Posts

LBWF: it’s parsimony for the poor, but kerching for councillors

November 9, 2016 Council tax, LBWF, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

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 or on benefits was part of the centrally administered Council Tax Benefit (CTB) scheme, and as a result was exempt from council tax. Subsequently, the government has replaced this system with the Coun... »

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The Conservative Party in Waltham Forest: a twitching corpse, maybe, but one that affects us all

November 2, 2016 The Conservatives in Waltham Forest

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. Symptomatically, as regards the serious matters covered by this blog – mismanagement of public funds, asbestos, religious extremism, and so on – the Conservative silence has been deafening. Indeed, as a gro... »

Extremism in Waltham Forest: an update (2)

October 28, 2016 Prevent

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 Walthamstow, prompting a police investigation. A few days ago, the blog Harry’s Place revealed another facet of the extremism – virulent sectarianism directed towards Ahmadis. It had discovered that at the... »

Extremism in Waltham Forest: an update (1)

September 8, 2016 Prevent, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

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 Punjab, Salman Taseer, when one day he shot him dead. Quadri’s motive was straightforward: he abhorred the fact that Taseer had advocated the reform of Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws. Subsequently, Quadr... »

‘In Calais with Stella Creasy’

September 8, 2016 John Cryer MP, Stella Creasy MP, Uncategorized, Waltham Forest Labour Party

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. Creasy has her failings, as I have suggested before, not least her silence on a whole slew of local Town Hall scandals. But no-one can reasonably contest her strong commitment to helping the less well o... »

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The Corbynistas and local government in Waltham Forest

August 25, 2016 the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

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 the Left’s fixation with ideology (and penchant for allied witch-hunting) makes it inherently disputatious, and subject to often vicious arguments – a characteristic that has historically limited its ab... »

Robbins trip to the Palace postponed – again!

August 3, 2016 Cllr. Chris Robbins, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

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, his hopes no doubt rose further because the emerging challenger, Owen Smith, seemed to share Robbins’ flexible approach to politics, selling himself as a lefty in the hope of impressing the Corbynistas... »

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Love Wapping investigates the Islamist takeover of Tower Hamlets UPDATED

July 29, 2016 Cllr. Ahsan Khan, Cllr. Liaquat Ali, Cllr. Saima Mahmud, Cllr. Shabana Dhedi/Qadir, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Uncategorized

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 due course. His discussion of the links between Islamic Forum Europe (IFE), a fundamental Islamist group inspired by the teachings of Abul Ala Maududi, and Jamaat-e-Islami are pertinent. As previous p... »

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The E11 BID Co.: strike off discontinued, but accounts still overdue

July 28, 2016 E11 BID Co.

According to Companies House, the Registrar has discontinued the compulsory strike-off of the E11 BID Co.. On the other hand, the visitor who uses the Companies House webpages to check on the E11 BID Co.’s progress is still greeted by the following: As I’ve pointed out before, it does seem strange that an organisation which depends solely for its income on the hard work of local traders, and in the past has been showered with public money, cannot get its accounts in on time. Indeed, this is particularly so because not so long ago the E11 BID Co. was castigated for failing to pay it... »

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Cllr. Liaquat Ali: an update

July 21, 2016 Cllr. Liaquat Ali, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest, Uncategorized

In the last couple of days, both Private Eye (‘Haq Attack’, see below) and the Waltham Forest Guardian have published versions of the Ali-Haq story. It is notable that the latter does not mention Senator Haq’s rantings about ‘Jews and Christians’, spineless journalism at its worst. Meanwhile, a rumour going round the Town Hall is that Mayor Khan has declined to re-appoint Cllr. Ali to the London Fire Authority (LFA), despite Cllr. Robbins’ recommendation. If this is true, the LFA will have to soldier on without Cllr. Ali’s notable expertise, always so ... »

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