Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
WHO are London’s parks for? … an article in the Financial Times
SHORTLY before the May local election, the-then Cabinet Member for Parks (Councillor Arkell) attended a Cabinet Member Signing. She gave instruction and permission for the relevant Haringey director to bind this council—and the next one to be elected in 2030—into another five-year deal with the disgraced, exploitative and monopolistic Live Nation global conglomerate.
As the council's current deal with Live Nation's local arm (Festival Republic) still has two years to run, there was no urgency for this. However, someone must have been anxious to try to lock this up before the election. This, in the hope and belief that it would bind the partners in the cosy "partnership" arrangement for the next 7 (seven) years.
This was democracy, Haringey Labour-style.
It is unclear whether or not the Director has yet tied the hands of the council.
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In this context, a recent Financial Times article by Sarah Langford is relevant ~
Who are London’s parks for?
Tags for Forum Posts: Festival Republic, Financial Times, Finsbury Park, Live Nation, Sarah Langford, WHO are London Parks for?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jamie Harper
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It's an interesting claim to the moral high ground when it requires depriving a journalist of income instead of making the argument yourself.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton
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Jamie Harper, I expect you've read or at least skimmed Clive Carter's posts on HoL about the massive waste of millions in public money in dubious property deals.
I don't see any claim whatever by Clive to what you call "the moral high ground". It is also plain that during his four years as a councillor Clive did not needlessly fritter away large or even small sums of public money. But as an active private citizen Clive Carter did research and write about dodgy Council property transactions. He also shot and edited two video films about one of the sites, including obtaining interviews on site with someone then legitimately managing an empty factory owned by Haringey Council.Working with another resident, Martin Ball, Clive went on to shoot and edit more video showing some of the damage to Finsbury Park caused during the music events. All of the work by Clive, Martin and others, was in their own time using equipment. bought by Clive and at no cost to Haringey Borough.
Not wishing to be unfair to you, Jamie, I am unaware of any similar publicly motivated free projects you have engaged in within Haringey. But if you are willing to supply me details and your real name, I would gladly credit you and urge people to look them up and pay close attention.
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You still playing the 'I don't understand' game, Alan?
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Jamie,
Genchi Genbutsu is a Japanese principle meaning “go and see for yourself,”
emphasizing firsthand observation at the actual sites where ... problems occurred.Please go back and re-read the information on Haringey property mis-dealings detailed by Clive Carter and others. These were referred by auditors to the Police. Do you really think exposing losses of £millions by Haringey residents is some sort of "game"?
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You are off on one of your rambling narrative broadcasts, Alan. I cant keep up with the changes of topic and find last century's management aphorisms are best left in airport bookstores and lounges. I know I have suggested several browser functions to you in the past (text to speech/ readers etc). They might help should you ever actually want to understand what people write.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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ALAN, many thanks for your post.
As you note, I've made no claim to the "moral high ground", although my and others' objection to the council's major events policy does proceed from point of principle: parks should not be privatised to the extent that Haringey has done for 10 years and our public parks should be free and open to ordinary residents, year-round.
There's also the noise nuisance, the damage to our park and great traffic disruption. I've been making these and similar arguments for years and I'm far from being alone. Haringey Labour operated on moral ground at a different level.
I was unaware that I deprived a journalist of any income and have not seen evidence of the alleged deprivation. Despite the confident assertion about "requires" depriving, no source was quoted.
In my own introductory commentary and in the meta tags, I quoted the author's name. I make no apology for plugging the name of the author, who wrote a well-rounded article.
It might be tempting to imagine that ad hominem attacks in this area are simply sneering, whether or not a troll uses their real name. However, I think it's worth remembering that there are vested pecuniary interests in Live Nation's huge business, even if only relative crumbs fall of their table into council coffers. It is reasonable to suppose that associated persons would want to see the commercial exploitation of our park to continue.
I'm grateful to you for drawing attention to the post and I hope that more people will read the excellent linked and archived article by Sarah Langford.
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Thank you also for referring to the losses by the council in property deals. Maybe some progress will now be made on establishing responsibility.
Or perhaps not.
Plus ça change …
The new council leader was a member of the Momentum Cabinet for the 36 months during which time repeated, massive losses took place: an eight-figure sum.
The council-commissioned Buss Report considered nine property deals. The publication of the bland version for the public was delayed by at least three months. There were no redactions, but it appears that the public edition—bad enough—was severely filleted.
Papers for the Cabinet meeting of 18 April 2023 record the External Property Review. A five-page subsidiary PDF (here) records:
1.3. There is also a current police investigation into historical property transactions between the Council and third parties. The full Independent External Property Review has been handed to the police in order to support their investigation.
This remains unresolved. Despite being a member of the relevant Cabinet for 36 months, there is no suggestion that the new council leader was involved in the property wheeling and dealing. Indeed, he may be able to help the Police Investigation, as I understand possibly three other Councillors did.
There is every suggestion that he was a member of the Cabinet—that promoted and supported the parks exploitation policy for three summers running. There is no evidence that at any point over those years when in a position of power, he raised any objection to this execrable policy. There is no evidence of which I'm aware that, after no longer in Cabinet, no longer bound by "collective responsiblity" and more free to speak out, Mark Blake stated any opposition to this policy.
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Journalists are paid by the attention they receive on a paper's website. It's not hard to understand, Clive.
When you post a link to evade the paywall of the website, you do two things. You deprive the publisher and, therefore, journalist of income; and you deprive the journalist of the counted views which will be a significant metric in the assessment of any future work they are offered.
But please, don't let me interrupt the bloviating back-slapping of two old local councillors. I'm sure you are both very important and influential in your own worlds.
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Clive, our secrets are out!
The famous Jamie has revealed what nobody ever realised. That we are two hasbeens, and likely, never-weres. Two old, long past their elected dates, former local minor councillors. Pointlessly referring to trivial, long gone, and boring matters of scant importance.
After all. how could exposing mucky millions wasted in property deals of at worst a bit more than £12 million. But not matching comparison with Jamie's outrage at the scandal of depriving a journalist of income by posting a link to her article available freely on the FT archive.
It's not like the £12 million+ won't turn up any day soon in a cash box misfiled in the sub-basement of Alexandra House.
And Clive, we do need to remember that Jamie is in no way an ordinary HoL contributor. He, or they, are someone who uses terms such as 'metric' and 'bloviating' without hesitation, repetition or creativity.
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