Winner at the ballot box – but town is divided
Some hail Galloway success while others remain sceptical
HE’S the Celebrity Big Brother pussycat with a trademark fedora and a track record of sparking controversy.
Now George Galloway is Rochdale’s new MP.
What unfolded in the weeks before the by-election vote was dramatic.
Or as some people in the town put it: ‘a farce’.
On the rainy streets of Rochdale town centre the morning after the vote constituents who found themselves becoming extras in a ‘Westminster psychodrama’ were welcoming their new representative with a healthy dose of scepticism.
“He’s never done anything for Rochdale,” said Charlie Strudwick, 68. “I bet he couldn’t name four streets in Rochdale.”
Mr Strudwick, of Hamer, was one of a number of voters who told the Observer they were put off by Mr Galloway’s focus on Gaza during the by-election.
As he gave his victory speech Rochdale’s new MP declared ‘this is for Gaza’, while he previously told the Observer he would discuss Palestine before his new constituency in the House of Commons.
“I don’t see him doing anything good for Rochdale,” Mr Strudwick added.
“It’s turned a lot of people against each other. Really you shouldn’t discuss politics or religion
with your friends, but we have been.
“They didn’t want Galloway. We wanted someone from Rochdale who knew Rochdale.”
Mr Strudwick gave his vote to Billy Howarth one of the 11 candidates who were in the running in Rochdale... all male.
Another independent candidate, vehicle repair shop owner David Tully, came closest to toppling Mr Galloway - with 6,638 votes, to the Scot’s 12,335.
After such a bruising by-election campaign, there was concern among some residents over whether ‘tensions’ could emerge and remain.
There was a reluctance
among some people to discuss the vote - with one woman telling the Observer: “Oh no, don’t be asking me about politics.”
Others asked not to be named, photographed or both.
A 63-year-old former nurse, who gave her name as Janet, described Mr Galloway as a ‘divisive character’ and had mixed feelings about what that would mean for the town going forward.
“He’s a brilliant speech maker,” she said.
“He certainly stands by his principles. Whether his principles match our little town, I don’t know. I think social media has a lot to answer for.
“We’ve had Trump, Bojo and now we’ve got George Galloway. It’s all a bit insane.
“He’s a very divisive character. What we don’t need is an increase in tensions.
“Life has got a bit more interesting, politics has got a bit more interesting.”
A 74-year-old man, who
asked not to be named, gave his backing to Mr Tully and said he felt Rochdale had ‘missed an opportunity’ in not voting him in.
But another, aged 78, felt he had ‘wasted his vote’ by choosing an independent.
He told the Observer he would ‘never have voted’ for Mr Galloway.
Among voters who shared that sentiment, there was the comfort of a General Election expected later this year.
David Smith, of Edenfield Road, believes Labour will regain the seat at the next opportunity.
The party would have expected to hold onto Rochdale following Sir Tony Lloyd’s tragic death, until it dropped candidate Azhar Ali over ‘deeply offensive’ comments he made about Israel.
Mr Smith, 75, said: “I’ve lived in Rochdale all my life.
“I just wish the genuine people of Rochdale would go and vote for somebody that lives in the town and
would look after everything.”
On Mr Galloway’s victory, he added: “It’s a disgrace really. The man doesn’t even know Rochdale .... it’s all Gaza, Gaza, Gaza.”
While Mr Galloway made conflict in the Middle East a key pillar of his campaign, residents who welcomed his arrival as MP were upbeat about what he could do for Rochdale.
Asif Hussain, 29, said: “I liked the stuff that he said about Rochdale, what’s going on in the town, how he will improve it. I just hope that he will stick to his word.”
Stacey Baker, 39, was pleased to see Mr Galloway win.
She believes Rochdale had become a ‘forgotten’ town in Greater Manchester.
“It’s nice to know that people are interested in a little town with different people,” she said.
Mr Galloway had promised much to the town’s voters - with talk of reopening
Rochdale’s A&E, bringing more big names to the town centre and challenging Rochdale council’s ruling Labour party - though he may only be in the job for months.
“It’s either mouth or action, is it not?” asked Ms Baker.
Chloe Johnson, a 20-year-old student, believes why many people are sceptical about politics in general - particularly
“I bet he couldn’t name four streets in Rochdale.” “I liked the stuff he said about ... how he will improve it.”
among people her own age.
“Half the time they lie to get your vote,” she said.
One Galloway voter, who asked not to be named, was hopeful he would live up to his promises - particularly in the town centre.
“We want our town back,” she said. “Look at what we are left with.”
Yet for her, the conflict in the Middle East also weighed on her mind.
She described the motive for her vote as ‘5050’ between Gaza and local issues.
“What’s happening [in Gaza]... there’s no compassion for people,” she added.
For some in Rochdale, there was disillusionment.
Turnout in the by-election was 39.7 per cent down from 60.1 per cent in the 2019 General Election, although that is not unusual for a by-election.
Alan Biggs, 41, says he doesn’t vote.
“Nothing ever happens,” he told the Observer.
“They never do what they say. That’s how I see it.”
After a turbulent few weeks in the campaign, the dust is beginning to settle in Rochdale.
National journalists were among the reporters scurrying along Rochdale town centre to get reaction this morning.
But soon the attention from the south will fade, and what will be left is a desire among all Rochdale residents for a bright future.
“What can you say?” Amina Hafeez, 54, told the Observer.
“I just hope that he does a good job for Rochdale.
“There are too many homeless people and not enough things happening for young people.”