Shadwell ward by-election - Predictions

[JHE]

There are a couple of interesting claims about al-Respeq in Tower Hamladesh in the latest Weekly Worker (9 Aug).

[A] growing section of the SWP cadre are not taken in by the “community activist” label and are starting to question the whole direction the SWP is taking with Respect. They know there is no guarantee that Miah, like a number of sitting councillors, will stick with the party. Miah says of his decision to join Respect: “I looked at the Conservatives, Liberals and obviously Labour as well, but I found that Respect was one of the best parties for this time”. Until perhaps Labour, (or the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats) offer a better package? That was the case with Waiseul Islam.

In the days before polling it was actually very difficult in fact to find anyone from Tower Hamlets SWP who was prepared to justify the selection of Miah - but at least he would ‘carry on the fight’ against Labour. The comrades focussed the Respect campaign on housing, the national health service, education and tube privatisation, but a good number of SWPers were hardly delighted that a representative of an other class was the figurehead of a campaign conducted around what they regarded as working class issues.

One person who is currently considering his position, I am reliably informed, is Oliur Rahman, Respect’s first elected councillor. Comrade Rahman gambled his position as deputy leader of the Respect group to challenge Abjol Miah for group leader in May. Although part of the SWP-influenced wing, he has become more and more frustrated.​

 

[biff curtains]

Rahman is actually an SWP member, as is that young muslim woman councillor they've got there whose name escapes me, I'm not sure why this is being kept quiet.

 

[JHE]

Rahman is actually an SWP member, as is that young muslim woman councillor they've got there whose name escapes me, I'm not sure why this is being kept quiet.

Rania Khan? Since she chaired a meeting at 'Marxism' and took orders from Lyndsey Kraut, I thought she might be.

The SWP is not shy of claiming that two TH councillors have joined 'the party'. They are just shy of naming them. I suppose they want to keep their membership quiet. Coming out as a communist, assuming they are now communists, might not go down well among their voters. If, on the other hand, they have joined 'the party' without having a clue what it is, they wouldn't be the first to make that mistake. It might be rather unkind to expose them if they are very naive.

 

[biff curtains]

Rania Khan that's the one. She seems like a nice person and a well meaning liberal social democrat of the sort that join the SWP for a while. I would be amazed if she is actually a revolutionary socialist, but I wouldn't say that her or Rahman are ignorant of the SWP's professed politics, just that she realises they are not actually revolutionaries. Rahman on the other hand I think has become a genuine Cliffite.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

When is the count on, does anyone know?

 

[JHE]

Drama at polling station

Cops arrest 'Galloway' party activist outside polling station

09 August 2007

By Michael Parker and Ted Jeory

POLITICAL activist Carole Swords was arrested today (Thurs, Aug 9) after a row with police outside a by-election polling station in London's East End.

The 55-year-old member of MP George Galloway's Respect party was dragged screaming to a police van following a ruck in Bigland Street, Shadwell, the scene of a crucial by-election for Tower Hamlets council.

She was arrested on "suspicion of obstructing the highway" and taken to Limehouse police station for questioning.

The East London Advertiser understands she was also taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel for a check-up after complaining that she was physically injured.

Witnesses said the police action appeared heavy-handed and Respect is to make a formal complaint to Scotland Yard.

A furious party spokesman said he was 'outraged' at the police intervention in the democratic voting process.

The drama unfolded as Carole Swords, one of the East End's most well known and controversial activists, campaigned outside the polling station this afternoon.

Under election rules, two members from each party are allowed to stand outside election booths.

She became involved with a row with Tower Hamlets Labour councillor Bill Turner and witnesses said police tried to move her on.

But she refused insisting: "I know my rights."

Labour supporter Moynul Kabir, 23, who photographed the arrest, said: "The police got hold of her.

"She struggled and they dragged her to the van. They picked her up and threw her into the back.

"She was screaming for a doctor. The police definitely went over the top and over-reacted."

Another eye-witness, Respect activist Sultana Ali, 29, said: "There was supposed to be two people on each side of the polling station, but the police decided they only wanted one.

"Carole said we had an agreement. But the police said she was raising her voice and eventually they dragged her into the van.

"She was screaming, 'You're breaking my arm'."

Miss Ali said Carole Swords was "thrown into the van by about four or five officers, crying out in pain."

She added: "Even I was quite scared."

Police have confirmed a 55-year-old woman was arrested at Shadwell under the Public Order Act "for obstructing the highway."

A police spokesman said: "Officers made the arrest in Bigland-street. The woman is in custody at an East London police station.​

Article with photos: http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co....y=newsela&itemid=WeED09 Aug 2007 19:48:55:703

 

[nightbreed]

Just had a report that Respect won by about 90 votes.Is this correct?
Quite a swing against Respect apparently. If repeated it might have serious repercussion at the general election.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Just had a report that Respect won by about 90 votes.Is this correct?
Quite a swing against Respect apparently. If repeated it might have serious repercussion at the general election.

Where did you get a report?

 

[Dej]

Result of the Shadwell By-Election

The results of the by-election held in the Shadwell Ward, Tower Hamlets, on Thursday 10 August 2007 came in shortly before 1.00am in the early hours of Friday morning.

They are as follows:
Rosie Francis Clarke (Liberal Democrats Focus Team): 98 votes
William Duncan Crossey (The Conservative Party Candidate): 476 votes
Michael Jeremy Keith (The Labour Party Candidate): 1415 votes
Harun Miah (Respect): 1512 votes.

Therefore, Harun Miah is duly elected to service on Tower Hamlets Council.

The turnout for the election was 39.66%. 3526 votes were cast in total, including 504 postal votes.

http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/templates/news/detail.cfm?newsid=7917

 

[Nigel Irritable]

So a drop of 340 or so votes with turnout down a bit over 6%. Vote seems to have held up pretty well.

 

[mutley]

Now Labour really should have taken this seat.
What with Big Brother and the resigning councillors words of condemnation, plus the 'Brown bounce' etc, I think that they could hardly have asked for better conditions. As it is, both sides can plausibly argue that their result shows that they have everything to play for in the future.

Next General election looks like it'll be one big mother of a scrap in East London..

 

[Soul On Ice]

So a drop of 340 or so votes with turnout down a bit over 6%. Vote seems to have held up pretty well.

I work out that as a drop in votes of about 18% with a 6% turn out. Which in my eye doesn't sound good. What is the change in the overall share of the vote for Respect. I'll guess that it has fallen. I think the decline has clearly started.

 

[belboid]

thats 43.2 % for Respect, a 3.2% drop, pretty good really, and makes it sound like you are really suffering from wishful thinking SoI

 

[Gumbert]

interesting. respect hold the shadwell seat and the bourgeois islamophobe JHE shuts up.

 

[butchersapron]

Bougeois? What, does he own a shop or something?

Very good result. That's exactly what they need to be doing. Holding seats.

 

[JHE]

East London Advertiser coverage of the election: http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co....y=newsela&itemid=WeED10 Aug 2007 10:29:15:373

 

[JHE]

Now Labour really should have taken this seat.
What with Big Brother and the resigning councillors words of condemnation, plus the 'Brown bounce' etc, I think that they could hardly have asked for better conditions.

You miss what Labour did NOT have: a Bengali candidate. Miah was the only Bengali standing. Fibber Keith is just a white professor of multi-kulti blather.

 

[JHE]

interesting. respect hold the shadwell seat and the bourgeois islamophobe JHE shuts up.

Busy, busy, busy... we bourgeois are men of much responsibility.

<waggles head and preens>

So many things to decide at my shop, at my brothers' shops, at the money-transfer business... investments to look after...

You wouldn't believe the staff problems! Insubordination everywhere. My good friend Harun says never employ an English kuffar - they are only trouble. What do you think, Brother Gum?

We need all the trade we can get!

 

[Udo Erasmus]

The result is a reflection that Respect has won serious Respect for it's massive campaign against housing privatisation. (and not only in East London. In Swansea, Respect member and council tenant, Paul Lynch, led a campaign that saw 3 out of 4 local residents voting against stock transfer despite millions of pounds of public money being spent by a corrupt libdem council.

It is also a real sock in the face to New Labour who parachuted in Oona King (remember her?) and Gordon Brown to Shadwell to campaign.

And remember who Michael Keith is. He was the leader of Tower Hamlets council who has supported the canary wharf development and wanted to drive out working class people from Tower Hamlets in order to gentrify the neighbourhood

Local Tower Hamlets activist comments:

The election was triggered by the resignation of one of a Respect councillor who, according to one source, had not adequately reckoned what the job would be like and was put up to a public resignation by the local Labour party, timed in order to harvest a little of the 'Brown Bounce' (add your own scatological joke here).

They're also keen to get Michael Keith back onto the council. For the previous eight years he had been serving on the council he had been key to levering space for private developers to build luxury houses in the borough (to take advantage of the Canary Wharf developments). The council was to crown its social engineering plan with a council housing sell-off. This failed. It failed because of a tennants campaign, led by local Respect activists and supported by the MP George Galloway, resulted in 5 out of 7 estates rejecting the deal before the council abandoned the ballot.
Last year, appropriately, Michael Keith was voted out of office as Shadwell returned 3 Respect councilors. But, that dawg won' hunt, monsenior. In fact Micky K is more than peeved about Respect's success in the area, in fact he frequently likes to label good socialists as nazis for having the nerve to stand against him. Charming.

With that in mind I would like to add that Michael Keith also worships satan, fucks donkeys and sells poisoned milk to schoolchildren. He also freed Willy Horton, gassed the Kurds and rigged WWF bouts. If we fail to stop him there's no telling what terror he might unleash. Please, do your bit to make sure we don't end up as human slaves in an insect nation

 

[dennisr]

And remember who Michael Keith is. He was the leader of Tower Hamlets council who has supported the canary wharf development and wanted to drive out working class people from Tower Hamlets in order to gentrify the neighbourhood

good point

 

[cockneyrebel]

A very good result.

Whether a good result for warmed up left reformism is a good result for revolutionary socialists is another matter. I really don't see where the SWP think RESPECT will go in the long run from that point of view.

Also why aren't the SWP open about Rahman and Kahn being in the SWP?

 

[Udo Erasmus]

A very good result.

Whether a good result for warmed up left reformism is a good result for revolutionary socialists is another matter. I really don't see where the SWP think RESPECT will go in the long run from that point of view.

Also why aren't the SWP open about Rahman and Kahn being in the SWP?

I didn't know that Oliur Rahman was in the SWP, I had heard report that Rania Khan was. I don't think the SWP hide it, but nor do they go out of their way to broadcast the fact. I've never seen Cllr. Michael Lavalette referred to as a member of the SWP in Socialist Worker.

Also, as any Respect councillors who have joined the SWP are new recruits, rather than experienced members they might not want to be seen as spokespeople for an organisation they have only just joined.

But as I said, I have no knowledge of these matters.

 

[mk12]

I've never seen Cllr. Michael Lavalette referred to as a member of the SWP in Socialist Worker.

You rarely see anyone referred to as a member. Lindsey German is always "Stop the War", John Rees is nat sec of Respect etc etc.

 

[mk12]

Whether a good result for warmed up left reformism is a good result for revolutionary socialists is another matter.

What about if it's a good result for the working class?

 

[mutley]

What about if it's a good result for the working class?

I'd say so, what do you think?

 

[butchersapron]

You rarely see anyone referred to as a member. Lindsey German is always "Stop the War", John Rees is nat sec of Respect etc etc.

You get chucked out for reffering to well known members as members anyway.

 

[nightbreed]

Where did you get a report?

Some New Labour Blogger/Geek this morning.

 

[Dej]

I predict that the next Shadwell Ward by election result will be announced in a year....


Good result for Respect. This result is a massive boost for the leadership in the run up to the GLA and mayoral elections. However, this does not disguise the fact that Respect is a very shakey organisation. Two resignations in six months is proof of that. Furthermore just when Respect should be cementing relations with the unions, they nominate a grocer to represent them.

Perhaps it's different in Shadwell and the members do not listen to what the leadership tells them. Is this proof that there is democracy of sorts in Respect?

 

[keicar]

What a dire result for the LibDems. Have the people of Tower Hamlets still not forgiven?

 

[mk12]

I'd say so, what do you think?

We shall see! It was more of a dig at CR thinking in terms of the health and general state of the left, rather than the class.