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At almost 70, with his previous election victory more than a decade past and his profile pushed even further to the fringes of British politics, a few months ago it would have seemed improbable that rabble-rouser George Galloway had a hope of making yet another comeback.
But a perfect storm of factors that destroyed the traditional Labour vote and prevented rivals making headway cleared a path for the 69-year-old to be able to parachute into Rochdale and win a convincing majority in Thursday's by-election.
Despite his four decades in politics being littered with controversy, voters were given a rogues' gallery of options to vote for.
Rochdale has been beset by scandal, campaigns have imploded and the candidate for the Workers Party of Britain seized his opportunity.
Campaign tactics
Mr Galloway used his tried-and-tested campaign strategy to woo voters.
The veteran politician was able to target a deprived town with a large Muslim population by combining the conflict in Gaza with hyper local issues such as maternity services, the fortunes of the local football team and the town’s desire for better shops.
It may paint a depressing picture of how the cost-of-living crisis facing Britain led to a firebrand politician like Mr Galloway being able to win votes by offering the budget fashion store Primark as a prize, but it worked.
Galloway is very good at generating noise and publicity. This is his modus operandi and it has been successful again
Joe Twyman,
Deltapoll
Tony Blair's former political secretary, John McTernan, believes his use of promising to “get a Primark for Rochdale” alongside Gaza can not be ignored.
“It surely tells us a lot. For one, there is now a real expression in parliament of the country’s desire for a ceasefire in Gaza – which our parliament has totally failed to channel,” he said.
Co-founder and director of the public opinion consultancy Deltapoll, Joe Twyman, said Mr Galloway’s well-oiled campaigning machine was able to make the most of the Gaza issue while not ignoring local factors.
He said Mr Galloway’s campaign leaflets to the Muslim community focused on Gaza and to other areas it was local issues, such as health services and high-street regeneration.
“George Galloway has always been a fine, strong orator,” he said.
“In [previous by-elections in] Bradford and Bethnal Green he had some success mobilising some sections of the Muslim community. The situation in Gaza provides him with a perfect opportunity to do that. He has used it in Rochdale to target Muslims angered at the situation in Gaza.
“Galloway is very good at generating noise and publicity. This is his modus operandi and it has been successful again.”
Open door without Labour
It is now the seventh time Mr Galloway has been elected to parliament.
His victory underlines the divisions in Britain over the Israel-Hamas war, which is in its fifth month and has brought protesters on to British streets in support of both sides.
Mr Galloway won 12,335 votes compared with 6,638 for second-placed David Tully, an independent candidate.
The former Labour candidate, Azhar Ali, came fourth after the opposition party pulled its support for him after he was recorded espousing conspiracy theories about Israel.
Mr Twyman told The National that a "lack of knowledge and understanding" of who Mr Galloway is could have aided him, alongside the fact the Labour Party was forced to cut ties with its own candidate.
He doubted Mr Galloway would have made such inroads if Labour had been able to campaign properly.
Rogues' gallery of candidates
Historically a Labour seat, the by-election should have offered up an easy task for the party to win again, until its candidate, Mr Ali, suggested Israel was complicit in the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
It left the party with no option but to withdraw its support and they were taken out of the running.
"It has been a difficult situation for Labour to deal with but it has been all of their own creation because they didn't sufficiently vet their own candidate," Mr Twyman said.
Other remaining candidates included Simon Danczuk for Reform UK – he was previously suspended from the Labour Party for sending explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl and blocked from standing again.
The Green Party was also forced to withdraw its support of its candidate Guy Otten after he reportedly criticised Islam and the Gaza conflict.
When The National visited Rochdale earlier in the week, voters repeatedly said they felt let down at the selection of candidates.
“I don’t think there has been a dull day in this by-election yet, every one of the candidates has done something,” said Farah Khan, who previously supported Labour.
“To go from someone as amazing as our former MP Tony Lloyd, to what is on offer now, is such a shame."
Past controversies
A former Labour politician, Mr Galloway was expelled from the party in 2003 for attacking Tony Blair over the Second Gulf War, labelling the leadership “a blood-splattered, lying, crooked group of criminals”.
It was not his only brush with controversy. He sparked outrage after he was filmed telling Saddam Hussein: “Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability.”
It earned him the title of “MP for Baghdad Central” from his political foes.
In 2009, he set up the Viva Palestina charity to run aid convoys to Gaza. But in 2013, an investigation by Britain's charity watchdog found “little or no evidence that humanitarian aid was distributed to those in need”.
In 2019, he was sacked by British radio station TalkRadio amid accusations of anti-Semitism over a social media post directed at Tottenham Hotspur, a football club with traditionally strong support among the Jewish community.
After the club’s defeat in the Uefa Champions League final, Mr Galloway said there would be “no Israel flags on the cup”.
No national impact
Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, Robert Ford, said Mr Galloway’s victory is likely to be short-lived.
“Rochdale has been used as a football in an argument about Islam and Gaza,” he told The National.
“What happened there will not have a meaning nationally. People will try to interpret this result but the circumstances there have been so strange, the list of candidates was so strange. It is not representative of the national picture.
“He ran it on Gaza versus domestic issues. He does two things: uses an external foreign policy issue with a broader focus on a local issue. He has done the same in Rochdale.”
Mr Twyman told The National: “I do not think this result will damage a general election.
“The specific local factors here would be difficult to replicate. But it is the worst-case scenario for Labour as it gives publicity to George Galloway who consistently has been a thorn in the side of past Labour administrations.
“But in the long term it is difficult to see how this could have a significant impact on a general election but there is no doubt that in the meantime, Galloway will remain in the public eye and will be lapping up the publicity.”
Galloway's 'divisive' campaign
The leader of right-wing Reform UK, Richard Tice, said the campaign had been marred by intimidation and abuse of his party's candidate and campaigners, describing the vote as a "shameful contest ... more characteristic of a failed state". His party's candidate came sixth.
Alan Mendosa, director of think tank the Henry Jackson Society Alan, told The National Mr Galloway ran a “divisive” campaign that will raise alarm bells nationally.
“While George Galloway’s victory obviously owed something to the Labour candidate being disowned by his party over anti-Semitism, his margin of victory will alarm anyone in the UK concerned about the rise of sectarian politics,” he said.
“Galloway’s winning message was hateful and divisive on the issue of Gaza and he placed it front and centre of his campaign to appeal to a specific section of the local population.
“If others start following this trend and pandering to local opinion rather than upholding principled national interests, Galloway’s victory could portend a sea change in British politics and the way this country has historically seen itself.”
Rochdale by-election: George Galloway storms to victory - in pictures
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
The%20Crown%20season%205
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Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
Race card
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
