Labour councillors have just completed voting for their new Group Leader, and the results are as follows: Clare Coghill 30 Nadeem Ali 9 Gerry Lyons 1 Two of those eligible to vote did not attend (one was away, one sick) while another is currently suspended. It is said that Gerry Lyons’ single vote was cast by….Gerry Lyons. Amusement aside, however, it will be interesting to see what if... »
Some good news for a change. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Labour’s plan to drastically increase the proportion of council tax that the poorer sections of society would be required to pay in the forthcoming financial year. However, I now understand that, due to pressure from Labour’s rank and file, in tandem with the opposition of ‘some’ councillors, the rate will st... »
This speaks for itself and is fairly shocking: http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/166110/labour-branch-chair-praised-activist-suspended-over-antisemitism In the past, Labour and anti-semitism stood at opposite poles, but now it seems to be a different story. »
Politicians who brandish ‘little lists’ seem more prone than most to getting into trouble. The prime example is of course one-time Minister Peter Lilley, who pulled this trick in a speech at the 1992 Conservative conference, received widespread opprobrium, and then disappeared into obscurity. Now Labour Councillor Clare Coghill – thought to be Leader Chris Robbins’ choice as his successor – ... »
Several well-placed Town Hall sources tell me that, yes, it is finally true: Council Leader Chris Robbins is standing down, perhaps by Christmas, certainly by next May. Robbins has always been nervous around selection time, looming now, but in the past, he was at least able partly to control the process. However, with the influx of new members, Waltham Forest Labour is now a rather different kettl... »
Like many people who have followed Waltham Forest politics over a number of years, I often wonder what the Labour administration in the Town Hall imagines is its overall purpose, its mission in life. Two recent developments have increased my sense of bafflement. Let’s start with an issue that directly impacts on the borough’s poor. Until 2013, every household in England struggling with low income ... »
There is a long article in today’s New Statesman about Dr. Stella Creasy’s recent visit to the Calais refugee camp: http://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2016/09/calais-stella-creasy-how-politicians-are-trying-change-refugee-policy For sure, there will be the usual accusations that this is another example of her penchant for grandstanding. But I doubt if such comment is fair. Dr. Cr... »
I hear from a number of sources that, as Corbynistas increasingly dominate the local Labour Party, thoughts are turning not just to the de-selection of one or more local MPs, but also to the de-selection of councillors. Whether any such thing will happen is a moot point. There are certainly some on the Labour benches who have contributed little or nothing, and richly deserve to be replaced. But th... »
Our man with a finger on Council Leader Chris Robbins’ pulse reports as follows: ‘When some weeks ago Chris Robbins put his name to a petition got up by Labour councillors calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, he must have thought it was only a matter of time before the Labour Leader was toast, and, with a replacement appointed, his own quest for honours would be back on track. Subsequently, h... »
Mark Baynes’ blog Love Wapping is fast becoming indispensable for those interested in how East London is developing. A couple of days ago, he published part one of his investigation into Islamists in Tower Hamlets: http://lovewapping.org/2016/07/tower-hamlets-london-borough-hijacked-by-fundamental-islamists/ It makes a very interesting read, and I’ll be posting the follow-ups here in ... »