Come on Respect - always look on the bright side of life

Now this is a sad, sad tale I am about to tell you.

Respect has split. George Galloway has booted out the Socialist Workers Party and changed the locks. According to the party website:

Dear Members, Respect has been locked out of its head office. Overnight the locks were changed on the Respect national office. This action excludes most National Officers, the national office staff and the majority of Respect members who support them from their own organisation's headquarters.

In time honoured People's Front of Judea versus the Judean People's Front, the causes of the split are hard to comprehend. It appears to be a simple battle for mastery with Galloway wanting to supplant the SWP organisers.

There is a Life of Brian catfight over the name, and as Harry's Place puts it, you now have Respect Renewal and Classic Respect. They are both holding a conference on 17th November although sadly I won't be able to attend either as my hamster has hepatitis.

It's all a terrible tragedy.

I blame the Jews.

Comments

[George]

It gets worse

This weekend's Mother of All Talk Shows Convention has had to be cancelled after the owners of the venue where it was to take place pulled the plug with only three days to go.

For those wondering what the hell the “Convention” was in the first place, Galloway had hired the Globe Theatre in Blackpool and had been selling tickets through his Talksport Radio show for a Cabaret and stand up show.

The company involved claims it cancelled because:

"It has come to our attention only today and by reference to your website that the proposed event is to be more than a conference in terms that there is to be a live radio link with Talksport Radio and there is to be live entertainment... Furthermore, the supplemental pages are heavily politicised."

Mr Cam points to clauses in the contract with Mr Galloway's company Miranda Media Ltd allowing the Pleasure Beach to cancel any event which: "Would be prejudicial to our commercial interest, or may damage our reputation, or is likely to be illegal, immoral, racial, religious, sexual or disability discrimination."

And of course this has resulted in the usual Galloway response.

Libel action, bluster and invective.

Here’s a couple so far from press statements and web sites.

"They've made an enemy of me and of Talksport, as this was the annual convention of my radio show."

"It has to be politically motivated. It can't possibly have anything to do with my website."

"I pledge to them that I will do whatever it takes to make it up to them and to expose this deranged and despicable outfit. I am declaring my own jihad on this craven David Cam and his lickspittles."

For an MP to be possibly accused of damaging the reputation of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is a remarkable achievement, one which I’m sure makes George unique.

Unfortunately the Company involved are now unable to say anything as their decision is the subject of libel action.

George however claims he will be “taking aim” on his radio show this weekend. More bluster I suspect once his lawyers and Talksport have had a word.

It would be easy to dismiss all this as the predictable antics of a cash thirsty egotist. However,Galloway is still an MP who has some responsibilities. And so lets have a look at how this “event” may conflict with this.

The Company running this event, Miranda Media Limited used the following address as it destination for Ticket Payment:

9 Club Row
London
E1 6Jx

Ring any bells?

Well it's the office on which the locks were changed last week with Galloway claiming that the subletting of his office was a breach in Parliamentary rules .

This of course is a question which may interest both the Parliamentary Authorities and those Respect members and employees excluded from the building.

It also begs the question: Who is working for Miranda Media Limited?

Now, its been rumoured that some of George's Parliamentary Staff are involved in doing work for this company, which also may be of interest to all concerned.

George employs four staff, who are paid by the taxpayer, none of whom declare any financial benefit from other employers - which they have to do if the employment meets these conditions:

1. Any occupation or employment for which they receive over £300 from the same source in the course of a calendar year, if that occupation or employment is in any way advantaged by the privileged access to Parliament afforded by their pass.
2. Any gift (eg: jewellery) or benefit (eg: hospitality, services or facilities) they receive in the course of a calendar year, if the value of the gift or benefit exceeds £300 and if it in any way relates to or arises from their work in Parliament.

It may seem odd then that queries about missing tickets for Galloway's Blackpool gig were being dealt with by one of George's Parliamentary Staff. And that last night the same person was working late emailing out this:

Ayesha Bajwa to ******** show details 9:53 PM

The Mother of All Talk Shows Convention in Blackpool cannot now take place because the company which owns the theatre last night (Monday) cancelled the gig, despite the contract we had signed and the substantial deposit we had paid. We tried all day today to contact the company, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Limited, to find out the reason for the cancellation -personally and through our lawyers - to no avail. We also tried to find another last-minute venue but we were unsuccessful. According totheir email to us last night they feel that our presence may commercially damage them! This is a grave slur on all of you. We have now discovered that the company is a substantial donor to the Conservative party. I am devastated because all of you - more than 500 people - have been badly let down and financially hit. I am taking legal action against them and I am assured that we will win substantial damages - and I'm not a man who has ever lost a legal action. I will be suing for every penny every one of you has spent and for the damage this has caused me and talkSPORT and all of us. But I also urge you to raise your own small claims' actions and to make as much publicity and as much legal nuisance as you can to the company and its craven director David Cam. There will be a huge and free party when we win this I promise you.
George

Now if any of George’s staff would like to clear any of this up, please feel free. Or anyone working for Miranda Media Ltd. Or Both.

[Cheesehoven]

So much for democracy, plurality and tranparency in action eh? Thank goodness we're not in 18th century France or Galloway would be getting the guillotine out.
Its not surprising though. Where you have playground politics, you will, sooner or later, have someone wanting to take their toys home. I wonder if the penny will ever drop for these people? They are trying to build a world unity but cannot even get on with each other. Maybe some will realise that the utopia they want is not achievable not because of socio-political stuctures but human nature.
I doubt it though.

[Ben]

Those damn Jews got your hamster as well?! Mine barely survived his liver transplant.