Party uses shortlisting tactic to ensure right-wing councillor selected to stand in another ward after being ‘trounced’ in original branch selection
A Labour councillor who was the subject of racism complaints by local party members and residents – which were ignored by Labour’s right-wing machine – has been selected unopposed to stand for election in a new ward after being ‘trounced’ in the selection vote in the St Anne’s ward seat she occupied on Haringey council.
London Labour, according to locals, ensured that Julie Davies was able to stand by putting her forward unopposed in Hermitage and Gardens ward.
One local source told Skwawkbox:
Labour members in one of the most diverse wards in the UK showed their feelings about Cllr Davies by overwhelmingly deselecting her despite the efforts of London Labour. For the party to basically impose her on another ward by manipulating the shortlist is appalling.
Davies was the subject of complaints after she posted comments on a message board deriding the Colombian community who sell at the Ward’s Corner Latin market in the Seven Sisters area of Haringey:
Complaints were also made about an email in which Davies’ mocked the English of a fellow councillor of Kurdish ethnicity, whose first language is not English:
The party took no action against Davies over the complaints, but instead suspended the complainant.
The Market Traders and Workers Union for Seven Sisters responded with outrage earlier this week to the news that Davies might be selected in another ward:
That selection has now been confirmed after yet another abuse of democracy by Labour’s right-wing regime.
London Labour and the Labour right’s conduct in Haringey has been appalling in other ways over an extended period. A prolonged ‘racist coup’ eventually saw the popular Cllr Joe Ejiofor, the only black council leader in London – toppled as leader. Not satisfied with that, the party then barred Ejiofor from even re-standing as a council candidate:
Labour’s London regional office had already been accused of hijacking local meetings in order to faciliate Ejiofor’s removal as council leader – and when two leading right-wing councillors were suspended because of racism complaints, the London regional office moved to protect them rather than those making the complaints.
Ejiofor’s predecessor as council leader, right-winger Claire Kober – who had been heavily criticised by locals for pushing through a property development scheme that would have ousted council tenants from their homes – quit to work for a private property management company after Labour’s then-left-run national executive had intervened. Kober had admitted, as council leader, compiling ‘dossiers’ against opponents of the scheme and left-wing council candidates.
And after Ejiofor was removed, the council began pressuring residents of another part of the borough to vote for the demolition of their own homes, despite no guarantees that they would be re-housed in the area.
The Starmer-run Labour party has been slammed by critics inside and outside the party for its racism toward Muslims, black people and Gypsy Travellers, including mass deselection of black and Asian councillors and distributing anti-Gypsy campaign leaflets. In another candidate-imposition scandal, London Labour recently forced a right-winger who had used ‘holocaust language’ against Gypsy-Travellers on Ealing Labour members.
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