Cameron’s Conservatives have taken their broad church to new limits this week by recruiting a former RESPECT councillor in Tower Hamlets.
Ahmed Hussain, who is also a Muslim and a member of the Socialist Worker Party was welcomed into the fold by “four jobs” Bob Neill. His defection makes the Conservative Group the official opposition on Tower Hamlets council. Furthermore:
…his move comes as a bitter blow to council leader Denise Jones and Poplar & Canning Town MP Jim Fitzpatrick, both of whom are understood to have written glowing references to London party chief Ken Clark.
This is another chapter in the crazy world of Tower Hamlets politics, but it does seem remarkable for the Conservatives, of all people, to jump into bed with a socialist jihadist quite so merrily. Nor is this simply a little local difficulty. According to Respect Renewal (admittedly not the most impartial of sources), Cameron himself is due to put in an appearance next week.
How long can it be before Cameron is shown shaking hands with the Tories latest defector from the BNP? Does he have a bottom line?
In what way is this guy a jihadi? Isn’t that, well, completely fucking libellous?
Further, if in your view being against the invasion of Iraq makes you one, well, you’re in the wrong party.
If you don’t understand the difference between the Lib Dem opposition to the war and the Respect opposition, you’re in the wrong party.
Respect have consistently been apologists for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. They are advocates of violent revolutionary struggle and a nasty bunch.
I’m sorry, mate, but this is McCarthyism.
Will you denounce Mr X? Eh? Eh? Are you one of THEM? Secretly? No? Then why won’t you inform? Eh?
Further, I note that you haven’t actually presented any evidence of them a) apologising for Al-Qa’ida or b) advocating violence. They may well be a nasty bunch; their internal politics would seem to support that.
Ahmed Hussain was part of the SWP-ite Respect, rather than the Gallowayite Islamist Respect when he defected. It does get confusing though, Heinz 57 varieties, but there is a world of difference in their approach to the Muslim community.
Labelling Hussain personally a jihadist and a defender of Al Qaeda though is beyond the pale. I doubt you could even legitimately extend that epithet to the Gorgeous One, unless you have evidence to the contrary.