George Galloway Set For Sensational Return To House of Commons ?

[Ideologue]

I want to like him because Sheilbh doesn't, but:

They have to stop supporting illegal, bloody, costly foreign wars because one of the reasons why they were so decisively defeated this evening is that the public don't believe that they have atoned for their role in the invasion and occupation of other people's countries and the drowning of those countries in blood

Man, fuck this guy.

[Gups]

That gives him far too many ideals.  He's just a man desperately in need of a totalitarian teat.  Any'll serve.

But that doesn't stop him being the man of the moment; all very well for you to come up with nice intellectual reasons why he's a fraud and so forth, but the votes he's garnered across the whole constituency speak to a larger truth, that of rather serious public dissatisfaction with the ruling classes.

And what you and Raz are doing is making the same mistake that Cameron, Millband and the rent-boy have made, ignoring the groundswell of discontent and trying to discredit any opposition leadership.

Nope. This is just one very atypical constituency. There may be a groundswell of disconent, in fact I'm sure there is one, but that doesn't mean that any one person or party represents those discontented. It is as likely to manifest itself in voting for the BNP or the Greens or not voting at all.

[Richard Hakluyt]

It is the second atypical constituency that he has managed to win though, this is not a one-off.

[Brazen]

I hope he reprises his cat role from Big Brother when he lapped imaginary milk from Rula Lenska's hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1NIuCt72bU

[Viking]

Some comfort for the Tories after a terrible week.

Though I would be interested to see a detailed breakdown of the demographics of Bradford west 

I've found this :

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/bradfordwest/

The figures are for 2001. It is an impoverished place and back in 2001 38% of the electors were muslim, I would imagine that percentage has gone up.

43% Asians and almost all of them Muslims 38%. Bradford has for a long time been identified as a hot spot for muslim asian (pakistani for you non english) ghettoization. I'm sure dissatisfaction with Labour is an issue, but in this case I'd worry that it represents dissatisfaction with british society as a whole. Disaffected tories vote UKIP, disaffected labour voters vote LibDem and dissaffected LibDems have learned to live with first past the post. They went for Galloway.

I think this says more about West Bradford than it does about britain's political classes.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I agree with that.

Note that the 38% figure is from 11 years ago, it is undoubtedly higher today, though I am having no success in finding a more up-to-date figure.

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

[Duque de Bragança]

I agree with that.

Note that the 38% figure is from 11 years ago, it is undoubtedly higher today, though I am having no success in finding a more up-to-date figure.

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

Rule Britannia! 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I agree with that.

Note that the 38% figure is from 11 years ago, it is undoubtedly higher today, though I am having no success in finding a more up-to-date figure.

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

seeing what the pakistanis did with pakistan that sure has to be a comforting idea.

[Valmy]

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

You need to send in some Indians to partition West Bradford.

[Neil]

One interesting note is that the BNP didn't run a candidate, which is odd.  This is the sort of seat they normally target (they've run there in the last few elections) and their best chance is probably a by-election.  I wonder why they didn't field a candidate

I guess the BNP figured that they couldn't compete with Galloway when it came to being a moronic racist asshole.

[Barrister]

I agree with that.

Note that the 38% figure is from 11 years ago, it is undoubtedly higher today, though I am having no success in finding a more up-to-date figure.

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

You mean you don't already? 

There are several 'south asian' MPs in Canada (can't be bothered to figure out if they are pakistani, indian or whatever, or muslim, sikh or hindu).

[Richard Hakluyt]

Sitting as religious Pakistani MPs, rather than as ordinary MPs who happen to be pakistani and/or religious.

Just checked and there were 8 Muslim MPs returned in the 2010 election.

[Ed Anger]

I find myself uninterested as long as I can continue to import Jaffa Cakes.

[mongers]

That gives him far too many ideals.  He's just a man desperately in need of a totalitarian teat.  Any'll serve.

But that doesn't stop him being the man of the moment; all very well for you to come up with nice intellectual reasons why he's a fraud and so forth, but the votes he's garnered across the whole constituency speak to a larger truth, that of rather serious public dissatisfaction with the ruling classes.

And what you and Raz are doing is making the same mistake that Cameron, Millband and the rent-boy have made, ignoring the groundswell of discontent and trying to discredit any opposition leadership.

Nope. This is just one very atypical constituency. There may be a groundswell of disconent, in fact I'm sure there is one, but that doesn't mean that any one person or party represents those discontented. It is as likely to manifest itself in voting for the BNP or the Greens or not voting at all.

I don't disagree, I wanted to highlight the very real discontent and I think Galloway is a hugely capable rabble rouser, no one else could have pulled this off. Saving perhaps if UK politics aquires a Mosley like figure.

Isn't the BNP still riven by factional fighting ? Not that it matters, they aren't anywhere near ever being able to win a seat. Their saving grace is they're slightly less stupid than the EDL, who seem to be the most stupid people ever to get involve in a political movement.

[Josquius]

The BNP is slowly collapsing.
It failed monumentally in the last elections, being embarassed in most of its targets. That was its last throw of the dice.

I agree with that.

Note that the 38% figure is from 11 years ago, it is undoubtedly higher today, though I am having no success in finding a more up-to-date figure.

I would imagine that in a few years time we may have several religious Pakistani Mps sitting in the Commons 

I'm not too sure there.
The rough Pakistani areas don't tend to be home to the most religious of muslims. That's what makes them such dodgy areas really, national-standard 'youths without hope' who like getting drunk and causing trouble and who see white people outsiders. Its in reaction to this kind of person predominating which pushes the more decent ones into extremism.