Dr Healy had raised the issue of Cllr Ritchie attending an unconstitutional meeting of the Grosvenor Residents Association, where Dr. Healy lives. Cllr. Ritchie shouted, "where is he?" and rushed towards Dr Healy. When blocked and ushered to the door by people attending the meeting, Cllr. Ritchie shouted, "Come outside".
Finally, Cllr Ritchie was persuaded to go to his car by a fellow Labour Councillor. However local resident Mike Anneke, who was assaulted in the affray, is taking a case for common assault against Cllr. Ritchie. Labour Cllr John reprimanded Dr Healy for bringing up Grosvenor Residents Association in a public forum.
Dr Healy said, "Residents of the Grosvenor Estate have asked me to help them with issues of harassment and racism. Sadly, the attitude of Cllr Ritchie demonstrates the contempt for democracy and violent nature of some of the Labour Party members in Southwark."
The matter has been reported to the police and John Beasley, a local community activist and local historian has offered to be a witness for Dr Healy. John Beasely said that in forty years as a Labour Party activist, he had never witnessed such a debacle.
Dr Healy said, "I am standing as a Green Party candidate because I believe in participatory democracy and respect for the community, something which the Labour Party appears to have forgotten. This whole episode is systematic of the corrupt and bankrupt political administration we have in the UK. Lying and spin become a way of political life and it must be changed."
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Dr Joseph Healy was born in Dublin in 1957. I became active in the early movement for Gay rights in Ireland and became the editor of the first gay magazine in the Irish Republic ‘Hermes’ in 1979.
In 1984 he moved to London. He joined the Peace Movement and the Anti-Poll Tax campaign and worked in local government.
He has a BA in German and Russian and a PhD in History. He was a member of Southwark Community Health Council and Vice Chair of a HIV charity in South London. Dr Healy is the London Green Party Spokesperson on Disabilities and is registered disabled. He lives in Southwark with his partner.
The elections for the European Parliament and the London Assembly will be held on 10th June 2004. The Mayoral elections will also be held on the 10th June. At the last Assembly elections the Greens scored one of their best ever results in the Party’s history, securing 11.1% of the vote across London and winning three seats on the 25-member Assembly.