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With George Galloway’s victory in Rochdale, UK politics has never been in a more dangerous state

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Friday 01 March 2024 17:31 GMT
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The people of Tower Hamlets and Bradford saw through George Galloway and sent him packing – so will the people of Rochdale
The people of Tower Hamlets and Bradford saw through George Galloway and sent him packing – so will the people of Rochdale (Getty Images)

George Galloway has won the Rochdale by-election with a campaign based on one issue, thousands of miles away, due to the incompetence of Keir Starmer.

Sadly, the only people losing out are the British citizens of Rochdale, who wanted to vote only for the best interests of the town they live. This kind of election will undoubtedly be replicated elsewhere later this year.

Thanks to the two useless main parties, UK politics has never been in a more dangerous state.

Richard Whiteside

Halifax

Rochdale will send Galloway packing

Given that they will have to put up with him for at least a few weeks, I wish the people of Rochdale well in having to put up with Galloway.

Galloway is not the voice of British Muslims by any means. Galloway only serves himself. Galloway will neglect the needs of Rochdale just like many believe he did in Tower Hamlets and Bradford.

Hence, I believe that at the general election the people of Rochdale will see through all the PR and misconception that comes with Galloway wherever he goes – be it Rochdale, Tower Hamlets or Bradford – and ultimately elect a good and hardworking Labour MP for a much longer period of time who, like Starmer, is dedicated to change and a much fairer deal for everyone.

The people of Tower Hamlets and Bradford saw through Galloway and sent him packing – so too will the people of Rochdale.

Geoffrey Brooking

Havant

Pot calling the kettle black

Rishi Sunak would have you believe that Galloway’s victory in Rochdale presents a major headache for Starmer. With Suella Braverman, Lee Anderson, Robert Jenrick, and Jacob Rees-Mogg et al, all lurking in the shadows of the Tory party, who is he kidding?

David Smith

Taunton

Mob culture

Sunak claims the country is descending into mob rule and warns that the police must take action or risk losing public confidence.

These events haven’t come out of the blue. The Tory (Brexit) government stood by while Anna Soubry was harassed daily as she entered her place of work. Stella Creasy and Jess Phillips have both been threatened online for years. The House of Commons has itself, in my opinion, demonstrated “mob rule”, particularly under Boris Johnson, allowing lies and all.

As for public confidence in the police, that was lost when they shot Jean Charles de Menezes. That was lost when Sarah Everard was murdered by a police officer and women attending her vigil were grotesquely manhandled by police. That was lost when police turned a blind eye to suitcases of alcohol and partygoers arriving at No 10.

If only Sunak had acted like a statesman and worked towards a peaceful solution in Gaza from the start, perhaps there would have been less need for protests. The culture set by the government has consequences for the country, as we see to our cost.

Beryl Wall

London

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