Galloway returns to Parliament in sensational win in Bradford West - Labour/Coalition smashed

[Kaka Tim]

Galloway must have attracted a sizeable percentage of the non-muslim vote to win by such a huge margin - over 50% of the vote on a pretty reasonalbe turnout.
And he will not have got all of the muslim vote eithers- a sizeable chunk of that would surely have gone to labour local mulsim candidate.
Unless we belive those non-muslims were attracted by his saddam bothering or big brother performances we can only assume they voted for him on the basis of his key campaign messages - uncompromising opposition to austerity and war. A position that puts him well to the left of the labour party.

 

[ska invita]

If Labour have any electoral sense (and they DO seem pretty switched on on that front at least),

what gives you that impression ayatollah?

 

[Lock&Light]

Galloway must have attracted a sizeable percentage of the non-muslim vote to win by such a huge margin - over 50% of the vote on a pretty reasonalbe turnout.
And he will not have got all of the muslim vote eithers- a sizeable chunk of that would surely have gone to labour local mulsim candidate.
Unless we belive those non-muslims were attracted by his saddam bothering or big brother performances we can only assume they voted for him on the basis of his key campaign messages - uncompromising opposition to austerity and war. A position that puts him well to the left of the labour party.

I'm sure that a lot of Tories and of the few Lib-Dem voters will have voted for Galloway to hurt Labour.

 

[Kaka Tim]

I'm sure that a lot of Tories and of the few Lib-Dem voters will have voted for Galloway to hurt Labour.

I'm sure they didn't.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

I'm sure that a lot of Tories and of the few Lib-Dem voters will have voted for Galloway to hurt Labour.

That's an incredibly bizarre suggestion and if a few did as the result of head injuries or getting their prescriptions mixed up, their impact is going to be on a par with voting Monster Raving Loony.

 

[Lock&Light]

That's an incredibly bizarre suggestion and if a few did as the result of head injuries or getting their precriptions mixed up, their impact is going to be on a par with voting Monster Raving Loony.

It actually what one of the Tory spin doctors said, so I don't think it's so bizzare.

 

[DotCommunist]

Yeah a tory voter would sooner give billy bragg a handjob than protest vote for Galloway

UKIP is the protest vote for Tories usually. Dunno if they bothered to run anyone in this race

 

[Lock&Light]

Yeah a tory voter would sooner give billy bragg a handjob that protest vote for Galloway

UKIP is the protest vote for Tories usually. Dunno if they bothered to run anyone in this race

When it became obvious that Galloway was in with a chance of winning a vote for UKIP would have been truly wasted from a Tory point of view.

 

[articul8]

It actually what one of the Tory spin doctors said, so I don't think it's so bizzare.

I don't think it's likely to have been a major factor, but I don't think it's bizarre - esp given Galloway's appeal to religious values, not drinking etc. which would have gone down well with small-c conservative elements in the mosques some of whom might have previously voted Tory?

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Yeah a tory voter would sooner give billy bragg a handjob than protest vote for Galloway

UKIP is the protest vote for Tories usually. Dunno if they bothered to run anyone in this race

Between them the BNP and UKIP got 5-6% in 2010 and the tories 31%. So say 36% to irredeemable right-wing shitheads in total.

Respect were on 3% and Labour on 45% last time around.

This time around Respect got 55%, Labour 25%, Tories 8% and the UKIP 3%, up one point on 2010, but with the BNP (who got 3% in 2010) not running at all.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

It actually what one of the Tory spin doctors said, so I don't think it's so bizzare.

Well, if it's a Tory spin doctor, he probably couldn't find Bradford on a map or understand a word that anyone from Bradford might have to say.

 

[Lock&Light]

Well, if it's a Tory spin doctor, he probably couldn't find Bradford on a map or understand a word that anyone from Bradford might have to say.

I believe he was actually an MP from a nearby constituency, so your attempt at dismissal might have been better directed at Galloway who apparently thinks he's won a seat in Blackburn.

 

[Lock&Light]

I don't think it's likely to have been a major factor, but I don't think it's bizarre - esp given Galloway's appeal to religious values, not drinking etc. which would have gone down well with small-c conservative elements in the mosques some of whom might have previously voted Tory?

I don't think any Tories voted for Galloway because they like him. Spreading egg all over Milliband's face would have been the motive.

 

[belboid]

that'd be the tories who thought they could win the seat. the tories who hate galloway even more than labour. doesnt really seem that likely to have occured on anything other than an insignificant level

 

[Kaka Tim]

Fucking desperate attempts to avoid the obvious conclusion that lots of people, including many non-muslims - voted for galloway because they agreed with what he was saying.

The asumption that this must be becasue its lib dems and tories voting for Galloway - who they would absolutely hate as their MP - to stop labour winning the seat is utterly bizzarre. Its based on no evidence whatsoever and has absoultey no parrallel in the history of how people vote.

 

[Lock&Light]

that'd be the tories who thought they could win the seat.

I've very little respect for the thinking capabilities of the Tories, but thinking they could win the seat? We're talking about West Bradford here, a seat that has been with Labour since the seventies.

 

[Lock&Light]

Its based on no evidence whatsoever and has absoultey no parrallel in the history of how people vote.

I find that a bizarre thing to say.

 

[Fedayn]

It actually what one of the Tory spin doctors said, so I don't think it's so bizzare.

Because it's said by a Tory to excuse their massive % drop in votes does it make it any more believable?

 

[belboid]

I've very little respect for the thinking capabilities of the Tories, but thinking they could win the seat? We're talking about West Bradford here, a seat that has been with Labour since the seventies.

on their list of possible on 2010, Singhs majority was only a couple of thou in 2005. With GG standing they thought he'd take enough votes from labour to let them slip thru the middle.

 

[Lock&Light]

Because it's said by a Tory to excuse their massive % drop in votes does it make it any more believable?

Perhaps it is the explanation for that drop in their vote. Just because a Tory says something it's not automatically wrong, however much certain people might want that to be so.

 

[Lock&Light]

on their list of possible on 2010, Singhs majority was only a couple of thou in 2005. With GG standing they thought he'd take enough votes from labour to let them slip thru the middle.

That's not what the pundits were saying before polling day.

 

[Fedayn]

Perhaps it is the explanation for that drop in their vote. Just because a Tory says something it's not automatically wrong, however much certain people might want that to be so.

Nor is it immune from criticism and questioning no matter how much you don't think it should be. Where is the evidence for this claim? Where is any precedent for such a voting swicth? Why are you so uncritically repeating it as true? Simply saying it was the comments by a Tory PR man doesn't make it true.

 

[Kaka Tim]

I find that a bizarre thing to say.

Ok - your only 'evidence' for tories and lib dems voting for galloway to get at labour is based on what a tory spindoctor says.
Ergo - your argument is pretty unconvincing to say the least.
Its would also be completely out of the ordinary in terms of people's voting behaviour. Thats why I called it bizzarre.
Give me one single example of something similar ever happening beofre - i.e. significent numbers of labour voters voting UKIP to get at the tories.

 

[Lock&Light]

Ok - your only 'evidence' for tories and lib dems voting for galloway to get at labour is based on what a tory spindoctor says.
Ergo - your argument is pretty unconvincing to say the least.
Its would also be completely out of the ordinary in terms of people's voting behaviour. Thats why I called it bizzarre.
Give me one single example of something similar ever happening beofre - i.e. significent numbers of labour voters voting UKIP to get at the tories.

I have no evidence and offered none. Neither did I suggest that it was in any way a deciding factor. But, if I was a gambling man, I'd bet that Galloway will not win the seat at the next election with over 50% of the vote.

 

[JHE]

I doubt many Tories or Lib Dems voted for Galloway, though I'd want to know more about the votes in the posher wards before forming a definite opinion.

Fucking desperate attempts to avoid the obvious conclusion that lots of people, including many non-muslims - voted for galloway because they agreed with what he was saying.

There is at least one very emotive issue on which many people of all parties and none agree with GGG. He calls very loudly for the troops to be brought home and points out that British soldiers are dying for nothing, that their deaths are pointless and he says the government is to blame for this grisly useless sacrifice of young men. This is true and people know it's true.

On Urban75 there may be people who like to kid themselves that opposition to a hopeless and bloody military campaign in Afghanistan is left-wing, but it's not particularly left-wing or right-wing. There are people on the right who agree (though they may be underrepresented among Tory MPs, who think it would be disloyal to talk sense) and there are also plenty of people, not least Lib Dems, who consider themselves in the centre of politics who also agree. If you disbelieve me, get out and talk to more people.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

Fair point.

GG was clearly aiming to position himself as a left alternative to Labour though. At least on the basis of the information I've seen.

So while there may be other questions that are arguably neutral from a left/right point of view and which were factors in Bradford, on issues where there is a clear left-right spectrum, I believe it would be correct to say that GG was positioned well to the left of Labour.

 

[two sheds]

On Urban75 there may be people who like to kid themselves that opposition to a hopeless and bloody military campaign in Afghanistan is left-wing, but it's not particularly left-wing or right-wing.

That'll be why that well known left-wing government in the US is so overwhelmingly in favour of the war. I'd puzzled over that.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

For what its worth though, it appears that he was also (almost certainly falsely given his track record) claiming that if elected he'd actively address a variety of local issues that the local Labour old-boy network had failed to convince their constituents that they gave a shit about.

Some of those local issues will have a left-right dimension (austerity vs effective public services) and some potentially won't (e.g. whether the candidate is teetotal)

I'd be surprised if anyone could find such a local issue where there is clearly a left-right dimension, on which GG wasn't well to the left of the Labour party though.

Very surprised.

 

[ayatollah]

what gives you that impression ayatollah?

Its NOT a compliment to Labour I assure you... but they do appear to be constantly "focus grouping" the MIDDLE CLASS SWING VOTERS MAINLY, in relation to their policies , and adjusting accordingly, as any totally cynical bourgeois political party does. The Galloway win has probably told them graphically that their political elite arrogance in assuming that the working class vote is "forever in the Labour bag, whatever they do" can't be taken for granted. It will be interesting to see if NULabour "adjusts" the rhetoric to the "Left" a wee bit in the coming months as a sop to this vital "voting cohort".

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

That'll be why that well known left-wing government in the US is so overwhelmingly in favour of the war. I'd puzzled over that.

While I agree with JHE that being anti-war is not the preserve of the left, in what way is the current US government left wing?