Lutfur Rahman and the BNP bloc vote

http://trialbyjeory.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/an-nec-members-account/

http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=6812

http://www.lutfurformayor.com/about

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2010/sep/21/lutfur-rahman-removed-as-labour-tower-hamlets-mayoral-candidate

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/davehillblog/2010/sep/22/lutfur-rahman-tower-hamlets-mayoral-campaign-marred-ineptitude-nastiness



http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/davehillblog/2010/oct/11/tower-hamlets-independent-mayoral-candidate-lutfur-rahman-interviewed

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100056657/lutfur-rahman-eleven-are-expelled-from-the-labour-party/

Labour Making a Big Mistake Over Lutfur Rahman
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=6754

The Labour Party really hate Lutfur Rahman, don't they?  Here are a few anti-Rahman quotes:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/davehillblog/2010/oct/05/tower-hamlets-mayoral-election-campaign-london-citizens-labour-candidate-helal-abbas

Rushanara Ali, the newly-elected MP for Bethnal Green and Bow congratulated the membership for "not tolerating intolerance" whether from "the far right or the far left - the Respect Party. You said goodbye to George Galloway [in May]. You said, we don't want division here, we don't want this community turned against each other - black against white against Asian; men against women; father against daughter; son against mother. That's what George Galloway's legacy has been." But she added: "Unfortunately, the Respect Party is not dead yet. It's rearing its ugly head again in a new way. It's calling itself 'independent'." This got a loud cheer. "It's not the same as Ken Livingstone becoming an independent," she continued. "Don't flatter them." She urged her audience to impress upon voters that the choice of who took care of a billion pound budget was between Labour, "a mainstream political party" that wants to unite the borough's different communities, and a divisive group of people who, among other things, want to "hijack Islam for selfish motives." She warned against intimidation and provocation and paid tribute to older Labour politicians who'd fought against the far right in her youth.

But then one hates and fears the person one has wronged.  Lutfur Rahman was to have been the Labour Tower Hamlets mayoral candidate until a rival Labour mayoral candidate, Helal Abbas, complained about him, causing Lutfur to be removed as a candidate without an investigation. 

This has provoked him into standing as an Independent against the Labour Party which will doubtless result in his expulsion.  Suzanne Moore, the Guardian and Mail columnist who was also a member of the Labour Party, was expelled from the party after she stood against Diane Abbott.

So this is party democracy in Labour, which is not much better than the kind of party "democracy" we get in the BNP. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2010/oct/01/tower-hamlets-mayoral-candidate-lutfur-rahman-antisemitism-respect-party


Lutfur Rahman does have a way with words, necessary to a politician and a lawyer of course, but also courage and determination from the array of his enemies:

"It has become fashionable among the right-wing to characterise Tower Hamlets as a 3rd World entity. If by that they mean a place where the rule of law is subordinate to the whims of unaccountable officials; where such basic principles such as "innocent until proven guilty" and the integrity of the democratic process are overruled by fiat, then they are entirely correct. But it is not me, or the borough's Bangladeshi community that are responsible for this sorry state of affairs, it is the Labour Party, who have for years treated Tower Hamlets like the last outpost of the British Raj."

Jeffrey Marshall and I have met Lutfur.  It was two or three years ago at a Safer Neighbourhoods meeting.  It was a Sunday and I remember Lutfur wearing jeans, for some reason.  Jeffrey complained about the intimidating gangs of youths hanging around street corners.  Lutfur even came over and chatted to us because we, being non-Asian, stuck out all like sore thumbs.

A few months later the gangs of intimidating youth had been dispersed with the dispersal notices that Lutfur must have had something to do with.

So, Lutfur's strong on law and order and gets things done.

Another reason why BNP supporters should vote for Lutfur is to show solidarity with someone who has been badly-treated by his party.

Details of how and why can be gleaned by reading http://trialbyjeory.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/an-nec-members-account/

Some of you may have heard of the BNP's recent troubles.  The reason why the BNP have failed to enter a candidate for the Tower Hamlets mayoral elections was because it had escaped the notice of the Acting London Organiser (one Nick Griffin living in mid-Wales who relieved the previous London Organiser Chris Roberts of his post because he was suspected of being a supporter of Eddy Butler the leadership challenger that never was because he could never in a month of  Sunday secure enough nominations under the current rules) that there was a deadline to be met if one wanted to be a candidate for the mayoral elections on 21 October. 

There is just a hint that Lutfur is anti-feminist and anti-Zionist, which would be OK with the typical BNP supporter, I imagine.  (He has clearly outraged Rushanara Ali who  made unspecified allegations against him  to Harriet Harman, the Supreme Matriarch of Britain.  It could be that he suggested that Rushanara Ali - another female candidate of the Oona King mode - is but a creature of the Labour Party and can no longer be said to properly represent the Bangladeshi community.  Perhaps the Bangladeshi community prefer a middle aged lawyer in preference to a slip of a girl who has "gone native" and will probably slavishly support whatever line her party wants her to take.)

Lutfur was also against the invasion of "Afraq" which is another important BNP policy.

Also, Ken Livingstone (whose political antennae is as faultless as mine) supports Lutfur and Keith Vaz - a lawyer - is on record saying that Lutfur's sacking was against the rules of natural justice.

Lutfur won by a majority of almost 200 votes from a total of 881 casted votes and the Local and Regional parties and both expressed confidence that the election had been fair and democratic.

Lutfur Rahman - 433 votes

John Biggs - 251 votes

Helal Abbas - 157 votes

Shome mishtake, shurely?

http://www.labourbriefing.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80:breaking-news-press-release-21st-september-2010&catid=3:newsflash

It would be an excellent story of mature co-operation if the BNP bloc vote helps to keep the Labour candidate out.  Helal Abbas has been a bankrupt under his other name of Abbas Uddin.  Helal Abbas was also a member of Hope Not Hate - an organisation specifically set up to thwart the BNP.

http://londonmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/10/lutfur-rahman-is-democrat-while-helal.html

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100057592/lutfur-rahman-the-racists-choice/
and

http://hurryupharry.org/2010/10/07/lutfur-rahman-and-his-racist-supporters/ suggests that there is a very nasty and concerted campaign by Andrew Gilligan, Labour and Zionists to smear Lutfur as a racist and an anti-Semite.  I think people of all races who are branded as "racists" by the liberal establishment should stick up for each other. 

The way ahead is therefore clear.  BNP supporters in Tower Hamlets should vote Lutfur Rahman on the grounds of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".  It will be very satisfying to deliver a good hard kick to Labour while proclaiming to the nation that the BNP bloc vote is something to be courted if your majority is anything less than solid.