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[Music]

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welcome to this special edition of the

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VIP show in this episode I will be

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interviewing one of the greatest

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politicians in British history he's a

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strong critic of Western imperialism and

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Zionism and is a strong supporter of the

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Palestinian Cause And Justice in the

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Middle East and right around the world

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the VIP is George

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Galloway

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[Music]

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I go every month to beout and uh I make

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two

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shows Mr gan's interviews we call them

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the top show okay George Gallow is the

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MP for Bradford West he helped set up

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the respect party in 2004 after he was

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expelled from the labor party for his

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strong anti-war

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stance Salam alikum George gway allum

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Salam many thanks for for joining us uh

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to the VIP show my first question is I

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we want to know about your childhood uh

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well I come from uh the Northeast

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Scottish city of dandi uh which lies

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roughly between Edinburgh and Aberdine

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uh it's an industrial workingclass city

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when I was born there it was all white

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there were no foreigners there at all uh

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I was born into an Irish immigrant uh

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part of town uh known as tip

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after the Irish town of

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tieri uh it was uh it was an Irish

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Enclave in a Scottish City I learned a

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thing or two about uh discrimination

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over my life and about the role of the

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British Empire I once came home and told

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my Irish grandfather that the teacher

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had said that Britain had an Empire so

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huge that the son upon it never set and

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my grandfather answered that's because

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God would never trust the British in the

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dark and uh I I had no cause to doubt

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him then or since uh my mother was uh a

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school cleaner my father an industrial

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worker in a

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factory uh and uh I grew up in a very

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political household a very

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Anti-Imperialist household which

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explains much of my political uh life's

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work since at the age of 13 you joined

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the labor party it was a very young age

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um what motivated you to join uh the

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labor party and why did you decide to

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get involved in politics well my parents

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were members and were highly political

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people uh so from much earlier than 13 I

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was working in elections for labor

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handing out leaflets at the gates and on

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Election Day and so on our house used to

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be darkened by labor campaign posters

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for the duration of every election

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campaign it was natural for me to

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graduate into uh leftwing politics

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although my parents weren't as leftwing

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as me uh they were mainstream labor

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people uh they thought that Harold

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Wilson and James cigan and people like

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those were the Acme of uh political

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correctness um so it was a normal thing

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for me to graduate into uh the labor

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party and I always knew that I'd follow

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a political life I didn't know that I'd

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be 26 years an MP I didn't know that I'd

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have the initials MP after my name but I

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always knew that I'd be uh spending my

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life in politics what did you hope to

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achieve while you were you know in in

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the political process what was some of

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the issues that you really felt strongly

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about well in the first instance uh in

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defense of working people in my own

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country and that's my first uh Duty the

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people who have nothing to sell except

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their work who if they didn't work would

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have no wages no salary and would not be

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able to live they have no property no

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stocks and shares no big bank accounts

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uh so my defense of uh ordinary working

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people in my own country was my first

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love uh but because of my background and

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because of the times in which I grew up

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the decolonization of the world which

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has since been

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recolonized uh a hatred of imperialism

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of the uh

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overbearing Domination by Rich countries

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of poor countries by Western countries

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of Eastern countries and ultimately by

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the non-muslim countries of the Muslim

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lands when it was discovered the great

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Bounty which God had given them in terms

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of oil and gas resources and The

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Sovereign wealth funds which come from

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them uh but my involvement in the Arab

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world came about purely by chance uh as

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I said I had never met an Arab I had

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never met a

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Muslim uh and one came to the door uh

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one day of the labor part party office I

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was alone in the office he was the

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leader of the Palestinian students union

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gups at that time uh he said he wanted

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to talk to the leaders of the party

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about Palestine I told him there are no

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leaders here I was 21 years old there

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are no leaders here but you can tell me

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and I'll pass it on and at the end of a

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2-hour mesmerizing talk by him about the

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nakba the catastrophe which had

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enveloped the Palestinian people I was a

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signed up member of the Palestinian

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resistance which are remain to this day

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by the grace of God you also mention um

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that where you were growing up and

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Scotland itself is obviously very

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different to England they're very

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Anti-Imperialist well it's partly about

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the pattern of development capitalism

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develops unequally and in this country

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wealth is concentrated in some small

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parts of the country uh where a lot of

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people live and there are a lot of poor

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people also living there but uh a place

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like Scotland which was heavily

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dependent upon on industry on

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manufacturing ship building steel coal

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uh the kind of things that men usually

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and men and women also do with their

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hands uh this era passed us by and

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therefore mass unemployment was the

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reality in Scotland when I was

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politically first politically active and

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de-industrialization and hopelessness

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and now uh planted by a hopelessness

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which is leavened by heavy dependence on

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alcohol and on drugs and so on so there

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a lot of social problems in places like

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Scotland in the post industrial desert

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that capitalism has left behind and

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because uh Scotland was not as

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enthusiastically an Empire Builder uh

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then there are more Anti-Imperialist

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people uh there and also the 25% of

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Scotland is of uh Irish Catholic uh

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background so we have a memory folk

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memory of uh what happened to Ireland at

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the hands of

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imperialism um it's true that uh

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Scotland is a more Anti-Imperialist

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place the task is to try and make

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Britain a less imperialist place and uh

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that's not going so well traditionally

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the labor party was a very much a party

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on the left supporting the working class

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but it moved and it moved very

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drastically uh and it became a pretty

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much a right sort of Center party um and

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you know any remnant of it being you

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know something which supports the

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working class anti-imperialistic Etc has

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almost diminished well Mr Mr Blair and

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his gang uh hijacked the labor party and

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they flew it to destruction uh they did

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so deliberately they believed that there

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was no future for such a party and that

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therefore they would change its name

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change its character and uh labor became

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new labor that was its official title

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under Mr Blair uh which effectively

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became non- labor and now is anti- Labor

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uh they stand for the very opposite of

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the things that the party was founded to

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stand for and the people who used to be

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able to depend on them are now betrayed

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by them and that's why when I was

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expelled over the Iraq War I started a

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new party called respect

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in Arabic uh which is the ghost of

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Labor's past really it uh stands for the

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people that labor has abandoned it says

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the things labor used to say and if it

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were in power it would do the things

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that labor used to want to do uh that's

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why they hate us so much because we are

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their ghost uh when they look at us they

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can see themselves in the mirror um and

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that's why the conflict on the left in

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British politics between us and Them is

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so very sharp

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and the fact that M keep winning keep

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defeating them in elections is very

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difficult for them to Bear they could

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they would much rather be defeated by a

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conservative than be defeated by me is

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there then a future for the left um in

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the political uh arena in Britain well

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if you look at issue by issue the great

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majority of people support the left on

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privatization of Public Services great

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majority of people are opposed to it on

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uh going to war after War great majority

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of people are opposed to it uh on

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fairness at work uh on equality between

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men and women people of different kinds

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uh most people vast majority of people

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are with us so issue by issue uh we win

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these

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arguments uh but uh we have a problem

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that uh if you call something left if

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you call it socialist uh you erecting

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barriers uh between you and the people

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because of the kind of media we have

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because of the history we have as the

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first capitalist country the biggest

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imperialist country uh it's not that

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easy to uh to wave uh the flag and

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expect people to Rally behind it I I had

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the great privilege of being present in

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a conversation between Fidel Castro and

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Hugo Chavez God Rest his soul and in

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that conversation Fidel asked uh

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commandante Chavez to stop calling

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things socialist stop talking about

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socialism just do socialist things and

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you'll see how popular they are out of

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all the struggles around the world what

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makes Palestine so important well that's

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a good question uh there are times I ask

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myself uh this question my involvement

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with the Arabs has not been entirely a

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good one um and has caused me a lot of

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uh damage and

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scars uh not because we confronted the

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Zionist enemy

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that was easy the problem is some of the

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Arabs the Palestine issue is emblematic

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of many things first of all it's

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religiously significant secondly it's

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significant as one of the most Brazen

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examples of imperialist theft in history

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I mean in this building this very

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building Mr balur on behalf of one

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people promised to a second people the

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land which belonged to a third people

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even by imperialist standards that's

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pretty Brazen and the fact that Britain

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didn't even possess Palestine as a

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colonial possession at the time that it

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gave it away makes it even more uh

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obscene uh so the fact that Britain has

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such uh vital pivotal part in this crime

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uh is one of the reasons why I've stuck

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to it so

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doggedly uh it's important uh for anyone

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who loves Liberty to see a people whose

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country has been wiped off the map but

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it's got this additional religious

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significance uh for Christian people for

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Muslim people uh which makes it uh

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particularly special and holy and

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sacred uh and largely it's also personal

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if you become close to a people as I did

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uh to the Palestinian people and to the

276
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people of Iraq uh this never leaves you

277
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and ERS your bloodstream it inhabits

278
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your

279
00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:38,079
dreams uh you fall in love with the

280
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people the culture the pography the

281
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history everything when you were trying

282
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to um get people to know about Palestine

283
00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,279
how was it at the very beginning when

284
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you first campaigned for Palestine and

285
00:12:47,279 --> 00:12:51,519
how is it now have you seen a change

286
00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:54,240
that's a very good question uh and one

287
00:12:51,519 --> 00:12:58,360
which isn't asked of me often enough uh

288
00:12:54,240 --> 00:13:02,680
when I identified in 1975 with the PLO

289
00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:05,839
with chman German Arafat it was the

290
00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:08,839
equivalent in terms of the shock value

291
00:13:05,839 --> 00:13:10,959
and how you were treated of declaring

292
00:13:08,839 --> 00:13:13,000
for example that you were with Al-Qaeda

293
00:13:10,959 --> 00:13:15,760
or uh Bin Laden

294
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today of course I've always been against

295
00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:22,639
Al-Qaeda and against Bin Laden but it

296
00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:26,800
had that same uh shock value uh the PLO

297
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in 1975 had recently been involved in

298
00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:33,560
the widespread hijacking of airplanes

299
00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:37,399
the uh Munich Olympic Games operation

300
00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:40,240
the Palestine was a synonym for

301
00:13:37,399 --> 00:13:43,040
international terrorism which was then

302
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:45,680
quite a new phenomenon at least in that

303
00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,480
form uh so it was I mean I could show

304
00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:51,120
you my

305
00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:53,000
scars uh it was horrific the impact in

306
00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:55,880
the media treatment of it the political

307
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:58,600
class treatment of it and so on in a way

308
00:13:55,880 --> 00:14:00,800
that drove me on because I was convinced

309
00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:04,199
that I was right that the Palestinians

310
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:07,800
were the victims not the terrorists and

311
00:14:04,199 --> 00:14:10,759
that their cause was great uh and the

312
00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:13,839
more hatred that it engendered the more

313
00:14:10,759 --> 00:14:17,839
abuse and threats and damage that one

314
00:14:13,839 --> 00:14:19,839
sustained in a way perversely drove one

315
00:14:17,839 --> 00:14:22,759
on uh further you'd made a choice you'd

316
00:14:19,839 --> 00:14:25,839
made a stand you had to stick to it uh

317
00:14:22,759 --> 00:14:28,399
but if I had chosen the other side as

318
00:14:25,839 --> 00:14:29,399
most of my fellows in the labor party

319
00:14:28,399 --> 00:14:31,240
had

320
00:14:29,399 --> 00:14:34,399
if I had become instead of a supporter

321
00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:36,199
of the PLO a supporter of Israel you

322
00:14:34,399 --> 00:14:40,360
might be talking to me in Downing Street

323
00:14:36,199 --> 00:14:42,880
uh today it's as significant as that in

324
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:46,079
1975 you could have fitted all the

325
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:48,360
supporters of the PLO in this room uh in

326
00:14:46,079 --> 00:14:51,040
Parliament and in a not much bigger room

327
00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:54,199
in the country as a whole and that began

328
00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:57,519
to change around 1982 with the Israeli

329
00:14:54,199 --> 00:14:59,720
invasion of Lebanon the uh massacres of

330
00:14:57,519 --> 00:15:04,240
Sabra and chatila and so on that's when

331
00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:06,480
the tide turned now everybody knows that

332
00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,040
Palestine is the heart of the matter

333
00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:11,519
that the Injustice done to the

334
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:13,759
Palestinians is the flaw at the heart of

335
00:15:11,519 --> 00:15:15,639
Western policy towards the east

336
00:15:13,759 --> 00:15:18,800
everybody knows that something has to be

337
00:15:15,639 --> 00:15:23,040
done but we're still a long way short of

338
00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:26,920
turning that kinetically into actual

339
00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:30,120
change forcing Israel to disgorge that

340
00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:32,360
which it has illicitly swallowed and

341
00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,360
destroyed talk to us about some of your

342
00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:36,319
major achievements as a politician and

343
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:39,199
as an activ well I I suppose my major

344
00:15:36,319 --> 00:15:40,880
achievement in this context given what

345
00:15:39,199 --> 00:15:43,199
I've just been saying is that I've been

346
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,480
elected six times to Parliament always

347
00:15:43,199 --> 00:15:47,120
against the odds in four different

348
00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:49,800
constituencies two different countries

349
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,079
Scotland and England and with uh most of

350
00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,600
the powerful people in the country

351
00:15:51,079 --> 00:15:56,120
trying constantly to destroy me I think

352
00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:58,279
I've helped turn uh public opinion

353
00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,079
around on Palestine the Palestinians

354
00:15:58,279 --> 00:16:04,120
paid the the highest price for that uh

355
00:16:01,079 --> 00:16:06,519
through Massacre and uh and removal and

356
00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:10,399
so on but I played a small part in it I

357
00:16:06,519 --> 00:16:13,360
think um I was one of the main leaders

358
00:16:10,399 --> 00:16:16,959
of the anti-war movement uh against the

359
00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:19,519
war on Afghanistan and Iraq again we

360
00:16:16,959 --> 00:16:21,720
became millions and now everyone agrees

361
00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:23,759
with us everyone agrees that the

362
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,240
invasion and occupation of these two

363
00:16:23,759 --> 00:16:28,560
countries has been a

364
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,639
disaster and has had uh conf

365
00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:33,440
consequences which for the people who

366
00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:35,959
did it they now claim were unforeseen

367
00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:39,360
but were foreseen by me predicted and

368
00:16:35,959 --> 00:16:42,160
warned against uh at the time including

369
00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:45,920
personally up close and personal uh with

370
00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:49,279
Mr Blair uh just me and him in

371
00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:52,120
corridors uh in heated discussions which

372
00:16:49,279 --> 00:16:54,959
almost became violent in which I told

373
00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:57,440
them in the case of Iraq for example

374
00:16:54,959 --> 00:17:00,000
there is no al-Qaeda in Iraq but if you

375
00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:02,720
invade Iraq irq there will be tens of

376
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:05,520
thousands of al-Qaeda in Iraq you can

377
00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:07,760
overthrow the regime in Baghdad easily

378
00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:09,919
but the fall of Baghdad will not be the

379
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:13,600
beginning of the end but only the end of

380
00:17:09,919 --> 00:17:15,839
the beginning and millions will pay with

381
00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:19,360
their lives and their livelihoods and

382
00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:19,360
Iraq will be broken and

383
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,840
sectarianization around the world it's

384
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,919
exactly what has happened they claim

385
00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,440
that this was all unforeseen but I know

386
00:17:33,919 --> 00:17:37,760
that it was not unforeseen because I'm

387
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:41,760
the person who told them to their faces

388
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:43,640
that this would uh happen uh so that's

389
00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:46,640
an achievement of sorts unfortunately

390
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:48,039
Iraq is destroyed it's people dispersed

391
00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:51,919
millions of them around the world a

392
00:17:48,039 --> 00:17:55,360
Million Dead Abu grab and all of that uh

393
00:17:51,919 --> 00:17:57,400
that's a very high price to pay uh even

394
00:17:55,360 --> 00:18:00,799
in the context of the subsequent

395
00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:05,159
vindication uh of our uh point of view I

396
00:18:00,799 --> 00:18:07,120
like to think that I've played a role in

397
00:18:05,159 --> 00:18:09,520
making more British people understand

398
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:12,120
the Muslim World more understand where

399
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:15,080
Muslims are coming from why they feel so

400
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:18,720
grieved why some of them are so angry

401
00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:21,039
and why uh some of them a smaller number

402
00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:24,360
but still a big number are ready to kill

403
00:18:21,039 --> 00:18:26,559
themselves in order to kill others uh

404
00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:29,240
that they hold responsible for the

405
00:18:26,559 --> 00:18:32,039
Grievances I'm making a movie about Tony

406
00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:34,039
Blair the killing of Tony Blair it's not

407
00:18:32,039 --> 00:18:38,640
me killing Tony Blair it's about Tony

408
00:18:34,039 --> 00:18:40,159
Blair's killing um I'm uh constantly in

409
00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,240
action by the grace of God I have a lot

410
00:18:40,159 --> 00:18:46,039
of energy and uh I'm still uh still

411
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,840
doing it what motivates you um you're

412
00:18:46,039 --> 00:18:50,000
known for your courage and your

413
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:51,919
fearlessness what is the recipe for for

414
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,720
that particular uh

415
00:18:51,919 --> 00:18:56,520
success well first of all I'm a

416
00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:59,280
religious believer uh I'm Not Afraid

417
00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:01,080
therefore of anybody but God I'm afraid

418
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:05,320
only of the Judgment Day it's the only

419
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:09,760
election that counts for me uh and

420
00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:12,080
believe deeply uh and always have that

421
00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,120
this is a transitory life that the other

422
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,400
life is what counts and that what you do

423
00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:19,039
in this life will determine your fate in

424
00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:22,039
the next if you look at life that way

425
00:19:19,039 --> 00:19:25,080
there is no need to be afraid uh in any

426
00:19:22,039 --> 00:19:27,120
case I grew up in very tough streets

427
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:29,960
there's nobody physically uh frightens

428
00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:33,400
me uh I I told when I went to the US

429
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:37,679
Senate in 2005 gave them a bloody good

430
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:39,360
hiding uh I told the senator in charge

431
00:19:37,679 --> 00:19:41,559
just before the hearing when he tried to

432
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:43,320
bully me I said Senator don't make the

433
00:19:41,559 --> 00:19:47,559
mistake of imagining that I'm afraid of

434
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:49,200
you I'm afraid of no one but God uh this

435
00:19:47,559 --> 00:19:51,440
uh got me off to a good start and got

436
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:55,600
him off to a bad start so that's the

437
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:58,760
first thing uh because of my father and

438
00:19:55,600 --> 00:20:01,440
his father I have never tasted alcohol

439
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:03,760
in my life and this is a major secret

440
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:06,880
for me and differentiates me from many

441
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:09,200
politicians here many of them most of

442
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:12,200
them drink alcohol many of them drink

443
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:15,679
alcohol to excess uh so they don't have

444
00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:18,799
the energy that I have uh got I'm up

445
00:20:15,679 --> 00:20:20,960
very early in the morning every day with

446
00:20:18,799 --> 00:20:24,559
the same spring in my step that I had

447
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:28,480
yesterday and this I partly uh put down

448
00:20:24,559 --> 00:20:33,440
to uh to uh the complete absence of alol

449
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:37,520
from my life uh and because I am driven

450
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:41,840
by the tasks that remain unfinished and

451
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:45,640
the injustices that remain festering and

452
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:48,919
I I follow the in many things the rubric

453
00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:53,640
of uh the late and great commandante

454
00:20:48,919 --> 00:20:56,760
chavara who said that the man who is not

455
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:59,280
capable of trembling with indignation at

456
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:03,159
any Injustice visit visited anywhere on

457
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:05,760
any person is not really a man and I am

458
00:21:03,159 --> 00:21:10,720
I I tremble with indignation when I see

459
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:14,360
and hear of Injustice and it uh moves me

460
00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:16,799
and I have long believed that uh action

461
00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:19,880
speaks louder than words that talking is

462
00:21:16,799 --> 00:21:23,679
cheap even tears are cheap I'm feeling

463
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:26,720
some now in my eyes uh what counts as

464
00:21:23,679 --> 00:21:29,760
what you do not what you say or even

465
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:32,880
think and uh as long as God gives me

466
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,480
breath I'll continue to do it and

467
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:37,000
Palestine will be the last word on my

468
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:39,360
lips if I can arrange it would you see

469
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:42,080
the future of the Middle East uh and

470
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:44,679
Palestine what would you like to see

471
00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:48,200
happening there this poison of

472
00:21:44,679 --> 00:21:50,919
sectarianism this Insanity of of

473
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:53,440
sectarianism where people eat each

474
00:21:50,919 --> 00:21:56,679
other's hearts cut each other's heads

475
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:58,559
off murder each other over the issue of

476
00:21:56,679 --> 00:22:03,799
whether we fold our hands

477
00:21:58,559 --> 00:22:06,360
or keep them by our sides as said uh

478
00:22:03,799 --> 00:22:09,039
while you're debating this the others

479
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:14,400
are planning to chop off your arms he

480
00:22:09,039 --> 00:22:16,960
was right about that uh the um the

481
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:20,240
danger for the Arabs is if they go into

482
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:22,559
this Vortex of sectarian hatred there

483
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:26,960
will be no Arab world there will not be

484
00:22:22,559 --> 00:22:29,200
23 Arab countries there'll be 233 Maybe

485
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:31,640
2,333

486
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:34,720
all facing each other all divided on a

487
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:38,159
sectarian confessional basis all arming

488
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:41,240
against each other the Arabs will never

489
00:22:38,159 --> 00:22:43,640
realize their potential to be a

490
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:46,039
superpower uh if they go into this

491
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:49,640
Vortex and there's a real and present

492
00:22:46,039 --> 00:22:52,200
danger of going into that Vortex this is

493
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:55,159
why I took the stand for Syria that I

494
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:58,360
have not because I love uh Bashar I

495
00:22:55,159 --> 00:23:01,600
don't uh not because I love the the bath

496
00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:04,600
party I don't uh not because I think

497
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:06,400
there's nothing wrong in Syria I don't

498
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:09,400
think there's nothing wrong there's lots

499
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:14,760
wrong but if SE if if sectarianism

500
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:17,960
triumphs in Syria and breaks it into

501
00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:22,039
confessional uh Emirates then the future

502
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:23,279
for the Arab world will be Bleak indeed

503
00:23:22,039 --> 00:23:26,919
I have a different

504
00:23:23,279 --> 00:23:31,480
vision from the Atlantic to the gulf

505
00:23:26,919 --> 00:23:34,919
from Mares to bahin 350 million Arabs

506
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:37,240
speaking one language worshiping one God

507
00:23:34,919 --> 00:23:39,880
with a common culture with of course

508
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:41,880
Regional differences this should be a

509
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,559
superpower in the world not least

510
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:47,400
because it has an ocean of oil and gas

511
00:23:44,559 --> 00:23:50,039
underneath its land and water the Arabs

512
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,600
should be amongst the most powerful of

513
00:23:50,039 --> 00:23:55,880
all the blocks in the world but they

514
00:23:52,600 --> 00:24:00,320
will never achieve this if they go down

515
00:23:55,880 --> 00:24:03,000
this Crossroads path to uh sectarian uh

516
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,960
future I believe in the Arabs more than

517
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,480
they believe in themselves I believe

518
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:09,559
that they can achieve great things

519
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:13,440
things that are worthy of the language

520
00:24:09,559 --> 00:24:15,799
and the religion which God gave them uh

521
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:17,840
and I hope that they will realize that

522
00:24:15,799 --> 00:24:20,840
future and I hope that they will take a

523
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:23,720
better path George gway thank you very

524
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,720
much for joining us been a

525
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:28,279
pleasure