Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The rise and rise of the career politician
An interesting article by former politician and now academic, Tony Wright, on the increasing prevalence of the career politician who goes straight from a life of student politics to a life in the party of their choice with little experience of knowing "where the shoe pinches" as he puts it. Some of those career politicians, of course, start in local government and are often propelled upwards after a spell as a councillor.
Wright highlights the collapse of membership and the increasingly small pool of people who select candidates:
The collapse of membership and attachment not only concentrates power at the top of the party, but also narrows still further the already small group of people involved in the selection, and re-selection, of politicians. The number of participants is now so small in many cases (the exact numbers are not disclosed by the parties for obvious reasons) that we are approaching a crisis of representative legitimacy.
With elections coming up and large numbers of new faces being presented to the electorate, does it matter if the prospective candidates have had a bit of experience or not beyond the party office?
Tony Wright also champions the idea of local primaries for selecting MPs. Would this improve the quality of candidates for political parties?
Read the whole article here
Tags for Forum Posts: primaries
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Alan I read your post with interest. As you know, I'm standing in the local election (for a competing party). Despite all the work that candidates of most parties are putting in, one thing that should concern them – and anyone interested in politics – is the possibility, even probability, of a low turnout. It could be in the region of 35% – again.
Some conduct promotes cynicism about politics and politicians.
I do think it is something of an indictment of the local Labour Party that, after 15 years of service, a person of your ability was expelled from the Group: and why you lost the whip.
Your earlier, principled stand against one of your erstwhile party colleagues was seen as disloyal and rocking the boat. Where others consciously make "career" moves, yours was hardly a career move. Unless more people like you stand up and be counted, the local body politic will continue to limp along and Haringey residents will suffer sub-optimal service.
Most parties will continue to have members who believe that everything their party does is perforce 100% right, and that the other parties are necessarily 100% wrong. I don't think either of us fit that description, but we will always have with us the Totally Tribal.
BTW, I thank you for your earlier (over-) generous remarks regarding my formal complaint against Cllr. Adje. Most of the groundwork was laid by a senior council officer who commissioned the first of the three Walklate Reports. That was to investigate the development of the Licence to Firoka. It sounds innocent enough, but her action was courageous.Although I did put a lot of work into the complaint, I did little more than to draw attention, in a systematic way, to the political component and responsibility that was hinted at—but missing from—the first two reports.
The voter-rigging in St Anns has resisted all attempts to lift up the carpet. The local Labour machine for reasons best known to itself appears to have orchestrated the de-selection of two of its best councillors. It is frightening how few people actually make these choices.In the past, few would notice the sweeping under the carpet of such things. Labour may have made this vote-rigging stick this time, but they are now known for it – and thanks to the persistence of new media like HOL, they will be remembered for it.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Clive, about Charles Adje and Firoka: Without your relentless persistence and referral to the Standards Committee I don't believe that anything much would have happened. In particular probing into Charles Adje's dealings with Firoka and the Licence wouldn't have been so thorough. We would not know that it cost Haringey at least £1.5 million. And Cllr Adje would not have been temporarily suspended from both Haringey Council and its Labour Group.
I also think it's a failure of your own Party that they have not set up a strong and effective local team in White Hart Lane ward to draw attention to this, and to offer local residents an alternative to both Charles Adje and Gideon Bull, his fellow ward councillor.
If you're elected we'll have to wait and see whether your own Party tries to gag you. Or whether it supports your efforts and works with you to uncover future scandals. Especially any scandals involving the LibDems!
About St Ann's ward selection of Labour candidates you wrote that: "The voter-rigging in St Anns has resisted all attempts to lift up the carpet",
I find this comment astonishing. Not only was the carpet lifted, it was heaved out into the sunlight and had a really good hard shaking. That process is still going on. Both Labour Party members and non-members have opened windows and doors to let fresh air into the ward's business; the operation of Labour's Local Campaign Forum; and London and National Party bodies.
Although what's been resisted so far, are attempts to clean up the mess and make sure it doesn't happen again.
So maybe it's time to remind everyone concerned about the Seven Principles of Public Life drawn up by the Nolan Committee (Committee on Standards in Public Life). In my view, they override Party loyalties. And should apply not just to people elected to public office, but to the staff of political parties; and to volunteers who put themselves forward for posts in their local party wards and constituencies.
- Selflessness - holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.
- Integrity - holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.
- Objectivity - in carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
- Accountability - holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
- Openness - holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
- Honesty - holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
- Leadership - holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor 1998-2014)
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relentless persistence
It should not have taken as long as one-and-a-half years from the date of my Complaint to date of the two-day Standards Determination Hearing, that finally saw Cllr. Ajde Found to have brought the Council in disrepute.
The unreasonable delay was unfair to all parties, including to the Subject Member.
He showed no contrition and blamed everyone else. Despite the strong evidence against him (especially the crucial Chair's Briefing Note he failed to share with fellow Trustees) he claimed to investigator Martin Walklate that my Complaint was racially motivated. Anyone in doubt about this Councillor's culpability is invited to read the transcript of the Hearing (728k PDF attached, tidied up, but text is unaltered. Para 934 TM on aggravating factors is worth reading).
As the Complainant and as one of those who attended the whole Hearing, I'm pleased to confirm that the Council's transcript is accurate. I also pay tribute to the resolution of the Council's legal team, especially to Council legal officer Terence Mitchison (now retired), who did has level best to secure a maximum penalty.
The voter-rigging in St Anns has resisted all attempts to lift up the carpet,
OK, I accept that this analogy wasn't well chosen. I certainly don't mean to denigrate the efforts of those who have prised up the carpet and tried to keep it up.
What I meant is that the Labour Party has resisted a proper investigation of the vote rigging in St Ann's Ward and has failed to organise a re-run following official Labour Party rules. The implementation of those rules seems to be on a selective basis.Disclosure:
am a prospective councillor candidate
Highgate Ward | Liberal Democrat Party - Attachments:
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