Wednesday 22 October 2008

Innocent mix-up, or a new low in New Labour's war on the Worton community?

On Monday a local Somali community leader received an unexpected telephone call from the alleged Member of Parliament for Feltham & Heston, Mr. Alan Keen, inviting him to a reception that evening with the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. Evidently a spare ticket had become available at the last minute. A little perplexed, he nonetheless accepted and attended the event.

The reason that a ticket had become available at such short notice may well have been because the name of Councillor Paul Fisher, Hounslow Council's Lead Member for Service Improvement and Community Empowerment, had mysteriously been erased at about the same time from the list of invitees.

Councillor Fisher had been invited to accompany one of the young residents of Isleworth's Worton estate who had recently received the Metropolitan Police Commissioner's Community Safety Peace Award for their work under the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Sadly the youngster concerned, Jamie Kempson, was understandably overwhelmed and did not wish to attend the reception without Councillor Fisher, who was refused admission at the door.

Lurking in the background when Councillor Fisher arrived was Mr. Keen, and his unsuspecting Somali accomplice.

Even by the standards of political pettiness and spite that have earned New Labour in Hounslow the notoriety they deservedly enjoy, particularly in Isleworth, it seems difficult to credit that they would stoop so low as to deprive
a hard-working and community-spirited young member of the community the opportunity of a lifetime, to meet the Prime Minister and to have his good work receive the recognition and congratulation it deserved from the most senior political figure in the land. However there are a number of incidents which, whilst they may constitute nothing more than a series of coincidences, certainly give us food for thought.

One is that the Somali activist in question was one with whom Councillor Fisher and myself have been working very closely and constructively on a series of community cohesion projects. Part of New Labour's modus operandi in these parts is to try to overawe those in the community it seeks to use by impressing them with its importance and contacts. Residents of my own estate have been offered the impossible-to-refuse opportunity to "meet Ann Keen in person" (no less) in exchange for their acquiescence on specific community issues. If the gentleman in question was as shallow as New Labour assumes he and other members of the hoi polloi to be, he might well have been flattered enough to sell his soul to New Labour. In any event, inviting this particular guest has all the hallmarks of "getting one over" on the hated ICG and Worton community.

Another is that on the very morning following this incident, at 10:29 to be precise, this very blog was visited by somebody at the Houses of Parliament (thanks Statcounter). Don't they say felons always return to the scene of their crimes? There being nothing on here at that time about the incident, whoever it was only hung around for four seconds.

I sincerely hope that this incident was nothing more than an innocent mix-up, and that it was not the latest manifestation of New Labour's long-running hatred of the residents of the Worton estate (residents one of its representatives abused as "whingers" a few years back when they dared to oppose the Party's plans for their green). If this is the case, I promise to publish any statement from New Labour
to that effect here on this blog . Should such a statement not be forthcoming people will draw their own conclusions, and those conclusions will no doubt differ from person to person.

In the meantime, all I can say is roll on the general election!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

More paranoia from you. Where is Worton anyway?

Phil Andrews said...

Why not make a statement then? I've offered you a platform, which we both know is more than you would do if the boot was on the other foot.

Anonymous said...

The Keens = Pure Evil

Anonymous said...

They might be evil but who keeps picking them to stand for the labour party, and what kind of people must they be? When all is said and done the candidate must reflect the party and the Keens must be seen as the face of the Labour party in Hounslow. I find this whole thing deeply unpleasant, when all is said and done they have taken there bitterness out on a young lad from the community not a political rival, someone who along with his mates has been doing something constructive not engaging in street crime. The Labour party in Hounslow today is absolutely beneath contempt and heading to nowhere but total obscurity. Good!

Anonymous said...

Too much of a coincidence.

Shutting people out of meetings is what the K££ns do. They did the same thing to Andy Dakers at the Holiday Inn. Full of their own importance and nasty scoffing contempt for their own electors but they can't cut it in open debate which is why they ran shy from the Brentford hustings. The K££ns and their followers, nothing to choose between them, all cast from the same mould. Low down types with no morals, principles or consciences, end justifies the means and all that, didn't one of them say that themselves at the council meeting? They were trash when Vanessa was their councillor and they are no less trashy now she's out, in fact they seem to have gotten worse.

I hope this boy tells his friends and neighbours, better still the local papers. Not Gilligan at the London Standard though LOL.

Phil Andrews said...

FAO the person who posted at 10:05 - if you want your comment published can you please post it again without the profanity? It is very difficult to edit comments here. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Phil it dosent sound right without the profanity.

Phil Andrews said...

Sorry then but I do insist on keeping it clean.

Anonymous said...

There are a big and growing number of people who usually vote Labouyr but will vote to get rid of Ann Keen this time. She is just a ****ing parasite, like her friends on the council.

Anonymous said...

Do ANY politicians observe the Queensberry Rules these days ?
Have they ever ?

Phil Andrews said...

@ demigod demagogue

Probably not, and this always Labour's argument - politics is a dirty game, you call it dishonest we call it politics, etc etc.

But what is despicable about this is that the victim was an ordinary, as far as I'm aware non-political youngster who had done nothing to anger them other than live on the wrong estate and have a ward councillor who sports the wrong colour rosette.

As far as I'm concerned politicians taking their bitterness out on the public is beyond the pale, but it has always been a thing Labour has done in Isleworth.

Anonymous said...

phil's right, the keens have crossed the line with this one and the silence from the labour party says it all

Anonymous said...

The ICP would see a Labour plot behind a solar eclipps. Fisher didnt have a ticket, he couldn't get in boo hoo!

Anonymous said...

Crossed WHAT line ?
Anything's considered fair game for politicians these days, one of the many reasons why so few of us rabble bother to vote.

Phil Andrews said...

@ hero of the hoi polloi

Not for us it isn't.

Phil Andrews said...

"The ICP would see a Labour plot behind a solar eclipps. Fisher didnt have a ticket, he couldn't get in boo hoo!"


Silly boy David.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to note that although you have presented this story to the local press, they have seemingly chosen to ignore it in favour of their usual 'squashed hedgehog in suburbia' fare.
Should we read anything into this ?

Phil Andrews said...

Difficult to say Green Man.

Cock-up or conspiracy - what say others?