UK By-elections thread, 2021-

[Coldstream]

I mean the most comforting thing for Labour is it shows the might of our campaign machine, simply disowning Ali made him unviable.

[Coldstream]

Labour needs to hold its nerve and not waste unnecessary funds and activists in Rochdale in the GE, we’ll win with a 10k+ majority anyway just like Bradford in 2015.

[Coldstream]

Labour needs to hold its nerve and not waste unnecessary funds and activists in Rochdale in the GE, we’ll win with a 10k+ majority anyway just like Bradford in 2015.

I'm not as sure as that, if only due to the short timescale for even a late 2024 GE - which means less time for GG to disillusion and p*** off the locals in his past inimitable fashion.

But yes, Labour should treat it as a bit of a sideshow - not least because the new MP won't like it.

To paraphrase Donald Dewar, people take an instant dislike to George Galloway to save time. They’ll hate him more than enough by the time of the GE - but even if he ends up being a good MP (which would require a brain transplant at least) it won’t matter, they want to vote Labour in Rochdale. Sure, the local party should put out a grovelling message about how we failed to offer them a choice, but that’s it - the temptation will be to make it a target seat to punish Galloway (which I’m all for), but we don’t need to, we’ll walk it.

[Coldstream]

May be interesting to see if Galloway actually runs in Rochdale in a GE or chooses a seat more favourable to him.

Which seats would be more favorable to him? One of the seats he won in the past with higher % of Muslims?

Not one of the ones he won in the past, because they’ll remember how useless he is. But somewhere like Hall Green (Respect came close in 2010 and had it not been for the Lib Dem’s Yaqoob probably would have won) seems like a better shot.