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.

Lib Dems talent shines through

It seems the Walthamstow Lib Dems continue to crawl from under their stone two years after their self destruction at the polls in May 2010.

A number of wards in Walthamstow have been receiving Lib Dem calendars announcing their teams. The Chapel End calendar is particularly interesting. (Click image left for full view).

The team consists of, former councillor Sean Meiszner (rumoured to have blubbered like a baby after losing his seat in Higham Hill ward), former Walthamstow Lib Dem Chair, Matt Lake (rumoured to have resigned during the 2010 election campaign when he became aware of the shenanigans of The Scarlet Pimpernel) and Tulat Raja.

Such is the talent of this ‘team’ that we understand the Chapel End Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) have received a number of complaints about the accuracy of the calendars content .

Meiszner, Lake and Raja aspire to run Waltham Forest Council yet do not have the intelligence to proof read the document delivered in their names. The Chapel End calendar lists the High Street SNT!

Even funnier is Meiszner’s website lists, as his contact, the email address of one of the former Chapel End Councillors he, and his cronies, were responsible for expelling from the Lib Dems – Bob Belam.

With such talent Waltham Forest will be safe in Lib Dem hands!!!

Another Lib Dem defects to Labour?

Cllr Mahmood Hussain

The Councils ‘Pravda’, Waltham Forest News, seems to have confirmed the rumours we recently published that two Liberal Democrat Councillors are in defection talks with the Labour Party.

On page 10 of the latest Waltham Forest News are pictures of all of Waltham Forest’s Councillors by ward and political party. The red line around High Street Councillor, Mahmood Hussain, seems to suggest he has defected from the Liberal Democrats to the Labour Party.

Wound publicly opened

The announcement of two, so called high-profile, Liberal Democrats defecting to the Labour party seems to have opened a deep political wound Cllr Bob Sullivan would have rather festered in private.

In response to the Waltham Forest Guardian’s website article former councillor, James O’Rourke, says of his former ‘colleague’, The Scarlet Pimpernel, whose defection we predicted seven months ago:

The irony of Khan’s defection is not lost on me given that he and his lemming cronies – Wheatley, Ahmed, Hussain, Meiszner et al – kicked me out of the Liberal Democrats last June for speaking out against their ‘questionable practices’ of deselecting three prominent and competent sitting Councillors in favour of a candidate who had not been approved for a target seat.

and

As for Khan’s statement that “will continue to work for our community in Waltham Forest” I wish the Labour party the best of luck. When he and I were Councillors in High Street ward he did sod all.

Cllr Sullivan is clearly (we understand one of Keith Rayner’s favorite words!) in denial. There are likely to be more defections to Labour because stronger rumours continue to circulate that two of Cllr Sullivan’s councillor colleagues are still in talks with the Labour party – one of whom was the running mate of Khan and O’Rourke in the May 2010 local elections.

It seems the Liberal Democrats are in free-fall, both locally and nationally, without parachutes!

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.

Lib Dems finally crawl out from under stone

New Liberal Democrat Councillor, Mahmood Hussain, has finally made contact with his electorate seven months after the May local elections and 2 months after his position as the elected representative for High Street ward was confirmed following a recount by the Royal Courts of Justice.

This is news worthy of commenting on but the Truth Will Out team will leave you to read an article, which we have to admit, we could not have written better. Click here to read what Archipelago of Truth (technomist) has to say.

Motion by name, motion by nature

The Liberal Democrat Group on Waltham Forest Council is entitled to put forward motions for debate at every other council meeting. We use this opportunity as a way of influencing council policy and highlighting important issues.

The above statement is taken from the Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats website.

So what burning issue did our local Liberal Democrats, under the leadership of Cllr Bob Sullivan, highlight and how did they influence council policy at the recent full Council meeting?

Was their motion about important local matters such as the £65m cuts being imposed by the Labour administration, the fact that over 300 staff will lose their jobs or Labour spending tens of thousands of pounds on spurious consultations and political campaigns?

The Lib Dem motion, proposed by Cllr Farooq Qureshi and seconded by new pretender Cllr Mahmood Hussain, calls on the Council to promote the Pakistan Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal by placing posters in all libraries and council buildings, putting a prominent link to the DEC appeal on its website, continue assisting community organisations in fundraising events and to write to the Government pressing for a commitment to support the rebuilding and long-term development of devastated communities.

So Cllrs Qureshi and Hussain’s contribution to Council policy is posters being put up in public buildings, a link on a website and a letter to the Government (even though the Department for International Development’s website shows the UK’s extensive commitment to date and into the future!).

Whilst a laudable and serious matter to highlight, the Truth Will Out Team are perplexed as to why this motion was allowed to be debated as it does not comply with the Councils constitution which clearly states that “Motions must be about matters for which the Council has statutory responsibility and that affect the community.” (Part 4: 13.4.1).

Promotion and protection of ethnic or religious groups interests is a legitimate act. However, local politicians must stick to local matters affecting all our local communities. Dabbling in international politics, if not done in the round (Haiti, Sri Lanka etc.), leaves those politicians open to allegations of working to promote their own ethnic interests to the detriment and disadvantage of other ethnic groups. 

It’s not all doom and gloom in Waltham Forest

Stoneydown Speakers' Corner

Members of the Truth will Out team attended the launch of the Stoneydown Speakers’ Corner in Stoneydown Park, Walthamstow yesterday which, apparently, is the first permanent Speakers’ Corner in London for almost 150 years.

The launch concluded months of planning by the Stoneydown Speakers’ Corner Committee headed by James O’Rourke the former ward councillor for High Street within which the park is situated.

Children from Stoneydown Primary school were the first to speak from the Speakers’ Corner and each presented well thought out and delivered speeches on a range of subjects from bullying to smoking. Parents, teachers and the children should be proud of themselves.

Dignitaries included Waltham Forest Mayor, Cllr Masood Ahmad, Walthamstow MP, Stella Creasy, Cllr Geraldine Reardon, who is responsible for the Councils parks, and Peter Bradley from the Speakers’ Corner Trust. Others who attended were Cllr Afzal Akram, Conservative Leader, Cllr Matt Davis, recently crowned councillor for High Street, Mahmood Hussain, (although he did not stay long) former Deputy Leader of the Council, John Macklin and Bob Belam, formerly responsible for the Councils Environment Directorate.

Notable absentees were the two High Street Labour councillors, Liaquat Ali and Clare Coghill and the Leader of the Council, Chris Robbins. It seems they couldn’t be bothered to attend as there are no impending elections.