Come on Les, dont play the dullard...with New Labour galloping to the right and being the party of war and privatisation a yawning gap has opened up to the left of New Labour...all the mainstream parties actually support the free market agenda and even the Liberals who opposed the war until the invasion started then supported the attack on Iraq.
Galloway was an outspoken and effective critic of the invasion and got thrown out of New Labour for his anti war stance.He has been villified and attacked ever since and the formation of RESPECT out of the anti war mood in the country.
When it was founded the three aims were
1 Opposition to the US/UK invasion and all the barbarism that it entailed.
2 Support for civil rights here at home as it was clear that civil rights were bound to be attacked .
3Support for ethnic minority groups who it was clear would be scapegoated by the government,the media and by the BNP and the far right.
Galloway had the bottle to stand up to the warmongers when almost the whole of parliament failed the test and voted for war [Plaid Cymru MPs were among the small number of honourable exceptions].
The disagreements between him and the SWP now do not diminish his courage and outspokeness five years ago or the support the SWP gave him then.
Les,you must have known of the above as it is no state secret so why get coy and ask the question even?
david