For once, Bangladeshi Labour councillors were rising from the benches, one after another, to speak in a Council debate. As they did so, they may have wondered why their non-Bangladeshi colleagues were sitting on their hands.
This happened at the Council meeting last week (20th July), as councillors discussed why Ian Mikardo School had employed Ian Devlin – and what the Council could do to recognise the concerns of the community. Devlin had been convicted of the manslaughter of Shiblu Rahman in 2001, ironically just a few hundred yards away from the school itself, and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment (reduced on appeal).
At the start of the Council meeting, John Biggs had read out – at increasing speed – a statement giving the Council’s view of events. He explained why the Council could do little about the appointment – because under national law, schools decide their own staffing issues. He added that he remembered the murder and was himself concerned. It was clearly a worrying issue for him to talk about: he went a little pink, made a few light hearted comments and took his jacket off – sure signs of an underlying unease.
His statement surprised the gallery with how far it went: he admitted that Labour Party members had sat on the governing body while employment issues were discussed, but stressed that much of the discussion was on a sub-committee of the governing body – and its members had been told not to discuss the matter with other governors. Though pressed to do so by Independent Group Councillors (and by calls from the public gallery), he refused to name the Labour Party governors – rather a retreat from his manifesto pledges that he would run a transparent Administration.
As the Council moved on to debate a motion on the appointment, the mood on the floor of the Chamber changed. The Independent Group had tabled a motion, but this had been replaced by an all-party motion, cobbled together just before the meeting. Councillors from the Independent Group spoke well, and Bangladeshi Councillors from the Labour side joined in, speaking with real passion – some speaking for the first time since last year’s elections.
To the surprise of some, Cllr Andrew Woods, representing the Tower Hamlets Conservative Group, spoke. He had originally proposed Motion 12.2 (seconded by Cllr Peter Golds) which raised valid points regarding the insensitivity of employing a rehabilitated offender so close to where the offence took place and where the victim’s extended family still live. The Conservative Group were very sympathetic and had a balanced approach to the debate.
During the debate the following councillors spoke Cllr Oli Rahman, Cllr Rabina Khan, Cllr Mahbub Alom, Cllr Andrew Woods, Cllr Helal Uddin, Cllr Rajib Ahmed. The Speaker, Cllr Khales Uddin, also mentioned his concerns. Not a single non-Bangladeshi Labour councillor contributed to the debate.
Where were the three Deputy Mayors – Cllrs Shiraj Islam, Rachel Saunders and Shiria Khatun, who all have some responsibility for encouraging community cohesion? They were at the meeting, but were leaving it to other colleagues to speak out, it seems. The only contribution Cllr Shiria Khatun made was to move that councillors should stop having a debate and should move on to a vote on the motion and then to their next business. Cllr Rachel Saunders, who spoke at another point in the meeting to defend her right to close down youth centres, seconded Cllr Khatun’s move to wrap up the debate.
Labour Councillors often refer to being part of a diverse group, but diversity requires that all members of a group are equally valued and play an equal part – otherwise it is not “diversity” but tokenism.
Later on in the meeting, a member of the public came forward to ask a question. It turned out she had raised issues about Devlin’s appointment at the school, but had not been listened to. It added a whole new dimension to the debate – which is clearly far from over.
•For the full background to this story, see:
Racist killer now working in local school?
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