George Galloway, the man who tore the US Senate apart was invited on Friday night prime time British television for an interview with Anne Robinson. Galloway informs the British public the media is controlled by a powerful few and that politicians have an "electronic pager which tells them what to say" in parliament.
Transcribed by RINF.COM: Underground Gateway
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Interview with George Galloway by Anne Robinson, 10 June 2005 at 9:00pm
Robinson : Now, my next guest hasn't always been given the chance to speak in interviews. He's also the man who's appearance at the US senate, quite frankly put the pride back in British politics.
(Recording from Galloway's appearance at the US Senate)
[--
Galloway : “This is the mother of all smoke screens. You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you supported. You want to talk about illegality?”
Mr Levin : “No.”
Galloway : “You launched an illegal war which killed a hundred thousand people….You want me to be troubled?”
Mr Levin : “No. I want you to answer questions which are fairly put and directly put at you.”
Galloway : “Ok.”
--]
Robinson : Ladies and gentlemen, George Galloway.
(Audience applauds and cheers)
Robinson : Very nice of you to be here George. Why have people got it in for you?
Galloway : Well I am kicking over the traces, I'm swimming upstream, I'm fighting against rich and powerful people who control a lot of media. It's very lucky that I'm getting on a show like this where I will get a fair hearing.
(Audience applauds)
Robinson : Of course you will!
Galloway : I must tell you, I have more trepidation appearing in front of you than I did in appearing in front of those jokers in the US Senate. That's for sure! (Audience applauds)
Robinson : I mean, you stole the show, didn't you, in Washington ?
Galloway : I used to box when I was a kid. I approached it from that standpoint. I decided to fix them in the eye and tell them what they needed to hear and what they haven't heard enough of, especially from British politicians as you've been laughing about earlier. British politicians are generally over there on their knees and I think that one of the reasons why British people have been particularly happy about what happened at the Senate was that they thought it was about time a British politician went in standing up straight and speaking for the majority of people in Britain.
Robinson : That's the thing about, you do have a great skill of addressing a audience, don't you? Far better than most of the politicians, almost any other politician I know, in this country.
Galloway : I did kiss the Blarney stone when I was a child in the days when you could kiss it before people started urinating on it and now it's not safe to kiss. (Audience laughs)
Robinson : Just occasionally, the words run away with you a bit haven't they?
Galloway : Yeah, definitely. If you speak as many words as I've spoken in the last 30 years, undoubtedly, there are one or two you wish you could swallow.
(Recording of Galloway addressing Saddam Hussein played)
[--
Galloway : “Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefectibility. And I want you to know that we are with you (Galloway speaks in Arabic, translates to…) “until Victory, until Jerusalem ”.”
--]
Galloway : I knew you were going to play that one!
Robinson : I know! George, what I wanted to know is, I've never used the word indefectibility, I can't even say it! How did it come out?
Galloway : These arcane English words leap into my mind and I usually have many years left to repent them! And that's one of them. I must tell you, the translator had absolutely no idea how to translate the words into … (audience laughs)
Robinson : Once you said it, did it occur to you that it might have been a bit over the top?
Galloway : Well, you have to know that that was part of a very long speech and that the …
Robinson : … George! Those words were there! You can't argue with me, whatever else you say, they're there, you're paying homage to Saddam Hussein.
Galloway : Hey! I'm sorry I said it. I've had plenty of trouble over it.
Robinson : So, did you come out of the palace and think ‘that wasn't the wisest words I've ever used'?
Galloway : Honestly, I was utterly, blissfully unaware that there was any problem at all. I walked off the plane and there was the mother of all press packs waiting for me. And this is the first time I've ever confessed this…
Robinson : … Go on George!
Galloway : I thought it must be some kind of woman problem (audience laughs) because someone's come out and said something, some woman has come forward and said “Jack Hughes”.
Robinson : Because one of the reasons that you have become so popular is that there are very very few politicians on either side of the house who don't talk to us as if they work in IT and we work in IT.
Galloway : We've got a parliament of poodles, and pagers and follow-the-leader politics. Where they actually, and I'm not joking, they reach into their pockets for an electronic pager which tells them what to say about the issues of the day if any journalist or any person should ask them. Is that what we have a parliament for? That's the kind of parliament they had in Baghdad !
Robinson : Have you any regrets?
Galloway : Yeah, only a fool has no regrets and I'm certainly not a fool. I regret many things. Things I should've done, things I shouldn't of done. Things I should of put better, like the one that you just played. But by in large, you know, I'm still younger than the Prime Minister, I'm up like a spring at 6 o'clock in the morning, I don't drink, I've not got a sore back or a heart murmur. I've got plenty of political life, I hope, left in me, so …
Robinson : … Have you got your eye on Number 10? …
Galloway : … I'll make more mistakes but I hope to score more victories too.
Robinson : We'll keep watching. George Galloway, thank you very much indeed.
(Audience applauds and cheers)
Galloway : Thank you.
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