Liam Mac Uaid reports from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets where Respect candidates George Galloway and Oliur Rahman (pictured right) are giving pro-war Labour MPs Oona King and Jim Fitzpatrick sleepless nights. Oona King's impending execution in the General Election has concentrated her mind wonderfully. Once the Bethnal Green MP was the invisible woman of Tower Hamlets politics. Now it looks like she has six or seven hyperactive clones running around.
Before Christmas she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to lose a local fire engine. Now she'll fight it in court. She had nothing to say on the Crossrail building programme that will disrupt the borough for a couple of years. Now she's dead against it.
She's got Tony Blair's backing for a clampdown on teenage terrors. Billy Bragg is playing a benefit for her. Cherie Blair is hosting a fundraising dinner for her campaign.
Labour is terrified of Janet Alder is the Respect candidate in the London constituency of Tottenham, standing against the Blairite MP David Lammy. Sait Akgul will be Janet's agent.
Respect did well in the GLA elections in the London Borough of Harringey, of which Tottenham is part with 7.66 per cent, 4,046 votes. The Respect group has built on the positive work done in the borough by the Socialist Alliance, who stood against David Lammy when he first became an MP in June 2000 after the death of popular local MP Bernie Grant.
But Respect has also drawn Respect in Tower Hamlets and it has good reason to be.
promise that every member of the cabinet will visit the borough does not seem an obvious way to win votes but that is what's going to happen.
Labour is having to resort to these sorts of stunts because its grassroots organisation has collapsed and what little remains is mostly made up of careerists and business consultants.
One prominent local Labour activist in Jim Fitzpatrick's Poplar and Canning Town constituency began a speech by saying "I want to explain why I'm going to campaign for a war criminal".
Both the Respect candiin many new people, especially activists from the Kurdish community which is well organised in the borough.
Janet's brother Christopher died in police station in Hull on April 1 1998. He was conveyed there for a breach of the peace, but on arrival was found to be unconscious. dates are running very energetic campaigns. Each has had a professionally produced full colour tabloid newspaper distributed to virtually every home in his constituency before the election was called. Another will be distributed during the election campaign.
Both candidates have shop front election headquarters which give a very high profile. Both have identified themselves as candidates of class struggle, supporting public sector workers and pledging to take direct action to prevent the removal of a fire engine.
As well as the large public events local are organising smaller scale "meet the candidate" gatherings in church halls and comPolice officers, who
claim he appeared to be
"asleep', allegedly dragged
him from the van with his
hands handcuffed behind
his back, and placed him
face down on the station
floor, where he died.
A video film recorded
the last 11 minutes of his life. He lay on the floor of the police station making rasping noises indicative of respiratory - distress. These eventually cease.
Janet says "Christopher served in the army, where he suffered abuse, later he was killed in police custody. I have munity centres in key areas of the constituencies.
Weekend stalls and leafleting sessions are co-ordinated by a very competent local leadership and it is clear that the local organisation is developing rapidly.
The same is not true for Labour. In a sign of things to come an ex-Labour mayor resigned from the council's Labour Group saying, "The Labour Group is resolute on implementing policies that are similar to past Conservative governments.'
This is true. However he could have made the some point at any time in the last four years. It's only the emergence of Respect that has worried him enough to jump ship from Labour to save his seat. had no justice for my brother. Both the police complaints system and the crown prosecution have let us down. I am fighting this election for all the people like me who are denied justice and truth."
Janet is demanding
Money for pensions not war
Stop privatising our NHS and council housing
Tax the rich
Stop politicians blaming
Defend our civil liberties
Scrap tuition fees
To help Janet's campaign call 07980224719 or email [email protected]