Take a short drive, or even a brisk walk down to the A406 today and you will see the huge billboard poster proclaiming that Richard Barnbrook will be standing at the next general election in a bid to become MP for Barking.
Nothing new about that you might say, but have a closer look at the billboard. NO mention at all of the British National Party, no sign at all of the usual BNP tag. Strange this? no matter how unprofessional we all believe the BNP are there is no way that they as a party would spend anything between £3000/4000 without having their banner flying proud on it.
So just what is going on? There is we hear a very strong indication that Barnbrook is now very distant from his party, they appear to have pushed him to the back of a very long queue.
Now you could take the view that this is a good thing for Barking and certainly for M Hodge and the Labour party if Barnbrook does not have the party machinery behind him.
But, there is we hear another train of thought that this could be an even more dangerous situation, that is if Barnbrook is going to stand as an Independent candidate. True he will not have the party machine, but, don't underestimate the support that Barnbrook can muster on his own.
Even on this blog Graham Letchford has stated that he works with Barnbrook because he is the only person who gets things done.
There is we hear a strong indication that at least 2 of the BNP councillors may also stand as Independents as well, they have both we hear worked their wards and built up a strong following, without being overtly racist.
So how dangerous is this for Barking? how do you fight an Independent? when we are constantly being told that the voters no longer trust the main political parties to deliver and work for them.
This could be a very dangerous time in local politics, and a time when you would have thought that the local party would have been relying on its strongest and trusted councillors to bring in the vote as they have done in the past instead of throwing them on the scrapheap, just to serve an agenda of personal vendetta and corruption.
We all know he looks to have fallen out with Bailey. And his diciplinary hearing wont have helped him with his own party.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he thinks he is big enough to go out on his own now. And you are right when you say it is a dangerous position for the labour party to be in, because he will pull in the votes of those who are really fed up with politics.
Barking resident
mmmm,interesting this one,but there is one question that needs to be answered,if the cllrs that were thrown on the scrapheap were
ReplyDeleteso strong and trusted as you claim,how comes they failed miserably to stop the bnp in the last election when all the warning signs were there ,yet they did nothing apart from abandoning wards and made it dead easy for the bnp to get elected,and the results proved that.
You really should go back and read the results from 2006 again mate, the councillors we were referring to, and we presume you were as well actually increased their votes in 2006, and we are told that many of them worked damn hard to do it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if Mr Dominic Twomey had put the work in on Mayesbrook ward he would have been elected then. And where was Mr Rodwell in the run up to the 2006 election? Mr Aziz detained by the Pakistan Government we hear, and Graham Letchford filmed out campaigning with Richard Barnbrook. (see youtube video)
The councillors that North Street mafia have thrown away were the ones that did stand and fight.
just as I thought,blame the community and take no responsibility yourselves,perhaps if you had communicated with the community more instead of dictating to them, then maybe we would have listened,but in a lot of wards the bnp started campainging at least six months before the election,the same cannot be said for you, all I had was one leaflet two weeks before the election,and this was the case in many areas,and whats it got to do with letchford,as far as I am aware he was not a member of any party in 2006,it was your job to prevent the bnp, not his.so look at your own mistakes and misjudgements first before critisising others.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 12.28 you have lost me my friend, where did the previous comment blame the community? All it clearly stated was that the councillors that north street have taken out with their personal vendettas actually increased their votes in 2006.
ReplyDeleteIt then went on to criticize known leaders of the North street mafia who they and others believe did little or nothing in the run up to 2006>
As for anons statement that Letchford has not been a member of the BNP well thats something Mr Letchford will have to prove.
If he wasnt supporting Barnbrook and the BNP why was he on one of their campaign videos? and why has he written on here that Barnbrook is the only councillor who gets things done.
While you may very well be right that mistakes were made in 2006 perhaps the biggest mistake was not having people who would leaflet and canvas in some of the wards, and looking at the numbers North Street have now its not going to be any different in 2010.
Party member
As usual that lot at north street and their friends who come on here are trying to twist everything, so that they can try and justify their own corrupt actions.
ReplyDeleteWell it wont work, we know in Thames ward that if Fred and Joan are not on the labour ticket at the next elections labour wont get our vote, and we have been speaking to other residents in Barking who have lost good councillors through this and they feel the same.
Thames view resident
Its amazing how the North Street mafia and their hangers on keep trying to place the blame on the strongest of the councillors, that they have through personal grudge and probably fear of being over shadowed and shown for what they really are which is a bunch of know nothings.
ReplyDeleteIve spoken to friends and family who live in the wards where they are canvassing and not once are they to be heard attacking the BNP, where in their leaflets are they attacking the BNP.
They cannot and should not ignore them in the hope that they will go away. Or in the very false hope that residents are going to vote for them just because they are labour.
What residents will be looking for is experience and trusted ability to govern the council through the very hard financial times ahead.
And lets be honest would you trust Rodwell,Twomey, Letchford and co to have the ability to do that? No, I and many more dont think so.
Dagenham party member
Its odd the way people look at things. It seems to me that many of the people listed above may have their faults but to suggest that they are not attacking the bnp is plain daft.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the experienced and trusted councillors and the election results of 2006, here are a few facts:
labour opposition 2006
Thames ward 1 tory,1 independent
Gascoigne: 1 green 1 tory
River: 1 ukip 1 tory
Abbey: 1 tory
No real challenge in any of these wards, but did these trusted councillors go and help out in the marginal seats, challenged by the bnp?
No is the answer they watched them fall one by one. That is the truth of the matter.
I do however believe that Cllr. Rush tried to do some work in Gascoigne in 2006 but not very much apparently because she received over 300 votes less than cllr Flint.
anon @9.39 does try to paint a very one sided picture and really should try the truth at times.
ReplyDeleteA number of councillors did help out in other wards during 2006, but if the truth is to be told in many of the Barking wards the leafleting and canvassing was left to just the 3 candidates.
Yes you are quite right Cllr Flint did poll higher than the other 2 candidates, and that was with a 2 week holiday in the run up to polling day, Flint I hear did very little during the election campaign and was getting ready to move to Ilford.
Still the North Street mafia should have the facts on their system that will tell them that with just 2 people working the leaflets went out and 75% of the ward was canvassed.
So do stop trying to rubbish what others have done before, especially when you and your cronies dont have a clue just what an all out local election means.
night shift worker
What anon @ 9.39 failed to mention is what help did Darren Rodwell give in Alibon ward in 2006?
ReplyDeleteWhy didnt Dominic Twomey work as part of a team in Mayesbrook and preferred to go out on his own, was there something he knew that he wouldnt share with the other candidates?
What help did Cameron Geddes give in 2006? and apart from the help he gave Barnbrook in 2006 what else did Letchford do?
and what help did you give those marginal wards under bnp treat, NONE, not then and none since,you have not even tried to win people back,it was a case of sitting back in your comfy wards and let the others go to pot,and your attitude is still the same,then blame everyone else,get out of your ivory towers and get your hands dirty for a change,no one is perfect,and stop assuming that everyone who disagrees with you are part of the mafia,the public have a voice as well,and long memories,
ReplyDeleteDear Editor, whilst you are spending ample amounts of time coming up with stories for your blog all of the above are busy working hard for the labour party not only in their own wards but helping others as well. As for what they were doing in 2006 - why don’t you ask them directly in your party meetings? You might want to ask which ward has made the most contacts with residents since 2006. It most certainly isn’t Thames or Gascoigne.
ReplyDeleteBefor the anons @ 13.52 and 14.55 start shouting their mouths off and claiming what they say about others to be fact they should really check the facts out first, I hear that there is a quite large piece of written evidence in circulation that will disprove what they have said.
ReplyDeleteSo dont bother coming on here with your lies, and yes on just one piece are you correct the public you know the voters do have long memories, and when it comes to next May we will know just who NOT to vote for.
And that is your own fault for not listening to us in the first place.
Barking resident.
"Barking resident" dispite what you say the facts are the facts and it doesn't matter what spin you try to put on it Thames and Gascoigne are two of the worst contacted ward over the last 4 years....... As for 75% contacted in Gascoigne 2006 "do me a favour" because the paperwork I saw at the ward was only on 33%. So once again I got to ask what have these so called great/trusted councillors been doing on the ground in there wards?
ReplyDeleteNight shift worker states
ReplyDelete"2 people working the leaflets went out and 75% of the ward was canvassed.
So do stop trying to rubbish what others have done before, especially when you and your cronies dont have a clue just what an all out local election means."
I don't have cronies and have been actively taking part in local and national elections for 20 years.
Why label me a mafia member because i state some facts that you personally dont like.
300 extra votes (20% of the labour vote) is a very significant number. How did cllr flint manage this if she was'nt around for 2 weeks?
The 2 people working must have been very disappointed that even with their work they remained much more unpopular.
FACT: the reason why they polled so badly is that they failed to do anything of any substance.
FACT: Some leaflets went out in certain areas at certain times but that was it.
FACT: night shift worker you are need to check your sources more carefully because they are not telling you the truth.
FACT: You will also fine that the actual figure of canvessed members in gascoigne and thames is nearer 30% since the last election, about the same level as pre 2006.
All labour party members have access to that information.
I would suggest that the lies posted by anon @05.04 can be totally disproved by Milton and Val if the chose to do so. With actual printed evidence.
ReplyDeleteI am a resident of Gascoigne estate, but not a party member, and along with one other resident also not a party member we helped Milton and Val out in the run up to the 2006 elections.
Most nights and weekends we were out either leafleting or canvassing, Kay Flint did very little at all and its true she did go on holiday for about 10 days during the run up to the election.
Mr Aziz disappeared of to Pakistan we were told, and if it had not been for Val and Milton contacting members by phone asking them to deliver their streets leaflets there would have been no help at all from so called party members.
If I remember correctly the only blocks at the end of it that were not canvassed were 9/10 of the 16 tower blocks on the ward.
So dont come on here with your lies and try and put down the work that was done in 2006, trying to talk yourselves up at the same time.
You are just a bunch of lying scum
Gascoigne estate resident
Gascoigne Estate Resident - Putting leaflets through people’s doors and canvassing are two different things. As there are aprox. 78 different languages on the estate I would presume that many people would not be able to read the leaflets and would need the face to face contact. Besides this canvassing should be done throughout their time as counsellor not just at elections. Maybe this is why Kay got more votes? Anon at 5.04 is referring to the Labour Contact system which shows who and when people were contacted what you and a previous comment made by Val does are not reflected in these statistics? Don’t worry though as I hear that the new candidates for Gascoigne have already started working hard and are receiving very positive support from the residents.
ReplyDeleteWell I shouldnt laugh but I am going to, where on earth did you come up with 78 different languages, someone is pulling your leg, as it is more in the range of about the mid 50s so the Headteacher at the local primary school says.
ReplyDeleteAs for your talking about contact sheets those were the ones we used in 2006.
And as for turning up at different community meetings in the ward, Milton and Val turn up all the time, cant say the same for Kay.
And your last remark will be proved for the joke it is come the local elections.
Perhaps you whoever you are should be asking to see the petition that is still going on in support of Milton and Val.
That will tell the true story of just what a challenge your "new" candidates will have
Danny Gascoigne estate resident.
I do wonder if anybody is going to answer the questions raised in the original posting, instead of once again setting off the tiresome personal attacks on sitting councillors.
ReplyDeleteJust how is North Street planning to attack and take on the BNP? they cant keep ignoring them, which is what they are doing at the moment. And just what would North Street do if Barnbrook stood as an Independant?
If you look at the outcome of a number of polls this morning in the press, although it states that the Tories are 17% or more in front of Labour, there is a far larger and worrying percentage of voters who say they are totally disheartened by the main 3 political parties.
That could suggest and probably confirms that candidates who stand as Independants are more than likely to pick up the votes.
That could bring about a real change in the House of Commons, and perhaps Barnbrook is not as stupid as every one seems to think he is.
So just how do North street intend to fight that if it comes about.
we will rock you
i tell no lies everything written in the 5.04 comment is true. I am glad someone with sense cleared up the difference between posting leaflets and effective canvessing.
ReplyDeleteI would very much like to see the petition in Gascoigne for Milton and Val. Where can i see it danny?
Isnt it amusing that when FACTUAL comments on the sitting councillors are made, people like we will rock you and nightshift worker appear and accuse people of personal attacks!
Read the history of the blog to see tiresome personal attacks on people.
In terms of Independants standing as mp's they wont win seats by just chucking their hats into the ring. They will need to have solid local issues or have a local mp who is caught up in the expenses scandal to run against.
Barnbrook has neither of these things. I am sure he will not be taken lightly but i am equally sure that he will not muster enough support on his own.
I am sure you would agree that outlining how the local labour party intends to fight possible independants and/or the bnp on this blog would be foolish indeed.
Its a bit strange dont you think? that anon @ 5.04 and 2.51 insists that everything he/she says is factual, but, all other postings on this blog are tiresome and personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteI certainly dont call laying out the facts of the so called candidates and the mafia behind them personal attacks, and although this blog can go off message now and then it is never tiresome.
Anons views on an Independant standing as an MP not being able to win, is certainly not tuned into what the British public are saying and feeling, it seems to me that the voters are totally fed up with the main political parties and may very well vote for an Independant to shake up the political system.
As for saying that an Independant would either need solid local issues, I am pretty sure they are there for the picking, and as for MPs expenses scandal, didnt I read in the Evening Standard a while back that M Hodge MP was caught up in the scandal.
And lets face it your last paragraph just proves to us the voters that you havnt got a clue.
Thames view resident
thames view resident the truth hurts i suppose, read the intro into the stories on the blog below
ReplyDelete"The sources for this are numerous and are to be viewed as allegations, anecdote, observations,rumour, historical memory/fact and written evidence supplied."
Hardly suggests factual content does it.
your comment: "I certainly dont call laying out the facts of the so called candidates and the mafia behind them personal attacks, and although this blog can go off message now and then it is never tiresome."
The stories on here are far from factual and I would suggest if the above is true, then you need to get a more interesting life.
I have not mentioned peoples personal lives,i would not stoop that low.
Again you need to get your facts right as you will find that M Hodge MP was not embroiled in the expenses scandal, which is the one everyone is disgusted about.
Some unproven allegations in the evening standard are hardly the same issue. Why dont you ask the voters in barking to see if they know what you are talking about
I to am a voter and i think you need to venture off of thames view more often to get an understanding of how voters feel in the rest of barking, because you are really out of touch.