West Bradford By-election

The second by-election of the current government has come and gone and the results are fascinating:

• George Galloway (Respect) 18,341 (55.89%, +52.83%)
• Imran Hussain (Labour) 8,201 (24.99%, -20.36%)
• Jackie Whiteley (Conservative) 2,746 (8.37%, -22.78%)
• Jeanette Sunderland (Liberal Democrat) 1,505 (4.59%, -7.08%)
• Sonja McNally (UKIP) 1,085 (3.31%, +1.31%)
• Dawud Islam (Green) 481 (1.47%, -0.85%)
• Neil Craig (Democratic Nationalists) 344 (1.05%)
• Howling Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony Party) 111 (0.34%)

Of George Galloway I know only that he was expelled from the Labour Party for being outspoken against the invasion of Iraq and has frequently spoken out against the Zionist occupation of Palestinian lands. He has the (Left-)Libertarian tendency undoubtedly and supports the freedom of religion which is a point of contention in Bradford. Mutual respect is a fundamental tenet of Libertarianism. It is comforting to note that the other Libertarian party UKIP also increased its vote.

The BBC, whom he criticised on numerous occasions throughout the campaign for biased reporting, has been proclaiming that this is a race based vote and that he has been elected by the Muslims, but I am afraid that the results tell a different tale. He has taken away from all three of the 'major' political parties and truly does represent a majority choice, his vote exceeding the combined vote all of the other candidates.

Is this the first signs that the UK is like the US turning away from the major parties - eleven years of unrivaled economic success wasted by the Labour party and the Conservatives and Lib Dems have suffered because they have been left to clear up the mess.

Is this a sign that in the UK like in the US we are no longer looking for media friendly 'perfect politicians' to lead us, but real people of talent, who are not afraid to tell us what they really think, to represent us.

Maybe Jersey will catch on over the course of the next decade?