Posted on 05/07/2003 5:59:10 PM PDT by Utah Girl
Galloway is suspended by Labour
By George Jones, Political Editor
(Filed: 07/05/2003)
George Galloway was suspended from the Labour Party last night while a wide-ranging internal investigation is carried out into complaints that his opposition to the war against Iraq brought the party into disrepute.
|
|
|
|
|
The inquiry could end his career as a front-line Labour politician. Even if he is cleared, his suspension could prevent his gaining reselection this year as a Labour candidate at the next election.
Mr Galloway condemned his suspension as a "witch hunt" and "tantamount to political exile". He said he was being "silenced" for speaking out against the war.
David Triesman, the party's general secretary, said the suspension would take effect immediately.
Mr Galloway, MP for Glasgow Kelvin, now faces three investigations:
The Labour inquiry is a serious blow to Mr Galloway, who has emerged as one of Tony Blair's most vociferous critics. A Labour MP said the party seemed to be "throwing the book" at him.
Mr Galloway, who had eggs hurled at him at a May Day rally, said his suspension was prejudicial to his libel action against The Daily Telegraph over claims that he took money from Saddam. No libel proceedings have as yet been served on the Telegraph.
The trigger for the Labour Party inquiry was an interview Mr Galloway gave for Abu Dhabi television on March 28 in which he accused the Prime Minister and President George W Bush of attacking Iraq "like wolves".
Party officials said he "seemingly invited other Arab nations to fight against the British Army".
In other interviews, he accused Britain and America of waging an "illegal" war. "The best thing British troops can do is to refuse illegal orders," he said.
A statement issued by Labour made clear the leadership's concern over other investigations into Mr Galloway's conduct.
It said its investigation, to be carried out by Chris Lennie, the deputy general secretary, would be "thorough". It is likely to take months. Sanctions available to the national executive range from a written warning to expulsion.
Labour will also investigate interviews in which Mr Galloway seemed to say that he might stand against an official Labour candidate.
Last month he said that, if he were "cheated" out of standing for the Glasgow Central constituency, "I will defend that seat as an independent".
Mr Galloway's Kelvin seat is disappearing as a result of a reduction in the number of Scottish MPs. Labour will choose candidates for Glasgow seats this autumn. If disciplinary proceedings are still going on, Mr Galloway will be ineligible to stand.
The Labour leadership is also concerned about The Daily Telegraph's discovery of Iraqi documents purporting to show that Mr Galloway benefited financially from Iraqi oil and food contracts. He could face further action if he fails to clear his name.
Mr Galloway said his suspension and the investigations by the Charity Commission and the parliamentary standards commissioner were "extraordinarily carefully co-ordinated moves".
"No less than three processes controlled by the Labour leadership have been unleashed against me on the same day," he said.
The investigations threatened to prevent him "proceeding down the proper legal channels to clear my name".
"It is completely unjust. In fact, it offends all principles of natural justice. I have embarked upon a considerable legal undertaking to prove in court the falseness of the allegations against me.
"But this case will now run in parallel with a kind of kangaroo court."
Mr Galloway said: "Suspension from the party after 35 years of membership is particularly hard to bear. It is tantamount to political exile."
He suggested that he was being vilified for his opposition to war in Iraq.
"I have been suspended for the words that I speak, for the things that I believe in.
"It really is grotesque that someone can be suspended from the party for speaking against a war."
Labour is the Brit's "Democrats"
Maybe, but the Left Wing of [the officially left wing] Labour Party is basically made of undeclared Communists.
Since Saddam patterned his version of Iraq on the Soviet Union under Stalin, Iraq received a lot of sympathy from the nut cases on the left as some sort of last / best hope for world communism. Accordingly, Saddam paying off Galloway probably may not have been necessary.
By the way, the only good thing about Communists is that they hate their fellow stinking statists ... the Nazis ... and the only good thing about Nazis is that they hate Communists.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.