Victory to Labour at Mile End East – Galloway well beaten into 3rd place by Tories

Just (00.44) got the result via text from the Council By-election at Mile End East, Tower Hamlets, London. Labour Candidate, Rachel Saunders and local Party activists slaughtered the opposition. Lab 1208, diss-Respect 604, Con 630 and Lib Dem 110. I don’t know the turnout but I suspect it was high for a Council by-election. This is a very good result for the Labour Party, a clear victory.

Despite the national economic problems, Rachel got roughly twice as many votes as Galloway’s Respect and the Tories. These are the published 2006 Council election results. It’s a bit complicated (actually very) to compare since in 2006 the Ward returned 2 Labour and one Respect Councillors. But since then the Respect Councillor (who was also a SWP member) has defected to the Tories and the current Respect Candidate (playing community politics it would appear) actually stood as an independent last time against Respect and Labour. He only marginally increased his vote as a Respect candidate compared to that as an independent, which I think indicates the true level of poplar support for the ultra left brand of Galloway’s Respect (less than 100 voters or so per ward).

I was very impressed with the way that the local Party had organised the campaign. I started off with a team of keen and enthusiastic Labour Society students from local university, Queen Mary (see photo with local MP Jim Fitzpatrick). Then later on I fell in with my West Ham CLP compatriots, John & John, in a canvass team headed by Rachel’s Husband! We were knocking on the doors of “Labour promises”, who were people who had indicated they were Labour supporters but had so far not voted according to the polling agents.

I canvassed mostly the “East End Homes” blocks in Southern Grove, Bow (next to where I use to work in the UNISON office). We went round and around these blocks trying to catch supporters and remind them to vote! The only sign of the opposition I saw was one strangely “suited and booted” respect canvass team (with Green rosettes) who appeared to be having some sort of stand up row between themselves near English Street. Things were probably pretty fraught for all political activists tonight. The polls closed at 10pm and we were still “knocking people up” at 9.45pm. Afterwards we went for a fairly well earned beer and curry in Brick Lane (photo). I assume they are still celebrating in Brick Lane even now as I type and, why not, well done everyone, especially Rachel.

On the "dog and bone" for Labour in Mile End

“Of course we will all vote Labour in the election. Tony Blair, when he was Prime minister did wonderful, wonderful things for our country. We will always support the Labour Party”. This is something that Labour Party canvassers don’t hear all that often I suppose.

However, this is what I heard last night from the first person I was able to actually speak to last night during a Labour Party telephone canvass session.

We were phoning electors from the Mile End East ward in our sister CLP (Constituency Labour Party) in Tower Hamlets. There is a Council election on 20th November 2008. Rachel Saunders is the ace Labour Party candidate for the election.

We were physically at the West Ham Labour Party headquarters in Stratford where we have a useful tele-canvass bank. This was set up with the help of our MP Lyn Brown, West Ham CLP and London UNISON Labour Link.

Picture is of West Ham CLP secretary and UNISON Labour Link officer for Walthamstow Local Government, Alan Griffiths, fighting the good fight by asking Mile End electors to support Rachel. Tele-canvassing is not as bad as you might think. In the majority of calls that you manage to speak to someone, there is some sort of positive outcome. I don’t think you can replace "door to door" canvassing (on the knocker) but telephone canvassing is very important if properly done.

The canvass went really well. I will make a very minor admission that the lady I was first able to speak to was Lithuanian and this was the “country” she was referring to when she was talking about the “great things” that Tony Blair had done. I’m not that sure what Tony did to please Lithuanian voters but I am sure it was something very positive.

We will continue with the tele-canvass for the rest of the campaign. If you want to help out check this post.

Rachel Saunders selected for Mile End East

A Good news story: Rachel was selected yesterday as the Labour Party candidate in the Mile End East Council by-election. She works for UNISON as a national Equalities officers and is very hard working and dedicated local Party activist.

She will make an excellent Councillor. Seen left with Cllr Motin Uz-Zaman. By co-incidence I was in the same canvass team as Rachel in Mile End last month (see here).

This is from the Tower Hamlets Labour Party Web site

"The by-election was called after Labour Councillor Rupert Bawden resigned due to health reasons.

Speaking after her selection as the candidate, Rachael Saunders said: “I am honoured to be chosen to represent the Labour Party in the forthcoming by-election. Rupert was a first class councillor and will be a tough act to follow.”

She added: “There are some serious issues facing the residents of Mile End East. Crime and anti-social behaviour is an issue across the ward, there are areas where parking needs be sorted out, and residents on the British Street Estate have talked to me at length about some of the issues they have with the contractors carrying out the refurbishment of the estate. Residents need and deserve a committed councillor to work with them to tackle these issues.”

Rachael said: “There is clear blue water between the Conservative vision for Tower Hamlets, and what residents and Labour want. The Conservative Mayor for London is proposing to close Limehouse Police station; I will lead the fight against this Tory cut. Across London, Conservative Councillors are slashing grants for voluntary organisations; I will oppose this. Conservative councils charge for the telecare alarm service for pensioners; I strongly support the Labour council’s recent decision to provide this service free of charge.”

Printed by Tower Hamlets Labour Party. Promoted by Graham Taylor on behalf of Rachael Saunders, All at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA.

If you can help out there are canvass teams out every week day evening - 6pm meet outside Mile End tube. Also there will be weekend canvassing. Call at the Labour Party campaign HQ at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9RA or Call 020 7729 6682 if you can help at other times.

Call to Arms in Mile End (2008)

Today I received an email from my CLP secretary (a good UNISON member) about a future by-election in the Mile End East ward of Tower Hamlets, East London.

The Labour Councillor, Rupert Bawden had resigned for health reasons. So there will be a by-election in early November. The local ward will pick a candidate on Sunday.

Tonight at the West Ham EC we discussed what help we can offer our sister borough in “fighting the good fight”.

If you can help out call 020 7729 6682.

This should be a safe-ish Labour seat but with the ‘orrible George Galloway sniffing about, no-one should take anything for granted. A Respect Councillor was elected last time due to community links. This Councillor famously jumped ship from Respect to the Conservatives early this year. In the process ripping up his membership card of the SWP! The other two ward members elected were Labour.

I checked out the local newspaper ,The East End Advertiser and found out they were running by coincidence a feature (see here) on the “SIEGE OF SIDNEY ST—AMAZING STREET BATTLE IN MILE END”.

Now I think that the Mile End East campaign will not end up with a gun fight between foreign anarchists and the Irish Guards - see photo. (would the present day Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, borrow a rifle from one of the Guardsman to take pot shots at the SWP – whoops, I mean anarchists, like Churchill did in 1911? Who in return had a bullet go through his top hat – Churchill is highlighted in photo). Anyway the ward boundaries are nowadays different.

The 2008 Mile End East campaign will still be tough, as all Tower Hamlets elections are (and should be so)