What use are laws if they are not used and enforced?

Guido on the Tower Hamlets corruption:

The election of Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman has been voided by a judge and he has been banned from standing again.

He is found guilty of making false statements smearing his Labour opponent John Biggs as a racist.

He is also guilty of using taxpayer-funded grants to induce votes.

And guilty of bribery and corruption.

Also guilty of corrupt practice of undue spiritual influence.

Guilty of “general corruption” too.

Rahman a wrong ‘un? Who’d have thought it…

UPDATE: Statement from Eric Pickles:

“I sent in Commissioners into the dysfunctional mayoral administration following the mismanagement of public money and the breakdown of democratic accountability. An independent Election Court has now found the Mayor and his agents guilty of corrupt 

practices, including bribery and the abuse of public money.

 This judgment vindicates our action to intervene. The immediate priority of the Commissioners must be to ensure a free and fair election takes place on 7 May.

I will now ask the Commissioners whether further resources or powers are necessary to help them stamp out this culture of corruption in Tower Hamlets. The Commissioners’ powers may need to be extended in the interim before any by-election.

The police also need to take steps to stop further corrupt practices following this damning judgement. We must also challenge those who seek to spread further division in light of the ruling. There can be no place for rotten boroughs in 21st Century Britain.”

As in Rotherham the police cravenly refused to act, cowed by the threat of racist and Islamophobia accusations being made against them by those originating from those of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. (Bangladesh used to be called East Pakistan.) The Electoral Commission the guardian of our electoral system chose to ignore the intimidation that surrounded the Mayoral election. I remember listening to the BBC excuses on election night for the unexplained delay in the Tower Hamlet result. Every other London borough had declared that night but Tower Hamlets had to come back the next day. It stank of electoral jiggery pokery.

Eventual it was left to 4 ordinary members of the public, petitioners, to take the case to an electoral court. They were vilified and intimidated but bravely went on to get today's result.  Why did the police and electoral commission officials not show the same courage?

Why were the laws on child sex abuse not applied to Janner?

Why are we so frightened to apply the laws of our land to Islamics? 

What is happening to the rule of law in our country? Breaches of the law have to be investigated by the police and brought to open court for enforcement otherwise we will end up another corrupt state.

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