He was working hard in Harringay ward and made it to quite a few things in Tottenham but obviously missed some. And in hindsight, you have to give it to him, he could have spent the entire campaign on the beach. It seems HoLiers are not the only voters in Tottenham (and indeed Harringay), just the best informed.
I'd just like to make clear, I wasn't criticising Lammy.. As you know, I've always defended his right to choose a home wherever he wants..
But, I expect his background (as well his constituency work) are both contributors to his success .. as the Americans (and now the Brits) are always saying... a win, win situation.. :o)
BTW, and following on from my recent decision to not vote Labour nationally for first time, after over 10 years in this area, my experiences with Labour local government led to this, way before all that business with child abuse, way before. Especially having been pissed off for years and yet STILL voting Labour. Until now. As I said before: I didn't leave Labour Party. It left me. It's true that the idea of pact with Cons might have made me think again, but if it does lead to new politics I won't be sorry. If it leads to faux noises of compromise in service of economic tightening of belt alongside ditching inheritance tax for rich, for example, now THAT would be a disgrace.
@Clive .. you don't need to convince me.. like you I live/have lived in a country with PR and my experience is that it's a much fairer, transparent way of electing a government.
Consensus government instead of bully-boy government..
Will the tories be able to do it? I still have my doubts..
A bit strange that Mr Hoyle, a Tory candidate in my ward, was ... going to vote LibDem!! Perhaps we should be a bit sceptical on the sincerity front?
Perhaps it is a bit less strange that assorted middle class commentators on this site feel disappointed that they failed to manipulate the .. "poor and disenfranchised of Haringey" who "got out of their frightened little terraces and voted Labour", (presumably, instead of these "nice" clean-cut middle class LibDems). Perhaps we should be a bit suspicious of some potential class arrogance creeping in here?
Perhaps HoL should now look a bit self-critically upon its own coverage of these elections; eg perhaps Liz should ponder on why her, oh so carefully crafted hatchet job, just a week before the polls, against Gina Adamou, one of the hardest working, honest, caring councillors ever, failed to swing the vote?
Of course the LibDems locally and nationally are entitled to feel dejected when, after the amazing hype by almost the entirety of the mass media, they've lost control in numerous councils up and down the country and lost seats in Parliament. Similarly with the Tories when, after the most virulent ever vilification in recent history of a senior politician (Gordon Brown) and the most extreme hyping of their by all accounts mediocre leader, they failed to secure a majority in the parliament and locally they got anihilated in next door Enfield council.
Perhaps, just a thought, these "great unwashed" whose lives depend on what kind of governments we've got at either local or national level, are not after all that stupid.
For my part, being a Labour councillor in one of the poorest areas in London (and as critical of New Labour as probably anyone outside the Labour Party), I am mighty relieved, for my constituents, that the nighmare scenario for the Tottenhams of this world, of being faced with a Tory Government, a Tory London Mayor and a LibDem council, has only partially materialised. At least it is allowing myself and my colleagues some possibilities to defend them against the anticipated onslaught.
May be some of them are not into "social medias", or as well versed in pontificating and writing "clever" letters and e mails, but that does not make them any less intelligent, or less deserving of genuine political representation, than anyone else.
And perhaps those of us with university degrees, decent housing, middle class carreers and so on, should be thinking a bit more carefully about whose side we are on.
Finally, perhaps you will all forgive my outburst. It has been a very difficult election this one and I am genuinely worried about what the future holds for my constituents in Tottenham, with Boris Johnson in the City Hall and a ConLib government likely in Westminster.
HAS anyone mentioned the role of Haringey People magazine? I note the March issue – like every month's issue paid for out of public funds. Most people don't bother to read the inside page "good news" stories, but the cover was comprised entirely of huge letters:
"0% COUNCIL TAX INCREASE
100% commitment to frontline services"
... which seems to be remarkably close to the majority group's own election literature. It was to be expected that the "Communications" Department would do whatever it could to ensure a return of their benefactors. But it also shows the extent of politicisation of council employees and services.
At the government level, the Audit Commission (the Audit Commission!) claimed recently that nationally, the money spent on council magazines was not a misuse of public funds. But accountants are no better equipped to make such a judgement than you or me.
Again this is a measure of how politicised the organs of administation have become under New Labour.
I do hope the New Labour obsession with the media, with presentation and with form over substance, will be tempered.