Labour Party: Strange Allegations & Deselections

MARK Hollinrake, the Rochdale Green Party candidate for Kingsway in today's local elections has expressed his dismay and shock at the local Labour Party's 'deselection of loyal and effective long-standing local councillor, Lynne Brosnan, who has served the local community extremely well.'  

The deselection of Labour Councillor Brosnan follows a denunciation of her on a You-Tube telephone recording some months ago in which Labour Councillor Sara Rowbotham made unsubstantiated allegations against Cllr. Brosnan and another Councillor as 'knowing all about Cyril [Smith]' . 

All this was placed in the public domain through the You-Tube video, but the somewhat emotional remarks and allegations which amounted to a rant by Cllr. Rowbotham are unsupported by any evidence what-so-ever.  At the time Cllr. Rowbotham was seemingly unaware that her conversation was being recorded, much less that it would be later made public.

Later Councillor Blundell at an informal meeting of Labour supporters warned that this remark was potentially 'defamatory' inferring it should not be discussed, and that a high level investigation into the claim was to take place.  So far as we know no evidence has ever been produced to support Cllr. Rowbotham's allegations and there has been no clarification as to why she pronounced on this matter or made the unsupprted allegations.

Yesterday, with this in mind, I sent the e-mail below to Cllr. Blundell:
'At the most recent meeting of Labour supporters, which you attended at *******, reference was made to a recorded telephone conversation involving Cllr. Rowbotham in which she made allegations about Cllr. Lynn Brosnan and another Councillor you made a serious claim:  you raised the point that repeating them might be potentially defamatory.  In the light of this you suggested people ought to be cautious in their comments, and there was little or no discussion, although this was clearly a contentious issue.  You went on to say that a council investigation was being planned to consider these allegations which had already been placed in the public domain on a You Tube video.  Has this inquiry into these allegations taken place yet?  If not, why was this matter not investigated as you claimed at the meeting it would be?'

Thus far, reply 'Came There None' from Cllr. Blundell!

Furthermore, he has also failed to answer the following question also in my e-mail:  'I ask this question in the light of the forthcoming local elections in which Councillor Brosnan has now been deselected as a Labour candidate.  Has this deselection of Cllr. Brosnan been brought about owing to the allegations of Cllr. Rowbotham, which were later made public on the You Tube video?'

Could this shyness on his part have something to do with reports of his own lust for the leadership of the Rochdale Labour Party?

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