h/t Imran Khan
Lutfur Rahman is a familiar name to HP regulars. His notoriety as the reigning Big Man in Tower Hamlets was sealed with a conviction for electoral fraud in 2015 and he was removed from his post with the poll declared void. Close allies of his were also found guilty and sentenced to prison. But like a bad rash, Rahman keeps reappearing and flexing his political muscle in East End politics.
The Eastend Enquirer has been tirelessly documenting Rahman’s shenanigans.
HP regular, Imran Khan has mentioned how deeply embedded in the power structures of local government Rahman and his cabal are. A regressive red-green alliance made full use of communal politics and the stain still remains.
“ I watched the split developing with the arrival of Respect, The Fiasco. I grew up in East London in the seventies on an estate to the north of Brick Lane and went to school with locals many of whom, and increasingly so, were Bangladeshi. We all ganged up for protection against the white kids who were, many of them, under the influence of the National Front.
Although my family made the trek east ending up in Ilford, I kept in touch with many of my school friends who became influential in business and politics in Tower Hamlets.
When Respect made its appearance in 2003 or thereabouts many of the people I knew either joined it or knew people who did and I was a front row viewer of what became the worst car crash of the left since the Hungarian uprising when a quarter of the Communist party membership left.
There is always a glass ceiling as regards Asian local politics with local councillors hanging on for years especially now that expenses and special allowances are so good so in that respect, Respect was seen as way to break the ceiling and get into politics. It was also seen by the Mosques as a way into mainstream politics and for businessmen a route to council contracts and property assets the latter tendency being later fine tuned by Lutfur Rahman and his band of merry crooks.”
Tory peer Lord Hayward had blistering words for Rahman today in the House of Lords.