George Galloway banned from Canada

[Alison]

Defend Free Speech, Lift the Ban on George Galloway Demo
For all you anti-war free-speech mongers in Lotusland, there's a demo in Vancouver tomorrow : Monday Mar. 23 at 12:30pm in front of Immigration Canada at 300 W. Georgia, at the corner of Hamilton.
Two hours later Facebook members nearing 5000

[skdadl]

The idiocy in Ottawa goes on.  Shorter Jason Kenney: "It wasn't me, but let me just repeat what Border Security said because, actually, it was me."

This is good to hear -- Barbara Jackman is on the case:

But Mr. Galloway's Toronto lawyer, Barbara Jackman, argues the grounds that Canada has cited for excluding Mr. Galloway would make many aid groups terrorists, too.

"If you use that as the indicator of engagement in terrorism, and membership, then the UN organization that assists Palestinian refugees, the Red Crescent Society - they're all terrorists," Ms. Jackman said. "Providing humanitarian aid isn't terrorism."

The government's letter says it's a preliminary decision, however, and invites Mr. Galloway to submit a rebuttal before it is made final. Ms. Jackman is drafting the rebuttal.

She said given the minister's assertion that the decision won't be reviewed, the government's request for his submissions seems insincere. "It's a setup," she said. Mr. Galloway has vowed to take the government to court.

But overnight, there was more idiocy from over the pond:

The UK Charity Commission has apparently decided to investigate Viva Palestina:

A spokeswoman for the commission said investigators wanted to be satisfied that the money raised was being used for charitable causes and that attempts to contact the appeal had been unsuccessful.

The commission has various powers at its disposal if it decides that further action is required. These include freezing bank accounts and appointing a new interim manager.

Last night Mr Galloway, who is in North America for a speaking tour, said: "If anyone needs investigating, it is the Charity Commission itself.

"There is no good reason why the commission should jump the gun and issue a statement that it is launching an investigation when, in fact, it was about to receive the information and correspondence it had asked for.

"But there are plenty of bad reasons for this outrageous behaviour."

And a related story: The UK government is going to suspend links with the Muslim Council of Britain over one of its leaders' statements in support of Gaza:

Hazel Blears, secretary of state for communities and local government, wrote to the MCB saying Abdullah should be asked to "resign his post" for signing a statement that supported Hamas and celebrated its "victory" against "this malicious Jewish Zionist war over Gaza".

Muslims who are sceptical of government anti-terror plans say they cannot think of any other occasion where a cabinet minister has tried to dictate to a religious group about the composition of its leadership.

Abdullah, speaking for the first time about the row, told the Guardian he would not be standing down.

He said of his views: "If British troops were to engage in a breach of international law, it is up to the people of the territory to decide what to do. But as I understand it, under international law, it is their right to resist."

He defended signing the statement, saying: "It made no specific mention of attacks on British troops. The statement does say if foreign troops enter Gaza's territorial waters, it is the duty of Muslims to resist, as it would be seen as assisting the siege."

Later, in an email, Abdullah said: "I did not and do not condone calls for attacks on British troops.

Hazel, meet Jason. Jason, Hazel.   :roll:

[skdadl]

I've been having fun this a.m. posting to comments on that Globe article. I'm surprised they haven't closed comments yet (we're up to 246), but maybe this is a good thing. Maybe someone will register the sheer level of activity on the topic and realize that the Grope has been 'way behind the curve.

There are a surprising number of really good commenters there, especially early on. Mid-way though, a couple of mad wingnuts start posting compulsively, and it gets harder to read and put up with, but I do think they're in the minority. Maybe someone at the Grope will register that too.

[Antonia]

kennej7@parl.gc.ca  

a certain blackberry address

 

[skdadl]

Ooh -- I'm all verklempt in the presence of the Magnificence. What should I say?

Maybe I should ask him whether the JDL really do speak for Canada internationally?

(You guys: I really don't want the knock at the door at 3 a.m. ...)

[Toedancer]

I wonder who the unnamed MP's will be to help escort Galloway thru the U.S./Quebec border Monday? Oooo trouble brews at Canada's border. The media will flock to it. One thing is for sure Galloway sure has an ego for this, you'd have to. I don't think I can totally separate the 'right is right' from the ego bit.  :D  Of course what womenz call menz ego, the Ottawa Citizen calls 'eccentric' and then hinting at ego with 'exhibitionist'.  :lol:   I wish we had some eccentric, exhibitionist poli's on the 'right is right' side. Philandering doesn't count Mr. Toews (take your pill!)

Galloway is a misguided, foolish and distasteful man, and he is wrong about many things. But in a democracy people are allowed to be misguided, foolish and distasteful. He has, arguably, a soft spot for militant Islam, which makes him eccentric to be sure but not in and of itself a security threat.

The Canadian government's ham-fisted decision to block Galloway at the border has served only to give this exhibitionist politician extra publicity, here in Canada and abroad. He didn't deserve such a lucky break.

[skdadl]

Curiously enough, while I have been known to have my problems with male ego, George's doesn't bother me at all.

Somebody has to be ready and able to move the Overton window, and that probably takes a few people with overweening egos.

What fascinates me is how consistently the msm commentators feel they have to hedge whatever they say about Galloway, even as they recognize the stupidity of Kenney's decision. It's there, in the bourgeois prissiness about George, that you can see the need to move the window.

In a decent world, nothing that George advocates would be shocking at all.

[Toedancer]

In a decent world, nothing that George advocates would be shocking at all.

:

TY Overton and Skdadl! So then by that (first time I've even heard of concept) proves some of our Policy (the Anti-T Act for example) is not even based on Reality and certainly not in the best interests of people or the country. And Kenny's backtracking has fallen apart and everyone recognizes this reality. Oooo Monday is going to be such a skirmish!

[lagatta]

Not quite, skdadl. Firstly, he is a bit of a woman-hating foetus fetishist, though some strong women I know have made him shut the fuck up in Respect, and secondly he has a galling tendency to make sexist pronouncements about women he doesn't like, women we wouldn't like either, but no need to comment on their sex appeal. He also hedged about defending Rushdie against the fatwa - yes, I know the imperialist way all of that was used and don't think Islam is a whit more oppressive than any other patriarchal religion, but it is not acceptable to hedge about death threats.

But that has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the ludicrous reasons Kenney et al give for barring him. There was a clone editorial to fellow CanWest cageliner Shitizen in the Montreal Gazoo...

In a decent world, George would also shut the fuck up about abortion, unless he is willing to carry the foetus.

[skdadl]

It's true, I forgot the pro-life part, but I haven't heard George do that lately. And he does have women colleagues, as you say, who are good at fighting back on that score.

[lagatta]

Fierce working-class British women. You know the type.

[skdadl]

I started wondering about where the pro-life thing would have come from in Galloway's background, so I checked the bio. Aha. He is working-class Irish Catholic from Dundee (industrial city), much like Sean Connery (Edinburgh working class, although Edinburgh is not an industrial city; don't know his views on abortion).

The major religious groupings in Scotland would be mainstream C of S (tight-lipped but fairly liberal), other Dissenting Protestants (Methodists, eg -- less tight-lipped and more liberal), the Wee Frees (Free C of S, mainly on some of the islands, rural-conservative on some things but mainly anti-alcohol), some few stubborn C of Es (a class-snob thing, social views irrelevant), the Catholic Highlanders who survived the Clearances (in a few areas, there are clans more or less intact; I don't know their social views, but everyone loves them for surviving), and then the Irish Catholic incomers, who have long traded places with Scots who travel the other way.

I would think that the Irish Catholics, especially of Galloway's generation, managed to maintain their conservative social culture longer than most other groups did, partly precisely because they were urban working class and felt marginalized by the dominant culture.

Some of the Outer Hebrides -- Barra, Eriskay, eg -- have always been Catholic, and yet they are known for knowing how to have a good time. Compton Mackenzie's priceless novel Whiskey Galore is spun off a real-life incident during the Second World War, when a ship laden with crates of whiskey went down off [I'm not sure that's Eriskay -- I always thought Barra] and the islanders went out to salvage before the authorities could confiscate ... The movie is priceless, one of the funniest romps you'll ever see.

For a tiny country, Scotland is the biggest, most complex society you could ever meet. I guess that's why I have a soft spot for Galloway. He's nothing like my T, but I know what he would have been bubbling up from, and I recognize the impatience with cant.

Funny: Galloway is a Scottish name (south-westernmost shire, jutting out into the Irish Sea). Galway would be the Irish equivalent, I think, or maybe not.

[skdadl]

Ye gods and little fishes. Kinsella is officially bonkers.

He is allying himself with the JDL, and remember, Kinsella is one of Iggy's spokespersons.

We need detectives on this case.

[Mandos]

Kinsella has been bonkers about I/P issues for some time now.

[Toedancer]

Kady updates

Bottom line - it's up to the border guard who is working the shift Galloway comes in on, whether or not he can come thru the sacred sovereign gates.  
If he wants to keep his job I'm sure he'll do what Kenny tells him to.

I have been asked to convey to you that it is unlikely the application would be successful. Kady rightfully asks of course - convey by whom?
If Kenny's hole gets any deeper he's going to be disappeared.

Galloway's lawyer responds - This invitation does not appear  to have been made in good faith, but merely to give the appearance of fairness when it is clear  that a decision has been made -  

Riddle us that Kenny.