Galloway Goes to Washington

Galloway Goes to Washington

With the election less than a week old in Britain, attacks against dissident former New Labour star, Respect Party MP George Galloway have begun. In an outlandish Bolton-esque fashion, accusations that Galloway had profited from the maligned U.N. Oil for Food Program has emerged from the United States. The report relies on virtually all the information used to attack Galloway and others critical of the U.N. approved sanctions against Iraq following 1991's Desert Storm: The same accusations Galloway defended at the time, and successfully filed suit against. - {ape}

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/
images/2004/01/284247.jpg

Galloway Goes to Washington
C. L. Cook
May 12th, 2005

It didn't take long. Just hours after winning an unlikely victory against high-profile Tony Blair protege, Oona King in Britain's May 5th general election, outspoken war critic, and former New Labour insider, George Galloway was sand-bagged by "the BBC's principal rottweiler" Jeremy Paxman. Paxman, a prominent television news presenter congratulated the new MP with this:

Jeremy Paxman: "Mr Galloway, are you proud of having got rid of one of the very few black women in Parliament?"

To which the sensible Member answered:

Galloway: "What a preposterous question. I know it's very late in the night, but wouldn't you be better starting by congratulating me for one of the most sensational election results in modern history?"

This prime time jab by the nation's public broadcaster was nothing to Galloway, he's been a lightning rod for too long to be shocked by the likes of Paxman; but, the zap from Bush faithful Senator Norm Coleman's Senate Investigative Committee may have jotled him. The MP is being invited to participate in the committee's main event, the so-called "Oil For Influence: How Saddam Used Oil to Reward Politicians and Terrorist Entities Under the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme" hearings. If the committee is long on title, it promises to make up for that with swift judgement.

Why Galloway would be willing to play the kangaroo in this planned pantomime is a mystery. But according to the Bethnal Green and Bow MP, he's been trying to reach the committee to be granted an opportunity to answer the unmerited accusations. Coleman denies knowledge of previous contact.

When asked about it by reporters, Galloway said:

“Yes, I will be there, but I am not happy with the process. Who would be? Even in Kafka there was a trial of sorts.”

Sadly for Canadians, "our" public broadcaster is singing in tune with the BBC.

The hearings are scheduled for May 17th in Washington, and we'll then see how well Galloway weathers the whip.



Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcast from CFUV Radio at the University of Victoria, Canada.
He also serves as a contributing editor to PEJ.org

You can check out his blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com