Hunter and Shooter

Is Labour set to ditch popular former Mayor?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:33:00 +0000

Rumours are circulating around the borough that Labour is set to de-select Cllr. Sheik Thomson, the jovial Member for Tottenham Hale, for either Zena Brabazon (for it is her!) or Reg Rice, that old has-been.

Given the alternatives, Hunter is considering setting up a Save the Sheik campaign...

Meanwhile, a certain NUT rep is going after Cllr Brian Haley in St. Ann's Ward. More soon.

Lib Dem councillor charged with sex offences with minor

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Strangely, Mark Pack hasn't mentioned it on Lib Dem "We Hate Councillors" Voice. More here.

When the tough gets going, the Lib Dems get nasty and personal...

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:49:00 +0000

Previous Lib Dem leaders, e.g. the likable Charles Kennedy, tried, even when their members didn't, to keep personal attacks on their opponents out of the political arena.

So it was rather sad to hear Nick Clegg spending most of his conference speech making nasty personal attacks on David Cameron.

Hunter wonders if, after these ill-advised attacks, the Lib Dems poll position (12% in a poll out today) will drop even further...

PS. Based on today's poll, the Conservatives would win Hornsey and Wood Green and Islington South and Finsbury...

Message to the Electoral commission: study Canada's voting system

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:49:00 +0000

Hunter has become a huge fan of CHUMFM, a Canadian radio station.

Canadians will vote in their general election on the 14th of October (Hunter will be there to learn from the Conservatives), when PM Stephen Harper (Con) is expected to be elected with a working majority.

CHUMFM has been carrying ads, on behalf of the government of Ontario, reminding people to vote in the election - and highlighting that they need TWO forms of ID (including proof of residency) to vote. Here, we don't even need a poll card to vote!

Britain's Electoral Commission (EC) is a toothless, spineless and incompetent body.

It would seem at time sthat its only task is to record donations, but, even then, it does little, if anything, to punish parties who provide late or dodgy donations (think of the £2m given to the Lib Dems from crook Michael Brown).

It is high time the EC recommends tightening up the voting rules. Nobody should be allowed to vote without, at least, two forms of ID - Canadian style. Unlikely to happen though; the EC lacks the courage to recommend real changes to root out abuses and the Labour government is, usually, the main benefactors of illegal and multiple voting. Think Bradford and Tower Hamlets...

Answers? Hunter's not saying a mumbling word...

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Guess which councillor... (part three)

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Guess which Haringey Lib Dem councillor is rumoured to be briefing against a councillor colleague for "being in the pockets of estate agents and developers"?

How long have the Lib Dem 'high command' known about this and what do they propose to do about it now they know?

Guess which councillor... (part two)

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Guess which Haringey Liberal Democrat councillor is rumoured to be under an investigation for possibly breaking electoral law, including being falsely registered at two addresses?

How long have the Lib Dem 'high command' known about this and what do they propose to do about it now they know?

Guess which councillor... (part one)

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Guess which Haringey Lib Dem councillor is rumoured to be in debt to Haringey Council with his rent (one figure is £10,000)?

How long have the Lib Dem 'high command' known about this and what do they propose to do about it now they know?

Why it has to be McCain-Palin in '08 - and other thoughts on the US contest

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Following on from the last post, Hunter has decided - not that he has a vote or is remotely influential - to support John McCain and Sarah Palin in the US election.

Like the Log Cabin Republicans (the gay group in the GOP), Hunter's decision came after some deliberations. The Republicans are still the party of small government and low taxation (even if George W. Bush often forgot). And John McCain has the necessary EXPERIENCE to lead America in a dangerous and unpredictable world. He's also a maverick and is unafraid to stand up to special interest groups and, even, fellow Republicans.

His choice of Sarah Palin was a masterstroke! Hunter dares sceptical readers to watch Sarah Palin's acceptance speech and not to be impressed by her warmth, intelligence and integrity.

What on earth was Barak Obama thinking of when he chose Joe Biden as his running mate? Their equivalents here, Hunter thinks, are David Lammy - big on rhetoric and small on substance - running with Neil Kinnock as his deputy. Scary thought, isn't it?

All the Left - both in America and in Europe - can do to attack their opponents is to use ageist and sexist language.

Why is the Guardian mocking John McCain's age (he's 72) and Sarah Palin's "lack of experience" but not Obama's record of running 'Jack shit'? And why have lefties, like the fragrant Lynne Featherstone, co-incidentally her party's Equalities 'spokesperson', not welcomed Palin as a breakthrough for American women?

John McCain will win - for all the right reasons. Obama will NOT win, not least because Jonah cursed him…

Butler and Lammy - would they be supporting Obama is he was white?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Iain Dale is reporting how Dawn Butler, the over-promoted Labour MP for Brent South, is endorsing Barak Obama. She is now a government whip. There has been a long-standing traditional that our government of the day remains neutral in foreign elections.

David Lammy, Hunter's own MP, has also shamelessly endorsed Obama.

Would they be doing so if Obama was white?

Hunter believes that the best man - or woman - should win based on their experience. Butler and Lammy, if would seem, disagree because the fact is that Barak Obama has NO experience, so what's left...

Can you imagine - quite rightly - the outcry if a white person appeared to be voting for John McCain because he happens to be white?

Hunter sees double standards here. And it stinks!

Bad news for Hunter's LD trolls: leave your name or troll off!

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:17:00 +0000

Hunter has, very reluctantly, decided to ban anonymous comments on this blog. Hunter can take criticism, but is not prepared to enter into discussions with anonymous cowards. Like the headlines says, leave your name or troll off!

Hunter will also be blogging more frequently as of day. Posts, though, will be shorter and to the point.

The three main candidates in Alex

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:06:00 +0000

Hunter understands that the following people have been picked for the Alexandra Ward by-election:

Joanna Christophides - Labour - local resident

David Douglas - Conservative - local resident

Nigel Scott - Lib Dem - Woodside resident

Does anyone know if there's going to be other parties contesting this by?

Ding dong, Wayne's finally gone!

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Hunter revealed some time back that Cllr. Wayne Hoban (LD, Alexandra Ward) had moved out of Haringey and predicted a by-election, despite assurances in the local press from the Haringey Lib Dems that Wayne was "committed" to Haringey. Had the by-election coincided with the GLA elections on May 1, it would have saved the hard-pressed tax-payer thousands of pounds in savings. What is it with Lib Dems getting the runs? Should Hunter send all the Lib Dem councillors in Haringey a complimentary packet of Loperamide?

Fortismere Vs. Gladesmore schools

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:37:00 +0000

Thanks to Matt Davies, Hunter has been looking at the borough's GCSE results with interest.

The one school that stands out is Gladesmore in South Tottenham. Not so long ago, they were not only at the bottom of the borough's league table, but also at the bottom of the London-wide league tables. With a relatively new Head in Tony Hartney CBE and a committed team of staff and governors, it is only a matter of time before Gladesmore equals or even overtakes Fortismere in Muswell Hill.

Fortismere is GBHS (Good By Haringey Standards). It's GCSE A-C results are in the low 70s. Considering the school has an unofficial catchment area (covering some of the most affluent wards in the country) and a very high number of students benefiting form private home tuition, is 72% really that good?

Gladesmore, which boarders Hackney, now has an A-C pass rate of 44% (growing to 46% for A*). Their results are getting better, year by year. Bearing in mind, that the school takes in children from some of Tottenham's most deprived wards, a large number of students have English as a second language and that parents simply can't afford home tuition and music classes, Gladesmore’s doing incredibly well.

Joan Mcvittie, the two year-old Head of Woodside High, was on the Today programme this morning being grilled by John Humphries. Only 28 of her pupils passed at A-C grade. The government, in the form of Lord Adonis, says that a minimum of 30% is required or the school is labelled a failure and eventually closed. Ms. Mcvittie was very franks about her school's challenges and pointed out that since her appointment the results have been getting better. Hunter feels that the school needs more time to improve and that government threats and labelling are futile.

Hunter would like to congratulate ALL Haringey students who did well and commiserate with those that didn't.

The "Humourless Bitch" starts to blog!

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:15:00 +0000

Well, well, well! Neil Williams, aka the "Humourless Bitch", now has his own blog.

The Highgate councillor proudly stresses that HE was Lynne Featherstone's Agent in the 1997, 2001& 2005 general elections. Is this a 'bitch slap' to Mark Pack who claims to all and sundry that it was HIS efforts that won Lynne the seat?

Whilst they handbag each other, Hunter reluctantly welcomes the Dour One to the blogsphere...

What would you like the next Conservative government to do?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:45:00 +0000

Regardless of if you're a Conservative or not (many of you are not), what would you like the next Conservative government to do for you, your family and your community?

And, if you're from a deprived area like Tottenham, how could Conservatives -- working in partnership with the public, private and voluntary sectors -- reduce crime, address inequalities, support businesses, create jobs and provide educational opportunities to name just a few?

Here's Hunter's shopping list, sorry, top five suggestions:

1. Support voluntary organisations like the London Boxing Academy, which is based here in Tottenham. It provides for young adults who do not prosper in conventional educational settings. It teaches Maths and English as well allowing people, mainly young black boys, with sporting opportunities in the form of boxing. The LBA receives little, if any, government funding for the excellent work that they do.

2. Stressing the importance of education to children as young as 5 in our infant schools. Teaching respect in the classroom. Engaging with both parents, where they both exist (as Lynne F has suggested!) Supporting integration through proper funding of ESOL (English as a second language). And, most importantly, giving schools independence by allowing them to teach by ability and exclude disruptive pupils.

3. Bridging the health inequality gaps that exist. Hunter doesn't like 'nannying', so it would be good to empower people by setting up food co-operatives where people can buy fresh and healthy foods at affordable prices. David Cameron has already given his support for this idea, and we have our first food co-operative here on Broadwater Farm. Reducing pollution (Tottenham has one of the highest asthma rates anywhere in London) and encourage exercising. We should make healthy living opportunities by making them affordable, even free, such as swimming (one good Labour idea that has now, so it would seem, been binned). This, in the long-term, will save the NHS money. It is a scandal that a person in Muswell Hill will outlast his counterpart in Northumberland Park by up to 8.2 years.

4. Supporting local GPs. Oppose the closure of local surgeries for four new super-sized 'polyclinics'. The patient-doctor relationship is important and allowing patients, especially the elderly and disabled, to be able to easily reach their GP is equally important. Labour's plans to replace Haringey's 64 GPs with four polyclinics in totally unacceptable.

5. Reduce police bureaucracy and allow the police to spend more time out on patrol. Introduce tough sentencing for those caught carry knives and guns and, at the same time, support literacy, numeracy and rehabilitation programmes in the prisons. End the 'gym culture' that exists in so many of our prisons, where officials would rather invest in weights than Windows.

Now, over to you. Hunter politely requests that you leave constructive posts. Is that asking for too much?

Eleven wasted years

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Hunter wanted to do a general letter to the locals on Labour's 11 wasted years. In the end, the letter was far too long an non-local for them to even consider publishing it, so here it is - as my latest blog entery. Feel free to say whether or not you agree with my analysis. Here goes:

In 1997, people from across Haringey, indeed the country, were rejoicing in Labour’s historic landslide. People, rightly, had high expectations of their new government.

Their first acts were to loot people’s pension funds and sell off our gold reserves, but people didn’t seem to care. They were new. They would make mistakes. They needed more time. That’s what people said.

Then Blair, aided by Gordon Brown, introduced stealth taxes. The tax burden went up and new policies were introduced to make the economy less flexible. Borrowing, too, went up leading Brown to be dubbed “the credit card chancellor”.

Record amounts of money went into our unreformed public services, especially the NHS, yet waiting lists remained high and clinical outcomes static. There were endless re-organisations of the NHS – leading staff demoralised.

The gap between rich and poor grew. In certain parts of Glasgow, age expectancy is just 54 – below those of the Gaza Strip and Angola. Locally, you can expect to live for an extra seven years if you are lucky enough to reside in Muswell Hill than Northumberland Park.

Educationally, we have slipped back in the world league tables. More and more students are leaving school unable to read or write, without a single GCSE. Meanwhile, Labour’s only two ideas on education were to scrap student grants and swamp teachers with paperwork. Ditto the police, whilst crime got out of control. Gun and violent crimes have doubled.

Now the economy is spiralling out of control. Prices for everyday essentials – bread, butter, and milk – are on the up. And petrol prices are at a record high. A bus journey for a single stop now stands at £2.

House prices are set to crash and mortgage take-ups are the lowest for three decades. If you’re lucky enough to have a home, the council tax has gone through the roof under Labour.

Did I mention that immigration is out of control (althoughless so than the Daily Mail would have you believe)?

People have been let down by Labour. They could have spent the last eleven years improving and reforming our public services, keeping money aside for 'rainy days' and fighting poverty through empowering the voluntary and charity sectors.

People want their government to be honest about the challenges that we all face. To not flinch from making difficult – but necessary – decisions.

People want Gordon Brown to call that General Election and be able to hit them where it hurts most: in the ballot box.

It appears Stephen Tall hates Mark Pack...

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:51:00 +0000

In a Q&A with TotalPoltics, Stephen Tall, a Lib Dem blogger and Liberal Democrat Voice contributor, was asked: "Who is your political hate figure?" Tall replied: "Any politician who is cheap, negative and tribal"

Mark Pack, that whiter-than-white bitch, aside, he could be talking about any of his Lib Dem colleagues...

Who speaks for the Lib Dems - Featherstone or Fenwick? And which one is Miss Muddle?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Hunter has just stumbled across another example where two senior Lib Dems appear not to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Lynne Featherstone, quite rightly, suggests that Haringey's councillors should meet in different parts of the borough. Says Lynne in her blog, "Councillors could meet in Bernie Grant Centre or there's a dilapidated council chamber still at Hornsey Town Hall or any one of a number of meeting places in the borough. It would be great anyway - and symbolic - if the councillors came out of a building and held their Full Council meeting in various parts of the borough".

When poor old Gordon suggests that the Cabinet should meet in different parts of the country, Rob Fenwick, of Lib Dem Voice, says: "It’s easy to dismiss it as mere tokenism. But, then, a surprising amount of tokenism ends up in the mainstream. It’s undoubtedly true that much of what passes these days for the establishment is London-obsessed..."

Apart from asking 'who speaks for the Lib Dems?', Hunter thinks this is a bit of a 'bitch-slap' for dear Lynne.

If you like H&S, vote for it!

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:35:00 +0000

Yup, it's that time of the year again!

The deadline for votes is Friday, 15 August Top. Email your Top Ten (ranked from 1 to 10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com.

The rules are much stricter this year, and I guess that will go against me, as well the responses Iain gets:

1. Please only vote once.

2. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible.

3. Votes must be cast before Friday 15 August.

4. Blogs chosen must be listed in the Total Politics Blog Directory.

5. You must send a list of TEN blogs, ranked. Any entry containing fewer than ten blogs will not count.

6. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name.

Guess who has egg on his face today?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Yes, it's over very own Comical Matt! Matty Boy warned us a few weeks back not to "write off" the Lib Dems in Glasgow East and that "they'll be working hard towards another great result"

Yesterday's result saw the Lib Dems' candidate fall from third to fourth place (behind the Conservatives) with just 915 votes (3.5% of all votes cast) and a lost deposit.

After four by-election disasters, Labour MPs won't be the only people wondering if a change of leader would improve their fortunes...

Lib Dem supporter claims God will judge Haringey in two years time

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:50:00 +0000

That's according to "M. Allende" of N17 in tomorrow's Journal.

Moving Leftwards?

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:58:00 +0000

Hunter has just been browsing the latest Early Day Motions (EDMs) in Parliament. One motion, EDM1948, heaps praise on the merger of two unions and on Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley, the left-wing leaders of the Unite union. Who wrote is? George Galloway? John McDonnell? Diane Abbot? Jeremy Corbyn? No, step forward Bob Spink, the Conservative-to-UKIP member for Castle Point. Hunter wonders if Spink is another Alan Amos in the making...

A few weeks off from politics

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:45:00 +0000

Boo! Hunter's back! Took two, almost three, weeks off from politics to visit friends -- David, Fiona, Alice, Ben, Grace and Lydia -- in Sheffield. It's always a pleasure, if a little exhausting, staying with them in a smart part of the city. Apart from Sheffield itself, Hunter visited the Devonshires' pad, Chatsworth House, Bakewell and Sherwood Forest (see picture above - Hunter standing next to an 800 y-o tree!). Returned to London to watch Boris leading the Gay Pride celebrations, where he was given a warm reception, and spent the following day at Legoland in Windsor (the heavens opened from start to finish and Hunter was a little Hung-over). Spent the last two days at garden parties in Fortis Green and Southgate Village (both Tory fund-raising ‘dos’ but I’m not sure if they would count as political as such?).

I'm back now to offer you my thoughts and share juicy gossip - stay tuned!

Lynne came into my bedroom and made me laugh out loud

justinhinchcliffe@hotmail.com (Justin Hinchcliffe) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:38:00 +0000

At around 22:20 last night (Sunday), Lynne's voice came booming into my bedroom (where Hunter was about to catch up on some beauty sleep - no jokes!). Asked by the "Westminster Hour's Carolyn Quinn what should be done about the terrible situation in Zimbabwe, Lynne said something like, 'Well, Nick Clegg is going to make a speech on it (Zimbabwe) tomorrow at Chatham House...'

Bet the evil Mugabe is quaking in his boots! Or maybe Lynne, a big Huhne fan, was taking the piss?