Everything we do …

IN the 1990s Ford advertised with, "Everything we do is driven by you"

And in run up to the November 2024 Presidential election, Trump and the MAGAs vowed to put America First.

These slogans have been picked-up, synthesised and recently retreaded by the Haringey Council Press Team and/or the local New Labour PR (it's hard to distinguish the two).

In January 2026, the Ham&High hosted two Ruling Group leadership Opinion Pieces. This started the publicity run-up to the May Council Elections. 

First up was the Cabinet Member for Culture whose leading claim is that "we continue to put our residents first in Haringey".

This was followed recently by the leader, whose unoriginal but bombastic claim is "we put our residents at the forefront of everything we do" (the reference to "the beginning of 2026 is an important moment for us", may be a nod to the looming May elections).

"We" – the sly wording in each case omits "Labour" and suggests that the PR-spin was paid for with public funds.

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The "put our residents …" clichés feel as though they're reflective either of tiredness in the over-funded municipal propaganda arm, or of exhaustion within local New Labour. Again, it is hard to tell which is which.

Some time ago, several Labour Councillors resigned over Keir Starmer's Government's support for Israel and the council leader's suppression of debate on Gaza. A few weeks ago, the Councillor who was appointed as the official Libraries Champion resigned from the Labour Party.

More recently, the former Deputy Leader—and Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Climate Action—departed the Cabinet and resigned altogether as a Haringey Councillor. His resignation statement included thanks to several groups. However, there was no reference to the leadership. That was little surprise in the circumstances, but it spoke volumes.

It would be nice, if the looking-after of our Borough—and it's put-upon residents—were more often genuinely treated as an end in itself. Rather than merely as a stepping stone to vacancies in Sir Keir's Parliamentary Labour Party, so earnestly coveted.

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