The prestigious
Socialist Unity Awards;
The best and worst of 2005
Journalistic Chutzpah of the year
Emma Brockes for her inventive 'interview' with Chomsky in the Guardian
Emma Brockes interviews Nelson Mandela
Best electoral result in Europe
Die Linke winning 54 seats for the German Bundestag - 3 by first past the post.
German election offers chance of breakthrough for left
Most under-reported electoral result of the year
Eco-Marxist Derek Wall only narrowly beaten for Principal Speaker's position in the Green party. Keith Taylor 851, Derek Wall 803.
Derek Wall's responses to our election questionnaire
Entrepreneur of the year
George Galloway for his lucrative speaking tour engagements (one of which caused him to miss a crucial vote in parliament), and for launching the Friction crime imprint - the front cover of the first book showed a woman not exactly wearing the full hijab...
Most surprising quote
Cherie Booth's "The truth is, if I hadn't had the funding from the state to go to university, I would have worked in a shop"
Most in touch with reality award
Michael Winner "You could not live on £3 million. You could not buy a house. You would have to be living at the YMCA."
History as tragedy and farce
Ronnie Flanagan, ex head of the RUC, being sent to Iraq to sort out sectarianism in the Iraqi police.
BBC News | Sir Ronnie Flanagan
Cheekiest use of copyright
British Socialist Worker republishes a story a day after it first appeared in South Africa Indymedia about World Aids Day in Zimbawe, and then sticks it on their web page claiming their own copyright, and demanding that anyone else reproducing it must link to Socialist Worker!
Loss of the year
Rosa Parks, Civil Rights heroine
The real Rosa Parks (Znet)
Good riddance
So many to choose from, but John Paul II and Edward Heath would be up there.
Windbag of the year
Bob Geldolf
Bob Geldof is 100 percent wrong on Bush and Africa, Socialist Worker.
Best propaganda masquerading as a mainstream film
The Lord of War, a valiant attempt to show the global effects of the arms industry.
Lord of War | Workers' Liberty
Best Victory of the little over the large
The French vote no to the European constitution against the media, the government and most of the opposition.
French workers reject the dictatorship of the market
France- A great victory against neo-liberalism
The political correctness gone mad award
The sun's "save our jugs" campaign protesting at Euro legislation demanding that barmaids cannot wear low cut tops. Trouble is... the legislation didn't exist - they were referring to guidelines on workers who had to work in strong sunshine, which did not mention what people should wear at all.
Save our jugs - Red State Rant
Best blog
Lenin’s tomb. Well written, well argued and always controversial.
It's still possible to produce quality TV award
Doctor Who as the "only thing worth watching on Xmas day".
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Best roasting given to rightwing politicians
George Galloway's fantastic performances against the US senate committee
A new dawn has broken over the East End
Galloway challenges the US senate
Best union election result
Matt Wrack - elected general secretary of FBU
Best result for left unity
Dresden conference of Die Linke voting for full union between WASG and the PDS by 2007.
Left Party (Germany) - Wikipedia
Best contribution to a free media
Latin America's equivalent to al jazeera launched in Venezuela on July 24th, (Bolivar's birthday). Co-founded by Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, and Uruguay, Telesur has already set up bureaus in Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela, and is about to open more in Argentina, Cuba, Mexico City, and Washington D.C.
Best example by a fascist leader
John Tyndall dies
Strangest coincidence of the year
Graham Turner and Jackie Turner donated £20,000 to Respect in April only days before Graham Turner authored an article in the Guardian billed as “an economic policy adviser to Respect”, outlining new policies for Respect about Rover's crisis.
Brown's idle boasts belie side-effects
Most bizarre harassment of a socialist
Paxman's interview of Galloway after his victory in Tower Hamlets.
Most inventive use of the media
Clown army at the G8 for their use of embedded journalists
Most unintentionally apt lyrics
Madonna leads Live8 set with the chorus “music, unites the rebel and the bourgeoisie”
The revolutions are not over award
The Bolivian movement for the overthrow of two Presidents in one year.
Most deserving recognition
Harold Pinter for winning the Nobel Prize for literature
Guardian Unlimited Books | Art, truth and politics
Most irritating to Christians
Jerry Springer the musical - so wicked, and yet so misunderstood.
Bastard of the year
Got to be George Bush surely
Half a million against Bush in New York
Journalist of the year
George Monbiot, for his consistent belligerence and constant pushing.
Sharpest satire
The Thick of It. Hilarious, vulgar and brilliantly written.
Clearest anti-union boss of the year
Gate Gourmet - narrowly beating Rolls Royce
Gate Gourmet provoked industrial action to justify sackings
Showing the way in music
Gorillaz for their wonderful refusal to be drawn into the social realism trend of modern popular music and their demonstration you can be very sharp politically without having to pretend you're a milkman from Barking.
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