Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey Labour Leader comments on the appeal of Zac Goldsmith
The Standard (article) — Tory MP Zac Goldsmith announces bid to run for London Mayor.
One subject that would appear to unite all the Council with an important plank of Mr Goldsmith, is opposition to a third runway at Heathrow airport (I seem to recall that Haringey passed a unanimous motion at Full Council about that).
Would Zac back Boris Island?!
CDC
Haringey Councillor
Liberal Democrat Party
Tags for Forum Posts: Gatwick, Green, Heathrow, LibDem, Mayor, Zac Goldsmith, appeal, candidate, expansion, runway
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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The quote from Haringey councillor Claire Kober has been churnalised by so many websites that it must be true. Though without the context it's hard to tell what she was actually saying and to whom.
So let me help.
Our Dear Leader is a member of a right-wing faction within the Labour Party known as "Progress". Until recently it received substantial funding from Lord Sainsbury. The organisation has a website; holds meetings; issues publications; and seems to operate as a quasi-party within the Labour Party.
My Google search showed that Claire Kober's quote is taken from her article here. It's her usual stringing together of vacuous clichés. With a glaring exception - the remark about Zac Goldsmith. Here's the complete paragraph.
"We also need a Labour candidate who can beat Zac Goldsmith (should he be persuaded to enter the race) because he is without question the greatest potential obstacle to Labour winning City Hall. This year he was returned to parliament with a majority of 23,000 in a seat that was held for many years by the Liberal Democrats. I fear his appeal is likely to stretch beyond west London and that he will pick up Liberal Democrat and Green second preferences across the capital."
For me, an endorsement or praise by our Dear Leader would be the kiss of electoral death for any candidate. But not many Londoners have had the misfortune to experience Cllr Kober "leading" their local council. So Zac Goldsmith can probably shrug off this bad news without too much concern.
Rumours about Claire Kober's support for Tessa Jowell have swirled around Haringey Labour. Including a rumour that she would rather like to be one of Tessa Jowell's Deputy mayors - should Jowell win the Labour nomination and the vote for London mayor.
Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon T on
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The Progress article also declares
"Success in London next year cannot be achieved through old-style, back-room deals and factional stitch-ups."
Seems to work locally, very locally, though.
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Gordon's quote is from the final paragraph of Claire Kober's article. And she is right to say that: "Finally, this is about how we do politics".
Because of course, the normal stitch-ups and deals only go so far. For example, the Kober machine failed to prevent Catherine West coming through the system. And her machine politics won't deliver the entire London electorate.
But then consider Claire Kober's alternative to "old-style, back-room deals and factional stitch-ups". How does she see Labour winning London? Her answer is the usual meaningless upbeat burble.
"We will do it by building a broad, inclusive campaign, inspiring Londoners and welcoming them to our cause. We need an offer that is for all London, that speaks to their concerns and delivers real change, not one that divides rather than unites. This is a fantastic city and we need a candidate that can capture that spirit and harness it for better things to come."
Amazing! Who'd have thought it?
Kober is a walking talking embodiment of the late Simon Hoggart's Law of the Nonsensical Reverse. Almost every banality she utters would make no sense at all if negated.
We will win London by appealing to small exclusive cliques of voters. We will piss-off our supporters and give them the cold-shoulder when they show up. We need to offer a divisive plan which ignores the majority of Londoners and turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the things they worry about most. Our plans will change nothing. London is a boring city and we need a candidate out of tune with its spirit who can promise that things are highly likely to get worse if we elect them."
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse...........
David Lammy as Mayor. What a disaster that would be for London. He hasn't the personality needed to be an effective mayor, anyone who has crossed his path will know what I mean.
Only upside, if there was one, would be that Tottenham would be rid of him and hopefully have someone 200% better/more effective in his place.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Hi Karen; did you see yesterday's by-election result for Waddington South?
It was a pleasure knocking on doors in the sunshine yesterday: and walking along clean streets!
Councillor
Liberal Democrat
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David Lammy "hasn't the personality".
Karen, aren't you confusing politics with showbiz? Or mixing up social democracy with certain other states ruled under a cult of personality. Here's Karl Marx turning down Graham Norton's invitation to his chat show. (Source: my recent edit to Wikipedia later deleted for some unexplained reason.)
"Neither of us cares a straw of popularity. Let me cite one proof of this: such was my aversion to the personality cult [orig. Personenkultus] that at the time of the International, when plagued by numerous moves [...] to accord me public honour, I never allowed one of these to enter the domain of publicity [...]"
The term "personality cult" was popularized by Claire Kober's Secret Speech to Haringey Labour Group. Though for some reason, she used the Russian phrase "культ личности" ("kul't lichnosti") the "cult of the individual".) As I'm sure you know, Karen, the speech consisted entirely of the phrases: "I, me and mine"; aspiration, inspiration, perspiration" ; "reach out" ; and "everything's getting better". Plus the repeated chant "O Leader; Dear Leader" , set to music and intoned by a massed choir of leaflet deliverers outside Wood Green library.
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Alan, to return to the original subject briefly, I reckon that your party's local leader was accurate about the likely wide attraction of Zac Goldsmith as London Mayor.
If Mr Goldsmith is elected Mayor of London, we should expect more debate about airport expansion in the south east.
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Alan, what I mean by he hasn't the personality is that he isn't particularly personable. That isn't just my opinion. I know many people who find him rude and arrogant. If you have a conversation where he doesn't agree with you he just ends up shouting. I thought that was just reserved for my husband on the doorstep but I have heard him a couple of times on TV recently where he gets to shouty when he feels he is being challenged. That's not the mark of a true professional in my book.
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Permalink Reply by Neil on
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Why are you bothered with the Labour Party now? They are history. The Conservatives are the party of the workers and of economic growth. Most experts agree Labour will be out of government for 15 years.
The Left is discredited among voters. Candidates on Alan Stanton's Loony Left fail to get their deposits back because they poll such small numbers in elections.
We have a popular stable government now which will lead the UK to outperform the rest of Europe for many years. The Prime Minister will continue to bring more record employment and growth. Immigrants will flock here to find prosperity and excellent human rights. Zac Goldsmith will be an excellent 'green' Conservative Mayor. Life is good!
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Humourectomy, Neil? I hope you'll still be able to join the choir at the library.
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Neil I fear you fall into the short-memory syndrome trap that so many Labour supporters do. You forget that after 1997, the Conservative party was in disarray for years and went through a number of leaders. Yet they returned. Eventually, the same will happen to Labour, when the Conservative star fades.
While is true that Labour are in disarray currently, few "experts" would predict that Labour in be out of government for a particular number of years.
On the Labour side, there has been too little recognition of their cozzying up to the City; inattention to out-of-control credit expansion and the blind-eye turned to banking regulation. The result was the mother of all bail-outs, requiring hundreds of billions of borrowing.
Though banking regulation is now better, we still have banks that are "too big to fail". But folk memory of this disastrous period will fade. We may yet see it again.
Regardless, the country will continue to pay the price for this grand-scale mismanagement for years to come, irrespective of governing party.
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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I once had the pleasure of meeting Zac. He's a good egg incidentally , just not politically. From what he told me I gleaned he would support Boris Island.
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