Happy Days! Galloway/SWP Councillors join Labour

I'll post on this further - Hi to Oli, Lutfa and Rania - now that the "ego" and the toy town revolutionaries have rejoined their forgotten brigades, Welcome to the Labour Party!

"Three more councillors switch to Labour in fresh blow to Galloway…
All three remaining ‘Respect Unity Coalition’ councillors on Tower Hamlets Borough Council, who split from George Galloway’s party last year, have today joined the Labour Party.

Councillor OLI RAHMAN, the first councillor to be elected under George Galloway’s ‘Respect’ banner in 2004, Councillor LUTFA BEGUM and Councillor RANIA KHAN will all join the group which runs Tower Hamlets.

Councillor Rahman (St Dunstan’s and Stepney Green) said today:

“I know in my heart that the Respect Party has no future and that the best way I can help achieve lasting improvements for my community is to work as part of the mainstream Labour Party.

“The real choice at the next General Election will be right-wing Conservative representation which would be the worst possible result, or a Labour MP like Jim Fitzpatrick who will continue to stand up and deliver what is needed by the local community.

“It is time to put our differences aside and work together and that’s what I will do.”

Councillor Begum (Limehouse), who works as a Community Practice Nurse said:

“Respect is totally split and incapable of delivering anything positive for the people of Tower Hamlets. I stood for council to help make things better for my local community - particularly to improve health care and to fight for a better deal for women.

“I know that our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is working hard to deliver on the issues that concern people in Tower Hamlets. It is clear today that the only party doing that can change things for the better for ordinary people is Gordon Brown’s Labour Party.

“I have been encouraged by the vast majority of local residents in my community to join the Labour Party.”

Councillor Khan (Bromley by Bow) said:

“I became involved to help make a real difference. The best way to achieve that change is by being part of the Labour Party which is rebuilding in Tower Hamlets and going from strength-to-strength.

Labour’s JIM FITZPATRICK, MP for Poplar and Limehouse said today:

“I welcome this boost which reflects hard by Labour’s team both locally at Tower Hamlets Council and nationally at Westminster to be on the side of ordinary people delivering real improvements to their lives.”

Bakuninites, drunks, Bonapartists

Allegations of threats to “lamp” opponents, “dirty methods” “Bakuninites, drunks, Bonapartistsis” “lies and misrepresentations” - is this just another account of every day life in George Galloway’s Respect or SWP/Left list?

No, these allegations are being made about CPGB PCC (Communist Party Great Britain – Provisional central Committee and publishers of the “Weekly Worker”) by suspended member, John Pearson (picture right) who supports the (believe it or not) Trotskyist Tendency of the CML (Campaign for a Marxist Party). Which appears to be in someway connected with the CPGB?

Ironically the “Weekly Worker” has exposed a lot of the nonsense over the demise of diss-respect. The headline this week is on the possible defection of Tower Hamlets "Left List/SWP" Councillor Oli Rahman (in my view for what it is worth, a misguided but decent bloke and good trade unionist) to the Labour Party.

Click on to John Pearson’s website where he “exposes” the “judicial” investigation by the CPGB PCC. I think this is a genuine website and I haven’t a clue about the rights or wrongs of John’s many and very detailed complaints.

Hat tip thingy to Comrade Mars