George Galloway is poised to make his political debut, entering the House of Commons as the newly elected member of Parliament for the Workers Party of Britain (WPB).
How did it happen and what will be the implications of pro-Palestine candidate Galloway’s decisive triumph, closely linked with the Gaza situation? That’s the talk of the town.
After winning a landslide victory in the Rochdale by-election, Galloway, often described as a “veteran political agitator,” sometimes “controversial” and “left-wing” politician said, “Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza.”
Notably, Galloway obtained nearly 40% of the votes “in a contest beset by chaos and controversy and dominated by the conflict in Gaza.”
By all standards, Galloway’s win displays British public resentment toward their government. While he may have effectively used Gaza as a pretext to secure a victory, carefully employing an in-depth analysis dismisses such notions.
Britain’s leading political expert on Labour politics, Diamond Jubilee Professor Keith Laybourn said: “It is a protest vote attached to a renegade old socialist and essentially a wakeup call to Labour that it needs to be fairer and more positive in its position over Gaza. In the end, Galloway has profited from the unusual circumstances of the Rochdale contest, it is a reminder that racial and religious stereotyping has no place in democratic politics.”
Although Gaza remains a top priority for the protesters, the reality is mounting corruption, the cost-of-living crisis, unequal distribution of wealth, heavy taxes and homelessness in a country that is unconditionally supporting wars in Ukraine and Gaza by spending billions but refusing to accept there is rising poverty in Britain.
The Guardian cited the "Transparency International Corruption Perception Index," revealing that the United Kingdom has reached its lowest ranking since 2012, positioning it as "more corrupt than Uruguay and Hong Kong."
If you carefully look at the pro-Palestinian protester’s representation in the sections of the British media, you will find labeling theory into full practice. A growing number of media reports reflect that pro-Palestinian protesters are a “threat to democracy” so we need to “ban them.”
This state of affairs corresponds with Stanly Cohen’s theory of “Moral Panics and Folk Devils” (1972) which argues that the five Ps (press, politicians, police, public bodies and pressure groups) work closely to declare one group within a society as “trouble makers” and “problematic,” a laid-back route to hide the government’s own failures and also to gain public sympathy by labeling one set of people as “outsiders,” “a threat” and “undemocratic.”
There is little denial that Galloway has profited from the growing public sentiment over Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Be mindful, that the Rochdale constituency is predominantly white and non-Muslim, so Galloway's victory shouldn’t be seen as a result of a Muslim-only vote, as most sections of the British media are presenting it to make use of a “Muslim card” for tougher legislation against pro-Palestinian protestors in days to come.
Further, the systematically built-up narrative of presenting Gaza as a Muslim issue is brittle because evidently, the overwhelming majority are non-Muslim marchers who have made it a humanitarian issue. Think of thousands of Orthodox Jews and Christian protesters discrediting the policies of Israel.
According to a YouGov opinion poll, the majority of “Britons (75%) describe the U.K. as a democratic country, but six in 10 (60%) complain that they cannot freely say what they think, and a third (34%) feel they have absolutely no say when it comes to how things are run.” Now let’s test this hypothesis by borrowing Tim Adams' analysis, “In February 2003, 1.5 million people protested in London against the looming Iraq War. They didn’t stop the conflict.”
Twenty years on, Britain's ruling elite is once again intentionally ignoring millions of marchers of all faiths and communities in the streets of London and beyond who are demanding a cease-fire in Gaza to save unarmed and starving people. But the reality is bleak: "Gaza chaos was the day British democracy failed."
Hence, once again, public protest over Israel’s war on Gaza is disregarded by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, often described as a “selected Prime Minister” who believes a “shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminology in the wake of the Gaza war” that aided outspoken British politician and commentator Geroge Galloway to “easily win the seat in Rochdale on a platform that focused on anti-Israel sentiment over Gaza.”
Piles of evidence show that pro-Palestinian protesters are too often labeled as “extremists,” “criminals,” “undemocratic,” “anti-Sematic” and “bad guys” who are asking their government to back a cease-fire in a Gaza motion in the United Nations.
In democratic Britain, “police aggression" toward Gaza marchers is observed to be "on the rise," signaling a ban or facing tough laws because they don’t care about dying innocent children and millions of Palestinians facing starvation. This situation is best explicable in Tom Kendall's question: “Are we watching the death of democracy?”
The Rochdale election reflects a drastic change in British politics ahead. For decades, the Labour Party has enjoyed British Muslims' vote but it would be a hard pill to swallow.
Several studies conducted over the past two decades shed light on the unjust targeting and scapegoating of British Muslims by certain politicians, perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Labels such as "Pakistani rapists," "easy meat," "split loyalties" and "grooming gangs" have unfortunately contributed to fostering an atmosphere of Islamophobia.
Blaming specific communities does not address the underlying issues. Factors such as Britain's involvement in Middle East conflicts, rising racist abuse against Muslims, and a failure to adequately address Islamophobia have influenced Muslim voters' perspectives.
Richard Tice of Reform UK has added fuel to the fire by claiming that the parliamentary elections have not been “free and fair” because “the behavior of certain candidates and their supporters in this contest fall very short of our traditional democratic standards. What we witnessed and experienced in Rochdale is deeply disturbing. Our candidate and camping team have been subjected to racist death threats...”
Further, Tice ticketed the Rochdale elections as a “threat to democracy” which happens in a “failed state” and warned that by Christmas the House of Commons will see a “number of extremists, anti-Semitic lawmakers.”
So, what do Tice's warning shots indicate and how will British politics take shape in months to come? The coming general elections will be significant for the newly erected Worker Party.
Alertly, professor Laybourn forecasts, “It will be 50 -50 on whether Galloway gets back or loses to a new Labour candidate. The New Worker Party, it is suggested, might put 60 candidates forward at the next election. They don't have many George Galloways so will only hinder Labour and give the Conservatives a lifeline to be returned to pursue policies that do not remotely represent the interests of the population of Rochdale.”
Correspondingly, the University of Leeds, academic and political commentator, Abdul Shaikh said: “The next general election will be an enticing prospect for the Workers Party as they will look to take seats of Labour in deprived areas as well as places where there is a sizeable Muslim population across the country. George Galloway will certainly be licking his lips at the prospect of inflicting a heavy blow on the Labour’s electoral prospects and stopping Sir Keir Starmer from becoming the next Prime Minister.”
All eyes are on the next general elections, probably not because of Gaza or Galloway’s colossal win, but because the way Britain is being run under Conservatives has alarmed and disheartened many in cities across the U.K.
