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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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 Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Respect off conference agenda as Galloway's party splits in two
By Andy McSmith
Published: 09 November 2007
George Galloway's Respect Party has split in two. The rift will be made formal this weekend, when two rival Respect conferences are held at the same time, in different parts of London.
Afterwards there is likely to be a prolonged dispute about which faction is actually the real Respect Party. The party's website suggests that Mr Galloway and his allies are the breakaway group who have deserted the true party.
But Mr Galloway and friends have control of the building in Tower Hamlets which has served as Respect's national headquarters. This is because they went in one night and changed all the locks, forcing their rival faction to set up what they claim is the party's official headquarters in the front room of a private house.
Tomorrow, Respect's national secretary, a veteran Marxist organiser named John Rees, will be officiating at what is billed as Respect's fourth annual conference, at Westminster University, in Regent Street. More than 200 delegates are expected.
But Mr Galloway, who is Respect's only MP and its best-known figure, will be at a parallel conference in Bishopsgate, launching a new movement called Respect Renewal. His supporters include the film director Ken Loach and the journalists Yvonne Ridley and Victoria Brittain.
An insight into the bitterness of the dispute is contained in an email from Mr Rees and three other party activists complaining that they had been locked out of Respect's head office in Tower Hamlets. Their email was sent to supporters, urging them to send a protest to Mr Galloway and members of his faction, demanding that they be let back in.
"Overnight the locks were changed on the Respect national office," the email complained. "This coup is obviously meant to prevent democratic debate continuing in Respect and to rob the membership of their own organisation."
One close observer said that Mr Galloway and Mr Rees, who are both domineering figures, "can't stand the sight of each other". As well as being Respect's national secretary, Mr Rees is in effect boss of the neo-Trotskyite Socialist Worker Party, and a leading light in the Stop the War Coalition, which has organised most of the big demonstrations against the Iraq war. Members of the SWP have been encouraged to join Respect, but several have been expelled from the SWP for siding with Mr Galloway.
Mr Galloway was the Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin until he was expelled from the party in October 2003 for remarks he had made about Tony Blair and George Bush on Arab television. Some people remember him as the balding, middle-aged man who was on Celebrity Big Brother and pretended to be a cat.
The party he launched three years ago was thought to have had about 2,000 members before the current split, in a coalition that included radical Muslims and Trotskyites. Their greatest success was to secure Mr Galloway's election as Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. They also secured 11 seats on Tower Hamlets council, which made them the official opposition in an old Labour Party heartland.
But the rift has split the group on Tower Hamlets council, with four councillors forming a "Respect (Independent)" group. The East London Advertiser reported that the four were trying to do a deal with the Liberal Democrats so that they could combine to become the new official opposition in Tower Hamlets.
Mr Galloway's backers say that they will now be able to free themselves from the secretive habits of the Trotskyites.
But the left-wing journalist Dave Osler, the author of the blog Dave's Part, who has been a critic of the SWP and Mr Rees, suggested that for all their faults they provided a counter balance to the Islamists who have joined Respect. "The split will strengthen the weight of the Islamists in Respect Renewal, some of whom have links to Jamaat-e-Islami [Pakistan's largest religious party]. I don't think that's going to make the party very hospitable to socialists."
The leading personalities
George Galloway
To outsiders, George Galloway is the Respect Party. His fame, and his status as a Labour MP – expelled over the Iraq war – launched the party. But party rivals say he and his friends are a breakaway from the official faction.
John Rees
Well known to the few who take an interest in the British ultra-left. He is the strong man of the tiny Socialist Workers Party. He is a better organiser than Mr Galloway but a big fish in a very tiny pond.
Ken Loach
The veteran film director admires Galloway as a politician who refused to compromise in his opposition to the Iraq war.
Yvonne Ridley
A former journalist on the Sunday Express, her life changed when she was held prisoner by the Taliban in Afghanistan. She became a Muslim and is now political editor of the Islam Channel.
Victoria Brittain
The former associatedforeign editor of The Guardian is well known for her work on Guantanamo, the Middle East, and Africa.
Oliur Rahman
Leader of the Respect (Independent) group in Tower Hamlets. He was Respect's candidate in Poplar in 2005, but George Galloway has decided that he wants to fight the seat next time.
Abjol Miah
Pro-Galloway leader of Respect in Tower Hamlets, he is Respect's main link with the area'sMuslim community. |
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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Tower Hamlets Respect
I got an eyewitness account of last night's Respect meeting in among the bills and viagra advertisements, which I reproduce here with permission. It's especially important because Tower Hamlets is one of the few potential strongholds for the 'Renewal Respect' guys.
"Tower Hamlets Respect hosted its first public meeting since George Galloway's followers changed the locks on our constituency office, effectively splitting the organisation. Around 80 people packed into the historic Kingsley Hall - Gandhi's home on his visit to East London - in the middle of councillor Rania Khan's ward, to hear her and councillor Oliur Rahman, alongside Respect mayoral candidate Lindsey German, described their vision for Respect. Former advisor to Ken Livingstone, and former senior Labour councillor, Kumar Murshid, made an excellent chair - something Tower Hamlets Respect had unfortunately not seen during recent misrule. Equally it was a pleasure to attend a meeting where young Bengali women were not barracked and harrassed at the door.
"I was reminded of the first meetings Respect had in the area, and it was a relief - another sign that those members of Respect supporting democracy are gaining the upper hand in Tower Hamlets. The atmosphere was electric. Rumours had been circulated by George Galloway's followers that our meeting was cancelled, apparently making the extraordinary claim that councillors could not hold public meetings in their own wards! But nontheless, we packed the Hall to the rafters with local residents (the estates next to the hall had been leafletted over the weekend), trade unionists, community activists and Respect members, old and new.
"Oli, Rania and Lindsey all laid out their vision for Respect as a democratic, plural organisation of the Left, as it was when the organisation was launched four years ago. Councillor Rahman's speech was particularly impressive: having been attacked, within yards of his own home, by unkown assailants the night before, he assured us that the threatening emails, the sinister phone calls and now the apparent physical assaults would not deter him. Contributions from the floor showed the impressive range of political forces Respect has been able to mobilise locally: an FBU member from Whitechapel talked, with regret, about how Galloway had 'cut himself off' from the working class locally; a local teacher described the area's anti-fascist traditions, and how fighting the BNP in the early 1990s had paved the way for Respect today. It was reminder of just how far we've travelled, whatever the current difficulties. The audience was around 50% Bengali, 50% everyone else. Someone had the bright idea of phoning Bangla TV when they realised the meeting was a success, so they turned up and filmed the last twenty minutes or so.
"A few questions were rightly raised about where Respect should go now. There was a general sadness that it should've come to this sorry situation, but it was impossible not to feel a little more optimistic afterwards. Plans were made to launch a series of local meetings, across the borough, reaching places we've never really touched before, and to mobilise as many observers as we could for the democratic Respect conference on 17 November.
"We're not out of the woods yet. But the momentum in Tower Hamlets is shifting towards those who support the original Respect vision of an organisation that fights for peace and social justice."
About the attack on Oli Rahman, I can furnish the following details: three men kicked Oli to the ground, tearing his clothes and inflicting internal bruising last night, outside his home. Some weeks ago, Oli's windows were bricked. Separately, a threatening e-mail has been sent to Respect member Mehdi Hassan, which is as follows:
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:16:02 +0000
To: mehdi@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject: (no subject)
medi you and fucking oli are traitors you owe your careers to george,
without george you will all be signing on soon and if i see the pair of you im
gonna kick the shit out of you both.
I don't know exactly what this thuggishness is supposed to achieve or who is behind it, but it doesn't exactly point to confidence in open argument and debate. But then, that hasn't exactly been abundantly in evidence from day one of this dispute. |
http://leninology.blogspot.com/2007/11/tower-hamlets-respect.html |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| The threatning e-mail sounds like a BNP/far right hate letter. Hope the police could trace it since it threatens violence. Wonder if it was reported to the police. This could be so easily "false-flagged" to tarnish George. |
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popinjay
Joined: 02 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| That's jumping to a totally unfounded conclusion. |
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faceless
admin
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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the threat sounds like it's from someone who knows the people concerned and who's taken things too personally. Probably someone who is a long-term member of the local Respect group who has put a lot of passion into things before now.
It shouldn't be too hard to work it out for those concerned. |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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| popinjay wrote: | | That's jumping to a totally unfounded conclusion. |
Conclusion ? My comment was a hypothesis about something looking suspicious. It was not a conclusion. An unfounded conclusion would be to dismiss the hypothesis.
The police should investigate the threat. |
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Mandy
Joined: 07 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| faceless wrote: | the threat sounds like it's from someone who knows the people concerned and who's taken things too personally. Probably someone who is a long-term member of the local Respect group who has put a lot of passion into things before now.
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Assuming posting was correct, the threat didn't even spell "Mehdi" correctly. The way the e-mail was written, the persons sending it probably talks like that in day to day life. Also, if sender knows the people and is local, then he is bound to see Mehdi locally .. so why pre-warn him of an attack. |
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faceless
admin
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Respect split turns nasty - Oli Rahman attacked
Tom Unterrainer
2007-11-13
www.workersliberty.org
SWP-Respect has circulated the following message: "Three attackers kicked Councillor Oli Rahman to the ground, inflicting internal bruising and ripping his clothes, in an incident near his home in Tower Hamlets last night (Sunday 11 November).
This is the second attack on Oli. In the first incident his front window was shattered in the middle of the night when attackers threw a brick through it. Oli's mother has also been threatened. Last night's attack follows threatening emails sent to both Oli Rahman and fellow Respect National Council member Mehdi Hassan.
In a separate incident Mehdi Hassan received the following email threatening both him and Oli Rahman."
"Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:16:02 +0000
To: mehdi@respectcoalition.org
Subject: (no subject)
medi you and fucking oli are traitors you owe your careers to george, without george you will all be signing on soon and if i see the pair of you im gonna kick the shit out of you both."
So things have now turned nasty with open allies of George Galloway threatening - and it has been alleged attacking - their political opponents. Of course, such violence has no place in settling disputes between socialists and should be condemned.
The difference here is that this is no dispute between socialists. The rump left behind with Galloway are a rag-bag of politically unprincipled SWP-phobes (the ISG, SWP splitters Hoveman, Wrack and Ovenden and a few independents), Galloway lackeys and local community leaders hoping to build a communal power base on the back of (and up to now with the ready assistance of) Respect.
If a link between Galloway and the attackers is established, we should not be surprised. When politics is based on communal rather than working class concerns, when figures such as Galloway intervene to promote self-appointed community leaders above principled activists, when principle is rejected in a bid for the ‘big-time’ things are already rotten. When – as Galloway has done many times before – you relax your bowels over the name of socialism you are politically lost. When you then attempt to sell it as the genuine item, you become the enemy of socialism.
‘Respect Renewal’ should immediately investigate these allegations, hold George Galloway and those accused to account. Galloway’s ‘Pet Socialists’ should take this opportunity to consider their options … comrades, think what could happen to you when (it will be when) you fall foul of Galloway’s ego.
-----------------------
This is quite some article - accusing Galloway of being responsible is pretty bold. |
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Salim201
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| faceless wrote: | Respect split turns nasty - Oli Rahman attacked
such violence has no place in settling disputes between socialists..
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lol I'd say it pretty much sums up how socialists do things!  |
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faceless
admin
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm a socialist and I've never once hit another socialist and I really don't know anyone else who has either. Of course, I've hit a few nazis all the same... haha |
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nekokate
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| I've hit on a few socialists... |
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