The headache George Galloways Workers Party will cause for all parties at the General Election

On the 1st of March 2024 George Galloway stormed to victory in Rochdale by election. To say this election was controversial is an understatement, Galloway is no stranger to attracting controversy wherever he goes but the labour candidate Azhar Ali probably stole the show on that front. He made some comments promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory stating the Israeli government was aware of Hamas planning to attack on October the 7th and they allowed them to so they then had reason to fully launch an invasion of Gaza. Labour then shat the bed by taking 72 hours to drop him as their candidate, during that time they continued to campaign for him, Lisa Nandy was even photographed in with Azhar in Rochdale after the leaked remarks, before Labour finally released a statement stating more had come out about Azhar's remarks and they were now going to drop him.

Another interesting fact about this election was the Reform party coming in last place which brings me to the point of writing this blog entry.

In recent years on our continents mainland there has been a rise in Far Right party's sweeping up elections all over, and many political commentators in this country are wondering 1. why it is happening? and 2. why isn't it happening here? For me the answer is simple for the last 14 years we've had a Tory government that has drifted further and further to the far right. Its pandered to it's factions within the party and pandered to its factions outside of the party i.e. Ukip and Reform UK. Both those party's are nothing more than unofficial conservative party factions, they say the Conservative party has 5 families it should be 7 because Ukip and Reform have probably helped decide more government policy and rhetoric than any member of the Tory party for some time now. We all witnessed the reception Nigel Farage had at the last Tory party conference requests for selfie after selfie from dote eyed little posh boys and dancing the night away with Priti Patel to "I can't take my eyes off you" by Frank Sinatra. So why isn't the public as enthusiastic about the notion of the Tory's or Reform? Because they are not the same brand as our European neighbours far right party's. The only thing that they represent equally is the anti immigration rhetoric, most of the party's in Europe have very left wing economic policy's but right wing on social policy's which is vastly different to that of the Tory's and Reform but, not so far away from Galloways workers Party who even has the backing of the former BNP leader Nick Griffin. The BNP was a far right fascist party but also quit left wing Economically, the rise of the convergence of left economics and far right cultural stances in Europe reflects that of the changing political landscape.

Enter George Galloway. If it was not for him chasing the Muslim vote in Rochdale and had took a more stricter aim at immigration he would be no different to the far right movement that's taking place across Europe, his party campaigns on almost the same things, social conservatism, anti trans politics, climate change scepticism etc. but with left wing economics. I think if his party moved to a more anti immigration movement at the next general election which he will wipe out Reform UK. This is an entirely plausible possibility especially if Griffin is involved. The biggest challenge in beating Reform will be the media, they wouldn't except a party that will campaign to change the economic landscape, threatening the neo liberal world of trickledown economics and the Thatcherism agenda they helped create. They never challenge Richard Tice referring to the Tory's as a socialist party, and that's because they want you to think they are. They want you to believe that socialism is the reason that you can't get a doctors appointment or why you can't pay your bills. They want you to stick with the status quo but think you are voting against it by voting for another neo liberal bull shit party.

But I think the public, most of the public are sick of these Thatcherite economic policy's and the media that helps pedal them. With a cost of living crises sweeping the UK the NHS on its knees, schools running out of money and councils going bankrupt, people are starting to question the status quo we live in and with every other party offering much of the same thing I can certainly see a large section of the social conservative working class turning to a party that offers something different. Another thing helping the far right phenonium is anti establishment figures people that stand up to the elite, now our media presented Boris Johnson as that figure and to a lesser extent Farage for a while back in his Ukip days. 2 people who where very much the essence OF the establishment Boris with his vast wealth and Farage an ex banker, the media presented them as hero's to the working class. I don't think that would work this time, people don't seem as attached to Tice as they did with Farage and i think that is probably because he was a big business man and his wealth although compared to the wealth of our current prime minister...........When we have mass amounts of poverty and foodbank usage among the population, family's in fulltime work having to literally having choose between heating their homes or eating or having to starve themselves just so their kids can eat, having people with vast amounts of wealth telling us they understand or telling us to work harder or acting like nothing is wrong just doesn't sit well with most people anymore as it once did.

Any anti establishment figure now would have to be just that and Galloway is easily presenting himself as that by attacking Labour especially the party he was expelled from years ago. He's hit out at Angela Rayner's profiting from the sale of her council house giving the impression she is no different from the people she criticises, Starmer for his constant pledge breaking and the fact that they backed the Tory's on Gaza, on the 2 child benefit cap, He easily paints them as both the same.

However I myself see him as a grifter more than anti establishment, I don't believe he really wants to deliver on anything he offers he certainly doesn't have a plan to apart from shouting socialist and anti capitalist slogans. All he's dome is looked at the far right in Europe, seen the cost of living crises here, the war in Gaza and seen a perfect opportunity, and to be honest it is a clever one, I've said for a while that a mixture social conservatism and socialism is a political opportunity in the UK and I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to fill it, It's just a shame it's Galloway that has, not because social conservativism is my thing and i want a party with his ideas to gain power but because it is for a lot of the working class and Galloway has won multiple seats to Farage and Tice's zero, which shows he knows how to run a campaign and there are enough people willing to give him a chance even though many regret it afterwards. This is why I think Galloway called be a bigger threat to all party's at the next general election but, I hope Labour use it to their advantage and take on more of The Workers Party of Britain's economic policy's so then all party's on the far right will have less sway over people because in the end people like Farage, Tice and Galloway capitalise on peoples anger and frustration over the financial situation that they and our public service's are currently in. If neither of the 2 major party's are offering change they will look to whoever else might be.