Betrayed From Within: The Kipling Recipe of Democratic Sabotage
Democracy in Oldham is broken.
Not just flawed. Not just imperfect. Broken.
And this breakdown didn't happen by accident. Instead, it was engineered by those who benefit from keeping power concentrated in the hands of a select few. At the centre of this systematic democratic decay, alongside Arooj Shah stands the new Chief Executive Shelly Kipling. Together, they not just fought against a genuine public inquiry into the gang rape of children, they also promote convicted Pakistani gangsters as partners of the council.
You probably didn't know her name before she was appointed Chief Executive of Oldham Council. Most residents didn't. And that's precisely the problem - unlike politicians, the most influential figures in local governance operate without scrutiny, making decisions that affect hundreds of thousands while remaining virtually anonymous to those same people.
I've spent years documenting the deliberate dismantling of democratic processes in Oldham. What I share is not about personal grudges. This is about hard evidence that tells an uncomfortable truth: what we are experiencing is not democracy. It is tyranny.
The most damning evidence of Kipling's contempt for democratic accountability came when the council passed a motion at an extraordinary council meeting where it rejected the Home Secretary’s proposals for another toothless local inquiry into the gang rape of the town's children. Instead, every councillor at the meeting voted in support of the need for a local inquiry to have statutory powers that would allow investigators to get to the truth. The council also voted in support of a national inquiry.
As Chief Executive, Kipling’s duty was clear: craft a compelling, professional letter to the Home Secretary reflecting the council's urgent request. Instead, she simply copied and pasted the motion's text.
This wasn't a clerical error. It was a deliberate act of bureaucratic sabotage. By reducing a critical request to an administrative afterthought, she ensured it would be easy to dismiss. A genuine public servant would have crafted a persuasive case that demanded attention. Kipling did exactly the opposite. As an example, here is a sample letter that I drafted. See the difference?
The Kipling Con
Shelly Kipling's history perhaps best explains why she copied and pasted the text in its entirety instead of submitting something more compelling. Before becoming Chief Executive, Kipling was part of the Council’s communication team which actively participated in suppressing the truth about the grooming gang scandal that devastated Oldham's most vulnerable children. She and her team, working under now government minister Jim McMahon, prioritised ‘maintaining community relations’ over protecting little girls from gang rape. Kipling was a cog in a council that chose power over protecting children.
The pattern continues today. When independent voices emerge - community activists, independent journalists, grassroots campaigns - Kipling's machinery of suppression activates. Smear campaigns. Legal intimidation. Backroom pressure. Even open support for Pakistani gangsters. These aren't occasional missteps; they're standard operating procedures for maintaining control at any cost. Don’t believe me? Just ask the editor of the Oldham Chronicle.
This methodical destruction of democratic principles is not unique to Oldham, but the brazenness with which it happens here is stunning. When officials like Kipling manipulate processes and silence opposition, they're not merely failing in their duty - they're actively betraying the fundamental compact between citizen and state. If this is not misconduct in public office then I do not know what is.
The most important question now isn't about Kipling. It's about us.
Despite knowing all of this, despite the evidence laid bare, every political party supported Kipling's appointment at this week's Council meeting. The lone voice of opposition, Conservative councillor Lewis Quigg. He will likely face the full force of the Council's retribution machinery for daring to speak out.
This is where we stand: our institutions have failed us. The machinery of power protects itself with ruthless efficiency. When every political party unites behind Kipling despite her track record, they reveal that the system isn't broken, it is functioning exactly as designed. The established political class, regardless of party badge, recognises a fellow guardian of the status quo.
The question now isn't whether democracy in towns like Oldham can be fixed, it is whether we have the courage to build something better from its ruins.
This means more than just voting in the next election or writing letters to politicians who have already proven their allegiance. It means creating new pathways for genuine democratic participation. It means supporting independent voices that refuse to be silenced. It means documenting, exposing, and challenging every instance of institutional failure.
True democratic renewal won't come from within the system that benefits from its current dysfunction. It will come from ordinary people who refuse to accept that this is the best we can do. People who understand that democracy isn't something granted by those in power but something claimed and constantly defended by the citizens themselves.
The machinery that protects Kipling today will work just as hard to protect her successor tomorrow unless we fundamentally change the power dynamics in towns like Oldham. This isn't about replacing one chief executive with another; it's about reimagining what local governance can and should be. It's about demanding transparency not as a privilege but as a right. It's about creating accountability mechanisms that don't depend on the goodwill of those being held accountable.
The path forward isn't clear or easy, but the alternative, accepting this imitation of democracy, is unthinkable. A last question isn't whether we can rebuild our democratic foundation, rather, are we willing to try?
My name is Raja Miah MBE. I led the six-year campaign exposing how Labour politicians protected Pakistani rape gangs. My work is 100% free. No paywalls. No restrictions. No hiding the truth.
Senior figures in the Labour Party have been attempting to silence me. They’ve tried to have me imprisoned. They’ve failed. They’ve threatened to sue me. I told them that I’d see them in the High Court. One has even openly endorsed the offer of my murder.
I wake up each day knowing it might be my last. Yet each day, I continue to fight for a National Inquiry into the cover up of the gang rape of children. All that I ask is that you stand beside me.
I have no corporate backers. No political sponsors. No safety net. Just the truth - and the cost of exposing it. My work survives because ordinary people understand what’s at stake. My March goal: 10 new paid subscribers daily. Just 75p a week, £3 a month, or £30 a year.
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