WALTHAM FOREST: Mayor deselected by nervous Labour (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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Waltham Forest Labour party in crisis as Mayor Anna Mbachu deselected
11:10pm Tuesday 30th June 2009 in Waltham Forest News
THE mayor of Waltham Forest is among a group of Labour councillors who have been spurned by their own party.
Waltham Forest first citizen Cllr Anna Mbachu has been deselected by party members, along with Shameem Highfield, Tarsem Bhogal, Elisabeth Davies and Milton Martin.
Despite no official line from the Labour party, angry deselected councillors have broken ranks and spoken out.
Cllr Davies said: "I'm angry. Of course I'm angry all three black councillors have been deselected. Is it racially motivated? What do you think?"
The member for Lea Bridge said she plans to challenge the decision by her Labour colleagues.
Cllr Martin, member for Cathall ward, said he was also angry about being ditched but wanted time to consider his response.
A Labour party insider said the cull was motivated by the rejected councillors' association with former council leader Clyde Loakes.
The news leaves Labour in Waltham Forest in disarray.
Leyton MP Harry Cohen's decision to stand down at the next election was confirmed on Tuesday (June 30) after he informed constituency party members on Friday.
He said the pressure placed on him and his wife by the media over his expenses claims was the reason he had decided not to defend his seat.
Mr Cohen is being investigated for claiming over 100,000 for his second home, which is in his constituency.
The apparent power struggle between factions within the local party, which has been further complicated by the issue of race, is likely to compound problems for Labour locally.
The Guardian understands that some members are resigned to losing control of the council and the Leyton and Wanstead parliamentary seat at next year's elections.
A Labour group spokesman said no comment would be made until the selection process had been completed.
Karen Bellamy and Khevyn Limbajee are in line to contest seats in Grove Green ward, which are currently held by Cllrs Mbachu and Bhogul, along with council leader Chris Robbins.
But worried Labour activists are expecting a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats next year and some expect to lose control of the ward.
Cllrs Midge Broadley, Markhouse ward member, Adam Gladstone, who represents William Morris ward, and Eric Sizer, Labour group whip and member for Hoe Street ward, have confirmed they will stand down for personal reasons.
Comments(32)
mdj
says...
4:24pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Fresh Gravee
says...
4:27pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Fred Wigg was another.
Techno2
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6:49pm Tue 30 Jun 09
In what way do these councillors differ from the other councillors who were not deselected? Cllor Davis asks if it is racially motivated, but people have no way of knowing what to think without a proper explanation. And who is this "Labour group spokesman" who is refusing to give a proper explanation?
Heartly
says...
7:11pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Don't worry it cannot be long now, the end is nigh.
And then there will be common sense over the land and the multitudes will rejoice.
Morris Hickey
says...
7:46pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Fresh Gravee wrote:Mr Khalid - that's your previous pseudonym isn't it?
Mr Khalid would have made a good Mayor of Waltham Forest, albeit some while back. Fred Wigg was another.
Cllr Matt Davis
says...
7:50pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Perhaps they might like to explain to the Borough how it can possibly be right that a Councillor they felt was deserving enough to be Mayor this year is not deserving enough to continue to be a Councillor next year????
NO BS HERE
says...
9:35pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Morris Hickey wrote:YOU BEAT ME TO IT
Fresh Gravee wrote:Mr Khalid - that's your previous pseudonym isn't it?
Mr Khalid would have made a good Mayor of Waltham Forest, albeit some while back. Fred Wigg was another.
Techno2
says...
10:06pm Tue 30 Jun 09
Cllr Matt Davis wrote:Good point.
So Labour, the party that like to pretend that they are the only ones who really care about diversity, show their true colours and deselect all of their Afro Caribbean and Sikh Councillors in one fell swoop. Perhaps they might like to explain to the Borough how it can possibly be right that a Councillor they felt was deserving enough to be Mayor this year is not deserving enough to continue to be a Councillor next year????
http://archipelago-o
f-truth.blog.co.uk/2
009/06/30/mayor-of-w
althams-forest-casua
llty-of-continuing-l
abour-civil-war-6427
895/
Seeing Sense
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12:13am Wed 1 Jul 09
Techno2
says...
12:52am Wed 1 Jul 09
Seeing Sense wrote:Perhaps they might like to explain to the Borough how it can possibly be right that a Councillor they felt was deserving enough to be Mayor this year is not deserving enough to continue to be a Councillor next year?
I don't see how councillor davis can really make a 'good point' on diversity issues considering how unrepresentative his own local party is!
Cllr Matt Davis
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4:12am Wed 1 Jul 09
Oh and the Conservative group in Waltham Forest is very accurately representative of our constituents diversity wise, which is actually more than Labour will be after this pogrom. In fact at this rate we will have more Afro Caribbean Councillors than they do if you really must start a meaningless counting game.
simoncornwell
says...
9:35am Wed 1 Jul 09
Cllr Matt Davis wrote:I hadn't realised that the north of the borough contained so few females. Or maybe cllr Davis should play a few more counting games - it might help improve his maths.
It seems unlikely to me that those deselected are being punished for their association with Clyde Loakes seeing as how the greatest Loakes loyalist and ally of all, Cllr Pye, is safe in her seat. Oh and the Conservative group in Waltham Forest is very accurately representative of our constituents diversity wise, which is actually more than Labour will be after this pogrom. In fact at this rate we will have more Afro Caribbean Councillors than they do if you really must start a meaningless counting game.
Heartly
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9:48am Wed 1 Jul 09
Up here in the North the ladies are not necessarily the most competent.
Get over it
Morris Hickey
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10:23am Wed 1 Jul 09
Sugarplum
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12:54pm Wed 1 Jul 09
Milton, stand as an independent with Elizabeth and Anna and show them!!!!!
Fresh Gravee
says...
1:18pm Wed 1 Jul 09
Morris Hickey wrote:You seem to know everything so it must be true.
Fresh Gravee wrote:Mr Khalid - that's your previous pseudonym isn't it?
Mr Khalid would have made a good Mayor of Waltham Forest, albeit some while back. Fred Wigg was another.
The guy seemed to talk a lot of sense.
mdj
says...
1:30pm Wed 1 Jul 09
t.blog, the former MP for Northants South; someone in this borough gave him the inside info. It's relevant to recall how Mr Loakes is now campaigning in Northants saying that immigration is too high, immigrants must be fluent in English , British jobs for British people, &c, when he was happily banging the diversity drum down here. The sub-text seems to be to get coloured faces off the Labour literature, to send a 'dog-whistle' message to potential BNP voters. It's not only cynical, but misconceived: most people voting BNP aren't doing so because they're suddenly racists, but because Labour has abandoned them on broader issues.
CherylD
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2:37pm Wed 1 Jul 09
For example, some people wanted change in Cathall ward and it was decided to sacrifice Milton Martin so that Terry Wheeler would be safe. What a disgrace.
Fedupwithitall
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3:58pm Wed 1 Jul 09
Morris Hickey
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3:59pm Wed 1 Jul 09
CherylD wrote:If this is true then your partner has a duty to make a full statement to the police so that the conspiracy can be investigated.
My current partner is a Labour member and he is sick of the whole business. He has told me about secret deals being stitched up by some members when choosing councillors. For example, some people wanted change in Cathall ward and it was decided to sacrifice Milton Martin so that Terry Wheeler would be safe. What a disgrace.
John001
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4:26pm Wed 1 Jul 09
Morris Hickey wrote:I very much doubt this was a "conspiracy" as such.
CherylD wrote: My current partner is a Labour member and he is sick of the whole business. He has told me about secret deals being stitched up by some members when choosing councillors. For example, some people wanted change in Cathall ward and it was decided to sacrifice Milton Martin so that Terry Wheeler would be safe. What a disgrace.If this is true then your partner has a duty to make a full statement to the police so that the conspiracy can be investigated.
As a Labour member myself (although not Cathall ward), I know for certain that informal conversations between members as to the various merits or otherwise of individual councillors take place throughout their term of office, not just at selection times. It is often debated as to whether X, Y or Z would make a better councillor for the area than A, B or C.
There is certainly no law against this, and even if such a law was to be enacted how could it be enforced?
In any case, this is something that I doubt anybody will admit to. If this is what happened to Milton Martin, he has the right to feel aggrieved. However, he is not the first that this has happened to, and he will not be the last.
Perhaps the lesson here is that sitting councillors should not take their Party's support for granted.
Techno2
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5:04pm Wed 1 Jul 09
Sugarplum wrote:You missed out Shameem. Any reason for this?
Whilst not being a labour supporter, I think that they have acted abismilly over this. They are ditching good sitting councillors, some with many years experience, and as for the mayor, what a farce!!! Get your act together. diversity covers all of the community, not just certain parts. I am really sorry for all of you. Milton, stand as an independent with Elizabeth and Anna and show them!!!!!
mdj
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5:41pm Wed 1 Jul 09
John001
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6:31pm Wed 1 Jul 09
mdj wrote:The number present at a selection meeting will basically depend on how many ordinary members of that particular ward can be bothered to turn up!
While you're there, John 001, can you tell us how many people are involved in making these decisions? How many people does it take to select or deselect the average Councillor? Mr Brown would encourage openness, I'm sure.
Of course, there is a set minimum number below which the meeting could not take place, and I am guessing this number would depend on the size of the ward membership. So the attendees at a valid meeting could range from about a dozen to over a hundred.
Voting is by secret ballot, so there is no question of intimidation or impropriety.
This is why I am sure that there was no conspiracy in Cathall ward. It may be that a small number of members wanted their own preferred candidate to win, and it is possible that an unofficial "you vote for our man and we'll vote for yours" understanding was arrived at. This sort of horse-trading is commonplace in virtually any organisation. It may have only needed a few votes to influence the outcome.
mdj
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11:17pm Wed 1 Jul 09
on on the day Mr Buckley was away at his mother's funeral were barred from standing at the following election? I don't expect any political organisation to be run like a Quaker meeting, but the small number of votes - secret, as you say - that dictate who even gets to the starting grid should surely concern us all to some extent, whatever our loyalties?
jack de large
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6:58am Thu 2 Jul 09
I don't see how councillor davis can really make a 'good point' on diversity issues considering how unrepresentative his own local party is!
have you ever been to a Community Council meeting or a full council meeting, or looked at the council's website? Clearly not, the Conservative group has young councillors, old councillors, male and female councillors, disabled councillors, ethnic councillors an eastern European councillor and one And who looks like he might be a Hells Angel! Seems pretty diverse to me.
Truthgirl
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2:08pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Sugarplum
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3:48pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Thanks for pointing out my omission techno2
Truthgirl
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10:58pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Fedupwithitall
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12:03pm Sat 4 Jul 09
Leytonstoned
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9:36pm Fri 10 Jul 09
Touchwood says...
4:14pm Tue 30 Jun 09