Bethnal Green and Bow Selector: Getting Exciting

Details make all the difference. Rupa Huq (with calling card) speaks 'Meeja' as well as Bangla.
The shortlist(s) is/are:
Rushanara Ali - Associate Director of the Young Foundation
Dr Rupa Huq - Westminster and Euro campaigns, PhD on BG&B
Shiria Khatun - Tower Hamlets Councillor
Helal Abbas - former leader of Tower Hamlets Labour Group
John Biggs - London Assembly Member
Lutfur Rahman - Tower Hamlets Councillor

David Osler's post wondering about the final shortlist of six - from a field of about 65 - at Bethnal Green and Bow drew this comment:

Telling it like it is. I suppose that if I told this lot to their faces they would stop bugging me for support but then I would only get half the bitchy comments about the other contenders.

There are several problems with Rushanara.
Never had a proper non political job
Never been a candidate anywhere
Lives in Newham
Up herself - She may have gone to poxbridge put she needs to realise that people who haven't aren't so thick that they need reminding of the fact every 5 mins.
Oona's candidate - while it pains me to say it she did take a safe labour seat and lose it to a Scottish tosser in a catsuit.
The list goes on and on....

BGB must be the seat in the country most ill suited to a middle aged white pro politico. That of course wont stop Biggsy being near the top of the leader board. Access to the membership list for years. Dull as ditchwater. May well clinch it.

Lutfur Rahman and Helal Abbas. Rahman is the sharper of the two but the Bangladeshi blokes treat being an MP as a great honour so come across as arrogant puff balls. There is also a tendency to view ethnic links as stronger than party poilitical ones. Apparently there is a tape circulating of LR thanking people from the Respect Coalition for help in the selection. One for Ted no doubt. Expect copious amounts of shit to hit fans all over the consituency.

Which leaves Rupa and Shiria. Let's start with Shiria, the asian Ruth Kelly as she plops them out at a rate of knots which may explain why she has been around for all of about five minutes politically. Pissed off more than a few people with vote for the Bangladeshis line at the elections. This is actually a Labour Party kicking out offence but it would be typical BGB politics to select someone like that. Fits the right demographic.

It must be a strain for Rupa comming here from Ealing all the time. Has the double edged sword of being an outsider. Smart, good politics, experienced, right demographic, not a Bangali village idiot. Therefore no chance as this is BGB and we elect Scottish egomanic tossers to parliament and select pro war Labour candidates.

Posted by BGB Bitch | 13:06, 16 April 2007

Naturally Rupa has confirmed she would move to the constituency on day one if selected.

Her book on "youth" has been shortlisted for the British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams memorial prize.

And she has been campaigning against sweatshop procurement by ASDA and Primark.

The big hustings is on 26th and then a polling day on Saturday 28th.


UPDATE: Labour and Unison Blogger John Gray has switched his support from Ayub Ali, who's out, to Rupa who's in. HERE he explains something about one of the disappointed women candidates. This one has switched to Respect and wants to their candidate.