Why does George Galloway matter? He's a maverick, a one off.
He shamefully defended Saddam Hussein, but he magisterially took to pieces a pompous U.S. Senate committee.
He shares the recent record with Winston Churchill for being elected for four different constituencies.
He is a political force of nature, charismatic but dangerous, the abilities of a demagogue but the charm of a seasoned politician.
Jacob Rees-Mogg shares his thoughts on George Galloway becoming an MP again
GB News
He matters because of the effect he has on the Labour Party, because of what he tells us about modern Britain.
In terms of the Labour Party, he emphasises the divide that Keir Starmer has to try to straddle.
Starmer wants to eradicate the antisemitism that flourished under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. He has expelled members and even suspended his support for the Labour candidate in the Rochdale by election.
However, the success of Galloway shows that there can be an electoral advantage in appealing to the Islamist vote.
This is beyond appealing to the Muslim vote, but to those who have sympathy with the perpetrators of the violence on the 7th of October.
The words of Chris Williamson about Auschwitz show how deep and unpleasant this is, and the willingness of Galloway's acolytes to appeal to this basest form of nature.
This revolting view, disgusting wicked view, turned out to be electorally successful, and it will create pressure on other MPs to follow suit for those in seats that have a significant Muslim electorate may feel that Starmer's support for Israel and strong opposition to antisemitism is electorally risky.
The Labour Party has tried for many years to put together a coalition of minorities, but this ultimately becomes problematic because it provides rather than unites the country. It encourages those who have come here to emphasise separateness rather than unity.
Recent comments on Rule Britannia, which are trivial in and of themselves are indicative of a Labour approach that is unsympathetic to the idea of being British. Now, these aren't British values as such, which are difficult to define.
But it's a reluctance to be proud of this country, its history, its achievements over many centuries, and unite with it and with its people through a sense of patriotism that has brought us all together in the past.
George Galloway's victory pushes in the other direction. It weaponises separateness. And that's why it's important, because it divides the Labour Party. And that's a problem, because all good democracies need a powerful and effective opposition party.
But if the Labour Party were to win an election on this weaponised separateness, it would of course divide the nation and creates real risk through that. So if you have a situation that George Galloway is creating of a separate divided Labour Party that is using this to push electoral success, then you divide the nation and you undermine our democratic principles.
