David Michael, Cllr Betty Evans-Jacas and Sylbourne Sydial

LOCAL BLACK Labour party members wait to hear their leaders’ response to the recent spate of departures following unrest at local constituency branches. The latest resignation casualty is long serving member and community stalwart David Michael who has turned in his party membership.

Michael’s resignation has come swift on the heels of Lambeth Councillor, Betty Evans-Jacas who threw in the party towel defecting to the Conservatives.

David Michael was recently selected to contest the Whitefoot Ward, Catford in the 2010 council elections, but tendered his resignation citing lack of support from branch members.

On his exit Michael extols past Labour party policies naming legislation that brought in the CRE and New Equalities Bill but lambasts the lack of support for equality issues at local branch level.

He says, “The Constituency Labour Party (CLP) and other groups pay scant regard to policies brought in to support issues arising from inequality. They take other issues seriously but are unhelpful, deliberately thwarting progress when it comes to ethnic minorities”.

Michael believes the lack of CLP support for minority issues is in direct contradiction to the work of Equalities Minister Harriet Harman, who he says has a good record - measured against contrary local working practices.

“There is a real absence of leadership and people in senior positions must do more to ensure that national strategies are carried thorough at local branch level,” He said.

A local, Michael has lived in the area for the past 36 years and was disappointed that although he has lived in Catford South for the past 26 years he was not selected to contest that ward but was instead selected for neighbouring Whitefoot.

“One of the reasons I was not selected for Catford South is because I could not have had the confidence of the three sitting councilors, even though I voted, supported, campaigned and filled in at surgeries for them. But other members would have supported me if I had their backing”, he asserted.

Michael believes he has been shabbily treated and condemns the two tier system he says, “Allow friends to sort out seats for themselves and leaves others to pick up the crumbs. A system which does not consider ability or capability and one that is devoid of succession planning or diversity considerations”. 

A disappointed Michael continued, “The local branch does not reflect the Labour party or the local people.  He concluded, “Others may be happy to operate under a scandalous apartheid system accepting that they are second class citizens, but there is no way I can continue in an organisation that is presenting itself like that. I do not want to hoodwink the locals”.

ONLY TWO weeks before, Cllr Evans-Jacas resigned as a Labour councillor for Lambeth’s Brixton Hill Ward. Defecting to the Conservative Party, Councillor Evans-Jacas blamed the failure of Labour Party leadership to listen to voters for her dissatisfaction with the party.She stated:  “I have been increasingly concerned about the Labour Party’s complacent attitude to its supporters and its unwillingness to improve its performance in engaging with the electorate and developing local policies and programmes to meet their ideas and needs.

The Labour Party’s loss was welcomed by the Conservatives when Opposition leader, Councillor John Whelan, told the local press: “Betty is a woman of great integrity who is respected throughout the borough for her dedication to public service and service on Lambeth council where she has been a consistently strong voice for the residents, faith groups and small businesses of Brixton Hill.”

AND BACK in Lewisham, candidate Sylbourne Sydial announced the news that he is the Conservative Party candidate for Catford South on Facebook.

OBV alumni member Sydial said, “I’m not sure this was the normal procedure but I wanted to gauge the initial reactions from my Facebook colleagues”.

Sydial will campaign to win the Lewisham seat at the local Council elections in May 2010. He said of his selection, “Representing a local ward where I live will enable me to represent the interests of local citizens of Catford within the Borough of Lewisham and ensuring that they have an effective voice in local issues.

Sydial who is Chairman of the Whitefoot Ward branch continued, “As a Conservative I  am confident that political participation is crucial to and is part of the  answer in ensuring that all spheres of society has  a voice, and most  important for those who are marginalised”.