From the “Uncommitted” movement in the US to the landslide win of George Galloway in the UK, the message of left-wing activists to their Representatives is clear: foreign affairs will be a crucial issue in the next elections.
Rochdale, Great Britain. Michigan, United States of America. These two locations could not be more different and far apart, but lately, they’ve hit the news globally.
Why? Because of what’s happening in Gaza right now.
The widely popular political activism that filled both countries' squares and streets has finally reached the ballots, raising concerns and sending a clear message to the mainstream Left.
In England, George Galloway took a landslide win in a traditionally Labor-friendly constituency, after polling 12,335 votes, nearly 6,000 more than any other candidate. His political party, the small “Workers Party” went from zero to hero, scoring 39.7% on the total (in 2019, the Labor Party won with more than 50% of the preferences). Now Galloway, a former Labor MP widely considered a controversial “political maverick, " will return to Westminster.
The reason behind his unexpected win is Gaza. The candidate conducted an extensive campaign focusing on the situation developing in the Middle East. Galloway, a historical opponent of Zionism, labeled as “antisemitic” by his political opponents, managed to maximize the momentum of the latest international developments. He expressed concerns and openly denounced genocidal actions conducted by Israel, the complicit deeds of the United States and Great Britain itself, and calling for a ceasefire. This radical position stems from the ambiguity that Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labor Party, is expressing over Gaza. On various occasions, the incumbent winning party (according to Politico poll of polls), aligned with United States and Rishi Sunak himself about the topic. Therefore, Rochdale’s result is a clear message to both Number 10 and the Labor leadership.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Republican primaries are reaching a pivotal stage while the Democratic ones are running smoothly, with President Biden facing no serious opposition, until now. In Michigan, on Tuesday, February 27, more than 100.000 voters showed up to the ballots and declared themselves as “uncommitted” as a way to express their disapproval of Biden’s foreign policy about Gaza. This result sets an important precedent for the next State primaries and sends a clear message to the Democratic candidate. The organizers of the demonstration previously set a goal of 10.000 “uncommitted” votes, ending up with a 10 times bigger outcome, a second place and a magnitude of 13% on the total turnout. Marianne Williamson, for instance, secured only 3% of the total votes. [1]
These two events, although they could seem isolated and exceptional, are instead important signs of “popular awakening”, reporting a widening gap between what the “squares” believe and what the mainstream Left decodes. In a healthy democracy, people collectively organize to send clear messages to the power, even though they are minorities. The goal is to reach a “critical mass” and play a crucial role on Election Day. The question therefore is, will Mr. Biden's campaign follow these events and listen to its angry minority? Is the support for Israel unconditional? What has to happen to make the American leadership change their mind? At what cost?
All in all, only one thing is clear: international politics matters. For too long political candidates implicitly thought to have “carte blanche” on foreign affairs. It’s now time to bring democratic scrutiny and accountability back, especially on global issues.
The message from the political squares to the mainstream Left, around the world is loud and clear. We are here, we know how to organize and we know how to make our voice heard. Ambiguity is not an option anymore, not in the face of more than 30.000 deaths in Gaza since October 7th.
Giacomo Biondi
[1] - After Super Tuesday’s results on the 5th of March, seven more States were “uncommitted”. In Minnesota, for instance, the protest voters were 19%, while in North Carolina the proportion was 13%. Detailed info on Politico.com.
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