Friday, May 06, 2005

Labour back in power

There has been much talk over the last 12 hours about the anti-Labour vote. There was much anticipation about the Liberal Democrat's hopes to challenge and truly bring about 3-party politics in the UK (something we note they say pretty much at every election).

What actually happened? Many Labour strongholds saw shifts to the LibDems without it necessarily affecting how close the Tories got to the Labour vote. Where Tories did make inroads, it was generally to 'gain' seats that had historically been strong swing seats between the Tories and Labour or seats which had gone Labour (in some instances for the first time ever) back in the election of 1997 when the scale of the anti-Tory vote astonished even the Labour party. The LibDems generally lost out to a strengthened Tory vote in seats where the LibDems proclaimed the possibility of 'decapitating' the Tory front-bench. There were some horrifying numbers voting for far-right parties.

What does this show? In 1983 The Labour party was deemed dead and buried with a similar result to that of the Tories in this new parliament. The Tories not only need to continue to hold onto the seats they won this time around, but substantially need to win over more of those seats which Labour held onto - seats where in several instances the LibDem vote went up. And that LibDem increase can't help but be acknowledged as partly a ill-thought out search for a more radical left-ish political agenda [I could talk at length about how the LibDems have been situated by the media as a more left-wing party than the Labour party. I think there are aspects of that which are true, but many more that illustrate this was specious nonsense --- mostly because, as frustrating as LibDems may find it, under the current electoral system they are still NO WHERE NEAR being an electable government].

And as for George Galloway... I feel sick. I have hugely mixed feelings about the war, and the manner in which the decision was made, justified and squabbled over in the period after ground troops declared their ceasefire on hostilities (pity not everyone else has done the same). I sadly don't believe that the quagmire of Iraq is one that will go away anytime soon. But I DO firmly believe that free elections in Iraq, and the demolition of Saddam's regime (so long after he was let off the hook by the post-1990 Tory and Republican agendas) are absolutely GOOD THINGS. As such, the divisive manner in which Galloway fought his election campaign - which in some ways would not have disgraced the sentiments of the BNP - can in no way be celebrated as a positive thing for politics in this country and I feel heartily sorry for a Jewish-black woman MP like Oona King who had to deal with such attacks upon herself. It does no credit at all the our electoral system and for once I have some empathy with Paxo's attacking style of interview.

5 comments:

Reidski said...

Galloway is a nightmare of the highest degree - stole from War on Want, stole from the Miriam Appeal charity, got his campaign funds from the Daily Telegraph (via the libel campaign he won) and now he has stolen votes.
In short, George Galloway has always only ever been about George Galloway.
Then again, I don't sympathise with Oona King as she too is horrendous with her pro-war, pro-EU nuttiness - the good folks of Bethnal Green had a nightmare choice!
I had no qualms about my opposition to the war, the only unease I felt on the marches was: where the hell have these people been on all the other wars that have taken place over recent years?
And, while being anti-war, I have also been anti-the Stop the War "coalition". This is certainly no coalition, being as it is, a cabal of SWP nutters and the Muslim Association of Britain - neither of whom are exactly bastions of progressive thinking!

Anonymous said...

You write; ".. I feel heartily sorry for a Jewish-black woman MP like Oona King.."

What has the fact that Oona King is Jewish, black and a woman got to do with the price of turnips? I mean, what is especially significant about those facts for you, or anyone else, come to that?

Reidski said...

Lisa, no! I know you're itching to, but just don't do it. Go and put The Dears on instead, open a bottle of beer and relax. You know he's just trying to wind you up, so don't rise to the bait!

Anonymous said...

Reidski, stop being such an old paternalist! Lisa is a big girl now, and is quite capable of speaking (or not) for herself.

I was only concerned that she might inadvertantly have broken a Left-liberal rule which states that people's race, colour and gender are irrelevant. I know this is so because I have seen the fuss and furore from the Guardian if the Sun reports a mugger as being a black, West Indian man.

After all, rules are rules!

Anonymous said...

As an American Citizen, I wish to say that I watched Mr. George Galloway's Testimony this week and can honestly say that he made me proud to be an American. Mr. Galloway stood up, spoke the truth that Congress did not want to hear. I was ashamed to watch our Congressional Members attack Mr. Galloway without any shred of evidence or proof of wrong doing. I feel and know what Mr. Galloway went through before the hearing. I demanded that President Bush and Scretary Colin Powell resign their positions prior to the illegal action and killings of the Iraqi people. I sent my demand by facsimile directly to The White House, and proving that the photo's that Secretary Powell presented to the United Nations Council were fake and doctored. How did The White House respond??? They sicked the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force on me and my family. Me, of all people, prior U.S. Air Force, prior Federal and State Law Enforcement Officer. The FBI served an illegally obtained Search and Seizure warrant pursuant to Homeland Security, TSA and The Patriot Act. I have not been charged with any crime because I am in possession of Secret Documents, Letters and Emails from Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. How and Why did this happen. I took into custody a identified Federal Prisoner with a warrant in hand, and transported him from Alaska to Washington State as ordered by the court. In September 2004, a warrant was issued accusingme of 1). Impersonating a Police Officer and 2). Carrying a "Loaded Handgun aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 190 from Anchorage to Seattle, then from Seattle to Spokane. The prisoner was arrested by me, with a warrant in hand and a waiver of extradition. My home was surrounded by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, Texas State Police, County Deputies, TSA Agents, Texas Attorney General Officers, and various other federal agents who refused to identify themselves. The warrant was stuffed into my pocket after I was handcuffed by fellow agents and officers and told that I could read it later while they tore my home upside down. Of course the handcuffs came off when an attorney by the name of Anthony P. Romano showed up and could be reached at 512-918-0337 in Austin, Texas. When I called seven (7) offices of the ACLU, they told me to drop dead, your white, we don't care about your rights and can't help you. However, the U.S. Attorney General refuses to return my calls and property that was illegally seized because that would be an admission of guilt and fault by the U.S. Government. I am still waiting to provide the secret TSA and Homeland Security memo's and e-mails that were forwarded to me by an inside source, but if the U.S. Attorney General accepts them, they will prove my innocence. The U.S. Attorney General also forgot that the alledged "Security Breach" on July 29, 2004 was video taped and also proves my innocence of wrong doing. A reporter with KTVA Channel 11 in Anchorage, Alaska admitted that his first report was errored and he did a follow-up to clear me of all charges. the day after the second story aired, he was fired by the Station Manager. So what is the moral of the story?? Those who read this story should complain to their Congressional Memeber, pass this story on as if it were a chain letter, and never use the First Amendment, by sending a letter to The White House, because you too like Mr. Galloway and I would be made out to be a nut and Un-American. You might even be placed on the "No-Fly List" as a "National Security Risk" to the United States of America.