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 either the Haringey Council Press Team and/or local New Labour Press (hard to distinguish the two).

In January, the Ham&High hosted two Ruling Group leadership Opinion Pieces, starting 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 recently followed by the leader whose leading—but not entirely original—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).

These clichés ("put our residents …") 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 official Champion for Libraries resigned from the Labour Party. More recently, the former Deputy Leader—and the Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Climate Action—departed the Cabinet and also resigned altogether as a Haringey Councillor.

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

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