Two Years Ago in Rochdale You Said that Gaza was the Main Issue – What Has Changed? The Genocide is Still Continuing
In March 2024 at the count in the Rochdale by-election, which Galloway won with a stunning 40% of the vote, he said that Gaza was the main issue.
Now however the issue is not Gaza or Genocide or Zionism. Galloway is reported as saying that his decision to stand as a candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election is his differences with Zack Polanski over Ukraine and trans-rights. Gaza and Israel’s blitzkrieg in the Middle East has been forgotten. It seems that the real issue is George’s huge ego and his inability to stay out of the limelight.
Chris Williamson was right to resign as Deputy Leader of the Workers Party of Britain. The only choice in the election is between Polanski of the Green Party and Sagal Abdi-Wali, of the Labour Party. There is no other choice.
As The Standard said, Polanski has gained a huge boost from the backing of Andrew Feinstein, the former ANC MP and socialist who gained 7,312 votes in 2024 against the notorious liar, the unlamented Keir Starmer. Whereas Andrew gained 18.9% of the vote Starmer, despite being the incumbent Prime Minister, had a swing of 17.3% against him.
Polanski is clearly the anti-Genocide candidate standing against Labour’s genocide supporting candidate. For Galloway to stand, when it is clear he is going to get a derisory vote on a par with the 1.4% and 489 votes he obtained in Tom Watson’s old seat of West Bromwich East in 2019, or perhaps the 0.5% and 164 votes that Peter Ford of the Workers Party obtained in the 2025 by-election in Runcorn, demonstrates that Galloway’s hatred of the Green Party, or is it Polanski, is greater than his hatred of the Labour Party.
1.4% may be the difference between Polanski winning and losing. Galloway has always said that Palestine is for him the key issue yet here he is threatening to help the party of genocide, the Labour Party, win the election.
The reality is that Galloway’s primary concern has always been himself. He has never subordinated his own ego to the greater good. How can he be serious and say that trans rights is the main issue? This is an issue that divides the left. It is an issue that the right-wing has campaigned on vociferously demonising anyone who doesn’t fit into the binary of male or female.
Given the attacks of Trump, Sunak and the far-right against transgender people one would expect anyone serious about left politics not to join in trans-baiting.
Galloway has always had a bad record on issues of sexuality. In an interview with Novara Media Galloway said:
“I don’t want my children prematurely sexualised at all, I don’t want them taught that some things are normal when their parents don’t believe that they’re normal.”
He has opposed gay sex being treated as normal in the context of sex education in schools.
He has also had the Tate brothers on his Moats show. Andrew and Tristan Tate are notorious for building a massive online following by promoting extreme misogyny, hyper-masculinity, and luxury lifestyles, alongside facing criminal charges including human trafficking, rape, and sexual exploitation.
It is no surprise that Galloway finds the Tate brothers attractive, despite Andrew Tate being removed from Big Brother in 2016 after a video showed him attacking a woman with a belt.
The jury is out on whether Galloway can even be described as on the left. He made his name as a firebrand in Scotland, Chair of the Scottish Labour Party and the person who ousted Roy Jenkins of the SDP from his Glasgow Hillhead seat in 1997. He has represented 4 different constituencies including Bradford West, Bethnal Green and Bow and last of all Rochdale.
His attitude to refugees and asylum seekers has been little different to the far-right. In May 2021 hundreds of Glaswegians prevented the thugs of Priti Patel’s snatch squads from seizing and deporting refugees by surrounding their van. Nicola Sturgeon supported them. But Galloway vented his spleen instead against those who freed the refugees rather than the racist Priti Patel and the Home Office:
“A devolved assembly has openly and unlawfully defied the implementation of a UK government decision,”
Galloway indulged in what Mark Brown described as ‘bilious refugee baiting.’
Galloway has always has been a bitter opponent of Scottish devolution and independence. This ‘bilious unionism’ perhaps explains his support for Brexit and his attempt to stand for the Brexit Party of Nigel Farage. Although according to The Spectator he has now changed his mind and supports independence for Scotland.
At the time of the 2016 referendum over Brexit he appeared on the same platform as Nigel Farage and compared their relationship to that between Winston Churchill and Stalin. Galloway’s high points – his confrontation with US Senators over Iraq and the Rochdale by-election are unfortunately matched by his low points such as support for the Brexit party in the 2019 European elections.
Perhaps the only principle he has maintained throughout his career is support for George Galloway. One can only hope that he has second thoughts and doesn’t end up supporting the party of Genocide in Gaza, the Labour Party.
I have therefor written an Open Letter to Galloway in the hope that he will reconsider his egotistical decision to stand.
Tony Greenstein
Are you able to do an equivalent on why Polanski is an anti- genocide candidate? Exactly how far does his anti-Zionism extend? A genuine request because he is clearly slippery & I’ve stopped paying attention to his various attempts to sabotage Green policy motions on Israel & the genocide. It would be useful to have his positions & actions summarised one place. TBC I’m not a supporter of The Green Party. Nonetheless political clarity is always valuable.
Anita
I am well aware of Zack’s equivocation on Zionism. But Polanski is clear on the genocide and also Israel as an apartheid state. Galloway isn’t even mentioning Palestine as his reason for standing against zack but Ukraine and trans rights. I don’t dispute Zack is slippery but he is far better than the Labour candidate who is pro-genocide
Thanks Tony for writing this. My feeling is that if we don’t want Labour elected Polanski is currently the only option. Thanks for pointing out Galloway’s terrible record on immigration. In London Green run Councils have voted to support a motion refusing to collaborate with immigration and raids and condemning the vicious policies of the new Immigration bill. proposed by Labour. Polanski has been outspoken in challenging anti migrant rhetoric
At a time when fascists are regularly visiting our towns and trying to stir up anti migrant hatred which is very important.