When it all goes wrong

摘要

Sparks flew at a recent hustings for a mayoral election in Tower Hamlets, due on June nth. At the event, organised by Rainbow Hamlets, a group representing gay and transgender folk, candidates blasted the previous mayor, Lutfur Rahman. He had created an atmosphere of "poisonous politics", said one. The east London borough had become one of the country's most corrupt local authorities, growled another. In April Mr Rahman, who became Tower Hamlets' first elected mayor in 2010, was found guilty of corrupt practices (as well as the unusual charge of exerting "undue spiritual influence") and banned from office for five years. Does the mess undermine the government's push for more mayors?