Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
"One Borough One Fuehrer" Jibe Lands Schmitz in the Schitz
The Haringey Independent carried the following story yesterday* (but you'll have to blame me for the headline):
Harringay councillor has been referred to his party's national standards board for refusing to apologise for a “Nazi slur” made at a Haringey Borough Council meeting.
Labour Councillor Joe Goldberg has accused Liberal Democrat Cllr David Schmitz of drawing an analogy between Hitler's Nazi regime and the council.
Cllr Schmitz referred to the authority’s “One Borough One Future” plan as “One Borough One Fuehrer” at a meeting last Wednesday.
In an open letter to the Liberal Democrats, Labour councillor Goldberg – who, like Cllr Schmitz, is Jewish – said he had “no option” but refer Cllr Schmitz to the national board after the local party failed to order an apology.
In the letter, Cllr Goldberg said: “Your "One Borough One Fuehrer" is a slur on the authority that attempts to equate our authority with that of Nazi Germany.”
The cabinet member for finance originally wrote to the Haringey Lib Dem leader Richard Wilson and the party’s whip Cllr David Beacham to “allow this sensitive and difficult issue to be dealt with appropriately”.
However, the letter was passed to Cllr Schmitz for him to respond directly to Cllr Goldberg.
Cllr Goldberg said: “Instead of the apology I had hoped to receive and which I think would have allowed us to put the matter to bed, I receive a hateful response accusing me of dishonoring ‘the dead to advance opportunistic ends’.
“I am now left with no choice but to make my own standards complaint and a complaint to your national leader Nick Clegg, and the Liberal Democrat party under your own complaints procedure.”
In the email to Cllr Goldberg, Cllr Schmitz defended his comments and said: “Humorous references to the trappings of the Third Reich have been a part of the tradition of European humour ever since Hitler first entered centre stage.
“To partake of this does not dishonour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, a memory of which I am fully aware because my own grandfather was sent to Dachau in the immediate aftermath of the Austrian Anschluss.
“By contrast, some might say that what does dishonour the victims is the sight of politicians presuming to speak for the dead and the bereaved in order to advance their opportunistic ends.”
Cllr Schmitz said he failed to see how anything he said could possibly amount to an infringement of the councillors’ code of conduct.
He said: “I was of course referring, not to a person, but to a document.
“I made fun of the title of that document because I considered the title to be inept and easily prone to parody.”
Cllr Schmitz added: “Even if I had been referring to any individual or individuals, which repeat I did not do, the use of the term "fuehrer" these days will not taken by any sensible person as amounting to an accusation of National Socialism.
“It would be taken merely as a description of a leader who is overbearing.”
Liberal Democrat whip Cllr Dave Beacham said: “With an election coming up Labour are deliberately choosing to misrepresent this issue in a particularly unpleasant way.
"Cllr Schmitz was making a comment on the dictatorial and undemocratic nature of the council, not making light of extremism in any way - something he would not do and something I would not tolerate."
The Haringey Independent understands that a member of public has also made a complaint against Cllr Schmitz for his comments in the council chamber.
*From time to time we add stories in their totality from third party sources, rather than just linking, since experience has taught us that the stories tend to disappear from publicly accessible local newspaper archives rathar rapidly.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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After the Haringey Independent's hatchet job on Nilgun I prefer not to read them and a very similar article is in the Tottenham Journal.
I don't know what others think but this is what's wrong with Haringey politics. Busy going after one another for slights and racist comments instead of just getting on with the job. Labour think that there is political capital to be made here. I'm not so sure, I think it will create sympathy for David. I think Labour should be getting on with the job of running the borough, not finding offense wherever they can.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Who is standing in for Claire Kober whilst she's on maternity leave? And will she be back in time for the local elections in May?
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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“Your "One Borough One Fuehrer" is a slur on the authority that attempts to equate our authority with that of Nazi Germany.”
Damn fine pun, David. I'm green with envy.
Joe Goldberg, if only your 'Authority', not to mention your authority, possessed one hundredth part of the late Leader's teutonic efficiency! As David suggested, you lot and your Leader cannot even see when you are setting yourselves up for parody. Those whom the gods would destroy, they first encourage to write their own titles. Any half-witted young Haringey student who has managed to reach Year 9 in the History syllabus would be laughing your 'One Borough One Future' to utter scorn for both its vacuity and its pathetic plagiarism of the great man.
Meanwhile, ye of Harringay Ward and HarringayOnLine, if this latest goldbergism isn't worth at least 500 votes to David Schmitz 77 days from now, despite his alphabetical handicap for the slower electoral list readers among you, yiz should all boil yizr heads for turnips.
Gina, Emine & the Irish string to your fiddle whose name escapes me, any chance you might succeed in kidnapping Goldberg for the next eleven weeks? It's your only hope in hell.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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I think this is quite a smart quip and the political hand-bagging from Mr Goldberg seems rather petty to me.
Did someone say there is an election coming up?
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Permalink Reply by Abi on
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What a waste of everyone's time. Just call Godwin's law and focus on real issues for a change.
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
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Hi Abster
I totally agree that Godwin's law applies here and effectively if one has to resort to references to Nazi Germany than effectively as Godwins law states the argument is lost. But I do think there is a real issue at stake here which is about how we all do "politics" and there should be some basic rules and standards, particularly in the current climate. I am sure you will all agree that this applies to all political parties across the spectrum and I include my own. Old Age can say what he likes as a private citizen, however I do suspect that David won't be taking lesson on comedic wit from OAE. I would also be surprised if he has not learnt from this and even after initially refusing to, I think a simple apology would be enough to resolve the matter.
Emine Ibrahim
The Labour Party Candidate (Harringay Ward)
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Actually OAE can't say what he likes as a private citizen. He'll end up with a harassment order, and well you know it! (I did see David Lammy threaten him with the police over harassment recently).
Red Gang, Yellow Gang. The kids are right. Now how about you address David's presumed deficiencies as a councillor rather than get all offended over his Basil Fawlty jokes?
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I don't know about you but I dont think Basil Fawlty was a very good as a hotel manager. However if you are now saying that one of the elected representatives for Harringay ward is comparable to Basil then you have highlighted his deficiencies far more than my grace and goodwill permits. Imagine Cllr Fawlty in the council chamber! The standards commitee would have to be in session every week with a standing item. Therefore I think your post rather than challenging my post actually underlines the point.
Emine Ibrahim
The Labour Party Candidate (Harringay Ward)
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The thing about Fawlty Towers was that it was a comedy show set in a hotel. It wasn't reality TV.
I have highlighted David's (and Karen's) biggest deficiency that I know of above and their only defence is the weird libdem conspiracy theory that many council staff willfully obstruct them and don't brief them properly for political reasons. So Emine, were our libdem councillors Chocolate Soldiers when it came to the Queen's Head or not?
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John, you fingering me or just feeling my collar? Anyway it feels nice.
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