Liam redux

, ,

Respect Councillors in Tower Hamlets council resign the whip

RESPECT – The Unity Coalition Respect Councillors Group Tower Hamlets 25 October 2007 Immediate issue   Respect Councillors in Tower Hamlets council resign the whip   We, the undersigned respect councillors after due consideration and deliberation have decided to resign the respect group whip with immediate effect. We remain loyal respect members and we will…

Liam
1–2 minutes

RESPECT – The Unity Coalition

Respect Councillors Group

Tower Hamlets

25 October 2007

Immediate issue

 

Respect Councillors in Tower Hamlets council resign the whip

 

We, the undersigned respect councillors after due consideration and deliberation have decided to resign the respect group whip with immediate effect. We remain loyal respect members and we will peruse in the council chambers and the community; the original policies and principal on which respect was founded. After a final attempt in the form of a five hours meeting with the Respect Group Councillors and the current Group leader Cllr Abjol Miah last night, we have come to the conclusion that it is no longer possible for us to work constructively together.

 

Cllr Abjol Miah has over an extended period now has failed to demonstrate the basic qualities and competencies essential for the post of Group and Opposition leader. He has failed to foster a sense of unity and purpose within the Respect Councillors group and has systematically acted in a sectarian manner, seeking to appease only one section of the Party and Community. His approach and conduct have been detrimental to the spirit of a united coalition that brings together a range of group and individuals of different background and political persuasions.

 

 

Cllr Oliur Rahman, the first Respect Councillor said, “It is particularly sad for me that after repeated attempt to find a reasonable way forward, our efforts have been treated with disdain. We regret that it has come to this stage where we feel compelled to resign the whip”.

 

Cllr Rania Khan said, “His lack of leadership has lead us to lose two councillors and his inappropriate behaviour to women councillors in the group is disgraceful. Cllr Miah has failed to accept the basic of the party’s principal of a coalition to work with all group”.

 

Cllr Oliur Rahman

32 responses to “Respect Councillors in Tower Hamlets council resign the whip”

  1. bill j Avatar
    bill j

    Well another rushed statement, full of typos. The question is when will the socialists in the SWP realise that this disaster was precisely brought on by their idea of building a broad non-socialist front, that abandoned the fight for key working class and democratic rights.
    The SWP were the ones who wanted a coalition lead by non-socialists who didn’t support women’s rights. Now they are finding out what such a coalition looks like. Pretty unpleasant.
    After the SWP have been busy explaining to their allies for three years, why the struggle for socialism and against oppression was an optional extra, they shouldn’t be surprised when their allies decide to take them at their word.
    The SWP rank and file now need to organise themselves against the leadership, to hold them accountable for this disasterous policy.
    After all going back to Luxemburg, the SWP’s preferred ideological insperation, she explained how abandoning the struggle for revolutionary socialism wasn’t a different road to the same goal, but a different road altogether.
    Respect proves it again.
    The SWP need to throw out the leadership who continue to defend this disasterous method. Organise themselves through e-lists, meetings and what not, probably to begin with out of the gaze of the CC – we’ve seen how the react to something as simple as a petition – and prepare for a serious fight at the conference next year, to kick out this rotten policy and the leadership that created and continues to defend it.

    Like

    Reply
  2. jonny favorite Avatar
    jonny favorite

    Always encouraging to have some small sect like PR with their comment above sniffing around in the hope of recruiting one or two casualties.

    Some of us have have long memories and remember your abstentionism on the Cornish Independence issue and the disgraceful incident with Cockneyrebels solar powered water feature.

    Like

    Reply
  3. chjh Avatar
    chjh

    Well another rushed statement, full of typos Nice of bill to summarise his contribution so honestly.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Paul Stott Avatar
    Paul Stott

    Interestingly this is the same Abjol Miah who comes out very badly from east end Muslim Ed Hussain’s recent book the “The Islamist”.

    His far from progressive views were known long ago, which rather begs the question of how Tower Hamlets Respect ended up with him not just as a Councillor, but as leader of the group!

    Like

    Reply
  5. Harry's Watch Avatar
    Harry’s Watch

    The latest Sauce at HP:

    “Word from ‘sources close to Serwotka’ is that George is going to jump ship publicly today, denounce the SWP, and announce the formation of an almost brand new ‘Keep George In The Headlines’ party.”

    http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/cgi-bin/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=7436

    Like

    Reply
  6. Jimbo Avatar
    Jimbo

    “Always encouraging to have some small sect like PR with their comment above sniffing around in the hope of recruiting one or two casualties.

    Some of us have have long memories and remember your abstentionism on the Cornish Independence issue and the disgraceful incident with Cockneyrebels solar powered water feature.”

    so basically, you have no arguments against Bill, except that his group is small whereas Respect is…slightly less small but falling to bits? Who’s the sectarian again?

    Like

    Reply
  7. modernityblog Avatar
    modernityblog

    strange development? I assume that most of these councillors would seem to be in the “Galloway” wing of Respect?

    does that suggest that they will regroup under another banner?

    it could be that Galloway and Co. are going to jump ship completely and start afresh

    that being the case he’ll probably argue, “I tried to reform Respect, the SWP stopped that, it couldn’t be done, so we must start again”

    and you end up with a rump Respect, composed of mostly the SWP

    gorgeous George will then probably embark on a fundraising tour of the Middle East

    Like

    Reply
  8. MC Avatar
    MC

    ” I assume that most of these councillors would seem to be in the “Galloway” wing of Respect?”

    No, the councillors who have resigned are NOT in the Galloway camp.

    Like

    Reply
  9. modernityblog Avatar
    modernityblog

    ahh thanks MC, complicates matters no end!

    Like

    Reply
  10. johng Avatar
    johng

    Its a real indication that the real world is more complicated then the world of blogs. For all the sneering this is a left/right division which goes beyond the SWP. Its not a monolithic ‘backward muslims’ versus ‘whitey trot’ argument. Bengali’s know about left and right.

    Like

    Reply
  11. MC Avatar
    MC

    JohnG – exactly.

    Like

    Reply
  12. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Sorry to disappoint people being from PR myself but in the real world to which johng refers a couple of PR members, 2 SWPers and several others have been at a very productive planning meetinf for a campaign to let an asylum seeker student Flores Sukula study at Manchester Met Uni against the racist policies of Brown’s Labour government

    So perhaps unity in action is possible after all?

    Of course there are many issues to discuss and socialists in the SWP, Respect and beyond do need to organise both for open transparent democracy and accountability and for arguing clear socialist politics in the class whilst making united fronts with all progressive forces to further the fight against Brown’s capitalist government.

    Isn’t OIiur Rahmanthe first signatory of the open letter put out by the SWP here?
    http://liammacuaid.wordpress.com/2007/10/24/from-officerespectcoalitionorg/

    He is I believe an independent highly respected Unison activist so if anything I think if we are seeing it in terms of camps (not necessarily useful) he is on the opposite sifde to Galloway, surely.

    Like

    Reply
  13. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Actually I think PCS but the point stands

    Like

    Reply
  14. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    It is strange however that the left right divide found several members of the SWP (inclusing some who have been expelled) on the “right”

    and nearly all the non-SWP socialists in Respect, also are on the “right.”

    Like

    Reply
  15. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Can you explain that a little more clearly, please?

    Like

    Reply
  16. twp77 Avatar
    twp77

    An un-named Respect source on HP is claiming that the StWC tomorrow has been cancelled. Can anyone verify this? It will obviously be a huge problem if it is cancelled with this late notice.

    Like

    Reply
  17. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    Jason: batlle lines have been drawn, both within TH RESPECT and within RESPECT nationally. Those on one side – Rees & co nationally, Oli Rahman & friends in TH – present it as a left-right split, with them upholding the cause of socialism in RESPECT against an unprincipled bloc of borderline-communalist vote-chasers. Those on the other side don’t share this opinion. Hence Andy’s point that the ‘right’ doesn’t actually appear to be composed of rightists, and even includes some members of the SWP.

    (At least, that’s what I’ve picked up from reading exactly the same blogs as you for the last couple of weeks.)

    This isn’t to say that the ‘alternative’ slate was carried last night (it clearly wasn’t), or that the RESPECT councillors who didn’t resign the whip are better socialists than those who did, or that Galloway is a great leader. You don’t have to believe any of the above to believe that the Galloway/Smith/Yaqoob/etc faction within RESPECT is far preferable to the Rees faction. (To be more precise, the Galloway/Smith/Yaqoob/etc alliance – thinking of what’s going on in terms of two opposed sides is part of the problem. It’s more like the SWP leadership (and all the support it can rally) vs The Rest.)

    Like

    Reply
  18. johng Avatar
    johng

    I strongly suspect that ‘the rest’ is not nearly as monolithic a bloc as Phil believes. To refer to that ‘real world’ again, people are really not that stupid.

    Like

    Reply
  19. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    OK thanks that was my guess but I just wanted to have it spelled out so thanks.

    My personal feeling is that socialists in the Galloway camp will find it increasingly difficult if there is a split because I think the evidence points towards Galloway wanting Respect to be amore efficient vote gathering machine not necessarilt rooted in the campaigns and struggles of the working class. If those socialists feel otherwise then all I can say at the meoment is let’s see how it plays out.

    Though there have been probelms with the way the SWP run things I think it is down to their understanding of politcs. It can seem like an organisation that ‘listens to nobody but their shadowy and unaccountable leadership’ (as SW says purpotedly quoting or summarising? Galloway) but I think the cause is deeper and more fundamental and not just down to the Rees faction- though they certainly are responsible it goes beyond them.

    It’s because they don’t argue openly for socialist poltiics often perhaps out of a genuine desire to not alienate people but it can quickly becoem a kind of duplicitous and seemingly secretive tightrope walking as they second geuess the mood, and continually have to refer back to th party line.

    Far better in my opinion to have confidence in the ability of working class people to run society, of working class people to understand the arguments even if they don’t always agree and be able to see that even if I;m a socialist and a revolutionary and they’re nit I’m putting forward practical, fighting and winning solutions to their immediate problems.

    That’s the way out of the quagmire in my opinion.

    On Stop the War it is still advertised on the web and many have bought coach tickets- can’t see it being cancelled at this late notice unless the crisis has really hit deeply and activists are putting internal party and group matters above the class struggle (not impossible I suppose)

    Like

    Reply
  20. twp77 Avatar
    twp77

    OK I’ve just verified that this rumour is rubbish – see the e-mail from the StW office:

    Hi Tami,

    Not at all! Our conference is most certainly still on. I look forward to seeing you and the other delegates from Birkbeck.

    Best,

    Stewart

    > Hello,
    >
    > I am supposed to be attending tomorrow’s conference as a delegate and have
    > read on various blogs that it has been cancelled. Can you please confirm
    > that the conference is still going ahead?
    >
    > Thank you,

    Like

    Reply
  21. johng Avatar
    johng

    just had this sent to me by someone at the meeting from an SWP point of view. I was checking whether I’d got it right. I meant they excluded Rania from the slate rather then the meeting of course:

    Seems fine to me. Don’t think they dared try and exclude Rania – though they did try and block, as I said, a group of young Bengali women. Rania was certainly yelled at. (We had taken an earlier decision to have only women on the door checking names and dealing with the general hooha there.) Otherwise pretty much spot on. Unless I’m going completely mad – it does seem quite hazy – Azmal called the vote, a minority voted for his side, and then he harrumphed and left. At which point – chaos. On *their side*: one particular loudmouth banging on about the “community” and how Rania would never be a councillor again, etc etc. Paul McGarr responded brilliantly, made a rousing speech about the traditions of the labour movement and the struggle for democracy, was cheered to the rafters, and then everyone left.

    The people in the majority, in a meeting of around 100, were:

    – the Russian dolls
    – Rania and Lutfa’s bunch
    – Kumar’s contingent
    – and, decisively, randoms and some mobilised by others pulled in our direction by the stand that we took (basically)

    Throughout all this, Abjol Miah – leader of the Resepct cllr’s group – stood at the back and did nothing. He provided no lead at all to anyone.

    At the street meeting afterwards, I think there were around 30-40 people. That tells you what kind of solid support we had in the meeting itself. As I said, the decisive thing was that we pulled people in our direction.

    Like

    Reply
  22. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    John G

    I strongly suspect that ‘the rest’ is not nearly as monolithic a bloc as Phil believes. To refer to that ‘real world’ again, people are really not that stupid.

    What????

    How exactly is that relating to what Phil wrote:

    You don’t have to believe any of the above to believe that the Galloway/Smith/Yaqoob/etc faction within RESPECT is far preferable to the Rees faction. (To be more precise, the Galloway/Smith/Yaqoob/etc alliance – thinking of what’s going on in terms of two opposed sides is part of the problem. It’s more like the SWP leadership (and all the support it can rally) vs The Rest.)

    Phil specifically said that those oppsoing the SWP leadership are not a monolith – and indeed thata is part of the strength – pluralism means people who have different ideas.

    And I have no idea what you mean by people being or not being stupid.

    Like

    Reply
  23. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    I strongly suspect that ‘the rest’ is not nearly as monolithic a bloc as Phil believes.

    Your mind-reading needs work – I don’t believe any such thing. When I said it was CC-plus-allies vs The Rest, I meant precisely that ‘the rest’ isn’t a monolithic bloc – the only things they all have in common are i) thinking Galloway’s letter had some good things in it and, more importantly, ii) being attacked by the SWP CC.

    Like

    Reply
  24. johng Avatar
    johng

    I don’t believe it is the swp versus ‘the rest’. this is only true if you see politics as being all about ‘the leaders’. i strongly suspect that pretty soon even at the level of leaders its not going to be like that…

    Like

    Reply
  25. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    I don’t believe it’s the SWP vs anyone – I’ve always avoided putting it in those terms. I do believe the polarisation has been brought about by the SWP leadership – hence “the SWP leadership (and all the support it can rally) vs The Rest.”

    Like

    Reply
  26. SOCIALIST UNITY » CHAOS IN TOWER HAMLETS

    […] councillors in Tower Hamlets close to the SWP have issued the following press release. Thanks to Liam for […]

    Like

    Reply
  27. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Like th emphasis on the leadership but surely ‘it’s the swp leadership and the support it can rally vs Galloway and all the support he can rally’

    Galloway being a rather astute politician has managed to rally many of the rest I think.

    I’m about 99% sure that when he published his letter, “The best of times, the worst of times” it was not so much a constructive attempt to clear the air and address underlying problems but to set in motion chaos and confusion in the SWP leadership and amongst their ranks. As I say a very astute and shrewd poltiican.

    Like

    Reply
  28. Colin F Avatar
    Colin F

    Don’t want to be pedantic, Bill J, but if you criticise the Tower Hamlets councillors’ for sending a resignation letter which was “full of typos”, I think it fair to point out that “insperation” should be spelt “INSPIRATION” and “disasterous” (twice) should be “DISASTROUS”. Also, “a coalition lead by non-socialists” should be “a coalition LED by non-socialists”.

    Not that speling realy maters mutch.

    Cheers.

    Like

    Reply
  29. Colin F Avatar
    Colin F

    There was a redundant apostrophe in my last message, caused by careless editing. Sorry.

    Like

    Reply
  30. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Tut-tut redundant apostrophes! Scourge of the language; I blame the teachers. My posts are often full of spelling errors too tho’ I am trying to improve.

    Anyway, as well as spelling and punctuation edification perhaps after the dust has settled down we can also have mutually enlightening discussions about politics as well!

    Like

    Reply
  31. bill j Avatar
    bill j

    Well yes I did rather ask for that didn’t I?
    And to think I used to teach English…
    But back to the point, (or at least the main one), its time for the SWP membership to wake up to the scale of disaster (sp), that their leadership have led (sp) them to.
    Unfortunately it was all too predictable, and goes right back to the century old debates over reform or revolution. The point of which is that the reason why the final goal is essential is that it shapes what the party or organisation does now.
    Respect is a living example of what happens when you argue that principles, can be cast to one side, in the interest of short term gain.
    Hopefully in the run up to conference next year, an SWP left opposition can be formed to hold the leadership responsible for this disastrous (sp) policy to account.

    Like

    Reply
  32. Ron Avatar
    Ron

    I can find the prayer I want. I thank God for this website.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

Trending