Making Mr Galloway Popular.

by hitch Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:11

Even before RESPECT and London bombs its clear that Galloway has many unlikeable aspects.

He was always going on about how great the Eastern Bloc was, how sad it was that the Berlin Wall came down. Yet there was no way he live there himself. He wouldn't swop his high life and Portuguese villa to queue for basic groceries. He's still a champagne Stalinist.

by hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Mon Jul 11, 2005 15:27

Coz I'm wondering was anyone's "exit strategy" from left to right, ever based on a terrorist incident or emotional response to a terrorist incident?
did IAWM or the british anti-war movement strategically plan for this eventuality?
I personally doubt it. They have never displayed such thinking before.

The offices of the wonderful newspaper The Guardian on farringdon road are so close to one of last week's blasts that naturally in that office, long thinking of a possible "exit strategy" the columnists clamour that anyone who doesn't see a link between last thursday and iraq is in "denial".

Perhaps.

anyone who doesn't see a link between the continuing injustice against Palestinians and terrorism is also one could say "in greater denial".
anyone who doesn't see a definite link between the new global posturing of the UK in the last weeks and terrorism is in "very serious denial".
anyone who doesn't connect the "non-connected" alert in birmingham last weekend with London is in the most "foolish denial".

London must tend to its victims.

& then London and the UK if it is to credibly continue "its way of life" must call an open and public inquiry with all members of COBRA, the Prime minister, the public representatives for the boroughs affected, a spokesperson for a properly constituted group representing the victims and their families, representatives of the emergency forces, representatives of the intelligence community. Any refusal to do so on behalf of the British government is an attempt to foist an abnormal civil rights situation and control of information on the public. It is a subversion of the "way of life". If not just for those of London, for all who will be victims of XXI century _imitative_ terrorism in other places, a public inquiry with a transparent investigation is *obligatory*.

For any "exit strategy" from Iraq, would one think like any strategy be designed so well, that it must see a revindication of the democratic process both in the uk and beyond.

to ping - "exit strategy" -hold that "hip hip horray".

Of course Mr Galloway would be on the list of local MPs invited to address such an inquiry, as would the British anti-iraq-war mainstream party the Liberal democrats.

by ribbid ribbid ribbid Wed May 18, 2005 12:57

hip hip hoorah!
we are seeing the first trans-atlantic scene of the "exit strategy" of the UK government from Iraq, which under its new parliament knows its regime whether "under" Blair (or another) will outlast that of Bush 2.
And there are lashings of "respect" and other key phrases being thrown into the spin. Not for our sakes, not for the sakes of those we represent, not for Galloway's sake, this is very old fashioned british politics.
Here is how the Irish independent reprinted the words of the English Time's James Bone on the senate hearing-
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=30&si=1397664&issue_id=12483
Here is a simple example of the sort of spin and headlines to come that I'm talking of :
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1028867
on second thought "hold the hip hip hoorah".

by Rosa Fri May 13, 2005 23:19

Juan Pablo, read my post again. I did NOT call people who are sceptical of Galloway imperialist! I have major problems with his populist, 'old labour' politics and I have major problems with the Respect coalition, which seems to me to be an oppurtunisitic alliance between Galloway and the SWP and a small number of Islamist activists, each using each other for short term gain.

The point I was making was that we should be very careful not to fall for every lie peddled by imperialism, just because they are thrown at those we dislike or disagree with on the left. I have really serious problems with Galloways past political support for the genocidal Baathist regime (who were of course sustained and supported and armed by both the west and USSR through years of butchery) but I find it very hard to believe that he benefited personally from the oil-for-food programme.

I certainly don't accept the word of a bunch of US politicians. These are the same people who swallowed and peddled endless lies about weapons of mass destruction, they are hardly fit to try Galloway in their star chamber. He has won two libel cases in the (hardly left-leaning) British courts, which cleared him of involvement.

So, yes, I'll be cheering on Galloway against the representatives of US imperialism, just as I cheer on those in England who are opposed to the Galloway/SWP/Islamist Respect coalition and working to build a genuine broad socialist party based on all the working class regardless of their race/religion.

by Juan Pablo Fri May 13, 2005 22:01

but i cannot quite believe that Galloway is really innocent, something stunk to high heaven in his dealings with Saddam Hussein,anyhoo i look forward to his attendance at the senate hearings,should be entertaining if anything else..

by iosaf Fri May 13, 2005 13:24

but just because the commercial media are playing a game, doesn't mean the alternative media can't overlap, and since our game is bigger always, here's the link following the humdinger Q - "....are we to expect Mr voucher man himself to give evidence"
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,355998,00.html
http://www.tagi.ch/dyn/news/newsticker/498053.html
http://www.rhein-main.net/sixcms/list.php?page=fnp2_news_article&id=2276192

the moves to bring Saddam to trial are continuing, though reported in the arabic daily "Al Hayat" as of two hours ago, I leave you the german links, coz as you no doubt remember, if Saddam is brought to trial, his defence counsel is being supplied by the Vatican, which as you know is german speaking these days.

Nota Bene - that this trial may not meet the standards and requirements of a trial of an ex-sovreign chief of state due to the legal stickyness associated with the manner in which he "resigned".

by Rosa Fri May 13, 2005 11:40

Im no fan of Galloway but anyone with a sense of balance can see this is a hatchet job. Those on the left who reject Galloways populist, opportunistic style should be very wary of giving credence to right-wing attacks on him. Beware of 'doing a Hitchens' and, in legitimately criticising aspects of left thinking or individuals/groups on the left, ending up in the imperialist camp. For a surprisingly good analysis of how the media is mishandling this affair see:

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1483078,00.html

by 0-! Thu May 12, 2005 22:44

I shall point you in several directions please note:: that is Nota Bene, that all these directions should you choose to follow them "in a comitted information / art activist" or professional media / historical worker way, will take you on journey's up more people noses, than you'd ever get to, "just dancing on Moore street".
For such a journey, it is recommended that the comitted information / art @ctivist / professional media or historical worker use lashings of ascerbic wit to deal with the copious renderings of mucous you will find up those noses.

In no particular order :-

1
The french route - Will take you this, 127th day of Florence Aubenas french journalist & her Iraqi guide Hussein Hanoun Al Saadi kidnapping in Iraq, through the Didier Julia file -
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_Julia
and there you will learn that the vouchers, that is to mean, *all the vouchers* issued in Iraq as a sovreign state under the horrible Mr Saddam are no longer valid.

2
The irish route - will take you to the vouchers issued to Irish interests, and as already being realised by the sharpest amongst you, "oil" wasn't the only voucher "blue chip" negotiating paper pushed around by the horrible Mr Saddam, why we might joke, (that is to mean you humour me and laugh) there were plenty of butter vouchers too.
Petrol resources, directed by Mr Horgan (not Ed of the aircraft challenge to Bush) 62 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3, Ireland was set up in 1982. It moved from London’s Ofex Market to the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in August 2000 and as of May 4th 2005, that is a little more than a week ago, when Mr Galloway was still in Hansard as a Glasgow MP, it "noted the recent volatility in the share price and certain press speculation. Petrel wishes to report that it has not yet obtained clarification regarding potential contract awards for oil field developments in Khurmala and Hemrin referred to in an announcement on 12 December 2004, nor has it received any formal communication from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil about the status of the pending Subba & Luhais oil field development".
Please note, NOTA BENE, this not to infer that Perel Resources were ever offered oil vouchers, but if they as "leaders" in Irish international business have not anything substantial to offer in the way of information on what all the oil and butter vouchers were about, then they're not worth interviewing.
http://www.petrelresources.com/

3
The easy reader version. here follows an excerpt just to prove to you it really is the easy reader version-
"Q: What was the oil-for-food programme?
(((they love Q in BBC land)))
The oil-for-food (OFF) programme was a $60bn (£32bn) scheme set up in 1996 which was supposed to allow Iraq to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies with the proceeds of regulated oil sales, without breaking the sanctions imposed on it after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
The programme aimed to relieve the suffering of ordinary Iraqis under the sanctions and was formally ended in 2003 after the US-led invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Q: What is the scandal?
(((told you so! all the interviews are done by Q)))
The scandal emerged in early 2004, after an Iraqi newspaper published a list of about 270 people including UN officials, politicians and companies it alleged may have profited from the illicit sale of Iraqi oil during the OFF programme. Mr Galloway and Mr Pasqua were on that list....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4540401.stm

intrigued?
want more??
ready to flutter on the lahndin stock market & poke Petrol???
willing to ask Galloway for a caravan for the mammy as he goes two barrels transatlantic????

whichever way you go, you will find lots of information- and have fun doin things with it.
:-)