heard it there hinting that he had plans
for a new political career this week we
found out what he meant I think some of
us have already guessed when he
announced on Twitter that he plans to
stand as mayor of London when Boris
Johnson's term of office comes to an end
let's just have a look at his tweet
there it is and that's him with his
first backer it's his son though he
looks a little young to vote though
maybe Alex Simon may change the rules
for that too George gallway welcome to
the program now look you've just been
decisively rejected by the people of
Bradford West so what makes you think
that the people of London will be any
Keener on you well we'll see uh it's
been a very good start uh 20,000 people
have signed up for the campaign in 3
days the uh launch the official launch
will be next month and uh I expect it to
be standing room only overflow in the
street because as The Spectator pointed
out not a normal friend of mine uh this
week I could be the Nicola sturgeon of
the London meral race I think Daman
McBride who wrote that Damen McBride a
man who knows about politics uh and who
knows about campaigning uh can see a
possibility that with a bland field from
the mainstream parties someone a bit
more interesting might just take it by
storm I I I can see the character counts
an a miral election which is is about
individuals but you would have to win if
you have any chance of winning at all
places like Bethal green and B which was
the constituency that rejected you in
2010 that's not true in fact you need to
kick your researcher uh uh I won Beth no
GRE Ando in 2005 and promised to stand
only once there and left uh in 2010 so
you didn't run again no according to my
my pre-election consider the politician
keeping his the res which is myself well
and truly chastise about this let me put
this though to you you you you've
supported in the past what is now the
widely
regarded as disgrace former mayor of
toar hamlets lutter rapman isn't that
going to haunt you during the campaign
well Ken Livingston and I both think
that the campaign against Lut for Raman
was entirely unjust and that the uh idea
that the uh B which has actually done
better than any other in terms of
schools which has kept uh education
maintenance allowance which has resisted
acmis resisted free schools
and all the many achievements of that
Administration should have been judged
by the electorate not by a queen's but
he was found guilty uh of voting fraud
bribery false statements of to quote the
judge driving a coach and horses through
electoral law why would you still
support someone like that he he wasn't
in fact a judge and that's one of the
sitting as a judge sitting as a judge
but not uh a judge and I cling to the
view that the legal process when it's
finished will uh extinguish many of the
Queen's council's remarks for example
the most glaring one being that clerics
religious people cannot call for a vote
for someone which would invalidate most
elections in the north of Ireland as you
know uh but it would appear to be all
right for pastors to pronounce for
candidates mean the Judgment came from a
deputy high court judge about breaches
of electoral law is not for voters to
determine breaches of electoral law it
is for the law to determine that sure
and the law it's under review now as you
know so maybe we better uh await the
outcome so you're sticking with um the
former mayor of tar Hamlin uh I think
that he was very unjustly treated in
that I have the the company of one of
London's two Mayors Ken Livingston who
feels exactly the same you branded
Bradford as quot an Israel free zone
would would it be your aim to make
London an Israel free zone no uh but it
would certainly be my aim to encourage
the huge swell of pro Palestinian
support in London I think pal Palestine
has more supporters in London than
anywhere else in the country but the
mayor is not the pope and the mayor is
not the president and he's not the prime
minister or the foreign secretary so you
weren't any of these things in Bradford
either uh no but uh you called for it I
called for it uh it's not exactly
branding and of course it's
unimplementable it's a moral position
and my moral position on Palestine is
well known to you and people watching
this you mean like May Livingston making
London a nuclear free zone as if that
would stop any Soviet attack I suppose
so or David blancet who did the same
could I I I I put this to you the city
of your birth is dande uh the city where
you were a labor MP is Glasgow they are
both now nationalist strongholds and you
oppose uh that kind of nationalism don't
shouldn't you have bigger fights to
fight in either of these two cities than
in London no I've lived in London for 35
uh years I my children were born here go
to school here and I was a member of
parliament in London so I think I have
every right to put my hat in the ring
here and all the signs are that it's uh
if I uh dare this metaphor put the cat
amongst the pigeons I think the labor
uh hopefuls are all extremely anxious
about it because as The Spectator
pointed out I have an appeal to
traditional labor people of whom there
are many millions in London will you run
regardless of who the labor candidate
is uh probably with one exception if
Diane Abbott was the labor nominee I I
probably would withdraw in her favor but
I'll certainly fight all the others that
are in the race all right and you would
back Diane Abid if she was yes she's a
long time comrade of mine and uh but I
think labor will not choose her what do
you you MP for betho MP for Bradford
West you had previously been MP for
Glasgow hillhead uh famous university
constituency what do you say to those uh
we claim look this is more to do with
keeping the lucrative Galloway brand in
the public eye than ever being a mayor
of London well you very well know that
most of my income doesn't come from any
salary that's given to me by the State
and that's been what I mean is that it
keeps your brand and your you keeps you
in the public eye and that's worth Mr Mr
churel was from London and he was the MP
in Dandee if it's good enough for him
that way it's good enough for me I think
this is one island people are entitled
to run for office uh throughout uh and
uh I have quite a good track record on
the whole in elections I've been elected
to Parliament six times twice entirely
against the odds all right you once said
in an interview I think it was with me
that one day quote I'll be a National
Treasure how's that Journey going 20
years uh short of that I would have
thought Mr Ben became a National
Treasure only after he didn't matter
after he was no longer a threat to the
Metropolitan Elite that is running
London now and my pitch is that uh we
need someone to speak for the great
majority of London not just those that
are dripping in Gold George Galloway
thanks for being on the Sunday politics
thank you you are watching the Sunday
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