FIFTY Labour members just quit to campaign for Faiza Shaheen

Right, so in the last couple of days there’s been a bit of blow for Starmer’s Labour in at least one of their stitch up seats and it’s arguably one of the better known ones, though the framing of this story by some mainstream media sources would imply butter doesn’t melt in Starmer’s mouth.
The dismissal of Faiza Shaheen as the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, after she had continued to campaign for the party for four years, only to be ditched in the last minute purge of potential candidates absolutely sickened people in her constituency, the Labour membership there and this was reinforced upon the imposition of a pro Zionist right wing candidate instead of the pro Palestinian Shaheen. This was exacerbated still further, when a leaked recording of Shaheen’s National Executive interview came to light, where she was clearly dealing with an upset baby, scheduled at a time where child care was unavailable to her, an interview conducted by three members of the NEC, two of whom had effectively awarded themselves safe seats.
Shaheen has now chosen to quit Labour and run as an independent and who can blame her after all the work she had put in for Labour, but crucially, nearly 50 other members of Chingford and Woodford Green Labour have followed her out of the door, so they can campaign for her too.
Right, so the question I have, watching the shenanigans Starmer’s Labour have got up to, for once under public and media scrutiny, to an extent at any rate, in Chingford and Woodford Green is one of is the scale of desertion that we’ve just witnessed there from Labour being repeated elsewhere and what kind of an impact could that have? Is it just localised, will it only be certain seats, or is there problems on the scale that we’ve observed concerning Faiza Shaheen, because we’ve seen candidates being parachuted in all over the place, whether the seats are even winnable of not. The Labour candidate where I am in the far west of Cornwall for example, is from Manchester, a seat Labour have never won, are not likely to win, but even here, Starmer can’t apparently let local people pick one of their own, so just how widespread is this control freakery that has happened and to what extent are members either downing tools in effect and refusing to campaign though remain in the party at a minimum, or at a maximum, are quitting the party entirely, taking their experience and their campaigning time and effort elsewhere as seen surrounding Faiza Shaheen?
Now I covered her disgusting treatment and replacement in another video the other week, but since then Shaheen has gone on to quit Labour completely, a move referred to by some in the Labour right as ‘shaking off fleas’ which really shows how valued members and campaigners are now. Starmer and Co have the donors, so don’t care about the members, despite Labour’s election campaign game always being one of conversations on doorsteps, boots on the ground, volunteers giving up their time and effort to get the vote out and if Labour think these aren’t needed anymore, well that is going to be put to the test and the results will be seen for what they are and if they lose Chingford, they will only have themselves to blame, since Shaheen was nailed on to win the seat for Labour yet Labour appear to prefer to risk losing the seat, than have a soft left MP, who happens to be pro Palestinian within their ranks. Starmer is putting together a party of yes men, where dissent is not tolerated and in light of this, Shaheen’s resignation letter didn’t hold back, part of which reads:
‘…I have campaigned for the party as it’s candidate since I was reselected in 2022 – and previously at the 2019 General Election achieving the highest ever vote for Labour in my area. We would almost certainly have won on 4 July. Instead, after a sham process initiated for spurious reasons, I learned by email that Labour had removed me as it’s candidate, less than 6 weeks before the General Election.
I campaigned throughout my pregnancy and, as soon as I was signed off by the doctor, went out knocking doors 6 weeks after the birth of my son...
Just two days after learning of my removal, Labour imposed a new candidate, someone not known or supported by most local members with no links to our community…
Since my reselection, I have faced a relentless campaign of unfair treatment, bullying and hostility that I have never before experienced in all my personal and professional life.
I have ben penalised for describing my experiences of Islamophobia and been dismayed at the hierarchy of racism within my own party.
I have been prevented from speaking out on issues that really matter to me, including on public sector wages and Palestine.
My removal shows the desires of local members and my community mean nothing to the people at the top of the party.
I cannot in all good conscience, continue to contribute to a party that seems to think so little of people like me and has moved so far away from my values.
I will not beg and grovel to earn my place – I want to be treated as an equal and with the respect afforded to others.’
It’s damning actually, and that Starmer still claims to have made his party less racist when actually it weaponises it, even against ethnic minority candidates is obscene and certainly I’m not the only person to think so as in the last couple of days, 48 of Shaheen’s former constituency Labour Party have followed her out of the door. We’ve seen and heard stories and certainly I’ve made content covering various instances of it, of members leaving, councillors resigning, CLP executive officers walking out, but for a CLP to lose nearly 50 members in one go, to not just see them refuse to campaign, but to cut up their cards and walk out for good, is a big deal, especially since instead of now campaigning for you, they’re campaigning against you. Taken for granted, a candidate from outside the area who just happens to be from the right faction imposed on you and you’re expected to just carry on in Labour’s name? It doesn’t work like that and these people now leaving to back Shaheen as an independent and get the word out that this is the case now, had plenty to say on the matter as they too issued a resignation letter, jointly signed by them all:
‘Keir,
We, the undersigned, are resigning as members of the Labour Party with immediate effect.
Our democratically elected candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, Faiza Shaheen, has been deselected in an appalling and unfair manner. Faiza was selected by the constituency members in a fair and open contest, accruing more votes than the other three candidates put together. The process of deselection overturned this election result and is anti-democratic.
The deselection was carried out in a manner contrary to natural justice or any proper due process. It was inhumane and degrading and based on spurious grounds. What is particularly egregious is the fact that historic tweets when Faiza was not even a member of the party are being used against her, while over the past several weeks Labour has been happy to admit to its parliamentary party Conservative MPs who hold odious views that have been expressed repeatedly until very recently.
We are at a loss to understand the timing and manner of this deselection. We can only assume that it is a cynical ploy aimed at removing a candidate of integrity at a time when the NEC can use its powers to impose a candidate without any due process; a candidate with no roots or connection to our community and who has done none of the tireless work Faiza has carried out to bring that community
together, building connections with local residents and businesses. This is all now being thrown away by the Labour Party.
We can no longer stay in a party that treats people in this way. Not only has Faiza Shaheen been betrayed, but so have all those in the local Labour Party who voted for her candidature and the ordinary residents of the Chingford & Woodford Green constituency.
As a consequence, not only are we leaving the Labour Party, but we shall be doing all we can to support Faiza in her bid to become an Independent MP for our constituency – the only realistic and moral alternative to Sir lain Duncan Smith.’
They hit the nail on the head and actually nothing does expose the factional aspect of Shaeens deselection and so many others, when actual Tory MPs have been admitted to the Labour Party no questions asked. That actual Tories are more welcome, than anyone on the left in what is supposed to a left leaning socialist party. It is not that anymore, because such people are not welcome in it. If you are voting Labour you are voting Tory now. Shaheen deserves to give Starmer a bloody nose and it could well be happening elsewhere as well, not being highlighted, not getting quite the same media attention, where members have walked, where Labour campaign support is down sufficiently to threaten their campaign odds and whether or not this will be reflected in the General Result we won’t know until the night presumably, if as we’ve seen in local elections, the Labour vote is down, or they fail to deliver in the same way polling is suggesting.
Meanwhile if Faiza Shaheen’s story isn’t one you’ve caught up with in the news, this video recommendation will catch you up on that and I’ll hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.