Quote:
Originally Posted by gondola
At the risk of getting shouted down I wish to raise a point that is slightly off topic. Councillor Jones yesterday suggested that there existed 'other skeletons in the cupboard'. He may have a point, and readers have commended him for his tenacity in persevering with this issue, as well as his integrity in ensuring that this issue was not swept under the carpet.
However, I would like to draw his attention, if I might, to another issue where his judgement has to be questioned, especially since in that matter it appeared that he was seeking to score 'political points' (something, absurd though the suggestion may be, I was accused of). I refer to his comments in the Accrington Observer, dated the 9th of March, 2007. For the benefit of readers this article referred to the candidate for the Church Ward, Mr Safdar, who had conveniently switched sides from Labour to the Conservative Party. Councillor Jones questioned his motives and stated ''We [the Labour Party] found out that he had approachedthe Conservatives three months earlier, offering to stand for them if he was'nt selected as a Labour Canadidate. Based on that I think the public can make up their own minds about Safdar. That was part of the reason why he was not selected by Labour and good luck to him''.
My question is this. If the Labour Party were aware three months earlier about Mr Safdar's motives, why then did they allow him a couple of months later to contest the candidacy? Moreover, at the time a candidate had already been selected by the Labour Party (who later stepped aside), and thus Mr Safdar had known back then that he had not been selected and thus approached the Conservatives. Yet when the other candidate stepped aside, with the knowledge that Safdar had attempted to switch sides the Labour Party considered it right and proper to potentailly select as a candidate a man who they now suggest has a lack of integrity. Surely had he won the internal selection when the vote took place (several months after Councillor Jones had become aware of his attempt to switch sides), that would have meant that the Labour Party would have been asking memebers of the public to vote for a man they knew had sought to side with the Tories. Surely that is not morally justifiable?
More distrubing than that, is that according to the community grapevine, Safdar has been campaigning in the Church Ward assited by a former Labour Councillor and still current member of the Labour Party.
It makes a mockery of the principle of Party politics.
Councillor Jones should, if he knew that Safdar had changed sides several months earlier, have raised the issue with his Party and Safdar ought not to have been put forward as a candidate for an internal vote.
The only reason he has reported it in now is to dent Safdar's campaign.
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off topic but quickly
The papers print bits of what is usually said.
Safdar was behaving funnily and associating himself with Conservatives. He had done some bleating about selection. I was not told this until the day of selection when I raised the matter with Central Ward members because Safdar had issued threats to me the day before about the selection. "If the Labour Party don't select me I will get my own back, you'll see"
I was told Safdar's behaviour had been one of disloyalty to his colleagues and there was no chance he would be selected. Central Ward members had an idea of what Safdar was up to. He wasn't selected. About a week later a Tory told me they he had done a deal with them (with Peter Britcliffe) about 3 months earlier. To defect if labour did not select him.
In fact that Tory told me then that he had hinted at the deal to me about a month before and I wasn't quick on the up take. PB had been running around for about 2 months boasting of a another defector (last year it was Dennis Baron). So in the end it all came out.
Hope that clears it up Gondola.