A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left.
Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
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Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Picture time
I'm posting a picture for the first time. Thought I'd go with one that will warm the hearts of Hackney Labourites and irritate our opponents - 44 newly re-elected Labour councillors + 1 newly re-elected Labour Mayor on the Town Hall steps:
Well done, Luke! 44 Labour councillors is superb. If only, we had the same number in neighbouring Waltham Forest (26 us, 19 Lib Dem, 15 Tory, = hung council. The Liberals are already up their usual crap. Roll on 2010 I say!
Fair point and one we are aware of. I agree we need to do a serious push to recruit African and Afro-Carribean candidates for the next set of elections. We are already working on this. Though in terms of representation of other BME groups we are fairly representative of the borough: 2 Irish, 4 Turkish or Kurdish, 3 Kasmiri or Pakistani Muslim, 4 Jewish, 1 Indian, 3 Afro-Carribean, 3 African - so 20 of 44 from BME communities.
Rubbish! It doesn't explain why black people were offered the opportunity to stand in wards where you knew, full well, that they had little or no chance of winning! Meanwhile white people were offered the chance to stand in the "safe" wards.
And as for using people of Irish origin to pump up the BME representation figures ... you are really scraping the barrel!
Luke - you might do a bit better at convincing me of your concern to ensure ethnic representation in Hackney Labour Party if you learnt to spell "Caribbean" and "Kashmiri" and I would rather you referred to me as "African Caribbean" if you don't mind.
No one "offers" anyone seats to stand in the Labour Party - local members in the wards decide who to select.
I see you would rather get bogged down in the semantics rather than tackle the issue raised, namely - why the same white faces repeatedly get selected to stand in safe wards in Hackney. Why should black people wait for the crumbs under the table?
I agree we need to do a serious push to recruit African and Afro-Carribean candidates for the next set of elections.
You are SERIOUSLY in need of some equality and diversity training, man! Black people come from all over the world, not just Africa and your formerly-enslaved colonies!
Yes but all the other BME communities in Hackney are well represented - the under-representation is only amongst the African and Afro-Caribbean communities. In the case of Afro-Caribbeans there is a wider problem of political disengagement/low turnout etc. which is the opposite of the Muslim community for instance. The "the same white faces repeatedly get selected" because Labour Party members, white and BME, vote for them at selection meetings because they are doing a good job.
"The "the same white faces repeatedly get selected" because Labour Party members, white and BME, vote for them at selection meetings because they are doing a good job.
If, by saying "they are doing a good job" you mean they are slavishly following the Party line; I would agree with you. But some of these characters haven't come up with a new idea in years (if ever) nor, with their sullied past, do they command the support and respect of the voting public that newer, black, faces would (or at least, might).
So what? You didn't arrive in Hackney until the Millbank putsch, but it doesn't mean you don't have a sullied past (as in the Blair Mayor Affair), does it?
I would describe trying to stop Ken becoming Mayor as a glorious past - not sullied. It's just a shame I wasn't sucessful, though at least I helped get him out of the Labour Party for a few years.
It wasn't illicitly obtained. MEPs and MPs are entitled to membership lists, and according to the Data Protection Commissioner, entitled to give them other party members for use to promote candidates in internal party elections. Much as I disagree with Frank on many national issues I still think he would have been a better Mayor than Livingstone.
Well done, Luke! 44 Labour councillors is superb. If only, we had the same number in neighbouring Waltham Forest (26 us, 19 Lib Dem, 15 Tory, = hung council. The Liberals are already up their usual crap. Roll on 2010 I say!
ReplyDelete. . . of whom six are black. Nothing to be proud of!
ReplyDeleteFair point and one we are aware of. I agree we need to do a serious push to recruit African and Afro-Carribean candidates for the next set of elections. We are already working on this. Though in terms of representation of other BME groups we are fairly representative of the borough: 2 Irish, 4 Turkish or Kurdish, 3 Kasmiri or Pakistani Muslim, 4 Jewish, 1 Indian, 3 Afro-Carribean, 3 African - so 20 of 44 from BME communities.
ReplyDeleteRubbish! It doesn't explain why black people were offered the opportunity to stand in wards where you knew, full well, that they had little or no chance of winning! Meanwhile white people were offered the chance to stand in the "safe" wards.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for using people of Irish origin to pump up the BME representation figures ... you are really scraping the barrel!
No one "offers" anyone seats to stand in in the Labour Party - local members in the wards decide who to select.
ReplyDeleteLuke - you might do a bit better at convincing me of your concern to ensure ethnic representation in Hackney Labour Party if you learnt to spell "Caribbean" and "Kashmiri" and I would rather you referred to me as "African Caribbean" if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteApologies - no spellcheck on here. Again points taken.
ReplyDeleteActually I object to being called Irish. Please use Eireannach in future
ReplyDeleteActually I object to being called Irish. Please use Eireannach in future
ReplyDeleteOK Brian.
ReplyDeleteNo one "offers" anyone seats to stand in the Labour Party - local members in the wards decide who to select.
ReplyDeleteI see you would rather get bogged down in the semantics rather than tackle the issue raised, namely - why the same white faces repeatedly get selected to stand in safe wards in Hackney. Why should black people wait for the crumbs under the table?
I agree we need to do a serious push to recruit African and Afro-Carribean candidates for the next set of elections.
You are SERIOUSLY in need of some equality and diversity training, man! Black people come from all over the world, not just Africa and your formerly-enslaved colonies!
Yes but all the other BME communities in Hackney are well represented - the under-representation is only amongst the African and Afro-Caribbean communities. In the case of Afro-Caribbeans there is a wider problem of political disengagement/low turnout etc. which is the opposite of the Muslim community for instance. The "the same white faces repeatedly get selected" because Labour Party members, white and BME, vote for them at selection meetings because they are doing a good job.
ReplyDeleteGood God, I am stuck in a 1980s timewarp. Help, help, I can see Eric heffer coming into view.
ReplyDelete"The "the same white faces repeatedly get selected" because Labour Party members, white and BME, vote for them at selection meetings because they are doing a good job.
ReplyDeleteIf, by saying "they are doing a good job" you mean they are slavishly following the Party line; I would agree with you. But some of these characters haven't come up with a new idea in years (if ever) nor, with their sullied past, do they command the support and respect of the voting public that newer, black, faces would (or at least, might).
"Help, help, I can see Eric heffer coming into view."
ReplyDeleteDon't be so rude! That's not Eric Heffer, it's Cllr Sharon Patrick.
Observer, who did you have in mind re. sullied pasts? There are only 6 Labour councillors elected in 1998 or before.
ReplyDeleteSo what? You didn't arrive in Hackney until the Millbank putsch, but it doesn't mean you don't have a sullied past (as in the Blair Mayor Affair), does it?
ReplyDeleteI would describe trying to stop Ken becoming Mayor as a glorious past - not sullied. It's just a shame I wasn't sucessful, though at least I helped get him out of the Labour Party for a few years.
ReplyDeleteBacking Dobbo the Mule with an illicitly obtained mailing list sounds like a glorious episode of history to me.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't illicitly obtained. MEPs and MPs are entitled to membership lists, and according to the Data Protection Commissioner, entitled to give them other party members for use to promote candidates in internal party elections. Much as I disagree with Frank on many national issues I still think he would have been a better Mayor than Livingstone.
ReplyDeleteDorothy Parker could well have been talking about Dobson when she made her famous remark about Calvin Coolidge.
ReplyDelete