Galloway win warning for all parties

From: N Bywater, Airedale Terrace, Morley, Leeds.

IN the Bradford West by-election that saw George Galloway get a massive victory, it was stated that the Conservative vote went down more than 20 per cent.

It went down a lot more than 20 per cent. The Conservative vote went from 31.1 per cent to 8.4 per cent. So when the Conservatives are saying this result is a massive blow for Labour, this result is massive for all the main parties.

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The Conservatives are doing their best to deflect attention away from the collapse of the vote from both the main parties. George Galloway is not a popular figure, he is an ex-MP that when he was in office he had one of the lowest voting participation records in Parliament at 8.4 per cent. In January 2006 George Galloway appeared on the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother for three weeks, he received much criticism and mockery for a sitting MP at the time, leading to the allegation that he was bringing parliament into disrepute.

If an unpopular figure such as George Galloway can cause the Labour and Conservative vote to collapse, then the next Parliament could have representatives from the English Democrats and UKIP, or any party with big profile.

From: David W Wright, Uppleby, Easingwold.

THE election of George Galloway must make Cameron, Miliband and Clegg all sit up and seriously reconsider their policies and also take note of Respect’s clear views on the EU, our continued involvement in Afghanistan and meddling in other countries’ affairs etc when we cannot even sort out our own problems, such as running out of fuel and spending millions of pounds on overseas aid.

From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.

RESPECT MP George Galloway achieved a remarkably good winning result in the Bradford West by-election, trouncing the other six candidates and getting a 56 per cent turnout and in some areas receiving 85 per cent of the votes cast.

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How and why has he done it? Many will accuse him of playing the “race” card and aiming for the Muslim vote by attending mosques and sending a letter explaining how he does not drink alcohol.

Yes, those details undoubtedly helped, and the fact that he is a brilliant orator and has charisma, unlike most of his competitors. His policies are not un-patriotic, nor are they divisive, but they do reflect what millions of UK citizens feel, say and think in private. Unlike most other politicians, he represents grass root folk, especially with his anti-war ideas and solutions.

I have hardly ever spoken to anyone who agrees with this country going to war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierre Leone, Libya or with getting involved in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Bahrein, the UAE and possibly Iran.

These foreign policy moves cost our near bankrupt nation billions and the loss of hundreds of our finest young men and women and achieve virtually nothing.

From: Dai Woosnam, Woodrow Park, Scartho, Grimsby.

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WHATEVER you may think of George Galloway, his win in the Bradford by-election should be a reason for us all to cheer. Why? Well because it gives the lie to the theory that ethnic minorities will always “vote for their own”.

Here, the ethnic population of Bradford looked at the issues, and not at the skin colour.

I salute them.

From: Eric Firth, Wellington Street, Wilsden, West Yorkshire.

ACCORDING to a couple of weekend national papers, the Galloway victory was really a protest about poor middle class families not being able to afford petrol for their two or more cars. And they say politicians are out of touch. Truth is, every organisation is out of touch.

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These middle classes are always moaning about how hard their supposed to be having it, we even have families on £800 a week whining about losing their family allowance.

Hey, you shouldn’t be getting family allowance. Me and my wife never did because we only had the one child we could afford, and at the time, the 60s, they didn’t pay it for the first child, and nor should they. We didn’t moan, we’d been raised by parents who never got family allowance – or anything. What a bunch of soft, spoilt, moaning wimps modern Britons are. All classes. For God’s sake shut up.

No welcome in cathedrals

From: Keith Williams, Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale, London.

I VISITED Wakefield last week from London, by train, with the express intention of seeing the rood screen in Wakefield Cathedral.

The cathedral, apart from the coffee shop, was closed. When challenged via the helpful Tourist Office, it was claimed that attention was drawn to this on the Cathedral’s website. It was not stated when.

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London is not, of course, around the corner and Wakefield is a long way to go for a coffee, not that I was invited to do that as compensation.

A quickly drawn up contingency plan to go to Leeds instead to see Kirkstall Abbey was more than rewarded; it is beautiful and must be one of the highlights of Yorkshire.

Lastly, but probably no means finally, Leeds Cathedral has no end of signs forbidding entry to various parts of it. No entry signs are many and prominent. I saw none that said “Welcome”.

I have serious misgivings about the wisdom of paying a return visit.