More news is leaking out about the decision to amend the Green motion on Gaza, rather than to simply oppose it, which is what the standing Labour practice would have been.

A second cabinet member has resigned. Mayor Fiaz would seem to have more chance of keeping water in a colander than she does of keeping members in her cabinet. Carleene Lee-Phakoe is the second cabinet member to resign this week.

The events in southern Israel and in Gaza which are respectively obscene and tragic are already having repercussions in Newham. On Monday 16th October, Newham Council held a debate around a motion submitted by Cllr Mirza (starts at 40.20 on the video) and seconded by Green Councillor Keeling.

The battle lines for Newham Independents have been drawn.

In a two-pronged assault, Mirza’s Independents assert that Labour is failing the people of the borough locally and that Labour nationally is supporting Israel over Palestine.

The unforeseen consequences of the murderous attack of Hamas gunmen on southern Israel are being played out closer to home. Various Labour councillors have felt the need to put some distance between themselves and the official position of the Labour Party.

Three narratives:

On the evening of Friday 20th October, a modest crowd gathered “to remember those who lost their lives in the senseless violence in Gaza”. Or,

In an attempt to generate political support in the by-election, on the back of the suffering in Gaza, a vigil was held on Friday 20th October. Or,

It was a chance for a bit of virtue signalling.

Labour has launched, or rather dipped its toe into the by-election, by asking residents of Plaistow North, what they want them to do.

It seems that Mayor Fiaz is struggling to exercise any control over Labour Group, it leaves some observers reflecting that she “has lost the plot”. We noted earlier that Labour Group had effectively rejected her leadership when they rejected her favoured candidates as Group Officers.

The resignation of Cllr Daniel Lee Phakoe led to a vacancy as Chair of one of the scrutiny commissions. Labour was due to select its candidate on Monday 16th. Two members threw their hats into the ring; the current Chair of Labour Group, Lakmini Shah and relative newcomer, Thelma Odoi, a maths teacher.

In the Halcyon days of opposition, Rohsana Fiaz did not have to worry about the consequences of opposing the policy of rehousing Newham applicants outside of London. It sounded like the socialist thing to do; people should be housed locally, or so the argument ran.

When we are wrong we like to say so. We have even apologised in the past!

We carried the title “Pro Hamas? Join the Greens”. That has been amended to “Pro Hamas?”

This (Pro Hamas?), we feel is a legitimate question aimed at Cllr Higgins who “couldn’t agree more” with a fellow Green councillor, (not from Newham), who advocated protesting “in solidarity” with and “ending the occupation of” Palestine.

We understand that Plaistow North Councillor, Daniel Lee-Phakoe has resigned.

We are told that Lee-Phakoe, who is in his second term of office, submitted his resignation on 16th October 2023.

It seems that the cuddly party, the one for vegans of indeterminate sexuality, wanting to save the planet, aint so cuddly after all.

Newham’s Standards Advisory Committee must now rank as the most inept and useless of all the bodies of Newham Council. According to the Newham website, “Newham has set up a Standards Advisory Committee, comprising of five independent people and four councillors”.

Any Newham councillor knows that they should keep their collective mouths shut about Kashmir.

Kashmir has been an ongoing sore since 1947.

Those old enough to remember, will recall Labour’s Robin Cook making a hash of it as Foreign Secretary when he suggested using the “good offices” of HMG to facilitate a peace agreement between Pakistan and India over the issue.

You have to be getting on in years to remember the embarrassing scenes of the British Foreign Secretary rolling in the gutter, in a “tired and emotional” state. The magazine Private Eye famously termed the phrase which has since become a euphemism for drunk and incapable.

How far do the mayor’s feelings of solidarity extend?

Mayor Fiaz and Deputy Mayor, James Asser did eventually share their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

There seems to be some dispute emerging from Labour’s ranks in Newham. Some are adamant that the NEC will be making the decision, but candidates are telling anyone who will listen that the NEC has decided that the members will have a role in the decision.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that all of Newham’s financial problems are the result of national issues and the policy of the Conservative government.

Newham cites “inflation and the cost of living”, but surely, the increases in the cost of living are the same as inflation. Maybe padding it out makes it sound more impressive.

We are hearing rumours that the NEC of the Labour Party has decided that Labour Party members in the constituency of West Ham and Beckton will have a role in deciding who the Westminster candidate will be.