It was almost as good as Siara -v- Paul!

JP: We're joined now from his count in Bethnal Green and Bow by George Galloway. Mr Galloway, are you proud of having got rid of one of the very few black women in Parliament?
GG: What a preposterous question. I know it's very late in the night, but wouldn't you be better starting by congratulating me for one of the most sensational election results in modern history?
JP: Are you proud of having got rid of one of the very few black women in Parliament?
GG: I'm not - Jeremy - move on to your next question.
JP: You're not answering that one?
GG: No because I don't believe that people get elected because of the colour of their skin. I believe people get elected because of their record and because of their policies. So move on to your next question.
JP: Are you proud -
GG: Because I've got a lot of people who want to speak to me.
JP: - You -
GG: If you ask that question again, I'm going, I warn you now.
JP: Don't try and threaten me Mr Galloway, please.
GG: You're the one who's trying to badger me.
JP: I'm not trying to badger you, I'm merely trying to ask if you're proud at having driven out of Parliament one of the very few black women there, a woman you accuse of having on her conscience 100,000 people.
GG: Oh well there's no doubt about that one. There's absolutely no doubt that all those New Labour MPs who voted for Mr Blair and Mr Bush's war have on their hands the blood of 100,000 people in Iraq, many of them British soldiers, many of them American soldiers, most of them Iraqis and that's a more important issue than the colour of her skin.
JP: Absolutely, because you then went on to say "including a lot of women who had blacker faces than her"
GG: Absolutely right, absolutely right. So don't try and tell me I should feel guilty about one of the most sensational election results in modern electoral history.
JP: I put it to you Mr Galloway that Nick Raynsford had you to a T when he said you were a "demagogue".
GG: Sorry?
JP: Nick Raynsford. You know who I mean? Nick Raynsford. Labour MP?
GG: No, I don't know who you mean.
JP: Never heard of him.
GG: I've never heard of Nick Raynsford, no.
JP: What else haven't you heard of?
GG: Well, I've been in Parliament a long time...
JP: He was a Parliamentary colleague of yours until very recently.
GG: Well, most of them just blend one into the other, Jeremy, they're largely a spineless, a supine bunch.
JP: Have you ever heard of Tony Banks?
GG: Yes I have, yes.
JP: Right, Tony Banks was sitting here five minutes ago, and he said that you were behaving inexcusably, that you had deliberately chosen to go to that part of London and to exploit the latent racial tensions there.
GG: You are actually conducting one of the most - even by your standards - one of the most absurd interviews I have ever participated in. I have just won an election. Can you find it within yourself to recognise that fact? To recognise the fact that the people of Bethnal Green and Bow chose me this evening. Why are you insulting them?
JP: I'm not insulting them, I'm not insulting you
GG: You are insulting them, they chose me just a few minutes ago. Can't you find it within yourself even to congratulate me on this victory?
JP: Congratulations, Mr Galloway.
GG: Thank you very much indeed. [Waves, removes microphone]

 

The bloke is tapped.

 

Which one? Seems a pretty close call to me!

 

I'll agree with that! Paxman really does go for the people that he does not like. I think I would have walked off long before he did.

 

ITN did an interveiw with GG the other day , GG accussed them of settting up the interview by getting somebody on from Scotland when GG party didnt acually have anybody standing in Scotland ! He also accused them of fixing a peice of film they showed (GG interveiw with Saddam ) then told them he woudn't be interviewed by ITN again
The bloke is a star and we should have more politicians like him

 

Galloway handled that very well....Think sometimes paxman has a go because we expect him to....so he plays to the camera..

hes very good though

 

I just find paxman intensely rude, irritating, arrogant, thick, and annoying. If I see him on the telly, I change channel straight away (or someone else does stop stop me shouting at the telly )...

 

Gorgeous George is a star, he's also a very nice man.

 

I can understand and respect the fact you support his pollitical views - but Gorgeous???? You're one vote short of a ballot box mate!

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/new...56_nb_16x9.asx

In case anyone hasnt seen it..............

Its class...

 

He might be a lot of things, but a lack of intelligence isn't one of them

 

Class interview, who said politics was all dull

 

Hardly surprising though is it. Paxman works for BBC. BBC is so blatantly obviously Pro Labour(election coverage proved that) and Gallaway ousted a Labour MP from the seat.

Chip

 

PMSL

 

Nice to see some body not let a Politician avoid a difficult question

 

Nah, it was a silly question designed to p*ss him off. Should have asked a few other questions first

 

Paxman was well over the top with the way he behaved at that interview.

Les

 

Paxman is a rude arrogant turd- bad journalist IMHO.
Reach for the remote as soon as he appears on screen I am afraid.
Argumentative and confrontational to the extreme for the sake of it.

 

It wasnt a difficult question at all, it was a stupid one. Why mention at all that she is a black female. Who gives a toss anyway.

The best man won as he was voted by the electorate.

Chip

 

IMHO as someone who lived in that borough, she wasn't a good MP anyway. Arrogant springs to mind & I'm sure that Stepney/Bow will be better off without her.

The campaign by George Galloway was won on the simple premise that the government (of which Una King was part) was deliberately misleading and unjustified in declaring war on Iraq - which has been subsequently shown to be true.

Paxman is a tw@t for trying to bring race into the equation - can't call GG racist I don't think!

Excellent bit of TV though

 

**** ME If Paxo had started by asking me that question, I would have punched him in the gob, the very fact that after 8 years as an MP, all the BBC could find about her was that she was a black woman says more about her achievements in those 8 years, than any other story could.

BTW, for the record, despite what that arrogant 'commentator' said following the interview, it was NOT Mr Galloway who attempted to incite racial tension in that constituency, it was in fact Ms Kings supporters who accused him of racism, because he 'deliberately' chose to contest the seat of a black woman and the ploy backfired on them

And on a final note, does anybody else remember the deferential way in which the BBC treated Mr Galloway during the first gulf war, when he was a Labour MP opposing a 'Tory' war?