A long, adoring paen to Boy George by al-Jizz...
By Roshan Muhammed Salih
George Galloway occasionally tells the tale of being âworked overâ by Alistair Campbell during a "friendly" football match. It is well known in parliamentary circles that the prime minister's former communications director loathes the backbench MP. So much so, Galloway recounts, that Campbell kicked him instead of the ball at every available opportunity during one encounter on the pitch. A metaphor, perhaps, for the short shrift Galloway was given at a tribunal on Thursday which expelled him from Tony Blairâs Labour party.
| Or maybe just what lots of people would have liked to do... |
But speculation is now rife that Gallowayâs expulsion could be one of the biggest own goals in Labourâs recent history. It seems increasingly probable Galloway will now resign, sweep to victory in a by-election, and further embarrass a prime minister whose poll ratings are at their lowest ebb.
| Maybe so. He's still a crook. |
You either love or hate George Galloway.
| The latter for me, thanks. No, thanks. No fries with that... |
His supporters say he is a skilled orator and potent campaigner for the issues of his choice â Palestine, Iraq and Scottish home rule. A hero in the Arab world, they argue he is being crucified for being one of the most effective critics of the Iraq war.
| Or for taking an enemy's side against his own country's... |
On the other hand, his detractors say he is an egomaniac who basks in the limelight. They argue that his greatest asset â his eloquence â became his greatest flaw the minute Blair accused him of inciting violence against British troops.
| He was eloquent in his incitement to violence against British troops, y'mean? |
Born in 1954 in Dundee, George Galloway started his working life with a spell at the Michelin tyre plant in his home city. But it wasnât long before the amateur boxer developed a passion for socialist politics. A dedicated Labour Party organiser in his 20s, he became a member of parliament for Glasgow Hillhead at the age of 32. Galloway has built up quite a following during his 16 years in Glasgow, excelling at the unglamourous task of looking after his constituents. But it is not his domestic brief that has piled the death threats on his desk.As befits a left-wing crusader, his living room is reportedly emblazoned with the images of his revolutionary heros. There are portraits and pictures of Che Guevara, a bust of Lenin, snapshots of Fidel Castro and Yasir Arafat. Galloway is reported to have developed his lifelong passion for the Middle East after a chance meeting with a young Palestinian. The young man dropped into his office to plead the cause of his people, and Galloway was converted. He subsequently visited a Palestinian refugee camp and twinned Dundee with the West Bank town of Nablus, flying the Palestinian flag over Dundee town hall. Ties with Palestine were later cemented when he married a Palestinian scientist. There is even speculation that he may have converted to his wife's religion, Islam. He certainly carries a copy of the Quran in his overcoat pocket. When Aljazeera.net journalist Yvonne Ridley interviewed him at his Portugal home in April he did not deny the suggestion but said tantalisingly: "You will have to wait until I finish my book."
| There's much more. Read the rest, if you dare... or care. |
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