There are now less than 17 hours until voting begins in Labour’s farcical and disturbing selection process to choose a candidate for the directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets election next month.
Party members are actually frantic and desperate to avoid Tower Hamlets Labour being tagged a Militant-style basket case. Here’s some news: it already is.
In these last, final hours of tragi-comedy, the phone calls are increasing from activists wanting to know whether anything is happening. Well, I haven’t got anything to say at the moment. Andrew Gilligan has, though, over at his Telegraph blog.
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No doubt tower hamlets politics is messed up, but the remaining difference between us and Liverpool under Militant is that we’re running good public services and are a well regarded award winning local authority. That’s worth saving, which is why it’s important LP members get out and vote today and use all their preferences to stop us becoming a basket case again
Reply to Andrew Gilligan
In his Daily Telegraph blog on 3rd September 2010 the journalist Andrew Gilligan has alleged that Cllr Alibor Choudhury is a member of the fundamentalist Islamic Forum Europe.
As the secretary of Shadwell Ward Labour Party I wish to refute that allegation.
Alibor was elected to serve the people of Shadwell ward in May this year. Prior to his election I and other members of Shadwell ward had extensive discussions with Alibor about his political and religious views and what he would do for Shadwell.
In those discussions we made it clear what we wanted to see from a Labour councillor in Shadwell. We made it abundantly clear that we wanted a councillor who would represent all the people of the ward. We made it plain in relation to specific items like the planning decision involving a fast food take-away shop what our views were. Alibor listened respectfully to what we had to say and changed his view on that issue.
I can confirm that throughout the campaign and since he and Rabina Khan have been elected councillors they have worked tirelessly for all the people of the ward.
Of course Alibor is a Muslim and he is entitled to have his religious view treated with respect. But he has been elected to serve all the people of the ward which is what he is doing.
I do not know how or why Andrew Gilligan is saying these things, but I know they are untrue.
I have been a member of the Labour Party for thirty years. I was a member of the party when Militant were expelled. I supported and helped to arrange their expulsion. I am not on the ‘left’ of the party. But I can also tell the difference between a man of integrity and a charlatan.
Cllr Alibor Choudhury I regard as a friend and someone I will continue to support.