Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Cllr Kober and the HDV

The left-wing of the Labour Party is trying to claim credit for defeating the right wing of the Labour Party in the battle over the soon-to-be-late and unlamented Haringey Development Vehicle.

Meanwhile Cllr Kober is complaining that her exit and the likely failure of the scheme are down to a corps of bullying and sexist fanatics who have taken over her Party.

Neither is choosing to mention that the scheme is about to fail because of its inherent flaws, and that those flaws were first effectively exposed and opposed, not by "democratic socialists" or by "the great unwashed" (according to ones preference) but by a group of Liberal Democrat Councillors a year ago.

It was those Liberal Democrats who got the Council's Scrutiny Committee to call in the scheme, who revealed that £2 billion in Council assets was to be wagered at one go in a property venture for which the Council had no experience or competence, that it could easily end in ruin if the property market declined.

It was those Liberal Democrat Councillors who made it known that whether the scheme succeeded or failed, the price of that scheme would be payed by the people who would be kicked out of their homes with no clear promise as to when or where they would be able to return.

It was thanks to those Liberal Democrats that opposition took hold and spread beyond the Opposition Group.

It is thanks to the Liberal Democrats calling an extraordinary meeting of the Council that at last ALL members of the Council have finally be got the opportunity to vote the scheme up or down.

And it is the Haringey Liberal Democrats who have worked out how to apply £148 million to the building of new council and affordable homes. The details are here https://ldharingey.nationbuilder.com/haringey_lib_dems_announce_148...

In May, the voters will have a choice. They can choose a one-party state run by a dysfunctional Labour Group which is split between dabblers in development schemes and intolerant practitioners of 1970s-style gesture politics - yes Cllr Kober's allegations ring true even if they don't explain the reasons for her fall.

Or the voters can choose the Liberal Democrats, who actually do the hard work of seeing that the Borough is properly run and that affordable and council homes are actually built.

I know what I will choose.

David Schmitz

Liberal Democrat Councillor Harringay Ward 2010 - 2014

PS The full Council meeting which the Liberal Democrats obtained will take place at the Civic Centre on the 7th February at 7:30 pm. Please turn up and let your voices be heard.

Tags for Forum Posts: haringey development vehicle, hdv

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Permalink Reply by OleMiss on February 1, 2018 at 23:29

I've just seen that the internal Labour Party complaint against Sheila has been dropped. Another personal apology will do, it seems.

I'd hope that 86-yr old Sheila might slink away with some semblance of self-respect. After having used her position as Mayor (a letter with Mayoral letterhead) to try to influence another council's leader regarding her son's domestic dispute, time is probably up.

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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on February 2, 2018 at 0:13

Ole Miss,

There are many reasons why Sheila Peacock should slink away, but being an 86-yr old is not one of them. Down with ageism!#

OAE

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Permalink Reply by OleMiss on February 2, 2018 at 2:03

I acknowledge the position from which you give your opinion... and were it you, I'd not have mentioned age. But the realities are such that within the 'long tail' of functional and productive lifespans, Sheila doesn't fall.

Her productive and useful days were done some time ago. My thoughts are that being a patsy or filler are not a worthwhile cause. While it kept her occupied and paid, I see little benefit for the thousands she was to have represented.

Now, were you to stand in May, I could guarantee a stipend of £14-15000/yr plus extras for whichever committee you might like to pretend to care for. You would certainly win over the 'ghost of Gina' , though might struggle against the union tardigrade Ibrahim.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Bailey on February 2, 2018 at 10:04

You lose credibility when you attack someone for their age.

I am in agreement with OAE, down with ageism!

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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on February 2, 2018 at 1:40

The HDV has been defeated because a broad coalition of hundreds of local people from all walks of life, political groups and communities came together. The Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel (HRSP) was unanimous in its critiques of the HDV and we worked together to draft our very clear and well-evidenced reports which enabled people to read and understand what exactly was going on. I know - I am a member of the committee. We all did our research into these joint ventures, submitted endless member enquiries and questions, and attended cabinet meeting after meeting, and call in after call in.

This was a genuine local campaign involving councillors and residents, community groups and people from all the political parties. That a community can come together is what you should be celebrating David.

Zena Brabazon

Cllr, Harringay Ward

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Permalink Reply by Alice Lemaitre on February 2, 2018 at 7:30

Thanks for saying this Zena. Recuperating the fight against the HDV should not happen. The community was vocal, organised and strong and people came together for an issue. Those who try to attribute this fantastic work to the Lib Dem (for election purposes) or to Momentum (for media circulation and anti-Labour propaganda) should be warned: we won because we want to make sure people who want to live in Haringey can stay in Haringey and be part of our community.

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Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on February 2, 2018 at 9:57

Hi Alice/Zena

Thanks for adding these points... It is absolutely right that this should be seen as a battle led by the community - I live in White Hart Lane so this is on my door step and regardless of where my politics are something I feel very strongly about, the area I live in is one of the most deprived - in the child poverty stats I referenced in my earlier post 46% of children in my ward live in poverty... there is no point in sugar coating it, it can be a challenging place for people to try and survive in without their homes and community threatened. This Council thought that those people wouldn't fight back - it clearly doesn't know the people of Tottenham at all well.

What I hope comes out of this is that a one party Council isn't the answer for Haringey, that people recognise the contribution that both some Labour Councillors made - and Zena I know you are one of those, and the Liberal Democrat Councillors in opposing this and may of the other quite frankly questionable decisions made over regeneration and planning across the borough.

Most of all what I really hope is that people stop referring to my community as a place that is troubled... and more a place that should give other communities across the country facing the challenges hope in the power of people.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Bailey on February 2, 2018 at 10:08

Quite right! The Stop HDV campaign was not just made up of Momentum members and it was not just the Lib Dems either - it was a broad collection of interested parties who rallied together to campaign.

Indeed, not that I am a Momentum member, I believe Momentum didn't want to oppose HDV themselves as it was more of a local than national issue (at the time).

Poor show to attempt to claim this as a Lib Dem victory, David.

This article is about the most fair I've seen: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/01/haringey-coun...

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Permalink Reply by Admiral on February 2, 2018 at 13:45

The strength of the campaign against the ill-conceived HDV was its breadth, and especially the grassroots mobilisation not of Momentum but the local StopHDV (http://stophdv.com/) group. It included members of several political parties and none but Liberal Democrats were scarcely prominent. For them to seek to take credit by decrying the "left" of the Labour Party is a bit rich. The fact is that the campaign has helped revitalise the local Labour Party with fresh blood and innovative ideas and that is good for the politics of Haringey. I agree that a "one-party" council is not healthy for democracy but see little danger of that and expect a more open and democratic Labour Group to be less "tribal" and more consultative and collegial in its approach to local government.