An interesting campaign video called Lutfur for Mayor has just appeared on YouTube, showing Lutfur Rahman addressing a campaign meeting last week.
Appearing with him are a number of (Labour) councillors including Ohid Ahmed, Alibor Choudhury, Oli Rahman and Rabina Khan.
The most fascinating clip, however, is at 45 seconds in when Lutfur Ali appears.
He’s the former assistant chief executive of the council who was forced to resign in the wake of Andrew Gilligan’s Dispatches documentary in March.
There had been rumours he was back on the scene and angling for a paid fob working for a Mayor Lutfur. Those suspicions have just grown stronger.
Here’s the video. More later
Trial by Jeory 
I guess writing this article to conjure up some sinisterism is your bit to help your good old friend Gilligan to expose the “Islamic Supremecists” conspiracy theories?
So Lutfur Ali is personally connected to Cllr. Lutfur Rahman and supports him politically. It makes a mockery of any claim by them that appointments of officers are on merit rather than patronage.
What kind of a check do we have on our elected leaders if the they are able to appoint their own people. Surely this would remove one of the most basic checks on corruption?
The film seems to be recent, but why would this man suddenly reappear, if he hadn’t been a part of the gang all along? Did Cllr. Lutfur Rahman ever declare that there was a personal relationship when Lutfur Ali was appointed?
The video has been removed. I definately saw Lutfur Ali on the video. Along with Labour exec members Stephen Beckett and Jenni Boswell Jones for what that’s worth.
Keith Vas is a good friend of Helal Abbas who has apparently been appointed automatically by Labour NEC (even though he came in third after John Biggs). Doesn’t quite make sense, but that must be due to “friends in high places” and patronage! Labour seems to sow corruption top to bottom!
appointments to the House of Lords is based on patronage. Thats the reality. You’re nieve.
I dispute seeing Lutfur Ali in the video.
@Samera
Since the video has been taken down by the owner, we can’t check that, can we?
Dan, your one slime ball. Only a couple of weeks ago you were so busy trying to suck up to Lutfur Rahman and now you cant stop your tongue slagging Lutfur and repeating right wing media propoganda here and on facebook.
Did you not leave the safety of being behind the camera lens to go and pose over and over again with Lutfur. Were you not also praising Lutfur to everyone and on your face book.
Your true colours are coming out.
PS. video gone missing so guess we will have to blindly accept your word for it!
They’ve got a screengrab here and if you scroll to the bottom you can watch the whole thing. Enjoy 😉
http://hurryupharry.org/2010/09/28/vote-lutfur-rahman-get-lutfur-ali/
So negative publicity campaign continues, though it is of course worth following this one up.
But Trial by Jeory still has to ask what will be gained for Tower Hamlets to have the Labour crew reinstalled under Abbas? What will be gained for democracy, accountability, social justice ? What will really be gained for the people who live here, not ‘well it’s better than X, Y or Z’ which is not an answer.
The same question applies to the other mayoral candidates.
Dan, do you not believe that other unelected people with questionable interests will be doing what’s necessary (probably not much) to be appointed, or reappointed, by Abbas? Is that also a concern?
Lesney, well appreciated comments. Sadly, from what I have noticed Ted and Gilligan are on a war pact against Lutfur Rahman (for their own political agendas) while overlooking the sheer scandals and political manipulations within a click of friends inside Labour! Sad reality of modern day journalism that is tainted with political bias!
I fail to see why Ted is not scrutinising Abbas and his supporters. When Lutfur was elected you did it, good. But what about Abbas. You may as well call yourself a spokesman for Abbas, a man whom I must point out has no mandate to be mayor. He didnt even come second. I didnt read any blogs criticising this.
This blog has become extremely one sided and a witch hunt.
Perhaps that’s because Lutfur Rahman is so dodgy!
Haven’t you noticed – the IFE and the ELM have been busted wide open. Anybody connected with those institutions is damaged goods.
What busted wide open with the gutter journalism and the coined phrase of “Islamic Supremecists”? That dispatches program was a laughing stock program with evidence given by all of Abbas’s friends, supporters and allies! What do you expect! Did you expect any of those people to say anything positive about IFE or ELM? Journalists like Ted and Gilligan are only giving us stories what they want you to hear not what the reality is! Why do you think Abbas is not getting any negative publicity and his dark secret pasts are being kept hidden?
With the greatest of respect ‘Concerned’, I think it’s dodgy that a man who was democratically rejected by the great Labour Party members of Tower Hamlets be suddenly imposed upon us. Abbas’ imposition is more than dodgy… it borders on criminal.
That’s my point, scrutinise Lutfur – thats fine, but please ALSO scrutinise Abbas who NOW IS the Labour candidate. This is why I have lost so much respect for this blog over the last few weeks.
“With the greatest of respect ‘Concerned’, I think it’s dodgy that a man who was democratically rejected by the great Labour Party members of Tower Hamlets be suddenly imposed upon us. Abbas’ imposition is more than dodgy… it borders on criminal.”
Well you might think that.
I can tell you, it isn’t the way everybody else sees it.
I’d say good on the Lutfurs for fighting this witch-hunt. It’s such a shame there is so much covert racism in Tower Hamlets council. My friends who work there who are Bangladeshi say there is glass ceiling in promotions and jobs. Most of them never get a chance to reach high management positions because of the internal covert institutional racism.
hear hear
It is therefore doubly disgusting then, that when an individual doe’s break through this alleged “glass ceiling” they proceed to exploit their position to fund projects set up by their mates, skive off work to moonlight for even more money on top of their £175K package, and generally urinate on the ordinary folk of Tower Hamlets from a great height.
http://towerhamletswatch.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/how-does-the-council-handle-moonlighters/
[…] an hour of me posting Lutfur Ali’s appearance in Lutfur Rahman’s campaign video this morning, it was removed from YouTube. Fortunately, the […]
‘Concerned’ – that’s the reality. the truth hurts. Abbas was imposed upon us. A two year old would agree.
Samera – Abbas has not been imposed. You can vote for Lutfur, Abbas or another candidate on 21st October.
I suspect the public will be more interested in the policies of the candidates and their records in office, rather than the internal disputes of “Fawlty” Tower Hamlets Labour Party. Lutfur will need to explain why he forced out the former council chief executive Martin Young, at considerable cost, and (against professional advice) employed his mate Lutfur Ali, who turned out to be totally unsuitable for the role. He will also need to justify his posturing as the “anti-cuts” candidate, even though his administration made substantial cuts in several areas.
Sorry – Error on my previous post. The former Chief Executive was Martin Smith, not Martin young.
Concerned. Its only a insane person would accept that you impose someone when contest was supposed to be democratic. And secondly you dont impose the 3rd place candidate who makes the complaint, if anything (setting aside democractic processes) you would have surely thought that john biggs would have been imposed rather than Abbas who is the person making the complaints!
Seems the video has been removed by the user so Lutfur Rahman does not want us to see Lutfur Ali lurking around, wonder why???