GEORGE SHAW Part 8

As is usual this posting is a matter of rumour, allegations, anecdotes, observations, historical memory/fact and written evidence.

On receiving their rejection letters Fred and Joan were we are told dumbstruck. They had both done an enormous amount of work for Thames Ward as Councillors something that both they and their residents were well aware of.

Both of them reacted in different ways, Fred got angry, but channeled his anger into putting forward an appeal. Joan we are told took this very differently, Joan is slow to anger, but we know she felt incredibly let down by George Shaw and Margaret Hodge both of whom she had totally supported.

Obviously Margaret Hodge and the mafia got to hear very quickly that they had been caught out by saying what they did while canvassing in Thames Ward. We are told that Margaret Hodge actually phoned Joan Rawlinson several times, she allegedly said that she was personally very sorry that Joan had not got through the panel, and that Joan should leave it to her as "we really need you" was the words used. Funny not "we really want you" but need.

Anyway we understand that after a lot of soul searching, and with the full support of her family Joan decided not to appeal. Of course that does not mean in anyway that Joan has walked away from the residents in the ward because she has not and is still representing them and is really overwhelmed with the full support she has from the residents.

Fred meanwhile had put in his appeal. Fred was optimistic and pretty sure of his grounds. George we hear was furious, he had been led to believe that Fred would be out on the first round and their would be no chance at all of George having to break cover and get involved at all. Once again George was given reassurance that it would be ok.

Of course Fred was successful at his appeal and in our view rightly so, they were not judging him on the work that he had done, which they should have been they were judging him on his disability, and of course that is illegal, and Fred successfully argued that case.

We understand that the air at North Street was black and blue when George Shaw was informed that Fred had been successful, because this would know mean that George would have to do the job himself. In fact we hear from our Insider (yes we do have one) that George ranted words to the effect that as always "if he wanted a job done he had to do it himself".

We are informed that several meetings then took place in North Street with very clear directions being dictated to Darren Rodwell and Dominic Twomey just how the short listing meetings for wards were to be run, where they were to be held, and more importantly a very tightly scripted plan for George to ensure that Fred most definitely fell at the next hurdle.

As is usual this post is a matter of rumour, allegations, anecdotes, observations, historical memory/fact and written evidence.