Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Police arrest, then release, Haringey Councillors
TWO Haringey Councillors were arrested and released in connection with a demonstration in support of the ‘Defend Our Juries’ campaign.
The Councillors' action stands in contrast with the earlier suppression of any discussion about Gaza in council, by the current Haringey Council leader (i.e. by Kier Starmer's local New Labour representative).
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The Police action stands in contrast to the apparent absence of action in an unrelated matter involving Haringey Councillor(s) and/or a council employee. i.e. the fraud alleged in at least one property deal.
Over a 36-month period, Haringey Council lost at least £10,000,000 in irregular transactions. Plural.
In 2022, council leader Peray Ahmet belatedly but properly, agreed to an external investigation.
That led—a year later—to the [pre-redacted] Buss Report.
More than one Councillor volunteered to be interviewed.
The Council Chief Executive confirmed that the "full" version of the Buss Report was sent to the Met Police.
However—more than a year ago—the Ham & High reported that the Police investigation was still "ongoing".
One has to wonder how the Police investigation is going. In contrast with their arrests of Haringey Councillors at the top, there is no news of any charge or arrest relating to any Haringey Council property deal.
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Tags for Forum Posts: Buss Report, Cranwood, Fraud, Gaza, Genocide, Haringey Council, Met, Metropolitan Police, Police, Property Deals
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I CANNOT support the vandalism by a few persons against any RAF plane. That was costly criminal damage.
However, that action appears to be the basis for labelling a much larger number of people as "terrorists".
A group was proscribed by the New Labour government which—to the UK's shame—for too long supported Netanyahu's grotesque, collective-punishment practices in Gaza.
For the avoidance of doubt, I have no time for Hamas which an actual terrorist organisation.
I expect that if any charge against the Haringey Councillors is one of "support", then the notion of support by a protestor will come under close scrutiny. Fortunately, we still have an independent judiciary, which is a concept being tested in the USA, the prime backer of Netanyahu's government.
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It is quick and easy to arrest a protestor; a Police investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption is harder and more complicated. You write that (the Police) investigation "appears" is happening. I hope it is happening, as some Councillors went out on a limb to be whistle-blowers.
The Buss Report disclosed that the investigator's interviewees had first to be agreed with the police. Cranwood was off-limits due to the police investigation. Buss, Methodology 2.1:
The review was not asked to consider and has reached no opinion as to whether there was any criminality involved in any of the transactions as that is properly a matter for the police to reach a view on.
The Council sent the full, secret version of the Buss Report to the Police. Council officers buried the public version on their Server and labelled it "Appendix A". It is important to note that this is the pre-redacted version for public consumption. I've attached that rinsed-and-dried public version below.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Iris, I'd hope they are welcomed with cheers.
As I recall I've never met Mary or Lotte. But why must electors of Haringey lose the choice of councillors with principles?
Aren't you shocked by the Genocide? I suspect that more and more people in the UK are sickened - both by the vile attack of Hamas and the entirely disproportionate response by the Israeli Government.
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Permalink Reply by Iris Allan on
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They've been charged with a criminal offence. If they're found guilty, they are not fit for public office.
It would be the same if they were police officers found guilty of taking backhanders, MPs blatantly fiddling their expenses, judges taking bribes or civil servants selling state secrets.
You don't get to choose which laws you follow. That's part of living in a democratic society; the part that asigns obligations as well as rights.
The elected government has proscribed 'Palestine' action as a terrorist group. What is publicly known is that some of their members illegally entered an RAF base and damaged the planes we rely on for national defence. It's safe to presume that the Home Secretary also had access to additional non public information from the Security Service and the Met's counter terrorism branch which informed her decision.
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The custom and legal practice among fair and reasonable people - when I was once a lawyer - used to be awaiting a court hearing; before pronouncing a verdict of guilt; and not preceded by deciding punishment.
In your back-to-front world where Raphael Lemkin apparently did not exist, the murder of children and babies seems not to count. Nor that people may exist who regard Genocide with such horror that they are prepared to try persuading a U.K. Government to reverse or modify their judgment about Palestine Action. Which appears to be having the opposite effect to that intended and intead to publicise the group and attract people to their ranks.
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Correct. And you'll note that I have said if found guilty and if convicted on both my posts above for that very reason.
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Iris, you began this part of the thread by speculating on the punishment.
"Presumably those two councillors will resign or be asked to resign if convicted."
As I said the sequence I presumed has several steps/stages. Let's allow the courts and everyone's lawyers to do their stuff.
_______________You don't seem to know even the basics of all this.
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Speculating on the punishment if convicted Alan.
I'm guessing you never quite made it to KC.
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"Guessing and speculating", Iris.
Seems to me that you've already gone much further. Pronouncing sentence on Mary and Lotte as unfit for public office. But that's not all you suggest. Let's look at the other types of offence you specifically referred to in your own words in the thread above:
"It would be the same if they were police officers found guilty of taking backhanders, MPs blatantly fiddling their expenses, judges taking bribes or civil servants selling state secrets."
Two elected Haringey councillors Lotte and Mary "the same" as these other examples?
You write of our obligations. Don't you yourself have an obligation to take care in what you post on a public website?
The more you post on here, Iris, the more respect I have for Cllr Lotte Collett and Cllr Mary Mason.
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IT is unfortunate that the impression given, is one of eagerness for convictions and being ready, willing and waiting for resignations.
Are such feelings not better reserved for criminals where there is overwhelming evidence?
Meanwhile, the subtext of my original Post was the use of police resources that are scarce and growing more scarce.
In Haringey, large numbers of officers are periodically drawn away from crime duties across Greater London, in effect to babysit our council's Major Events "Season" in Finsbury Park.
To rearrange JFK's famous quote, we arrest Haringey Councillors, not because it is hard, but because it is easy.
Detecting fraud and corruption is hard.
Should the Police not prioritise hard crime, and harder-to-detect crime, including "white collar" ?
I was not alone in regarding the arrest of an Irish writer and director, by armed police officers, as misconceived, misguided and disproportionate …
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I find it hard to fathom why you might think someone might remain fit to hold public office if they were convicted of supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Alan, you repeatedly add divisive posts on this forum around the same topic seemingly to enable you to use the word genocide. I will continue to point out flaws when I see them and challenge amateur propaganda.
If Israel wanted to genuinely commit genocide it could have done so on Oct 8th, 9th, 10th or any day since Hamas massacred innocent Israelis on Oct 7th.
It is pursuing murderous Hamas fighters who are holding Israeli hostages and using Arab civilians in Gaza as human shields. The whole horrible thing would be over if Hamas freed the hostages and surrendered. Why don't you ever ask for that or ask people to write to their MPs and demand they rachet up the pressure on Hamas?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Two sides are duking it out to the death. Pick one and hope they win.
Let's get back to local politics shall we? -
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