Go West

George Galloway has seen off many foes, Tony Blair, Christopher Hitchens and the US Senate but as he romped home with a 10,000 majority in the Bradford West by-election, this is surely his greatest triumph yet, especially as Labour had held it since 1974.  Note to Liberal Democrats wincing about losing their deposit and worrying about the future – AV would not have applied here as Galloway won more than half the vote and in a very high turnout for an urban by-election (if 50.7% of the eligible electorate can be considered high in these jaded times), making the aberration even less.  Still, watching footage of Gorgeous George shaking hands with Howling Laud Hope, the Monster Raving Looney Party candidate, at the declaration, I wondered who was better placed to represent this latter ‘political’ outfit.