Independent MP George Galloway to tell University Union What democracy means to him
Controversial politician to address crowds in Dundee
Published:
One of Dundee’s most controversial political sons will give his backing to a student-led campaign to stimulate interest and debate about politics in the city tonight .
Independent MP George Galloway will tell Dundee University Students Association (DUSA) what democracy means to him and recount his own political experiences.
He will also take part in a debate with the association’s vice-president of campaigns, Craig Kelly, organised as part of its ongoing Year of Democracy campaign.
Mr Kelly said: “George is a fantastic and well-seasoned speaker and our students will be very excited to pose their questions to him. Whatever your political persuasion, he’s one of the few politicians in our country that everyone has an opinion on.”
Other high-profile speakers who agreed to appear this year are former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mozzam Begg, secret services whistleblower Katharine Gunn and veteran activist Tariq Ali.
Mr Kelly said: “The point of this campaign is to discuss controversial issues and get students thinking about politics, and there are very few people who can do that as well as George Galloway.
“This event will be Galloway’s first visit to DUSA in over 20 years and a lot has changed since then.
“Some people feel students have become more apathetic, but the point of this campaign is to show otherwise.” Earlier this week, Mr Galloway gave the first John Copland Memorial Lecture to a packed Marryat Hall at the invitation of the Dundee Pensioners’ Forum.
He took questions from the audience following the lecture which began with a tribute to Mr Copland, before touching on pensioners rights and national and international issues.
Mr Galloway said: “Pensioners vote in disproportionate numbers and in an era where voting is much less prevalent in the population.
“Pensioners have political power and it is necessary to organise them to use it.
“If they do, they’ll get a better deal."
Mr Galloway will speak at DUSA from 5.15pm tonight before returning home to London on Thursday.
