Further Nail in Coffin of Respect
Anyone following this blog, my Tribune columns and other web outpourings will know I’m parti-pris when it comes to Respect (can’t stand them) so I was amused to see that another of their councillors in their Tower Hamlets powerbase has defected. This one has not “come home to Labour” but done a political somersault to join the Tories, after it seems having a few wobblies on the way.
The news was broken in blogland among others by Chris Paul and Dave Osler who both link to earlier ruminations of theirs that foretold all this – respectively here and here. As long-time LBTH Unison man Jon Gray asks pertinently: “Why is it that absolutely anything that Galloway touches eventually falls to pieces?” The defection means that the Conservatives are now the main opposition group in a borough where there are many oppositions including the Lib Dems who used to rule the roost in the 90s. I think all this adds up to the fact that Respect are now, to mix metaphors and use a Lib Dem analogy, as dead as a deceased parrot. The borough is clearly changing. Not long ago it was a Tory free zone, now they are creeping into the southern bit.
It would be fair if the defector Ahmed Hussian resigned to fight a by-election and seek a legitimate mandate. But just as calls for Gurcharan Singh and his mates in Ealing fell of deaf ears I bet he won’t. Even the example of Dick Taverne who did resign from the Commons in 1973 after leaving Labour to sucessfuly fight a by-election was out on his ear a year later. There was a Facebook group and Downing Street e-petition to get the Southall councillors to resign. There should be the same for this bloke.
Finally the source of this bombshell of a story is the East London Advertiser’s Ted Jeory, the sharpest political hack of the local reporter pack. His “Trial by Jeory” column is the first thing most politically inclined folk in the TH turn to on a Friday. Give this man a Fleet Street slot someone (or whatever the 21st century equivalent of the Street of Shame is).
February 17, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Surely doesn’t that mean that Quentin Davies should face a by-election also?
February 17, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Rumour has it that Cllr. Oliur Rahman will be defecting to Neo Labour any day now…
February 18, 2008 at 12:31 pm
If Oli Rahman goes – and I wouldn’t be surprised as the SWP have made a complete fool of him – I can’t say I blame him. John Gray, however, is wrong to place the blame for this defection on Galloway. After all, he’s had nothing to do with the quartet of councillors who stayed with the SWP’s Respect since September. His faction, Respect Renewal, may not have the numbers the SWP can muster but it has remained coherent enough.
Rupa, do you dislike both wings of Respect equally, or does one wing get your goat more than the other?
February 18, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Great stuff Rupa, keep it up gal. You made number 3 in Iain Dale’s The Daley Dozen yesterday for this blog post. Six whole places above John Redwood’s entry. In the Conservative Party we’re proud of what you are doing for us.
February 18, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Thanks for the links Roops. Not Galloway’s crew, this is Reespect. Big Brother Carole who is up in Leyton in the Miranda Grell memorial seat is also from the non-George variety. But the George variety are still allowed to use the name … and I must say they are much easier to engage with and er respect than some elements of the Rees-mob. Though I work with the SWP cadres too on UAF and anti-war business.
The SWP have been petulent however. They allowed one of George’s to travel on the coach with them from Manchester to a London meeting in November but sent her to Coventry for the whole journey. Absolutely preposterous.
February 18, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Iain Dale …. Iain who?
February 18, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Respect have been our secret weapon in LBTH. The cause of our mini landslide in Bow at the last council electios was my mantra “Vote for us to get rid of George”. As a result we unseated 6 Lib Dems in that part of the borough alone.
I’m gonna be sad to see them go. Without the threat of George winning I seriously worry that Jim Fitzpatraick will lose to the Tories in the south of the borough (Canary Wharf).
By the way, Ted Jeory works for the Sunday Express when he’s not embarassing us lot.
February 18, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I guess this whole story is one of those “you’ve gotta laugh or you’d cry” type ones. AVPS: yes I dislike both bits of Respect. Linking together trot-ism and Islamism was always an (opportunist) arranged marriage too far. The two wings appear to be in freefall as the average voter is not that bothered about internicine strife, just wants decent representatives.
Opportunism is an adjective that Hussain can be accused of. The guy’s been SWP in his time apparently. How many times can a leopard change its spots? What next? Respect’s remaining councillors defect to the BNP? If it were Bangladesh National Party or any other it probably wouldn’t surprise me to be honest.
Yes Dan, I guess Ted has had his national scoops in his time. Was it not he that broke Tower Hamlets Guy Fawkes/Tiger-gate a couple of years ago?
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23373126-details/Tower+Hamlets+replaces+Guy+Fawkes+with+Bengali+firework+festival/article.do
Finally weirdest thing I read at the weekend in was in the Sunday Times “Money” pull-out (hard copy, cannot find a link). Singer turned buy-to-let king Billy Ocean grew up in Mile End and renamed himself after the Ocean estate. It didn’t say ‘owt about the highly dubious outfit Ocean finance though whose name must be pure coincidence. Well I never!
February 21, 2008 at 1:26 am
Surely due to your grand work with New Labour your last name should be spelled “hack”.