The Conservative commenter PWE Ingham this morning posted the below on this thread:
It looks as if the massed ranks of intimidating Bangladeshi “Polling Agents” have started early this time. Normally they only appear, to block the pavements, importune hapless voters and generally create an atmosphere of menace around the Boroughs polling stations on the day itself. This time a large gang of “Lutfurites” were seen outside the Teviot Centre in East India & Lansbury ward on Wednesday Afternoon! What were they up to, not even they seemed to know? Ted, will you monitor this increasingly ugly local phenomena?
Unfortunately, I have a day job to do, but I thought it would be interesting for you, dear readers, to post your own observations of the good, the bad and the ugly at the borough’s polling booths today. Remember the house rules and that anything potentially libellous will be removed. Please be careful when it comes to naming anyone.
Over to you…
Trial by Jeory 
Isn’t there some rule or other in relation to the conduct of elections which strictly limits the number of people (for one candidate) who can be polling agents standing at – or near – the entrance to a polling station.
Does anybody know what it is?
There is no rule. The presiding officer responsible can agree some ground rules i.e. where the line is regarding where people can stand. However, apart from that, it’s the poor police who have to ensure “orderly” behaviour.
There are rules about conduct near a polling station (it’s been a few years since I’ve had any involvement in a local election so they don’t readily spring to mind).
However, I do recall that it is an infringement of the rules to openly canvass for a candidate within a certain radius of the polling station and the police should be preventing this.
I found this helpful article on the BBC website – about What can you NOT do in a polling station?
Apparently it all boils down to one simple rule – which is that you cannot intimidate people in any way about who they should vote for
Plus no political discussion is allowed inside the polling staton.
The casual racism of the Tories is naked in that comment.
What comment?
Is that anything like the Formal Racism of the Tories or the Sports Casual Racism of the Tories?
Don’t be so obtuse. I was referring to the comment by PWE Ingham which forms the basis of this thread.
Fact, the mobs of hangers-on who lurk around polling stations are over-whelmingly Bengali, they are also overwhelmingly male.
Fact; the people they importune are also overwhelmingly Bengali. They do this dispite the fact it is illegal to canvass voters on their way to the Polling Station.
Fact; their presence in the vacinity of the polling station means that people literally have to push their way through them. Something understandably many people feel uncomfortable doing. This amounts to intimidation. If there were gangs of white old ladies hanging round the Boroughs Polling Stations I would be just as scathing. There is nothing “racist” in telling the truth, or stating the facts. Why does “Anon1” think we shouldn’t discuss this; is it Tower Hamlets dirty little secret?
Hermitage Primary in Wapping at 7.40. One Conservative (has run as a council candidate) and two chaps with what I assume were respect rosettes- just a hello greeted me.
At Malmesbury Road school in Bow at 7.30 there was only one solitary Labour figure outside.
I assume (as I have from the conduct of this entire election) that Bow does not contain enough of the target demographic to be worth campaigning or intimidating in.
Maybe that is because it is very early in the morning. I went there to voet around 11am and there were 3 Lutfur people and 1 Labour person.
Osmani school, 8.30am. One “Billy no-mates” Labour man. Lib dem and Tories out of sight. 6 “lutfurites”!
Gona be a fun day!
City Pride pub in Millwall. One lonely lonely Tory. But then my ward isn’t really where the Lutfurites will be aiming I suspect.
St Paul’s School empty. Only one Luftur supporter outside.
Bonner Rd, 4 or 5 milling about, the Lutfurite actively canvassing. When I told him I wasn’t voting for his man, he asked that I vote Lib Dem or Tory instead.
Obviously doesn’t share Ken’s priorities.
St Edmunds School, 11am. 5 Bangladeshi’s in two separate groups. Three were definitely Labour as one of them offered my wife a leaflet. The other group were standing apart from the three Labour men and only offered us a subdued “Hello”. Neither side seemed to want to make eye-contact with the other.
Edward and PWE Ingham are keen to report here on “Polling Agents” being “Bangladeshi’s”. This is offensive – and irrelevant. It is also not an “ugly local phenomena” that needs monitoring.
Those of us who have ‘monitored’, i.e. reported back on this thread would like to think we are doing it in the spirit of openness (thank you, Ted) – and are not responding to PWE’s Ingham’s call to spot “Bangladeshi ‘Polling Agents'”. Sorry, “intimidating Bangladeshi ‘Polling Agents'”.
Dear Local Voter,
I’m afraid I only skimmed PWE’s complaint. I didn’t find it very interesting. I was actually responding to the open thread about conditions outside the polling station. I like swapping stories and gossip.
In point of fact I was merely taking great pains in being accurate in recording my observations. I think if there was any intimidation then it was with each other. I more got an impression of mutual embarrassment, that both groups wished they were somewhere else doing anything else.
As for the accusation of racism regarding the presence of Bangladeshi men, this too is a point of fact. All the Polling Agents were men and Bangladeshi. At least one wore a suit and probably so did the others, but I do not literally recall them doing so. Would it be racist to recall they all had hair?
I think it is way too early to play the race card. It made me roll my eyes. You are being far to sensitive much too quickly over an assuption. I would suggest that things are what they are and that sometimes a banana is just a banana.
Edward I am sure you meant nothing in an offensive way. I think people are a bit edgy these days with so much Islamaphobia and covert racism!
Whitechapel Sports Centre 8.30 am – just one bored Lufter Rahman rosette wearing man relaxing in a sofa.
Although there is a sports centre member of staff sitting at a desk behind the voting screens – a slight lack of privacy.
Seriously, guys, after everything that’s happened – are you really going to let central Labour party bureaucrats walk all over our borough and tell us who should be Mayor?
Let’s see a bit of Tower Hamlets asserting itself, we should stand up to them and say: No. How dare you insult our intelligence? We’re perfectly capable of choosing our own Mayor. We are decent, hard-working people and you cannot take us for granted.
Lutfur Rahman has got what it takes to be a dynamic ambassador for this borough. Helal can hardly string a sentence together.
No, I think a bit of trampling is in order. Its the devil or the deep blue sea really.
Actually, I don’t think that either of the main candidates have covered themselves in glory, really. I more think that they’ve behaved like disgraceful children with their insults and accusations against each other. Where is the dignity for the most important office in the borough?
I am very disappointed that I had to vote for one or the other. In the end it was decided by who to keep out rather than who I thought was the best candidate. Whoever wins, I probably won’t like the results over the next few years.
I would genuinely like to know the answer to the following question – Can we create a petition to ABOLISH the mayoralty if it all gets too weird?
The current govt are intent on allowing councils to revert to ‘normal’ status if the residents want. I think they intend to include measures in the forthcoming Decentralisation and Localism Bill to require a vote to be taken if a petition of more than a [yet to be determined] size requests it. But until the Bill is actually published my understanding is hazy. And it will be several months before the Bill is passed by Parliament and possibly longer before it comes into force.
I would certainly sign any such petition though!
Absolutely agree with you both! Edward, most sense I’ve heard for weeks! Thanx!
Ever since I’ve been old enough a couple of decades ago, I’ve always exercised my democratic duty by visiting my local polling booth and voting. But I’ve been dismayed by the conduct of the various people and parties as this campaign has unfolded. And for the first time ever I refuse to vote. I don’t want any of them! I’d rather sign the above petition to abolish the mayoralty.
please someone start wording the petition so it can be brought out the day it is legal to do so.
Is it because the Mayoral system is not in favour for the Labour party in Tower Hamlets while they run amok in Newham? I notice the Mayor in Newham has been cited to consider massive cut backs including reducing a large number of the Newham council work force.
The issue is not whether you have a mayor or a council leader in the previous type of system. It is the people and persons who run the council that is the problem. Under Abbas and M. Keith administration a large amount of money went to all their pet projects and organisations that their friends belong to. In Newham now we hear the Mayor there is about to carry out a massive cut back. I think people need to think properly about politics and people rather than blaming a particular system. What ever system we have it will always be open to abuse as long as we do not have the upright politicians in place.
Once again you’ve missed the point. They are not entitled to tell us who should be mayor but actually I think they could well be entitled to say who the Labour candidate for Mayor should be.
Here’s a question. If Rahman looses will he go quietly into the night or will his legal team be sharpening their pens once again?
Saint76, it is you who has missed the point.
Why should they be entitled to tell us who the Labour candidate is?
In every other area of this country it is the LOCAL Labour party who decides this – they think Tower Hamlets residents are not clever enough to look after themselves and need to be nannied by overcentralising, patronising bureaucracy and right-wing papers that no-one in Tower Hamlets reads.
And effectively, they think they ARE entitled to say who is Mayor because they take the Labour vote for granted: to them, Tower Hamlets residents are voting fodder who will suck up to any stooge they impose. Don’t fall for it.
Actually, in response to Alastair’s point which is probably below this, I think that underlying all the legal challenges and arguing between Helal and Lutfur has been a presumption among the candidates as much as the central party that whoever gets the Labour candidacy gets the mayoralty.
Would either of them have been so desperate to be nominated if they’d had to put some work in against the other parties to get a majority?
I thought the point was that the Labour Party in Tower Hamlets in “under special measures” because it has been unable to convince the Labour Party higher up the chain that it acts in a responsible manner (ie complaints about membership abuse etc) and in a way which is unlikely to bring the party into disrepute.
The Labour Party machine in other localities in other areas don’t have that problem and can choose their own candidates because their activities do not give rise to concern.
I think that’s about right – does anybody know better?
Anybody want to take a guess at how long it will be before the local party is out of Special Measures?
Sir John Cass, Stepney 13:00. Shouting match between one Labour supporter and a couple of Lutfur supporters different sides of the street. Not in English unfortunately so not sure what it was about. Although the Labour rep was upset it did not look like police work to me. With the last elections I did find the police when I came out.
Labour rep was the only one being’aggressive’ in blocking pavement/entrance making sure everyone got leaflets and telling people how to vote. Although I never seen this kind of behaviour in other places I voted I did not feel menaced yet but I do think it would be wise to restrict campaigning around polling stations in future.
Well, officials at the Tredegar Community Centre polling station told me at 9.30am this morning that just 15 people had voted by that time.
Turnout looking very low. I was the only person voting at Bonner Rd, though there was one other on the way out. Back in May, when I was manning it for Labour, there was a 30-min turnaround for voters.
Low turnout good for Lutfur, right?
Depends on who is voting and who isn’t.
I am new in this game, but few questions to everyone incl the Wise Ted.
1. What are we doing to build One Tower Hamlets? The media attention on Luthfur and Abbas so far has been about their links with IFE or not, who is more practicing muslim, who believes in traditional muslim values etc etc. The danger we is very clear, we are pushing our future generation into a badly labelled camp as ‘islamists’and not really thinking about using their calibire and talent to develop our leadership.
2. Is this all about Islam or fear of Islam; or is it about unconsious racicism? what I have learned over last few weeks is that in this day of ‘glocal’movement people still think they have superior status, both politically, racially and intellectually. Come on get over it. It’s a lost battle.
3. Can we not work together at this testing time of recession national hardship? i urge both Luthfur and Abbas [and our wise Ted] to come up with smart solutions to the challenges we are facing as a community.
Re question 1: make sure there is robust and open scrutiny of the elected mayor, whoever it turns out to be!
Mike its always been about scrutinising elected officials. As long as we all stick together, as haque has said, and work with each other to support an upright policitian then we in Tower Hamlets will benefit. One of the biggest issues is that the Tower Hamlets community needs to unite from all works of the community, be they white, bangaldeshi, muslim, hindu, atheist etc etc. As long as people hold prejudices and the media full this and we the public fall for these we all lose out.
Stepney Greencoat Polling Station, @2.30pm, couple of people going in.
Outside on the street, no Abbasites, Greenies, Griffters, Con-Men or Lutfurians – and definitely no rosetted Respecters.
“definitely no rosetted Respecters.” —
thats because if you didnt realise there was no Respect candidate.
Ted- congratulations your famous I’ve never seen so many comments about Polling. Very good for democracy!!
I also find it quite telling that Ted is not only happy to leave racist comments on his blog, but also to promote them.
You’ll only hear about “intimidating Bangladeshi “Polling Agents” [who] block the pavements, importune hapless voters and generally create an atmosphere of menace around the Boroughs polling stations” – Bangladeshi being the most important word to pick up here.
You get “white” people doing this as well (and I had white Conservative activists do it to me in May). Except when they do it, it’s because they’re passionate and it’s all part of our lively democracy.
What would PWE Ingham have us do about “this increasingly ugly local phenomena”? Maybe they should go back to where they came from?
Still banging the “racist” gong anon1? It really won’t work. Have you actually been involved in the same elections as I have over the last few years? The ethnicity of the canvassers is irrelavent, their numbers, and their activities are not.
I have been involved in every General and local Election in Tower Hamlets since 1983, so I have seen the changes for myself. Traditionally, here as in most places, the role of the Polling agent was to note the electoral numbers of voters as they went in. These were collectively shared by the Parties and then passed back to the campaign HQ’s to be cross checked against the canvass returns. Later in the day non-voting supporters would be “knocked up” and reminded. Sometimes polling agents would also have flyers with their favoured candidates name and position on. Sometimes the roles were split.
However, enter the Respect Party, with little experience of genuine political campaigning and large groups of outside supporters who turned up on the day “wanting to be part of the electorial action”. Lost with what to do with them all, they were sent out in groups to lurk on street corners or at polling stations. This caused a sort of arms race with Labour and to a lesser extent the Lib Dems during the subsequent elections of the mid “noughties”. There were increasingly bad tempered confrontations and shouting matchs, to the dismay of bystanders and potential voters.
Anon1’s outrageous smears, behind their mask of anonimity need a response. For his information the only place I want extraneous polling agents to go to is their Party’s committee room for a samosa and a cup of chai. Should Anon1 care to provide their real name I would happily debate, Community Cohesion, immigration and integration with them. But not of course before.
Barely anybody in Stepney Green. During vote room empty except officials and one other voter. There were about 5 people outside (Asian, yes), not bothering anybody.
I personally have never seen any problem with polling agents, or any sense of threat. Probably some people are going to feel intimidated whatever you do – but there is the postal ballot/proxy for them.
Shocking experience at St Edmunds. Lutfurites gave me a leaflet. Then just as I was about to go inside I was almost accosted by a white labour supporter who said to me that Lutfur wanted to turn Tower Hamlets into an Islamic Republic. “They’re funded by terrorists,” he said to me, and asked if I was worried about immigration. Unbelievable dirty tactics.
Earlier this evening, Bow Central Foundation School – just down the road from Ted’s local (gastropub Morgan Arms). Three polling agents outside and even less voters inside. Turnout does seem very low here. Polling agents were two for Lutfur and one for Abbas. There was no pressure from anyone and certainly no intimidation; also there was no nastiness between the agents, just what seemed friendly rivalry.
Sorry – may have it wrong as accompanying other tells me it was two polling agents for Abbas and one for Lutfur.
Party elders are furious with Returning Officer Kevan Collins and the council’s chief legal officer Isabella Freeman because they are refusing to give any indication of turnout.
They say that releasing this information before the close of polls is absolutely the norm in elections.
However, it’s my understanding that they’re not legally obliged to do that until 10pm. If so, because there is already the potential for this election to be challenged in the courts, I’m not at al surprised they’re playing it by the book.
It’s at the discretion of the returning officer. However it had been the norm in tower hamlets to provide that information. Personally I feel they should have a duty to as it helps parties target their resouces which in turn increases overall turnout, which objectively ‘good for democracy’.
Its hard to see how this could form the basis of a challenge. Quite the reverse actually- if more returning officers had bern open about turnout at the GE perhaps we wouldn’t have had ppl licked outside polling stations. The question is why wouldn’t they realise the information? A: they can’t be arsed. Not good enough, not nearly good enough, particularly given lbth’s Shambolic history of organising the basics, like having enough ppl to do the counting, and hiring a hall big enough to hold a count in.
Locked not licked , natch. And release not realise. Doh.
This was the scene at Cyril Jackson Primary School at around 4pm: .
Not only was there no intimidation they were too engrossed in their internecine debate that they failed to canvass me or issue me with instructions on how to vote.
The polling clerks reckoned turnout was a fifth (!) of that in May.
The commenting system stripped out the image: http://imgur.com/j42Wx.jpg
Well that doesn’t stop us casting a glance at the list on the polling clerk’s table – and judging by the one which my name was on, it looks like it’s an incredibly low turnout in my bit of Bow.
Or maybe there’s been a lot of postal votes?
There was only one other person there when I walked in at what is normally one of the busiest times (between 6.30 and 7pm). We were very much outnumbered by the polling clerks!
There were a couple of groups of young men talking in a language I didn’t understand either side of the gate into the school. Nobody bothered me. However on my way out, a Bengali gentleman began to walk through the gate and the place suddenly erupted with lots of shouts and attempts to attract his attention.
No problems on Bacon St at 6.30pm
Large crowd of pushy young men wearing Lutfur badges at Gunthorpe Street around 9pm. They seemed to be focusing on Bengali voters.
John Cass Polling station at 5pm. One Labour and about 10 LR supporters, polite exchange told to vote for no 5. No problems although not many voters, looks like a poor turnout. Who ever wins, the need tackle rogue RSLs like Swan Housing who are fleecing LBTH residents.
Thank you for my “moment of fame” Ted. This is the 53rd comment and there seem to be a wide range of experiences recorded. Over all my comments seem to have been borne out. However I’m pleased that a thoroughly bad-tempered campaign did not descend into violence, that was my major concern. I understand your fellow/rival journalist Andrew Gilligan got into some hot water while cycling round the Borough. However it appears that most people were turned off by the tit-for-tat election, or never bothered to engage in the first place. A 25% turn out! What a waste of time and money.
Agreed!
At Wellington Way, Bow there was a big Lutfurite contingent (yes, all male Bangladeshis) with two fancy big 4×4’s decked out as official transport. My wife and I (white wrinklies) were not even spoken to but I felt sorry for some Bangladeshi ladies who received some loud electoral advice before and after voting. Also, a white man and lady with filming equipment and a burly minder 50 yards down the round keeping an eye on them. No idea what that meant.