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Livingstone backs vote for Galloway |
Ken Livingstone, visitng George Galloway's Bethnal Green and Bow
constituency in East London today, gave surpise backing for a broad
coalition of Labour, the Greens and George Galloway and Respect in the
London Assembly to be elected next Thursday.
Ken Livingstone's comments were made to East London Advertiser deputy
editor Ted Jeory and reported below.
George Galloway welcomed the support from the mayor for his election.
He is standing for the London-wide member section at the head of the
Respect list.
Click here to read the original article
Ken gives surprise hope to Galloway's Assembly bid
25 April 2008
By Ted Jeory
RESPECT MP George Galloway's election bid for the London Assembly
received an unexpected boost today... from Labour Mayor Ken
Livingstone.
Livingstone, who is himself running for a third term next Thursday,
said Galloway would compare well to some of the "nonentities"
currently sitting on the London Assembly.
"I would like to think we could work together and he'd form part of a
broad coalition with the Greens and us against the Tories and
Islamophobes," he said.
"George and I have had our differences in the past. But so have I and Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Yet we've been able to work with each other."
He was talking to the East London Advertiser today during a trip to
the famous Brick Lane Jamme Masjid mosque for Friday lunchtime
prayers.
Galloway has already called on his own supporters to vote for
Livingstone for Mayor on May 1.
Livingstone said in response to a question about what he could expect
in return: "He has taken a very correct line around the consequences
for London if Boris Johnson is elected.
"We have so many non-entities who don't add to the Assembly's work and
who don't turn up for meetings."
He added: "I think George would be better... if he's elected, that is."
Labour's London Assembly Member for City & East John Biggs, also
standing for election, is a sworn enemy of Galloway.
But today he also called on voters to back the MP for Bethnal Green &
Bow in his bid to get on the Assembly.
Biggs, who was sitting beside Livingstone on his visit to the Brick
Lane mosque, said: "I'd much rather people vote for Galloway than the
Tories.
"Didn't think I'd ever say that."
Left-wing stalwarts Galloway and Livingstone have a long history together.
Both have been outspoken critics of Israel and both have been kicked
out of the Labour party.
But while the mayor was later readmitted, Galloway formed his own
Respect party insisting "Labour had left him".
Galloway is hoping to win a seat in the 'proportional representation'
section of next Thursday's ballot, but many observers believe his
chances are slim.
Livingstone's encouragement came a day after the MP was embroiled in
another skirmish on his election battle bus when a protester tried to
climb aboard.
Galloway confronted the man who had been hurling insults.
Earlier this week, another office worker scored a direct hit on the
MP's head with a rubber stress ball. |
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