Galloway attacks Labour for choosing "white guy" Steve Reed as Respect begins Croydon North campaign
GEORGE Galloway officially launched Respect's Croydon North by-election campaign with a promise that his party will stay in Croydon "win, lose or draw".
Speaking at a launch party at Crystals nightclub in Selhurst, the Bradford West MP told the audience that Respect is to open offices in West Croydon and Thornton Heath.
He then revealed to the Advertiser that the party plans to run candidates in the council elections in 2014.
Mr Galloway appeared at the rally to garner support for Respect candidate Lee Jasper, a former race advisor to Ken Livingstone.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013
He attacked Labour and repeatedly claimed the party is "scared" of Respect's chances at the by-election on November 29.
"In just a few days we have begun to rock and roll this constituency," declared Mr Galloway.
"When Chuka Umunna (Streatham MP) said it was a two horse race he meant to fool people into believing it was between New Labour and the Tories. It is a two horse race Chuka – it's us against you."
Personalities from from film, media and music appeared at the launch party on Saturday, including Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels star Vaz Blackwood; George Ruddock, editor and managing director of weekly newspaper The Voice, and rapper English Frank.
Around 80 people attended, most travelling from outside of Croydon. Following the speeches they were played to by former Radio 1 DJ Chris Goldfinger, former owner of The Club, in London Road.
Respect has been criticised after Mr Galloway said its campaign would "target" black and Muslim voters in Croydon North, but the former Labour MP told the crowd his party would appeal to anyone looking for "peace, justice and equality".
He then attacked Labour for selecting "white guy" Steve Reed, leader of Lambeth Council, as its candidate.
Mr Galloway said: "We have placed New Labour in an immediate quandary. They knew we were running Lee Jasper. So they had a choice to make with their candidate.
"They had all kinds of minorities in this constituency to choose from. They could have chosen an Asian candidate. They could have chosen a Muslim candidate. They could have chosen one of two or three black candidates. But they chose the white guy, as they normally do.
"They like to call it diversity. It's a strange kind of diversity. If there's any constituency in Britain that needs to give a voice to the voiceless people it's this one."
Mr Galloway added: "They want to put up a council leader from Lambeth whose name is mud in Lambeth.
"He could never stand for Parliament for Lambeth. He wanted to put his hat in the ring in Streatham but he was laughed out of the contest, such was his record of sacking workers, cutting services and the arrogant way in which he has run the council is legendary.
"He hopes Croydon is far away from Lambeth that his reputation will not follow him. But I've got news for him. It's already here and we'll spend every day and night telling the people of Croydon North that if you elect this guy not only will no one notice but nothing that is a problem here will be resolved.
"But if you elect Lee Jasper everyone in the country will have to take notice."
Lowering the voting age to 16 and using confiscated assets from criminals to invest in the community were among Mr Jasper's policies. Alienation of minorities in Croydon North is "rampant", he added.
"It's going to be a great fight. But if we're going to create history, I need troops on the ground. It's going to be an earthquake and a firestorm."
Mr Galloway said Respect would finish "first or second" come November 29, but believes the party can repeat the shock result which saw him win the Bradford West by-election in March.
For full coverage of Respect's campaign and by-election build-up from all the candidates see this website throughout the week and this Friday's Croydon Advertiser.
Comments
by Tony_NF
Tuesday, November 13 2012, 6:35PM
“Will Lee be telling the people of Croydon North about his support for Homosexual Marriage?
@leejasper "@lbc: CoE says gay marriage raises prospect of disestablishment. Henry deestablished the Catholic church so as to marry maybe it's time"”
by Tony_NF
Tuesday, November 13 2012, 6:16PM
“Why are they not wearing poppies in the pictures?”
by GuyFawk
Tuesday, November 13 2012, 6:12PM
“If you vote Respect does that mean you get Lee Jasper, George Galloway and Abu Qatada?”
by GuyFawk
Tuesday, November 13 2012, 2:58PM
“If this election and the inclusion of Mr. Galloway's involvement has a direct linkage with the locating of the Home Office in Croydon then we should not be worrying ourselves about any attack on any subject from him. More importantly we should be focusing on why we in Croydon are suffering so much by the Home Office being here in the first place.
Please Croydon Advertiser write an article on the Pros and Cons on the Home Office being here.
Personally I feel Croydon has done more than its' part and all future new arrivals in the UK should be taken up by all other Councils around the UK where each Council has a quota to fulfill for housing and education etc. There should be an immediate moratorium on new arrivals in Croydon and Mr. Galloway typifies why with him around we all should be say enough is enough. The benefits of immigration must be shared by all.”
by NormalBloke
Tuesday, November 13 2012, 4:34AM
“Chris 'The Goth' with his tired and worn out excuses is right, Blair HAS been gone for half a decade, but who are we looking at right now trying to test the water in fingering the Euro President role when in all honesty, he should be currently standing trial for War crimes as Galloway rightly says...There's simply no excuse for the man or the party here though, anyone voting Labour these days is voting for more War and more deregulation, simples.
If only Gorgeous George didn't hate his own kin though...He may actually be a force one day.”
by John_Croydon
Monday, November 12 2012, 8:11PM
“When George Galloway refers to a two-horse race, I think he is forgetting that he has already labelled the election a two-race race.
Is anyone else thinking of asking Harry Hill to stand in Croydon? "Well... I like George Galloway... I also like Richard Ottaway... but which is best? There's only one way to find out... FIGHT!"”
by StewartGillia
Monday, November 12 2012, 1:54PM
“You are so brainwashed. Literally, there is probably NOTHING labour could do to you, you would still vote labour. lool...could for you and well done.”
by Chris_Wilcox
Monday, November 12 2012, 1:30PM
“Blair has been gone for about half a decade...”
by StewartGillia
Monday, November 12 2012, 1:26PM
“April 2006 Cameron MacIntosh says he was offered Peerage for loan
April 2006 Peter Law's 'peerage'
April 2006 Charles Clarke & the failed deportations
April 2006 John Prescott's Affair(s)
April 2006 Cherie Blair's hairdressing bill
April 2006 - Jack McConnell under pressure over breaking the ministerial code of conduct by giving public backing to a luxury golf resort planned by Donald Trump which could prejudice the planning process for the development
April 2006 - Revealed that Jack McConnell met with furniture tycoon Robert Morris over compensation to relocate his factory on the route of the M74 extension. The £35million was more than double the original compensation offer
March 2006 - Defeated Labour MP Calum MacDonald gets publicly paid job as Forestry Commissioner
March 2006 Tessa Jowell & husband
March 2006 Peerages for Cash
March 2006 Prescott pays no Council tax
March 2006 Margaret Beckett's Royal Flights
February 2006 Ken Livingstone loses Standards Board appeal over anti-Jewish remarks
October 2005 Blunkett resigns over links to DNA firm
October 2005 Cherie Gets £100,000 for "charity" speaking tour
October 2005 Stephen Byers apologies for lieing over Railtrack
September 2005 Michael Watson MSP jaimed for arson
August 2005 - Revealed that disgraced former Scottish Executive special adviser, Phil Chalmers, is heading up a bid by French IT firm Atos Origin to secure some of the ID card contracts
July 2005 - Defeated Labour MP David Stewart gets job with the publicly funded SCVO only two months after losing his seat
June 2005 Cherie Opens Shopping centre for Malaysian millionaire
June 2005 Labour MSP Ken MacIntosh resigns over non declaration of financial interests
June 2005 Cherie Blair cashes in on Tony's Washington trip
May 2005 Birmingham Labour Party accused over post voting irregularities
April 2005 - Brian Wilson MP's final section on Register of Members' Interests shows directorships and advisory roles to renewable energy firms. As Energy Minister he promoted renewable energy
April 2005 - Revealed that Jack McConnell met with Labour donor Willie Haughey to discuss compensation on a land deal where the M74 would pass through Haughey's property. Initial compensation of £7.4 million rose to £16.5 million
March 2005 Labour charges £200 for candidate contact details
February 2005 Cherie Blair embarks on lucrative Australian speaking tour
January 2005 Candy Atherton's researcher digs for gay Tory dirt
January 2005 - Jack McConnell fails to register a holiday at the Spanish villa of BBC broadcaster Kirsty Wark
January 2005 - Sarah Davidson, once an adviser to former Scottish secretary Helen Liddell, lands a £75,000-a-year job enforcing McConnell's smoking ban. The new job was never advertised. She was the civil servant who presided over a £200m rise in the cost of Holyrood before taking a six-month sabbatical to travel round the world
December 2004 Oona King offered £10000 to bed Labour Euro MP
October 2004 - Revealed that 70% of Scottish quango appointees have links to the Labour party
August 2004 August 2004 - Former Edinburgh Labour Provost Eric Milligan appointed Scotland's "welcome czar" to the tourism industry. Although not paid a salary he receives expenses to travel the world
June 2004 - Willie Haughey, who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Labour party, appointed to the post of chairman of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow.
May 2004 Lord Drayson's company wins non competitive tender contract after £50,000 donation to Labour
May 2004 - Failed Labour candidate Hugh Raven, a former parliamentary assistant to Peter Peacock, the education minister, awarded a £23,415 contract as a board member of Scottish Natural Heritage”
by StewartGillia
Monday, November 12 2012, 1:25PM
“November 2003 Margaret Hodge forced to resign over libelling Demetrious Panton
September 2003 - Harry McGuigan, a leading Lanarkshire Labour councillor appointed as a member of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration board
August 2003 David Kelly commits suicide
August 2003 Chris Bryant pictured in briefs on Gaydar website
August 2003 - Defeated Labour MSP Iain Gray appointed as Alistair Darling's special adviser at a salary of £60,000
August 2003 - Failed Labour candidate Pat Kelly appointed to board of Scottish Water.
March 2003 Clive Betts MP employed rent boy in House of Commons office
December 2002 Cherie Blair apologises over links to conman Peter Foster
October 2002 - Lanarkshire Labour party hold a Red Rose Dinner attended by a notorious drug baron called Justin McAlroy
October 2002 - Forty-four constituency Labour parties in Scotland revealed to have failed to register agreements to accept regular donations from trades unions. Failure to do so is a criminal offence
September 2002 Labour MP Alan Meale in trouble over deportation case linked to donation
July 2002 Carphone Warehouse chairman claims Lord Levy tried to nobble a £1 million donation
June 2002 Ken Livingstone accused of manhandling his partner while drunk at a party
June 2002 Black Rod accuses Downing Street of trying to muscle in on Queen Mother's funeral
June 2002 Labour spin doctors accuse Paddington crash victim Pam Warren of being a Tory stooge
May 2002 Stephen Byers resigns from government after various scandals
May 2002 Tessa Jowell criticises Labour for accepting donation from Richard Desmond
March 2002 Lakshmi Mittal
March 2002 Donnygate Doncaster Labour scandal ends in prison for Labour councillors
February 2002 Arthur Andersen & donations to Labour
February 2002 Martin Sixsmith forced to resign by Stephen Byers
February 2002 Jo Moore resigns over 'burying bad news' email
January 2002 - Norman Murray, Labour councillor and former convenor of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, appointed board member of the Scottish Ambulance Service at £7,305 a year
January 2002 Labour spin doctors trash reputation of Rose Addis
January 2002 Enron accused of buying access to Labour after donation
December 2001 Keith Vaz criticised by Standards Commissioner over business links
December 2001 Nigel Griffiths and £40,000 office expenses
November 2001 Henry McLeish resigns as Scottish First Minister after office expense scandal
November 2001 November 2001 - Jack McConnell admits to affair with Labour party secretary who he tried to keep in situ by appealing to Labour MPs for funds. He says he has had no other affairs”