LONDON: Thursday night’s heavy battering for Labour and the disillusionment with Tony Blair’s government it so amply revealed was also a glorious electoral opportunity for his opponents from both the right and left.

Labour councillors suffered across the country, but it was in London, often regarded as the barometer of public opinion, where the losses hurt the party most. One of the capital’s most intriguing and controversial flashpoint this year was Tower Hamlets.

So who better to spend election day with than one of the most well known faces in British politics — George Galloway, whose Respect party again made heavy inroads into previous Labour strongholds?

Dressed immaculately and sporting a healthy tan, Gorgeous George exuded all his famous defiance and confidence as London woke up to the hottest day of the year so far.

“I believe that fate is smiling on us. I think that this being the best day of the year weather-wise might just mean it’s the best day politically too.

“This is the last day of power for Labour in Tower Hamlets and if the results go the way I think they might, it might effectively be the last day of Tony Blair’s power too.”

With the borough plagued with postal fraud allegations and the Respect party continuing to pursue the dossier they filed to the Metropolitan police, Galloway quickly pointed out that the final outcome of the vote could be challenged long after the counting stopped.

“I believe there will be much more said about this election after the ballot has been counted.”

We strolled down a sun-soaked Brick Lane, where Galloway remains enormously popular. But for a figure so accustomed to the media spotlight and the centre stage, how had George reacted to these elections not actually being about him?

“This will be a much more significant victory for us than the parliamentary election last year. It will prove that we are a real political organisation with a future, and dispel any suspicion that we are a one-man band.”

As he drove around in his Mercedes through the deprived boroughs of London, people blasted their horns, waved, shouted greetings and took pictures on their mobiles.

It is the youth that have particularly taken to Respect, due in no small measure due to Galloway blurring the lines between celebrity and politician after his questionable appearance in the Big Brother house.

And yet the Big Brother issue is no longer a burning one among his opponents.

They are turning instead to the party itself and its long-term viability. Some observers have suggested that they are a coalition of loosely related, jarring elements and have no credibility as a national political party. As George puffed on a trademark cigar in a brief moment of calm, he was quick to dismiss these claims.

“We’re not a national party, any more than the Tories aren’t a national party. There are great cities in England that don’t have a Tory councillor. There are increasingly places like the southwest of the country where Labour is not a national party either. We’re two years old and broke — we can’t be a national party after two years without money. But step by step, that is where we are headed.

“The biggest component of the coalition is former Labour people like me, who still believe in the ideals of Labour.”

To counter any suggestion of internal spats within the party he pointed to the continuous stream of people of all backgrounds coming into their office, offering to help.

“Tension? Look around. What do you think?”

But their opponents are still playing the division card against the new kids on the block.

“What Respect is doing is preying on the Muslim vote, polarising the black and white communities — which is something that none of us want to see” said one Labour councillor in Shadwell.

Other dissenters along the campaign trail felt the Respect party deliberately targeted poor, urban areas creating further wealth divisions in already volatile areas. Galloway is unapologetic for his tactics.

“The community is already divided between rich and poor and we plead guilty to the charge of being on only one side of that divide. We are with the poor. We are out campaigning on the meanest streets in London where the poorest people live and we are proud of that.”

Which, of course, is a far cry from the scene of the ballot count in Canary Wharf.

Counting at Tower Hamlets was delayed by recounts, but with six seats still to come, the totals were: Labour: 23; Conservatives: seven; Liberal Democrats: four, and Respect, which previously had just one seat on the council, 11 — thus becoming the main opposition.

Never one to miss a trick, a tired but jubilant George signed off with a parting blow to the Labour hierarchy.

“The defeat of Labour’s leader and deputy leader by a two-year-old party is a sensational result and it cuts the head off the New Labour snake in Tower Hamlets.

“There are some good Labour councillors, and we would be ready to talk with them in the aftermath of the election. But the Blairite leadership had to be defeated and we defeated it thoroughly.”—Dawn/The Guardian News Service