else we're going to talk about Bradford
now and we're not talking about the road
to Wembley because it's almost a year
since George Galloway pulled off his
historic Bradford West byelection win
now a new report has criticized labor
for complacency uh that led to the loss
of a seat it had held for decades the
research carried out by political Think
Tank Democratic audit is published
tomorrow and Len tingle has been allowed
this exclusive
preview the national media Museum Museum
a Fitting Place to launch a report into
the factors behind what it calls the
Bradford earthquake because it argues
television and social media played a
major part in causing it welcome to
comment with me George Gallow at the end
of another tumultuous week here on press
tv every week at this time I bring you
the big conversation the great this is
tyan based press tv and George Galloway
has had his own weekly program on here
for years aimed at Arabic countries it's
viewers see him as a respected
International political commentator
those appearances on Arabic TV stations
were a major factor in George Galloway's
success in winning votes in the Bradford
West byelection that's according to
political writer Le Baston it's a major
change from how we've historically
understood the power of
Television back in the ' 50s everybody
would watch the same channel CU there
was only one channel now we've got
hundreds people will have seen George
Galloway talking on Iranian press tv
they'll have listened to him on talk
sport they'll have seen him confront the
US Senate in one of YouTube's favorite
ever political Clips channels and
programs more popular with the large
Pakistani Muslim population in Bradford
than say Celebrity Big Brother but a
more conventional television program
provided yet another important boost
George Galloway you were a labor MP for
a number of years oh the Sunday politics
debate on the weekend before the poll in
Bradford West was crucial was a turning
point uh it showcased George Galloway's
skills George Galloway's use of social
media was much smarter than the other
parties he was the first politician as
far as I know in Britain to have a
special little app for iPhones the other
party sure they had websites but they
were they were slow moving compared to
what respect we doing in this the report
also highlights how mainstream Pary like
labor traditionally took the votes of
younger Asian voters and women for
granted by negotiating with Elders who
decided how their family Clan would vote
respect campaigned against it do you
think that you've smashed that braderie
that Clan system do you think that's
gone forever now something that's
existed for thousands of years within
the Asian subcontinent won't be gone
within one byelection I think there's
been cracks within it what we want to
see is uh encourage is a unified uh
Bradford through political engagement of
diverse
communities labor held its own internal
investigation into how it lost a seat it
had held for 38 years it admitted
complacency by relying on its historic
support but also using that Clan Elder
system to in the words of the Shadow
Cabinet member who wrote the report
Hoover up votes it's shocking that in
200 and uh 10 111 12 there are sort of
politicians who think they can be
elected that way I'm pleased to say that
we as a party took very seriously the
loss in Bradford took very seriously the
idea that votes have been taken for
granted this is George Galloway Member
of Parliament for Bradford West and then
there was the all important razamataz
promoting policies that clearly appealed
to a much wider electorate oldfashioned
Street politics open topped buses and
those legendary Galloway orator
skills and the man himself joins us now
George Galloway welcome back to the
Sunday politics and you you're credited
in this report of breaking this system
of bradie this ancient system of
political tribal loyalty do you fear
that normal service could be resumed at
the general election well I thought i'
died and gone to heaven listening to
that report I must tell you it was
almost as good as the day itself of
course the proof of the pudding will be
in the eating uh the next election will
tell us whether that braderie system
that you described uh aptly as uh very
historic and involving parties
negotiating with Elders who then deliver
votes which the party concerned Hoovers
up whether or not that's gone for good
or not I believe myself that it has gone
for good at least in Bradford because I
don't think that having seen Parry uh
they're going to be able to put them
back on the farm uh the people who came
out and voted as they wished rather than
voted on the basis of the candidate's
father having come from the same Village
as their father in mirpur 60 years ago
uh people realize that in a modern
democracy there has to be a better
reason for voting for someone than that
but we'll see time will tell Carl Turner
do you want to deal with that point made
by sadik Khan there he admits labor took
an awful of voted voters for granted in
Bradford it could happen elsewhere
couldn't it I think there was a couple
of factors actually I think the Galloway
Factor um was a very definite issue he's
a forceful character he's actually very
charismatic he's a great orator and I
think that had an effect I also think
there was a feeling that we' taken the
electorate for granted and I'm sure
we've learned from uh that mistake we
won the uh byelection in rotheram we won
Manchester we've won other byelections
we've won cuden in the South well yeah
George Gallow we may have seen the
Bradford spring but we certainly didn't
see the rotheram spring did we your
success of the respect party wasn't
repeated in the byelection there no
though we did beat both the Tories and
the liberal Democrats the two governing
parties in the country though I suppose
that's not quite the boast it once was
uh it's true that Ed millerand is a is a
skilled and uh modern leader I I admire
him I I hope he's prime minister and
before long but the medium is important
but the message has to match the medium
I mean Peter mandon modernized Labor's
methods of communication but if the
message that you're communicating is one
of support for war which they now call
missions uh for austerity not quite as
fast not quite as deep so quickly then
it just won't wash with large sections
of the community who need something
radical different Bradford West has 10%
rise year on year in its unemployment
figures we are in an economic emergency
in Bradford West and if you're not
addressing those facts it doesn't matter
how well you put your point of view uh
in terms of the method of communication
the message just doesn't match up Alex
Shel do you think your party could learn
anything from George
Galloway I actually think our party
learned a lot in 1997 when I think a lot
of conservative MPS had become very
arrogant had taken their electorate for
granted and got absolutely booted out in
some of the safest seats in the country
I think what became apparent to me when
I was out in the Bradford West
byelection was that having gone there
thinking to myself you know we may have
a chance in this election if George
Galloway splits the labor vote soon as
you get on the street knock on doors do
the street campaigning which George
Galloway does so well you realized he
was going to walk it the result came as
no surprise what's important is you've
got to communicate with your electorate
well stay with us because we'll take a
look now at some more of the week's
political news in our part of the world
Nick Morris has our Roundup in 60
seconds cuts to the Army including
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire regiment's
anger skun Thor labor MP Nick dayin he
spoke up at Prime Minister's question
time on Monday Mr Speaker the Prime
Minister stated that the the time TK for
our generation was to struggle against
terrorism on Tuesday his government
sacked
5,600 troops figures out this week show
a fall in unemployment but our region
still has the third highest level in the
country with almost 9% out of work ukip
MEP Godfrey Bloom wasn't impressed by
the prime minister's promise of
renegotiating our EU membership terms
then a
referendum so European Union is part
part of the problem it's not part of the
solution and controversy from Bradford's
liberal Democrat David Ward on Holocaust
Memorial Day He criticized Israel's
treatment of Palestinians since the
second world
war George Galloway I want your reaction
to what your fellow Bradford MP David
Ward's been saying was he right to
criticize Israel on Holocaust Memorial
Day well absolutely right to criticize
Israel the problem was the language that
he chose seemed to blame Jews and this
is an elementary school boy howler at
best and something deeply uh disgraceful
at worst we are not against Jews Jews
are religious people of the book it is
absurd to blame Jews for the suffering
of the Palestinian people our call is
with Zionism and with Israel I suspect
that it's the disgraceful rather than
the howler because David Ward like all
liberal Democrat MPS is steering
unemployment himself down the battle of
the next election and I think that this
was a a rather gross crass effort to
scrape up some votes that he might think
would otherwise go elsewhere well he's
got a meeting with the lib Dem whips
tomorrow Alex Shel Brook was David Ward
right to say what he he did no I think
it's outrageous I mean Holocaust
Memorial Day is a is a day when we
remember where intolerance leads and to
twist it and talk about a Jewish people
rather than the state of Israel um as
George says um was wrong now you know
I'm a supporter of the state of Israel
but I I like to think that I am a
critical supporter that you know not
everything is right let's not forget
that Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip
and have suffered missiles coming in
that's one thing but that doesn't give
the right
to um treat the West Bank as it is
currently being treated and there are
things to be done but to actually pick
on someone's religion and to and to make
those comparisons I'm afraid I find
totally unacceptable okay Carl Turner EU
referendum depending on who you speak to
from the labor party on any given day
you get a different answer what's your
belief well I think our uh our policy on
this is consistent actually in October
2011 I went through the division lobby
with the Prime Minister uh and Ed
milleran the leader of my party saying
that we didn't want a referendum on the
EU the prime minister's position is all
over the place he's been he's been
pulled to one side by ukip pulled to
another side by plus 110 plus uh
backbench Tory MPS who actually care
more about getting rid of the uh David
Cameron I think than they do about
coming out of the EU so his position is
completely inconsistent it's it's bad
timing you know what we need is
certainty in the economy unemployment in
my area on the figures is going up what
we need is certainty and we need
investors like Seamans who hopefully
coming to Hull to be confident that
we've got an absolutely consistent
position well we've got a consistent
position now we know that we're going to
say to the British people at this moment
in time with so much flux in Europe is
not the right time to say in out which
is what last year's vote was about we're
going to renegotiate the position as as
things move forward which is support
from Chancellor Merkel that actually
gives some con to settle this question
once for and then we will say to the
British people do you want to stay in
under this new relationship or do you
want out and what about you George
Galloway would you like to see an EU
referendum definitely right right away
Bring it on I think the people of this
country have rejected as indeed have the
people in most EU countries rejected the
kind of European Union that we currently
have it's an it's an EU of bankers and
fat cats in the EU Commission in
Brussels a totally dysfunctional
virtually silent European Parliament all
of it costing billions at a time when
that money could be far better spent so
we're in favor of an EU referendum and
the sooner the better so you'll be
campaigning alongside right-wing Tories
will you no we'll campaign for our own
independent position which is
internationalist which is pro-european
anti-eu I like your your Twist on the
Bradford spring uh during the week you
tweeted Bradford spring is here to stay
cuz we're going to Wembley is your team
your adopted team going to win oh I
think so I think the wind is in the
sales of Bradford now the Zeitgeist is
with us it just goes to show what a
byelection can do we must leave it there
Caryl Turner George Galloway Alex sh
Brook thanks for your time now back to
Andrew Neil in London