Parliamentary office rallies people to campaign for Labour

Jon Cruddas' office has used parliamentary resources to urge people to leaflet for the Labour Party in two local election campaigns this week. Liam Smith works for Cruddas and is Labour's Deputy Leader of Barking & Dagenham Council:

From: SMITH, Liam [mailto:SMITHLI@parliament.uk]
Sent: 27 June 2008 11:08
Subject: The last week

Dear all,

You help is needed this weekend in Chadwell Heath South Hornchurch Ward with canvassing, leafleting or both?

This Saturday Canvassing Chadwell Heath 12.00pm till 2.00pm from the car park behind Marks Gate community centre, Rose Lane, Chadwell Heath, Essex RM6 5NJ.

And Sunday….

Sunday Leafleting 10.00 am delivering the Labour Rose from the car park opposite the Cherry Tree Public House, Cherry Tree Lane/Rainham Road, South Hornchurch , RM13 7QX .

And on Tuesday…

Chadwell Heath ward we have over 4000 envelopes that need stuffing on Tuesday from 9.30am all day from Jon Cruddas Office 10 Royal Parade Church Street Dagenham Essex RM10 9XB so just pop along and any time on Tuesday.

The big Wednesday… In Both wards 4000 pledge letters to deliver and in Chadwell Heath 4000 Labour Rose Leaflets to deliver again from 9.30am all day from Jon Cruddas Office 10 Royal Parade Church Street Dagenham Essex RM10 9XB so just pop along and any time on Wednesday.

For any further information call me on 07961 727 321 or email smithli@parliament.uk

Please can you pass this email to other party members in your ward.

Comments

[Craig Barrett]

Naturally, for Labour to do that is perfectly acceptable. If one of our MPs did such a thing, expect an immediate police investigation and calls for resignation.

[Stewart Geddes]

Before we start shouting too loudly it would be wise to check on how many conservatives have used this type of email address for this sort of purpose. Likewise councillors using council email addresses etc etc.

Then if you take matters to the next level how many people of all parties have access to a personal email account on a parliamentary PC or PC paid for by a local council.

Don't go there guys

[Cleethorpes Rock]

Good point, where does it end? Are you allowed to access your Hotmail from a parliamentary computer? What about signing a cheque for a fundraiser using a House of Commons pen?

I'm not sure John Cruddas is out of line here. In fact, I'm sure he's one of the more honest Labour MPs. This isn't in the same league as Gorbals Mick, the (S)Win(e)tertons or Derek Conway.

[Chris Paul]

Well said those chaps.

What I object to far more than an occasional email from the wrong account is a local candidate being given a job with an MP and the run of a parliamentary email address to campaign with and any number of things, in which they have only a clerical interest, to claim as their achievements.

John Leech is the Lib Dem MP who has done this near me.

[Chris Paul]

PS Given the antics of Osborne and Fox and Duncan and Hammond and Spelman and Conway and Shapps in terms of late or non-declaral and conflict of interest - not to mention Atkins, Chichester and Dover - I think Craig should back off immediately from that line.

[Iftikhar]

Muslim Youths

Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist because they have been mis-educated and de-educated by the British schooling. Muslim children are confused because they are being educated in a wrong place at a wrong time in state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. They face lots of problems of growing up in two distinctive cultural traditions and value systems, which may come into conflict over issues such as the role of women in the society, and adherence to religious and cultural traditions. The conflicting demands made by home and schools on behaviour, loyalties and obligations can be a source of psychological conflict and tension in Muslim youngsters. There are also the issues of racial prejudice and discrimination to deal with, in education and employment. They have been victim of racism and bullying in all walks of life. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistanis and 54% of Bangladeshi children has been victims of bullies. The first wave of Muslim migrants were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education. Than little by little, the overt and covert discrimination in the system turned them off. There are fifteen areas where Muslim parents find themselves offended by state schools.

The right to education in one’s own comfort zone is a fundamental and inalienable human right that should be available to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or religious background. Schools do not belong to state, they belong to parents. It is the parents’ choice to have faith schools for their children. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim teacher or a child in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. An ICM Poll of British Muslims showed that nearly half wanted their children to attend Muslim schools. There are only 143 Muslim schools. A state funded Muslim school in Birmingham has 220 pupils and more than 1000 applicants chasing just 60.

Majority of anti-Muslim stories are not about terrorism but about Muslim
culture--the hijab, Muslim schools, family life and religiosity. Muslims in the west ought to be recognised as a western community, not as an alien culture.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk