Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Lack of elected politicians at Hornsey Remembrance Service
Today, for the first time, I attended the service at Hornsey World War One Memorial (to lay wreaths for 2 relatives).
It was particularly important to me as I have very recently got one relative, my great uncle Reuben Leggett, added to the memorial.
It is also an important year in commemorating the war dead of World War One in this centenary year.
I assumed our local council would ensure local, elected representatives would attend such an important event.
I understand that the Hornsey and Wood Green MP, the council leader and the mayor always attend Wood Green memorial and that the deputy mayor, this year Hornsey councillor Jennifer Mann, attends Tottenham memorial.
Hornsey is allocated another councillor decided by the council leader. This year ex mayor Cllr Eddie Griffiths.
I assumed some local ward councillors, whose war dead are commemorated on the Hornsey War Memorial, would also attend of their own free will and out of respect.
After all some of their constituents, myself included, have relatives on the memorial.
As far as I know 6 current wards (Hornsey, Crouch End, Stroud Green, Harringay, Muswell Hill and Fortis Green) were part of the old Borough of Hornsey when the memorial was dedicated in 1921.
I hope I am wrong but I did not see any councillors from any of those wards at today’s service.
I wonder where they were today and what was more important to them than to attend this act of remembrance?
I would have thought that at least one councillor from each of those wards could have shown up.
Who I did see was ex Muswell Hill councillor and Hornsey resident Jim Jenks and his wife.
He had worked hard on my behalf when in office to get my great uncle’s name added to the memorial so I was especially pleased to be able to thank him today in person.
I hope the current councillors make a better effort in 2015 than they appear to have done this year.
If I am wrong I would like to know who was there from our elected representatives - Parliamentary candidates don’t count in my book. Remembrance services are not the place to play politics or canvass for votes.
Happy to be corrected by our local Labour or LibDem parties.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Councillors are elected to represent us in Council - not at any and all local events, however worthy.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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See my response above, John. It's not about whether they want to go or not, it's about *where* those who choose to go take part. Personally, I'm quite surprised at how few go to Tottenham but I'm not about to start demanding that they do.
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I was reading the discussion title - " Lack of elected politicians at ..... "
She might as well have said " Lack of local teachers ..... " " ....local bus drivers .. "
I don't see why politicians should be singled out.
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"I don't see why politicians should be singled out" - an odd observation given the national attention given by politicians to the commemorations. And I'll keep on saying it, it's about WHERE they went, not IF they went.
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Permalink Reply by Dana Carlin on
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There were actually a number of councillors (and Catherine West with her daughter) in attendance at Hornsey, including Natan Doron and Jason Arthur from Crouch End, Gail Engert and Mark Blake from Muswell Hill, Martin Newman from Fortis Green, Eddie Griffith from West Green in Tottenham and Charles Wright newly elected in Woodside. Ms Ramm might not have recognised all the councillors, but perhaps she could have checked before posting that there was no one there.....
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Thank you, Dana, useful to have a response from a party member who is able to identify our newest councillors and make it clear. It might have been an idea to get you to respond to the social media posts that Lesley made in the first place since you seem to do so without evoking outrage at being asked, although the last sentence was probably a little waspish no? ;)
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Your opinion is noted. I personally would have been a little more diplomatic and omitted the last line but that's me. Sometimes things don't need to be said, at least not out loud.
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My post was not meant to be partisan: I noted that the Liberal Democrat local councillors were also in attendance. I have attended the Hornsey memorial for the past few years and I think that at a time of remembrance for those fallen in war, which I always find very moving, we should concentrate on the community value of these occasions as a time to come together regardless of our political affiliations.
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And nor was it.
I think it's quite clear from Lesley's last line that she was simply asking questions and that she is
Happy to be corrected by our local Labour or LibDem parties.
She has been and the record has been set straight.
Your responses, Dana, are measured, thoughtful and informative and an exemplar of how to react when asked a question in public on a sensitive issue giving a response which addresses the question and not the person asking it.
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Permalink Reply by Lesley Ramm on
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Checking out councillors from across half the borough wasn't priority. But your answer is interesting in that it differs in the list of councillors you say attended to those names given to me by Dawn Barnes and Cllr Jogee. So I am not the only one who could have checked facts am I?
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