Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Councillor Stanton Sent into Wilderness by Local Labour Group
The Labour whip was withdrawn from long serving Tottenham councillor, Alan Stanton last night.
A meeting of the local Haringey Council Labour group last night took the rarely used step of withdrawing the whip from one of its longest serving councillors. The official reason given was Councillor Stanton's voting in opposition to the appointment of new Council Chief Executive, Nick Walkley.
The action was taken by the Labour political group on the Council. It's party business, rather than official council business. However, I do wonder at the meaning of that distinction; when it's a decision by the ruling group over the issue of the appointment of the Council boss, it seems barely relevant to draw a line between the two.
Being deprived of the whip cuts a concillor off from the party’s support machine, labels them as a bad boy, and can lead to their being deselected as the party’s candidate for the next election. It's the grown up political equivalent of playground kids sending someone to Coventry.
So that must be awful for a serious councillor like Alan Stanton with fifteen years of office behind him, right? Wrong. Stanton made clear how he felt about it at 3:00AM this morning on Twitter:
Kober threw me in the briar patch. This is really gonna be fun!
— Alan Stanton (@AlanStanton_) December 7, 2012
(For those of you less familiar with Uncle Remus, Stanton's briar patch refers to an apparently awful thicket into which clever B'rer Rabbit tricked Bre’r Fox throwing him and from which he quickly escaped to make more mischief.)
In conversation with Alan, some hours before the briar patch tweet, Alan told me, "I'm so disillusioned with the level of secrecy in the local party, the need to control from the top, that I'm glad to be out of it".
The current censure applies to Alan for three months. Whist it's by no means certain whether the party want the independent minded Tottenham Councillor back amongst their number when that time is up, this Councillor is certainly not for turning. Alan told me, "No, I won't reapply to rejoin the Labour group that's enough for me." Their loss I'd say. Independent minded he may be, but he's a politician who is a serious thinker and has his heart in the right place. I have to question where a party who doesn't have room for someone like Alan is headed.
As for Alan's future, he has a big agenda he wants to get his teeth into with the big issues around making Tottenham a better place to live, short of simply allowing it to gentrify. He seems to think the chances of his serving as a councillor again are slim though since he sees little chance of an independent councillor ever being elected in his neighbourhood.
Let's not bid farewell to Alan yet, though. This is after all a rabbit that lives by its wits.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by dont want to give name on
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Charming!
Liz posted these comments to her 1,447 followers on her twitter account at 6.30pm today.
"I imagine this male chauvanist pig thinks I'll get over emotional and cry at his cutting words,I will file this under trolling pr--k..."
In a second tweet Liz writes," women we have got a live one a proper male chauvanist pig rears his snout in harringay."
In a further tweet which Liz deleted she wrote " noone is going to take anything this male chauvanist pig says seriously ever again."
I think you are taking things too seriously Liz.
Try and cheer up love.It can't be that bad can it?
I didn't think you would start crying actually but you do seem rather over emotional today.
Liz then placed a link to this thread on her tweets above so all her followers can join in the thread.And blab on about how someone expressed an opinion they dont agree with.Wow!
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Liz for someone who is keen not to derail the thread you seem very keen to tell everyone your feelings.
Calm down dear it's only a few local punters expressing their opinions on a local internet forum.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Thank you for alerting me to this.
I regret drawing attention to your comments and have deleted the offending tweets.
I have no further wish for this thread to continue down the path it is going so would ask all respondents to return to the original point of this thread.
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Suspended Tottenham councillor brands Haringey Council leader a ‘disaster’
Ian Cooper, Monday, December 10, 2012 6:40 PM
A Tottenham Labour councillor has branded his colleague and Haringey Council leader Claire Kober “a disaster for Tottenham and Haringey” in an unprecedented attack after being suspended from the Labour group.
The whip was withdrawn from Cllr Alan Stanton for three months after the group deemed he had failed to support their position at two full council meetings.
Labour whip Cllr Pat Egan said the Tottenham Hale councillor had isolated himself from the group in recent months, refusing to attend their meetings.
In October Cllr Stanton voted against the controversial appointment of Nick Walkley as chief executive at Haringey Council, and today called his expulsion from the group a “badge of honour”, launching a stinging on his leader, Cllr Kober - calling her uninspiring and incompetent.
“The challenge for Haringey Labour Party is whether they want people as councillors who think for themselves, but who are also prepared to listen to other party members and to residents before making up their minds,” he said.
“Sometimes it seems that Claire Kober and [cabinet member for finance and sustainability, Cllr] Joe Goldberg prefer a bunch of obedient donkeys who ‘hee-haw’ whenever told.
“I don’t think Haringey residents understand just how dysfunctional and bad for democracy the leader and cabinet system has turned out to be. In Haringey it has meant that Kober can control things.
“This would matter less if she was an inspiring leader, or even if she was halfway competent. In my view she is neither. The best I have heard said about her, even from people who support her, is that she is a decent administrator, can chair a meeting efficiently, and make a reasonable speech at council. These are useful skills. But they fall far, far short of the talents needed with the challenges facing Haringey.
“In particular, in my personal view, the fact that Kober was leader at the time of the riots was, and is, a disaster for Tottenham and for Haringey as a whole.
“In recent months I made it completely clear that I intended to stand down at the next election in May 2014, and that I intended to do what I have always done – which is to represent the interests of people in my ward and think for myself and to speak the truth.
“Clearly Kober and her pals can’t accept independent-minded people. Worse, they are incapable of valuing their contribution.”
Cllr Egan said: “Alan has chosen to exclude and isolate himself from the group – this has included not supporting the Labour group position at recent full council meetings.
“It’s disappointing that Alan did not take up the opportunities to discuss or engage with me or colleagues in the Labour group about any concerns he may have had.
“The door is certainly not closed for Alan and after two months he can re-apply to join the group. If he wants to involve himself in the group again, we will sit down together and map out how this could be done.
“I’d like to thank Alan for his contribution to the Labour group and his service to the local community over a number of years.”
Cllr Kober’s office declined to comment.
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Mr Stanton - Why did the council suspend the whip from you do you think? Is it for the reason they gave? Or for other reasons? And if so what reasons?
Mr Stanton - Why do you think it it is acceptable to write many personally offensive comments about a young lady,Ms Kober,on your twitter account?I've read every comment on your twitter account and you repeatedly play the woman and not the ball.I notice Liz is not calling you a sexist mysoginist.
My interest in this thread is this theme: I don't like it when people in authority suspend someone who has done years of loyal service without good reason.I am not personally on Mr Stanton's side or not on his side.
Is the Peter Hitchens comment creating a distraction? Just a point of logic.
It's easier to read the thread if people put comments one after the other in date order rather than placing a comment back in the heart of the thread and then the reader misses the comment.
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Mr Stanton - On a previous thread someone asked you why you often play the man or woman and not the ball ie make personal comments.Your reply was roughly that it's ok to make personally offensive comments about Ms Kober on your twitter account as she is in a very important position of power as leader of Haringey Council.Therefore you are exposing a lack of her ability to do the job.
There seems to be a lack of logic and double standards here.
In your previous comment on this thread about Peter Hitchins (interesting daily mail writer) you wrote that you thought he was loathsome.He expresses his right wing opinions,informed by his Christian beliefs,in a contemptuous way ie he does what you do is play the man not the ball ie like to will self on question time last week (he doesn't like Mr Self's left wing views) and he was rude to Mr Self as you are to Ms Kober on twitter.
But you express contempt of Ms Kober's views on your twitter account in a personalised way.In a contemptuous way as does Mr Hitchins.
So it looks like you don't like someone's style and call them loathsome if you disagree with their opinions.But that's what you are doing yourself?
When I suggested a sexist theory (I am not saying if its my personal opinion) as to why Ms Kober might be bad at her job ie too young etc.You said it was a distraction to this thread.
but when you make offensive comments about Ms Kober its not a distraction and just fair comment as you say.
Double standards?
But then you make distracting comments about Mr Hitchins.
So it's a distraction if you dont agree with the opinion and fair comment if you do agree with the opinion.Seems hypocritical.
Peter Hitchins is a good provocative pundit in my mind not loathsome;although he is very rude and perhaps exaggerates to make a point.Don't read his daily mail piece in saturdays daily mail then.
As someone who joined this forum over 2 years ago and has only made 20 or so comments so far in 2 years,I am trying to understand the issues surrounding the theme of this thread.Unlike others who never shut up.
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Pamish wrote at the start of the thread: " If and when this story makes it into The Guardian newspaper,expect numbers to climb on this thread."
Have the readers of this thread contacted The Guardian newspaper newsdesk, to tell them about this thread and these issues?
Because this looks like the kind of story that The Guardian newspaper would like.
Authoritarian, intolerant, local authorities, ganging up to try and silence a loyal local Labour man.Just because he doesn't agree with them.
As Clive Carter says: no attempt at all to say "it's a broad church".
Disgrace.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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"style" is an interesting choice of word for the way Haringey Council is run at the moment.
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See Pamish's reply that he wrote above, to my comments.
Pamish - have you contacted The Guardian newspaper's newsdesk? To tell them about this story? As you write about at the start of this thread? You imply perhaps u want the readers to contact the media?
Google: "The Guardian" newspaper" to see their website to Email them about this story on this thread.Or phone them.
It's an important theme: about democracy and fairness and tolerance
Invite Guardian newspaper journalists to speak to you about the issues raised on this thread.If they won't talk to you then report it to punters on this thread.
The Guardian newspaper should be picking up on stories like this as Pamish implies in his comment at the start of this thread
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Billy - I can't comment on your comment above, about the very obvious irony and hypocrisy that you refer to, with regard to the theme of your comments above, that anyone will understand what you mean .Because I've already had one warning about going off topic on this thread, via Liz's twitter tweets.So I can't discuss that.Billy good point though,you are obviously right and you couldn't make it up.
However what I can say is that Mr Stanton is having a right go at Ms Kober on his twitter account.But it seems that he "doesn't like it up him" to quote Dad's Army.Because he isn't replying to questions asked now.You have to ask the question,has he bottled it ? When he is questioned over his actions?
To reply to this comment then click on the word "reply" at the bottom of any of the posts above,if the word "reply" does not appear on this post or other posts.
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I notice Mr Stanton started a new thread today.But didn't reply on this thread:
As a punter who is a relatively new member of this forum (2 or 3 years) and as someone who has made only 20 or so comments so far,I am rather perplexed or should I say confused as to how this forum works.
It appears that Mr Stanton says he is very keen on openness and democarcy and talking to the man in the street on this forum.Along with other Haringey Counci Labour councillors.
So I am sure he will be back on this thread soon to answer some more questions that I have got for him that are relavant to the theme of this thread.
I am interested in what Mr Stanton writes so it doesn't bother me in the slightest if he goes off topic.As he has done on this and other threads,writing about policy issues unrelated to the theme of the thread.
But,strangely not getting ticked off for going off topic.
However,when a common punter,such as myself is subject to a barrage of personally abusive tweets on Liz Ixer's twitter account saying how I am a trolling pr--ck and other abusive comments in the 5 tweets she sent out in one afternoon following my initial comments on this thread.Wrongly smearing me as a MCP.For suggesting a theory.One of the twenty thousand tweets Liz has sent out.I've never sent a tweet in my life.
David Cameron (useless PM) said," too many tweets and you are a tw-t". Bit rude,but fair comment neverless.He tweets alot by the way,so enough said.
Mr Stanton is not ticked off.
So a common punter like me gets that and a councillor doesn't?
As a new contributor and longtime reader of the forum I can't work out the logic and consistency of all this.
No wonder OAE, Old Age Emporium, made his comments earlier on this thread,saying I am not surprised that you didn't use your real name.
I can see what he means.
Just trying to find out the truth of what is going on here.
Thanks.
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DWTGN, you purport to quote me an hour ago (Wed, 9.30pm) to the effect that I said earlier that "I am not surprised that you didn't use your real name." No, under my umbrella Eddie Finnegan said: "Finally it's obvious why you don't use it." He went on to make it clear that he thought your theory on public office and the child-bearing half of the population was "a disgrace". In this instance I happen to agree with Mr Finnegan, though on little else. So perhaps you misunderstood him and me when you said, "I can see what he means."
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