Democrat becomes Liberal

A former Waltham Forest Councillor exiled from the Liberal Democrats for speaking out against alleged corruption and racism is standing in the forthcoming by-election in Larkswood ward.

James O’Rourke has thrown his hat into the ring as an old-fashioned Liberal. Whilst we, and others, are encouraged to hear of his return, we thought the negative impact of The Scarlet Pimpernel would have discouraged Mr O’Rourke from returning to politics for life!

However, we wholeheartedly agree with Archipelago of Truth that Mr O’Rourke was a “…hard-working, case-working councillor when he was the representative for the High Street ward” and that by standing as a Liberal Party candidate it “…is the closest thing … to standing as an Independent without actually taking the plunge.”

Realistically, Mr O’Rourke is not going to beat the Conservatives on their ‘home turf’ but we wish him all the very best in dramatically reducing their majority and seeing off the other pretenders.

Free radicals prescriptive laws

Later this month Waltham Forest will witness the juxtaposition of different cultures according to a national newspaper.

Protected by national and international laws ‘hardcore Islamists’ are to set up Sharia law enforcement zones within which gambling, smoking, alcohol and free mixing between the sexes (“…the fruits of Western civilisation”) would be strictly prohibited. These areas would then be policed by “Sharia cops”.

According to The Daily Star, the move will see specific areas, including Walthamstow and Leyton, flooded with thousands of posters & stickers saying, “no gambling”, “no music or concerts”, “no porn or prostitution” and “no drugs or smoking” as an alternative to government attempts to combat violent extremism under the Prevent strategy.

We await to hear what plans Cllr Liaquat Ali, Labour Cabinet member whose responsibilities include implementation of the Councils Prevent Strategy, has to ensure members of the public rights are not infringed by this proposed action.

Lib Dem Farid Ahmed, well known for having a sneaky fag and pint in the Nags Head in Walthamstow village, may wish to stay in his home borough of Redbridge to avoid falling foul of having his collar felt by the “Sharia cops”.

I’ll have a Number 2

How fitting that the Walthamstow Liberal Democrats are asking people to vote Yes, in the forthcoming Alternative Vote (AV) referendum on 5th May, in a Focus that resembles a take away leaflet.

The garish leaflet outlines the “miserable little compromise” the Liberal Democats have ‘forced’ from the Tories.

Like a take way you can place your order according to one’s preference. It could be the Lib Dems will be deluged with No 2’s!

The leaflet shines a lot of light on how the Walthamstow Lib  Dems are recovering from the loss of eight Councillors in the May 2010 local elections.

• Former Councillor, Bob Wheatley, has abandoned William Morris ward
• They only have enough people to concentrate on 3 of the 8 Walthamstow wards
• Former Councillor and Constituency chair, Johar Khan, is not listed following his defection to the Labour Party.

Plague of the Lib Dem rats

It seems Lib Dems throughout the country, particularly those facing local elections this May, are bailing out of the Party.

The strong rumours, recently reported on this site, of Lib Dem Councillors in talks with the Labour Party have been strongly denied by their ‘Leader’, Cllr Bob Sullivan. So far three Lib Dem Councillors have denied bailing out. That still leaves the other three.

As for Khan and Rayner the picture below says it all!

Shape-shifting Liberal Democrats

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats mortally wounded by the shenanigans of the Scarlet Pimpernel and his Walthamstow cronies have been dealt another blow.

A seperate senior Labour source has confirmed that the former Liberal Democrat leader, Keith Rayner, and his side kick, Johar Khan, have officially joined the Labour Party in Waltham Forest.

Although yet to be substantiated it is also rumoured that two current Liberal Democrat Councillors are in secret talks with the Labour Party.

It seems the Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats are experiencing the same fate awaiting the national Party in 2015, but somewhat earlier – extinction.

The Art of Misdirection

Since the revelation that fraud had occurred in the handling of money intended for Waltham Forest’s poorest areas the Council’s most senior legal Officer, Terry Osbourne, has issued a statement saying

..it appears to me that there may have been an error in the minutes produced in relation to the discussion at the committee

Whilst Ms Osbourne admits that the word ‘fraud’ was written by the committee clerk in their notebook she goes on to say that

I am satisfied that this word cannot be attributed to Ray (Head of Audit) in the way it appears in the minutes

The Truth Will Out team will happily suspend disbelief when a magician says he’ll saw a woman in half. That’s entertainment. But when Ms Osbourne says the minutes probably do not accurately reflect what was said, it’s not entertaining; its bordering on criminal.

The key word for us is probably. As a lawyer, is Ms Osbourne covering hers and the Councils back in case there is a challenge? Why would Waltham Forest Guardian print a quote from the Head of Audit as if one of their reporters had attended the meeting?

The key to magic is misdirection, fooling the audience into looking in the wrong direction.

Even stalwart anti-fraud campaigner, Nick Tiratsoo, says he has been assured that members of the committee do not recall hearing the word ‘fraud’ used as it is recorded in the minutes and that it was a transcription error.

This episode led us to consider on what other occasions misdirection has or is being used.

This time last year the Liberal Democrats self-destructed after the de-selection of prominent senior councillors. At the time The Scarlet Pimpernel said that a certain Mr Saeed Diwan had been selected as part of a fair process.

Recently the Liberal Democrats delivered a Focus team calendar in Chapel End ward. No mention of Mr Diwan who, less than a year ago, apparently said he was best placed to be a Chapel End Councillor because the ward is diverse and that he funded the Hoe Street Lib Dem shop! Mr Diwan and his conies contributed to the ousting of long serving Liberal Democrats who, according to the figures, would have been returned as Councillors, albeit on a reduced majority.

So what of the present? Well, it’s the Lib Dems who continue to misdirect the residents of Walthamstow.

Defunct ex-councillors, Khan, Meiszner, Smith, Wheatley and Woollcott still, almost a year after the local elections, purport to be Councillors of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

The Truth Will Out team have drawn this deception to the the Council’s Director of Governance & Law, Terry Osbourne.

Sound of silence

Only a year ago local newspaper comments pages, bloggers (many suspected to be Labour supporters) and Labour leaflets were attacking the man responsible for our streets, former Lib Dem Cllr Bob Belam, for the alleged poor refuse collection and street sweeping services. Strangely, even the Lib Dems in Walthamstow, spearheaded by Parliamentary candidate, Farid Ahmed, were calling for Cleaner Streets in their campaign literature.

So, how are things going now under the ‘leadership’ of  the current incumbent responsible for these services –  Cllr Clyde Loakes?

Labour's overflowing bins

Well, the Truth will Out Team can report that, under Labour, our streets are not clean and a bit of snow has seen refuse bins overflowing as the Council alleges they were unable to carry out collections due to “…last week’s severe weather conditions…”!!! Interesting the Council were unable to collect bins whilst dfs were able to deliver a three piece suite to one of the Truth Will Out team last week.

No bloggers complaining of dirty streets and overflowing bins. No Lib Dems calling for cleaner streets.

The silence is deafening.

Lib Dem disarray

During the General Election campaign many Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidates (and now government ministers) signed a pledge with the National Union of Students that they would vote against any tuition fee rises during the course of the next Parliament. The wording of this pledge clearly indicated that this would be unconditional; regardless of whether the party was in or in opposition.

Nick Clegg and Vice Cable have recently announced they will be voting for increases in tuition fees in a vote in the House of Commons this coming Thursday. In opposition a petition (No to higher tuition fees), signed by Lib Dem Parliamentary candidates, has been sent to all Liberal Democrat MP’s calling on them to vote against the proposal.

So what about the Waltham Forest Lib Dem Parliamentary pretenders?

Geoffrey Seeff (Chingford & Woodford Green) has not signed

Cllr Farooq Qureshi (Leyton & Wanstead) has signed

Farid Ahmed (Walthamstow) has not signed

And of the Scarlet Pimpernel, now purporting to be a Focus Team member for High Street ward and Parliamentary candidate for Enfield Southgate? That’s right he has not signed the petition.

Well done Cllr Qureshi for having the courage of your convictions.

Shame on Ahmed, Seeff and the Scarlet Pimpernel.