East Ham

[minionofmidas]

Looking over the Guardian's maps of London, it strikes that this constituency is just as Islamic as Bethnal Green & Bow, and more South Asian.
(What's more, Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs are all represented.)

From historic results, I take it this is one of Labour's safest seats in London, perhaps the safest.

Any signs of an LD upsurge here (not talking of a gain)? Who are the candidates, and what is their ethnicity? Is Respect standing?

[Peter]

Respect have a candidate

One Abdul Khaliq Mian will be the candidate in East Ham. Apparently he is a community activist.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Timms is very popular in East Ham... he was the leader of Newham Borough Council until he entered the Commons after a by-election in 1994 and did a lot for the area. From what I hear, he's a very good constituency M.P.

East Ham isn't as Islamic as Bethnal Green & Bow... the Guardian map's dark green on the Islamic map is 20 something % to 60%. More importantly the Islamic community in East Ham is more fractured than in Tower Hamlets (like you said there's a lot of Pakistanis as well). Also at local level Newham is usually fairly stable (ie: lopsided Labour majorities) unlike Tower Hamlets (which is almost as unstable as Lambeth).

[minionofmidas]

East Ham isn't as Islamic as Bethnal Green & Bow... the Guardian map's dark green on the Islamic map is 20 something % to 60%.

Dark green? I got a dark grey in the European edition.
It's over 25% actually (the highest rate anywhere in London is in the 60s).

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Well...From what I know about these countries I'd assume Pakistanis to be more likely to be Islamistically-inclined than Bangladeshis. Same goes for Indian Muslims.
They'd be less likely to vote en bloc as they are several distinct communities, that much is true.

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That should help, yes.
I know that even in the 80s - 1986 I think -, Labour once took 60 out of 60 seats on Newham Borough council.
Question that remains: What's the ethnicity of the LD candidate?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Dark green? I got a dark grey in the European edition.

Sue them! :-)

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That would be Spitalfields-Banglatown in Tower Hamlets (the Bethnal Green & Bow half). Voted heavily Tory in '97 and '01 (because King is half Jewish and the Tories ran a Bangladeshi candidate...) will probably lean towards Galloway this year, though both the Tories *and* the LibDems are trying the Bangladeshi trick...

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Pakistani communities over here traditionally voted for who their local community leaders (in some areas the old clan structure got imported from the Punjab) told them to (I think this is still the case in parts of London and Birmingham) but there's been a lot more political independence (both from local bosses and the Mosques) in the old mill towns in Lancashire/West Yorkshire over the past few decades.
Most Bangadeshi communties are controlled by shady "community leaders"... but they've not been over here as long so hopefully things will be a changing soon...

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Literally a One Party state (as opposed to the usual local govenment useage)

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Not sure. I'll guess either Pakistani (I think Respect's candidate is Bangladeshi. If he's Pakistani, switch that round) or some affluent white liberal. I don't think they're really trying in the East End (whatwith all those marginal suburban seats, including Brent East).