[newbonic]

Galloway and his Respect party win a seat in the commons with a 10,000 majority. Hammered the Labour party. Indie

This has just got to have serious implications for millipede in nominal charge of the labour party.

But will it influence the ConDems economic policies if they get the message that there's trouble brewing in't mills?

[Englebert]

Well done, George, is all I would say.

[Nationalist]

This is a serious watershed in British politics. Galloway's new career is sucking up to muslims and it's paying off for him. In the past people voted along class and ideological lines. In the future they will vote along ethnic lines. This is the first small sign of a massive change. Once an area "turns muslim" it will never turn back. Thereafter it will be run from the mosques.

[newbonic]

bulltraderpt, on 30 March 2012 - 07:50 AM, said:

Could we move this to the current affairs area?

Thanks Mods.

I think a result like this could have significant influence on the govts economic decisions. What with the 'missing 500,000' families ("it's society wot's to blame, innit") I reckon the firm but fair Osbourne may be tempted to chuck a few hundred mill at such problems.

The big 2.5 will react if their stranglehold on British politics is threatened.

But yea, current affairs is a good a home as any!

[Gone baby gone]

newbonic, on 30 March 2012 - 08:03 AM, said:

I think a result like this could have significant influence on the govts economic decisions. What with the 'missing 500,000' families ("it's society wot's to blame, innit") I reckon the firm but fair Osbourne may be tempted to chuck a few hundred mill at such problems.

Nah, throwing money at it is what New Labour did with no real net effect.

What they need to do is look at restructuring some of the support structures (like schools), and start penalising parents of children under 18 who misbehave at school or outside it. At the same time they need a long-term strategy to attract employers who require semi-skilled labour to the UK.

[newbonic]

What, on 30 March 2012 - 08:05 AM, said:

Nah, throwing money at it is what New Labour did with no real net effect.

What they need to do is look at restructuring some of the support structures (like schools), and start penalising parents of children under 18 who misbehave at school or outside it. At the same time they need a long-term strategy to attract employers who require semi-skilled labour to the UK.

But throwing money at it is easy to implement and could kick the can down the road until after the next election.

Your second para's set of education measures, while I agree with them, are difficult to implement and mostly would have to be done in the teeth of opposition from the teaching unions and the human rights lawyers.

[newbonic]

Nationalist, on 30 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

This is a serious watershed in British politics. Galloway's new career is sucking up to muslims and it's paying off for him. In the past people voted along class and ideological lines. In the future they will vote along ethnic lines. This is the first small sign of a massive change. Once an area "turns muslim" it will never turn back. Thereafter it will be run from the mosques.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of candidate Lab field at the next general election, if they want to attract the muslim vote away from Respect.

[SpewLabour]

Nationalist, on 30 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

This is a serious watershed in British politics. Galloway's new career is sucking up to muslims and it's paying off for him. In the past people voted along class and ideological lines. In the future they will vote along ethnic lines. This is the first small sign of a massive change. Once an area "turns muslim" it will never turn back. Thereafter it will be run from the mosques.

It'll be interesting to see if the same tactic works for Ken. Tower Hamlets council is run from the East London Mosque these days and he's sucking up big time to the mayor.

[thecrashingisles]

Nationalist, on 30 March 2012 - 07:57 AM, said:

This is a serious watershed in British politics. Galloway's new career is sucking up to muslims and it's paying off for him. In the past people voted along class and ideological lines. In the future they will vote along ethnic lines. This is the first small sign of a massive change. Once an area "turns muslim" it will never turn back. Thereafter it will be run from the mosques.

I think the mosques in Bradford were solidly behind Labour. This looks like more of a 'plague on all your houses' vote against the status quo.

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

Nauseous George, surely?

[Gone baby gone]

newbonic, on 30 March 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

But throwing money at it is easy to implement and could kick the can down the road until after the next election.

Next election is 17 May 2015 - just over 3 years away.

Their biggest problem was to ignore the problem, and they are continuing to do so. When you have kids who emerge from an education system after 13 years unable to read and write, you know something is amiss. Toss parents who couldn't give a toss into the mix and you are headed for certain disaster. Giving them free money just gets you there quicker...

When they removed corporal punishment from schools they didn't replace it with anything that is effective. Excluding kids just puts them straight on the path of being a wrong'un. Having said that, when you're smart and 18, emerging from your exam-induced stupor and take a look around, the choices are... load up with debt for future with no certainties except big repayments, or try and eek out a life on benefits and working cash in hand. Can't really blame them in many cases.

[porca misèria]

Galloway has his own well-deserved personal respect for standing up to his own former party and speaking truth to power ...

[RichB]

porca misèria, on 30 March 2012 - 09:47 AM, said:

Galloway has his own well-deserved personal respect for standing up to his own former party and speaking truth to power ...

Aye.

[Peter Hun]

thecrashingisles, on 30 March 2012 - 08:49 AM, said:

I think the mosques in Bradford were solidly behind Labour. This looks like more of a 'plague on all your houses' vote against the status quo.

There maybe a lot of Muslims in West Bradford, but there is a hell of a lot more white Christians and they obviously voted for Galloway.

[newbonic]

Milton, on 30 March 2012 - 09:42 AM, said:

I dont believe the Muslim vote was garnered via local issues, rather because Mr G had stood up for Kashmir and Pakistan, and supported islamic issues worldwide. Irrespective of whether they are right or wrong.
A classic example of the Islamic concept of Ummah (ie Muslim brotherhood)

Westernised Muslims will always look East for direction rather than travel to the East, in an attempt to impose democratic values upon Islam.
...

If that's the case then the Lab candidate would have had no credibility whatsoever, given that the invasions of iraq and afghanistan were both launched when they were in power.

Respect could be onto a winner with that strategy in many other seats. I wouldn't be surprised if they got several MPs at the next general election.

Balkan Britain here we come.