A bit late with this news, I know.
Back in April, we reported the exciting news that George Galloway was to appear at the Socialist Workers’ Party bunfight. He never made it. Neither did Laurie Penny:
Yet a key disappointment of this year’s Marxism was the non-appearance of several key speakers – the journalist Laurie Penny, the famous political thinker Toni Negri (meaning a debate between himself and Alex Callinicos became a one sided attack on Negri), and George Galloway MP, who had to be in a meeting in the Middle East. The final timetable came out less than a week before the conference, and all featured as still coming. Is it likely the SWP didn’t know Galloway was going to be in the Middle East? If they didn’t, it was poor planning. If they did, it was misleading and cynical to include him in the programme, all the while selling tickets on that basis.
I expect that there was some falling out over money, or something.
