Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

You may have seen in the media that lots of people are signing up as Labour Party supporters for £3 and getting a vote in the Leadership election.

With great glee The Daily Telegraph is urging its readers to send in their three quid and vote for Jeremy Corbyn. Apparently one Tory donor has sent £15 under five assumed names.

But even for Haringey Tories and LibDems there's a possible downside. You risk getting phoned up by KoberTory councillors seeking your support for Liz Kendall their preferred candidate. A friend of ours had such a call from someone using only their first name. But whose voice our friend recognised. A friendly - or as we say in the Labour Party, comradely - chat ensued.

Then our friend noticed that the number used was a council mobile. Tsk, tsk. Councillors are not allowed to use council supplied equipment or resources for political campaigning.  The separation is strict.  No use of the council email; nor postage; nor Council supplied mobiles. With the latter, though councillors pay for their calls, the phone rental is paid by the Council.

So do ask a caller's full name and check the number the call is from. Councillors' mobiles are listed on the Council website. If it appears that one is being naughty and breaking the rules, consider sending a brief email to Mr Bernie Ryan the Council's "Monitoring Officer" who will advise them of the standards expected. bernie.ryan@haringey.gov.uk

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I don't suppose you would allow us the pleasure of knowing who it was. Or perhaps just the phone number seeing as it is in the public domain?

IT is my understanding too that the preferred (ordained?) choice of the Labour Group is Ms Kendall. As you might expect, I know none of them. However, I will say this of Islington North's MP.

On a freezing cold night last December, 25 members of the public (including me) turned up to hear him speak. It happened to be the AGM of The Friends of Finsbury Park, of which Jeremy Corbyn MP, happens to be Patron.

He spoke in detail about both the history of our park and about the history of the Friends of Finsbury Park. He was civil, engaging and knowledgeable. I've no doubt about his commitment to public parks, especially to our Finsbury Park.

CDC
Haringey Councillor
Liberal Democrat Party

Your first statement is completely untrue Clive, the Labour Group does not back a particular candidate as a group. With regard to Liz Kendall there are 3 Haringey Cllrs backing Liz who have signed up on her website. There are some backing Yvette and Andy.

I can only speak for the fact that 7 Haringey cllrs have publically backed Jeremy Corbyn those are myself of course, Cllr Shiela Peacock (Northumberland Park) Cllr Kirsten Hearn (Stroud Green) Cllr Isidoros Diakides (Tottenham Green) Cllr Patrick Berryman (Fortis Green) Cllr Mark Blake (Muswell Hill) Cllr Gideon Bull (White Hart Lane). I will also be speaking at the Jeremy Corbyn for Leader - London Rally on August 3rd. I am extremely proud that Jeremy who is a former resident and Cllr for Harringay ward is now standing for the party leadership.

The two Constituency Labour Parties, Tottenham and Hornsey and Wood Green both nominated Jeremy Corbyn at their recent nomination meetings. This is public information both on Twitter and in New Statesman.

So in terms of public backing the trend points to Corbyn in Haringey although of course there will be people who do not wish to share their preferences.

Cllr Emine Ibrahim
Harringay Ward

By the way Emine, since you're addressing the prospects of a former Haringey (and Harringay Ward I believe) councillor, here's a Harringay Ward question asked of   you   a few days ago (not mine): see http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/alroy-rd-endymion-road-...

Hi Gordon the resident emailed me about this I believe a few days ago on same day as post - at least I presume it's same person as its same issue and I put in a members enquiry. I should get a response soon and will post.

Emine thank you very much (and see other thread!).

Hi Emine, I'm glad to confirm that you were not the councillor who may inadvertently have misused her council-issued mobile for political campaigning.

I'm also pleased to read that both Tottenham, and Hornsey, Wood Green Labour Parties have used Twitter and the New Statesman to "publicly" announce their preference for Jeremy Corbyn. Personally I'd have used a postcard in the window of a shop in West Green Road.  Which shows how far behind the curve I am.

So, determined to do better, I looked up Liz Kendall in the New Statesman. I found the full text of an important lecture: a key speech she made at De Montfort University in Leicester. I scoured it for a phrase or two which actually said something more than that she was "passionate" while uttering a string of vacuous clichés.

I found two whole sentences. Liz Kendall told her audience that: "There’s nothing economically credible about ending up paying far more for problems that could have been prevented. And having a genuine long-term economic plan means prioritising the early years."

Alan, if Ms Kendell is not the preferred choice of the entire Labour Group, is she the preferred choice of the majority of the Majority Group, or of the Cabinet or of the Leader?

It's none of my business really, but others may be curious.

However at a more local level, I'm pleased that the Patron of the Friends of Finsbury Park is doing well. I'd invite local Councillors to talk to North Islington's Member of Parliament about Haringey Council's policy to (over-) exploit Finsbury Park.

If Mr Corbyn does win his party's leadership, I hope it wouldn't be thanks to those from well to the left and right of him, via the Labour Party's £3 Membership-Lite special offer.

(I'm not expecting any phone calls along the lines you describe.)

Clive

We regularly have conversations so I am surprised you have reverted to an old habit of never addressing me directly on HoL. Asking Alan what the view is of the majority group is odd considering he is not a member of it. The majority of Cllrs who have endorsed publically are supporting Corbyn. The rest are a mixture of Corbyn and other candidates.

Emina

Alan began this thread and I don't think it's odd to ask Alan for his views. He's now more objective and independent: crudely, not so much does he "have a dog in this fight".

I also think he's a principled bloke.

He's also one of the more intelligent members of the local Labour Party (ultimately, that may have been to his disadvantage). 

Alan was a Member of the Majority Group for 15 years and could be expected to know many Labour Party members, including current Cllrs. In the 12 months following his expulsion from the Group, he maintained a lively interest in politics.

After his retirement he announced his intention to become an Un-Councillor (I confess I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds active). 

I welcome Alan's continuing interest and involvement in local affairs. Although I don't always agree with him, I find he normally has interesting things to say.

Parties do not announce "publicly' members do - on social media. The New Statesman is simply compiling a list of CLP nominations. Jeremy is currently leading with 108 CLP nominations. He also has 370 Cllr endorsements. I am simply rebutting both your and Clive's idea that Haringey is backing Liz Kendall. Simply not true. Jeremy has the most endorsements from Haringey Cllrs so far.

Hmm... Well, Emine ...

"The two Constituency Labour Parties, Tottenham and Hornsey and Wood Green both nominated Jeremy Corbyn at their recent nomination meetings. This is public information both on Twitter and in New Statesman."  Please see above

Now I thought these meetings of the two parties were expressing a "preference".  Anyway not to worry. The full might of the Daily Telegraph has swung behind Jeremy.  Not forgetting that anyone can now pay three quid for a vote. That's online monetised democracy for you. I'm amazed the KoberTories haven't thought up the same wheeze. "To be consulted on this planning application please remit £3."

As for the New Statesman, well I'm curious to make its acquaintance once more. My uncle Bert - I never worked out the precise family relationship but I liked him very much - bought me a subscription in my teens. He was a cabinet maker and thought I needed to learn about left-wing ideas. I read the NS regularly for years until it went increasingly weird and right-wing with editor Paul Johnson.

When I've riffled the pages standing in WH Smith it's always seemed boring. But plainly there's an interesting piece from time to time.  I don't mean Liz Kendall. We get the same dangerous inanities from Claire Kober.  I'm thinking of the NS interview with Yanis Varoufakis.

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