George Galloway celebrates most sensational victory in British by-election history. Ever. So he claims.

And let's not forget who Mr Galloway is. Just one month ago Mr Galloway was praising the Syrian regime...

Hat tip to Samuel Coates.

Comments

[david1]

What every you do George don't go over the top

What me, as if!!

[Sandy Jamieson]

In terms of post war by-elections, I would suggest Winnie The Moo winning in Hamilton in 1967 tops Bradford

[robert]

On a serious note George Galloway knew who the electorate were and will represent their views and values in Parliament.
Something David Cameron needs to do with regard to Conservative voters or he will be rejected at the next GE.

[JohnO]

The thing about Galloway is that he sticks to his principles, he says what he thinks, he shows nothing but contempt for the press and yet he still seems able to win pretty much any election he wants to.

No wonder the political class hate him so much - he's pretty much everything they wish they could be.

[HF]

Why did we fight this by election with a new candidate and not Zahid who fought it last time and got 31%?

Could ConHome readers please advise.

[Michael mcgough]

This is not a good day for social cohesion.

[Span Ows]

HF, probably to lose it on purpose...tactical voting, massive postal vote (so common in 'Muslim areas', wonder why) and a whitey woman instead of a Muslim man standing (no offence meant, said for effect!)

[Ricardo's Ghost]

The most sensational by-election victory ever, except for:

Crewe & Nantwich 2008 - first Conservative gain at a by-election since 1982
Newbury 1992 - biggest Lib Dem majority ever (22,000) in a massive gain of an otherwise safe Conservative seat
Glasgow Govan 1988 - the SNP snatch a safe Labour seat when Bruce Millan goes to Brussels
Crosby 1981 - the SDP romp to victory with Shirley Williams taking what should have been safe for the Conservatives
Fermanagh & South Tyrone 1981 - Bobby Sands wins whilst on hunger strike in prison
Hamilton 1967 - Winnie Ewing propels independence and devolution to the top of the Scottish agenda
Carmarthen 1966 - Gwynfor Evans becomes the first ever Plaid Cymru MP
Orpington 1962 - the start of the revival of the Liberals

[Adam]

HF and Span Ows, I could not agree more. A white woman was never going to hold onto the Muslim votes the Tories got in 2010 - and there were quite a few. Postal voting is a problem though in asian areas and needs to be tackled. Why the hell didn't Warsi stand as the candidate for the Tories? Would have been better

[Donald Peterson]

George Galloway is spot on about the media's evil neocon lies on Syria. As a right-wing Conservative I personally think George Galloway is fantastic. Far more intelligent than most "Conservative" MPs who are cowardly, conformist, empty headed careerists and nothing more.

[Maryfa.]

From previous involvement with this Constituency party I seem to remember that they had some esoteric agreement among themselves that if they selected an ethnic candidate to fight one election it had to be a white one next time round. Most likely to win? A minor consideration.

[Mark]

The result is concern, not beacuse it is Galloway a lazy carpetbagger, no th real concern is if this was a block vote on ethnic grounds we have a serious problem. I think a number of questions need to be answered and looked at, 1. The getto mentality. In a lot of Muslim communciites we know that the vote is often dictated by the local Imam, never said openly but a fact, I have often canvaased in these areas to be told (if they understand) dont know not yet been told by my husband / mosque. 2. The way that the postal vote ssytem is abused in these communities is often almost blatant to the point of the comedic, except it is not funny. 3. I often wonder how scrupulous the canvass in terms of the electoral roll actually is, and how many non entitled there are on the list, never checked, and woe betide any challenge. 4. In many of these communities no attempt at integration is made by these communities, the support to do so is there often the money is taken but any attempt to bring British values into these commnuites leads to threats and intimidation, on their won commmunities by frankly tribal leadership, that has to be tackled. As to the joke Galloway, well he will as ever embarrass himself and ignore his electorate so they got what they deserve. But I still am enjoying Labours discomfot.

[A.T.]

John0.

Good god, you can't be serious, sir ? Whatever next !

[robert]

Mark - The local Imam told his community to vote Labour!! The Muslim electorate decided otherwise as Galloway represented their views and values.
David Cameron needs to represent the views and values of the millions of Christians in England rather than vocal minority groups if he is to avoid a crushing defeat at the next GE.

[Mark]

Robert, which mosque? More than one. But yes on your other point I do tend to agree, however it still does not deal with I suppose what you could call a subcontinent election attitude or practice to the HofC. An alien and unwelcome concept, This has to be dealt with.

[Babylon]

The Galloway Spring is a retrograde step for British society and for those minorities who have made their home within it. In its own way it is a bad as the BNP since partisan politics have never turned out well for anyone and certainly in England, the aspiration was always that the individual would have the freedom of thought, action and conscience to make their own decision. At last though, this has come back to bite those who perpetrated the system which encouraged it and perhaps now that it has seen the light of day, we may at last do something about this pernicious dilution of democracy.

Galloway is but a patterman, seeking the next sap who will believe his snake oil politics and fund his ego.

Galloway may have his phyrric victory, the real losers are those who came to Britain, seeking true freedom and democracy. I fear they have merely exchanged one set of chains for another, slightly more gilded. The freedom to vote as you personally see fit, rather than as another suggests, dictates or implies, is priceless. It is time we in Britain woke up to this.

[JohnO]

Sure am, A.T.

You might not agree with the man, but he's got his views and he fights for them. I think it's that fundamental honesty that makes him media-proof.

What a contrast to the dismal, tabloid-sucking careerists who pack the ranks of most parties!

[Babylon]

JohnO - can you really say this of a man who courted Saddam Hussein?

[David]

Elections are often lost rather than won: this was establishment versus non-conformist. Establishment lost, with two significant reasons being probably: first, the established main three parties seeming Heterophobic obsession with Homosexual marriage doesn't and will not appeal either to devout Christian and devout Muslim voters; and second, what was the appeal to the electorate of a budget drawn up by two of the three main parties to apparently clean up the economic mess caused by the third?!

[JohnO]

I wouldn't start throwing stones in that glass house, Babylon!

Let's not forget that the Conservatives are guilty of actually arming Saddam Hussein.

[RutlandReliable]

We all know George is a troublemaker. Instead of " Make Bradford British " he will "Make Bradford Bitter ". He will certainly NOT make Bradford better.

[Sandy Jamieson]

If we are honest with ourselves even as Conservatives, it would have been better had Labour won. Galloway is one the most nasty and unpleasant features of the British Politcal scene. His election will do more to promote appalling community relations than any recent event. He may well be honest but it could be argued that any dictator who said he would exterminate his oppionents or any other group is honest.

His is a message of evil,it is a message of intolerance, and it is a message of hate.

[Wayward.]

Galloway is the anti-war, anti political class candidate. His contempt for the Lib/Lab/Con mafia is his biggest draw, everyone loves him for it.
He could head up a movement to change our corrupt system tomorrow. Vote Respect.

[Malcolm Shykles]

The UK meddles in Syria (as with Libya, Iraq, Afganistan)

“The UK has announced it will allocate some £500,000 ($795,000) to supply non-military aid to the Syrian opposition. The Foreign Secretary says it will help the 'hard-pressed' opposition groups to register violations by the Assad government. RT's Laura Smith says exactly what type of support and equipment the opposition will receive is yet to be determined. What is already known is that the aid package is likely to include secure telephones that the British Foreign Secretary hopes will be used to document the regime's violence.” RT News

Somewhat typical Comment

“Those are terrorists, they kill innocents and THEY (the rebels) are the reason why Syria is going down the drain, bombing everything and shooting at everything. Why the f*** do the US and the UK, NATO always have to support those radical groups? Why? they claim they have some thing called 'war on terror', and yet they are funding radical islamists like the 'free' syrian army. If they want peace in Syria, funding terror isn't the solution”

This is what I perceive, this what all those who voted for George Galloway perceive, yet this government is blind to this!

[HERBERT]

robert, I disagree. The best opposition to the politicised Muslim vote is secularism, not Christianity. The Christian right can be as frightening as the Muslims. I couldn't vote for a Conservative Party espousing Christianity as The Republicans in The USA do.