This is a guest post by John Foster, who is standing for the Greens in Thursday’s election.
Having attended the coronation of Rabina Khan by outgoing mayor Lutfur Rahman, I felt a bit sad that the perpetual factionalism of politics in the East End is still alive and well in Tower Hamlets. Despite a parade of supporters queuing up to vouch for the integrity of Luftur Rahman, the appeal he and his supporters made was still to a narrow part of our community. We need to go beyond this.
I think that a Mayor of Tower Hamlets needs to represent every part of society, I am passionately against the divisions that the politicians of all flavours in this election are trying to artificially impose and exploit in the Borough. There are so many dog whistles being blown by Ukip, the Conservatives, Labour and whatever Tower Hamlets First evolves into, that the people of Tower Hamlets will be plagued with the yapping and howling of strays long into the night over the next 40 days.
Regardless of who wakes up on 12 June as the new Mayor, they must remember that the majority of people in the Borough did not vote for them, in fact – if this by-election follows the pattern of other by-elections in the UK – the majority of voters would not have even bothered to vote at all. It will be fantastic if we can change this, just as a start. Re-engaging people in Tower Hamlets with the political process will be tough, but it will reap its own rewards.
Whoever becomes Mayor will still have to govern in an unbiased way for the good of all the people of Tower Hamlets and will inherit a fractured council chamber and represent what for many in the Borough is a discredited office. If that person continues or accelerates the politics of division and the pattern of factionalism they will have failed all the people of Tower Hamlets and failed democracy.
Which brings me to another point: A lot of the rhetoric at Rabina Khan’s coronation was about democracy – or the denial of it. But fundamentally the office of the mayor and the confrontational system that it establishes is in itself anti-democratic. I’ve never agreed with elected mayors as in my opinion they just add another level of costs and create another opportunity for graft and corruption; they also dilute the power of the Council and councillors which is also anti-democratic.
That’s why I’ll act a Mayor for all residents in Tower Hamlets; and work to bring our communities closer and try and salve the poisonous nature of politics in this Borough. I know – if elected – I won’t have a ready-made faction on the Council chamber to force through legislation, and this is good. It’s good as I’ll have to compromise with all sides to make things happen, and I’d want to work with the best and the brightest elected officials from any party to craft the best of legislation for all the people of Tower Hamlets.
It’ll also give me the opportunity to strengthen the committee system in the Council chamber with an eye to the dissolution – through referendum in five years’ time (the earliest statutory date possible under the law) – of the office of elected mayor and a return to a more direct and democratic cabinet system based on a democratically elected Council.
But in the next five years I’d come with the Green’s own ideas and initiatives. The development of the London Chest Hospital for example is something I’d aim to turn to the benefit of the wider community. We’re losing a core health facility, and are in danger of getting another unaffordable soulless apartment complex for rich, non-resident investors. I’d look to turn this into social and council housing – we’d also work with the local residents affected by the Bishopsgate Goodsyard to find sustainable alternatives.
I would support the residents of Holland Estate and other tenants in the Borough being forced out of their homes and work with a cabinet to drive down unfair leaseholders charges; control rents on social rented homes; and deal with blights on our housing including abandoned scaffolding.
Health would be a priority in any Green administration I was involved in and I would fight to protect our GP surgeries from closing; challenge the government on PFI schemes with a view to suspending any new PFIs; and invest in local social care for elderly and vulnerable residents.
I’d also have at the core of my administration the ethos of community – our greater community – and unite all of our residents in opposition to austerity and protect and expand successful community initiatives including Rich Mix.
The kind of Green Mayor I aim to be would champion small local businesses over large multinational corporations. I’d encourage local content and local suppliers and sustainability to all Council businesses where possible and ensure that all businesses in Tower Hamlets become good corporate citizens, encouraging and supporting businesses established by young people and women.
I hope that this election is fought in good spirit and honourably. The issues need to be addressed. We need to look into problems to do with ballot rigging that have haunted Tower Hamlets since at least 2005. I’d love to be involved in a democratic process that is held up across London and the UK as exemplar and hope the other candidates will stand with me on that.
Trial by Jeory 
Why do you aspire to a cabinet model? The committee model is far more democratic: there’s no practical difference between the cabinet model and the mayoral one apart from that in the latter we get to pick who’s in charge rather than that pretty significant choice being made by party bigwigs behind closed doors.
Sadly the cabinet model appeals to self-important local councillors who fancy themselves in Downing Street, as it was designed to. Didn’t expect this to be a Green policy though.
The committee model is far more democratic:
Absolute agree, one thousand percent. It was abolished by Labour’s Tony Blair. also know as the failure of the Middle East / Palestine peace process – although he did get super rich as a result !
Curious Cat.
This post of course being written by a self important local councillor who has rarely shown his face, but has taken his allowances, after Ted speculated he might join Rahman as the only non Bangladeshi face in the kleptocracy. That wouldn’t have been a good career move, would it?
I was referring to Old Ford1 of course. Over at the Socialist Rapists Party web site http://www.socialistworker.org.uk the loony left have turned out in ” force” to support Rabina. Does anyone know who they are? Probably the entire Tower Hamlets membership!
Tower Hamlets = confusion, corruption, crap …………….
I’m reading this address as him wanting to see the abolition of the post of Mayor and a return to the old committee system used by most other Councils in the UK.
I think a lot of people would agree with that.
When he used ‘cabinet’ he meant the phrase as historically used to mean “collective responsibility” before it became a term for a dysfunctional set of non-people ignored by a dysfunctional Mayor – as per the last administration.
You are entirely correct. This post was originally written in late April relatively quickly, and so perhaps isn’t as nuanced as I would have liked. But of course, the committee system is the preferred system.
Ultimately though, the decision will be for the people of Tower Hamlets in 2020. I would like to play a positive role up until and beyond that point, whether Mayor or not.
I liked what I read. It was nice and it appeared genuine.
> Despite a parade of supporters queuing up to vouch for the integrity of Luftur Rahman
It wasn’t me Guv – honest 😉
I liked especially:
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* = expensive Hire Purchase costing the tax payers more than 5 times the actual cost – real USA-styl;e commercial rip-off imported by Tony Blair.
It would be awfully nice if you and people like Peter Golds would abandon national political party labelling and form a Community Alliance to work together for the real benefit of the local community.
Its great too knowing that, like Peter Golds, you care.
By the way, has anyone bumped into Tower Hamlets most famous (or shud dat be infamous?) working Mum or better known as H.R.H. Princess Royal of Tower Hamlets ? Is her H.R.H. too busy riding the through the streets in her royal carriage to attend public meetings open to the plebs of Tower Hamlets?
Curious Cat.
Are you going to vote Green CC? Or is getting rid of Rahman and co the more important task?
Bye Bye all specks of Rahman 🙂
Green has no chance of ever winning.
Pure vanity politics ” look at me” that could siphon off enough votes to let Rabina Khan in. Your party on its own took enough votes from Labour to let Gulam Rabbani in in Spitalfields. You should be ashamed of your self for standing.
The Green Party is a serious party which is much supported by young people.
That response only illustrates to me that what he is saying is appealing enough to young people for the Green Party to get votes.
Others with a serious chance of winning should take note.
What I would like to hear John Foster saying is who people should include as a second vote if voting for him as a first.
The Green Party is a serious party ……………….
In Tower Hamlets ???
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your message, even though I naturally fundamentally disagree. Labour, nor any other party, have any fundamental right to anyone’s vote, or any seat. Indeed, it’s that attitude, arrogance and complacency which has driven people in droves to other parties, mine own included, in recent years.
We need arrogance out of politics, not least at the local level.
We also need voices who are going to stand up for and properly engage with the community, and in mine and many others opinion, focus on defending our public services, challenge austerity, seriously look at addressing our housing problems, and invest in our kids’ futures. I don’t see that coming from Labour or any other the other Westminster parties bar mine own, in a coordinated and national way. That’s why I’m standing for the Green Party, and that’s why people will be voting Green tomorrow.
You also fail to grasp the electoral system. You have two votes. Vote for me #1 or #2 if you like or if you don’t like, and choose John Biggs, Rabina Khan, Vanessa Hudson or whoever you like. But it’s everyone’s choice, and you get two of them. The system is expressly designed give the voters the choice whether to “let someone else in” or not. We haven’t called for a specific second vote as there are benefits and positives for all candidates and it’s not our right to tell people who to vote for, just to try and convince them to vote for ourselves. We will also be wanting to provide heavy scrutiny of whoever is elected, and we can do that much more easily by not actively supporting anyone else.
As for the Green Party in Tower Hamlets, we came third with 5 times our 2010 vote in the General Election, and now have 500% more members than a year ago. People have joined us in droves as nobody else is talking about the issues we care about. We will be looking to make good on that with and for the residents of Tower Hamlets, either elected or providing scrutiny, over the coming years, whether I am Mayor or not.
Thanks,
John
And you fail to grasp that you may take enough votes to let Khan in. Pathetic.
This man said the other night that he would not abolish East End Life as it would cost people their jobs. It is not the job of the council to create non jobs for people.
It would save 1.3 million scrapping it and think of the all the paper it would save. Your supposed to be Green. But seriously what a timewaster
Until central governments change the law on publishing planning permission, it’s still far cheaper than putting it in local papers.
Toilet paper is more absorbent and softer. Its also a lot cheaper. East End Life hurts my bottom.