Several well-placed Town Hall sources tell me that, yes, it is finally true: Council Leader Chris Robbins is standing down, perhaps by Christmas, certainly by next May. Robbins has always been nervous around selection time, looming now, but in the past, he was at least able partly to control the process. However, with the influx of new members, Waltham Forest Labour is now a rather different kettl... »
A couple of weeks ago, one of my neighbours showed me the letter pasted below. The story it relates to begins some months ago. LBWF announced that it wanted to place a cycle storage pod in Odessa Rd., and contacted 100 households living on both sides of the road near the proposed site in order to get their response. As the letter reveals, 12 households replied, and of those, the (albeit narrow) ma... »
Like many people who have followed Waltham Forest politics over a number of years, I often wonder what the Labour administration in the Town Hall imagines is its overall purpose, its mission in life. Two recent developments have increased my sense of bafflement. Let’s start with an issue that directly impacts on the borough’s poor. Until 2013, every household in England struggling with low income ... »
One notable fact about Waltham Forest politics is that the Conservatives have very little public presence. The party’s 16 councillors huddle in Chingford and its immediate environs. At elections, little effort is expended anywhere else. Between times, while public controversies come and go, it is difficult to recall a singe example of a significant Conservative or Conservative-led response. Sympto... »
Two recent media stories again underline the extent and pernicious nature of the religious extremism which currently permeates Waltham Forest. In early October, the estimable Evening Standard journalist David Churchill reported that a booklet ‘which says “any Muslim should kill” those who insult the Prophet Mohammed’ had allegedly been distributed at the Dar-ul-Uloom Qadria Jilania mosque in Walth... »
In recent weeks, various commentators on social media have questioned why a Pakistani preacher called Muhammad Hassan Haseeb ur Rehman has been allowed into Britain to tour mosques.* For Muhammad Hassan Haseeb ur Rehman is a fervent supporter of Mumtaz Qadri, and the latter is a very controversial figure indeed. The story starts in 2011. Qadri was a policeman guarding the liberal governor of Punja... »
There is a long article in today’s New Statesman about Dr. Stella Creasy’s recent visit to the Calais refugee camp: http://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2016/09/calais-stella-creasy-how-politicians-are-trying-change-refugee-policy For sure, there will be the usual accusations that this is another example of her penchant for grandstanding. But I doubt if such comment is fair. Dr. Cr... »
I hear from a number of sources that, as Corbynistas increasingly dominate the local Labour Party, thoughts are turning not just to the de-selection of one or more local MPs, but also to the de-selection of councillors. Whether any such thing will happen is a moot point. There are certainly some on the Labour benches who have contributed little or nothing, and richly deserve to be replaced. But th... »
Our man with a finger on Council Leader Chris Robbins’ pulse reports as follows: ‘When some weeks ago Chris Robbins put his name to a petition got up by Labour councillors calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, he must have thought it was only a matter of time before the Labour Leader was toast, and, with a replacement appointed, his own quest for honours would be back on track. Subsequently, h... »
Mark Baynes’ blog Love Wapping is fast becoming indispensable for those interested in how East London is developing. A couple of days ago, he published part one of his investigation into Islamists in Tower Hamlets: http://lovewapping.org/2016/07/tower-hamlets-london-borough-hijacked-by-fundamental-islamists/ It makes a very interesting read, and I’ll be posting the follow-ups here in ... »