Liaquat Ali: E17′s leading satirist
COMICAL ALI
Swift, Hicks, Hislop… all notable satirists but did any of them ever pen anything as comical as the letter Liaquat Ali posted through residents letterboxes today.
A little background adds to the humour. Plans to turn St James Street Library into a drug treatment centre were scrapped on Tuesday when four Labour councillors realised they couldn’t get a majority to get the decision they’d pushed against residents wishes passed.
Ali had earlier been involved in some open air street theatre outside St James Street Library. Pressed by locals, other councillors and even a passing cleaner to say clearly that he would vote against the plan Ali steadfastly avoided answering. “Wait and see” is all he would say.
When the announcement to scrap the drug centre was made, Labour council Leader Chris Robbin’s threw an almighty tantrum telling the Waltham Forest Guardian that if residents didn’t want the drug centre then he’d sell off the building as quickly as possible, irrespective of the property slump.
So with all that background what do you think the letter said????
Yes of course “Labour action halts drug centre plan”!!! Labour, Ali wrote had listened to the opinions of residents and bravely stopped the centre.
The letter is slightly undermined by Chris Robbins, who’s still ranting in a charming manner about how “A facility of that sort needs a welcoming community which we clearly don’t have in Coppermill Lane.”
And its not over yet, after the street theatre and the satirical letter comes the farce. Cllr Robbins may have thrown his toys out of the pram and promised to sell off the building in weeks but his deputy has vowed to block the sale.
Cllr Macklin who’s in the middle of review of council property said he’d not been consulted and bluntly stated:
“No council property I’m responsible for will be sold until the review is complete.”
The review is unlikely to be complete until the Autumn.
While the politicians bicker St James Street Library continues – like Walthamstow Dogs, the cinema, and the Arcade site – to sit empty and unused.
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Oh Ali is a joker ain’t he?
Except I’m not laughing.
Anyone else notice how almost all his tenanted properties locally around the Blackhorse Rd area on his books have VOTE LABOUR posters in their windows?
On my way to the station today, I counted up 8 such posters along Northcote Road and Carisbrooke Road, which ironically is the the junction of where he lives. Do you not think it’s an unfair advantage to ‘encourage’ his tenants in his properties to put up VOTE LABOUR posters in their windows?
After all, he is their landlord and as a tenant you wouldn’t be too compelled to refuse wouldn’t you? It also struck me how nearly all his tenants are from the Asian community and whether complicit or not, is seemingly creating a block vote amongst the Asian community.
Sorry, I meant 8 properties not 8 posters. Some of which had up to 4 posters in them!