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Labour group experience will help to end divisions
• WHILE it is fitting to acknowledge the contribution of those Labour councillors who have decided not to seek re-election next May, the suggestion of a Labour “implosion” is wholly misconceived (Labour deny ‘implosion’, April 30).
The first lesson in politics is to make sure that you are looking in the right direction.
Seven former councillors are competing with the wealth of new talent in the Labour selections that are currently under way for next May’s borough elections.
Wards have already selected Tulip Siddiq and Samata Khatoon, who are likely to be the first female British Bangladeshi, and Awale Olad, the first British Somali, councillors in Camden.
The Labour group will have more experience than both opposition parties combined.
What fires those seeking selection as Labour candidates is a commitment to a council which will serve the whole community. They will end the social division which has been the hallmark of the current Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition over the past three years.
Social housing will be allocated to those in greatest need, rather than sold off or rented to the highest bidder. The voluntary sector will be nurtured rather than decimated. Vulnerable members of the community will not be forced to pay for the recession through increased charges for council services.
These are the values which have made Camden such a vibrant and diverse community over the 20 years when Labour was the natural party of power in Camden.
High quality schools and public services take years to develop. The current coalition has shown how easy it is to destroy them. Next May, this tawdry coalition can expect a real battle for the heart and soul of Camden.
Robert Latham
Mornington Terrace, NW1
Change is welcomed
• TALK of an “implosion” is good for headlines, but does little to reflect the reality of the Labour Party locally when it comes to the next year’s council elections (Labour deny ‘implosion’, April 30).
A handful of sitting councillors, having served for two full terms, have decided that now is the right time to concentrate on other things. Being a ward councillor is hard work (something which few appreciate), but Labour councillors don’t take their responsibilities lightly, nor do they stand for election in the knowledge that they may not be able to serve a full term. (We know from some of the by-elections that have come up since 2006 that not all parties or candidates are so rigorous).
Labour has a plentiful supply of young, enthusiastic, candidates who will hopefully be elected across Camden, and provide a fresh perspective and energy to their roles. Far from imploding, we will be fielding as diverse and energetic slate of candidates in the 2010 elections as at any other. I’m sure that if there had been no change in our sitting councillors, you would have accused Labour of having a “jobs for the boys” culture or lacking any new faces.
Change is healthy, in our political culture as much as elsewhere in life. I’m confident our candidates, campaigning against the policies of this woeful Tory/Liberal Democrat council, will win support across the borough.
Mike Katz
Chair, Hampstead & Kilburn Labour Party
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