Galloway expected to win Bradford by-election

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/da...e-big-parties/

George Galloway back in Parliament? This is desperate news for Labour – and all the big parties

He's back, it seems...

Good God. George Galloway back in the Commons, according to Sky News:

Respect party politician George Galloway has told Sky News he has won a "big victory" in what may be a sensational upset in a Bradford West by-election.

Mr Galloway told Sky News' Jon Craig that he had won the by-election, dealing the Labour party a blow. The results have not been officially confirmed, but Mr Galloway has declared victory anyway. "The mood has changed dramatically. There is Labour dismay," Craig says. The indications are that Mr Galloway may have just pulled off a "sensational win", he said. Labour went into the day as overwhelming favourite to retain a seat that Marsha Singh – who has stood down due to ill-health – held with an increased majority of 5,763 when the party lost power in 2010.

Quick thoughts, late at night.

1. Identity politics is alive and well – a symptom of a wider malaise.

2. Further evidence that Muslims feel alienated from mainstream politics, so they align themselves with a maverick.

3. Galloway wasn't elected by "extremists" – this result was brought about by the votes of ordinary Muslims.

4. Desperate news for Labour, just desperate. The worst week for the Coalition for ages, and this happens.

5. Ed Miliband will not be Prime Minister.

6. Could this pave the way for Ukip? All three parties are despised. Watch out for cunning footwork by minority parties. After all, we already have, God help us, a Green MP.

From what i've been hearing (again, we don't even know if Galloway has won yet) then it's been a very bad night for the Labour Party being beaten by Galloway's Respect Party and a very bad night for the Conservatives who (rumour has it) have saw an utter collapse in their Bradford vote. I have also heard that UKIP are rumoured to be within reach of beating the Conservatives to third place in the seat with the Liberal Democrats nowhere to be seen. But as for Galloway - I barely agree with much of what he says, however he is dead right on the issue of western foreign policy as bullies of the playground and I like the way he says it. Whether you like Galloway or not, he's like Tony Benn and the late Enoch Powell; he'll say it and to hell with whether the party elders agree with it or not.

I said in the other thread though that there's a definite sense of shift in British politics at the moment, the main parties have plummeting membership and UKIP is on 8% in the polls when only two years ago it polled a mere 1%/2%. When you have dying, unpopular parties like the Lib/Lab/Con - something will eventually replace them as the Labour Party once replaced the Liberal Party back in the early 1900s. Tonight, it seems, that scenario just got closer.

Thoughts?

[-:Undertaker:-]

Here are the results, a big defeat for Labour tonight whilst only Respect and UKIP gained tonight.

@MarkJLittlewood

Vote changes since 2010 election - Respect + 53.0% Lab -18.2% Con -21.3% LD -6.5% UKIP +1.4% Green -0.7%

....

@MarkJLittlewood

Overall vote share in 2012 - Respect 55.9% Lab 25% Con 8.4% LD 4.6% UKIP 3.3% Green 1.5%

....

@MarkJLittlewood

The three major parties polled just 38% between them, down 46% on the last election

Swing from Labour to Respect of 37%.

[Inseriousity.]

Is respect a new party or just a campaign slogan? First time I've heard of it but I do think it'd be good for politics if there was no such word as "safe seat" in the political dictionary. Although this is the same guy who paraded around like a cat in the Big Brother house... Still, people's choice at the end of the day so good luck to him, hope he does well for them.

[beth]

think i read on the guardian that the muslim community really got behind george's anti-army policy and that brought him through.