Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is Tottenham Being Sold in Cannes tomorrow?
In another post Alan Stanton has drawn attention to a event being held in Cannes tomorrow. The Haringey Chief Exec is hosting the "Tottenham Lunch" aboard the Clara One yacht. In describing the event to me, a little bird said "Tottenham's being bloody sold on a yacht in Cannes tomorrow".
Is that fair comment? Does anyone know any more?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by GillianM on
-
http://dailymail.org.uk/news/668861/15-03-2014--NATIONAL--Placards-...
There's a story in the guardian today about protests at Cannes.
Link above. It's not THE daily mail!! But can't seem to access tne guardian story directly.... is this a new thing?
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
-
If you're curious, the Daily Mail's story is about 68 Councils and Quangos on a "jolly in Cannes with sun, sea and booze as they talk property deals on Riviera".
Which doesn't add much except a possible justification that, as they're all at it, why can't Haringey head honchos join the jolly? I've tweeted Alan Strickland to find out whether anyone took snaps of him crunching croissants on the Croisette? And asking if, when "Team Tottenham" were dancing attendance on developers, did they Cannes-Cannes?
Adding to the jolly jolity Haringey's PR Team have sprung into fun. Quoting Claire Kober's little quip, that it's "vital" we get the developers "on board". But Claire's biggest and best joke is that she's going to the Press Comedy Commission. Yes, she wants them to look at that major media mogul, the mighty Thunderer itself: the Morning Star.
Eat your heart out Eddie Izzard. For stand-up chuckles there's no one to beat Haringey's Dear Leadership. Claire for Maire?
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
-
Alan I note your latest FOI seeks – among other facts – a copy of the menu for the Tottenham lunch.
I think we can guess what was on the menu.
Capitalism and Socialism have long been capable of reinventing themselves. I suspect the term Champagne Socialist is now passé and we must upgrade, move on and modernise. Mere bubbly seems no longer up to the job. Can we secure the future for "Champagne Socialist"?Can a sitting councillor ask the bosses whether they felt grateful to Arups for their largesse, or would that be too cheeky? If I had accepted such hospitality, I would feel grateful, wouldn't you?
BTW, this afternoon in Highgate, I bumped into two of your former Majority Group colleagues amongst a larger posse. Since Cllr Hare and I had almost completed the road, we were content to let them get in on with it. I can imagine how happy residents were to be knocked up a second time by a rival outfit ... within minutes!
Disclosure:
am a prospective councillor candidate
Highgate Ward | Liberal Democrat Party
-
-
On Twitter one of the Labour door-knockers in Highgate was gloating that there were more of them than of you. Kidult stuff.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
Permalink Reply by pamish on
-
Tell us more about the PCC thing - surely not the Morning Star article I reference here, that is literally a cut n paste from HoL? Is the Dear Leader really about to take on HoL???
-
-
Yes the Morning Star, Pam. And actually the HoL comment was by Paul Burnham who had Press released it generally.
Although I can't believe that even a peeved Claire Kober would be so foolish as to draw further media attention to this spectacular own goal. What could she say to the Press Complaints Commission? "My colleagues and I are too arrogant and out of touch to see the row this would cause. How dare the The Morning Star tell the truth and make us look like chumps!
Although now with the thoughtful Guardian article and the Daily Mail's photos - our local Tories Clairites have a lot more to fret about.
Oliver Wainwright in the Guardian quotes Jake Freeland, of London's Radical Housing Network: "pointing at the gleaming concrete fortress of the Palais des Festivals, where the world's largest property fair MIPIM was underway". Freeland added that: "Europe is facing a desperate need for housing, with council estates being sold off and developers sitting on land, and it's all driven by the excesses of the international real estate businesses... "
Now that's doesn't sound too exaggerated, does it Claire? Freeland also reports that MIPIM "regulars proudly recount that more champagne is consumed here than during the Cannes film festival". That's for you, Clive.
Unlike my little outdated point-and-click snapper, the Daily Mail can afford high quality photos taken by professionals with zoom lenses as long as a champagne bottle. So we get to see the happy smiles and sunshades of the: "Officials from up to 68 British councils enjoy[ing] the sun in Cannes, France" . (I assume they add "France" to distinguish it from any other possible Cannes. There may now be a towerblock or two in Tooting with that name.)
I also feel a bit better not heading there overnight from Victoria Bus Station. Because it seems the junket went on a whole week and my sandwiches wouldn't have lasted.
The Daily Mail has photos of various council worthies hobnobbing on yachts. But sadly, not one of Alan Strickland himself for use in his election address. Anyway, I trust Cllr Strickland will tell the electors of Noel Park about the privations he suffered in the hot sun, toting that charge; lifting that ale.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
-
Freeland also reports that MIPIM "regulars proudly recount that more champagne is consumed here than during the Cannes film festival". That's for you, Clive.
Cheers, Alan. A top-up for your shampoo? Where's your glass got to ?!
All Champagne Socialists are equal, but it seems some are more equal than others ...
Disclosure:
am a prospective councillor candidate
Highgate Ward | Liberal Democrat Party
-
Permalink Reply by Ian on
-
This is all very interesting to know, keep us posted. On the issue of high rise living, with an ever growing population, high rise living is unfortunately a pragmatic solution for the future. However high rise living could be made pleasing with internal architectural design providing internal green areas within blocks of flats along with internal communal meeting spaces and not just designing for maximum number of dwellings / profit.
-
-
The Cannes of worms is now fully prised open.
As well as Freedom of Information Act requests by local resident Martin Ball and by me, Cllr Richard Wilson LibDem Leader asked about the details of the Council's Cannes freebie.
Who went? Alan Strickland, Councillor for Noel Park ward and "cabinet" member for regeneration; Lynn Garner the Director of "Place & Sustainability" and the boss of Planning. And the Chief Executive Nick Walkley. Though the reply to Cllr Wilson confirms that Mr Walkley paid for his own hotel and flights, so delicately avoiding placing his snout in the trough. (Apparently, in Barnet his nickname was "Nonstick".) But clearly he's a clever bloke and can plainly see when free lunch in France can easily leave Haringey residents with a very bad taste in their mouths. Even when it seems that Cllr Alan Strickland can't resist the temptation. (Last year Arup paid for him to attend the CBI annual dinner. Source: Council Website Declarations of Interest.)
The Kober apologists tried to minimise the impact of the Cannes trip by saying that most of the cost was met by "sponsors" who gave £13,000 out of the £22,072 it cost. So who were these altruistic, generous, public spirited, sponsors? Obviously it wasn't crowd-funding by members of Harringay Online. Nor does the Trussell Trust or local churches have any spare cash for dockside food banks on the Riviera,
The mystery deepened when the Dear Leader was asked for the names of the sponsors at the last Labour Group meeting. No doubt absorbed by higher matters of national import, Cllr Claire Kober confessed to her Labour colleagues that she could not at that point, recall the names.
And now we realise why. They were completely insignificant and entirely forgettable people she had hardly heard of and rarely met. Grainger (Wards Corner developers) ; Tottenham Hotspurs (some small local football team) ; Lee Valley Estates (something to do with the tiny Hamlet of Hale Village) ; Trowers & Hamlyn (solicitors who have acted for Homes for Haringey ; and Hermes (Owners of Tottenham Hale Retail Park).
But even if the Dear Leader and her clique can't tell a hawk from a handsaw, I can. And I know that our elected local council is now led by people who seem no longer able to distinguish between public and private interests. The interests of Haringey residents - who pay their handsome councillors' allowances; and the private sector interests they snuggle up with at every opportunity.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
Permalink Reply by Paul Burnham on
-
Alan that was devastating
-
Permalink Reply by JJ B on
-
Is there an official code of ethics that governs these things - local and national politics.
Did you say CONFLICT OF INTERESTS?
I thought we elected councillors to represent our interests -the general good - not those of private developers -one interest group and a powerful one at that!
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
