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, http://bit.ly/11R2JxI
Tags for Forum Posts: Cllr Sheila Peacock, Haringey, Sheila Peacock, Tottenham, gaffe, riot
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Alan, thank you for drawing the Borough's attention to our Mayor's comments.
You said that Sheila told you "the quote was completely out of context". Did she say what the context was?
I would be curious as to what context could legitimate such remarks. I note that one of your Twitter correspondents claims to have seen the unedited 30 minute interview with the Mayor and she appears to agree with Sheila that the remark was taken out of context.
On the face of it, the remarks look crass but I wonder if you might take up John D's suggestion above to see what the context might be, or that where we can find the unedited totality?
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Clive, if you followed the YouTube link you'll know that the video was made by Anthony Tim Ogunmuyiwa. He's AtoProduction http://www.atoproductions.com/contact.html
As he has shown his unedited 30 minute video to Sheila Peacock perhaps he'll also be willing to show it to you.
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Yes, indeed. And that's exactly the sort of explanation Sheila could have given had she issued an apology.
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Permalink Reply by Colinloves on
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agreed
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Please, Alex, let's not get carried away.
From the words she used it's not obvious what Sheila meant.
Words are important. And what Sheila actually said - on the record - was, to say the least, insensitive and hurtful to people in Tottenham. Especially those who lost their homes, businesses and in some cases nearly lost their lives. And to all of us who were scared and worried and sick at heart about the damage to the place where we live in and care about.
Have you read what Pam and Vix wrote on this thread?
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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You may be interested in watching my film regarding the personal stories of those affected by the Tottenham riots. The opening credits explain why i shot this footage. You will notice that Councillor Alan Stanton has allowed me to upload it on his channel. Thanks Alan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek8worlFZh8
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Alex, on my browser (Firefox) I can read the first four lines of your comment on the latest postings, but the comment box above is blank. So you may want to re-post it so I and other people have the chance to read it in full.
Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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For the record, I cannot stand her and I know I'm prone to being judgemental but just her reaction at being reelected in 2010 with a bigger majority was enough to turn my stomach. However, I understand what she was trying to say here and I agree with her. The missing context was that a lot of shit things have happened to Tottenham, probably in Cabinet meetings that she was attending but of all the things that happened, this one had the best outcome from her point of view (Cabinet meetings, finance etc). Now that's saying something.
I hope Joe Goldberg has found a nice enthusiastic young socialist to take her place next May.
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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Cllr Peacock’s optimistic nature is an attractive trait, but her remarks reveal two failings.
First she appears to be unable to see just how much poor governance (from all levels), rather than a lack of resources, has contributed to Tottenham’s stagnation. The Lipton report has already been cited, but here is another quotation from it:
‘Previous attempts to regenerate Tottenham have failed….
Over thirty million pounds was spent on the Broadwater Farm housing estate following the riots of 1985 …. Yet despite reduced crime on the estate, its residents still suffer the consequences of Tottenham’s wider issues – be that high unemployment, severe overcrowding, or London’s highest level of people living in temporary accommodation. This project stands as just one example of decades of initiatives that have randomly rained down upon the area and failed to address the underlying problems,provoking local cynicism towards political interventions.’ (authors’ emphasis)
The riots were definitely not the best thing that has happened to Tottenham and the injection of money will not, on its own compensate for that disaster.
Her second failing – and it is one which she shares with many members of the Labour group – is that she has a vision for Tottenham (no bad thing in itself) without an ability to appreciate the consequences of that vision to people who happen to be in the way of it.
An example is her (and her Group’s) treatment of the planning application to redevelop the Wards Corner site in Seven Sisters. The application involved the demolition of a Latin American market and of a number of neighbouring businesses. Many of the latter have been there for decades. It also involved the demolition of an attractive, albeit dilapidated, locally listed building, which could have been restored with the aid of a rival community plan. In place of what is there now, there will be a tall block of flats with commercial space below.
The history of the application is relevant. Round one: the application was approved with Cllr Peacock as chair of the committee. Round two: the permission was quashed by the Court of Appeal because the Council had not done an equalities impact assessment, as required by law. This was no mere technicality – the Latin American market serves a very large community, and no-one had bothered to find out what the impact of closure would be upon it. Round three: the application was re-heard and thrown out when one of the Labour councillors broke ranks. Round four: a slightly revised application was rushed before the committee within weeks of being submitted, and Labour took the precaution of stacking the committee 6 – 4, instead of the 5 – 4 composition which had previously prevailed.
Now, in its desire to make Tottenham a shining city in the valley, the Council is teaming up with a property developer to develop a new regeneration scheme. There is nothing whatever wrong in that. However, the tone of the briefings which we have received indicates a possible tendency to favour high rise development and a further possible tendency to produce housing which will accommodate persons coming from outside at the expense of people who live there now.
Re-development is of course a good thing, as is the provision of housing and commercial space which will attract people with money as well as prosperous businesses into a hitherto deprived area. There are clearly spin-offs which will benefit the local community. However, it is all about balance and we would be doing no favours to the people now in run-down short-stay accommodation if we were to demolish their homes and fail to give large numbers of them a chance to live in the buildings which replace them.
I would therefore treat Cllr Peacock’s remarks, not as some silly remark, but instead as a slip which reveals habits of mind among the Council leadership which we must guard against.
It is important to have a vision for Tottenham. We submitted a lengthy report ourselves to the authors of “It Took Another Riot” which you can find attached to this posting. However, it is encumbent on all of us to remember that our principal duty is not to some vision, but to the people who live in Tottenham and whom we represent.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
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Interesting to read this report, David. On a first read through it seems to have a couple of useful ideas, as well as a statement of rather obvious problems which it says need to be "addressed". As well as some fundamental misconceptions about the area in the far east of Haringey.
As far as I recall, this is the first time I've seen or even heard about this LibDem Report. Did you send it to me before? if so, I apologise. In any case, I shall reread it carefully and give more thought to its contents.
You've always seemed a decent and sensible fellow, so I'm puzzled that you didn't think about discussing these ideas about the riot in Tottenham with me and other councillors who live in the wards most affected. (For example, Zena Brabazon and I live three minutes walk from the High Road. Tottenham Hale and Bruce Grove wards suffered the worst damage. We've lived in this area for over thirty years.)
But of course the LibDems would not be alone in ignoring local ward councillors. So did and does the Dear All-Powerful Leader. As you know, Cllr Claire Kober herself appointed the so-called Community Panel. And she launched the vacuous Tottenham Plan up the road from my home without even bothering to tell ward councillors this "event" was happening. I wouldn't have known except that Vix (Victoria Norman) saw the silly photo-op from her back window and went to find out what was happening.
By Travers Lipton I assume you mean Stuart Lipton - author of the Lipton Report. As far as I know Professor Tony Travers was a contributor. I wasn't aware he co-wrote the report. If he did he should be deeply ashamed. It's yet another example of someone bringing their own "solutions" and treating Tottenham as a colony which they can pound into shape.
"Give a small boy a hammer and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding." (Wikipedia)
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Many thanks for reading through our submissions, Alan.
They came about because Sir Stuart Lipton and Professor Tony Travers were seeking the views of various groups in Haringey, and the Council's opposition group was among them. We met with them for an hour and a half. Afterwards we felt that it would be useful to set our ideas down in a systematic way - hence our report.
It having been our task to contribute to a discussion rather than to make decisions as to actions which the Council should take, we did not consider it necessary to consult with people outside our Group. Should the voters entrust us with running Council, however, we will of course be far more open in decision-making than is the current regime. The promotion of openness is one of the main factors which drives us.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
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Fair enough, David - up to a point. Obviously the LibDem group of councillors was very privileged to get an entire ninety minutes with these eminences.
Though once you (collectively) had written your own report it would have been courteous - not to mention helpful - to send copies to Labour councillors. It might have been one chink in the curtain of secrecy surrounding the Lipton Report.
But maybe the LibDems did this and I missed seeing it somehow?
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Several days after the riot I was walking through Wood Green as people were repairing the smashed windows of looted shops. I remember feeling a sense of dislocation. As if familiar streets and shops were strange and unknown.
At the time and for weeks afterwards, many conversations about the riot - with neighbours and local friends and sometimes with strangers in the street - gave me an optimistic feeling that people had been jerked out of our normal tramlines of behaving and thinking. And perhaps there was an opportunity to ponder what had happened and its causes; and to think afresh about how we needed to act in future.
Of course, that "mould breaking" didn't happen. Most "leaders", "panels" and agencies quickly fell back on the old ideas and routines. And usually came up with the same stale failed "solutions". and ways of discussing and formulating them. As did Sir Stuart Lipton. With both Haringey's political groups following suit.
A squandered opportunity.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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