Booking a holiday a week before election day was a bit silly. So what did I miss while I was away?
1. Death of Hifzur Rahman, Tower Hamlets First candidate in Blackwall and Cubitt Town
Mr Rahman’s death was announced this morning and it must be awful for his family. My condolences.
Under electoral law, this means the election for the three council candidates there has been countermanded, ie anulled. A separate by-election will be held there within 35 days. Lutfur’s aides claim some residents in the ward have been told the entire election there is off. That’s not the case: residents in that ward on the Isle of Dogs will still be able to vote in the mayoral and European Parliament polls tomorrow.
2. Labour’s Cllr Shiria Khatun cleared of electoral fraud
As I blogged here 10 days ago, she had been accused by an elderly couple in Rifle Street (in the Lansbury ward) of an offence under electoral law. The couple claimed Shiria’s husband (whose name is Lutfur Rahman) had pretended to be the mayor and taken away their blank postal vote. This account was relayed with great fanfare on Lutfur-supportinmg Bengali TV stations.
The police told me last week they’d be interviewing Shiria. It was also my understanding they’d also be examining the CCTV footage of the block where the couple live to see if Shiria or her husband had been there. I was also told the couple had been warned that any false statement could lead to their own prosecution for perverting the course of justice.
Having been in the air while today’s events unfolded, I haven’t yet got the full picture. However, Tower Hamlets Labour have issued this statement:
Police say no case to answer in allegations against Labour Councillor
– Labour call for investigation false allegations
Police in Tower Hamlets have today dismissed all allegations against Labour councillor Shiria Khatun after concluding there was no case to answer.
Labour have called upon the police to investigate public comments made by Tower Hamlets First candidates and campaigners amid concerns they had publicly made false statements about Cllr Khatun to damage her electoral chances.
Last week Cllr Khatun was falsely accused of interfering with a postal vote ballot by a supporter of Mayor Lutfur Rahman in what has been labelled by Labour as a ‘disgraceful dirty tricks’ campaign from Tower Hamlets First.
Speaking after the news came through, Cllr Shiria Khatun said: “The last week has been a living nightmare for me and my family. I cannot believe that someone would be willing to lie like this just to try and smear me ahead of the elections. Despite all this I am totally focused on fighting for every vote in tomorrow’s election so we can consign this kind of dirty politics to the past.”
A Labour Party Spokesperson, said: “We’ve got used to these kind of disgraceful dirty tricks from Lutfur Rahman’s team but this is a new low. With momentum building behind John Biggs and Labour’s campaign Rahman’s candidates are getting increasingly desperate. This kind of behaviour from Rahman’s camp gives yet another reason for people to come out and vote for Labour’s John Biggs tomorrow.”
I’ll try and find out whether there is a further police investigation into any possible false statement. I suspect there’ll be more to come on this.
3. One of Lutfur’s favourite journalists, Dave Hill of the Guardian, today wrote he would vote for John Biggs if he lived in Tower Hamlets. Dave gives his reasons here.
4. After spending some time talking to people on the doorstep on the Isle of Dogs a couple of weeks ago, it was clear very few people understood the second preference voting system used for the mayoral election. I contacted the East London Advertiser to see if they’d be explaining it and offered to write a guest column. They asked me to write it as a letter for publication instead. So this in the current issue of the ELA (how I miss my former paper!)
5. John Biggs yesterday issued a campaign video It’s not the most exciting and I don’t think it’ll ever set the world on fire. But it’s solid and honest. It fits in well with the theme of his campaign, that it’s time Tower Hamlets stopped making the wrong kind of headlines. It’s here:
It compares to Lutfur’s latest campaign video here (much slicker, less personal, and no words from the man himself, which is a theme of his campaign). Watch it here:
6. John Biggs has issued an eve of poll rallying call by email to the Labour database.
Dear Resident,
One day to go until Tower Hamlets votes for a better future
This has been an incredible campaign thus far with tens of thousands of people telling us they are ready for a change to how our borough is run.
For too long Tower Hamlets has drifted, missing golden opportunities and leaving the borough in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
As we build up to polling day tomorrow (Thursday 22nd) I want to thank you for all your support and to make one last ask. Any time you can give, however small, to help on polling day would make all the difference. Please let us know by replying to this email.
You will know as well as I do how important this election is. It’s going to be close but together we can do this.
– John Biggs, Labour’s Candidate for Mayor of Tower Hamlets
Our manifesto: Building a better future
I am really proud of our plan for the borough. Clean streets, cleaner politics, cutting crime, tackling the housing crisis and help with the cost of living.
Here are some of our key pledges:
* Greater transparency and accountability – We will restore trust in Tower Hamlets by being accountable to residents in public meetings, answerable in the Council Chamber and showing respect for scrutiny.
* Free school meals for every child – Labour has drawn up a fully funded and sustainable plan to fund free school meals for all primary school pupils in the borough, to help hard pressed families and allow well-nourished kids to focus on learning.
* A 24hr noise and ASB hotline to help tackle rising crime – Nuisance noise doesn’t sleep, that’s why Labour will introduce a 24h hotline to report noise and anti-social behaviour at weekends to ensure people’s complaints are addressed.
* A council-run lettings agency – Labour will establish a council-run lettings agency to help people in private rented homes to get the best deals, cut their costs and clamp down on rogue landlords.
* Clamp down on missed bin collections and scrap bulk waste charges – Over 25,000 bins have gone uncollected under the current mayor. We pledge to get a grip on missed bin collections as well as scrapping the current bulk waste charges which have led to more mattresses and junk being dumped on our streets.
I hope you will agree these are the kind of ideas which will help get Tower Hamlets back on track, improving the things that matter most to local people.
Only one vote to beat Lutfur Rahman
For four years now the current mayor Lutfur Rahman has left the borough in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether scandals, investigations or sleaze its bringing our community down and we believe Tower Hamlets deserves better.
The election for Mayor will be a two horse race:
LUTFUR RAHMAN or JOHN BIGGS
You may not normally be a Labour voter but the only person who can beat Lutfur Rahman is Labour’s John Biggs.
Make sure your vote counts, vote Labour’s John Biggs on 22nd May. #BackingBiggs
“You may not normally be a Labour voter but the only person who can beat Lutfur Rahman is Labour’s John Biggs.”
That’s the paragraph that stands out. The message is clear and simple. Labour should have used it publicly earlier. Whether it’s too late or not, we’ll find out on Friday night.
Trial by Jeory 
#
#
“You may not normally be a Labour voter but the only person who can beat Lutfur Rahman is Labour’s John Biggs.”
It’s what I have been saying for some time, and I think it’s true. Tactical voting, and we need to use it to the best advantage.
I’m saddened by your comments about the second-preference vote system being misunderstood, but not surprised. There was a good write-up in the back of the election brochure sent around by the returning officer recently, but you needed to read it closely to understand it.
Tim.
It should be re-phrased to ‘Labour’s last rallying call of desperation’. Biggs wants my vote so that we can beat Lutfur; not because Biggs would make a good mayor.
Pathetic.
Biggs wants people’s second preference vote, because he is very much the ‘second choice’ anyway.
Biggs came second when Lutfur was selected by local Labour party members to be their mayoral candidate in 2010.
Then, Labour de-selected Lutfur. Biggs still came second after Helal Abbas.
What does this tell you? Labour party does not rate Biggs. He is forever the ‘second choice’ man. So, do not make the mistake of voting for him tomorrow, because, if elected as mayor (which is highly unlikely), he will make TH residents ‘second choice’ by becoming a part time mayor. He will retain his GLA member role.
Vote clever tomorrow. If you like UKIP, vote for them. If you like Tories, you have a Tory candidate to choose (it’s a no brainer). If you like LibDems, vote for your man. If you like Lutfur’s progressive ideas, vote for him.
If you want a winner, vote for Lutfur. He will win come Friday night. “It does not take a mathematician to work out a simple sum…..”
Turnout will be 35-40%. Bangladeshi voters will turn out in huge numbers. They always do. They’ll constitute 50%+ of voters tomorrow. According to Ted Jeory’s piece in the ELA, they will vote Lutfur. Add to this the huge number of non-Bangladeshi voters whose lives have improved under Lutfur (i.e. because of new affordable houses, less overcrowding, new kitchens/bathrooms in council houses, better schools, uni grants, EMA for college kids etc). The other voters will vote UKIP, Lab, Tory and LibDem. Therefore, Biggs will not get a majority and he will lose. Simples!
=> Clapham Omnibus
Split the anti-Rahman vote, so Rahman wins – typical Labour. Were you a LP member ?
Absolutely nothing to do with Rahman. The scheme is called and is funded by central government.
Curious Cat.
Did you,Pray tell, happen to live in Tower Hamlets for the past 2 decades? What has Labour done to redeem itself from these years of disgrace and undermining of English people of this borough?
What is the point of replacing Lutfur for Labour, who created him. I believe there is longer term benefit in Labour staying out in the cold. Having them stroll back in on the back of well meaning English people is too easy. Absolutely nothing you hate about Tower Hamlets and the way its run will change.
I dare ya, tell me one concrete change to Labour’s past, and Lutfur’s current racist policies! Will they abolish mother tongue provisions paid for by English people? NO! Will they end patronage of subservient Bengalis? NO! Will they stop calling us racist for calling a spade a spade? NO!
So what exactly is the benefit of this Biggs fella, who considers Lutfur ‘an alright person’, strolling in? Its raining. I’m feeling lazy. Over and out…
=> Clapham Omnibus
Silly comment.
When a boat is filling with water, any container is used to bail-out. Regardless whether a container is the prettiest or the ugliest, whatever container is available has to be used to save the boat and stop it sinking. It is similar to the TH mayoral election.
Rahman is making TH sink. Biggs is the best container available. Using any other container just won’t do the job and won’t stop TH sinking..
You obviously like the incumbent.
Curious Cat.
Curious Cat, good luck with ‘Biggs container’ to take water out of the boat. My only worry is ‘Biggs container’ will sink in the water, because it is old, rusty and useless. It is everyone’s second choice container.
Instead, try using a ‘Lutfur container’. You’ll have much better luck getting rid of the water and steadying the boat for a new and exciting voyage.
=> Clapham Omnibus
Surely one Titanic voyage is enough in anyone’s lifetime ? Why have a repeat?
Curious Cat.
Why is labour suddenly intrinsically better than Lutfur? It isn’t, because they are the illegitimate parents of this man. To claim otherwise is just ignoring the fact that labour has been the biggest aggressors against traditional East End communities for decades now. How many of us have been hounded by John Biggs’ party for the last 10 years. Called racist for simply having an opinion.
Like Nicholas McQueen said, ‘you wouldn’t give the lighter back to a convicted arsonist’. Labour haven’t proved themselves worthy and need more time in the wilderness so up and coming parties can have a crack at representing real East Enders.
Don’t give Labour a single vote unless you want to see these Tower Hamlets First scum crawl back into acceptance like Respect members joined Labour in 2009.
Only UKIP will prove that we, the English people of East End are fed up of Labour and their offspring Lutfur!
Yes, vote UKIP if you like them like this chap does. Traditional East Enders hate Labour with a passion. No reason to vote Biggs. Do not waste your vote.
Vote for the principles you believe in. Do not vote for someone who has no confidence in their ability to be a good mayor, but seeks your vote to take the other ‘bad’ guy out. Your vote is not cheap, so do not waste it to back such ‘tactical foolishness’. They are calling it ‘tactical voting’, but they actually want to deprive you of what is important to you.
Let’s say you are a Tory voter, but you respond to Labour’s ‘tactical voting’ rallying call and Lutfur wins, then you’ve lost everything! You’ve lost your vote and your principles. At least by voting Tory, you can be content that you made the right choice irrespective of whether you win or lose. It is a right which comes every four years. Exercise your right freely. Vote whoever you like, but do not fall into Labour’s trap!
Oh quite you. If Tories hadn’t buckled and believed the Labour lie, I would be very keen on uniting the anti-Lutfur campaign behind them. But Labour are no different to the vile bunch Lutfur carries with him. Vicious haters of anything English. So I believe it is a mirage for us to try have a anti-Lutfur campaign led by a party, half of which is still controlled by Lutfur and his Islamist gangs.
No UKIP is thought to be racist because it attracts racists. </q<Birds of a feather flock together and its members act as racists.
Remember your Leader’s outburst about Romanians ? Seems racist to me.
Now English people can’t talk French or Spanish on the train because it will offend Nigel. Just imagine Nigel’s German wife talking to her brother on the train im Deutschen Sprache
Aber bitte keine Deutsch sprechen. Das Führer Farage ist hier.
Curious Cat
Oi you Curious Cat, are you calling a spade a spade by branding the UKIP as racists? That is strange, because they also want to call a spade a spade vis-a-vis Lutfur and Labour voters.
So, if we all call a spade a spade and we are all racists, who is not racist?
From now on, I will call a spade a shovel.
=> Clapham Omnibus
My only spade is a stainless steel shovel.
I’m not racist because I will talk to anyone in the community equally. It is surprising how many of dem for-in-ers are actually nice and intelligent people. All the ones I’ve spoken with, say they will vote for me 🙂
Obviously UKIP members are cultural morons – they don’t want to broaden their narrow racist horizons. What else can one write about the Right-wing of the Tory Party ?
Curious Cat.
Curious Cat, it’ll not be a Titanic voyage, but a voyage of Titanic proportions steered into a new horizon by Captain Lutfur.
It is a new age ship. Not the 1912 model, which you are thinking of. John ‘Second Choice’ Biggs may evoke memories of the 1912 ship, because he is unimpressive, uninspiring and will quite rightly sink on Friday night.
Good to hear that the Police have found that Cllr Shiria Khatun has no case to answer and consequently her good name has been reinstated.
Which means all those damaging and thoroughly nasty little jibes – which just happened to find themselves on Twitter – will provide ammunition for any investigation of the breach of electoral rules by Tower Hamlets First candidates whose behaviour emulated that of playground bullies. Completely infantile.
It serves to confirm that Tower Hamlets First candidates must be feeling rather insecure about their chances if they were prepared to resort to a “dirty tricks campaign” and risk prosecution and hefty fines or worse.
Dirty tricks and underhand behaviour are the Modus Operandi of THF – no one should be surprised to see them.
Whether they are desperate or not is another matter. They certainly should be – there is a lot of dirty linen of theirs that has been washed in public and their track record is shameful.
Tim.
=Tim
Dirty Tricks is, in my experience, typically Labour. Labour obviously trusted and educated Rahman & Co. very well.
Curious Cat
The headline of Jeory’s letter in the ELA (not normally chosen by the letter-writer, but who knows in this case) and, in particular, the last four paragraphs of this letter are the embodiment of the writer’s desire for ‘anyone but Lutfur’, which is as I pointed out before, only for others to deny this.
I’ve not much time for Lutfur (I’d vote TUSC) but I do hope he beats Biggs if only to beat the high degree of sleight of hand that typifies the joint Labour / Jeory / Evening Standard / ELA etc. etc underhand campaign to depose him.
Jeory – why can’t you just be straightforward and do a clear editorial – Vote Biggs (the Express are not shy about saying – Vote Tory) instead of all this weaselness on your part? Pathetic.
I think it boosts Lutfur’s votes if Jeory is telling people indirectly and in an underhanded way to vote Biggs. The best example of where this has already happened is in the wake of the Panorama programme on Lutfur. There was a piece in the Guardian yesterday with quotes from Labour sources that the Panorama programme has made it difficult for Labour to persuade voters to back Biggs. Biggs is quoted as saying that he does not want the PwC investigation to go ahead, because it will cost £1m and the taxpayer would have to do pay for it. Further, it is not likely to reveal anything much.
If Jeory’s Lutfur bashing actually worked, Lutfur would be down in the dumps already. Jeory has orchestrated a relentless 4+ years of villifying Lutfur here and elsewhere. This has made Lutfur more and more popular. One day Jeory will look back at his career and realise what a waste it has been to just focus on one guy for such a significant period of time. Jeory is giving Lutfur a lot of free publicity, because we all know in this game that ‘any publicity is good publicity’.
Well done Ted Jeory.
Lutfur has had scrutiny because he’s been in power, just as Michael Keith did and Denise Jones. V childish comment.
Could not agree more.
Southpaw, there is no ‘weaselness’ in Jeory’s part. He is here to increase Lutfur’s votes in a slightly roundabout way, which I explained below.
I explained it above rather than below.
Anyway, I am grateful to Jeory for the boost he has given to Lutfur. I hope there will be four more years of Jeory bashing Lutfur for Lutfur to secure a third term as Mayor in 2018.
=> Clapham but not clapped-out
Whilst I disagree I do admire your artistic prose. It is good and entertaining. Reminiscent of a youthful person with a high IQ.
Are you a son of Rahman ?
Curious Cat.
After all I’ve said about Lutfur over the past four years and the way he runs the council, only an idiot would think I’d vote for him. Who I would actually vote for is my business.
Yes, but there were a lot of idiots on here last night, making a lot of idiotic comments.
Voting day today. Fingers firmly crossed.
Tim.
Ted, I thought that you’re a Newham resident now?
And?
Well, you’d vote for Biggs, obviously, if you lived in Tower Hamlets. But could you at least stop pretending the Labour Party is perfect, because in fact Labour in Tower Hamlets is a rotten pile of manure undeserving of one’s vote too, but just ever so slightly better than Lutfur.
We don’t expect better from the Tower Hamlets Labour Twitter feed, but we do from a supposedly serious journalist.
You serious? Or was this a late night comment?
I’ve found it amazing during this campaign that Ted, and the Advertiser, have turned themselves into Labour’s shills. Perhaps from the Advertiser, they don’t like Lutfur because of East End Life squeezing the very lifeblood out of them.
But, then, why back Labour and Biggs? Labour ran the borough for 16 years, 1994-2010, 16 years in which, er, East End Life was running and squeezing the lifeblood out of the Advertiser.
For an impartial observer it’s hard to conclude Biggs and Labour’s opposition to East End Life was not a principled opposition to council propaganda per se, but opposition to it being exploited by a non-Labour council leadership. It’s hard to conclude that if Biggs is elected tomorrow (now today) East End Life would become a-OK and ticketyboo once again.
(And for putting this very point to Robbie Scott via the comments on LoveWapping, I was banned from commenting on that site – more shilling and censoring for Labour from strange and unexpected quarters)
Labour are the parent of the Frankenstein’s monster that is Lutfur, and no doubt after these elections, whoever is elected Mayor, there’ll be defections amongst the elected councillors between Labour and Tower Hamlets First, dependent on who holds the purse strings.
So why the hell are Ted, the Advertiser et al the sort who, when Lutfur and his cronies clear out, suddenly think Labour is perfect and spotless again? These are intelligent people.
Labour are supposed to be the least worse option. I know its not a great choice but anything is apparently better than the Son of Labour.
Good luck to everyone – the voters and the mayoral and councillor candidates. May the best men and women win!
Remember to vote whoever you like.
After reading Jeorys I become interested in politics. He has inspired me to find out for myself the degree of disinterestedness the mayor has during council meetings. Members of the public would directly ask him questions which matter to them. Questions which impact where they live and there lives. Every time Lutfer would just stare at them or in another direction not reacting. Then another independent candidate would stand up. Totally ignoring the member of the public with there question and attack the opposition but not answering the question. While this was going on Lutfer would just sit there not saying a word, not caring that a member of the public made there way to the town hall to get answers to there issues.
Sadly, this was repeated every time I went. I am voting labour because Biggs is the better choice.
Ted, nobody is suggesting that you would vote for Lutfur in a million years. I agree, only an idiot would think that.
My only point is that you are giving Lutfur plenty of free publicity. Lutfur thrives on your ‘scrutiny’ (your euphimism for relentless vilification). His popularity increases the more you vilify him. Carry on doing the same and Lutfur will probably secure a third term in 2018.
While we are on the topic of idiots, in my view, only an ‘idiot’ would run a blog simply to harangue one person (in the main) and not realise that it is having the opposite effect. You are actually boosting Lutfur’s popularity. You will find out tomorrow evening what I mean.
Have a good day.
Sigh. You’re not a believer in journalism, are you?
FYI, the blog wasn’t set up to harangue one person. Do you know it’s origins?
The mayoral system makes it more about one person.
Luthur will be the clear winner… and Ted will be drowining his sorrows … ahhh poor Ted