08.08.2007
Head to head
As we go to press, voting is about to begin in the August 9 by-election for Shadwell ward in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets. The election campaign, triggered by the bitter resignation of Shamim Chowdhury - from Respect as well as from the council - saw Harun Miah go head to head with former Labour council leader Michael Keith. Huw Bynon reports
As we go to press, voting is about to begin in the August 9 by-election for Shadwell ward in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets. The election campaign, triggered by the bitter resignation of Shamim Chowdhury - from Respect as well as from the council - saw Harun Miah go head to head with former Labour council leader Michael Keith.
According to Shamim Choudhury, Respect's "leadership is immature, inexperienced and has a militant tendency in its attitude ... Internal bickering is ongoing, displaying little respect to party colleagues ... A party that cannot unite in policy and struggles to keep its house in order has little prospect of leading the council at any time."
That was the charge sheet delivered through the pages of the East London Advertiser (July 4). It came as a shock to the members of Tower Hamlets Respect, who had been told earlier that he was leaving for personal reasons. Choudhury later justified his resignation with claims of (unspecified) "despicable rumours allegedly spread about him by his former colleagues", according to the same paper. However, in a statement Respect said Choudhury "has never attended a Respect branch meeting to set out his alternative vision to improve the lives of the residents of Tower Hamlets".
But that is hardly unusual for any of the 10 remaining Respect councillors (apart from Chowdhury's resignation, the party was hit by the defection to Labour of Waiseul Islam in April), most of whom seldom, if ever, attend the weekly membership meetings. True, the council usually meets on the same day, but the majority of the councillors (of both the businessmen's and the Socialist Workers Party-influenced wings) prefer to decide council tactics among themselves, without worrying about such matters as accountability before the membership.
Socialist Worker describes Shadwell as "one of the most deprived council wards in the country. It is a solidly working class area with a significant Bangladeshi population" (July 28). This is only half the story. It is true that 3,000 out of Shadwell's population were born in Bangladesh and many are unemployed or on low pay. However, according to the last census in 2001, out of a total population of 12,000, 3,000 are skilled or semi-skilled workers, while 2,000 are in the AB (managerial) category. I think the East London Advertiser describes the ward quite well: "It is home to the generally rich and white of Narrow Street in Limehouse and the generally brown and poor of the sprawling Tarling estates in Wapping. It is also host to a bustling business community" (July 31).
Who is Harun Miah and why did he stand for Respect? Miah has lived in Shadwell for 30 years and, according to an interview with this paper, was attracted to Respect and their policies on housing, the Iraq war and "injustice" (Weekly Worker August 2). Official Respect campaign literature described him as a "businessman and community activist". As far as his business interests go, he runs a general food store close to Shadwell Docklands Light Railway station, and told the Weekly Worker that he and his brothers have "other businesses". One left-posing Labour loyalist says he has "significant shares" in "several local retail shops", as well as "a money-transfer business and property letting agency" (John Gray, http://grayee.blogspot.com/2007/08/business-candidates-split-respect.html).
Miah is certainly not the candidate the SWP wanted. It preferred Sultana Begum, who was persuaded to seek the nomination at the last minute. But the businessmen's wing comfortably won the day and Miah was selected in a 56-40 vote last month.
So what did Socialist Worker say about Miah? He was described as a "local community activist" (July 21), and "a well known community activist from Shadwell" (July 28 and August 4). "Community activist" is, of course, a deliberately vague term (and better than harping on about his businesses). But Miah himself describes himself as "an observer here in Shadwell" for something "approaching 30 years" - someone "keen and interested" who finally decided "now is the time to join in with the local politics" after being approached by Abjol Miah, leader of both the Respect group of councillors and its businessmen's wing (Weekly Worker August 2).
But a growing section of the SWP cadre are not taken in by the "community activist" label and are starting to question the whole direction the SWP is taking with Respect. They know there is no guarantee that Miah, like a number of sitting councillors, will stick with the party. Miah says of his decision to join Respect: "I looked at the Conservatives, Liberals and obviously Labour as well, but I found that Respect was one of the best parties for this time" (ibid). Until perhaps Labour, (or the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats) offer a better package? That was the case with Waiseul Islam.
In the days before polling it was actually very difficult in fact to find anyone from Tower Hamlets SWP who was prepared to justify the selection of Miah - but at least he would 'carry on the fight' against Labour. The comrades focussed the Respect campaign on housing, the national health service, education and tube privatisation, but a good number of SWPers were hardly delighted that a representative of another class was the figurehead of a campaign conducted around what they regarded as working class issues.
One person who is currently considering his position, I am reliably informed, is Oliur Rahman, Respect's first elected councillor. Comrade Rahman gambled his position as deputy leader of the Respect group to challenge Abjol Miah for group leader in May. Although part of the SWP-influenced wing, he has become more and more frustrated.
At a Respect public meeting on the Tuesday before the vote the SWP, represented by Lindsey German and a grim-looking John Rees, were definitely on the back foot. Introduced as the national secretary (many in the audience had not heard or seen him before, of course), comrade Rees said that it was the likes of himself and German who were on the streets of east London in 1990 opposing the BNP, and "Here we are17 years later". That, we were told, is what the Respect project is for. It appears that Respect moulds its message to whatever audience happens to be listening at the time.
By the time you read this the result will be known. However, writing in advance, it seems to me that this election has been crucial to the SWP. In an effort to retain the seat it effectively mounted a national mobilisation - a gamble.
Labour played the Chowdhury card for all its worth, using his attacks on Respect at every opportunity, in a concerted effort to win back the seat for its former council leader, defeated a year ago. But Rees and German were desperate to send a message that the project is still running strong and to provide a launch pad for the Greater London Assembly and mayoral elections next year.