The SKWAWKBOX has revealed numerous scandals in the conduct of Labour selection processes – and the subsequent election has council leader of Nesil Caliskan – who oversaw the ‘irregular’ selection of candidates, by the candidates who benefited from that process – ousting popular incumbent Doug Taylor.
The SKWAWKBOX also covered the decision to threaten the jobs of Labour group secretaries in order to – as described to them in a no-notice meeting – make room for a new ‘political adviser’ for the new council leader.
Now councillors are in uproar after a motion proposed by the deputy council leader in support of the threatened workers was quashed by the council leader and key allies at a Labour group meeting last night.
The motion proposed by Daniel Anderson was:
This motion, according to local sources, was blocked by Caliskan and Cllr Tim Leaver – the ex-husband of a deputy Mayor of London – in an acrimonious meeting of Enfield Labour councillors last night, with the help of allies including new councillors.
But Leaver was once a vocal opponent of Joan Ryan and the Cazimoglus. In 2013, Mr Leaver was the man in charge of Enfield’s selections process – and spoke out against alleged malpractice.
In a letter leaked to the right-wing website Guido Fawkes, Mr Leaver accused Nesil Caliskan’s mother Alev Cazimoglu of “financial inducements or inducements in kind offered to attempt to secure support” and “interfering with or putting under duress a member in regard to how they vote.”
Yet last night he worked with them to rule out the inconvenient motion by the council’s deputy leader.
The SKWAWKBOX spoke to Tim Leaver. He said that he was unable to remember the specific details of his letter of complaint in 2013, but confirmed that the substance of his complaint was as described in the quoted sections.
When asked whether he stood by his complaint, he did not answer directly but stated that the allegations were dealt with by internal Labour Party processes – the General Secretary at the time was Iain McNicol – and the complaint was dismissed.
The issue of the blocked motion in favour of staff whose positions are under threat continues to unfold. More will follow very shortly.
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Yes Labour needs to hold its non-socialists to account.
But perhaps we could also address the rise of the Barbarians internationally and at home, Trump saying migrants”Are infesting the US” whilst the political imbecile forgets the US was built on immigration (including that of his own family) as they committed genocide against native Americans.
Then the Far Right (The Barbarian Northern League) minister calling for a register to be made of Roma (that’s how the Nazis started).
And at home the Far Right marching, whilst their national rally mobilised 15k and Labour, the Left, and Trade Unions in national rallies can mobilise 1-2m we should not be complacent.
We generally and critically love the UK, its diverse people, its diverse culture, food etc. but we are confident enough that we know we don’t need to say it when some are so insular they feel they must wrap themselves in the flag and perhaps they have nothing else in their lives, it’s like some if they know a rich person, or admire a Royal, bathe in their success but Labour should be about empowering diverse working so we all realise it is us who really create the wealth and we make societies work and we with those who democratically represent us should have the power; the real dependency culture is that of the rich, they depend on working people turning up for work tomorrow.
It could be argued Neo-Liberal Capitalist Barbarians like Trump have legally stolen the surplus labour of all their workers all their lives to stuff their own mouths with gold as the Little People they are.
We are currently witnessing capital with its ugliest face and fascism as someone once said “is the emergency committee of capital.”
I would draw from Wolfgang Streeck, “Because they haven’t a clue what to do” but we do.
Grassroots, bottom up, participatory, left wing democratic socialism, and be honest with diverse working people and we can win the day.
International Solidarity!