Batley and Spen by-election

Anniebach

Nick Lowles of Hope not Hate said it was a toxic campaign,
George Galloway’s campaign should be another stain on his
reputation, he campaigned against ‘woke culture’, attacked
LGBT rights, the trans community and sex education in schools. Labour Party campaigners were chased, abused and even physically attacked.

So those who voted for GG were attracted to his campaign of nastiness, so who would they have voted for if he'd not stood?

They may not have considered that his campaign was nasty or toxic but agreed with the ideas that he was attacking.

Do bullies know that they’re bullies? Do they wake up every day thinking ‘hooray, I’m going to bully someone today’. Or do they just do it because it’s what they do. Ditto the people that follow them. Galloway is a bully. I wonder if McCluskey was financing him?

Dinahmo

They may not have considered that his campaign was nasty or toxic but agreed with the ideas that he was attacking.

I'm sure they didn't see his campaign as "nasty" he appealed to their prejudices but who would they have voted for if he hadn't been a candidate?

trisher

That's an interesting question. Previous LP candidates have had a majority of over 3000, so something went wrong. If only half of the people who voted for GG had supported the Labour Party then the majority would have been around the same. A leftwing candidate could have brought in all of GGs votes-so the loss of a few thousand centrists would still have resulted in a decent majority.

How do work that one out? A left wing candidate would probably have supported women's and gay rights. Galloway campaigned against both. He was responsible for smearing Leadbeater as a lesbian, which no doubt appealed to some of the more traditional Muslim males in the constituency.

Time and time again people from the Labour Party have complained about having candidates from the Westminster/Oxbridge-educated bubble imposed on them. Leadbeater is local and seems very much aware of local issues.

And it ignores the history of the seat which I described, the vote was split against the Tories in 2019 and this time labour vote was split. Something went wrong in batley all right. It involved lesbians being chased down the street.

Sorry that last sentence sounds weird. It involved a woman being chased down the street because she was a lesbian.

The Green Party candidate for Batley and Spen stood down some weeks before the election because embarrassing tweets fron years ago had appeared and the Green Party decided not to put up a replacement

Also the LibDems ran a low key campaign, resulting in a drop in their vote and it is very likely that enough LibDems and Greens voted for Kim Leadbetter to get her over the line.

I think that even without a formal progressive Alliance voters will chose to vote tactically, especially when polls predict a close result.

growstuff

trisher

That's an interesting question. Previous LP candidates have had a majority of over 3000, so something went wrong. If only half of the people who voted for GG had supported the Labour Party then the majority would have been around the same. A leftwing candidate could have brought in all of GGs votes-so the loss of a few thousand centrists would still have resulted in a decent majority.

How do work that one out? A left wing candidate would probably have supported women's and gay rights. Galloway campaigned against both. He was responsible for smearing Leadbeater as a lesbian, which no doubt appealed to some of the more traditional Muslim males in the constituency.

Time and time again people from the Labour Party have complained about having candidates from the Westminster/Oxbridge-educated bubble imposed on them. Leadbeater is local and seems very much aware of local issues.

The question of if GG smeared KL as a lesbian remains open. He says he didn't know the men who did it. She says he was laughing as he stood across the road. That isn't proof, nor is it acceptable but the idea that GG is campaigning against gay rights is so wrong. What the Workers Party have said is that Labour have become enmired in such issues and in seeking to be "woke" have lost sight of the class struggle and worker's rights. The party certainly has an interesting very socialist agenda and the idea that somehow this is a right wing or restrictive party is completely false. Look at the website workerspartybritain.org and judge for yourself.

"George Galloway doesn’t ‘sow division’. He sprays it everywhere"

Marina Hyde

theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/02/george-galloway-batley-and-spen-byelection

news.sky.com/video/george-galloways-response-to-batley-and-spen-by-election-ill-challenge-result-in-court-12346848

Who does Galloway remind you of?

I didn’t like Galloway when he was the MP for Bradford West and like him even less now, but he does have a point if it was being put about that he was laughing at Ms Leadbetter being harangued ...if he were not! Was his campaign ‘smearing’ about her being gay, or was it true?
It may have lost his Party votes, who knows.

When I hear the name of George Galloway, I can't help but remember him acting like a cat on Big Brother. I don't know how anyone can take him seriously politically. Look up "George Galloway being a cat on Big Brother". Squirmy in the extreme.

Don’t people in the workers party query the fact that he’s a multi millionaire (or so I’ve been told). Where does he get his money from?

lemongrove

I didn’t like Galloway when he was the MP for Bradford West and like him even less now, but he does have a point if it was being put about that he was laughing at Ms Leadbetter being harangued ...if he were not! Was his campaign ‘smearing’ about her being gay, or was it true?
It may have lost his Party votes, who knows.

Yes, she's lesbian, but why is it relevant?

MayBee70

Don’t people in the workers party query the fact that he’s a multi millionaire (or so I’ve been told). Where does he get his money from?

Does anyone in the LP query how much Starmer is worth?
GG has an extensive media career.
But I don't see how his wealth matters, although theWorker's Party do propose to introduce a wealth tax it doesn't kick in until £10million.

trisher

MayBee70

Don’t people in the workers party query the fact that he’s a multi millionaire (or so I’ve been told). Where does he get his money from?

Does anyone in the LP query how much Starmer is worth?
GG has an extensive media career.
But I don't see how his wealth matters, although theWorker's Party do propose to introduce a wealth tax it doesn't kick in until £10million.

You know what. I knew you’d say that….you really are a Galloway supporter aren’t you.

Not realy I think he has a point about the LP no longer standing up for workers and becoming overwhelmed with discussions about LGBQT rights and middle clsss issues. I like the wealth tax. I think it's interesting that a truly left wing party, with views more left than Corbyn, managed to gather so many votes in Batley.
I admire his opposition and long fight against the Iraq war and those who ordered it. I'd like to see Tony Blair and Alistair Campbell tried for war crimes.
His publicity seeking side makes me cringe.

Galloway is a pillock,and not an honourable one either.
Smug/Conceited/Arrogant and so much more.

timetogo2016

Galloway is a pillock,and not an honourable one either.
Smug/Conceited/Arrogant and so much more.

I can think of other politcians who fit that description as well and one of them is PM.

But how can Galloway be described as left wing if he campaigned against "woke" culture, educating children about LGBTQ rights etc? I would describe that as extreme right wing, whiffs of Thatcher and clause 28 springs to mind.

It sometimes seems to me that the political spectrum is nearer to being a circle than a straight line.

The extremes of left and right are not so dissimilar, but the polar opposite of liberal democracy.

GillT57 Did he campaign on those things? I know that is how it was reported in the press but from what I can gather from reading more widely. He is complaining the LP is too mired in the LGBQT question and is failing to support ordinary workers. As for the policy on parents I believe he is saying parents should be able to express their views and stop this education if they wish
I don't agree with him about this but I do think he deserves to be properly reported.

I will try to find the statement trisher but I am on my phone and it is more tricky than with the laptop!