Rochdale: George Galloway’s by-election win has media in meltdown

Of course George Galloway was the happiest man in Rochdale early Friday morning, but nothing seemed to get him going more than winding up journalists in the count centre, and on TV.

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Galloway only won because labor didn’t stand a candidate know that uh all I can see is CME more CME more well there are accusations going on of ballot stuffing postal vote th intimidation bullying whether or not those things occurred doesn’t matter you a fool what are you are you a student

Journalist this is for Gaza Galloway only won because labor didn’t stand a candidate I regret that we had to withdraw our candidate and apologize to voters in Rochdale but I took that decision it was the right decision we are at a moment where there’s never been

More um antipathy um and lack of trust in mainstream politics yeah and it’s a it’s a real Challenge and it’s a kind of reminder that you need Charisma for politics and you need to connect but you also I think there’s a danger here of drawing the wrong conclusion so when I

Say that he’s the kind of the kind of n Nigel farage of the left Nigel farage has never been elected uh and so it’s really important that the conservative party for instance at the moment don’t draw the conclusion that the answer is to become more right-wing and more

Extreme well that that’s the point I was going because because we’re talking about labor party and we’re talking about George Galloway’s success and labor party’s lack of success and the success of the independent camp today but the conservatives the government also lost this by elction as well but

They’re just doing it in a quiet away because so much but we’ve just had weeks of Lee Anderson and to be honest George Galloway me Lee Anderson look like a a global Diplomat um you know he’s he goes there and says things that that even Lee Anderson would find difficult so both

Parties have been wrestling with their extreme and there’s a lot of people in the conservative part the moment who think that the conclusion is to become more rightwing and that would be the wrong one labor regrets that we weren’t able to field a candidate in this byelection and we apologize to people of

Rochdale for that George Galloway is someone who stirs up Division and hate uh and we should be working to unite communities K starm this is for Gaza you have paid and you will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling encouraging and covering for the catastrophe

Presently going on in occupied Palestine in the Gaza Strip of all the parties to remove to remove remate you said in the hustings that you wanted to extract oil and gas from the North Sea and all the [Applause] I Want apart from that that circus in Rochdale uh Lots circus is putting it nicely but it was a circus is an absolute joke and a front to British democracy uh George Galloway has won on his anti-semitic ticket has gone in uh to Parliament to represent the people of

Rochdale and what did he say the people of rdale he’s the MP for Gaza yeah exactly he goes he goes this is for Gaza not for rdale then George George Galloway George Galloway you’ve said that you’ve crushed your former party and that this is a crisis for K starma

But he’s calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza he’s saying he’s saying that a Rafer offensive by the Israelis would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe what is K starma doing wrong well I know you’re so sad about the result cuz I’ve been watching you on television this

Evening I know that uh all I can say is cry more cry more C I think you I think you’ll find that at 10:30 I was predicting your Victory cry more if you believe that GE starmer is genuinely seeking an end to the slaughter in Gaza I’ve got a bridge

In London that I could sell you this should have been an easy win for Labor uh following the loss of Tony Lloyd but you know many Britains will be waking up today asking themselves if George Galloway is the answer we really don’t know what the question is I read

Some of his literature they are so full of hate they’re designed to Rally fear they’re designed to cause division an entire campaign based on Gaza K starmer and Rishi sunak are two two cheeks of the same backside um he’s trotting out this the same ghastly tropes he’s still treating the

Palestinian people with utter contempt by using their bones to build a pull pit for himself to spew this divisive rubbish that he always does but I was on television with him years ago he first thing he said Blair and brown he says the two cheeks are the same up you know

He us a slightly different word not backside he he used that against me and somebody else he just uses it over and over again George Galloway made I think probably one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard in the House of Commons when he was speaking against the bo

Um and he he’s speaking from a very Catholic perspective on that and he regardless of your own views on abortion it was an incredible speech very very it’s actually captivated the house he’s capable of of doing this extraordinary speech but on the other hand so are other demagogues in history they have

That skill and that ability all we can say is the one Saving Grace is if he has one and the indications are not good for democracy they’re good for Galloway the indications are that he will only be an MP for a short time and he will be a

Pariah in that what we’re seeing is the dawn of a very dark sectarian Invasion into our politics never before in this country has our politics been split on the basis of religion never before have we had bulcan ised voting blocks based upon religion never before have we had

That sort of division in our society and this I’m afraid to tell you is going to be the very beginning of something that’s not going to go away anyone who thinks that they can now win a vote by well there are accusations going on of ballot stuffing poster vote th

Intimidation bullying whether or not those things occurred doesn’t matter how much do you really care about R BBC please we’ been waiting a long time thank you I hope you didn’t practice that question did you you what are you are you a student journalist tell us how

Much you care about are you a student journalist nov Grenada the people just elected me you’ve been accused by Richard Ty of not running a fair and free election what would you say to Mr Ty I’m not sure I want to dignify Richard T uh comments with an answer he should

Know though that I kept the text on my telephone that he sent me very recently asking me to be the reform Party’s candidate in a parliamentary byelection uh I wouldn’t have wanted to publish that but if he doesn’t stop telling lies about me I’ll tell the

Truth about him okay well we’ll let you go but before we go do you want to say a quick word of congratulations to George Galloway this morning I think we’ll leave it there okay well Eddie re we appreciate your time thanks very much thank you