George galloway

The race to be London Mayor is the biggest personality contest in politics. And one personality looms largest: George Galloway, back from Bradford and seeking his fortune on the capital’s streets. In his public appearances, the Respect party leader has been on his usual bombastic form. But dig a little deeper, and it becomes apparent that his campaign — and his career — is on the shakiest ground. In 2012, Galloway won the Bradford West by-election by 10,000 votes: a staggering coup. But at the general election this year his party was drummed out of town. Not only did Galloway lose, but Respect’s four councillors (who had only recently rejoined after a spat with their leader) have abandoned it again. Its registered headquarters is now a tanning salon.

The loudest cheers to emerge from a PLP meeting since Jeremy Corbyn rose to power came after the Labour MP Jess Phillips called for George Galloway to never be allowed to re-join Labour. The sentiment was later reinforced in an editorial by Dawn Butler -- who helped Corbyn get on the ballot slip -- where she wrote that Corbyn had told her he was not in favour of letting his old comrade Galloway back in. So Mr S can't help but wonder whether both Butler and Phillips will be disappointed to read comments made by Corbyn in an interview with the Huffington Post. When asked whether he would like to have Galloway -- who was expelled in 2003 following his outspoken comments on the Iraq war -- back in the Labour party, Corbyn refrains from siding with his female colleagues.

Although Jeremy Corbyn is facing growing criticism over his role as a speaker at Friday's Stop The War Christmas fundraiser, so far the Labour leader is showing no signs of backing down. Despite pleas from the likes of Michael Dugher, Tristram Hunt, Caroline Flint and Emma Reynolds for Corbyn to cancel, he looks set to attend, and will give the main speech. So, who will he be dining with as he feasts on Turkish food and rallies the troops? Mr S has compiled a list of some of the Stop the War comrades that may be in attendance tonight: Francesca Martinez: As well as Corbyn's speech, entertainment will be provided by the comedian Francesca Martinez. Those hoping for some light entertainment, however, may need to think again.

George Galloway is currently campaigning to be the next Mayor of London, on behalf of his Respect Party. However, given that bookies are giving 50/1 odds on him succeeding, Mr S suspects it is for the best that he also has a business venture up his sleeve. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Galloway discusses his love of vintage clothes, including his 'trademark' fedora. He reveals that he is planning to open his own vintage clothes shop, having bought the lease on a vintage shop near Portobello Road, which lies in the centre of Notting Hill -- one of London's most expensive neighbourhoods: 'Galloway spends a fortune on vintage clothes, buying from shops such as Victory in Whiteleys and Rokit in Covent Garden.

With Zac Goldsmith today announced as the Conservative candidate for the 2015 London mayoral race, the Tory MP will now face Sadiq Khan in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor. However, one man who feels he should not be forgotten as a contender is George Galloway. Galloway -- who is running as an independent candidate for mayor -- thinks that there is a gap in the market for him in the race, as Labour's Sadiq Khan is just not up to it. Speaking on the Daily Politics, Galloway said that while he was disappointed that Tessa Jowell is not Labour's candidate – given that she differs from him more politically than Khan – Khan is still no real threat to his own bid. Why?

Although Labour conference has so far been a rather tame affair, Jess Phillips can at least be relied upon to spice up proceedings. The outspoken Labour MP is developing a reputation for being a bit of a rebel after she made the news earlier this month for telling Diane Abbott to 'f--- off'. Now she has a new target in her sights. Phillips says that she confronted George Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2003, on the beach in Brighton yesterday. She says she decided to tell Galloway -- who was previously criticised by anti-rape campaigners for comments suggesting sexual assault charges facing Julian Assange were nothing more than 'bad sexual etiquette' -- that he was a 'rape apologist': https://twitter.

George Galloway has announced that he would like to return to the Labour party if Jeremy Corbyn is elected leader. The former Respect MP for Bradford West sees Corbyn as a comrade in arms and would feel at home alongside him. He told LBC this week: ‘I think if Jeremy were to win everyone on the left would rejoin the Labour party. That's the part of the problem that saw us part solved. I've always been a Labour man I consider myself real Labour. I've never been a Marxist or a Trotskyist or any other kind of -ist other than a Labour-ist.’ And asked if he would contemplate a  return to the Labour fold if Corbyn wins, Galloway said 'definitely, pretty damn quick.

Things could start to get very strange indeed if Jeremy Corbyn is successful in his bid to be the next Labour leader. Corbyn's old chum George Galloway has today voiced his hopes that he will be able to 'work closely' with Corbyn in his bid to be the Mayor of London: https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/625962867330805760 While Labour will have their own mayoral candidate, Corbyn may decide to reach out to Galloway -- who is entering on behalf of his Respect Party -- given their mutual appreciation for one another: https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/610503581247111168 https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/185542633056239616 Still, Mr S recalls what happened when the duo teamed up back in 2013 to mark the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

When you tell people you work in or around politics, and if you can break through the initial contempt or boredom, one type of question tends ‎to surface first: 'what is so-and-so really like?' There are three answers to that question, only one of them good: 'They're exactly how they come across on telly', which — unless you're the likes of Boris Johnson or William Hague — is usually not a compliment. It tends to mean the individual is the kind of wooden, humourless, unthinking, battery hen politician that makes the public yawn, scream or both; 'They're a total (uncomplimentary word)'.

Last week, the Greens released ‘Change the Tune’, a party political broadcast on YouTube. It features actors playing Cameron, Clegg, Miliband and Farage all singing in harmony. All four men are indistinguishable from one another. Ukip and the Lib Dems are the same, went the message. Only the Greens are different. Met with wild adulation from Green supporters and bewildered scepticism from more-or-less everyone else, the video has been the most high profile video of the campaign so far. Buckle up – it’s time for viral politics. YouTube and other platforms hosting political videos side-by-side with popular culture will play a significant role in this election. This is not particularly controversial.

By 524 votes to 43, the House of Commons has voted to support air-strikes against Islamic State in Iraq. The margin of victory is not surprising given how limited the motion was, it rules out ground troops and makes clear there’ll be another vote before any action in Syria. But in a sign of the unease of some on the Labour side, Rushanara Ali, who represents George Galloway’s old seat of Bethnal Green and Bow, has resigned from the front bench over Labour’s support for the motion. Indeed, the first estimates are that 24 Labour MPs voted against while just five Tories opposed. The question now is whether, and when, Cameron might return to the Commons to try and gain approval for action in Syria.

At times in the last few months, it has seemed that if no one was making the case for Britain in Scotland. Too often it seemed that Better Together knew the price of separation but not the value of Britishness. But that is changing. Yes closing the gap, and taking the lead in a couple of polls, has prompting an outpouring of emotion about the United Kingdom from those on the No side. At a pro-Union event in Edinburgh on Friday night, I was struck by how speakers from Gordon Brown to Danny Alexander to George Galloway all talked about Britishness in raw, emotional terms. This focus on Britishness is long over-due. The Guardian’s ICM poll finds that among No voters the most popular reason for voting No is their feelings about the UK.

George Galloway announced his support for Gordon Brown as First Minister of Scotland last night. Galloway’s endorsement came as Brown turned up at an event at Usher Hall in Edinburgh that Galloway was compering. The endorsement was met with a broad grin by Brown. But behind the humour, there is a serious point, Scottish Labour knows that it has given Salmond and the SNP far too easy a ride at Holyrood. As the former Labour Minister Brian Wilson acknowledged at last night's event, this referendum is happening because the SNP managed to win a majority in the Scottish Parliament and Labour must take some of the blame for that. That this referendum is so close is also because so many traditional Labour voters are now backing independence.

It’s going to be the battle of the Georges in Bradford West at next year’s general election – and Mr S reckons it could be a worth keeping an eye on George Grant, the Tory candidate selected for the seat on Saturday. After helping to launch the Libya Herald, the country’s first post-Gaddafi English language newspaper, Grant was forced to flee in 2013 when his investigative work into Benghazi's extremist militias made him the target of abduction threats. Which is a somewhat sounder tale of adventure in the region than those of his Bradford West opponent, George Galloway – not least the Respect MP’s cosying up to the late Saddam Hussein.

Unionists frequently lament the lack of passionate figures on the Better Together campaign, able to take on Alex Salmond. Thankfully, there is at least one such person — George Galloway. His nine minute speech at last night’s Spectator debate is one of the most forceful and convincing arguments we’ve heard so far against Scottish Independence.