I had a letter published recently in the Newham Recorder as West Ham Labour Party agent criticising Tory East Ham Chair, Neal Pearce, for being abusive about West Ham MP Lyn Brown and using Remembrance Day to make cheap political points. A number of Newham residents also wrote in to complain about his behaviour. On 29 December Mr Peace responded defending his comments by claiming that I had been “rude” about his appearance on this blog during the 2009 by-election and had apparently “booed” him during the May 2010 election count? How childish and ridiculous.
In the 2009 campaign I had criticised a Tory election leaflet he published about himself which I said he appeared to have a (my Welsh Compatriot) “Vinnie Jones” skinhead haircut. Nothing more and nothing less. I supposed he is complaining that I was actually comparing him to a yob. But please look at the picture on his leaflet (see video) and make your own mind up. The fact that so-called “thick skinned” Pearce made a thinly veiled threat of violence against me does I suppose support this yobbish assumption.
On Election day this year there was as you can imagine a lot of cheering and booing going on from both sides during the formal declarations. As far as I remember I was trying to fix my camera to record the result when his came up. I am pretty sure that I never behaved in the daft and boorish manner that Mr Pearce displayed at his election declaration in 2009.
The big issue of course is that he has never responded to my criticism about him politicising Remembrance Day – instead he tries to shirk responsibility for his comments by claiming I have been “orrible” to him. How silly and immature. Mr Pearce should realise the first rule of politics is that if you are in a hole. Stop digging.
Meanwhile someone has sent me this YouTube link. Headphones and speakers on. Pearce’s nonsense helps proves my point. Why are the opposition in Newham, extreme left and extreme right, so completely rubbish? Obsessed solely with personalities? None of them have any real politics. Oh well.
2 comments:
John
Nice blog but a poor ending. I think there are some real politics outside of the Labour mainstream in Newham but it is difficult to get a forum to debate them, particularly with the strict controls the Mayor and Concil have on public debate. A case in pont is the refusal to debate the proposed loan to West Ham FC in Public. This wasn't in the manifsto and the only way for people who aren't councillors to discuss the issue is through blogs and the Newham Recorder, and then without knowing the full facts.
Newham would be a much more politically healthy place if everyone was able to have their views heard and it is a vey narrow definition of democracy to suggest that can only be every 4 years.
Hi Bob
There are some honourable exceptions and I understand that privately many senior Tories despair at the antics of Pearce et al but they are the opposition.
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