How the hell did Galloway win ?

[Polkergeist]

How the hell did he as a fringe player get 35 % in a seat ?

[Platypus]

Name rec?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In brief? Anti Semitism

[Polkergeist]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4519575.stm

Just realised that it was a heavily muslim seat

Hughento,

I'm talking about George Galloway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway

[Platypus]

I know

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Just realised that it was a heavily muslim seat

With a Jewish M.P... oh and there was lots of "fun" intimadation and stuff which came d[censored]ly from the Ga[censored]ay campaign.

[minionofmidas]

Relax...she's Jewish, not Sikh.
Also, look at the East Ham, West Ham, and Sparkbrook & Small Heath results. The Bethnal Green & Bow result isn't as isolated. (Oh, and Respect also conserved their deposit in Leicester South, probably played a large-ish role in helping Labour regain the seat.)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The good showing certainly isn't isolated (and it should be getting the same sort of condemmnation that the BNP's strong showings in Dewsbury, Dudley etc. are rightfully getting. I've met some of the Respecties (PJPers mostly) in Brum and they're the same sort of bigots as the morons with shaven heads...) the fact that he was able to win via a mix of anti semitism (yes this was a factor. A big one), intimidation and outright violence at times is pretty isolated... thankfully.

Well if the Bangladeshis of Bethnal Green want someone to reflect their paranoid bigotries, even if he was the worst constituency M.P in the whole Commons last time round, over a dedicated constituency M.P who also happend to be a) Black b) Jewish c) Female, fine.  'em. They're just as bad as those racist tw*ts in Haworth that voted for Griffin.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Now that's a rant.

[minionofmidas]

You should be thankful to those racist twats in Haworth. They kept Keighley in Labour hands. Barking's BNP strength shocked me.

How do you measure a "single worst constituency MP"? And, just from what I read before the election, I think it's safe to say that Oona King was a very bad constituency MP as well...and probably wouldn't have lost otherwise.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

No, King was a good constituency M.P in that she was good at constituency work. She voted differently to what her constituents wanted over Iraq but that is not the same thing.

During Galloway's stint as Hillhead/Kelvin's M.P he had a reputation for being bloody atrocious at constituency work. He hardly ever held surgeries, hardly ever responded to letters etc, and spent most of his time getting a tan in Portugal.

---
Dunno about Keighley; we did well across the textiles marginals (even Woolas got re-elected) with the exception of Rochdale (where some pretty foul stuff went on as well...) it might well have been closer than it was had they not run, although I think Cryer would have hung on.

The BNP have done pretty well in Barking recently (having a counciller or two) and Hodge is a very, very controversual M.P

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

No, King was a good constituency M.P in that she was good at constituency work. She voted differently to what her constituents wanted over Iraq but that is not the same thing.

During Galloway's stint as Hillhead/Kelvin's M.P he had a reputation for being bloody atrocious at constituency work. He hardly ever held surgeries, hardly ever responded to letters etc, and spent most of his time getting a tan in Portugal.

---
Dunno about Keighley; we did well across the textiles marginals (even Woolas got re-elected) with the exception of Rochdale (where some pretty foul stuff went on as well...) it might well have been closer than it was had they not run, although I think Cryer would have hung on.

The BNP have done pretty well in Barking recently (having a counciller or two) and Hodge is a very, very controversual M.P

She was an idiot to vote for the war in Iraq. I'll bet that's the main reason for her defeat.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030318/debtext/30318-48.htm#30318-48_div118

[Filuwaúrdjan]

She voted for the war on principle. Now that's the last time anyone in a similer position does that again... what a great lesson for all the new M.P's, eh?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

She voted for the war on principle. Now that's the last time anyone in a similer position does that again... what a great lesson for all the new M.P's, eh?

Ahh, yes, the principle of invading random countries for no reason. Labour would be in much better shape if they had told Bush to take a hike.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

King had called for the removal of Saddam for years. Even before the '98 Iraq crisis.

[minionofmidas]

No, King was a good constituency M.P in that she was good at constituency work. She voted differently to what her constituents wanted over Iraq but that is not the same thing.

During Galloway's stint as Hillhead/Kelvin's M.P he had a reputation for being bloody atrocious at constituency work. He hardly ever held surgeries, hardly ever responded to letters etc, and spent most of his time getting a tan in Portugal.

---
Dunno about Keighley; we did well across the textiles marginals (even Woolas got re-elected) with the exception of Rochdale (where some pretty foul stuff went on as well...) it might well have been closer than it was had they not run, although I think Cryer would have hung on.

The BNP have done pretty well in Barking recently (having a counciller or two) and Hodge is a very, very controversual M.P

Controversial on account of what.

Re: King. Well, those Bangla Deshis on the street in the pre-election coverage were sort of like "Well, the only times she's ever shown up were to celebrate the area's Jewish past, surrounded by bodyguards." Which does not sound as if she ever developed the sort of bond that good constituency work is supposed to create. I don't know about Galloway. Anyways as I've pointed out I wouldn't have voted for him. Withdrawing now is not a sane policy, for one thing. I'd have likely voted for Respect in Sparkbrook & Small Heath anyways, but only because the candidate was a Muslim woman and the British parliament needs those (same reason I'd have voted Labour in Brent East). Oh, and because Godsiff is Godsiff.

[Democratic Hawk]

Blatant ignorance or downright stupidity on the part of 36% of the constituency voters, obviously

What the hell's he gonna do for Bethnal Green and Stepney?

Dave

[Polkergeist]

I know

Sorry I misunderstood your post :S

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Controversial on account of what.

The whole... ahem... unpleasentness... over the alledged attempts to cover up child abuse scandels when she was leader of Islington council.

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Certainly not true of most of the seat; she wasn't exactly active in certain parts of Spitalfields for reasons that became very apparent during the campaign; ie she'd have been attacked on sight. The... unpleasantness... started in 1997 when the fact that she black/female/jewish was used by the local Tories to achieve one of only two swings towards the Tories that election.

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Not from lack of trying though

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Point taken on that

[Storebought]

Well, at least now Jeremy Corbyn no longer holds the Nuttiest MP Awards

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Angel of Death: If all you're going to post is a lot of claptrap about "zionists" then yes you will get censored.

[Angel of Death]

I didn't even mention them, but nice of you to expose your agenda here.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Troll: piss off