From this morning’s Metro newspaper:
“Two white councillors have hit out after being excluded from a meeting because of their colour.
Peter Golds and Stephanie Eaton said they were outraged at not being asked to take part in the focus group at Tower Hamlets Council in East London.
The gathering was organised to come up with ideas for improving opportunities for Bangladeshi and ethnic minority workers at the council.
Mr. Golds, who leads the Conservatives on the council, has taken the matter to the Commission for Racial Equality. Ms Eaton, who heads the Liberal Democrat group, made a sarcastic apology after the snub.
Deputy Labour leader Siraj Islam, who organised the gathering, told a council meeting this week: ‘without wishing to be patronising, we felt it should be “Bangladeshi only” because we have the expertise on these matters and we talk to staff in the corridors about concerns’.
Ms Eaton replied: ‘Well, I’m sorry for being white and there’s nothing I can do about that.’ She added: ‘Am I irrelevant because I’m white? I do actually talk to Bangladeshi’s a lot and think I would have had something to contribute.’
After the cabinet meeting, Mr Golds wrote to council chief executive Martin Smith saying he was ‘disturbed’ by the exclusion.
He has also contacted the commission, asking it whether the move was a breach of equality policies.
Tower Hamlets Council said other sessions would be organised so that all councillors were involved.”
I don’t think much commentary is needed just to say that Tower Shamlets has disgraced itself again.
Please write to the deputy leader, Siraj Islam, who forbade ‘whites’ from attending a council meeting. His contact details are:
Cllr Sirajul Islam
c/o Cabinet Office
Town Hall, Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent,
London, E14 2BG
Tel: 0207 364 4993
Mobile: 07931 708308
[email protected]; [email protected]
And the leader of Tower Shamlets Council:
Cllr. Denise Jones
Leadership Office
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London, E14 2BG
Tel: 0207 364 4993
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Why even stop there, let the local rag know what a shambles Tower Shamlets council are:
Letters Editor
The Tower Hamlets Recorder
182 - 184 High Street North,
London,
E6 2JD,
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected] (specify that the letter is for the Tower Hamlets Recorder letters page)
[EDIT: Hat tip to Richard Brown]
The Wharf
Trinity Mirror,
One Canada Square,
Canary Wharf,
London E14 5AP
Editorial: 020 7510 6306
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 020 7293 2264
[Edit: Hat Tip to William Norton]
East London Advertiser
138 Cambridge Heath Road London,
E1 5QJ
Telephone (switchboard): 020 77908822
News desk 020 7791 7799
Editor: Malcolm Starbrook
[email protected]
We’ve had some success from our letter writing campaigns before, initiating a debate in Norwich on wasting £300,000 on a campaign to become Unitary. So why not try it in Tower Shamlets. We have to hold these maniacs to account!