THE Scots MP, George Galloway, has been dropped as a columnist on the Scots political magazine, Holyrood.
In a statement issued today, editor, Mandy Rhodes, says the reasons “I would have thought, are fairly obvious”.
It follows a YouTube presentation by Galloway, speaking about WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, during which he talks of “bad sexual etiquette” in connection with sexual offences allegations being faced by Assange in Sweden.
Galloway’s column began in April.
The statement continues: “Galloway has always courted controversy and while I have not always agreed with some of his views, I have admired him for staying true to his original political beliefs and particularly for his stance over Iraq.
“I had always felt that in an increasingly bland and corporate political world, he added some colour and was often an effective thorn in the side of the establishment. If nothing else, he provoked debate which is healthy.
“However, his recent outpourings about definitions of rape have left me, frankly gobsmacked. There is no excuse, ever, for sex without consent and regardless of the details of the Assange case, Galloway’s comments and inappropriate language about rape per se are alarming.
“I had hoped he might have taken the last 24 hours to reflect on his judgement and perhaps make some kind of public apology but that has not been apparent, far from it. So, it is with some very genuine regret that I have asked him to no longer write his column for the magazine.”
At the time of writing, there is no comment from Galloway, including on his twitter account.
