalityBritish
Children1 daughter and 3 sons
SpousePutri Gayatri Pertiwi
Founder ofWorkers Party of Britain
Member ofAmerican Herald Tribune
Interest of"Philip Cross"
PartyRespect, (2004–present), Labour, (1967–2003)

Broadcaster and writer George Galloway is the former Labour Party and Respect Party MP who stood as the Respect Party candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election, which was won by Sadiq Khan. He came seventh in the election with 37,007 votes (1.4%).[1]

On 21 March 2017, George Galloway confirmed he would stand in the 2017 Manchester Gorton by-election, saying the “all-Asian shortlist” selected by Labour was the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities:[2]

"I have decided to enter the race to succeed my friend for thirty years, Sir Gerald Kaufman, as MP for Manchester Gorton. The “All-Asian short-list” hand-picked by Keith Vaz is just not good enough for the people of Gorton one of the most deprived constituencies in Britain. The short-listing, which excluded many better candidates, is the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities. I will run as an Independent candidate and will write a regular by-election diary for Westmonster. This is my initial election statement.
"I have a long connection with the Manchester area – two of my children live here – and with the Gorton constituency in particular. The late Sir Gerald Kaufman was a friend of mine for over 30 years. Our friendship began before I was an MP, continued throughout my near 30 years with him in Parliament and afterwards. His appearance on my television show was his last big interview and will stand the test of time. Sir Gerald was a big figure in the House of Commons and was known far beyond it from Hollywood to Palestine and Kashmir. When he spoke people listened. I have decided to seek election for Manchester Gorton in the forthcoming by-election precisely because of my admiration for its late MP and I hope to persuade voters of every background that I am the best person to try to fill his shoes."[3]

The Manchester Gorton by-election was cancelled when Theresa May called a snap UK/2017 General Election. On 8 June 2017 Labour's Afzal Khan was elected as MP for Manchester Gorton with a 31,730 majority over the Conservative Shaden Jaradat. George Galloway (Independent) came third with 2,615 votes.[4]

Mayor of London

During his unsuccessful 2015 General Election campaign to retain Bradford West, George Galloway announced that he would stand in the election for the 2016 London mayoral election if he lost his seat,[5][6] an intention he confirmed with a formal announcement, via his Twitter account, on 28 May.[7]

Galloway commented in mid-June 2015:

"London has for too long been run in the interests of the 1% working in the city’s glittering towers, whilst the vast majority of Londoners feel that their voices are not heard. I’m running because I want to represent every piece of the mosaic of this city which I have called home for 35 years."[8]

He described housing as his "number one priority"[9] and, according to Camilla Long in The Sunday Times, promises to "beef up the Metropolitan Police Service to the point of being a 'force', not just a 'service'".[10]

Television

In November 2013, George Galloway with his wife Gayatri began presenting the "Sputnik" programme for the Russia Today (RT) network.[11] He is a regular contributor to RT's other programming.[12]

On 21 January 2016, BBC Newsnight presenter Evan Davis interviewed George Galloway on the results and implications of the report into the 2006 murder of Alexander Litvinenko which had just been published by the Litvinenko Inquiry chairman Sir Robert Owen. Galloway did not accept the report's conclusions that Russia's president Vladimir Putin was "probably" responsible, calling the Inquiry "another Whitehall farce" – the Hutton Inquiry all over again:

"We've been through Iraq and the murder of Dr David Kelly, the evidence for which is locked up for 70 years. I was at Yasser Arafat's bedside in France when he died of Polonium-210 poisoning."[13]

Radio

On 5 September 2009, in a radio interview conducted by telephone, George Galloway MP asked Frank Duggan, president of the US group Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc (VPAF103, Inc) about the credibility of the Lockerbie trial witness Tony Gauci. Duggan stated he believed Gauci to be "an honourable man just trying to do the right thing" despite his evidence being called into question by the SCCRC report. In which case, Galloway asked:

"Why was Gauci paid several million US dollars for his evidence?"

Duggan retorted: "No he wasn’t, who said that?"

George Galloway asserted it was a matter of public record that Gauci was paid, adding that Duggan seemed "not that familiar with what Gauci said" and "not very well versed on the evidence."

Frank Duggan emphasised that eight Judges had found Abdelbaset al-Megrahi guilty in a court of law (three at the 2000-2001 trial, five at the 2002 appeal). "Now you can choose to believe Robert Black, Dr Jim Swire and all of these other 'cranks' or you can believe the Judges," demonstrating the firm belief Duggan has in Megrahi’s guilt, based on his "in-depth" knowledge of the testimony, and any deviation from that official version is the work of 'cranks'.

One clear difference that shows here is the US relatives' consensus that Megrahi is guilty but - especially the VPAF103, Inc president - are largely unaware of the facts of the evidence and testimony, compared to those who have bothered to look at the evidence, witness testimony, court proceedings and independent research who are convinced of a miscarriage of justice. These 'cranks' include the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Dr Jim Swire, Robert Black QC, Hans Köchler (UN Observer), Edwin Bollier (MEBO), John Ashton, Patrick Haseldine and many, many more.

George Galloway's short interview centered on Tony Gauci’s evidence, which Duggan called "reliable" and "natural," while admitting he didn't know what the man had actually said. The high point was Duggan loudly and repeatedly denying the $2 million reward for Gauci as a rumour with no substance. Frank Duggan then cut short the interview by hanging up on George Galloway.[14]

Suing and being sued

On 27 January 2016, George Galloway was granted leave to sue Google over a "hate speech" broadcast on YouTube in 2014 by Willie Frazer, a loyalist campaigner in Belfast, who suggested the former Respect MP supported "terrorism".[15] In June 2016, Aisha Ali-Khan, a former aide to George Galloway, accepted undisclosed damages from the Respect Party leader over claims that she conspired to run a dirty tricks campaign against him. Her solicitor Mark Lewis told Mr Justice Warby in London's High Court that Ms Ali-Khan had not been feeding disinformation or deceit to national newspapers or acting as a police agent.[16]

Publications

 

Documents by George Galloway

TitleDocument typePublication dateSubject(s)Description
Document:Venezuela critics are just Blairites having a kick at Jeremy CorbynInterview7 August 2017Venezuela
Brazil
Jeremy Corbyn
Hugo Chávez
Mike Pence
Nicolás Maduro
Abby Martin
National Constituent Assembly
Michael Prysner
For nineteen years the United States government and its secret agents have been trying to overthrow the Venezuela political process. Why might that be? Well, there are many reasons but the biggest among them has the smallest name: OIL.
Document:‘No slither of evidence’ against Russia over Skripal attack, George Galloway tells RTVideo28 March 2018Theresa May
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Skripal Affair
George Galloway concludes: "The OPCW, which is currently examining samples of the nerve agent used against the Skripals, will presumably be lent upon to obfuscate the outcome. No one will ever know the truth.”

 

Event Participated in

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
International Festival of Whistleblowing Dissent and Accountability8 May 20218 May 2021InternetWhistleblowing event held in 2021.

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Batley and Spen by-election: Palestine becomes potential dealbreakerArticle18 June 2021Alex MacDonaldAccording to Coral, Galloway is currently on 50/1 odds to win, compared to 2/1 for Leadbeater and 2/5 for Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson. William Hill has the Conservatives on 1/3, Labour at 5/2 and the WPGB at 33/1.
Document:Ellwood vs EllwoodArticle9 March 2023John EllwoodThe media profile of former minister Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable Tobias Ellwood has increased as a result of COVID-19. A recent interview of his on Sky News regarding the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised a few eyebrows.
Document:Labour has ignored its voters – it is now paying the priceArticle24 June 2021Paddy HannamGeorge Galloway speaks to Spiked Online about the problems faced by the Labour Party, and his campaign in the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election
Document:Wikipedia & the Spooks – The Remakeblog post22 May 2018Ludwig De BraeckeleerIn a video interview with George Galloway, journalist Neil Clark explains that "SlimVirgin" is back and teaming up with "Philip Cross". That is subtle or what?
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