George Galloway wins sweeping victory in Rochdale byelection, saying ‘this is for Gaza’ - eviltoast
Former Labour MP wins almost 40% of the vote in a contest beset by chaos and controversy – and dominated by the Israel-Hamas conflict
  • FatLegTed@feddit.uk
    223·
    8 months ago

    Galloway is only interested in promoting himself. He’ll always pick the side that will get him the most publicity. Be it IRA, Saddam Hussein, Syria or Palestine.

    If everyone was wearing hats, he wouldn’t. Just to look different and stand out.

    Disgusting specimen.

    • Nimmo@lem.nimmog.ukEnglish
      12·
      8 months ago

      I vaguely remembered a quote about him saying he was impressed with Saddam Hussein’s indefatigably.

      After going to look it up just there to confirm it was him that said it I saw more of the context around it:

      Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability, and I want you to know that we are with you, hatta al-nasr, hatta al-nasr, hatta al-Quds until victory, until victory, until Jerusalem. (https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Galloway)

      So whilst I agree that he’s out for himself and not someone that I particularly care for, he does seem to have had an interest in that part of the world for the last 30 years or so. This isn’t quite the out of the blue political opportunism that some people seem to be suggesting it is.

      • FarceOfWill@infosec.pub
        1·
        8 months ago

        Yes it’s not out of the blue, he’s been a political opportunist for a very long time. The precise type of opportunism depends on exactly which minority lives in whichever by-election constitency he’s rolled into most recently.

    • ButtBidet [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      102·
      8 months ago

      Guys, being against a war is pro-Sadam Hussein now. Oh BTW that war went really really badly and he was vindicated in the end, but fuck him for trying to stop a conflict that killed over a million civilians.

      • flamingos-cant@ukfli.ukEnglish
        11·
        8 months ago

        He did more than oppose the Iraq war, he was very friendly to the Hussein regime and made regular trips to the region, he even had lunch with the foreign minister.

    • PatMustard@feddit.ukEnglish
      91·
      8 months ago

      Is it bad if someone does something good for selfish reasons? Sure it would be nice if everyone was a paragon of virtue but I’d rather have a smarmy prick trying to stop wars because it strokes his ego than a smooth-taking establishment-backer who won’t change the status quo in case it hurts the economy.

    • Tenebris Nox@feddit.ukEnglish
      71·
      8 months ago

      He claimed that he wears a hat following a hammer attack which left him hospitalised and severely scarred.

      • Baggins@beehaw.orgEnglish
        14·
        8 months ago

        He could wear a syrup, but that unless it was a Ronald McDonald type, he wouldn’t stand out. A champagne socialist like him could even afford hair transplants.

  • TWeaK@feddit.ukEnglish
    5·
    8 months ago

    Starmer’s party also faced a challenge from another former Labour MP in the form of Simon Danczuk, who was suspended from the party in 2015 after sending inappropriate messages to a teenager. Danczuk, Rochdale’s MP from 2010 to 2017, was standing for Reform UK, the anti-immigration party founded by Nigel Farage.

    Reform had fewer votes than the Lib Dem’s, that’s barely a challenge.

    Will this seat be up for re-election during the upcoming General Election, or does it get a pass for being so recent?

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
        1·
        8 months ago

        Actually the fact that he won’t be there long is why labor wasn’t massively bothered about removing support. Sure it wasn’t great, but it also won’t really make any difference in the long run.

  • mannycalavera@feddit.uk
    4·
    8 months ago

    Imagine if he joins forces with Corbyn and brings back Livingston. A proper Workers Against Neoliberale Kleptocrats Electing Radical Socialism party! Starmer would be worried then!