| Revision as of 20:09, 23 April 2003 view sourceRbrwr (talk | contribs)Administrators10,553 edits newsworthy British MP | Revision as of 00:21, 26 April 2003 view source Montrealais (talk | contribs)Administrators23,059 editsmNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''George Galloway''' (born ], ]) is a ] politician, who is ] ] for the ] Kelvin constituency. He has become an extremely controversial figure due to the apparent closeness of his connections to the former regime in ]. On ], ], the '']'' published documents found in Iraqi government offices after the fall of Baghdad which it claimed showed that Galloway had met Iraqi intelligence agents and had received £375,000 from the Iraqi government. Galloway denied the claims and announced that he would sue the ''Telegraph'' for ]. | '''George Galloway''' (born ], ]) is a ] politician, who is ] ] for the ] Kelvin constituency. He has become an extremely controversial figure due to the apparent closeness of his connections to the former regime in ]. On ], ], the '']'' published documents found in Iraqi government offices after the fall of Baghdad which it claimed showed that Galloway had met Iraqi intelligence agents and had received £375,000 from the Iraqi government. Galloway denied the claims and announced that he would sue the ''Telegraph'' for ]. | ||
| Born in ] in 1954, Galloway became a factory worker on leaving school. He later became a Labour Party organiser and General Secretary of the charity ] before being elected to the ] at the ], defeating the former ] leader ] in Glasgow Hillhead. | Born in ] in 1954, Galloway became a factory worker on leaving school. He later became a Labour Party organiser and General Secretary of the charity ] before being elected to the ] at the ], defeating the former ] leader ] in Glasgow Hillhead. | ||
| Galloway is a staunch left-winger, remaining a visible opponent of ] and ]s at a time when the wider Labour Party was generally becoming reconciled to them. He has gained most notice for his sympathy for ] causes, and as an opponent of what he sees as Western ]. He has long been a supporter of the ] cause and a critic of ]. | Galloway is a staunch left-winger, remaining a visible opponent of ] and ]s at a time when the wider Labour Party was generally becoming reconciled to them. He has gained most notice for his sympathy for ] causes, and as an opponent of what he sees as Western ]. He has long been a supporter of the ] cause and a critic of ]. | ||
Revision as of 00:21, 26 April 2003
George Galloway (born August 16, 1954) is a Scottish politician, who is Labour Member of Parliament for the Glasgow Kelvin constituency. He has become an extremely controversial figure due to the apparent closeness of his connections to the former regime in Iraq. On April 22, 2003, the Daily Telegraph published documents found in Iraqi government offices after the fall of Baghdad which it claimed showed that Galloway had met Iraqi intelligence agents and had received £375,000 from the Iraqi government. Galloway denied the claims and announced that he would sue the Telegraph for libel.
Born in Dundee in 1954, Galloway became a factory worker on leaving school. He later became a Labour Party organiser and General Secretary of the charity War on Want before being elected to the House of Commons at the 1987 general election, defeating the former SDP leader Roy Jenkins in Glasgow Hillhead.
Galloway is a staunch left-winger, remaining a visible opponent of privatisation and nuclear weapons at a time when the wider Labour Party was generally becoming reconciled to them. He has gained most notice for his sympathy for Arab causes, and as an opponent of what he sees as Western imperialism. He has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and a critic of Israel.
He opposed the 1990-91 Gulf War and was critical of the effect the subsequent sanctions had on the people of Iraq, visiting Iraq several times and meeting senior government figures including Saddam Hussein. He was subsequently dubbed the "member for Baghdad Central", and was called "not just an apologist but a mouthpiece for the Iraq regime over many years" by Labour minister Ben Bradshaw, a comment the minister later retracted after being called a liar by Galloway. During the 2003 Iraq war Galloway called Tony Blair and George W. Bush "wolves" during an interview with Abu Dhabi TV, an action which led to calls for withdrawal of the Labour whip from him (that is, expulsion from the Party's parliamentary group).
In 1998 Galloway founded the Mariam Appeal, a fund to raise money for leukaemia treatment for a young Iraqi girl, a move which won him more positive press. The fund was not constituted as a charity, and became a general fund for humanitarian aid and a campaign against the sanctions on Iraq. This fund was at the centre of a great deal of scrutiny during the 2003 war, with allegations of lavish spending on Galloway's many trips to the Middle East. It has also been suggested by the Telegraph as a possible recipient of the Iraqi funds.