Libel action hypocrisy

by Chris Bertram on March 15, 2004

Remember the begging letter from Paul Foot appealing for funds to pay for the legal costs and damages incurred by his Socialist Worker Party chums Alex Callinicos and Lindsey German after they libelled Quintin Hoare and Branka Magas? “I blogged about it all here”:https://www.crookedtimber.org/archives/000677.html . The very same Lindsey German is now threatening legal action on behalf of George Galloway MP. “Full details at Harry’s place”:http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2004/03/15/libel_latest.php .

{ 3 comments }

1

Conrad Barwa 03.15.04 at 2:41 pm

Well I wouldn’t call the SWP an “influential and powerful organisation” quite the reverse I would have thought given its actual ability to influence events and I am quite sympathetic to the argument that legalising these disputes should be avoided as far as possible and an amicable settlement reached. On the other hand, it is clearly double standards to turn around and use this to defend an individual against essentially a non-political charge. There is a faint air of the ridiculous about this given the figures involved; Galloway strikes me as someone with very little if any credibility and prone to some, er, creative financial dealings and as for Burchill, who I find it hard to take seriously as a political journalist; moving from the Guardian to the Times on the plea of the former being restricted in its political views on certain subjects seems to me just to be bizarre. This should be left to the individuals in question to sort out; without dragging any claims of greater political solidarity into the murkiness.

2

Robin Green 03.16.04 at 8:33 am

Foot’s stance was that socialists shouldn’t sue other socialists unless absolutely necessary.

Is Julie Birchill a socialist – rather than, as everyone has previously assumed, an old windbag who thrives off whatever controversy she can stir up this week?

3

lenin 03.17.04 at 9:56 pm

Please be careful to get your facts right, Chris. Lindsey German is not threatening legal action on behalf of Galloway. Galloway is threatening legal action on his own behalf. The fact that German alluded to Galloway’s clearly stated intent in no way makes her responsible for the action.

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