Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Finsbury Park Strategy Group to be established
Chair of Scrutiny Cllr Gideon Bull demanded that officers get the ball rolling on this by the end of the month.
I will post further updates when more information is available.
Emine Ibrahim
Labour Party Candidate (Harringay Ward)
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park events, finsbury park stakeholder group
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by GillianM on
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Emina - it's been a couple of weeks since Hugh's questions to you about the strategy group - are there any answers?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Gillian, now it's been three weeks since the Scrutiny Meeting.
Where is the sham we were promised ?!
When in December the council cabinet agreed – disgracefully – to the regular rental of part of Finsbury Park, it was suggested that an FP 'Strategy Group' be set up by way of (feeble) compensation.
Then, in early January and with fanfare, it was re-announced at the Scrutiny meeting. It is correct (as asserted at the top of this thread) that the Chairman of the Council Scrutiny Committee demanded that this Strategy Group be established by the end of the month (yesterday).
The strategy group proposal was then trumpeted on Facebook and Twitter as though it was an achievement for residents by the Labour-run council.
In lieu of part of our park, residents were offered a little quango. Perhaps its true to the spirit of this council: labels-over-content, form-over-substance and PR over all.
There already exists an FP Friends group. Despite its best endeavours, Scrutiny disregarded its representations about concerts, that had already determined by the cabinet's established strategy.
Some ruling-group councillors favoured a council-run group, with carefully-council-selected consultees, to say things that are vetted and approved by the council. In other words, a genuine sham.
January has been and gone. We don't even have the sham!
- What don't we want? ... a sham!
- When did we expect it? ... January!
Despite the dramatic, even theatrical, insistence of the Scrutiny Chair for the new group to be established by the end of the month, there's no mention of it on the council's website. It may reflect un-enthusiasm by the cabinet member for parks (privatisation).
The tactic of announcing a Strategy group appears even emptier than if it had been "established".
Is this not duplicity?
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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All fair points, Clive. But do come clean.
"We who are about to become LibDem candidates salute you!"
Which applies to anyone else posting on this site who is about to be announced as a gladiator.
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Alan, I will turn to party-political practicalities presently.
London is generally blessed with parks. I am both a fan of parks and a resident local to Finsbury Park for 30 years (apart from 12 months in Brixton). For about 20 years, I ran around our Park. I walk through our park several times a week.
I have no problem with things like the regular, modestly-sized fun fair, but in the last few years I've notice creeping a commercialism of a more expansive nature.
Some years ago, when large chunks of the southern end were cordoned off, my normal jogging circuit was obstructed. So I hopped over a private barrier and jogged on. A security guard was dispatched with a shouted "get him!". I continued with my normal route – to the loud cheers of bystanders. I didn't attempt to out-run the little hired hand, who eventually and nervously caught up with me (I'm 6' 2" with some momentum, so I thought it would be ungentlemanly to resist the detention).
IMO, parks should be available freely to the public and the mega-concerts deny access – for longer than the headline period – and mess up the ground.
Now we see a big step towards part-privatisation by a grasping, irresponsible council. The Labour Cabinet has decided to rent out, for significant periods, at the height of summers, the most significant part of our public park. Rather than reduce the millions of pounds worth of (internal) council wasteful expenditure (£3.7m on bonuses at HfH alone), the council chooses to degrade service to residents.
Attached to his local park (Down Lane) like me, your neighbour Martin Ball spoke eloquently at the Scrutiny meeting.
Sadly, the Finsbury Park area – the southernmost tip of our Borough – is little regarded by the council. It abuts two other Boroughs and for decades has been treated as less important. The FP concerts policy is a continuation of this near-contempt.
I believe that a similar point has been made by long-time resident and former Labour Councillor Sally Billot. Sally was at the Scrutiny meeting and spoke brilliantly in defence of our park. She also got the biggest laugh at the meeting after a council 'officer' claimed that one particular concert had gone off well, with not a single complaint.
Sally correctly pointed out, that that was the concert that had been cancelled!
(I write as an disgruntled Stroud Green resident – aware that the park-rental policy is a political decision of the Labour cabinet. If this status changes, I'll let you know. The Liberal Democrat Party has not held its Selection Meeting yet. I welcome your keen interest, but I would counsel patience!)
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Well in May, as it so happens, some new councillors must be found,
They’ve got a little list – they've got a little list
Of occasional complainers whose faulty logic would astound
They're eager to enlist. They've got them on the list.
There’s one who speaks ten languages but can't say something plain.
While someone into bondage just adores the mayoral chain.
We've got a little list – and none of them are pissed.
There are those who point at potholes with expressions of deep gloom.
And others who would charge the dead for parking in their tomb.
I really must insist. There's no way Clive should be missed.
There are clowns who tell the same old jokes repeating them by rote.
And zombies who sit silently, then raise their hand to vote
Take them off the shortlist, they'd none of ‘em be missed.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Emina, in a few months you'll be asking for our vote. I think a polite request for some information about the platform upon which you have chosen to stand ought really to be answered. If I ever got this level of responsiveness from a sitting councillor I would not feel represented. I seriously consider the way a candidate behaves at this stage in the game as a very real indication of how they will act if elected.
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This is how Emina chose to communicate this decision. She should be receiving email updates of every reply on the thread (or certainly should make sure that's how it's set up).
In response to your first point, should we really expect that councillors will be more responsive after they have beem elected, or whilst trying to secure our votes?
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Yes, email notifications will be sent to the email address that a person registered under unless they have stopped them. This holds true for any conversation:
- they have started
- commented on
- for which they have clicked the Follow link under the uppermost reply box
In an ideal world no, we shouldn't expect a drop in responsiveness after election, but in the real world when we go for interview, start dating a partner or any situation where we're trying to impress others we tend to be on peak performance during the 'courting' phase.
If I look at a peak performance which I judge to be below par in a certain respect, I ask myself what it's going to be like after the honeymoon is over.
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Phil, I know that you and John McMullan are supporters of Emina. I have nothing against her, but what sort of message am I supposed to take from someone who wants to to represent me, and who you'd expect to be showing themselves at their best at this point, if they won't even respond to a straight legitimate question? What will they do once they no longer need my vote for a few years? What use is a democratic representative if they decline to answer a legitimate question asked by three people on this page and I'm sure by many others elsewhere. That's the basics. Personal qualities and policy build on that. You tell me what I'm supposed to make of that. This isn't party political. I'm not a creature of party politics. I give the same lack of quarter to a representative of any party in this respect.
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
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Hi Hugh
Apologies for the delay - it is more to do with wanting to give you a proper response with actual answers than a vague answer that doesn't really address the question. Whilst I do appreciate frustration it's just as frustrating when candidates and Cllrs give answers which do not really say very much and make disingenuous claims. I certainly can make a claim here and now not to do that. However I do commit to responding fully on this issue.
Emine Ibrahim
Labour Candidate - Harringay Ward
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