Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Labour Party Selection Fraud in St Ann's
After it was discovered at the St Ann's Labour Party selection candidate selection meeting that there were people present and voting who should not have been, I came home from the pub (where I'd heard about it) and wrote this article. It has subsequently been edited by site admins to remove the names of people who were embarrassed or in the final case where a journalist said it was potentially libellous. Well here I will attempt to summarise what we have subsequently found out and hopefully take people's attention away from my original appalling rant.
Back in May (The Ward AGM):
- The St Ann's Ward AGM was convened on Thursday the 23rd of May instead of the usual first Wednesday of June by the then Ward Secretary, Barbara Blake.
- Protests were made by members about this but they were rebuffed by the Ward Chairman.
- At this meeting The current Ward Secretary resigned and there was bloc voting to decide the new Ward Secretary.
- A person in the bloc opposing John Blake turned up late and was prevented from voting despite there being nothing about this in the Labour Party rules.
- John Blake was elected Ward Secretary by one vote.
The Selection Meeting:
- The meeting was run by The Secretary of the St Ann's Labour Party , and Steve Hart from Hornsey & Wood Green.
- A candidate who arrived early noticed the five members arrive with Ali Gul Ozbek, sensed that something was up and mentioned it to Barbara Blake. When the other candidate seemed unhelpful they mentioned it to Steve Hart. Then the candidate went looking for the five people but was barred from entering the room (3o minutes before the selection) by the Ward Secretary.
- By the time one member I have spoken to arrived, the five members were seated at the back of the room. Four men and one woman (who works in Ali Ozbek's Pharmacy).
- A blonde woman turned up before anyone had started speaking but was barred from entering the room by the Ward Secretary, despite remonstrating with him.
- Barbara Blake won in the first round (to select a female candidate) against Zena Brabazon and Emine Ibrahim by two votes. It was 11/1/14. Everybody voted.
- It is alleged that one candidate knew the questions in advance and had prepared answers.
- At the appropriate point in the meeting the secretary asked if everyone was OK with the others in the room and everybody laughed.
- There were various factions voting together in the room; the five new members, Charles Adje's family, Zena and David's people and the Ward Secretary's people.
- In the final round Ali Ozbek and Peter Morton were selected, beating Zena by one vote.
- Ali is a local chemist and businessman on Green Lanes who seemed very passionate about what should be done with St Ann's and spoke eloquently about the need to reduce business rates. He is also a property developer.
- At the time Peter worked as head of press for the Labour Party.
- Barbara is a trade union official and ex Ward Secretary.
After the Selection Meeting
- A fellow councillor calls David to commiserate with him.
- David Browne and Zena Brabazon did some investigation using the St Ann's Labour Party membership list and the electoral roll.
- They discovered that nineteen new members signed up that year did not actually live in St Ann's and that they had either given Green Lanes business addresses when they signed up or claimed addresses in the ward.
- Not one of these new members, many of whom were recruited on the 8th of July gave an address in the ward at which they are eligible to vote, which is required by party rules.
- Five of these members were "eligible" to vote because they signed up before the cut off date of the 30th of April, however they should have been barred from voting because they do not actually live in the ward.
- Zena and David wrote to their local Labour Party officials who sent their evidence on to the London Labour Party.
- Nobody can tell me for sure where Ali Ozbek lives but he claims an address in Finsbury Park Avenue.
- Ali Ozbek has donated money to the Labour Party.
- According to a twitter exchange with a Labour councillor in another ward, the membership list should have been gone through before the meeting by the person running it to make sure this kind of thing did not happen, it was certainly done in their ward.
- When one of the five members who voted was called at his home his partner informed the caller that he had been in Turkey for a while and was not due back yet.
- In Harringay several new Labour Party members were registered using Green Lanes business addresses but not before the cut off date.
- Barbara Blake has told local traders that it is OK to register as a member in the Labour Party from a business address (it is definitely not) and the Tottenham Membership Secretary has expressed a similar view in a meeting, only to be corrected.
The "Corruption in Haringey Labour" article.
- After I wrote the original article, in which I also made some allegations against Claire Kober, the only phone call to site admins was to remove the Secretary of the St Ann's Labour party's name from the discussion.
- There was a lot of comment on the original thread and as of Saturday the 12th of October it appears to have been viewed more than 7000 times, although I dispute that as a useful metric (I think the actual figure is much lower).
- After some badgering it was picked up by an overworked Stephen Moore at the Tottenham Journal, here.
Trying to get a re-run
- I have pushed the councillor who commiserated David on his loss on Twitter to join calls asking for a re-run of the election but they have resolutely refused, to the point where it's all a bit weird and "la la la, I can't hear you".
- As it stands the London Labour Party have agreed that the five people were not eligible to vote but they say that this was not picked up before or during the meeting so the result stands. Their investigation consisted of speaking to the Ward Secretary and Steve Hart. Steve Hart lied because someone did speak to him before the meeting.
- The London Labour Party have the attendance list and will not release it, presumably because it shows that people were not identified correctly and that at least two of the five were imposters.
- Appeals to the NEC have all been rebuffed, even with the full acknowledgement of what went on.
The Labour doorstep in Harringay
- The St Ann's Labour Party have a great deal of trouble getting members to help them out with canvassing. A photograph has been tweeted showing more than 20 people out in Harringay Ward above the same session in St Ann's, with just two.
- When David Lammy, after a lot of badgering apparently, stepped out in St Ann's for the Labour doorstep he was met by a picket of local men calling on him not to support the St Ann's fraudsters. As I understand it he will not be going out with them again.
The Police are involved
- On Monday the 10th of February Haringey MPS made a visit to me on behalf of the secretary of the St Ann's Labour Party and his partner.
- It was alleged that I had called him filth on Twitter (which I have not, that was someone else) and that I said "I know I'm hassling you but...". I was served with a Notice of Harassment Letter which will now appear in extended CRB checks.
*An individual has asked that their name be replaced with their function in this post on the grounds that they are not seeking public office. This has been done.
Tags for Forum Posts: election2014, labour, st ann's labour, stanns
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Alan, I can only agree with your description of Haringey [Children Service]'s conduct in the AB & CD High Court case, as atrocious.
The key excerpt of the webcast to which you originally drew attention and referred, can still be viewed here.
I arranged for it to be copied to a site possibly less likely to suffer any technical issues (I didn't want to risk any missing minutes, as occurred in the Watergate tapes). I drew the attention of OFSTED to the video.
Cllr. David Browne did indeed ask very good questions in the vitally important area of Children's Services. The discussion was about the repercussions, if any, of the High Court decision.In respect of that decision, Cllr. Bull can be heard saying "judges are judges". His remark did not reflect the same level of understanding shown by Cllr. Browne and Cllr. Bull appeared mainly interested in the impact on PR and on councillors.
That Scrutiny meeting was held in July 2013.
By the end of last year (i.e. six months later) the two officers heard speaking were no longer in the employ of Haringey Council.Penetrating questions aren't always appreciated everywhere. However, I have no doubt that the questions were in the public interest and that in asking them, David Browne was acting as a good councilor.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Thanks Clive. Posting this video on the Vimeo website is a valuable public service.
Zena Brabazon is a member of this Scrutiny Panel and had asked for the AB & CD case to be on the agenda. She was abroad on the date set, so David Browne substituted. David wasn't just being "a good councillor". When the chair cut him off, David had began exposing the practice in this case - heavily criticised by a High Court judge.
The fairly brief discussion on the AB & CD case begins a few minutes into the audio file - marked at 2:50. David Browne's questions begin at 10.00. Though it's worth listening to the previous answer by Libby Blake then Director of Children's Services. Which includes her comment (at 5:27) "I'm not sure there's going to be an enormous amount of learning that comes out of that". [A planned review.]
Cllr Joanna Christophides left the meeting at the point when David asks the key question. (13:47)
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor 1998-May 2014. My wife Zena Brabazon is one of the deselected councillors in St Ann's ward. David Browne is the other.)
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I am sad to report that our protests seem to have stopped just short of Ed Milliband and I am quite sure he knows that there is something dodgy around the St Ann's candidates. However this does not stop him being photographed with Ali Gul Ozbek at a £100 a plate dinner last night (see my Twitter timeline, I doubt HarringayOnline will let me publish the photo here).
Why am I said? Because someone I thought was a good guy, who is talking a lot about getting real people back into political discourse and saying that selections must be run fairly is doing the exact opposite of what he says.
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I heard about this. But I wouldn't jump to conclusions.
Being close to the famous and (potentially) powerful is part of the deal at these £100 or £150 a pop fundraisers. And you might get the chance to be in a photo with them. If I haven't deleted it, I may have a snap from former councillor Sheik Thompson showing him with arm around Gordon Brown. And when Ed Miliband came to Tottenham after the riot there was a slight scuffle as people tried to get themselves into the frame next to Ed.
Some people take it to extremes. Did you see Woody Allen's film Zelig?
Personally, for all my public appearances I hire a body double.
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I don't suppose anyone went to the St Ann's Labour Party Ward meeting last night and wants to dish? As I understand things it was inquorate and discussion of addresses of members was somewhat glossed over by the chair and secretary.
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Apparently tonight I am to receive a visit from the Haringey MPS at home. They will make an accusation on behalf of the Secretary of the St Ann's branch of the Labour Party that I have been using social media to harass him. They will ask me to sign something saying that I promise not to do it again and that if I do I may be liable to arrest.
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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You must film this madness.
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John this sounds intimidatory. Does it not parallel the attempted treatment of Cllr. Alan Stanton by the former Labour Chief Whip over the questions Alan raised on his Flickr account about Cllr. Adje's conduct?
Questions that have never been satisfactorily answered?
By publishing Cllr. H. Lister's emails, Alan brought a spotlight to this shady corner. I seem to remember just before the 'high noon' showdown, Cllr. Lister was removed as Labour Chief Whip.
You may be able to turn the visit to your advantage.Suggest you have a witness(es), record everything and/or video as TW suggests.
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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John* this from Crown Prosecution Service website 'Although harassment is not specifically defined it can include repeated attempts to impose unwanted communications and contacts upon a victim in a manner that could be expected to cause distress or fear in any reasonable person'. Have you caused 'distress or fear' ? No i thought not. However, ironically, your being accused of harassment could be deemed harassment on their part.
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