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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Labour have been running Haringey for the best part of half a century and throughout that time have consistently refused to take responsibility for their own failings, blaming every mistake and foul-up on the government--especially if it was a Conservative one--and frequently refusing to acknowledge internal faults until some outside authority took charge. 

That is why beautiful Harringay is today cursed by a legacy of HMOs, weeds in the pavements, overgrown trees, traffic mismanagement, late night licences, betting shops, uncollected rubbish, rubbish and more rubbish and a punitive, excessive and expensive CPZ.  All of these are solely the responsibility of an out-of-control, self-obsessed and completely unopposed local Labour Party.

We say "unopposed" deliberately.  Although some more imaginative Labour voters finally lost patience in 2010, the resulting LibDem group have had little effect on Labour's performance.  Traffic is still a problem, speedbumps still damage house foundations, CPZ charges are still extortionate, late-night licences and betting shops still proliferate, unkempt trees still lift pavements and block light from homes.  At the same time the "strategy" groups multiply, go nowhere and pile up attendance bonuses for the committee chairs.  There is no change because Labour regard the LibDems as a 'lite' version of themselves and do not find it particularly embarrassing if a few council seats pass back and forth between them.

However, 50 years of extremist rhetoric and two generations of justifying all sorts of cheating on the grounds that they are in the service of Good against Evil have propagandised the local Labour Party into an absolute terror of any sort of Conservative gain--which presents voters with a unique opportunity.

Conservatives on the opposite benches would be a mortification for Labour and would send a message impossible to ignore.  The shockwave could even be the saviour of the local Labour party itself, perhaps forcing them to abandon their vicious internal power-struggles and concentrate on restructuring.

Personal:

We, Lydia, Sean and Massimo, are not hung up in political theorising and we do not forget that the Council is using tax-payers' money.  Borough-wide, this money should be used responsibly and to make the lives of Haringey residents easier, not more complicated and uncomfortable.  We believe that the purpose of a Council at the very least is to keep the streets clean, well-lit and safe; to keep the traffic flowing, to educate our children and take care of our elderly.  This is a basic requirement and any Council which does not do that, has broken down and needs repair or replacement.

What we want to do:

CPZ reform

Parking controls are clearly necessary on the Ladder, but why such punitive charges when we are already paying a heavy Council Tax?  Why are we, in practice, being fined for having visitors?  Fairer, cheaper–even free–parking control systems exist elsewhere in Britain.  They do not exist in Haringey quite simply because the Council has learned that holding our cars to ransom yields easy pickings.  The extra 'eco' charges fool no-one and are a tax on the least well off who cannot afford late model cars.

Borough of Haringey

Conservatives want to re-open the day centres for the elderly which were closed by Labour, and to focus on Children's Services.  Lydia Rivlin has a long record of calling Haringey to account over their murderous inefficiency in this sector.  Sean Rivers, a disability lawyer, is keen on coming to grips with provisions for the disabled in this borough and Massimo Rossini who was a council officer for many years, knows much about the inefficiency and wastefulness of this administration and how it can be rebuilt.

We all proudly support the Wards Corner Coalition.  The approach taken to regeneration there will be a template for the rest of the borough, so we have to get it right.  On our own patch, there is major construction proposed for the Arena.  Detailed information is still difficult to find (possibly because the Planning department learned lessons of obfuscation during the Wards Corner rebellion).  However, we worry that this "development", like others, will ignore local social unity, will be overcrowded, will force more vehicles on to surrounding roads, will create insoluble access problems and will lack adequate infrastructure back-up.  Without sympathetic planning we could be opening the door to all sorts of problems for the future of The Ladder.

Council meetings  

For several years now, there has been very little sensible deliberation in the Council.  A noisy student-politics Labour clique turn debates into rows, stifling dialogue.  Councillors are also paid far too much.  Except in some specialised areas, being a councillor should not be a career but a civic duty and the current squabbles within the Labour group are battles for resources, not for the people of Haringey.  We want to create an environment for sensible decisions to be made.  

Tell Labour that they have got things wrong.

Tell them in the most powerful way available:

vote Conservative. 

@tottenhamtories   @loveharringay  

loveharringay@gmail.com  www.loveharringay.co.uk

Tel: 020 8374 6305

Promoted by Justin Hinchcliffe, on behalf of Tottenham Conservatives,

both of 178 Walpole Road, LONDON N17 6BW Tel: 020 8374 6305.

 

Tags for Forum Posts: 2014 elections

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Replies to This Discussion

"Sadly he's thinking there is a profit to be made from the misery of neglected and abused kids. It is beyond repugnant."

What you have just written is beyond repugnant, JP.  Only a sick brain could come up with a reason of that sort to explain Gove's proposal.  You may not agree with Gove's ideas politically but to have it in mind that he is thinking only of making a profit out of abused children is a symptom only of your own maliciousness, not his.

Lydia Rivlin: Conservative candidate for Harringay ward.

So let's be clear and unequivocal. Lydia Rivlin and Justin Hinchcliffe you are both giving your public support to Michael Gove's plan for privatising Child Protection services? 

Yes or No?

"--you are both giving your public support to Michael Gove's plan for privatising Child Protection services? "

Alan, I have only just heard about this myself (out canvassing all day today).  I don't know the facts or indeed whether it is just Gove flying a kite or coming up with a new law.  I will say this, though.  If there had been another situation in which Gove had suggested that Haringey Social Services is the best for children and that responsibility should be shifted to Haringey from some other (theoretical) organisation, I'd be out there with the placards like a shot.  How many children have died slowly, hideously and obviously, right under Haringey's collectively blocked nose? How many families split up?

Now, let me ask YOU a question.  Do you honestly believe that Gove lies awake at night trying to figure out a way to turn a profit out of dead babies?  You answer that one, yes or no.  Then if you come up with something sensible, we can have a discussion about how to save children's lives.

Or do you think along with the smartly dressed Labour supporter I canvassed a few days ago, who responded as follows when I mentioned Harringay Social Services: "Listen," she said. "Parents have been murdering their children for thousands of years.  I don't worry about a few of them slipping through Haringey's net."

With this calibre of supporter, I can't believe in any of the ostentatious outrage that you and other Labour helots put up on this page.

Lydia Rivlin: Conservative candidate - Harringay Ward

Actually, I don't think Gove lies awake at night coming up with these mad schemes, they come to him naturally — or direct from some advisor or consultant on a revolving door back to KPMG or wherever.

Lydia, spin it whatever way you like, but the reality is there is a finite pot of money to be spent on child protection and giving the job to a company like G4S or Serco who have to take a profit from that pot, can only mean there is less to spend on the kids.

There is not a shred of evidence to suggest that privatisation delivers efficencies. It delivers profits to the companies that win contracts and poor service for the work done.

Seriously, look at the evidence.

Olympic security — a G4S fail

NHS 111 — Serco fail (not to mention falisify records) *

Prisons — a joint G4S and Serco fail (not to mention failing to tag 'clients' and monitoring corpses) *

Rail privatisation which delivered a rubbish service and the highest fares in Europe.

America has the most 'competitive' health market in the world — and some of the most extortionate charges.

As I said initially, Haringey has a shameful and indefensible record on child protection, but privatisation is not the answer and never will be

*Links from the Telegraph and Reuters, which you presumably find more credible than the Gruniad

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9913780/Disgraceful-Se...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/12/us-britain-g4s-serco-idUS...

"Links from the Telegraph and Reuters, which you presumably find more credible than the Gruniad"

Links about how awful these organisations are -- but not about Gove and the kids. 

I have to see the report that Gove is turning over children's care to these guys.

Lydia Rivlin: Conservative candidate, Harringay ward.

"I have to see the report that Gove is turning over children's care to these guys."

OK, found it.  In the Guardian.  It is a proposal and I hope like most proposals will get a serious spanking before the idea goes further. 

A lot of children's services in other councils are good.  In Haringey I think that even G4 could manage better and that really is saying something because I have no respect for G4. 

I have to tell you, though, that I have some personal knowledge about the way children's services work round here, about the lack of co-ordination, the handing from one to another, about the idealistic 'experiments' which are conducted on the children by inexperienced and apparently un-advised people charged with protecting them.

I decided to stand for this election, though, based on the idea that someone needs to shake up Haringey social services, not that someone should take them over.

Lydia Rivlin: Conservative candidate - Harringay Ward.

Nothing on BBC News website Michael. Which paper was it ?

Having Googled - The Guardian

" England has one of the most successful child protection systems in the world. This is based on strong accountability, stability, continuity, good local partnership working across professionals and agencies, and with experienced and committed professionals and leadership. "

Oh really ? That's very reassuring.

'Twas in the Guardian (read it on the train and left I there so can't tell you which page)

By the way, oh really yes. The awful events in Haringey and some other authorities rightly hit the headlines but most local authorities do a good job. It feels like taking a blanket approach to deal with the appalling care standards in, thankfully, a small number of authorities.

BTW Lydia, whoever made that comment to you is an utter &"@:; and should hang their head in shame, if they have any.

"whoever made that comment to you is an utter &"@:; and should hang their head in shame, if they have any."

If you are referring to the "profit from dead babies" that was  JP

The comment about parents murdering babies was a very chic lady in Beresford Road.

I saw her, so can vouch for the fact that she has a head.  But since she has no shame, her head is of no use.  I didn't even try arguing with her.

Lydia Rivlin: Conservative candidate, Harringay Ward

The Guardian really is the Gospel in the Socialist religion, don't you know?

It's also on the Telegraph on line and BBC website. Just Google "child protection privatisation"

Afraid I don't quite understand Justin. Because it's in The Guardian does it make it untrue?

No-- your thinking (and your ilk), is that it *is* true because it's in the Guardian. Think about it. 

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