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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Haringey Mayor Sheila Peacock says riots "best thing that's happened in Tottenham for a while".

Interviewed for a video, Haringey Mayor, Cllr Sheila Peacock is shown saying that:

"The second riots that we’ve just had was the best thing that’s happened in Tottenham for a while. My reason for saying that is, all of a sudden, the Government is now starting to pump money into Tottenham. Because Tottenham - Haringey is an outer London Borough so we don't get as much money as Islington or Hackney. And we've been struggling for years." 

"— Cllr Sheila Peacock,

Tags for Forum Posts: Cllr Sheila Peacock, Haringey, Sheila Peacock, Tottenham, gaffe, riot

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Ugh! It reminds me of any number of sci-films I've seen. As used in films, this type of set-up is rarely positioned as a positive element. Generally it is used to convey a world devoid of human feeling and interaction.

Dislike.

Come now, Hugh. Let's not get sniffy about hologram receptionists. Embrace the future. Because it's already here.

I'm now told that Cllr Sheila Peacock is out of the country on a cruise. So it now seems likely that the "apology" was written and put out by the Council PR computers on her behalf. Obviously it wasn't in the usual Peacock style. But - be honest now - did you suspect for a minute that it might not have been written by a real human councillor person?

At least the hologram talks and smiles. This screen at North Middlesex Hospital simply hung.

Select Language - Looks like a good idea

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

A minor aspect of the fauxness is its apparent delay, some 11 days later.

The Telegraph is now running this story where HoL members have been quoted.

Dozens of local "newspaper" websites are now running the story  - usually with identical text,

Makes you realise that what we imagine is a "local press" is now churnalised items from the news agencies. A dangerous situation for local democracy and accountability.

Perhaps this should be seen together with news about the London Borough of Brent hiring an actress to make a hologram receptionist.

politicians don't like to apologise

This BBC article – on the reluctance of corporations to apologise – is relevant here. The theme might also apply to Local Authorities.

"I think companies listen too much to the lawyers," might also apply to a few Councils. I have in mind the reputational damage caused to Haringey Council, by their willingness in the High Court to, defend the indefensible.

Although defending against the Rev. Paul Nicolson case may have been the only Haringey one described just like that by a Judge, it was not the only case of defending the indefensible: I'm also thinking of the case, AB & CD versus LBH's Childrens' Services.

In both cases important principles were established, coupled with reluctance of the Local Authority to take note.

Rev. Nicolson is a champion of the poor. I hope that in his case, the Council will be big enough to issue an apology.

Apologies that are owed, shouldn't have to be dragged out of people or corporate entities.

CDC
Councillor
Liberal Democrat Party

Reluctant as I am to condemn the Mayor out of hand, could one of the Councillors ask her what context could possibly justify the quoted statement ?

 

Very troubled and hurt by the off the cuff remark by Sheila.

We spent the night of the riot with several of our neighbours in our smoke filled cottage waiting for the police to arrive. We watched Carper Right burn though thinking no one had escaped alive, whilst desperately waiting for police and fire crews to come and rescue everyone and dowse our homes and our trees before they became part of the inferno.

People were left with just the clothes on their backs, we found them in the morning just wandering around in total shock. We were evacuacted from our cottages at around 3.30am without time for packing we were told to leave our homes. It was the longest most horrific night of my life. We had no utilities for three days and were left shell shocked for weeks after. I saw none of my neighbours rioting that night,  till this day we have all asked just who this mob was.

The last thing Tottenham or any other part of London (nor any other part of the UK) needed was a riot that night and weekend. Please lets not forget that parts of Hackney burned that night as did parts of Croyden.

Didn't a man have to be shot by police to cause his family to gather out side Tottenham police station that Saturday?, then this turned into a crowd of protesters that then turned into an angry mob that set fire to a police car, that then set a bus on fire? Why did it get as far as Carpet Right?!! What took police soooooo long to address the rioting mob?

I do not recall Mark Dugens family protesting outside Tottenham Police Station about lack of Council spending. Lets not forget that his death is what kicked started the riots of 6th August 2011.

To say we needed another riot is to suggest that we might need a third if the 40+million promised for regeneration isn't delivered. Where is the money going or being used?  The "We heart Tottenham" poster campaign (which was poor creative strategy to say the very least) promised quite a bit, yet delivered nothing.

Haringey and other boroughs have used Tottenham as a dumping ground for years, and as far as us local residents can see two years later, nothing is being delivered to improve the area. 

Tottenham has been in much need of extra funds for decades. Council should have been trying harder and working harder to win and deliver funds.

There is great community in Tottenham and the film maker should try to reflect this in his Part2.

The police pushed the mob, down towards carpetland.  They wanted them away from their beloved police station.
They really didnt care about the shops.

Now that David Lammy has saved the Antwerp Arms over the dead body of our emotionless Leader, can he save Tottenham from a tired and emotional Mayor?  Full-frontal peacock displays can be scary. Imagine what a peaock viewed from behind would be like.

It seems that both Shiela and I have 'history' on this. A few years ago, I previously had a blog and I commented on an Evening Standard newspaper article which celebrated Tottenham's diversity, in which I said that many people live in the area because 'they were tired of life'.

Naturally, it reached the local media, and I was criticised not only by many local people, but also by... you guessed it, Shiela Peacock. Understandibly, I was forced to publicly apologise for those comments.

As I recall, Neville, there was also a second blog which strongly disagreed with your posted comments. It then turned out you wrote both blogs yourself. 

When the penny dropped, I thought this both funny and creative. Unfortunately, your then LibDem colleagues didn't get the joke. (Having - I assumed - undergone the compulsory humourectomy required by the party whips.)

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