Tower Hamlets: live from the count

Please retune to
https://eastlondonnews.co.uk/tower-hamlets-live-from-the-count-part-2/
for a continuation of this broadcast.

00.24  Just found out that Jim Fitzpatrick tweeted earlier today that: “Proof positive, no Respect no THF, no trouble, anywhere!! I wonder if there’s a truth there?”

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00.10  Touring round Tower Hamlets today, all was very quiet. There was a Labour presence at most of the polling stations but little showing there from any of the other parties or candidates standing. Many Labour activists abandoned Tower Hamlets in mid-afternoon and headed out to marginal constituencies – a good move which might have helped us get a Labour Government but probably hasn’t.  As a result of the dearth of alternative candidates to Labour, there’s been little activity on the polling stations. Some idiot will probably start putting it about that the borough has been peaceful because there’s been no Tower Hamlets First or Respect activists out on the streets, as if supporters of those parties were the troublemakers. However, without alternative candidates, there’s nothing for anyone to get worked up about.

00.08.  The Greens have just arrived: the first candidates to turn up, as far as we can see from the press pen.

00.05.  The count for the two Tower Hamlets constituencies is being held at the Excel Centre in Newham. Officially, this venue has a larger floor space, so the Council has laid on more counters and so the count should go more quickly, and there’s a secure and easy way for the vans to bring the ballot boxes into the count. Unofficially, it’s been a nightmare to get here. There’s public transport to the Excel Centre – but that will have shut down by the time the count finishes. If you are tempted to drive in, you can park in Excel – but it’s pay and display, so you have to guess how long you are going to need to park in advance,  and it’s a 15 minute walk from the car park to the count. Alternatively, you can park across the dock and climb up ten flights of stairs to the pedestrian bridge across the dock. Also unofficially, it’s clear the Council is now trying to establish a precedent to give it an excuse to hold the mayoral count here on 11th June – to stop any crowds of voters turning up. We didn’t have this kind of problem when that man Rahman was in charge.

Midnight. Tower Hamlets has two parliamentary constituencies: Bethnal Green & Bow (previous MP, Rushanara Ali) and Poplar & Limehouse (previous MP, Jim Fitzpatrick). Both are Labour-held seats and both are likely to return their sitting MPs.

11.30pm, in the press pen at the Tower Hamlets General Election Count 2015
There’s just been an announcement that all the ballot boxes have now been delivered to the Count. Here we go!