It's very rare for me to read the "Times", but as I made a long train journey today, I bought a copy to pass the time. One article that caught my attention was by one Martin Fletcher, with the title: "Galloway meets Ahmadinejad - a shameful sight". As George Galloway ("GG") and the repressive regime in Iran have featured in my postings before, I read the article with interest. It seems that GG hosts a weekly programme called "The Real Deal" on Press TV. For those who have never heard of Press TV, it is an English language TV channel run by the regime in Iran. Others may be unaware of GG's interest in the media - he also hosts a radio programme on Talk Sport radio which I have only ever listened to for a few minutes. I became very bored with GG reading letters from admirers telling him how wonderful he was. I've not seen his interview with President Ahmadinejad (much as I'd like to), but Fletcher's account of it sounds typical of GG. He asked the Iranian dictator "patball questions", ie, easy questions to answer. He avoided asking any awkward questions (such as "Why did your security forces shoot down opposition demonstators last year?"), and prefaced his one question about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (see below) with the words: "Every so often an issue comes along which is seized on by enemies of Iran and magnified...". Martin Fletcher comments: "It was a performance more demeaning even than Mr Galloway's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother as a cat."I agree with that conclusion, but I wonder if GG has another agenda at work? He must be aware that there will be widespread criticism of this so-called "interview", as there has been criticism of his previous escapades. Personally, I think he revels in it - it always seems to me that he enjoys controversy, as it provides him with publicity and boosts his ego. Anyone who doubts that GG has an overweening ego should listen to his radio programme. Like Gloria Swanson, he knows that: "Good publicity is great, bad publicity is good - no publicity is awful!". And let's face it - without the heat and dust he stokes up, who would notice Mr Galloway anyway? No, like I have said about Jonathan Ross, I believe GG to be an operator, out to further his own ends. The difference between them lies in the fact that Ross is said to have cultivated Media Moguls; Mr Galloway prefers tyrants and dictators. Well, as the old saying goes: "A man is known by the company he keeps".
He said to Saddam Hussein in 1994: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."
ReplyDeleteHe claimed he had been referring to the Iraqi people in general, not specifically to their leader. So why say it to their leader and preface it with the word "Sir"?
About two years ago, "Private Eye" wrote an article about Press TV, which I had completely forgotten about. To my surprise then, I learned that Press TV has a studio over here in Ealing, "right next door", says the Eye, "to Hamas TV". GG was a contributor even then, in 2008, as was the well-known journalist, Andrew Gilligan. Given GG's bruited left-Wing credentials, it comes as a shock to learn that two of his fellow presenters were active neo-Nazis.These two are Lady Renouf (Holocaust denier and crony of David irving) and Nicholas Kollerstrom (another Holocaust denier and also a 7/7 denier - he says MI5 planted the 7/7 bombs. AS the "Eye" rightly points out, Press TV serves a regime that kidnapped and humiliated British sailors and supplied arms to pro-Iranian militias to kill British troops in Basra. Disgusting though this state of affairs may be, it is nowhere near as nauseating as the fact that Mr Galloway does not only believe in grovelling to dictators, but is willing to work with Fascists. "A man is known..."
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