Just a few days left – Get active for Respect in Tower Hamlets

With just a few days left until the election George Galloway has laid out Respect’s priorities for a hung parliament. These include a massive programme of house building, withdrawal from pointless and illegal wars, scrapping Trident and radical democratic reform. We are continuing to get a great response from voters but we need your help to maximise our vote and help put these issues firmly on the agenda.

Everything we can do between now and polling day will make a real difference. No offer of help is too big or too small but there are some key ways to get involved. If you can please let me know in advance as it will help! with planning. 

George Galloway and Abjol Miah say Nursing Counts

The Royal College of Nursing are running a campaign called Nursing Counts. It has a series of simple demands to put before General Election candidates. Both George Galloway and Abjol Miah have signed up to support the Nursing Counts manifesto

Standing up for staff who speak out

Nurses and health care staff need to be confident that their concerns over failures in patient care will be heard. All health care organisations should be required to hold a register of staff concerns that must be reported to their Board regularly and made available to the public.

"TUC is correct to warn of damaging cuts," says Abjol Miah

I welcome yesterday’s statement by the TUC warning of the damage that would be done to our economy by the severe cuts in public spending that New Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats are all signed up to.

As they say, “The simple assumption that cutting spending will result in a smaller deficit is false. Previous research by the TUC has calculated that a 10% cut in spending could lead to job losses in the public sector of 200,000 and a reduction in the amount spent in the private sector by government of £17 billion.

Respect welcomes suspension of Islamophobic candidate

Respect Party candidates have welcomed the decision by the Labour Party to suspend its parliamentary candidate for South East Cambridgeshire, John Cowan, following his comment that he would not want any of his children marrying a Muslim, but have criticised that party for its role in fuelling suspicion and stereotypes against Muslims.

George on the London Debate

On Tuesday an audience of Londoners will quiz Labour, Conservatives, Lib Democrats and hear from the smaller parties hoping to make an impact on 6 May.

The candidates appearing will be:

Tessa Jowell (Labour)
Jeremy Hunt (Conservative)
Tom Brake (Lib Dem)
George Galloway (Respect)
Natalie Bennett (Green)
David Coburn (UKIP)

You can watch the programme on BBC 1 in London on Tuesday 27 April from 10.50pm.
Outside London you can watch on the BBC website

Can an elected mayor represent all in East End seat?

"It is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country.

"Somali, Bangladeshi, Chinese and Caribbean people are among the dozens of communities who have settled there in recent decades.

"Tower Hamlets, in east London, spreads from the banks' skyscraper headquarters in Canary Wharf in the south to the artistic community's galleries in the north of the borough.

"The church spires of Stepney and Shadwell are as famous to its residents as the mosques around Brick Lane."

The BBC reports on the campaign for an elected mayor in Tower Hamlets - full report here

Visit Yes for Mayor site here

Help Respect in Tower Hamlets

Countdown to May 6: Get active for Respect in Tower Hamlets: Just 10 days to go!

With just 10 days left until the election Respect needs your help. The public response to our battle bus has been fantastic and our canvassers are reporting strong and growing support for Respect in both Bethnal Green and Bow and in Poplar and Limehouse. Across the borough constant campaigning by all parties has reached a frantic pace. Nationally and locally the election is wide open and everything we can do between now and polling day will make a real difference. No offer of help is too big or too small but there are some key ways to get involved. If you can please let me know in advance as it will help with planning.

Respect Party to launch manifesto for a hung parliament

Respect Office, 9 Club Row, London E1 6JX
Noon, Tuesday 27th April 2010

George Galloway will launch the Respect Party manifesto for a hung parliament tomorrow. He will highlight the policies Respect MPs will press for where no party has an overall majority and the major parties are seeking support from minor party MPs.

Respect expects to elect three MPs in the general election, George Galloway and Abjol Miah in Tower Hamlets and Salma Yaqoob in Birmingham. Respect MPs have ruled out supporting a Conservative government. The conditions they will place on support for a government in the next parliament will be a massive investment into council housing, withdrawal from Afghanistan and the scrapping of Trident and democratic reform of parliament including the introduction for fair voting.

Galloway wages war on bankers

The Wharf has a report of the Limehouse Community Forum hustings last week.

"George Galloway waged a war on banks in Canary Wharf during a heated pre-election debate this week.

"Respect's leader and candidate for Poplar and Limehouse said anti-social behaviour orders should be given to bankers and that business rates from the estate should go to the poorer areas of Tower Hamlets.

"Fellow candidates for the seat, Labour's Jim Fitzpatrick - the former MP for Poplar and Canning Town - and the Conservatives' Tim Archer, defended the banks against Mr Galloway during the debate hosted by Limehouse Community Forum."

You can read the full report here

Help out this weekend

There's no doubt that this election is going to be historic. So why not help make it historic for the best of reasons.  Abjol Miah and George Galloway will be out campaigning in Bethnal Green and Bow and Poplar and Limehouse all weekend.

Help out on the battle bus or with wards teams in the local elections.

Bus and teams depart from 9 Club Row, London, E1 6JX at 12.00 noon on both Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April. There's 12 days to go so let's make the most of them.

Making Palestine the issue

“I fully support the demands of the PSC Make Palestine the Issue campaign.

As someone who has spent my entire political life supporting the Palestinian cause, it's hardly a surprise. What might be a surprise is how few prospective candidates will feel able to sign up to these pledges. I'm pleased to say that every Respect candidate fully supports these demands.

• Call on Israel to end its violations of international law, including ending its illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza;
• Oppose any attacks on universal jurisdiction and support bringing those responsible for war crimes to justice;
• Work to end the siege on Gaza;
• Call on the government to ban the import of settlement goods;
• Call on the government to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement;
• Call for an end to Britain’s arms trade with Israel.”

George Galloway

Protecting the right to Asylum

In the run up to the election, Liberty, Refugee Council and Scottish Refugee Council are calling on all parliamentary candidates to sign our asylum election pledge and remember Britain’s history as a place of refuge for the persecuted.

George Galloway has wholeheartedly backed the election pledge which is reproduced below.

Asylum Election Pledge

“There is no place for racism and xenophobia in modern British politics. Nor is democratic debate advanced by the denigration of the most vulnerable in our country, including children and asylum seekers who do not enjoy the right to participate in elections. 

"I promise to remember the importance of refugee protection, even in free and wide-ranging debates about immigration policy. I will never play fast and loose with the proud tradition of a nation that must always offer succour to those in genuine fear of persecution.”

George Galloway backs Equality Pledge

I have absolutely no hesitation in signing The Equality Pledge (see below). The fight for a more equal society is the cornerstone of the Respect Party's founding vision, reflected in our Manifesto  "Investment:Not Cuts".

We firmly believe, like you, that a more equal society is happier and healthier for all. It seems to be very fashionable for other parties to use the word "fairness" in this election - while they advocate the very policies  - cuts in pubic sector jobs, services and benefits - that will widen the gap between rich and poor in the UK. It begs the question - fairness for who?

George backs Friends of the Earth election pledges

Below is a letter sent by George to Friends of the Earth

I have signed the all four FOE pledges (see below) without hesitation, and I couldn't agree with you more about investing in sustainable green technologies for all the reasons you site so eloquently below. It was a terrible travesty that government money was not forthcoming last year to take Vestas into public ownership to sustain jobs and production there.

Over the last five years I have been privileged to support a large range initiatives to drastically reduce carbon emissions and halt climate chaos. In March I was one of the 244 MPs who voted to cap carbon emissions from CCS power stations – disgracefully 252 MPs voted against this obvious measure, including Jim Fitzpatrick dutifully supporting New Labour’s party whip, and many Tories who deny the reality of man-made climate change.

You can help Respect this Saturday

My party, Respect, are asking supporters to help out the wonderful Salma Yaqoob in her campaign in Birmingham this weekend. But if you can't make it to the West Midlands then why not help out in Tower Hamlets. We'll have the battle bus out, music, balloons and lots of election razzmatazz.

Meet at noon Saturday 17 April, 49 Hanbury Street London E1, just off Brick Lane

Hope to see you there

George answers questions from Stop the War

As Vice-Chair of the Stop the War Coalition - organisers of the 15 February 200 two million march - in London  I have been the most outspoken MP in my views on Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.

I was expelled from the Labour Party by Tony Blair for opposing the war on Iraq. Everything I said about Iraq turned out to be right and everything Blair, and the Tories, said turned out to be wrong.

Respect, the party I co-founded, grew out of the anti-war movement as an alternative to the discredited parties of war and privatisation.

In answer to the 7 Stop the War Coalition questions:

1.  Do you support the immediate withdrawal of British and NATO troops from Afghanistan? Yes
2.  Did you support the war in Iraq? No
3.  Will you oppose any military attack on Iran by the United States or Israel? Yes
4.  Do you support the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison? Yes
5.  Are you opposed to the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons? Yes
6.  Do you oppose the attacks on Muslims and the growing Islamophobia in British society? Yes
7.  Do you agree that the use of anti-terrorist laws to restrict the right of protest is an attack on civil liberties? Yes

George Galloway on Respect's election chances

George appeared on Andrew Neil's Daily Politics and predicted Respect will collect three seats and could have a crucial role in a hung Parliament.

You can watch the video on the BBC website here

My record

"All the discredited parties want even worse spending cuts than Margaret Thatcher managed. Respect says: invest, don’t cut. But one cut we do need is the £100billion being wasted on Trident nuclear weapons.

"No party is likely to have a majority at the election. Respect MPs will be a powerful voice for the East End.
We will demand massive investment in council housing; to withdraw all our troops from unwinnable wars; and full-scale democratic reform of our rotten Parliamentary system.

"We will fight for a progressive agenda in British politics."

My record speaks for itself….

• I voted for publication of MPs’ expenses
• I voted against ID cards
• I voted against student top-up fees
• I voted for capping carbon emissions
• I voted against Labour's anti-terrorism laws
• I voted against the Iraq war
• I voted for an inquiry into the Iraq war
• I voted against replacing Trident

A powerful voice for the East End

Dear Tower Hamlets resident,

I am standing for Respect in Poplar and Limehouse on Thursday 6 May.

I am a very experienced parliamentarian ­– elected five times over the last 25 years – with a strong voice for the downtrodden, the weak and for working people everywhere.

This determination to be a voice for the voiceless comes from my background. My grandparents were Irish Catholic immigrants to Britain, arriving in their bare-feet on a cattle boat to Glasgow. They faced bigotry and discrimination at every turn, worked hard and long in the factories and mills, learning the value of social solidarity.

Three Muslim extremists charged after attack on Galloway

George Galloway was set upon by a group of Muslim extremists while campaigning in East London this afternoon. Three men, believed to belong to the extreme sect Islam4UK, the latest name for Al-Muhajiroun, were arrested and subsequently charged with public order offences.

Galloway, who is standing in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency, was with a party of supporters in Watney Market around 3pm when he and his colleagues were first abused and then attacked by the group.

"They called me a filthy Kaffir" said Galloway, "and shouted that no one should shake the 'filthy Kaffir's hand'. This lot are the latest incarnation of the banned group Al-Muhajiroun. They don't want Muslims to vote, they don't believe in democracy, and because I encourage Muslims to vote and take a full part in our society they hate me. My party, Respect, is the antidote to these despicable extremists."

Galloway's assistant Kevin Ovenden had his phone smashed in the incident and other supporters were abused and jostled.

Galloway was also attacked, held hostage and received death threats from Al-Muhajiroun, then called Al-Gourabaa, in the 2005 General Election.

Voting Day - 6th May - the fight is on

George Galloway and Abjol Miah's campaigns in Tower Hamlets are really stepping up a gear.

With Labour's attempt to racialise the election and divide communities, and with the Tories joining in with the witch-hunt against local Muslims, it's clear that the mainstream parties will do whatever they can to beat us. We're the only party that has a message of real unity, of really making a change from cuts, privatisation and racism.

We need your help - every leaflet, every door knocked, every conversation with a voter will help us.

Campaigning is happening every day, but this weekend we hope to make a really big splash. If you can make it, please join us at our campaign HQ - 49, Hanbury Street, London E1 (off Brick Lane) - click here for a map: http://bit.ly/dl2txA

Please come for 12 noon, this Saturday (10th April) - we hope to get as many people together as possible to go out campaigning.

The nearest tube is Aldgate East on the District and Hammersmith & City Lines or Liverpool Street on the Central Line.

Hope to see you there! If you have any queries, or if you can help in other aspects of the campaign or on other days, please call 07505 742 527

Posted missing in a dirty war

Whoever decided to "attack" David Cameron by putting him on the bonnet of a 1980s Audi, loosening his tie, and likening him to Gene Hunt from Ashes to Ashes, has made a right mess of it.

The 80s were cool, as in their own way were the 90s. Gene Hunt was cool. David Cameron, the public school Flashman presiding over a shadow cabinet with more Etonians than Sir Alec Douglas-Home had in his real one in 1963, is definitely not cool.

The New Labour poster is their offering in the attack-dog stakes. Newly re-united with Saatchi and Saatchi, the Tories do dirty fighting so much better.

Council Papers - little more than propaganda

George Galloway and Abjol Miah welcome the Select Committee report condemning council free newspapers.

"This vindicates completely the motion George Galloway laid in parliament earlier this session," said Councillor Abjol Miah, Respect ppc for Bethnal Green and Bow, this morning. "That motion condemned council free newspapers as an attack on local democracy.

The cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee, involving MPs from all the major parties, has now echoed those sentiments and called for the Office of Fair Trading to undertake an investigation. I welcome this report and its endorsement of the position takne repeatedly by the National Union of Journalists. A vibrant local press is vital to our local democracy."

Visa Fees - Respect demands fairness.

Media conference 6pm Friday 2 April, Jeet Restaurant, 49 Hanbury Street, London E1

George Galloway and Abjol Miah, Respect prospective parliamentary candidates for Poplar & Limehouse and Bethnal Green & Bow, will highlight the grossly unfair decision to more than triple the cost of visa applications for dependent family members who wish to visit relatives in the UK or settle with them.

The new regulations are due to come in on Tuesday next week. They will increase the cost to £1680 or, in some cases, £1930. Other fees will  also rise. There will be no general power to waive these fees.

But the cost of processing an application has actually fallen to just £272.