Residents' Action Movement or RAM portrays itself as some genuine community based organisation that represents the concerns of the average Aucklander. RAM is anything but.
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RAM is basically a reborn version of the Alliance, and is nothing short of foaming at the mouth raving socialists. I know this, I spoke to one prominent RAM member on the phone a few years ago who was convinced that tolling the motorway extension north of Orewa was an international capitalist conspiracy whereby Transit, the World Bank and others were going to make big money out of it. This isn't just wrong, it's delusional.
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This madness is now seen by RAM inviting self-proclaimed fan of the Soviet Union, and former sycophant of Saddam Hussein - George Galloway - to talk about peace.
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Galloway once said to Saddam Hussein "I salute you", while Iraq was occupying Kuwait. Yes, Galloway warms to peace lovers. The Guardian quotes him saying "Yes, I did support the Soviet Union, and I think the disappearance of the Soviet Union is the biggest catastrophe of my life"- that bastion of peace that invaded all of eastern europe, Afghanistan and waged proxy wars worldwide. In 1999, he met with the murderous rapist Uday Hussein and joked with him. On top of that, Galloway is anti-abortion.
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Meetings are being held on 27-29 July with Galloway. Perhaps someone who cares about peace would ask him why he met Uday Hussein, and why he misses the Soviet Union, which enslaved people, denied freedom of speech and executed political opponents at will.
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Galloway is a vile apologist for murderous regimes, meeting Uday for a nice talk given the numerous reports about him (including from the leftwing Guardian) is repulsive. His sympathy for the Soviet Union after all of the horrors committed by it is despicable.
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It speaks volumes about RAM that it is inviting him, and I hope Aucklanders will note this when they vote later this year.
1 comment:
Since the report into George Galloway's behaviour, he has inevitably issued a blizzard of press and media statements giving his side of the story. His opening line is usually the same
Once more and yet again I have been cleared of taking a single penny or in any way personally benefiting from the former Iraqi regime through the Oil for Food programme or any other means.
What the report actually said is that it found “no evidence” that Galloway had benefited personally.
Perhaps that could be because they haven’t looked at Galloway's bank account?
In his evidence to the committee Galloway confirmed the following:
Q134 Mr Curry: You only had a joint account?
Mr Galloway: Yes, we only had a joint account. I only had a joint account, I should add.
Q135 Mr Curry: You only had a joint account?
Mr Galloway: Yes.
Q136 Mr Curry: Mr McKay is reported to have told The Sunday Telegraph that you and Dr Abu Zayyad have always maintained separate bank accounts, in fact that was not the case. Your wife may have had her own account but—
Mr Galloway: It is clear that she had at least one account in the Middle East , yes.
Now as was also pointed out in the report Galloway often had his expenses made out to “Amineh Abu Zayyad” and paid into their joint account at the Cooperative bank. Of course it is only necessary to have one of the account holders names on the transaction to deposit to a joint account.
Now what about Oil for Food Cash? Where did that go?
As the Senate Investigation shows, The Mariam Appeal's agent in Bagdhad, Fawaz Zureikat, made a number payments containing OFF cash in the week of 4th August 2000. including
- $340,000 to the Mariam Appeal
- $150,000 to Amineh Abu Zayyad
- $15,666 to Ron McKay
What was the nature of the payment that was made to Galloway's wife and press spokesman, by his business partner Fawaz Zureikat? Was this money a gift, or was it in the nature of a commission or other similar payment?
Galloway's wife had her money paid into a Citibank account in Jordan and seven days later transferred $24,950 into a UK Cooperative bank account in the UK.
So perhaps George could clear all this up.
Did his joint Cooperative bank account receive the payment originating from the Oil Deals?
Or had his wife of three months opened another Cooperative bank account he claims to know nothing about?
And what happened to the rest of the $150,000 paid to his wife by Mr Zureikat?
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