Enfield Southgate CLP (constituency Labour party) has been at the heart of a series of recent explosive developments in the north London borough of Enfield, where the local campaign forum (LCF) secretary oversaw a highly ‘irregular’ process for selecting council candidates – who promptly elected her as the new council leader.
The now-leader, Nesil Caliskan – who, like her family, is closely allied with the Labour right and with local MP Joan Ryan – then threatened Labour group secretaries at the council with redundancy to make room for her to have a new political adviser.
Enfield Southgate held an all-member meeting on Thursday night, where members overwhelming backed the motion below supporting the threatened staff and criticising Ms Caliskan – only four votes were cast against it:
Enfield Southgate CLP recognises and appreciates the support given to Labour Councillors by Council staff working in the Labour Group office and reaffirms its support for Labour values of trade unionism and treating staff decently.
The CLP is extremely concerned about:
1. The role of the Council leader and the Council Chief Executive in the attempt to remove the Labour Group secretaries from their jobs allegedly to make way for a “political advisor”.
2. The refusal of the Council leader to answer questions regarding her role.
3. The quashing of deputy Council leader Daniel Anderson’s motion to Labour Group supporting the threatened staff and ordering an investigation.
This CLP therefore:
1. Expresses its full solidarity with the affected staff.
2. Calls on the Council leader to provide a full and frank explanation of her role in this matter.
3. Supports the motion proposed by Cllr Daniel Anderson calling for an investigation (copied below).
4. Calls on all Southgate Councillors to support the position of the CLP.
5. Instructs the CLP Chair to write to the Chair of the Labour Group setting out our concerns and to copy the letter to the Association of Labour Councillors, the three Enfield Labour MPs, and the National Executive Committee.
Sentiment among members that Nesil Caliskan’s position is untenable appears to be similarly overwhelming. It’s hard to disagree.
Ms Caliskan has not responded to any attempt to contact her for comment about developments in Enfield.
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With the CLP and a large number of councillors seriously questioning the integrity of Ms Caliskan, it is quite clear her position has become untenable and that she will have to stand down before she causes any further damage to the reputation of the Labour Party.
If you’re relying on these people to have any integrity, honour or shame, I have a unicorn for you!
I agree … and as with the previous post, which identifies presumably young centrists trying to damage Skwawkbox financially, I can see little humour in it. This is a ruthless disregard for any semblance of democracy by the perpetrators, which would not go amiss in a totalitarian regime…. and they need to be stopped. Councils and councillors make serious decisions about serious amounts of money, and they make serious differences to people’s lives. It is not a game of trying to outwit the opposition and winning at any cost.
Skwawkbox’s reporting of ‘rotten’ Labour councils is invaluable and essential…. no-one else is offering this nation wide view. I hope there are lots of £100+ donations.
this is a post off my political site liverpools political soap box and wonder if you can help this poor lady ,…………https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=937822169729028&set=a.298007347043850.1073741826.100005037613152&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Seriously what do these people stand for? At least the right wing of the Tories are honest about their views.
More integrity in Farage than these so called “moderates’. A “moderate” in my book irrespective of individual political positions is someone like Charles Kennedy (RIP), not a bunch of neoliberals carrying the Labour “brand” in order to feather their own nests and work against the ordinary people whilst doing so.
When I vote Labour I am expecting someone to put the needs of ordinary working people, those less well off, the disabled and the oppressed ahead of their own needs. Not someone who wants to get rich playing the “global liberal” card.
It’s now July 3rd and this is the first time I’ve seen anything whatever in the Enfield Independent or locally online about this issue. I tried to post this article on Turkey Street Ward Councillors Facebook residents forum but was told ‘Skwawkbox is rubbish and anyway they’re lying. I tried to post another article and a different Councillor (Both private messaged me) but was told she wouldn’t approve my post as it had nothing to do with the ward. So much for our rights or our democracy and they are all Labour but now I’m thinking not as left wing as they made out during canvassing but maybe supporting Joan Ryan’s stance and not supporting Jeremy Corbyn as they professed I commented on the Independent article on this link just now so I’ll see if they respond but I doubt it – If they haven’t informed their readership till now and then given the barest facts it’s unlikely they’ll address my comments http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/16327340.enfield-council-labour-row-deepens/?action=success#comments-feedback-anchor