Galloway comments on Mail on Sunday story

The Bradford West MP George Galloway today described a news story in the Mail on Sunday as, "being almost totally bereft of truth, potentially actionable and clearly motivated by malice against me. I am writing to the Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe today to ask, among other matters, what guidance his force gave the newspaper and whether the publication of the story potentially compromises a live investigation."

Galloway pointed out that his parliamentary computer had not been "seized" as the newspaper alleged and, indeed, he had insisted that it was handed in to the Met police, investigating what he described as a 'dirty tricks' operation against him orchestrated by a member of his staff, Aisha Ali Khan, and a senior detective in the Met's anti-terrorism branch SO15, Afiz Khan. Both Khans have been arrested and are presently on bail on suspicion of data protection offences and also, in his case, of abusing his position as a police officer.

Car insurance, health care and infant mortality in Bradford

Car insurance postcode discrimination 

That this House notes that car insurance rates can differ by more than ten times between people insuring from different postcodes; further notes that these extraordinary disparities in insurance charges can take place even between neighbouring postcodes; further notes these disparities are discriminatory against people on low incomes and particularly people from particular ethnic minorities who are concentrated in particular postcodes; calls on the government to outlaw postcode discrimination and oblige insurers to insure on the basis of the individual not the area as a matter of urgency; and calls on the government to legislate if necessary to ensure insurers are provided with information about individuals applying for car insurance that is relevant to make an insurance assessment but in line with respecting the individual’s right to privacy

Latest parliamentary questions from GG

You have sent 5 question(s) to the Table Office. This e-mail is to notify you that your Parliamentary Question(s) were received at 19 Mar 2013 11:00 AM and are being processed by the Table Office.

Ordinary Written question to: Health for answer on 21 Mar 2013 12:00 AM
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he is aware that Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ranked 111th out of 147 trusts according to NHS league tables..

Ordinary Written question to: Health for answer on 21 Mar 2013 12:00 AM
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is prepared to take to raise Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which from its current 111th out of 147 trusts according to NHS league tables to a much better position..

Ordinary Written question to: Health for answer on 21 Mar 2013 12:00 AM
To ask the Secretary of State whether he is aware that Bradford has the second-highest rate of infant mortality in England..

LECs, Cyprus and the Harlem Shake

George Galloway submitted the following motions on Wednesday which appear on the parliamentary record today.

They deal with:

The failure of the government to implement local spending reports, which are crucial for transparency as the budget statement today sees local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) placed in the frontlne of regional and local spending.

The worsening situation in Cyprus. Which is caused by the failure to properly regulate banks because of neo-liberal ideology. It urges Britain and the EU to talk to Russia in seeking a solution.

The Harlem Shake. The librarian at St Hilda's College in Oxford University has been sacked because some students filmed a YouTube dance video in the library. 

Failure of transparency in Local Enterprise Partnerships
That this House believes that Government plans to devolve crucial expenditure and development power to local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) is intrinsically flawed; agrees that while increased decentralisation towards local areas is welcome the process needs to be fully transparent; notes that the Sustainable Communities Act requires that the Government provide this through local annual spending reports so that informed decisions can be taken; agrees that these decisions cannot properly be taken because the Government has failed to produce these local spending reports.

Galloway condemns Tony Reeve's pay

'At a time of rising unemployment in Bradford and against a background of repeated failures by the chief executive it is scandalous that Tony Reeves is earning more than nine times that of the average council worker,' said Bradford West MP George Galloway.

'And considerably more than the Prime Minister. Bradford has some of the worst schools, the worst hospitals and among the highest rates of unemployment in the country. Council budgets are being slashed yet it proposed to pay Mr Reeves £178,476 a year. I urge all councillors to vote against any increase at the meeting next Tuesday.'

The average council wage is £12,145, just 10p an hour above minimum wage.

Galloway today put down a motion in the House of Commons condemning the proposed wage hike.

Chief Executive pay
That this House condemns the proposed salary award of £178,476 to the Chief Executive of City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council at a time when council services are being cut; notes that this is almost £40,000 per annum more than the Prime Minister; further notes that Bradford has some of the worst schools, the worst hospitals and among the highest rates of unemployment in the country; points out that the Chief Executives proposed salary is nine times that of the average council worker, on £12,145; and urges Bradford councillors to vote against any increase.

Dole queues continue to grow in Bradford West

Unemployment in Bradford West shows no sign of easing, according to the latest statistics.

'It's propitious that on the day of the budget the real state of the economy is tragically laid out in these woeful figures. Unemployment is well above the national average at 12.5% of those able to work,' said MP George Galloway. 'That's one person in every eight unable to find a job and dependent on benefits which are repeatedly whittled away. Bradford West has the seventh-highest unemployment of all 650 constituencies in the country.

'Even worse than that, for yet another successive month, there is a year-on-year increase, 340 more on the dole than there were last February. This demonstrates unequivocally that the government's economic measures aren't working and neither are 5,728 of my constituents.'

Galloway called for immediate and substantial investment in infrastructure in order to get people back to work. 'This is a tragedy for thousands of families in my constituency which only a change in government policy can alleviate,' Galloway added.

George Galloway in Parliament

The parliamentary session is coming to an end and George will be celebrating one year on from his election at the end of the month.

I thought you would be interested to know that George has tabled 81 early day motions since he was elected, at least 20 more than ANY other MP (not just any other Bradford MP), on a very wide range of subjects.

I have given a link below to the four most recent, all of which directly concern Bradford. He has also tabled 69 parliamentary questions and has raised questions twice directly with the Prime Minister. He has also written dozens of letters privately to ministers.

There is a lot more, but I just thought I would send you this as a taster.

 

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1221

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1220

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1219

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/1218

MP congratulates Leeds child surgery campaigners

Bradford West MP George Galloway congratulates the Save Our Surgery (SOS) campaigners and leading advocate Stuart Andrew MP on winning the first crucial stage in the battle to retain child heart surgery in Leeds. A High Court decision on a judicial review brought by the group has found in their favour and that the decision to close the unit and move surgery to Newcastle and Liverpool was unfair and legally flawed.

"Winning this action proves what the campaigners had claimed, that the consultation process was merely a cosmetic exercise rubber-stamping a decision that had already been taken," Galloway said. "Obviously this isn't the end of the process and we can't yet say that the unit has been saved but it's a vitally important first step. It's a remarkable achievement by SOS and campaigning MP Stuart Andrew and it shows what public pressure can do. More than 600,000 people have signed the petition to save the unit.

"The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, which took the decision to close Leeds, now has to reverse the decision and bow to the public will which is that this brilliant lifesaving unit stays at Leeds General hospital."

George Galloway on his friend Hugo Chavez

The death of Hugo Chavez

The death of Hugo Chavez at just 58 is a body blow for the poor and the oppressed, throughout Latin America and the wider world. The most elected leader in the modern era, Chavez transformed Venezuela by the force of his will and a popular revolution which encompassed the marginal, the ethnic minorities, the workers, and key sections of the progressive intelligencia who saw in him a veritable Spartacus.

He rallied an army of not slaves, but those despised by the oligarchy as hewers of wood and drawers of the oil which previously made only the rich richer. Under Chavez’ revolution the oil wealth was distributed in ever rising wages and above all in ambitious social engineering. He built the fifth largest student body in the world, creating scores of new universities. More than 90% of Venezuelans ate three meals a day for the first time in the country’s history. Quality social housing for the masses became the norm with the pledge that by the end of the presidential term, now cut short, all Venezuelans would live in a dignified house.

Chavez’ ambitions were not limited to Venezuela alone. He fostered Latin American unity promoting democratic and socialist movements throughout the continent. He founded a Bank of the South, a University of the South, even a television station of the South – Tele Sur. And further afield he championed the Palestinian cause, giving citizenship to stateless Palestinian refugees. When Israel invaded Lebanon, from where I write, in 2006 he expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas – relations which remain severed. He stood up to North American hegemony and with the victims of imperial domination everywhere.

I knew him as a warm gregarious bear of a man, a force of nature. My wife and I spent almost two weeks working in his presidential campaign late last year. It is heartbreaking to be writing what amounts to his obituary so soon after yet another of his great political triumphs. He will be remembered as a man who lived and died for his people, as a paratrooper, a tank commander, a president. Hasta siempre Comandante. Presente.

Published in the Independent

Relations with the Arab dictators

Galloway launches Respect convoy to Kashmir