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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Mr Lammy MP and our Constituency name

Hello Harringay onliners.

A while ago I opened a discussion about our constituency name of "Tottenham" not reflecting our area and proposed it's renamed "Haringey and Edmonton".

I wrote to Mr Lammy about it, and after a follow up email got an answer from his office. Here is the email trail as I think is it of interest to us all.

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BME's email to Mr Lammy's website. 17th Nov 2011

... I emailed asking  Mr Lammy to consider asking the Boundary Commission of England who are presently in consultation regarding boundary changes, to rename his constituency "Haringey and Edmonton" to better reflect the area and people he represents. ...with now only 18 days of the consultation left, I would like to press to matter and receive a reponse. Kind regards,

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Mr Lammy's Parliament office. 18th Nov 2011

.. thank you for your email to David about the boundary review. He is totally opposed to the coalition government’s decision to limit the number of seats to 600 and to force this change on the country. That is why he voted against the Bill at its first reading.  
 
He is pleased that the Boundary Commission’s initial proposals retain the broad shape and integrity of his constituency, particularly given the recent riots and the need to rebuild Tottenham. David’s view is that Tottenham needs coherent leadership, and that this makes having an MP who doesn’t cover the whole of Tottenham problematic.
 
Best wishes

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BME's reply 18th Nov 11

Thank you for you speedy reply.

I am not questioning the area in which Mr Lammy covers, I am questioning the name of it. It does not reflect the constituency as a whole and even though Tottenham has been through a lot, that still doesn't justify why the rest of the constituency can't have a more representative and collective name.
Mr Lammy's constituency covers a large area of North London, and not just Tottenham. Under the new proposed boundaries, he will cover even more taking in the area of Stroud Green which like most areas Mr Lammy represents, is not in Tottenham. Tottenham will remain within the constituency as a whole regardless of the Commission's decision, and will continue to be represented by one MP.
I understand the argument that Tottenham needs strong identity and representation more than ever in Parliament - and I certainly don't dispute that - but so does everyone else in Mr Lammy's constituency. It only makes sense that the constitency name reflects the whole area Mr Lammy represents and not just a small part of it. It is not just Tottenham that Mr Lammy represents, and it wasn't just the people of Tottenham that voted and campaigned for him to return to Parliament in the last General election. 
I would therefore ask again that Mr Lammy speaks to the Boundary Commission to change the name - not the boundary (and thereby not affecting Tottenham as a whole) - to Haringey and Edmonton. I feel the present name does not represent my area nor my neighbouring areas, and I would like to feel that my MP - Mr Lammy - is in fact representing myself and my neighbours' interests and not just a small part of his constituency that I and thousands of others have no direct connection with.
Please can you brief him again on my suggestion as there are only 17 days left now in the Boundary Commission's consultation, and I feel I have raised a very important point that will affect thousands of people living in Mr Lammy's constituency.
Kind regards
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If I get a reply I will post it.
You may feel this doesn't matter, but I say it does. We don't live in Tottenham no more than we live in Liverpool or Manchester or Bristol. It is not a case of disassociation, it's a matter of identity and representation.
What do you think?

Tags for Forum Posts: boundary commission, boundary review, parliamentary constituency boundary rewview

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John McMullan on November 26, 2011 at 0:26

Not that I am any friend of the local Labour party but... can we have some respect for our MP? I'm sure he wouldn't mind David but referring to someone by their surname alone is just rude and disrespectful.

Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on November 26, 2011 at 10:07

Ofer, I agree with John on this. Regardless of politics, any elected MP in this country is entitled to a certain minimum level of respect.

By way of contrast, I am sometimes irritated by the reporting of those appearing before the courts being accorded levels of respect they do not deserve, eg. Mr Blogs had pleaded not guilty ... etc., it is preferably IMO, that there entire name be known, sans title.

Permalink Reply by GN8 on November 26, 2011 at 10:41

Apologies all around, I thought it was the other way around and that using first name would be the disrespectful version, at least it is where I come from... No offence is intended, merely stating the facts.

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on November 26, 2011 at 10:58

On the other hand, I've taken up a good old English custom of addressing and referring to working and professional colleagues as well as trusted servants by their surname. Since Lammy persists in addressing me as "Dear friend", even when not seeking my vote, Lammy it is. Ofer, McMullan and Carter hail from a more deferential clime.

Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on November 26, 2011 at 12:46

Eddie, a bit of courtesy costs nothing.

A youngster like yourself might not appreciate that its not about harking from an age of greater deference. Like Ofer, I'm an immigrant to this country and addressing by surnames only seems unnecessarily severe, unless we're talking about convicts.

Titles: call me old fashioned, but I will continue to regard Jeffrey Archer as Lord Archer, even though it is no longer justified and he would fully and accurately be described as the convicted perjurer Lord Archer; and (regrettably) on the local scene, Councillor Charles Adje as the disgraced Cllr. Adje.

 

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on November 26, 2011 at 13:29

Clive, I took it both you and John (even if no one else) would see through my minor bit of pisstaking at a silly bit of old formality which still persisted here in some quarters as late as the early 1980s. And I wouldn't have thought anyone would have been in danger of seeing New Zealand (any more than Australia or Ireland) as hotbeds of deference.

As soon as David Lammy stops sending me "Dear Friend" emails and letters, I shall start calling him Mr Lammy, David, Dave or whatever he prefers. 

Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on November 26, 2011 at 14:08

There is certainly irreverence in Australia. On learning that a very old NZ friend is now a Curate/Father/Reverend (sorry not really up with the nomenclature), an English friend quoted an Aussie expression, new on me, "ah ha, he's a Sky Pilot".

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