Pickles is treating Tower Hamlets like some kind of unruly outpost of Empire: Glyn Robbins

The after-shocks of last week’s election court decision are rumbling through Tower Hamlets.  There was already wide-spread anger about the decision of an unelected judge to depose a politician that 37,395 had voted for.  Now there are strong rumours that Eric Pickles (who is himself not currently an elected MP) is planning to impose direct rule on Tower Hamlets.  Glyn Robbins, Left Unity-TUSC candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow commented:

‘If these rumours are true, it represents a serious escalation of the attack on our local democracy.  Pickles is treating Tower Hamlets like some kind of unruly outpost of Empire.  We will not accept it.  Richard Mawrey (who heard the election court case) used his judgment to insult and ridicule our community.  The national media have followed his lead to trot out a familiar depiction of our borough based on prejudice, ignorance and Islamophobia.  Now it sounds like Eric Pickles, who noone in Tower Hamlets has ever voted for, is summarily suspending local democracy – and this from the architect of ‘localism’!  But the people of Bethnal Green and Bow have an opportunity on 7th May to strike back.  We need an MP who will stand up to this kind of abuse, not go along with it.  If local people vote for me they will be sending a clear message to Mawrey, Pickles and the political establishment – ‘Hands Off Tower Hamlets!’

Left Unity – TUSC supporters are redoubling their efforts to secure a vote for change on May 7th.  Members of the press are invited to come to meet Glyn and his campaign team at 12 noon on Saturday 2nd May at Altab Ali Park.