Recent Event Highlights: High Street Ward local councilor hustings, Lib Dem candidate slams colleagues' "questionable practices", General election hustings, Lib Dems defend de-selection, Nancy Taaffe, Trade Unionist and Socialist candidate releases election video , Lib Dem's deselect high profile candidates, and 4 more...
Created by blackhorseag on 07/04/2010
Last updated: 29/04/10 at 20:32
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High Street Ward local councilor hustings 8pm, Tuesday 27 April, upstairs at the Rose & Crown, Hoe Street The Cleveland Park Residents' Association invites High Street Ward residents to a pre-council election hustings. This is your chance to grill candidates in the local council elections set to take place in early May on where they stand on the key issues affecting central Walthamstow. Please do tell friends, neighbours, relatives, anyone you know who lives in High Street Ward (roughly speaking that's the area bounded by Walthamstow Central, St James Street, the end of Coppermill Lane, Forest Road and Hoe Street) to come along. The EMD/Granada cinema? The Arcade site? The market? Parking and traffic? Schools? Make sure you hear candidates' views before you vote.
You might have seen that last week I blogged about the Walthamstow Labour Party stealing a copyright photo from a local blogger, and using it in one of their campaign leaflets - despite being the party who have just introduced draconian punishments for people caught infringing copyright on the net.
When asked about it by the Waltham Forest Guardian, a Labour spokesman said:
"We take great care in ensuring that all our photos are taken by ourselves or are copyright free. It appears in this instance that one of our design team has made an innocent error which we regret."
Well, when I was out walking around Walthamstow at the weekend, I saw exactly how much Labour 'regrets' using the image without permission. It is still prominently on display in their office window.
http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2010/04/labour_regrets_the_copyright_error.php
ELECTION candidates will discuss the future of the former EMD cinema building at an event organised by McGuffin Film Society.
The society, which wants the building, in Hoe Street, to be re-opened as a cinema, has organised a debate on the issue for all parliamentary and council election hopefuls.
Current owner Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) has submitted an application to convert the building into a church and community centre.
Bill Hodgson, McGuffin spokesman, said: “There are lots of issues facing residents at this election but the future of the EMD is something which concerns many local people and will affect how they vote.
"There has been misinformation and mixed messages coming from politicians on this subject over a long period of time so this public debate will allow them to set the record straight and let residents know exactly where they stand".
The debate will take place at Walthamstow School for Girls, in Church Hill, on April 25 at 5pm.
http://mcguffinfilmsociety.wordpress.com/electionwatch/
Waltham Forest Labour Party has the cheek to steal one of this blog’s photos!
Of all the bloody nerve. Waltham Forest Labour Party has borrowed one of my photographs from this blog and used it in their election literature, without my permission and, in a gross breach of copyright, printed it to attack the local Liberal Democrats.
Which I object to IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS.
It was the Labour Party which created these street conditions, long before the party ever formed a coalition with the Lib Dems.
I demand an apology from the local Labour Party for their blatant infringement of my copyright and for their cynical misuse of one of my photos to attack the Lib Dems.
http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/2010/04/waltham-forest-labour-party-has-cheek.html
Evening Standard
The Nick Clegg bounce could win the Liberal Democrats a third of London's councils, it emerged today.
Local government experts predict that "yellow fever" could spread to up to 11 councils at next month's local elections, to be held on the same day as the general election. However, the polls suggest the party's support is "soft" and could fall flat if Mr Clegg makes a slip in tonight's debate.
More than half of his supporters said they could change their minds before May 6 in an Ipsos Mori poll yesterday.
The Lib-Dems are expected to hang on to the three councils it controls in Richmond, Kingston and Sutton.
They are hoping to take overall control of inner London boroughs Southwark and Camden, where they are currently in coalition, and fight off the Labour threat in Islington.
Senior Lib-Dems have also set their sights on being the largest party in Brent, Waltham Forest and Lewisham, although they are not expected to have overall control.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/politics/article-23826935-lib-dems-could-grab-third-of-londons-councils.do
On Thursday 22 April at 7pm, London Citizens are holding a ‘Waltham Forest Accountability Assembly’ at Holy Family College at 1 Shernhall Street.
All the Walthamstow parliamentary candidates have been invited to attend. For more information, please contact London Citizens.
http://www.londoncitizens.org.uk/
A LIBERAL Democrat councillor has slammed the “questionable practices” of party colleagues over the de-selection of three senior members.
Cllr James O’Rourke, who is believed to have considered standing as an independent after group leader John Macklin, chief whip Bob Carey and cabinet member Bob Belam were ditched by the party, has said he will remain a Liberal Democrat - partly to ensure such a crisis does not happen again.
The member for High Street praised the three councillors, who will stand as independents in the forthcoming local election, saying they were ditched because they refused to bow down to pressure from the Walthamstow party executive after Cllr Bob carey was de-selected.
“The de-selection of Cllr Carey, eight weeks ago, and the recent de-selection of Cllrs Belam and Macklin as a result of their dogged, and in my opinion right, refusal to capitulate to the highly questionable practices of the executive, has been one of the most deplorable episodes of my political career,” he said.
Cllr John Macklin officially remains deputy leader of the council and head of the Lib Dem group, despite standing against the party in Chapel End ward.
The de-facto leader, Johar Khan, who is believed to have played a major role in the power struggle, was suspended from the group over Cllr Carey's de-selection.
He was joined by Cllrs Bob Wheatley, Patrick Smith, Sean Meiszner and Peter Walcott, who are all still standing as Lib Dems.
But regional party bosses have told them that the suspensions are unconstitutional and they have been advised to appeal.
Under party rules, Cllr Macklin can only be deposed by a majority vote at a group meeting.
The Guardian understands there is little appetite among members to arrange this so close to the election.
The five suspensions, which effectively mean the members cannot vote to depose Cllr Macklin, are also thought to be a major factor.
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/8114295.WALTHAM_FOREST__Lib_Dem_candidate_slams_colleagues___questionable_practices_/
Quaker Hall, Jewel Rd E17
Johah Khan, the ring leader of coup that may have wrecked Lib Dems hopes in Waltham Forest has hit back after three of the party’s senior councillors vowed to stand as independents at the forthcoming local election.
Lib Dem leader John Macklin and cabinet member Bob Belam were ditched by the party after complaining about the de-selection of fellow Chapel End ward councillor and chief whip Bob Carey.
All three, who have held the Walthamstow ward for a number of years, will now stand against the Lib Dem candidates in the ward, throwing that party’s push for power in serious doubt.
Cllr Macklin insists a “clique” within the local party made sure conventions over party selections were ignored in order to oust Cllr Carey.
Usually candidates selected for wards with a sitting Lib Dem councillor, or those viewed as winnable, have been assessed as having the right qualities following an interview, he said.
But he claims Cllr Carey’s replacement, Saeed Diwan, was only previously considered appropriate for a non-target seat.
“Saeed has never gone out into the ward, never delivered leaflets, and his speech at the meeting consisted of him saying the ward is diverse and that he funded the Hoe Street Lib Dem shop,” he added.
But deputy leader Cllr Khan insisted the selection process was agreed by the 11-strong Walthamstow executive, which included Cllr Macklin.
He said: “It is very simple. Cllr Belam and Cllr Macklin were re-selected but they did not want to stand with Mr Diwan, who had been selected as part of a fair process, because they wanted their mate Cllr Carey.
“We took advice from the national and regional party and we could not find a single person who agreed the process was flawed.”
Cllr Macklin said that, with the Lib Dems facing a realistic prospect of becoming the biggest council group, ambition had motivated the move to oust him.
He also admitted publicly for the first time that the group under Cllr Macklin would not have formed another coalition with Labour following May's elections.
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/8096180.WALTHAMSTOW__Lib_Dems_defend_de_selection/?ref=mr
THREE senior Liberal Democrat councillors ditched as candidates by their party will stand on May 6 as independents, it has been confirmed.
Lib Dem group leader John Macklin, cabinet member for environment Bob Belam and chief whip Bob Carey, were all deselected as candidates for Chapel End ward in Walthamstow following an internal dispute.
The three will now stand for election as independents, with no party allegiance.
The decision to drop the councillors reportedly followed a row over an attempt by the Walthamstow Executive to de-select long-serving Cllr Carey. The Walthamstow Executive is made up of members and activists including Cllr Johar Khan, Cllr Bob Wheatley and Walthamstow parliamentary candidate Farid Ahmed.
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/8093467.WALTHAM_FOREST__Ditched_Lib_Dem_trio_to_stand_as_independents/
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/8093467.WALTHAM_FOREST__Ditched_Lib_Dem_trio_to_stand_as_independents/
Tessa Jowell and Ed Miliband present a preview of Labour's manifesto in Walthamstow. Jowell eulogises about miracle of Olympics just down the road... doesnt mention any tangible benefit for Waltham Forest (infact we are losing services/facilities both cultural and sporting).
THE Liberal Democrat local election campaign is in disarray after it emerged that three senior councillors, including the council’s deputy leader, have been ditched by the party.
Hopes that the Lib Dems, who currently run the council in coalition with Labour, could become the biggest party look to be in ruins after the party confirmed leader John Macklin, cabinet member for environment Bob Belam and chief whip Bob Carey will not stand for the party on May 6.
A party spokesman admitted the move was the result of an internal dispute, but did not provide any further detail.
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/7988675.WALTHAM_FOREST__Top_Lib_Dems_ditched_following_row/
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