Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Disrupting the Speculative City
Yesterday 29 September a bunch of people met up for the launch of a book about a major and partly successful campaign to stop the Gentrification and social cleansing of Tottenham after the riot of 2011. Both the Haringey Council Leadership at the time and various so-called "regeneration" experts, and others with access to money and power seem to have viewed Tottenham's problems as having a major solution: That being demolition of the homes of poorer resident especially those living in Council owned accommodation.
Many of us invited to the book launch e had taken part in the campaign to stop what the powers-that-be called the "Haringey Development Vehicle". In my view a more honest name would have been along the lines of Homes Destruction Viciousness. But not everyone would agree with my fair, balanced and neutral assessment.
The book is researched, written and published by academics at University College London. [UCL] I've met them before and and they do indeed make strenuous efforts to frame the issues in fair, balanced ways respecting the facts and different viewpoints.
It also has the advantage that you can read the book for free as it's an Open Access pdf file
[OA]
Link
https://uclpress.co.uk/book/disrupting-the-speculative-city/
Tags for Forum Posts: HDV, Haringey Development Vehicle, UCL, book launch, public campaign
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JamesN on
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I'm two-thirds of my way through this excellent book. I captures so many of the failings of our economic and social policies. Neo-colonialism, the rapacious greed inherent in unchecked capitalism, and the vanities of politicians. Read this book.
David Lammy has just two mentions in the entire book. One is his statement of 2017 questioning the HDV's lack of oversight. This came immediately prior to the General Election, and only once voter and local party sentiment had already swung against the project (pro-HDV candidates in local elections were quickly ousted). The second mention is an aside regarding a panel he sat on.
He's essentially invisible in all of this. This is his super-power.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Possibly, but it was not in Lammy's gift to direct events (though I grant he has a voice). That task lies with our local councilors- so if you want to challenge governance and decision making arrangements then look at our local elected representatives.
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A multi billion pound social cleanse and disposal of public assets in his own backyard. A response to some of the most widespread national rioting in generations. But sure, the answers to what happened can only be found in the minutes of a sub-committee of part time local councillors. The demarcation between local and national politics has always been a cloak.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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On 11th July 2017 David Lammy Tottenham's Member of Parliament made his views publicly clear about the HDV in a letter to Claire Kober then Council Leader.
I posted it on my Flickr pages here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/35060241564/sizes/o/Reading David Lammy's letter illustrates that members of the Labour party usually observed a code of mutual politeness. By 2017 I was an ex-councillor and an ex-member of Haringey Labour Party. While a party member the space for honest frank criticism was narrow. Even political satire was frowned on. To be fair to Claire Kober she and her close cronies were often the target of my disparaging humour. Without complaint to me.
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Yes, exactly. The tide had turned at this stage. It's always been Lammy's approach to shout once the fighting is over (see also Windrush). Perhaps the choirboy's sotto voce in the several years leading up to this is more the point.
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Were you there, JamesN? One of the points the book makes is how very wide was the alliance formed to fight the HDV. For example, not just the main non-Tory political parties but Anarchists, and various varieties of Marxists.
A church of England priest marched with everyone else and we met in his church.
People did what they could while staying out of sight of the various party "whips" and other authoritarian control-lovers. There were also artists and designers. The old and the young turned up; as did a rainbow of colours.
Maybe you were in one of the photos posted by me and other people online ? I used Flickr and made my HDV photos public Domain / Creative Commons.
The fighting wasn't completely over and still persists now. David Lammy was briefed and played a part at a key point. As did people who made a clandestine trip to Croydon to learn about the "CCURV." One person risked his house in the legal case. And it was finally a very near thing and depended on court delays coinciding with election dates.P.S. some of us briefed the Guardian's Aditya Chakrabortty snd enjoyed watching him on TV exposing Alan Strickland.
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The sanctimony. You weren't on Endor, Alan.
And if you want to quote someone, be honest enough to use their actual words.
"...can ONLY be found..."
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While the HDV wasn't the right mechanism Tottenham does indeed need regeneration. It has moved in the right direction with an inflow of young aspirational people chasing cheaper properties. These people have brought with them a desire to put down roots and improve the local commercial, residential and cultural environment for themselves and their families. Schools improve as a result because higher standards are demanded. However, there is still much to do. The litter, persistance of anti social behaviour, transiant filled HMOs and frankly grotty shops and public amenities need to change.
The HDV was at least an attempt to do something. Again, it wasn't right, fair or in the interests of the wider population but it was an idea. Contrast that effort, any effort, with the inaction of David Lammy. He's been the MP since Jesus played fullback for the Jews but what has he done? What has he tried to do? A fat man on a fat sinecure. Time for him to go.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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The HDV was at least an attempt to do something. … it was an idea.
The logic here is we need to something; we could do X, therefore we should do X.
The HDV was damaging. It was a deeply misconceived PFI scheme and wasted a lot of money in the short term, as well as wasting scarce attention. In the longer term, it had the capacity to bankrupt the council, something spelt out at the time by then-Councillor Stuart McNamara.
The Labour Cllr spoke out forcefully that the relevant Secretary of State should be fully informed about HDV plans, because in due course a Government would have to pick up the pieces.
Subsequent events proved Stuart's warning right: the rise in interest rates from near zero levels not seen for 300 years and this year's withdrawal of Lendlease from all their overseas presence, including the UK.
Even if those events had not occurred, the council would have been unlikely to have seen any of the vaunted profits but the council might well have seen themselves taken to court by their business "partner".
The council would have been a sleeping business partner with little to no control over the accounts.
The extremely complicated financial structure of the joint venture would have meant, that while the developer and its subsidiary and associates might have made big profits along the way, those would have been struck long before any sharing stage with its (feeble) council partner. There would have been nothing to share for many years and probably not ever.
If the council had ever resisted something Lendlease wanted to do, then the developer would have taken the council to court on the basis that their business partner was frustrating the development of their business. The council would or should know this.
Despite the appearance of a joint venture, in practice the HDV company would have been dominated controlled in all practical ways by the developer "partner". But not for public benefit.
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