"Respect" purges dissenters

Two former National Council members of "Respect" have left the "Party" after being "purged" from their positions following criticisms of Gorgeous George over his recent comments about rape. The article explaining how and why they were purged was published today at 5.29pm on Socialist Unity and comments on the post was rapidly closed at 8.39pm.

Apparently because an administrator objected to some rather mild comments about GG as being an "anti-Galloway hate fest".... and the problem with that is???
 

No Dis-Respect Xmas Party (2008)

This is so 2008 ...but I like it...

Hat-tip Comrade Mercader

Missing. Have You Seen This Man?

Bethnal Green & Bow Residents are asking for your help in identifying the whereabouts of George Galloway.

He was last seen wearing a pink leotard and white fluffy bunny slippers in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran, Beirut, North Korea, Syria and on top of a red bus in Proctor Street, Holborn; he was also known to be posing as an illegal immigrant in Canada.

His height and weight is known to be dodgy, his hair grey and balding, moustache grey and grizzled, eyes grey and dilated, it has been known to be red in the morning.

If anyone has information of his whereabouts please do not approach him, he is known to be dangerous and armed with an offensive mouth.

Contact Details Office: Disrespect Party Office
Location: Shifty Road

Hat-tip thingy Facebook Group

Socialist Unity "apologises" to Police

This is probably the most utterly bizarre story of the year.

CLARIFICATION AND APOLOGY

On 25 June 2008 we published a posting, by Andy Newman, entitled “J’accuse! — the Dreyfus Affair”.

This posting included a copy of a letter Mr George Galloway MP had sent to the RT Hon Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary, identifying Inspector Christopher Dreyfus as an agent provocateur at an anti-war demonstration in Parliament Square on 15 June 2008.

Mr Galloway said that he had observed Inspector Dreyfus commit various crimes, including incitement to violence, attempted assault on a police officer and several serious public order offences. He called upon the Home Secretary to conduct an inquiry into Inspector Dreyfus’ behaviour. Our posting called upon readers to comment on Mr Galloway’s letter. We made clear that Inspector Dreyfus denied the allegations.

We understand that, as a result of Mr Galloway’s letter, the matter has been comprehensively investigated by the British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police, and that their findings have been reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The investigations did not substantiate Ms Whittaker-Khan’s story or the allegations in Mr Galloway’s letter. The CPS has confirmed that there is no case to answer.

We now accept that Christopher Dreyfus was not present at the demonstration and did not engage in any of the criminal behaviour referred to in Ms Whittaker-Khan’s story or Mr Galloway’s letter.

We apologize to him for the damage caused to his reputation.

No Comments

Harry’s Place has the full details on how seriously weird this story is – I thought at the time that the alternative universe that Galloway lives in must be cracking up. To make such an accusation against a high profile Gay Police officer with a Jewish sounding name without any “proof” was just bonkers. The Police Officer denies being at the demo. The only “evidence” was a "Mail On Sunday" (for crying out loud) journalist who thought a violent protester was this Transport Police inspector she had met previously at a party in Bedford. Didn't anyone have the wit to think about how historically loaded the name "Dreyfus" is or google his full name beforehand? A secret Policeman or what!

Now Socialist Unity and I don’t usually see eye to eye on many things but I hope that they are not being sued. They have apologised and perhaps that should be the end of the matter except not to trust the "Gorgeous One" in the future.

They all learn eventually.

London Progressive Conference

This was well worth attending yesterday and a surprising good use of a wet and windy London Saturday in January.

“London Progressive” was set up by Ken Livingstone after he lost the London Mayor election to Boris.

Its web site states that it is a “a unique coalition, launched by Ken Livingstone, and involving people and views from across the political, cultural, community, generational and artistic spectrum, to promote the kinds of progressive policies which have made London such a success and a place where people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds can be themselves and come together around common goals”.

This is a pretty ambitious goal. Still, any coalition that can get the deputy leader of the Labour Party, Harriet Harman, to attend alongside leaders of the Greens and Liberal Democrats has not only got ambition but quite some pull. Mind you, the utterly vile Gorgeous One was also apparently there, as was Mr McNoHoper MP.

There were of course plenty of rumours circulating about what Ken hopes to get out of this coalition. Many feel he is angling to be the Labour Party candidate for London Mayor for 2012 (which I think is pretty much a given if he is chosen) or is he keen to build up a coalition similar to that of 2000 so he can stand as an independent in 2012? I don’t think so and I think that if he thought that he would have never rejoined the Party. The most Machiavelli theory was that Ken is building up support in the expectation that Labour will get a hammering in 2010 and he will be parachuted into Parliament as a leadership candidate. Yeah.

While the “nice but dim” trots in Workers Liberty dismiss Ken as a “fake career leftist” – whatever that means.

London Politics is obviously different to national since we have a PR system in City Hall and it appears that with Boris at least, all the democratic opposition political parties have an incentive to work together. Boris is after all very much a unifying Politician (to his critics).

It was certainly very well attended. The main conference hall at Congress House was packed with all seats taken and people having to stand at the back. There was a refreshing absence of head bangers. Harriet had some very silly heckling but the vast majority of participants told them in no uncertain words to shut up. She did really well and got the best cheer I think of the day. The seminars I attended were also packed with many standing up because there were no seats left. The lifts in Congress House are subject to conservation orders and are clearly inadequate to transporting lots of people from room to room, so to get anywhere in time, you need to use the stairs. Very green and pro public health.

I will post on the various seminars I attended and speeches during the next week. There was some really interesting debate and comment. It was also a bloggers delight since a lot was going on politically and it was great opportunity to chat and network with lots of people face to fact that you have only met previously on line. There is still no absolute alternative to such personal contact. It was a good day.