Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A reading list for new councillors?
From time to time and far less ambitiously, I've gently suggested some browsing for my fellow Labour councillors.
We now have a new national political landscape and seventeen new Haringey councillors. So I wonder whether HoL members could come up with a reading/viewing list for them - and even for those re-elected. How about a couple of essential and above all practical suggestions for books, articles and of course, useful blogs and online videos?
Top of my own current list is Heather Brooke: The Silent State. Which should be compulsory ─ if only for people to think through what they disagree with and why.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
Tags for Forum Posts: Haringey, council, councillors, reading list, viewing list
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Reading her, I first realised how much we needed some 'Park Theory'. But not based on an idealised view of parks as 'natural', nor as heritage. But theory-in-practice, based on evidence and observation. Which helps us understand why some parks are 'working' well, while others don't. And what we could do about it.
Which led me to appreciate some of Ken Worpole's writing. Someone else I haven't enough time to read and re-read!
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Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on
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What's Left by Nick Cohen?
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Permalink Reply by Luci on
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Is it time to revive and update this reading list? What else would you add? How about other forms of storytelling like TV.
BooksWinifred Holtby, South Riding 1936 (posthumous) - out of copyright but I think that a Virago with an introduction explaining it is probably the best. I think there is even a Lib Dem intro by Shirley Williams
Lettice Cooper, National Provincial 1938 is set in my home city, everywhere's a bit mixed up so if you know Leeds there's the added bonus of trying to work things out. Reprinted by Persephone who once they've released one of their beautiful silver grey books, keep them in print, too, which is good if you lose a book or drop it in a bucket of water (as I did with a copy of Tory Heaven by Marghanita Laski a few years ago - don't ask!)
Television
Our Friends in the North 1995 BBC TV - there is also a radio version to accompany the rerelease, the script is pretty much the same but with a final episode that's radio only. Possibly for completists as I was quite upset to hear that one of my favourite characters had died. Local govt politics in Newcastle in the 1960s. Lots of based on a true story spotting, social housing politics, intriguing interactions. Lots of advice to those who might listen!
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Hi Luci,
Please forgive me not replying sooner on your suggestion on 3rd June 2016 about updating the list. I have been thinking about this and how it means adding to the media. Plainly many books are now likely to come with a linked package of other taster and/or spin-off.media. Luci, you mentioned TV and radio. Now the list will include podcasts. Maybe also videos and other formats which I'm not familiar with.I recently saw media which mentions Haringey. That includes Forensic Architecture. Based at Goldsmiths University of London. Among its varied reports, they investigated the police killing of Mark Dugan in Ferry Lane Tottenham Hale. Mark Dugan's death led to the 2011 Tottenham Riot.
Among other academics whose work I follow is Prof Danny Dorling. He gave the first Julie Davis Memorial Lecture at Bruce Castle Museum. His lectures are free online and cover topics including inequality and housing.
For me, one of the most interesting current academic writers and researchers is Keller Easterling.
Like Danny Dorling she always seems willing to share her research and ideas for free e.g. on YouTube. One of the earliest talks I attended after becoming a councillor was about flooding of homes. So I was unsurprised that Prof Easterling comments in a video about building new homes on floodplains.
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Permalink Reply by Eric Easter
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They could do worse than to listen to the odd youtube post from the Sage of Tottenham, Simon Webb, who posts and writes prolificly on all manner of topics including a recent exposé about the son of Mark Duggan. The apples, particularly the worst ones in the barrel, do not fall far from that tree!
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Luci, please forgive my careless typo. Your recent update was of course, .
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