John Biggs
In less than a week our borough has a chance to draw a line under the controversy and division of recent years by electing a mayor whose sole focus will be on the things that matter most to local people.
For too long our borough has been dragged through the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A farcical election count, a damning auditor report, a Government intervention, a mayor removed for election offences.
The former Mayor Lutfur Rahman not only divided the community with his patronage based politics but his mismanagement of the Council led to Government interventions of the kind we rarely see in this day and age. In both respects it is the people of the borough who suffer.
None of this was about one community or another. Everybody in our borough lost out as their council and leadership was focused on itself and not delivering the things people expect of their council. But make no mistake that the consequences of his actions have been very divisive, creating mistrust that politicians are not there for the public good, but for some dodgier purpose. I get fed up with the public cynicism that says all politicians are ‘corrupt’. Thankfully it is only a very select few who are. But when we find them we must comprehensively work out how to stop it happening again.
And so this election is a chance to put the council back on residents’ side. It requires us to move forwards but to do this we must also admit that things were wrong. It therefore boggles my mind that the Lutfur Rahman candidate, Rabina Khan, is in almost complete denial that anything was wrong, or that she had anything to do with it. Her constant refrain is ‘we must look forwards’. We must, of course, but we cannot ignore recent events. To do so is a bit like a burglar selling you back your tv and accusing you of being backward looking in asking where it came from.
My manifesto, my contract with residents, focuses on policies which will benefit every corner of the Tower Hamlets. Building the first new social housing in years, cracking down on anti-social behaviour, creating new jobs and restoring the reputation of our borough. But to move forwards we must comprehensively deal with the last of these. The Mayor model can work – just because someone crashes a car it doesn’t mean nobody else can drive again – but we must introduce a culture of transparency, of bridge building and of checks and balances if we are to move forwards credibly.
On day one I will scrap the mayoral car and the army of advisors. I’ll end the biased coverage in East End Life and review how the council should best communicate with residents, and how the Mayor should be accountable to the Council as a whole. Maximum transparency, and a willingness to explain all decisions, will be the foundations. In the first months we’ll implement the recommendations in the PWC report to make the council more open and accountable, we’ll appoint a new Chief Executive and get cracking on making good on my manifesto commitments. I will redesign a Mayor’s office that is lean and I will develop a proposal for transparency, and regular meetings with the wider public. We want no more headlines about scandal and corruption, just ones about knuckling down to make things better, and then positive ones about the great things that local people achieve.
Whilst there are many candidates standing in this election last year showed us that the choice is between Labour or more of the same under Lutfur Rahman’s candidate. There will be many people reading this who are not natural Labour voters and who may not agree with everything I say or propose to do. Whether those people use their second preference or not may decide the result. To those voters I pledge a culture of openness and a good administration that listens, and explains, and does ot neglect the voices of any part of our community.
I am happy to write more at a later date about the challenges on housing, skills, employment, development, education, budgeting and so on. However, the simple fact is that this is an election like no other. It’s about getting our borough back on track and moving on from the divisive past we’ve seen under Lutfur Rahman. If elected, that is exactly what I intend to do.
Disappointing. Negative, negative, negative.Same old Labour. A platform given to John to tell us what they will do and how they will do it, wasted on attacking old enemies and scoring points. Nothing ever changes. A missed opportunity.
I think his instincts are right on the tone of the piece. We know all of them are motherhood and apple pie when it comes to policies.
There isn’t a huge amount of difference with any of them really so it is about tone and the individual, no?
Yes it’s all platitudes but John is a politician, what do you expect? What exactly people expect I don’t know. The powers of the mayor are were severely limited except to dole out large amounts of cash to cronies. With the commissioners in place even that isn’t possible.
The important thing is to get John Biggs elected and end the cancerous kleptocratic regime of Lutfur Rahman, nothing else matters. If Rabina Khan is elected, and that is a distinct possibility, then we have a situation where an inner city borough in a first world capital, the birthplace of the Labour Party is run by appointees from central government.
The other side of this is that if John Biggs loses he will have done so twice in the borough where he lives. I doubt very much if he will get the nomination for the GLA next time around as there are several young guns just waiting and ready to point out that the electorate have rejected him for a second time.
Tosh!
My comment is a response to Darren’s
I disagree with both Darren and Konnu and agree with Dave Roberts.
This piece by John Biggs has persuaded me to give at least one of my votes to John Biggs – and I am not a natural Biggs supporter. However this demonstrates to me that his weaknesses in interpersonal and communication skills are ones that he knows MUST be addressed in terms of how the Mayoralty must operate from now one.
I’ve also seen evidence of this. I’m impressed by the turnout that the national Labour Party has finally got behind Tower Hamlets and has organised itself to try and make sure that this time he has a fair chance of being elected. If you put “Tower Hamlets’ into Twitter virtually everything that comes up is about his campaign.
Plus let’s face it, he is the Councillor with the biggest portfolio (at County Hall) and by far the most experienced politician of all the candidates standing. he also seems to have done a good job in his role at County Hall – which he could have spent time telling us about but didn’t. (Contrast this with Rabina’s boasting about personally achieving things which she did NOT make happen!)
My only criticism is that he hasn’t been reading East End Life recently – the Commissioners have already totally neutralised the political content and it is back to being a normal (if very big) Council newspaper. Whether we need it in this day and age is another matter. I don’t see why it isn’t much smaller and confined to an electronic communication which would make it massively cheaper – with any formal printed notices to the electorate returning to the Advertiser.
However I see the focus on East End Life and other things associated with Rahman about the need to make the point that all the trappings of mayoralty and abuse of council facilities with the ex Mayor indulged himself in will be swept away in future.
I do like a man who says he’ll be running a lean office to administer funds – because that’s the only sort which maximises funds for services for the residents.
I disagree about the negativity. The point about Rabina failing to acknowledge and disavow any connection to the corruption of the past is a VERY important one that needs making. There are lots of good Bangladeshi citizens in this borough who do NOT want to be associated with the corruption of the past.
There’s certainly no ‘truth and reconciliation’ being undertaken by the Rabina Kahn campaign. He could also have attacked her more. Rabina Kahn still ‘looks like’ a Rahman puppet to me – the decision to be introduced as his chosen candidate and to carry his photo on her election material is proof of that. There’s a great big question mark about Rabina
This piece by John Biggs has removed the question mark I had against his name. I now think it’s important to give him at least one of your votes.
For those who still have a question mark this is his Biography from the London Assembly website
The tone is wrong. It’s harking back to everything we already know. Truly believe residents are sick of it. We need local positive driven politicians. We need, as you said, motherhood and apple pie and less Wicked stepmother with a poisoned apple.
Rubbish Darren, you sound like a stupid Trot or Guardianista.
The tone is far better than Rabina’s where she intends to continue the work from the rcent past of lies and corruption by the extremist linked Rahman and his 17 corruptly and illegally elected councillors, of which she is one.
Do you purport to speak for all the people of the borough?
Do you really think EVERYBODY knows what has happened?
Believe it or not, just because you are bored does not mean everybody else is bored or thinks the messages are unimportant!
Not only is the tone wrong, Biggs is also in denial. Whilst the spotlight of the damning verdict of the election court is rightly on Lutfur et al, let’s not forget the judge’s scathing comments about Labour in the events leading to Lutfur’s ousting from the party. We’re faced with a miserable selection of candidates for mayor, there’s no sign at all the the political rot in Tower Hamlets is set to change.
I would have more respect for Biggs if he spent less time attacking Rabina, mayoral cars and East End Life – and more on how he plans to reform Labour in Tower Hamlets so that it can be an effective party for driving change in our borough.
Konnu, are you Darren? You talk the same crap.
Dave, it’s a shame that instead of offering a reasoned explanation for why you disagree with what I said, you resort to slagging me off.
Do please understand the difference between a Mayor and the Leader of a Political Party!
Reforming the Labour Party in Tower Hamlets is NOT the job of an elected Labour Mayor. If Biggs is elected, I think the voters are entitled to know that his job will be purely devoted to sorting out the Council and how it spends its money.
The local electorate have no scope to elect the Leader of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party.
Sorting out the Labour Party is the job of the London Labour Party – which still has it on special measures so far as I am aware – and the elected political leader of the Labour Party in Tower Hamlets – which was Cllr. Rachel Saunders last time I looked.
The idea that Biggs could be elected as a Labour candidate for Mayor yet have no influence in reforming his local party would be worrying – why stand for Labour at all? Labour in Tower Hamlets has been dysfunctional for years, much to the detriment of the borough, which would have benefited from a strong Labour group. If Biggs can’t help bring about change, even if it’s just by saying what needs to be said, then he’s certainly not worth a vote.
You are seriously suggesting that the entire electorate of Tower Hamlets should be able to dictate to the local Labour Party who is the person best placed to sort out their “local difficulties”?
Really?
Do you really NOT understand about democracy and elections?
If the majority of the electorate is minded to have a Labour Mayor, I for one would be quite happy having a Labour Mayor who is one person and a completely different person devoting their time to sorting out the problems and issues that the local party faces.
I for one do NOT want a Mayor being distracted by the issues which have not been resolved in (I’ve lost count!) years!
You forget the Mayor is NOT a leader of a group of councillors. The role is quite different to the Leader of the largest elected group. It can be the same person but it doesn’t need to be. Just as it won’t be if any of the others are elected.
Now is that explanation simple enough for you? Do you now “get it”?
You are suggesting that a Labour Mayor should have no regard for improving his own local party?
Do you really NOT understand about democracy and elections?
You forget that the Mayor is NOT expected to work isolated from the elected councillors, but preferably in cooperation with them – most especially those of his own party.
Now is that explanation simple enough for you? Do you now “get it”?
I don’t apologise for throwing your own condescending, patronising words back at you, nor do I appreciate my own comments being twisted and misrepresented by you. You are entitled to disagree with my assertion that Biggs should have due regard for reforming Labour locally, but your manner in doing so is poor.
I never suggested that he should have “no regard”.
I suggested he was “not responsible”.
The words have different meanings.
I also suggested that this election was about
* who should be Mayor and
* NOT who should sort out the TH Labour Party.
I also suggested that the local electorate had absolutely no remit to determine who was responsible for sorting out the local party. The only people who can decide who is responsible are:
1. National Labour Party
2. London Labour Party
3. members of the Local Tower Hamlets Labour Party
I’m sorry you find my words so demeaning. I was just finding it increasingly tedious having to find different ways of explaining why
* your assumptions as to what he is responsible for are wrong
* it’s a bad idea to criticise somebody for something for which he is not responsible
Why don’t you address your questions to:
1) Rachel Saunders – she’s the Labour Group Leader
2) Rushanara Ali – the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
3) Jim Fitzpatrick – the Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse
Are you suggesting they have no role whatsoever in sorting out TH Labour Party?
While we’re at it – maybe could you maybe ask them why Lutfur Rahman is identified as the Secretary of Lansbury & Poplar Branch
http://www.towerhamletslabour.org.uk/people
Different Lutfur Rahman
Thought so – poor man!
“Are you suggesting they have no role whatsoever in sorting out TH Labour Party?”
Of course, I made no such suggestion; I didn’t even hint at such. You seem horrified at the suggestion that Biggs, standing for Mayor on the ticket of a Labour party heavily criticised in the court judgement, should have something to say about reforming his party. I didn’t say he was responsible for it, one of your several errors above; but he certainly is in a position to push for reform, even more so if he becomes Mayor.
As Biggs makes clear in his piece above, this Mayoral election can be about choosing his party:
“… the choice is between Labour or more of the same under Lutfur Rahman’s candidate.”
He along with other leading Labour members should acknowledge past mistakes and commit to help put things right.
Konnu is correct about “nasty Labour”.
Labour did not care about Rahman’s abuse and misconduct. That is why the rich Labour Party never bothered to serve an election petition.
Nasty Labour were also criticised in the Birmingham postal voting fraud.
Just like the weird Tories, currently stabbing Cameron in his back just as happened with John Mayor’s , Labour is plain nasty and occasionally vicious.
Just wish the SNP had stood in the English parliamentary elections.
Curious MacCat
I’ve just sat through two hours of hustings and all the candidates who attended (well Rabina was a no show – there’s a suprise) have similar policies (ditch the town hall move; ditch East End Life; ditch the dozen advisors; ditch the mayoral taxi; clean up [both physically and metaphorically] the borough; open government; meetings in English; engage with the whole community, etc, etc..).
It is highly likely to be between John Biggs and Rabina Khan so second preference votes are important. John’s piece hones in on that.
It is a mixture of negative and positive, looking back and looking forward. Bearing in mind all that the borough has been through I think the piece needed to be of different shades and that’s what it was.
Wonders will never cease.
Shame the election has been hijacked by uncaring political parties who don’t care – they just want power at any cost.
Curious Cat.
It’s totally unsurprising that the majority of candidates would say the same thing. There is a need to disassociate themselves from a Mayoral “Bling and Patronage” Model which not only did not work but also abused all the good people of Tower Hamlets.
If the law was still in place which required politicians to repay the cost of any decisions they make which are “ultra vires” (outside the law), it seems very likely that the ex Mayor would have a very big bill to pay in addition to his absolutely enormous legal bills for the costs of the plaintiffs and his own costs.
Wow- was there such a law? We MUST bring it back!
Repealed by Labour
Local Government Act 2000 c.22
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/22/section/90
Are you Deficit Denier? No becauses deficits occur in most years and very rarely do we have a surplus. In other word there alway is a deficit: how does anyone answer this loaded question without appearing guilty? Mr Paxman why are you parroting George Osborne’s trick soundbite question did he ask you to?
Exposed! The BBC News Is a Mouthpiece For The Tories!
“Our ‘impartial’ broadcasters have become mouthpieces of the elite”
– George Monbiot
You may have wondered why BBC News presenters, journalists and political editors during 2010 -2013 were constantly parroting Conservative (my party) soundbites and narratives. Well, it certainly does not happen by accident. May be one person for a day but nearly all of the front line staff parroting the same sound bites every day for three years? Are we supposed to believe it is some sought of happy coincidence; no, that dog don’t hunt.
In this article, I expose just two of the many economic illiterate Conservative trick sound bite questions employed by the BBC to dupe, it’s viewers into believing there was massive overspending by the last Labour government and it was this that caused the recession. I then reveal why the BBC staff were parroting them. The two trick soundbite questions are:
When are you going apologise for overspending?
I love asking this loaded question because Labour MP’s can’t answer it without looking guilty and the viewers are too stupid to know any better — they believe anything. Mr Osbourne am I doing a good job?
This question implies to viewers that there has never been overspending. However, if by overspending one means spending more than the country earns in income (a budget deficit), then we have been overspending for two centuries; as chart 13 on page 284 illustrates in the Bank of England quarterly bulletin by the actual fiscal surplus line.
Hence, the term overspending is simply to scare the public into assuming budget deficits rarely occur; as I point out in my last article in the Huffington Post they occur in almost all years and very rarely do we have a surplus — read claim one. Nearly everyone at BBC has parroted this trick question but it certainly is Joe Coburn’s and Andrew Marr’s favourite. Nevertheless, take note David DimblebIy, the facts according to the Treasury and the ONS as collected by the OBR (table C15 page 104) show:
1996/7 Labour inherited a structural deficit of — 2.2% & prior to the recession 2007 it was cut to — 0.4%, which is a huge cut of 82% RT
1996/7 Labour inherited a budget deficit of — 2.7% & by time of the recession 2007 it was cut to — 0.4%, which is a huge cut of 85% RT
1996/7 Labour inherited a PSNB Borrowings of 3.4% & prior to the recession 2007 it was cut to 2.3%, which is a cut of 32% RT
1996/7 Labour inherited a Debt of 42.5% & before 2007 it was cut to 36%, which is a cut of 16% RT
Do you know I was a member of the Bullingdon Club. We boys stick together that’s why they call it a club.
I did complain about Jo Coburn and Andrew Mar parroting this misleading soundbite but after about 5 months the BBC Trust ruled that they did not mislead viewers. Furthermore, there was no more recourse for a further appeal because time had lapsed by two weeks. Essentially, the BBC are saying the treasury, the ONS and the OBR are lying. The BBC are a law upon themselves who decide what it chooses to be fact or the truth. However, there is more to this at the end.
2. So you want spend more to reduce the deficit or I don’t understand how do you reduce the deficit by borrowing or spending more?
What you want to spend more to cut the deficit! Are you mad? Every housewife knows you must tighten your belt in times of a recession! George Osborne did I parrot that correctly?
The underlying claim or message of this question is that expenditure increases the deficit. Therefore, the only way to cut the deficit is by cuts –austerity.
This is an economic illiterate question because increased government expenditure ceteris paribus adds more to revenue than it does to the debt because of the multiplier effect. Hence, the deficit falls because an increase in expenditure increases income GDP and as income rises; the unemployment rate falls, which reduces expenditure on welfare benefits and so, reduces the deficit — its basic schoolboy economics.
To name a few who have used this line to pull the wool over its viewers are Kirsty Wark, Laura Kuenssberg, Allegra Stratton and Jon Sopel and many many more.
Be under no illusions the BBC work very closely with Downing Street. I could mention what many of my sources have said but that’s just hearsay. However, I leave it to two video’s, which prove that Downing Street works very closely with BBC.
Firstly, we have the highly irregular calling in of the Director General of the BBC into Downing Street; to discuss the coverage of spending cuts. Translate how to report the cuts. The BBC knowing it was exposed spun the story to: “Cosying up to the coalition upsets Labour”; to imply to viewers that the BBC cosying up to the Coalition amounts to the same thing as Labour cosying up to The Sun. Well, people do not pay a licence fee to The Sun to provide impartial news reporting do they? Watch:
In English please.
‘RT’ probably means Putin’s TV channel channel called
We all know how Mother Russia under her current leader gleefully and regularly distorts the truth …. like the Russians never invaded Ukraine etc.
CC.
BORING! This is a troll – pay him no attention.
Since the 3 main stream political parties have an agenda of doing away with Executive Mayor system there is a potential risking of voting for John Biggs.
the development that occurred during the Executive Mayorship of Lutfur Rahman will be at risk if John Biggs wins the June election.
Shamsiddin the position cannot be done away with unless the public vote to do so in a public referendum and the earliest that can happen is in 2020
The 3 mainstream political parties don’t have an agenda to do away with the post. Your statement is false.
Also in English please.
I meant Shasiddin, 399.
More lies from THE TROLL! Ignore him.
All I have heard from all corners is the same old cockle and bull. One would expect more from the mainstream parties but the truth of the matter remains – they are all in denial and none prepared to admit their own selfish shortcomings.
Mr. Biggs, are you attempting to tell us all that the Labour party in Tower Hamlets cannot offer us more than only a part-time Mayor in you? I understand you still have responsibility for your GLA constituency which is much much larger than just Tower Hamlets? How can it be fair upon your GLA responsibilities aswell as the full-time mayor we so desperately need to concentrate on ‘doing’ everything you all blabber on about in your respective manifestos, when you can’t do two jobs justice? Either you are not serious about our borough, or not serious about your GLA role – although you will get paid two full-time salaries of £55K and £65K respectively. Getting on your high-horse about trivial matters such as a mayoral car is easy. Why not explain how you think you can possibly detach your GLA meetings and full on council meetings? It is no use saying you will take a salary cut if you do ever propose such. We need a full-time mayor committed to our borough. The message you clearly send out is you’re as greedy and selfish as the MP’s who happily accept a 7K payrise whilst the NHS you all claim needs attention is strangling already low-paid staff who cannot even afford the rents demanded in Tower Hamlets to enable them to live here to work!
Surely the Labour party here in Tower Hamlets could have chosen a full-time mayoral candidate? Or is no one else good enough? I assume whilst you have been busy campaigning full-time for your second salary, we the taxpayers are still paying you your GLA salary – for doing sod all for the GLA!
We need a new fresh politics here which is not greedy or controlled by your party officials. Lets get behind Andy Erlam and nit even give another chance to the usual suspects. That way we can experience the difference leading up to 2018.
Hear, Hear Mr None of the Above.
The mayorship needs an intellectual or at least someone who is not a political party’s pet moron. It needs some who can analytically think about the problems and devise solutions.
That’s it. Someone who is not afraid of walking the streets of Tower Hamlets with an umbrella rather than the dregs of humanity who put themselves ahead of the public they keep pretending to represent.
So the ideal candidate is:-
(1) Non-political
(2) Articulate in English reeding and right-ting
(3) A thinker
(4) A fair and considerate person
(5) Someone who genuinely wants to do good independently of England’s crap and often sub-standard political parties.
Curious Cat.
🙂
Bit late in the day for all of that I would have thought.
Yep. I agree. Far too late. But that is the perpetual story of failing clueless Tower Hamlets politicians.
Curious Cat.
If Andy Erlam had made as much effort with his election campaign as he did with his petition then he might have got votes.
As it is neglecting the door knocker and the old fashioned ways of communicating face to face probably means he will not do well – and that a vote for him could be a wasted vote
I’m very surprised to find myself writing that! However I have not been impressed by the Erlam campaign.
Biggs should be worried. 150 tories were out today for Golds
I think Peter will do v well.
Despite his age, he genuinely seems to care.
Let’s face it, Golds is the only credible candidate. Real policies, a proven track record, and the gumption to tackle the real issues without fear of upsetting the revolting masses.
Biggs, whilst a sweet great uncle/Wortherd Originals type figure, appears unable to tackle any of the issues directly. Also, isn’t he at least partially to blame for this fiasco in the first place? As are labour in general, as per usual!
Khan, is a racist, lying, deluded, Lutfurite/IFE puppet, who cannot answer a direct question with a direct answer. She has also shown repeated contempt for this entire process, by lying about her daughter’s health, deeming the vast majority of hustings beneath her, and using the disgraced former Mayor on her publicity machine on numerous occasions.
McQueen isn’t even worth mentioning.
Whilst Earlham is to be commended for being pivotal in ousting Rahman and Choudary, he’s not really up for the job, if interviews and hustings are anything to go by.
To be fair, the Libdems, Greens and Animal Welfare Lady have some good stuff between them, if you can get past the lunacy and lack of reputation or experience.
Oh Golly. Grim is not going to send Rabina a Christmas card later this year.
Labour always leaves an uneasy, an unhappy and a worrying feeling. Apart from two jobs Biggs, one has to wonder if the national Labour Party will seek to pull Biggs’ strings if elected.
Essentially – is Biggs a strong enough character to do the job the public need ? Don’t think so, because his name was not on the election petition which means he was content for Lutfur Rahman to remain in office as the Mayor.
When a candidate has no guts to openly challenge wrong doing, he can not be a proper champion of the people.
CC.
I’m absolutely sure that Peter Golds will do very well. Peter now has a major public profile and is very clearly seen as being one of the people who helped to bring about the demise of Rahman.
I think the Conservatives have finally woken up to the fact that the change in the mix of housing in this borough makes this a winnable seat – particularly if people continue to vote for an independent Bangladeshi candidate.
All the Conservative Party has to do mobilise the vote.
Let’s also not forget that at the last two General Elections the Conservatives got 20% of the vote.
The 8% they got in the 2014 Mayoral election was clearly related to it being a candidate who nobody knew.
As soon as Golds put himself in the frame it changed the outcome of the election.
If I sent her a Christmas card, it’d smell like marzipan.
Mr NONE. If John Biggs were to get in then he would have the support of the around half the council chamber (50% if Labour win the councillor by-election). If Andy were to get in he would not automatically have the support of anyone in the council chamber. I wish Andy had stood in the councillor byelection. He would (with the help of Labour and Tories) got elected and then could have performed a very useful role in the council.
Do you think John Biggs should have signed on in the off chance another Tower Hamlets Mayoral Election turned up? He has stated he will step down from his City Hall post in 2016 when those elections take place.
@Man on the moon: Labour could have chosen any other candidate apart from Greedy Biggs who (should) is already occupied with a full-time elected paid elected role. How you can attempt to defend this fact is worrying? John Biggs was elected to serve GLA till 2016. If he finds his GLA role unworthy, he should have stepped-down when he decided to put himself forward for the Mayoralty. Elected positions are a privilege, not a right to claiming two full-time salaries for two jobs part-time!
If the Labour party was truly about opportunities, it would not encave itself into the power hungry hands of only the few. If Biggs had given up his GLA role and demonstrated 100% commitment to getting elected as Mayor, I would have given him the benefit of the doubt. I’m sorry but it will be a sad day for true hardworking people of this country if we are to follow the example of Boris as Mayor of London and MP – two full-time salaries in return if two part-time jobs. These politicians clearly demonstrate personal ambition and greed over commitment and integrity.
These politicians clearly demonstrate personal ambition and greed over commitment and integrity.
Hear, hear.
Sad you are not contesting the mayorship. Tower Hamlets needs lots of new and invigorating fresh air !
Curious Cat.
Yes, yes, yes BUT did you ever campaign about all these issues during the reign of Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets ?
Its easy to jump onto a moving band-wagon (or the rear platform of a lovely, probably all gone 😦 , Routemaster (standard or ‘L’ but not ‘C’) double-decker bus), but those who genuinely care for non-political purposes know only too well how difficult it is to initially get that band-wagon moving.
Less than a week to go and I really do wonder if slick Rabina will win. As many politicians know, fooling the uninformed public is relatively easy especially when those uttering the promises are simply polished political con-men (and women) who don’t really care about the public like some of us actually do.
Sick Tower Hamlets. Cesspit of alleged democracy. Its going to be the same after election day.
Curious Cat
Routemaster types: RM, RML (long with the extension in the middle – London Transport Country Bus Services) and RMC (coach on Greenline)
So who will you be voting for?
What do you mean you don’t live in the borough and don’t have a vote?
How come you feel entitled to lecture people endlessly?
I’ll certainly not be voting for Daughter of Rahman.
Let’s be very clear for the readers – you’re NOT voting for anyone period
That’s based on your previous assertion that you do not live in the borough. Hence you’re not entitled to vote.
Or are you one of those phantom voters?
My voting intentions remain private. 🙂
Just watched the news on Bangla Tv (Sky 786). It seems Labour choose to use a council venue to hold a public election rally. Wonder if Cllr. Gold’s can clarify if this abuses election law as he seemed very concerned about East End Homes allowing Cllr. Rabina a similar abuse?
Anyhow, the three female Labour MP’s of Bangladeshi origin were present to rally support. However I could not understand what the f*** the location of the UK visa office in Bangladesh has got to do with the affairs of John Biggs or Tower Hamlets Council? This just goes to prove that they are willing to talk crap in order to get the Bangladeshi voters excited about their campaign although the subject matter is irrelevant to the council. Sickening to watch how they manipulate innocent nieve Bangladeshi voters.
By the way, before everyone gets excited about the turnout, which by the way included a certain Shiraj Haque wearing Vote Labour badges, most came to get a glimpse and take pictures with newly elected Kilburm MP, Tulip Siddiqui who also happens to be the neice of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. So there you have it. The man who once had his supporters throwing anti-semetic abuse and calling Cllr. Gold’s ‘Gay’ is now hand-in-hand with John Biggs Labour campaign. PLEASE VOTE FOR GOLD’s. Atleast he is a committed and honest councillor unafraid or undeterred from challenging all that is wrong with Tower Hamlets Council and its politics.
Sickening to watch how they manipulate innocent nieve Bangladeshi voters.
(1) None of the so-called Commonweath citizens (excluding UK citizens) should ever get a free vote in British elections, except for local council elections providing all Council Tax payers have the same Right to vote.
(2) If the foreigners are illiterate or can not properly understand English they should not be allowed to vote.
(3) I agree Gold is the better candidate for many reasons. I don’t care whether he is a Muslim, Baptist, Hindi or anything else. Its the quality of the candidate that really does count.
I suspect Tower Hamlets will keep its long tradition of electing crap, once again 😦
Curious Cat.
Oh dear. Yet another person who can’t be bothered to read the guidance to election candidates and agents. http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission_pdf_file/0015/14154/UKPE-CA-by-election-guidance.pdf
While it doesn’t specifically address the use of PUBLIC OPEN SPACE (Guess what? The clue is in the name of the facility) it does cover those Council facilities which are NOT public open space but which the Council will permit access to for the purposes of electoral campaigns – namely:
* suitable rooms in any community, foundation or voluntary school in the constituency
* Any public meeting room situated in the constituency that is supported out of public funds
Interestingly campaigning outside schools and interfering with the free access of parents – as advocated by Cllr Rabina Kahn – appears to be much closer to the prohibition on campaigning outside polling booths – as per the above guidance!
YCMIU- I’m beginning to be seriously impressed with you- I wish I knew about this- I’ve been trying to organise hustings (unsuccessfully).
I see Rabina keeps describing herself as a ” Working mum”. Does anyone know what she does?
And what’s a “non-working mum”?
Oh well said! 🙂
No idea, can you tell us?
I should imagine fiddling expenses, allocating housing to people of her motherland, flouting election rules, lying to the electorate and fainting at will takes up most of her time.
She probably spends the rest of her time taking orders from Lutfur and the IFE hotline.
Sometimes there really aren’t enough hours in the day!
It would be interesting to hear from some genuine Labour supporters as to why they are backing John Biggs – as opposed to Trolls (ignore him/them) and rabble rousers for the Golds election campaign.
The latter would be far better employed being out canvassing for him – but then one of you doesn’t even live in the borough and doesn’t even have a vote in this election – do you Curious Cat?
Maybe I was out canvassing….
💋💋💋💋💋💋💋
When I was banging on doors yesterday, did I inadvertently wake you from your peaceful snoring slumbers ?
I know most children are irritable when they don’t have sufficient sleep.
CC.
I shall have to start calling you “Stray Cat’ – the term usually used for those who have wandered far from their own home
There are lots of people in the borough at the moment helping with the canvassing who don’t live here. The issue is about the lecturing by somebody who doesn’t have a vote here.
Dear Couldn’t,
Thank you so much for your kind invitation to “lecture” here today.
Well, if I were the Mayor of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets I would be banging on the doors of virtually all the rich Docklands giants with a laminated A3 picture in my left hand (showing the worse deprived area in TH and the prestigious Docklands) and my right hand would be open palm-up ready to receive a pledge of man/woman hours every month and/or a cheque towards the Mayor’s Fund for the Betterment of Tower Hamlets.
Never been a socialist / communist or even a Labour supporter but I do recognise there is oodles of talent, ability and dosh in Docklands, so as Mayor I would want the crumbs to flow into the Mayor’s fund for local improvements and socially good causes.
Its all about working harmoniously with everyone. I don’t want bribes, back-handers or dodgy handshakes, I just want local success.
How many of the mayoral candidates have mention my ad-hoc spontaneous idea ?
See, being a great mayor is easy. Just need ideas and a friendly bit of cold-calling 🙂 Faced with the prospect of the mayor banging on the corporate front door with a large collection tin, the donations would flood-in to the Mayor’s office before the mayor left on his daily trip to Dockland’s finest.
Yours sincerely,
Curious Cat.
I see Dianne Abbot was out campaigning for John Biggs yesterday
http://grayee.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/west-hammers-out-campaigning-for-john.html
and that Sadiq Khan MP, will be campaigning for him today (Sunday).
I wonder how many more heavyweight Labour Politicians will be getting behind John Biggs? It certainly makes a difference to his profile within the Labour Party at a national level!
Although I can’t stand Abbott, an obnoxious racist who sent her son to a private school because the ones in her own constituency weren’t good enough, the fact that she has been out and Khan will be today is evidence of how Labour central have now realised that they have to win Tower Hamlets.
Having the Bangladeshi women MPs and Sadiq Khan will also help greatly especially amongst younger Bangladeshis many of whom I know are distinctly embarrassed at the way their community is portrayed.
Re last para. seems like Bangladesh News website bdnews24.com is thinking along the same lines
see their article from yesterday
Three British-Bangladeshi MPs seek vote for John Biggs at Tower Hamlets
http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2015/06/06/three-british-bangladeshi-mps-seek-vote-for-john-biggs-at-tower-hamlets
According to Sunday Politics on the BBC (there was an item about Tower Hamlets), Dianne Abbott intends to be back campaigning tomorrow as well.
Looks like Labour is going all out on this one.
Just what we need, that moron Abbott boring voters to tears whilst she drools and spits saliva on them.
Umbrellas up!
There’s no need to be quite so offensive!
Why, it’s true. She is another hypocrite. Spouting her leftist garbage whilst sending her offspring to public school.
Do as I say, not as I do springs to mind. I hate hypochrisy!
You might want to try reading this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3229453.stm
If she helps keep Rabin out it won’t be so bad.
The latest from The Guardian
Tower Hamlets mayoral election re-run hit by claims of irregularities
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/07/tower-hamlets-mayoral-election-re-run-claims-irregularities
From what I’ve seen so far – based on comments on this blog and tweets online – there continues to be a general ignorance of the DETAIL of what the guidance from the Electoral Commission actually says.
It also seems very likely that a number of allegations have also been made by those who think “what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander” i.e. variations on “let’s get our own back on Biggs”
I certainly suspect that at least some of the accusations (against practices alleged to be connected to Biggs) are being made by supporters of the ex Mayor with a view to saying “you won’t allow our complaints – and yet you accused the Mayor of the same thing and found him guilty – it’s not fair – you are being a racist/Islamaphobe”
Watch Biggs perform on the BBC Political News item – and you will note that he is very well aware of what people are up to.
I do wonder at times whether some people credit anybody in the police or judiciary with any common sense at all!
The ex-Mayor needs to remember that he needs to overturn every single one of the actions he was found guilty of to get any review of the penalty he incurred in terms of being removed from office, being banned from public office and being liable for his own and the plaintiffs’ legal costs.
=> Couldn’t
The ex-Mayor needs to remember that he needs to overturn every single one of the actions he was found guilty of to get any review of the penalty he incurred in terms of being removed from office, being banned from public office and being liable for his own and the plaintiffs’ legal costs.
Most unlikely. See the report to three High Court judges ……
http://law.slough.info/law46/law46p070.php
Curious Cat.
I’m looking – I can’t see anything which suggests my statement is wrong.
Maybe you could be more precise as to the precise grounds (paragraphs please) for your assertion of ‘most unlikely’ ?
In the meantime you might want to take a look at paragraph 33
My evidence is in the Formal Conclusions http://law.slough.info/law46/law46p066.php
=> Couldn’t
By I was referring to the former mayor’s ‘need’ in your posting:-
to overturn every single one of the actions he was found guilty of
The removal from office and costs are solely dependant upon his ‘overturning’. Essentially the penalty, as you describe, it goes with the civil court’s judgement.
Like many observers, I tend to think Mr Rahman will not challenge the Election Hearing’s determination despite in these columns the occasional reference to Mr Rahman’s .
Hope that helps.
Curious Cat.
Is John Biggs also in denial about his responsibility for the state of local politics? Is Biggs part of the solution or part of the problem?
Tower Hamlets has been dragged through the headlines, because local politicians from all the mainstream political parties have mismanaged the local government machine and looked the other way. He has responsibility for the state of local government in Tower Hamlets. Remember, John was Leader and has been a leading local politician for years. He may not have known about corruption but what does this say about his awareness and capabilities?
John Biggs is talking like a public affairs consultant when he talks about Tower Hamlets’ “reputation issues”. Everyone knows that Tower Hamlets is one of the most corrupt local authorities in the country. The reputation will only improve when the reality changes. To press ahead as if all is well, is nothing more than sweeping corruption under the carpet.
It is worrying that Labour is promising its second preference votes to the Tories and the Tories theirs to Labour. Don’t these people ever learn? It’s frankly patronising of politicians to ‘promise’ their voters votes at all. Surely, this is what Rahman did? And what does it say about their attitudes towards their own supporters?
Biggs is presumptuous to already be handing out jobs to his cronies. Last thursday, his rival colleague Rachel Saunders promised at the Budist Centre that John will appoint THREE deputy mayors. Whether paid or not, isn’t this rather arrogant and presumptuous? I expect promises have already been made behind the scenes. There is a slight issue. The voters have yet to decide.
Party bosses believe that Tower Hamlets belongs to Labour – that it’s votes can be given away in back room deals. Has Labour done a deal with the Tories? If so what has been offered? Do we know that Labour has not done a deal with the former Tower Hamlets First group? For all we know, Ms. Khan may be appointed Deputy Mayor or admitted back to the Labour Party after a dignified interval. Evidence that Rahman and Alibor met with Ed Balls and agreed on “a pathway” for Rahman just before the Petition was lodged with the court have never been denied.
Biggs likes to assume that he is one of the two serious candidates in this election. He is basically saying that this election is a choice between Labour and Labour. What he fails to address is that there has been a step-change in politics since the Election Court and as the judge said, it was Labour that created the problem in the first place. So why should the good people of Tower Hamlets settle for more of the same?
John Biggs wasn’t the slightest help at the early stages of the Election Petition. Indeed, some found his activities unhelpful. Reportedly he told journalists that he was keeping a distance from the Petition. As a back room lawyer Biggs gave lots of unreliable and uninvited advice to Petitioners. The local Labour Party leaders were also luke-warm in their help and refused to co-operate for months. One local Labour worthy was said to have stopped staff from helping with evidence. Biggs and Golds only became active with the Election Court when it was clear that the Petition would succeed and provide a bandwagon.
Why should we trust these fair weather friends?
I’m not allowed to disagree with you at the moment. I have been censored.
By whom ?
Yer. Just read it.
Abuse is an unsatisfactory substitute for intellectual reasoning when arguing against those who genuinely want change and improvement.
Lee makes some worrying points about Labour.
Curious Cat.
You are a thick Trot.
That is a very unfair comment about Peter Golds. He has been the only consistent voice of any opposition and has been abused personally for his efforts not just by THF but also by the behaviour of some of the Council’s top officers. You should withdraw that remark whatever your politics.
I agree. Obviously, I support Peter Golds, but that’s down to his reputation and policies. He has fought tirelessly to highlight the shortcomings of the politics of this borough, and had been subjected to vile personal abuse and stuff as a result for many years. Much of which, I won’t dignify by repeating. I doubt if many others would keep fighting for what’s right had they been in the firing line for so long.
However, I do agree partially about Biggs and the others jumping on the bandwagon, once it turned out to be getting results.
=> Lee
He may not have known about corruption but what does this say about his awareness and capabilities?
Having some first hand experience of local authority corruption, I personally know that corrupt council staff and corrupt councillors never ever hold-up a big banner stating I am involved in corruption. Instead they meet in dimly lit supermarket car parks on a Saturday evening, have discreet meals and drinks well away from the area, meet in sports clubs, have short discreet telephone calls. How can Peter Golds know what the crooks in his area are doing tonight ? One can suspect the crooks of corruption but finding sufficient reliable evidence and a police force genuinely keen to take action is very difficult.
Biggs and Golds only became active with the Election Court when it was clear that the Petition would succeed and provide a bandwagon.
The judge pronounced differently. He thought Golds have been an active campaigner and complainer for a long time, creating the impression he (Golds) did actually care about Tower Hamlets.
Curious Cat.
It’s a choice between having a corrupt administration or not. If Rabina wins it will be more of the same.
There was never a time when it became clear the petition would succeed. If there was, it would have had to have been after Biggs and Golds contributed so by extension, anything they did was helpful.
I would say that the petition created its own momentum over time as more and more people heard about it and then began to contribute evidence. People came on board at different stages as it built the case.
I think it was only as the court case began to unfold and we began to hear the evidence that people began to hope that the petition might succeed. Even going down to the wire – and Mawrey’s judgement – I defy anybody to say that the result it achieved was a cast iron certainty.
Don’t forget that both Biggs and Golds were two people (amongst many) who had been involved in a number of initiatives prior to this to highlight things which had gone wrong – to little effect.
For that the regulatory authorities should be in the dock – not those who took the trouble to report matters to them!!
All due respect to Andy Erlam and his fellow petitioners for actually finding a way to present evidence which didn’t get pushed to one side by the proper regulatory authorities who should have been doing their job properly – and who are noticeably more in evidence and taking allegations much more seriously for this election.
If you are unsure who to vote for, the last husting is Tuesday night at St Johns Community Centre, 37 Glengall Grove, E14 3NE (behind ASDA, close to Crossharbour DLR) at 7.30pm all of the main candidates are attending – Biggs, Golds, Foster, Erlam, Bagshaw, McQueen. Rabina Khan has been invited but has not yet responded to the invitation. It is being organised by the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Planning Forum.
No doubt there will be some kind of ‘personal emergency’ preventing Khan from attending……
Probably against her human rights………..
Oh the Right not to make a fool of one’s self in public ?
Why does nobody talk about the real issues re Tower Hamlets Council? Since Labour took over from the LibDems a decade and a half ago the council has been run for the primary benefit of the Bangladeshi community and every other group has been screwed. Look at the massive overdevelopment that has happened on the Isle of Dogs while the developers’ contributions have been spent in other areas. The best thing that could happen to the area would be a massive crackdown on all the Bangladeshi illegals in the area and their deportation back to Bangladesh. I’m sure more than 1,000 could be rounded up. The rest of us are tired of supporting the Bangladeshi lifestyle.
And in the last 5 years the Council was run by a lying and corrupt Mayor and his 17 corruptly elected former THF Councillors run for the primary benefit of the Bangladeshi community and every other group has been screwed.
We do talk about them it’s just that you haven’t noticed.
The BBC report the Police are once again investigating voting fraud. Labour should have won the election. Good luck Biggs and grind them into the ground.
One last point that everyone genuinely interested in housing needs to know is this – what has been the level of accountability by the decision-making personnel on housing in the past 5 years? If people really looked for evidence, they will find plenty to show that the Council has destroyed much of the genuinely social housing in the borough in the past 5 years. Nobody has been held to account for this single most
worst disaster to hit thousands of families and more.
Looks like leopards don’t change their spots:-
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tower-hamlets-candidate-to-give-electoral-fraud-dossier-to-police-10305239.html
Are we really surprised? Once a lying, cheating, nasty, crooked political party……oh Rabina, and you a working mum too. Think of the example you’re setting your children. Perhaps one day you can come clean, visiting order permitting, naturally.
Andy Erlam certainly knows how to ratchet up the public interest close to the election!
Here’s the the BBC News reporting an Andy Erlam concern about voter registration at Robin Hood Gardens – just going to show it pays to check the details!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33057261
Plus this is Andy Erlam again on ITV News – this time with the letter he handed to the Met Commissioner
Damning new allegations of Tower Hamlets vote rigging ‘to be handed to Scotland Yard’
http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-06-08/damning-new-allegations-of-tower-hamlets-vote-rigging-to-be-handed-to-scotland-yard/
and Andy Erlam again – in last night’s Evening Standard as well
Tower Hamlets candidate to give ‘electoral fraud’ dossier to police
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tower-hamlets-candidate-to-give-electoral-fraud-dossier-to-police-10305239.html
Plus a comment piece in the Evening Standard on…
Andy Erlam: After Lutfur Rahman, mayors must be more accountable and open
http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/andy-erlam-after-lutfur-rahman-mayors-must-be-more-accountable-and-open-10305006.html
He’s certainly having a go…..
Given Erlam’s past work as a political special advisor I’m not surprised he knows how to play the system.
There has been so much publicity regarding these elections, let’s hope something is going to mobilise people to vote.
Low turnout=Rabina wins.
High turnout=Biggs wins.
The turnout in by-elections is usually low. Let’s hope this will be an exception.
The chance for high turnout was during Parliamentary elections. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but why did we not get to vote for TH Mayor then? It would have been cheaper.
It made me laugh that so many police officers were assigned to guard the stations during the Parliamentary elections- with THF not standing for Parliament, why would there be any disruption? There was no reason for the thugs to come out. But this Thursday I expect the police’s new training in spotting electoral offences will get thorough testing.
Were Rabina to win on a properly high turnout I would begrudgingly accept it, since it was what the people had wanted. People wanted more cuts and more austerity & voted the Tories in- what can you do? You realise it’s not the end of the world. But if there is a low turnout and she wins there will be a sense of stolen (again) election. ITV reported that over 8% of postal votes have been already rejected because date of birth/signature did not match. It is encouraging that these checks are being done, however it is totally disheartening that the electoral fraud simply goes on as if nothing happened. There doesn’t seem to be an effective deterrent, it’s anonymous crime, easy to get away with, like fly-tipping. If the police actually threw someone in prison for once it would help. But I can imagine these crimes are difficult to pin onto a particular individual and therefore difficult to prosecute.
If Rabina (or Rabida- as BBC renamed her-I think it suits her better) wins, the only chance for this Borough would be to beg the Government to take over a complete control of the Council. But with Pickles (who seemed to care) gone, will DCLG bother?
I also believe that a lot of ‘passion’ amongst local folks is due to their misguided belief that Rabina will turn on the spurious-community-projects/thinly disguised bribes funding taps. She cannot, the Commissioners took this over and they will not leave until things are legit.
Also it would be worth alerting people to the fact that Lutfur practically ruined the Council’s finances. Councils are not allowed to go bust these days, so we are not bankrupt, but the reserves are completely depleted, and all avenues to raise additional cash exhausted, such as all real estate that could have been sold off did get sold off.
So to quote Liam Byrne ‘I’m afraid there is no money left’.
It’s pathetic Rabina goes rabid about Tories cuts, which she can do nothing about, but stood by and watched Lutfur bleed the Council’s coffers dry. Money that could have improved poor people’s lives went to incompetent lawyers (litigation was practically a sport for Lutfur, somebody should compile a list of hopeless, unjust and pointless legal proceeding LBTH initiated under his administration), pointless PR people, bribes disguised as bribes and so on and so on.
Postal voting fraud is, in my experience, a fraud perpetuated exclusively (or virtually exclusively) by so called meaning people from the Indian sub-continent (which includes Pakistan and Bangladesh).
Asian-looking people born here (in Britain, so they are actually not but English, Welsh or even Scottish) are substantially less likely to get involved in any sort of postal voting fraud. If they do get involved in it, it is usually because of pressures from people born in the Indian sub-continent.
voting frauds are usually fiddling election expenses, for example by sending by post thousands of election letters and only declaring a small portion of the cost on their election expenses.
When all the become more integrated into British society and begin using English as their everyday language, the Rahman legacy will fade away. Until then Son of Labour’s winning methods linger to be re-used in future elections.
Currently Rabina is exploiting the non-integration into British society, and their resulting gullibility, for her election campaign. In Britain the everyday language should be English. In parts of Tower Hamlets one might think one was in backward Bangladesh !
Curious Cat
Since every candidate is about future and not past, everyone wants to squeeze in more homes in the borough, clean streets, sort out criminal element and feed school kids for free perhaps personalities and not manifestos are to decide.
So it is Erlam – for being brave and taking Rahman down and Golds – for never giving up and always fighting. They certainly deserve recognition for taking a decisive, courageous and effective action against everything that was so clearly wrong over the years and what others were afraid to challenge.
Good luck to Vanessa Hudson and thank you for being engaging and responsive. Warm thoughts towards Nunu for the most entertaining campaign leaflet and Hazif for – quoting my daughter – “Mr Scary Face” picture.
It is no thank you for Biggs – indifferent, weak, seems to be looking for political retirement, was way too happy to accept status quo so bravely challenged by the petitioners.
It is big no no for Rabina for dragging Rahman’s corpse to her campaign, for her economical management of the truth and for ignoring non-Bengali voters.
Ms Bagshaw, Mr Foster and Mr McQueen did not introduce themselves to me in any way.
You should get the job !
Tower Hamlets badly needs someone of your calibre – the alternatives are so depressing.
Curious Cat.
Khan’s manifesto,everything but the kitchen sink.Dubious achievements,policies nicked from other candidates.Shafting old Lutfer.Full of the egotistical, smug persona she radiates.
The main talking point is that photo of Rabby holding a Mr Whippy!!!!When the camera finally clicked what happened?Did she lick it?,toss it or hand it to a passing stranger?Did she pay cash?Perhaps a eyewitness or the ice cream vendor can enlightened us.But what a hilarious picture.
To lighten the mood on election eve,lets have a chuckle.
Although jam packed this was only an abridged version of Rabid’s manifesto.
Other pledges omitted are:
Following on from bringing the Olympics to London,she will bid to bring the World Cup to Tower Hamlets.The final to be played in Victoria Park or Weavers Green.She was also assistant manager to Arsne Wenger and masterminded Arsenal’s cup final win.Mourinho deems her one of the world top tacticians.Was recently short listed for the managers post at West Ham.The real reason she missed so many hustings.Guarantees Senrab fc will be in the Premiership by 2018.
To demonstrate her commitment to open and fair government,if elected, she and all fellow Councillors will fly first class to Zurich and appoint Stepp Blatter as Chief Executive of the borough.When released from Her Majesty rest home Max Clifford will be offered post as media and PR chief.
Social service budget will be massively increased.All council tenants to be given their own butler or maid.Rabby guarantees to make all residents Lottery millionaires within three years.
All residents will have their own THEO.These creatures are expensive to maintain, but are very tame and docile.Any hint of trouble and they scoot away and hide.Love slothfulness and are very idle,tend to hibernate all year.
To continue Lutfer’s obsession with celebrity,Ainsley Harriott will be appointed head of the school meals dept. at £5oo,000 per annum.All childrens meals will be personally cooked by Jamie Oliver on a slightly higher salary of £1000,000.Council tax may have to rise to cover this.Ex One Direction heart throb Zayn Malik will take up the post as head of Poplar College.
She will scrap the Mayors limo.But will replace it with Mayoral helicopter.The plans for the new Town Hall hub in the London Hospital features detailed plans for heliport on roof,personally designed by Rabina.
Rabina is currently in negotiations with the Gallagher brothers to broker the reunion of Oasis.First show to be in Victoria Park or Weavers Field.Plans for Elvis Presley to come out of retirement and play that favourite haunt of local Councillors, The Troxy have hit a snag.More developments when known.Pity what a gig that would have been and a amazing set list, all the hits.
In The Ghetto
Suspicious Minds
Jailhouse Rock
Return To Sender
All Shook Up
T.R.O.U.B.L.E
Until Its Time For You To GO
Don’t Be Cruel.
Rabby promises to win the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK.It will be staged at the Brady Arts Centre.Bad news is that all the adjoining Hanbury Street estate will be demolished to house all the BBC employees required to man the event, pl;us Graham Norton’s trailer.Good news is,Rab promises that within two weeks of the contest ending she will personally build five thousand more homes to replace them!
She will also write,produce and sing the winning entry.As she explains” My song is a poppy,euro beat compo with bangla overtones,its well wicked and guaranteed to be a hit in every country.Comin at cha,my voice is a mash up of Amy Winehouse,Adele and Kate Bush,only better.Rabina will also link up with Lutfer ala Kiki/Elton style for a cover of Mel and Kims old hit RESPECT – able.Wicked.
East End Life will continue bigger and better.Lutfer,George Galloway and Ken Livingstone will be hired on half a mill each per annum as weekly columnists.Rab has confirmed that in the spirit of political openness each copy will carry no more than six snaps of her, hugging a dinner lady,gazing at a Veolia employees dust cart etc. etc.
To expand on her culture plans, York Hall and the Childrens Museum will be demolished.A ten screen multiplex will be built on the site.To be named Rich Mix 2 or Rabina’s Fun Palace.
To confirm her plans to protect the boroughs heritage and reopen Dame Colet House and Poplar Baths,she will also reopen all the old Variety theatres and music halls.She states “Growing up my heroes were Max Wall, wee Charlie Drake, hello my darlings and my absolute favorites the Chuckle Brothers Lutfer and Alibor.They had me in stitches with their outlandish yarns and fantastic tales, it was hard to know who was the straight man of the act, and lets not forget the Three Stooges,Ohid,Shahed and Abjol,hilarious,wonderful times.
Rabby has also been asked to be a judge on the X factor panel.But refused as Parker the council chauffeur did not fancy the trek each weekend to Wembley.A compromise maybe possible,the council are looking at the feasibility of hiring a cab to and from Wembly plus waiting time. if it proves value to the council tax payer.She may also take part in the next series of Big Brother.Reports she will reenact the infamous Galloway/Rula Lenska scene “i’ll be your cat, are just scurrilous gossip.All proceeds will go the Lutfer legal fund.
All residents signing up for Direct Debit payment of council tax will receive a signed copy of her best selling book.
All libraries and Idea Stores will be revamped with special Rabina Sections.Apparently her tome is the most lend title in public borrowing history.There is currently a two year waiting list to borrow it at Watney Street Idea Store.Rabina states when she next has a free hour she will start and finish her new best seller.
In view of her building,record thousands of new homes, the council will be sponsored by Travis Perkins.
To encourage young entrepreneur to set up businesses in Tower Hamlets.The council will offer a free decorating service.They guarantee that within forty eight hours of opening you will be visited by the community spirited local yoofs and they will decorate your shop frontage free of charge.Many examples of their work can be readily seen around the borough.(other colour schemes are available,just contact the town hall for details)
Council employees will have their working hours reduced from four to two hours per day and holiday entitlement will rise to forty eight weeks per year.Unions are arguing this is in fact a decrease, they get fifty two weeks per year now.
When the new town hall at Whitechapel is complete.Blackwall building will still be in operation.It will house all the extra consultants and advisors, Rabina will employ.
Bear Grylls will be employed to lead a expedition into Victoria Park for sighting of those strange creatures,which as grown to a Loch Ness monster frenzy.That is the Park Rangers.Eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen them during daylight hours,but these claims were dismissed.If this project is successful future large amounts of your council tax will go to seek out Tower Hamlets Homes caretakers and market inspectors.Hopefully the mystery of where they all disappear to after eleven am will finally be solved.A number of Rabina ‘s advisers believe there is some type of Bermuda Triangle operating in the borough.
Tower Hamlets will sever relations with neighbours Newham in protest at them introducing spitting penalties.It has always been this councils policy that people can wander freely gobbing where they like and this is an infringement of their human rights.
A statue of Lutfer Rahman will be erected in Altab Ali Park in honour of his service to Tower Hamlets.Three thousand more THEOs will be employed to marshall the expected millions who will attend worldwide to adore their hero.Council tax may have to rise to cover this.
Other things you may not know about Rabina apart from being a best selling novelist,brickie, tv personality are;;
She and Lutfer are solely responsible for the Cross Rail Project and personally carried out the drilling at Whitechapel station themselves.
She once bumped into Homer Simpson in a Whitechapel mini cab office (reasonable rates)
Her entourage of close pals includes Rita Ora, Naomi Campbell and Orville the Duck.
Marvel comics ,so impressed with her feats,single handedly erecting millions of new homes in minutes etc are planning on creating a character based on her to feature in games and films.Hopefully to feature in a future Avengers Assemble movie.Rumours are that fit babe from Slumdog Miillionaire will play her.Or failing that Meera Syall.
When Hollywood gets a round to filming her biop, Rumours are that fit babe from Slumdog Millionaire will portray her.Or failing that’ that bloke who plays Masood in East Enders in drag
Her favourite film is Taxi Driver.She has spent countless hours re running the DeNiro mirror scene and is the inspiration for her po faced surly persona in tv interviews “are you talking to me”
Khan in her spare time likes’ when mini cabs are not available to walk around the borough and admire her and Lutfer’s legacy.The dumped rubbish,sofas,fridges,spit strewn streets,the daubings of the local youths, the drug dealers on all the estates trying to make a living. So imagine how with your vote she can f**k up the borough even more.Oops sorry that should read she can build on her achievements.
Goodness gracious.
The entire continent of Europe will vote for that. 🙂
CC.
And when she delivers on all these promises before her term is over she will fly to the Middle East (on her own wings which she will have grown by then) to bring eternal peace and prosperity.
Dear Monja,
And when she delivers on all these promises
Are you drunk or on drugs ?
Everyone has more chance of winning the National Lottery despite not buying a ticket 🙂
I recall an old Labour party member from Spitalfields – Jewish lady, telling me that she went to Walworth Road to complain about the corruption and malpractice in Tower Hamlets Labour. She was told that they knew all about it, but they weren’t going to do anything about it so long as they were winning. That was when Bunty Biggs was leader of the council. Do you seriously imagine anything has changed?
It will be a lot worse under Rabina who will continue the pattern of lies and corruption perpetrated by her mentor.
No. The only difference is the Spin Doctors and deliberate distortions of the have increased.
It is impossible to clean-up local government whilst the corrupt fester inside the Labour Party. Don’t forget Rahman is a true Son of Llabour – they taught him everything he knows.
Curious Cat.