Silence
Normally, we would not encourage councillors to embroil themselves or their councils in political campaigns beyond their borough borders. Generally speaking, there’s enough to do at home before grandstanding to promote their personal profile.
That is not to say that they shouldn’t have views or take positions. Quite the contrary. They are politicians. We expect them to have opinions, to take positions and to defend them. However, this is the stuff of politics and not the stuff of councils.
Occasionally however, there are events that so shock the conscience of a population that it seems right that the council, those who are elected as civic leaders do take a position on the great issues of the day because of the enormity of those issues and because it directly affects members of their own population.
This would have been true of 9/11; it was true when the Rohingya were expelled from Myanmar; it is true of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It is something of a surprise to discover that Mayor Fiaz has declined to make any public statements on the issue.
In Barking and Dagenham, Cllr Darren Rodwell, the Council Leader posted the following.
In neighbouring Redbridge, the Leader, Cllr Jas Athwal did similarly;
In Tower Hamlets, Mayor John Biggs posted;
In Newham...well, err, nothing.
It might be a conspiracy theory too far, but there have been suggestions that the influence of Socialist Action and one particular member of the mayor’s staff might have something to do with this. For those of you who are not as sufficiently socialist as the mayor and her team, we have included the post below from Harry’s Place.
And for those whose consciousness has not been sufficiently raised, we’d like to inform you that the invasion by Putin’s troops is not an invasion; that it is not the fault of V. Putin; and it is the fault of NATO and the Jewish President of Ukraine, who apparently thinks that it is ok for the Jews to have a homeland.
This is in the Labour Party of Keir Starmer. Does it not have the merest hint of antisemitism in there?
Our Thoughts, Our Hopes and Our Prayers are with the People of Ukraine.