Battle of Cable Street - 80th Anniversity of "East London Routs The Fascists"

On Tuesday 4 October 2016 it is the 80th anniversary of the 1936 "Battle of Cable Street" when anti-
fascists stopped a march through the (then) largely Jewish East End of London by Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists.

I have worked in Tower Hamlets for nearly 25 years. My first trade union branch secretary was the daughter of Phil Piratin, one of the chief Cable Street anti-fascist organisers (and later elected as a "Red Stepney" Communist MP).

There is a march and rally next Sunday 9 October 2016 (see below). Max Levitas, who is an original Cable Street veteran, and I have heard speak a number of times (and has joined our West Ham Labour Party street stalls in recent years) will be a speaker.

"Sunday, 9th October

 Assemble 12 noon @ Altab Ali Park, Whitechapel Road, London E1.
March to a rally @ St George’s Gardens, Cable Street. Speakers before and after the march include: Max Levitas (Cable Street veteran), Jeremy Corbyn MP, Rushanara Ali MP, Frances O’Grady (General Secretary, TUC), Unmesh Desai (GLA member, City and East London)

Speakers confirmed to date: Max Levitas (Cable Street veteran), Jeremy Corbyn MP, Rushanara Ali MP, Frances O’Grady (General Secretary, TUC), John Biggs (Mayor of Tower Hamlets), Unmesh Desai (GLA member, City and East London), Michael Rosen, Gerry Gable (Searchlight Research Associates), Weyman Bennett (Unite Against Fascism), Manus O’Riordan (Ireland IBMT), Glyn Robbins (United East End), Julia Bard (Jewish Socialists’ Group), Roger Mackenzie (UNISON) Alex Kenny (East London NUT), Shahriar Bin Ali (Bangladesh Workers Council, Amelia Womack (Green Party), Matt Wrack (FBU), Mick Cash (RMT), Sarah Sackman (Jewish Labour Movement), Tony Donaghey (Connolly Association), Mary Davis (new Stoke Newington synagogue), Leon Silver (East London Central Synagogue), Richard Humm (Cable Street Group)

Chairs: (Altab Ali Park) David Rosenberg, JSG; (St George’s Gardens) Megan Dobney, SERTUC

Plus marching bands including the Great Yiddish Parade and Udichi
Bring family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours! Bring Banners!"

On Wednesday 5 October 2016 at 6.30pm, Labour GLA Member, Unmesh Desai, will be joining other speakers at the Trinity Centre in East Ham to talk about "Battle of Cable Street: Lessons for present struggles"(organised by East End Together)

A week of campaigning for Sadiq Khan as Labour Mayor of London in West Ham

Some pictures from the door knocking that has been going on by various ward branches in West Ham Labour Party during the last week.

On Sunday I helped out in Custom House. Interestingly, we are also asking residents how they will vote in the European Union referendum and this ward had a high "Remain" in the EU vote.

Thursday evening we were in West Ham ward and were joined by Labour Greater London Assembly candidate for City and East London, Unmesh Desai.

Saturday morning back in West Ham this time with our MP Lyn Brown.  I had a difficult conversation with a constituent who is a council tenant in a 2 bed flat with 2 teenagers (boy and girl) and has been on the waiting list for a move to a larger property for 12 years.

I had to warn her that we have thousands of residents in a similar position or worse and that the Tory plans to make councils sell off off their homes to pay for their right to buy election bribes to Housing Association tenants will be a disaster for people like her. Sadiq Khan as Labour Mayor of London will fix the Tory Housing crisis.

Saturday afternoon I was in the former 2012 Olympic athletic accommodation blocks in what is now East Village in Stratford. The blocks we managed to get into appeared to be half empty since so few had anyone registered to vote. We can only assume that these homes are occupied by non EU nationals. This is not the Olympic legacy that we were promised.

There was a number of other canvass sessions in West Ham last week that I was not able to attend but I will try and help out at all wards during this campaign.

West Hammers out Khanpaigning in Green St, Plaistow & Custom House

It has been a busy weekend for West Ham Labour. Yesterday I was out with a Labour canvass team for Sadiq Khan as mayor in Green Street. See Vice Chair Campaigns, Julianne Marriott, briefing the team beforehand on what to do. Highlight of the morning was calling at a Roman Catholic nunnery.

Then we met our MP Lyn Brown, at the East Shopping centre which was celebrating its first birthday. Some members also attended the anti racism rally in Trafalgar Square.

In the afternoon we were in Plaistow South ward with City & East GLA candidate Unmesh Desai.  As you can see from the photo outside the fire station, we had a number of (very) young socialists with us. I was with the team led by Stratford Cllr, Charlene McLean, who used her daughters pram to hold spare leaflets and sheets. Picked up some repair and school issues which were dealt with by local Cllr Neil Wilson. Picture of excited staffie, stalking cat and CLP secretary, Alan Griffiths.

In the evening there was a meeting of City and East Momentum followed by a social in Forest Gate. This morning there was another canvass team out in Custom House led by local Councillors Rokhsana Fiaz and Pat Holland. This evening there is Sunday Night Live at the Stratford Picture House on "Does Feminism Need a Upgrade" (5pm-6.30)

Click on picture to bring up detail.

Sadiq Khan for London Mayor "SuperSaturday" in Canning Town & Forest Gate

Picture collage from today's "Super Saturday" campaign in support of Sadiq Khan as London Mayor. Around 20 activists turned up to work with West Ham MP, Lyn Brown, in Canning Town in the morning and a similar number in the afternoon in Forest Gate.

Greater London Assembly (GLA) candidates, Unmesh Desai and Tom Copley, also turned up to talk to residents. After the Forest Gate session, canvassers revived themselves from the cold weather with hot coffee (or cold beers) at the Forest Gate Tavern.

It was great to see new members to the Party take part and campaign for Labour alongside existing activists. The London Mayor and GLA election in May will be by proportional representation so every vote will count. It will be absolutely vital that we get the Labour vote out in Newham.

West Ham Votes for Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson

A little late but last Thursday West Ham CLP narrowly nominated, Jeremy Corbyn, as Labour leader ahead of Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper. Tom Watson, was nominated as Deputy leader beating Caroline Flint, Stella Creasy, Angela Eagle and Ben Bradshaw. Local boy Unmesh Desai was also comfortably nominated as the City & East GLA candidate ahead of Murad Qureshi, Howard Dawber, Abdal Ullah, Ashton McGregor & Feryal Demirci.

It was one of the largest West Ham meetings (122 members) I have attended and took place in the Vicarage Lane Community centre in my ward. All members were invited to give speeches and make nominations. I think probably a fifth of those present spoke including young and new members. The speeches were often quite passionate and waiting for the results was tense and rather exciting.  Everyone behaved themselves (even Red Tel) and  I think we did our CLP proud.

As a Party member I nominated Andy Burnham for leader and spoke in favour of Stella Creasy for Deputy. As a UNISON delegate I nominated Murad Qureshi for the GLA seat who has the support of Greater London UNISON.

Afterwards there was food and the traditional Labour Party raffle. When everything was cleared up a few die-hards went down to the Black Lion to further analyse in detail the results and debate the merits (or otherwise) of candidates.

Rachel Reeves MP at gathering of East London Labour Movement family

On Wednesday evening at Newham Town Hall Rachel Reeves MP was the keynote speaker at a fund raising event organised by East Ham Labour Party.

There was around 400 guests mainly from East and West Ham but also from CLP's in Tower Hamlets, Walthamstow, Redbridge, Havering and Barking & Dagenham. There was also support from affiliated trade unions. London UNISON Labour Link helped sponsor the brochure. 

It had been organised by the notoriously shy and retiring, Cllr Unmesh Desai. The food was fantastic and there was live music and stage dancing. Followed of course by the traditional Labour Party raffle and auction (by Steve Pound MP). Local MP Stephen Timms spoke, as did the Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales and Labour GLA leader Len Duvall. East London Assembly member and Labour Tower Hamlets Mayoral candidate John Biggs also did the rounds.

Rachel reminded us that there was only 462 days before the next General Election. This election will be about values. Labour values against Tory values. If we all work together with the trade unions then we will have Ed Miliband as our next Prime Minister and a Labour Government.

Afterwards UNISON and West Ham colleagues met up with GMB comrades from Barking and Dagenham to put our world to rights at the local Spoons (and debate the provenance of local history photographs on the pub walls).

It was a good night. It was suggested that each of the East London Borough Labour Parties ought to organise in turn similar events each year. Good idea.

Newham Council Motion On Campaign Against Blacklisting

This is the speech I made last night at Newham Council meeting seconding the motion here item 17 proposed by Councillor Unmesh Desai.

"A few weeks ago, like many of you here, I went to the funeral of former trade union activist and Labour Councillor, Vic Turner.

At the funeral I bumped into my TUC health and safety tutor, a former construction worker called Dave Smith. Dave taught me about 10-15 years ago in North East London College. He was a great tutor who also spoke of his past life as an engineer and carpenter on building sites.

When I asked him why he stopped working on sites, he told me that he had no choice. He just stopped getting any work on building sites even as a sub-contractor. He retrained as a carpenter but still could not find any long term work. He suspected that it was to do with his trade union activities and work as a safety rep for UCATT, the construction trade union, but he could not prove anything. His income went down from £36k per year to £12k per year. In 10 years he estimated he lost £175k in wages.

As Dave put it recently in the Guardian. He was a qualified engineer during the longest ever building boom in this country yet his children relied on milk tokens.Dave had a family to support so he had no choice but to retrain as a part time teacher to try and earn a living for them.

In 2009 the Information Commissioners Office finally raided the HQ of a company called "The Consulting Association" and amongst thousands of others, they found a 36 page secret report on Dave, including his national insurance number, photographs, his car and even the place where his brother worked, as well as crude smears. Much of the information was held in card indexes with information clipped from newspapers and passed to employers who would check against potential recruits.

Dave and many others on the list are taking their case to the High court for compensation and Justice.

So far Consulting Association has been fined a miserly £5k for helping to destroy so many people’s lives, while the companies and senior executives who supplied and used this unlawful information have not suffered at all. They admit to wrong doing but refuse to pay any compensation.

Council, we don’t want McCarthyism in this Country. How would any of us here tonight, or our  partners or children, like to face a lifetime of unemployment, because they asked their employer for a health and safety risk assessment or protective clothing?

Like many members I have relatives who work in construction and even in North Sea rigs. This is dangerous work and we want stroppy union reps challenging employers and doing their best to make things safe.

The criminal and civil law has proved to be totally unable so far to protect workers from such victimisation. The only things that these big publicly listed construction companies understand is their pockets. We need to make it crystal clear that not only is blacklisting wrong but to use our influence in the construction sector and make it clear we don’t want those who don’t apologise and don’t pay compensation in our Borough.

If they pay so little heed to the health and safety of their own workers then it is clear that they don’t give a monkey about the safety of our residents who live next to sites either.

I will also be asking Legal services to confirm that the Council Pension fund can contact our fund managers to make sure that if we hold any money in these rogue companies that they are taken to task.

Council, please support this motion and send a message that Blacklisting will not be tolerated in any form or in any industry".

The motion was passed unanimously. Today Dave is in Court again asking for justice. After the debate a Councillor told me that on the London Cross Rail project a contractor which was known to have a good record on health & safety and high Union membership has lost its contract. It seems Blacklisting is still going on. Can other Councils and CLPs consider this motion item 17 as well.

Unmesh Desai for NE CLP London Labour Board 2013

Newham Councillor & GMB activist Unmesh Desai is standing for re-election on Saturday to the NE and East CLP seat on London Regional Board.

Unmesh is a hard working Party activist and campaigner. 

The election will take place at the Biannual Labour Party conference on Saturday. This is his election statement.

"I am currently the male representative on the Regional Board in the constituencies' section representing East and North East London and am standing again, the election being held at the London Regional Conference at Stratford Town Hall on Saturday 16th February, having been nominated by my CLP East Ham as well as West Ham, Barking, Dagenham, Hackney South and Hackney North CLPs.

Over the last two years  apart from being an active participant at Board meetings and proceedings I have supported, both as a Board member and a GLA List candidate campaign and fundraising events in as many constituencies as possible. If reelected and given that the next Board term will coincide with the run-in to the European, municipal and General Elections I intend to prioritise such activities even more. Also with others to make the Board a focus of coordinated London-wide Labour campaigns working with London trade unions, affiliates and community groups.

I am an active GMB member, Chair of Newham Fabians and Coop member, Vice Chair of East Ham CLP( Campaigns) and Cabinet member for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour and would be grateful for your support on the above basis".

"The Future of London Government" Newham Compass & Fabians

 

Tonight in West Ham FC Supporters club, Green Street (which is actually in East Ham) there was a debate led by London Assembly member, Val Shawcross with Emma Sweeney and Ted Flanagan from the new Queen's Park Parish Council in the London Borough Westminster.

 

The topic was "The Future of London Government" Chaired by Unmesh Desai, organised jointly by Newham Compass and Fabians. Follow my twitter feed at lbncompass. 

 

Val spoke first about how do we sustain and revitalise democracy in London? The Liberal Democrats have been discredited by dropping their core social beliefs in the unsuccessful pursuit of changes that would have benefited them politically (PR and reform of Lords), While the Tories pursue a culture of secrecy especially in the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade.

 

We need to start a dialogue in the Labour Party about democratising and self government, look at the voluntary sector, social enterprises, mutuals and real local control of the NHS. Tories are about privatisation while we should be driving our democratic tentacles into private sector and promoting "responsible capitalism". This change should not be at the expense of workers terms and conditions.

 

Ted and Emma spoke about their experiences in Queens Park setting up a Parish Council in a mixed income ward in Westminster with houses worth a £million + and a 1960s Council estate with the worse child poverty rate in Europe. They got the idea from a journalist when their local forum had its funding cut in 2010. 68% of the ward voted to set up the Parish, which will receive around £45 per year from each household in the ward (collected by Westminster on top of Council tax). This will raise £180k per year which will be spent on extra community services and events as decided by the local elected parish councillors. Not replace existing borough services.

 

Like I think nearly everyone present I think this is a really interesting idea and needs following. I'm a little sceptical to be honest since I have seen all sorts of centralised then decentralised then recentralised community governance models in my time, come and go. Yet Ted and Emma seem very confident that this time it should be different.

 

In the Q&A I warned Val that while the Voluntary sector does many good things there are also appalling governance in many such organisations which needs addressing. I pointed out the Metropolitan Housing Robbery.  She accepted that far more needs to be done to improve the way that these organisations conduct themselves and we need to start a debate in the Labour Party on how to do this.

Ken Livingstone in Green Street as Sikh's celebrate New Year

Yesterday afternoon Labour Mayor Candidate Ken Livingstone was in Newham for the annual march by Sikh's to celebrate "Vaisakhi" their New Year.

Ken seen here (centre) with East Ham MP Stephen Timms was also accompanied by  Assembly candidate John Biggs and Unmesh Desai. Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales and West Ham MP Lyn Brown were also present.

There were thousands of people in the procession and lining the streets. The rain held off and there was even sunshine. It was very colourful with drums and music. Food and drink given out for free. Ken was mobbed by well wishers and supporters.

On the Knocker for Ken in West Ham

Picture from yesterday's canvass session in Abbey Road, West Ham, E15.  I represent the ward as a Councillor. After my surgery we met up outside the Rokeby Community Centre. It was pouring with rain at the beginning so we had split up into 4 separate canvass teams to call at the tower blocks and flats in the area and keep undercover as best you can. 

Since this is PR election every single vote in London will count. We need to bring out our core vote in East London to defeat Tory Mayor Boris Johnson. West Ham ward is solid Labour but the hostility shown by residents to the Tories is striking.

There was several other Labour Party canvass teams out this weekend in Newham. Later that day our local City and London Assembly member John Biggs was in Forest Gate North. West Ham MP Lyn Brown is 4th from right and GLA London wide Assembly candidate Unmesh Desai is 3rd from left. After this I went over to the West Ham and Stratford Spring Festival (post to follow).

Sadiq Khan MP Stratford fund raiser for GLA elections 2012

Picture from last night's successful GLA elections fund raiser at the

Manus Restaurant in Stratford.

Please indulge me for messing about with the picture attributes. The keynote speaker, Sadiq Khan MP (Shadow Minster of Justice) is genuinely funny and had everyone laughing at this
point.

On the left is John Biggs the local Labour City and East GLA candidate, and to the right of Sadiq is East Ham MP Stephen Timms and West Ham MP Lyn Brown MP. Double click to bring up detail.

The event had been organised by Newham Cllr Unmesh Desai, who is also standing as a GLA candidate in this year's election. The buffet meal was absolutely excellent. I shared a taxi home with some of the Newham born Leyton and Wansted CLP crew who shame us by always turning up and supporting our  events. 

Ken in Newham

This evening I joined Labour Candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone and his team as they visited the historic Theatre Royal in

Stratford.

Ken had been in Newham all day and had already gone on a Housing enforcement visit with Council officers and Newham Mayor Robin Wales in the morning. He then had a briefing with local Councillors and a Q&A with students at Newham College, as well as a “walkabout” in Green Street.

With Ken was Assembly member Val Shawcross (who is standing for Deputy Mayor) local Assembly member John Biggs and Newham’s finest, GLA Candidate, Councillor Unmesh Desai (who is also East Ham Labour Party Agent).

At the Theatre Royal there was firstly an informal meeting with staff and local actors (whose first break had been in the Theatre) in the “Green Room” followed by a brief tour of the theatre and a visit to a Performing Arts class to observe a lesson on “improvisations”. Which was simply enormous fun to watch. Afterwards there was a very relaxed discussion between staff, the young people and Ken, Val and John about the future of performing arts, dance and further education generally. I think the photo above is great. 

Afterwards we went off to the Didsbury Centre in East Ham for the Newham “Tell Ken” event (sponsored by London UNISON Labour Link) which I will post upon soon.

An Evening with Eddie Izzard (and Ken)

On Wednesday I went to a London Labour Party fund raising event hosted by Eddie Izzard for Ken Livingston.  Ken and Eddie both spoke followed by a Q&A. I asked about Boris and his high fare policy for London transport.   Afterwards both Eddie and Ken came around and sat at tables chatting to supporters while signing menus and having their

photos taken with us. See photo
college.

Newham was represented by West Ham MP Lyn Brown and 2012 GLA candidate, Cllr Unmesh Desai. I was pleased to be introduced (but too shy to say anything) to a long time heroine of mine, Jill Morrell. In the blogging world, I saw former Labour list editor, Derek Draper

On our table (bottom left of college) there were mostly affiliated trade unions reps. I sat next to Jessica Asato and we compared notes on our experiences as first term London Councillors. Good and bad. 

Unmesh Desai for NE CLP London Labour Board 2010.

Newham Councillor & GMB activist Unmesh Desai is standing for election on Saturday to the NE and East CLP seat on London Regional Board.

Unmesh is a hard working Party activist and campaigner. 

The election will take place at the Biannual Labour Party conference. This is his election statement.

"I have been nominated by my CLP, East Ham, for the above position and now write to seek your support.

London Labour faces a number of challenges over the course of the term of the new Regional Board :

. Campaigning with trade unions,affiliated organisations and community organisations to connect with and shape rising anger over the savage cuts proposed by the Condem government. In particular we need to win over those Londoners who voted for the Libdems only to find themselves betrayed.

. A positive London Labour alternative appealing to all Londoners in both inner and outer London which also exposes the Tory Mayor's failure to deliver on key issues such as transport and policing.

. Continuing our successful Barking campaign to reengage with and win back white working class voters without pandering to any sectional prejudices or vested interests.

The Regional Board has the key role in coordinating and implementing a strategy to deliver these goals and I believe that in my 25 years of party membership I have demonstrated the political commitment and experience to play an effective part in delivering this -

* I have held positions at all party levels including LGC Chair and past membership of the Regional Board. Currently I am Vice Chair (Campaigns) of East Ham CLP and Labour Group Vice Chair (Campaigns and Media).

* Newham Councillor since 1998. Currently Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti Social Behaviour.Vice Chair of the Local Government Information Unit.

* School governor, Coop Party member and Chair of Newham Fabians.

* GMB member and particularly proud as East Ham's delegate to have seconded the GMB motion to 2009 Conference to extend Newham's free school meals policy nationally.We still provide free school meals to all our primary school children.

* Election agent at parliamentary,mayoral,council and GLA elections. Election agent to Stephen Timms,MP,in May when we secured the biggest parliamentary majority and vote in the country.

* Active in community campaigns around race, anti-fascism, civil liberties and social justice, but particularly in East London, since the late 1970's.

If elected I will represent your views and report back.I am and will always continue to be available on 07976 218 584 or email unmeshdesai_per@yahoo.com.
Regards.
Unmesh Desai

(UPDATE: He won)

“Knocking up” the Labour vote in Isle of Dogs

Back (via Spinnakers pub) from “knocking up” the Labour vote in Tower Hamlets (see main picture) for the Executive Mayor contest. I was part of a Newham team led by the super fast walker, Councillor Unmesh Desai, together with “Fitz” from Canning town and long standing Councillor (and TSSA Union activist) Amarjit Singh.

Nearly 60 activists from Newham had been recorded as coming over to help today.

The purpose was for us to knock on the doors of voters who had been previously identified as supporters of the Party and check that they had voted. If they have not voted then our job would be to “encourage” them to go out and vote. In a tight election this is crucial. Labour will win this contest if we get our vote out.

We had two lists to cover near Manchester Road in the Isle of Dogs. Mostly around the Samuda Estate and St John’s. Local landlords Island Homes (One Housing) are refurbishing many blocks (Labour government decent homes proramme?) and have taken away or obscured block signs behind scaffolding, so we had some fun and games identifying the location of certain blocks.

The response from those voters who we managed to find indoors was very good. It is perhaps a sign that people actually value the democratic process more than sometimes we think, since we were thanked by many people for reminding them to vote, even if it meant they had to rush out of their home into the cold at 9.30pm.

One of the last blocks we visited was “Betty May Gray House”. A well maintained block built by the Isle of Dogs Housing Association in 1962 (a good year) on land given to it by said Betty Gray (no known relation). Great views from the top floor.

Last night was probably the quietest time I have ever had on an election night in Tower Hamlets. I understand the usual mayhem was taking place in other parts, but I only saw one team of Tories out delivering leaflets and one independent/respect outside a polling station. The Count is going on overnight and we will find out the result in the morning.

(main picture of Gotham City from a marvellous pre-war Manchester Road sheltered scheme managed by Southern Housing)

Stephen Timms MP leaves hospital to go home

Some good news - Stephen left hospital today and walked to a car which took him home. See report and picture with his friend and agent, Cllr Unmesh Desai, here.

Local newspaper the Newham Recorder also reports “Throughout his stay the popular MP was inundated with messages of support from friends and colleagues from across the political spectrum as well as Newham residents of all faiths”.

But... “Student Roshonara Choudhary, 21, from East Ham stands remanded to the Old Bailey for trial charged with attempted murder and possessing two kitchen knives as offensive weapons after appearing before Stratford Magistrates' Court on Monday". 

Wednesday PM – Co-op, Education (Free School Meals), Royal Mail Pension

Gareth Thomas MP, chair of Co-op Party addressed conference. The Co-op movement is on a bit of a roll at the moment. It’s not just about the failure of the demutualised banks and building societies but new interest in co-operative provision of public services – housing, hospitals and even schools.

The Education debate saw a barn standing speech in favour of free school meals by Newham Councillor Unmesh Desai (see picture). Newham is part of a government pilot to offer free school meals to all primary schools. A commitment to roll this programme out nationally in the Labour manifesto next year is IMO a "no-brainer".

Next we had some alternative show business glamour with awards given out by the Labour Party supporter Eddie Izzard.

Billy Hayes the CWU General Secretary successfully moved the emergency motion on the Royal Mail pension deficit. This deficit is mostly due to contribution holidays by the state owned Post Office during most of the period of Tory rule and the Party will now be pressing the government to take responsibility for it.

Newham Fringe

After TULO we then dashed off to the Newham fringe event. This was a “round table” informal discussion on regeneration and development issues. We had got the times wrong so we missed most of it.

Anyway – any excuse for another photo! Left to right – Cllr Unmesh Desai, Cllr Alec Kellaway, Sir Robin Wales – elected Newham Mayor, Alan Griffiths (UNISON), Stephen Timms East Ham MP, Charlene McLean (West Ham), Lord Victor Adebowale, Rachel Tripp (West Ham), Moi.

So you want to be a Newham Councillor?

Today I went along to a “taster event for people wanting to stand for Council”. All Labour Party members in Newham have been sent application forms to fill out if they want to be considered and an invite to today’s event.

I posted last November that I had put my name forward to a somewhat mixed blogging response but on the whole it was somewhat supportive.

The event today was held in the Didsbury Centre in East Ham. There were about 25 members present which is not bad for a Bank Holiday Saturday. I had to skive off the West Ham CLP street stall in Forest Gate in order to attend.

The first speaker was the directly elected Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales. Robin laid out the Newham Labour vision of making our borough a better place that people choose to live and work inside. Robin argues that in Newham this aspiration is the key test about anything the Council does. The chief barrier to this is worklessness. The deprivation map of London 150 years ago is the same today. Paid employment is the key to change. Practically everything else we want for our wider community depends upon our people being in work and earning money.

Councillor Unmesh Desai spoke next about the highs and lows of being a Councillor. He described how sometimes it is so frustrating since residents would come to him with unrealistic expectations about what he could achieve as a Councillor. He cannot help everyone to be properly housed; he cannot interfere in Planning decisions or School appeals. However, he can make a difference. He can make personal representations over housing repairs and environmental services. He sometimes has to remind Council officers who pays their wages. He went through the code of conduct and standards committee.

The Q&A afterwards brought up a range of issues. Can we improve our communications with voters and Party members? I asked how many hours per week do you have to commit? Others asked what is their best experience as a Councillor and their worse.

Afterwards we went out (photo) and did some door knocking in the local ward as training and I assume sending a message out that if people want to be Councillors they need to “press the flesh”. I went out with a team of 4 and despite all the problems the Party have at the moment, our team struck gold and we had a load of positive responses and two separate people asking about becoming Labour Party members.

If you don’t ask you don’t get.