Galloway’s Respect Party launches election campaign
George Galloway’s new party, Respect, yesterday launched its campaigns for the June 10th elections.
Mr Galloway himself, the independent (formerly Labour) MP for Glasgow Kelvin, is standing as a candidate for the London Region for the European Parliament.
Mr Galloway was suspended and later expelled from the Labour Party over his comments about British and American troops in Iraq, whom he likened to “wolves”.
Since his expulsion, Mr Galloway has been tireless campaigner against the war in Iraq, and the Respect party has strong links with the Stop the War Coalition.
Respect’s London manifesto includes a £1 flat rate fare for the London Underground, guards on Tube trains and conductors on buses, investment in rail, and a commitment to low cost housing in the capital for everyone who needs it, as well as its principal anti-war platform.
Respect is also fielding the only female candidate for June 10th’s London Mayoral election, Lindsay German.
In addition to Mr Galloway and Ms German, Respect has ten candidates for the Greater London Assembly and candidates in each region of the UK for the European Parliament election.
Speaking at the launch yesterday, Ms German said: “Obviously we are standing against the war and the occupation of Iraq, which I think is an issue for London as well as nationally.
“Money has been spent on this war which could have been spent on much more useful things.
“It has made London a more dangerous place and a target for terrorism.”
Mr Galloway’s autobiography, “I’m Not the Only One”, was published in late April – despite an attempt by the Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram to obtain an injunction halting publication.
Mr Ingram had demanded the removal of passage which had claimed that, in his youth, he had played the flute in “a sectarian, anti-Catholic, Protestant-supremacist Orange Order band” in Barlanark.
Mr Ingram stated at the time, “‘There is no truth in that story [that he had played in a Orange Order band] nor indeed in any claim by George Galloway that he knew me when I was purportedly a member of such a band.”
However, the Minister was satisfied to allow publication to go ahead with only the removal of a reference to playing the flute.
