True, but Labour did act pretty quickly and decisively when the issue came out and they may be able to use this to their advantage. I suspect the coming general election will be littered with recordings of candidates saying unacceptable things as it is now so much easier to record these kinds of things. By acting decisively, even when it meant certain defeat in a by election allows Labour to turn fire on others when they don't act so decisively. We are already seeing this with Anderson and the Tories' inability to call what he said racist, rather than just 'wrong'. As more and more candidates have potentially antisemitic or islamophobic comments revealed through the media attention will turn to how it is dealt with rather than its existence.
True - key is whether he can catalyse pro-Gaza and anti-Labour support elsewhere sufficient to lose them seats in the general election. Galloway won't retain his seat at a general election and I'd be astonished if his party won a seat anywhere at the general election.
Not sure whether he had been confirmed as a candidate before there was the need for a by election, but if not then surely the selection committee should have checked whether he was available to campaign during the election period. If not then they should have selected someone else.
But the broader point is that his 'being on holiday' lends support to the notion that the Tories have given up, accepted they have lost and are only really interested in which faction gains control in opposition.
I think the problem with anti semitism is that Labour were alrwady starting from a position of weakness. I think that anti semitism is a bigger problem with the general population than islamophobia. I don't disagree that the Tpries have a major issue with that but that they do is theor problem, and isn't about making Labour's position better.
Normally, I'd agree with you about Galloway not winning the seat at the general but this one may be different. The proximity of the election, the likely continued focus on the war in Gaza, and Labour's issue of trying to get a candidate that will be acceptable in such circumstances but won't tick the anti semitism box is I think different. I don't think the random We Love George party will pick up any other seats.
I'm not sure a by elwction in Rochdale, even before the dreadful farce it became, is one that we can determine the overall mood of the Tories from. I would agree that they had probably given up on the seat itself at the time of choosing a candidate.
They are, I think, hoping (a) that Starmer might sexually assault Kate Middleton, that (b) they get the Islamophobia right to be able to claim the fighting against mob rule idiocy, and (c) that any loss isn't too bad. That is all going to be difficult since as you note many have started the post ele tion internal stramash early.
I 'm glad to see the bad performance of Reform but what on earyh, given everything, possessed them to select Danczuk. They even had the information of how he'd done as an independent to go on.
