Further to this post last night, I understand from sources close to Lutfur Rahman that Cllr Rabina Khan is to be offeees the chance of being Tower Hamlets First’s candidate for mayor in June’s election.
She may well speak at the Water Lilly rally on Thursday night.
Lutfur’s camp are expecting some fall out from this decision. They know there is anger about the way this decision has been made, ie by Lutfur’s “kitchen cabinet” whose number includes of course Rabina’s husband, Cllr Aminur Khan.
They think it could even precipitate a number of THF councillors to break away from the “party” and speak out about how Lutfur has been conducting affairs. Some think Rabina is easier to control. So watch this space on that one.
Now that Oli Rahman has been overlooked, I suspect he may not feel the acting mayor role for six weeks is worth his job at the DWP. Read last night’s post for details on that.
This means he would have two options. He could quit as deputy mayor and thus acting mayor and thus leave it to someone else to nominate who should act as mayor until June 11. Clearly, Lutfur would like that person to be Rabina to boost her profile.
Or he could nominate a deputy before he resigns and that person could become acting mayor. He may appoint former deputy mayor Cllr Ohid Ahmed to that role.
I think Richard Mawrey QC’s aside that the governance of Tower Hamlets may need further examination will prove prescient.
As for Rabina, I’ll copy and paste below what I wrote about her last night, but she and her husband will now come under closer scrutiny, particularly him. He is said to be IFE and works for the Bangladesh Youth Movement, which has received large amounts of grant money from Tower Hamlets council. See Love Wapping’s blog here. Someone can add it up for me.
Rabina’s financial history with public money will also be exmained (we all know about her £120 taxi fare for a 1.5 mile trip). She has a directorship with Silisila Productions Ltd, a not for profit company which received a £30,000 grant from the council via the Government’s Prevent counter-extremism programme.
The money was used for a media engagement and arts project. If anyone has more details on attendance details and how that scheme was audited, please let me know. The grant is detailed here.
She also had a company called Monsoon Press, which was dissolved in 2011. Any more on that, please get in touch.
This goes for all companies associated with all mayoral candidates.
Here’s what i wrote last night.
Oli is not IFE. And neither actually is Rabina. However, she is helped in this respect by the position of her husband, Cllr Aminur Khan, who is. She is known to disagree with the IFE on many things and I’d be surprised if this hasn’t created lively conversations around the Khans’ dining table.
Rabina is seen by a section of younger Bengalis as bright, articulate and refreshing. She apparently knows how to charm on the doorstep, how to enter people’s homes and “have a cup of tea in the kitchen”, as someone put it to me last night. I suspect that were she to be selected there would be many in Labour’s camp who would say they were supporting John Biggs but who would not cast their vote for him.
But would she be the puppet that Lutfur would want while he fights to clear his name, or even after he fails in that task? What real experience does she have in running a large organisation? I’ve always thought her quite good in the council chamber when reading a prepared script. However, I’ve not seen too much evidence that she’s good at thinking on her feet. But I may be wrong.
Trial by Jeory 
One word – Puppet
Another word – muppet.
Rabina is the one wheeled out to defend the council whenever more shit hits the fan – who can forget her (constantly-prompted) appearance when the PWC report was publicised, or the comments on camera last week when the despicable Lutfur was finally damned?
She may be personable but she is clearly deceitful and the taxi fares debacle tells us where her priorities lie. To say she is the best of a bad bunch may well be true, but it’s a very, very bad bunch indeed.
If she is to stand as mayor, where would that put the possibility that she would stand against Rushanara Ali as local MP in either the first or second election this year?
Tim.
Rotten to the core!
Does anyone remember her being interviewed in the lobby of the Town Hall for BBC London, and Takki Sulaiman standing behind the camera gesticulating at her to say this or that? Why has that rotten swine not been sacked?
Maybe because he resigned and went to work for a Council in Scotland some time ago?
Rabina comes across as the most intelligent and highly personable councillor I’ve met of the current crop. But not once has she ever spoken out about the abuses of her party in council and at election time, and she must have witnessed it all.
The offer of running for Mayor is not in Lutfur’s gift. Anyone who wants to can be a candidate. Rabina is the best of a bad THF bunch but at best is tainted by association with Lutfur and THF.
How much does it cost to become registered for the Mayoral elections as a candidate??
£500 to register as a Mayoral candidate, but think carefully before you put your name into the hat, cost it’ll will cost you a £120 cab fare to get to the Town Hall every time!
What do you mean ” Commissioner”? The borough is run by a Chief Super. This must mean they Met is in crisis over the cover ups exposed by Cllr Gold in the Sunday Times.
DCLG taken over all functions of TH.
Nothing for disgraced Councillor Rabina Khan to run.
She should hang her head in shame after taxi fare debacle and claiming no extremism in TH schools (on camera, in full council). 4 girls from Bethnall Green Academy gone to Syria, 5 girls (and families) have travel ban.
Let’s hope she takes the other corruptly elected THF Councillors with her.
I think Pickles has just effectively shut them out from involvement in the conduct of Council Business until such time as the next Mayoral Election – see the Directions from Pickles (below)
Let us not forget the THhomes fiasco.
Rabin’s was ‘seen’ as a tenant and leaseholder champion but the Decent Homes Backlog Funding Programme was charging £35,000 to £40,000 to leaseholders, payable immediately.
Where was she? What was she doing? Who was benefiting from this central government funding?
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tower-hamlets-hit-by-new-corruption-claims-in-home-repairs-ripoff-10200639.html
I’d like to see Ted do a whole new thread about the TH Homes issue. Please Ted….
Well I predicted that last Friday!
https://trialbyjeory.com/2015/04/23/tower-hamlets-election-court-judge-richard-mawrey-qcs-full-ruling/#comment-24661
Plus I also said the next day that my preferred option was for one or more of the Commissioners to take over the running of the Council until such time as a new Mayor is elected!
https://trialbyjeory.com/2015/04/24/it-started-it-with-an-iphone4-my-piece-for-the-independent/#comment-24691
I’m very pleased! 😀
Its in the Standard now too:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tower-hamlets-eric-pickles-steps-in-to-halt-lutfur-rahmans-cronies-from-destroying-files-10212047.html
There are too many parallels between this and Ken Livingstone leaving office in 2008 – the sound of shredders whirring, the protagonists who should be in prison, Murziline Parchment heading the office, etc.
Duh – I’ve been silly and put too many links in one post and it’s got caught by the filter
Here’s the latest Statement from Pickles
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-intervention-in-london-borough-of-tower-hamlets
This is Chris Allison https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424699/Chris_Allison.pdf
This is Chris Wood – love the hair! He looks like a real heavyweight – and it means this is really good news for Tower Hamlets and all those families who are very concerned about the radicalisation of their children.
Click to access Mr_Alan_Wood.pdf
He’s the current Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services in LB Hackney (since 2006) and was until March 2015, the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services
More on ex Assistant Commission Chris Allison – he’s a public order specialist – Yippee!
I take it that means that there will be no public order issues during the run up to the next two elections in May and June – or on the day or at the Couny – in any way shape or form.
Some of his previous roles include:
* Assistant Commissioner.
* the National Olympic Security Coordinator, responsible for leading the planning and delivery of the national security operation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012
* since 1996, he had a command or oversight role at almost all of the major events and incidents that took place in London.
* He was the Police Gold Commander for the terrorist atrocities that took place on the London Underground on the 7th July 2005 for which he was awarded an MBE.
I’d also add that both Commissioners have already been awarded a CBE for their contributions to public life.
I think the people living in Tower Hamlets are extraordinarily fortunate to have such experienced and competent people helping the Borough to get back on its feet.
I wish them well with their work.
This is the link to the page which has all the detailed documents under the Additional Directions
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-directions-to-the-council-of-the-london-borough-of-tower-hamlets-and-related-documents
This is
“Letter from DCLG to Tower Hamlets council dated 29 April 2015 proposing further directions”
PDF, 1.93MB, 6 pages
Click to access 150429_Letter_Tower_Hamlets_draft_direction_FINAL__2_.pdf
The letter is damning of the ex-Mayor’s cronies“some of whom have little to recommend them beyond blind loyalty to their leader (Mr Rahman)” and the potential for increased risks of poor governance and financial mismanagement.
He is also damning of the people holding the three statutory appointments on a temporary basis during a period of poor governance and financial mismanagement.
Apparently permanent appointments have been made to the roles of Monitoring Officer and Chief Financial Officer but the new people cannot take up their roles for some time.
The Council has not only NOT complied with Directions but has actively sought to breach them through the award of burial grants without any reference to the Commissioners.
That’s all Pickles needed to up the ante and create even stricter controls to allow the Commissioners to run the Council.
Crucially the Council must give an undertaking by 5pm tomorrow not to destroy and information or records in whatever format they are held – irrespective of the Council’s policies on data retention.
It’s very clear that they’re concerned that any records needed for a criminal conviction might disappear.
I should imagine any Officer or Councillor who did destroy any records would find that they are suspended and into a disciplinary process PDQ and barred from access to the Town Hall. That’s prior to any further legal action. For an officer to do it, I’m pretty certain they’d lose their job.
Note also Barry Quirk as I predicted might happen has got oversight of the conduct of the next Election. He’s currently the CEO of LB Lewisham and the chap who was the Returning Officer for London re the EU Elections – and I guess could be a candidate for the next CEO of Tower Hamlets?
It may be possible to rid us of a Mayor without waiting until 2020. The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 allows councils to seek devolution of central government powers to local communities.
A proposal from current Councillors, in advance of a new mayoral election, for the devolution of power to allow the council to return to the leader-cabinet model, could be justified on the basis of community sustainability, given the division and hatred brought about through the mayoral model.
That’s an interesting notion.
Jay Kay – great find… this possibility needs further investigation – please find out more
Rabina Khan is a disaster.She presided over the sheer waste of Tower Hamlets Homes.Did nothing to rein in the waste of money by Gavin Cansfield and his team.Gross overstaffing particularly on the caretaking side.TTH is known as just one long holiday for workers.She and her team just ignored all this waste.Many residents i believe have complained to Pickles about the organisation.Hopefully Biggs will keep his last election promise and abolish it.We noticed Cansfield, a complete distaster is now riding the public funded gravy train to Hertfordshire Homes. What a treat in store for those residents.So now the council is advertising the [post,basically a few hours work a week for a lovely £130 grand a year.We believe as the months go on,much will emerge of the waste of money here.
Tower Hamlets Homes has been a disaster from the start. It was inflicted on residents by the council in retaliation for them voting against stock transfer (which would have been even more of a disaster). The Council has failed to manage THH properly and it is staffed by a number of unqualified, unskilled and inexperienced individuals who ride the merry-go-round of public sector jobs leeching off residents. Rabina has been powerless to rein-in this insidious organisation whose board is in disarray and was ultimately controlled by either the ex-Mayor or his Councillors. She even lied about her power over THH at a full council meeting by saying that she had not signed off agreement to THH’s service charge methodology, making it invalid, knowing she was not entitled to do so
The ex-Mayor promised a referendum in his manifesto and Biggs pledged to abolish it. If Biggs is elected it remains to be seen whether he is still of the view it should go
Corruption inquiry widens as Tower Hamlets Homes comes under scrutiny:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tower-hamlets-hit-by-new-corruption-claims-in-home-repairs-ripoff-10200639.html
This is the letter about the appointment of the Chief Executive/Head of Paid Service
Letter from DCLG to Tower Hamlets council dated 29 April 2015 on Head of Paid Service Direction
PDF, 1010KB, 4 pages
Click to access 150429_Letter_to_TH_Direction_on_head_of_paid_service_FINAL__4_.pdf
Rahman is referred to throughout as Mr Rahman because, of course, he is neither a Councillor nor a Mayor.
Both Peter Golds and the Labour Group wrote in support of the approach proposed by Pickles to get an appointment of a CEO in place as fast as possible via open and external competition
The letter from Cllr. Rachael Saunders, as leader of and on behalf of the Labour Group is impressive and sets out very clearly what is required.
Click to access A5_Letter_from_Tower_Hamlets_Head_of_Labour_Group_Cllr_Saunders__2_.pdf
It’s very evident that there has been some considerable cross-party engagement to get to the place they’ve got to so far re. permanent appointments to the other two statutory rules.
Here’s hoping it continues across a range of challenges in the future!
Can someone let us know when they seal the building otherwise exactly how are they taking control and stopping people pressing delete and putting files in their bags? The security guards at that building are Lutfurites – anyone who has been to a council meeting and witnessed their exceedingly partisan implementation knows this.
The police should go in on the basis of protecting evidence in case a crime has been committed – they have reasonable grounds?
Thank you Eric
Theresa – its now your turn.
A lot of staff don’t realise the extent to which it is not difficult to trace their actions.
The delete button is not a problem per se. That’s because all terminals used and all the actions taken by them are traceable back to the individual who logged in – even if people try to delete records or the history of what they’re doing.
If I was an officer at the Council right now I’d make very sure I logged out of my computer (or required password entry to restart it) EVERY time I left my desk.
You can also retrieve files which have been deleted from hard discs or servers. Takes a bit of time but is definitely possible. That’s what they had to do with a lot of the evidence relating to the Leveson Enquiry.
Archived files can be placed under lock and key.
Security staff can check bags as people leave the building.
Staff can be made aware that any breach of this instruction is a disciplinary offence of a very serious nature ie it could mean they lose their job
I’m assuming the Mayoral Office and computer are already secured.
I assume the Head of Internal Audit is very busy right now……..
Optimist !
About what exactly?
I know you think everybody who works at the Town Hall is a total waste of space but I don’t.
The effectiveness of Internal audit is very limited as witnessed by their lack of staff and resources. This has been compounded by the eradication of District Audit , incidentally by Piccles stating the department was not fit for purpose!, a bit Ironic but good for private Auditors to charge the earth to do the “in depth forensic reports” I think not if you read some of them!
The rest of your analysis is good assuming the computer techi’s are worth their salt, these procedure’s are n place and being employed and the security can distinguish between the theft of critical documents and general files. A bit difficult to impose this on them at this level they are hardly the Stasi with all the training that would be required to identify the prime papers
I have been informed that an edict from Tower Hamlets Senior management has been issued warning staff not to remove documents and information and re deleting files on the computer system as all details are recoded on the system servers.
However the cost of reviewing all deleted files on the system would cost millions and take along time
=> Shadow
Deleting records and physically removing records is very likely a criminal offence, for example: Perverting the Course of Justice !
Time Mr Mercedes & Co. properly warned everyone with access to (the legal definition of) documents. In law documents literally means everything from scribbled notes, recordings, memos, private emails (especially those sent to and from council email addresses) to signed items.
The public do not want illegality being, once again, concealed or white-washed or vanishing etc. It is time for proper JUSTICE to prevail at the crooks’ favourite local authority.
Curious Cat.
If they’ve appointed an effective Head of Internal Audit he would be the person issuing the instructions as to what MUST be done re the protection of records. That doesn’t take a lot of resource – it just takes a brain and effective communication. After that managers hold the responsibility for any implementation and monitoring of what their staff are doing.
There’s no way a Council employs forensic computer techies for retrieval of documents on the off chance of there being a need to retrieve documents in a forensic context.
The most that Council IT bods know how to do is how to retrieve a situation if a server corrupts – which is really just a very big version of what any of us need to know how to do re. our own computers.
If the Council has a clear need and an ounce of common sense, any Forensic retrieval for legal purposes would be commissioned from a firm of external specialist contractors who do this for a living. They’re much faster, much more up to date on techniques and much more effective at achieving retrieval – with an audit trail – which is important if these were documents which were going to be used in a Court of Law.
Sounds to me as if somebody is making sure the scope for any criminal charges is not sullied.
=> Couldn’t and everyone else (even those in central government currently reading this blog. I won’t reveal how I know)
Microsoft’s delete has never ever deleted a file or anything else. All it does is to re-write the first character of the file name, which is stored in the directory’s index file, as a question mark.
Subsequently all of a supposedly deleted file, or any part of it, may be overwritten when the operating system stores (or writes) a new file or re-saves an existing file to the same disk (or segment).
When listing the contents of a directory (in USA baby speak, ‘a folder’) the routine which lists the directory’s contents simply ignores anything beginning with a question mark.
Every local authority, regardless of how crap, incompetent or even good they are, does a daily save (in USA speak, ‘a back-up’) of every new file and of every existing file that has changed. Usually once a week a total save is done of every file regardless of whether or not the file has changed.
Consequently retrieving deleted data should be relative quick and easy.
At wonderful Tower Hamlets securing the daily saves and the weekly total saves in therefore IMPORTANT to preserve evidence. Someone should tell the lazy Met Police.
Curious Cat.
(A Linux fan in a Microsoft-free environment)
Tell us something I don’t know.
Like I said there’s a vast amount of difference between retrieving files to reinstate a system which has corrupted for whatever reason and retrieving files to use as legal evidence with a proper audit trail.
Four things for you to get your head round:
1) you don’t know which systems the Council uses
2) not every system is the same in terms of how file structures, saves and deletes work
3) There is a reason why it takes more than a bit of time to train people in computer forensics! It’s not all about how the coding, filing and processing of the IT and software works – there’s a quite a lot more to it than that!
4) There’s also a reason why the police employ specialist teams for this sort of thing. Thinking about it some more, if they’re digging for forensic evidence, these are the people who are going to be doing it.
I had a quick look online – have a read of this – you might find it instructive
Click to access ACPO_guidelines_computer_evidence.pdf
=> Couldn’t
Regardless of whatever operating system an organisation uses, and in England local authorities use Microsoft, daily and weekly saves are done.
You are wasting my time. You clearly haven’t much, if any, knowledge of IT (formerly called Data Processing) so you have to resort to trawling the Internet to try and learn what I.T. is about. Nothing wrong with learning but it is a bit stupid when learners try to fool others into thinking they are expert in a particular subject. You clearly are not an expert in I.T. although you obviously have some basic keyboard skills 🙂
I know more about computer forensics, and about I.T. generally, than you are ever likely to possess. Unlike you, I don’t have to trawl through the Internet looking for other people’s ideas on basic I.T.
Wonder why you haven’t mentioned that Microsoft is made to reveal user information to the police – obviously you never knew ‘cos you’re not really that computer savy. Oh, we can’t be expert in every field of knowledge, can we ?
Sorry if I have an inherent dislike of phoney Komputer Xperts – I usually spot them instantly. By the way since All Fools Day ACPO is now NPCC – oh, you didn’t know that either ?
I do try to write from a knowledgeable perspective on elections, local government, Electoral Commission, law (partially) and on Komputers. I never write about, for example, medical matters or designing aircraft engines or flying on a PPL or a CPL. Have a bit of knowledge on International affairs too. For example Russia vetoed UN intervention in Syria because it wanted to protect its fleet base on the Syrian coast – but you know that anyway.
Curious Cat.
I’m off shopping. Good night to all.
Cc: That’s why a hammer is needed to wreck the hard drive!
Ted’s probably having a chortle right now at your comments about my knowledge given that he knows what used to be included in my managerial responsibilities – I know I am.
What I was looking for on the Internet was the ACPO good practice statement re computer-based electronic evidence. It’s not something that most managers with a functional responsibility for ICT used to have to worry our heads about – over and above knowing it’s something best left to the experts.
Aym,
Instead of a hammer …….
(1) Use free software WIPE or SHRED commands to overwrite the entire hard disk. These programs are FREE in Linux.
(2) Then use the hard drive’s inbuilt DESTRUCTION commands. Yes every consumer hard drive (or hard disk if your prefer) has inbuilt intelligence (which usually remains unknown unless you use as an Operating System, Linux, BSDs etc.). You’ll never ever discover this if you use Windoze because Windoze is made for low intelligent people. It is a dumbed-down expensive (‘cos you have to pay for it) Operating System. Alternatives like Linus, BSDs etc. are FREE.
By the way, instead of expensive Microsoft Office you can use the FREE Libre Office from https://www.libreoffice.org/ It works on Windoze as well as on Linux and BSDs. It has a word processor, spreadsheets, presentation managers etc. etc. You can open and save in Microsoft formats as well as in the International ‘Open Document’ formats.
(3) Open-up the hard disk drive and, if more than one platter, remove them all. Then wipe them by moving a powerful magnet across the platter’s surface.
(4) Next get some pliers or grips and physically bend the platters.
(5) Chuck it away. Even the intelligent services would find it hard, if not impossible, to extract any usual information.
If you were in the confidential part of the police or in the intelligence services your office would have a Pulveriser – a machine which turns everything into fine minuet particles. Obviously these are very expensive.
Some operating systems let you encrypt all your hard disk or parts (segments/partitions) of the disk.
Curious Cat.
=> Couldn’t
Give someone a clipboard and a biro and they become a manager.
I’ve been an I.T. manager too but I have never lost my hands-on skills. That is the technical difference between us.
“managerial responsibilities” is certainly not a statement of genuine computer knowledge or computer skills.
I used to program 6502 chips and despite the significant lack of instruction set commands (much less than the Z-80) I actually programmed wonders. But before then I worked on machines that are now ancient history – before screens, keyboards and hard disks were invented. OK, the University of Glasgow did have a gigantic revolving drum but the rest of the world relied on 3 tape drives and 80 column punched cards plus the ‘new’ papertape machines.
To be a competent and thoughtful computer programmer (and designer etc.) one has to have a particular type of intelligence. Not everyone has the necessary attention to detail or logic. Lots of people these days call themselves computer experts but their enthusiasm for greatness defies the qualify of their work.
I agree with you it is necessary to secure the Tower Hamlets computer data. Like you I really want a thorough criminal investigation and the prosecution of everyone destroying evidence. You have to remember ACPO was just a talking shop for semi-retired police chiefs. The Police College is already, impressively, outshining ACPO/NPCC.
Several times in the past I was asked by police to explain to their civi staff how to obtain computer evidence for use in prosecutions. I even volunteered to a well-known police force to covertly obtain computer evidence from people I strongly then, and still do now, think should be jailed for their crimes.
I don’t want the Tower Hamlets saga to end now. I want the ultimate conclusion – a criminal trial and jail for the offenders.
CC.
@CC You seem determined to tell the Lutfur sympathisers how to corrupt files and make them disappear.
How very helpful of you – NOT!
Do you think that might help upgrade your status to “co-conspirator”?
=> Couldn’t
A proper and professional police force would have been into Tower Hamlets council the day after the judgement was released.
Bent or lazy police would delay or even forget about an investigation until all the evidence has vanished or evaporated .
Stop blaming me for crap Met Police. Ring your MP and demand an immediate police investigation. Write to the national media and make your concerns know. Sitting on your bum moaning will achieve little.
CC.
How do you know they weren’t?
It strikes me that the injunction to secure all files has very likely originated from the Police. It is, after all, the sort of order they make. 🙂
I agree the Police have a lot of answering to do with respect to their investigation of electoral fraud. The judgement from the Election Court leaves in no doubt that questions needs to be addressed and answered in due course.
I also don’t for a moment think that the reason that one of the new Commissioners is an ex-Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police is just about making sure the next election are conducted in a proper way.
Here’s a Local Government Chronicle article – Breaking News
http://www.lgcplus.com/news/politics/breaking-pickles-sends-two-more-commissioners-in-to-tower-hamlets/5084586.article
Out of the frying pan and into the fire ?
How much longer are the residents of Tower Hamlets doomed to suffer from crooks, bigots and self-serving egoists pretending to be “caring politicians” ?
“Public service” could never get lower.
Curious Cat.
Ranbina is as iffy as the rest of these shysters. She talks a good talk, but is completely out of her depth and and would sell her own offspring into slavery to get ahead.
Who could forget her Oscar winning performances at full council meetings? The crodidile tears, the ‘catch me, I’m about to faint’ moments, after instigating arguments with her usual brand of poisonous hypocrisy? The attempts to garner simpathy over her ‘working mum’ situation? Get over it girl, woman gave done much more for less reward than you for aeons!
Then there’s the taxi fares she’s claimed over the years… Though if she got a Mayoral chauffeur driven limousine, it would be cheaper than her habitual abuse of councillors’ expenses!
Shit story books as well. Nobody bought them.
She really wil have to put her head on the block if standing for such a high prolmfile role.
That means suing people with your own cash when they highlight your shortcomings, and no longer relying on the bottomless pockets of the LBTH legal coffers to fight your case.
I doubt that your IFE inlaws or Lutfurites will stand by you when the shit hits the fan, and it’s a case of when, not if!
No more relying on overpriced yet ineffectual advisers, the commisioners just won’t sign them off!
Aw babes, how unfair!
What was all that in the judgment about the lack of transparency in selection procedures? So, the Labour NEC anoints Biggs; the great Rahman anoints Rabina Khan (NB – Lutfur is NOT I repeat NOT having an affair with Rabina Khan – theother R Khan though…)
That’s a disgusting thing to say mate regardless of our opinions!
You could go to jail for that or the High Court for Defamation.
Read the judgement. It reiterates the law which is now she is a candidate NO ONE including you can tell lies about her personal character including comments like your’s.
Tower Hamlets does not need any more smears.
Curious Cat.
Still no apology to residents
Don’t be daft.
Residents only matter when they have to pay he bills. Otherwise they are forgotten until the next local election.
CC.
Tower Hamlets First removed from the Electoral Commission register of political parties. See:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-corporate/media-statement-on-removal-of-tower-hamlets-first-from-the-electoral-commissions-register-of-political-parties
The Wharf suggests http://www.wharf.co.uk/news/local-news/two-new-commissioners-set-take-9144940
“Under the new powers, acting mayor Cllr Oliur Rahman would not be able to make any decision that did not have cross-party and officer support”
So that explains that one!
I’m sure there is a secret deal made with Lutfur and Rabina. Has she offered to be the mechanic behind his biography of lies and corruption? She has been a councillour in TH for just over a term. On the other hand Lutfur has councillours in his camp that have been pioneers of the Labour administration under Keith, Denise etc… leadership.
Oli is a good lad and listens to instructions well, as would all men his age however Lutfur needs a fighter representing him a person that knows the Labour parties political methodolgies inside out.
And that only candidate his Ex Deputy Mayor Cllr Ohid Ahmed he may have a shabby accent but I’m certain he is more educated than Lutfurs whole team put together and certainly much more than childrens storyteller Rabina Khan. He left the Labour party (neglecting his 15 year political record and also neglecting the possibilities of recieving a safe Labour seat to stand in for the general elections as did Tulip and Rupa)
From my reseaech Ohid was the founder of Labour friends of BD (were he had good ties with both Jim and John), he also held numerous cabinet positions under past Labour Leaders in TH not to mention he held many ministerial appointments such a on the Thames Gateway Corporation, Adviser to Hazel Blears MP, Member of the Labour Party BAME Taskforce etc…
Im sure everyone will agree Ohid is politically more stronger than any other THF councillour. Rabina can clearly put both Ohid and Lutfur to shame when it comes to writting novels but TH needs a leader not an author. Lutfur needs to put up Ohid as his candidate or he is making the biggest mistake he can ever make. Quite frankly being a TH resident for the past 2 decades I would like to see Ohid stand if not Johns got my vote this time round!
I cant agree with the contents of this comment, you surely cant be serious!
“Pioneers’ in Labour Administration” Cowboys more like and that’s an insult to Cowboys by comparing them with this shower you have named as examples.
All these positive points you have made with regard Oli and Ohid confirms what all watchers and participants of politics are aware off for those gaining position and station
That He does what he is told
Votes with the group who controls the power even if he personally doesn’t agree with what policy or item he is agreeing to vote with.
Is prepared to kiss ass on a regular basis to aid his advancement in the party or grouping At one time politicians were merely required to kiss baby’s.
Is given positions on cabinet and outside bodies (particularly those paying additional responsibility allowances), especially because he does the above.
These attributes of positions held are no CV to any particular competency or special powers he may possess but as I have said the ability to “Kiss Arse” frequently and unflinchingly.
So if this is the mark of stronger and quality councillors to aid the councils political drive for competency Dream ON and god help us
I wonder if he’ll be bringing up the rear. Oops, sorry, wrong Khan.
I doubt if even she’d stoop that low….then again, You can take the girl out of THF…..
Grim,
Lets avoid the personal smutty remarks and devoid our efforts to factual matters, not personal smears.
Thank you.
Curious Cat.
Message from the Head of Paid Service
You may have seen the news today that we have received further draft directions from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The council has been given until Wednesday, May 6 to respond.
The information that we have to hand is that DCLG are suggesting further interventions, and will also be sending in two additional commissioners: Chris Allison and Alan Wood.
To date, we have been working well with the commissioners and we will continue this work. We have produced and are delivering a Best Value Improvement Plan – which garnered cross-party support – and, just this week, we have opened the refreshed Mainstream Grants for application.
We welcome all constructive engagement with the government, and will respond to this matter within the timetable set out.
Throughout this, and the parallel process of the Election Petition hearing and judgement, our priority has continued to be the provision of excellent local services to our residents. This continues to be the case.
I also want to extend a big thank you to all staff, who have been extremely hardworking and patient during this challenging period.
What’s the general consensus within the Town Hall – amongst staff? Are people optimistic or pessimistic about the future – or just unsure how things will pan out?
If the THF was a product being sold on the shelves of any shop I’m sure there would be immediate government intervention to remove it permanently and send the existing product for safe destruction /landfill if not to toxic
It begs the question as to why the Electoral Commission allowed THF to be registered in the first place and why it allowed it to continue to be registered.
=> Jay Kay
Its because the Electoral Commission has been a crap, sub-standard and disorganised QUANGO since its interception. It has never ever been truthfully fit-for-purpose.
Its been aimless and has, certainly in the past, frivolously wasted vast amounts of public money. Its web site and documents are not fit for the purpose of being a proper Electoral Anything.
Despite spending public money on research including wasting money on what the public think
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/
it still is puzzled about its own role, it is puzzled about fairness in elections and is still puzzled what it can do. Leadership of the elections process is still NOT considered by this often arrogant, if not occasionally nasty, expensive drain on public resources.
Thank God for Mawrey. Without him spelling-out to the Electoral Commission its incompetence, THF would still be on the political parties register
Sack the lot and start again – in the public’s interest – and start afresh with talented people. We don’t need more expensive crap.
Curious Cat.
The Electoral Commissions explains why in its statement
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-corporate/media-statement-on-removal-of-tower-hamlets-first-from-the-electoral-commissions-register-of-political-parties
Crazy I know – but there you go.
I expect that will be another change Pickles has in mind……
I know I want my money back!
According to the judgement, THF never complied with the financial scheme despite requests. There was reference to an excel speadsheet but even that was never produced. THF was never entitled to be registered.
=> Jay Kay,
You are wrong. The law can not be changed to suit your personal opinion.
Rahman or whoever was entitled to to apply for registration of THF as a UK political party and also entitled to have their application accepted by EleCom.
Factual info about EleCom is not exactly your forté 😉
C.C. Your endless ramblings at every opportunity about the EC aren’t helpful.
“Sack the lot and start again – in the public’s interest – and start afresh with talented people. We don’t need more expensive crap”
Be careful what you wish for curious cat, Unisons John McLoughlin and co would prepare for “The Revolution Starts Here”
WE, the public, need public services that work, are not political and which always put the PUBLIC’s INTEREST first.
I don’t want a loony Labour, or similar, take-over of public services. I don’t want any political group, or similar, using public services for their personal benefit and to the detriment of the Public.
TH shows, very clearly, that public services were abused with impunity for far too long. Yet no one else in “public services” did much, if anything, about it.
It took 4 heroes to risk all to challenge the wholesale abuse of public services However others in more senior public services didn’t seem to bother.
I don’t like being a citizen of a failing country.
CC.
You couldn’t make it up
I reckon Pickles is reading the blog its off the shelves finally
Now be interesting to see what name they come up with for her to run under now Tower Hamlets First are not a registered political party and been removed
They could still use THF if they do it properly unless someone else takes the name in which case they’ll need to invent a new one.
Quick someone register it and the serial names ” New Improved Tower Hamlets First” and the like. It would take them week or two to dream up a name
Well somebody moved pretty smartish last night and nicked the ex-mayor’s ex-Twitter handle.
Thing is if your brand has become tainted do you want to keep it or do you want a new name.
I have a dreadful suspicion that “social democracy” is about to be snaffled due to some new branding I spotted earlier today. I wonder if Lord Owen, a resident of this borough. will have anything to say about that?
I hope Rahman & his agent have returned those iPhones. They should be put in a glass case and displayed in the LBTH local history archive.
Has Mr Rahman been spotted yet or has he barricaded himself in a secret Town Hall panic room built from self-granted community funds?
forget putting the iphones in the glass case the forensic analysis of them would bring some interesting details I bet
No point losing them Lutfur and co as the police will get all the info on them off the mobile providers servers if the criminal investigation begins
[…] Lutfur to offer Rabina Khan chance of becoming Tower Hamlets First mayoral candidate: scrutiny begin… […]
The article in Socialist Worker, a contradiction if ever there was one, uses as evidence from no less an expert on Tower Hamlets as Glyn Robbins. Nuff said.
Have a look at Comment is Free in Al Grauniad. Giles, two grand, Fraser is defending his paymaster Lutfur Rahman. What a disgusting little creep! That’s Fraser by the way.
So one week later. Rather a lot has happened! 🙂
Who would have thought….?
I wonder how much is to come?
What’s your prediction as to what happens next?
http://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-intervention-in-london-borough-of-tower-hamlets
See above. The noose is tightening. If it wasn’t for the General Election one wonders if so,even special powers /emergency legislation might happen to delay /postpone the mayoral election.
http://www.obv.org.uk Woolley and Lee Grasper are defending Giles Fraser. If someone wrote this as a film script nobody would believe it. If you actually sit down and look at what has happened in Tower Hamlets it couldn’t have happened in the most bizarre Marx Brother movie!
http://www.glynrobbins.wordpress.com for how to completely deceive yourself. These people are in denial. Some like Jon Lansman of Left Futures, Andy Newman of Socialist Unity and other Trots have kept their heads down but Robbins is out there twisting, turning and lying through his teeth.
Is Livingstone still speaking at The Water Lily tomorrow? I heard Miliband had pressured him to pull out and he may have done so.
[…] « Lutfur to offer Rabina Khan chance of becoming Tower Hamlets First mayoral candidate: scrutiny begin… […]
Is Lutfur back on the Irish coffee? I understand times are hard but seriously can anyone imagine Rabina as the Mayor?
Corruption at its best, next youll see Rupert Murdoch appointed as a distinguished Mayors Advisor. When will Lutfur learn to be honest and do the right thing for the sake of the 37,395 people that voted for him (excluding the dodgy/fake votes)
Lutfur needs someone that will fail (Ohid Ahmed) while he puts his next steps in place, or someone he can control (Rabina Khan). As much as he appointed Oliur Rahman as his deputy that was because he didn’t want Rabina Khan to gain any more positive publicity than she already was getting – she is the better one of the rest and he will play that heavily now whilst also make up with her for not letting her stand for MP. People will fall for it because they’ll think she is a fresh face, is better than Lutfur, has non-Bengali support, is more trustworthy as a woman, etc etc. Lutfur will not back Oliur Rahman because he will not be puppeted to the community and be under anyone’s control. Lutfur will face a backlash from elders in the community who think women can’t be leaders & be as flexible with time e.g. late night community meetings, meeting locations e.g. mosques. If Rabina gets her leaders backing and wins, will she do to Lutfur what Lutfur did to Abbas? – that is the question.
Gary,
It is conspicuously apparent that Rahman is the puppet whose strings are controlled and manipulated by Alibor Choudhury who lurks around in the background organising everything.
CC.
@Gary East – There’s something missing from your comment which makes it all make sense.
I think that’s an assumption that “he will be back” and that whoever stands this time around has to be malleable enough to stand aside in future for the ex-Mayor
However let’s examine that as a reality.
Lutfur won’t be able to stand for Mayor at the next Council elections in 2015 or the one in 2018 or the one after that
I checked the judgement. Para 675 does not specify a time limit for the ban – he’s just banned from standing for election as Mayor – period.
I’d be very happy for anybody else to review this conclusion – but I can’t see anything in the formal statement of the outcomes of the trial which indicates a time limit on that ban.
It is of course possible that he will seek to come back as a Councillor. The Stepney by-election is coming up!
However the question then arises of whether he can ever make a “comeback”.
Being found guilty of corruption, illegal election activities and being dishonest does rather give your opponents a marketing and advertising gift in relation to any future election he might stand in.
After all, it’s not an electoral offence of making a false statement as to the personal character or conduct of another candidate if it’s a finding of an Electoral Court.
It occurs to me that if potential candidates for the Mayoralty from the Bangladeshi community reflect for a while on the likelihood that the ex-Mayor is now, in effect, a “busted flush” then it’s more than likely that a scenario other than one involving patronage and selection by the ex-Mayor will evolve.
To my mind it’s very important that any candidate for such an important role as Mayor is their own candidate and not under the obligation of any patronage to another person. By all means have alliances – but it’s a mistake to be beholden.
If there is no scope for a “come back” by the ex-Mayor and there is no political party to belong to maybe it’s time to start over with a clean sheet?
May the best man or woman step forward!
Obviously Oliur’s real proper paid job has suddenly become more important to him!
I still don’t understand what legal rationale allows a party which does NOT exist (as of yesterday) to decide who should be the new Acting Mayor from amongst a group of Councillors whose elections have also been deemed to be corrupt
Para 678 of the Judgement
I could see a good mayoral contest between Ohid and John (now that Peter Golds is splitting Johns votes). They are both political heavy weights whereas John will pound Rabina despite her efforts she is all talk and no action. Ohid on the other hand is all action and less talk. Also sources tell me if Ohid is the mayor he will offer Labour councillours cabinet positions.
Will LR do the right thing for once or does corruption run in his blood?
I’m not sure why you think a Conservative would split Labour votes but it’s a novel idea!
There of course is nothing to stop more than one British Bangladeshi candidate standing irrespective of whether or not they are an elected Councillor or have any affiliation to the ex-mayor or the string pullers. The absence of any party also makes this more likely.
Who knows – there might be the equivalent of another Andy Erlam out there? 😉
Lets just remember Rabina Khan was elected councillor as the result of CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES
Rabina Khan endorsed by Lutfur at WaterLilly gathering. Oh dear!
http://thoughtsbyehtasham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/ajmalmasroor-is-bangladeshi-born.html
You posted on your web site a distortion of the truth …….
He talked about spiritual injurry which is one of 7 counts of electoral offences the courts found Lutfur Rahman guilty of.
.’’Lutfur has been accused of using religion to unduly influence people to vote for him but is that a spiritual inquiry? What about if I am denied my right to use my spiritual guidance to vote for a person who would help me find spiritual contentment? Would that not be injurious to my spiritual wellbeing?’’
Here Ajmal Masroor raises a very good question and I admire him for his knowledge.
(1) The judge (Election Commissioner) did not mention spiritual injurry. If he did he would have used a spell checker before publication.
(2) The judge never mentioned >b>spiritual inquiry either.
(3) The judge never stated individuals can not use their own spiritual guidance.
The case was about religious people in positions of authority in their religion misusing their religion to fix an election result in favour of a bunch of cheats and crooks.
The Quoran does not advocate election misconduct in any form.
If you want a corrupt election system, then leave my country and go to another where your open support for election malpractice might be welcome. In England it is NOT.
Your bigotry is insulting true Islam.
Curious Cat.
Pardon, the judge did mention ‘spiritual injury’ at 62(j).
Undue influence involving the threat of spiritual injury contrary to s.115(C);
That’s great news. Vote for a crook and a cheat and his mob or else Allah will hate you.
CC.
All – anyone going to Rabina’s public meeting at Madani Girls School, on Myrdle St (E1 1HL)? It’s on Saturday 16 May, at 7pm.
She will be joined by her fellows: Aminur Khan, Abdul Asad, and Shahed Ali
Someone! Please attend and give us the lowdown!