Mayors 4 you: hopefuls go cheek to cheek on hustings
Issue No.9, April 25, 2006
© Andrew Veitch Associates.
It was a gruesome moment. Mayor Jules Pipe and mayoral hopeful Andrew Boff, jowl by jowl, smiling for the cameras on the hustings in Broadway Market on Saturday. New Labour cheek to cheek with Blue Labour. The incumbent pink and smooth as can be, his gleaming Brompton chained to the bike rack; the blue-chinned challenger, rough around the edges, arriving on a dirty old Trek. Pipe smart as a management consultant, Boff baggy as a shop steward. That’s Hackney politics for you, all mixed up. “I’m going to catch socialism”, squealed Boff as he was squeezed against Pipe. Not from Jules you won’t, Andrew.
Pipe’s appearance - his first on the market - is a sign that Labour realise the Conservatives could run them close on May 4. Boff’s work as a Queensbridge councillor will give him a strong personal vote in the south of the borough. He should get decent backing in the north where his chum Eric Ollerenshaw has proved himself an effective leader of Hackney Conservatives.
Nationally the latest opinion poll (ICM, the Guardian) shows Labour down five points at 32 percent, the Conservatives holding steady at 34 percent, and the Liberal Democrats up three points at 24 percent. As the Guardian comments a poor showing for Labour in London could see it losing 10 of the 15 councils it is defending.
But Hackney, as ever, is different. The Liberal Democrats will make little impact here: they’re concentrating on Islington and they didn’t bother to show up for Saturday’s hustings so they’re out of the race. In the mayoral contest, and in most wards, it will be a straight contest between Labour and the Tories, and that will suit Labour - provided they can get the vote out.
Queensbridge ward is also different. This may be Tony Blair’s old ward but Labour has an abysmal record here. Of the last three councillors - none of whom are standing for re-election - one was chucked out both by his own party and by the Standards Board for failing to attend council meetings, one hardly showed her face in the ward and the third was (reasonably) busy doing other things - chairing the council’s planning committee. If Bill Hodgson (for it is he) was standing again this organ would be behind him. Since he is not, it is hard to understand why anyone in Queensbridge should have confidence in Labour again.
Boff, however, has worked mightily to improve Holly Street and to build the Saturday market (literally - he helps to erect the stalls) and he continues to wrestle with the housing department on behalf of tenants. That should ensure a cross-party vote large enough to secure his re-election as a councillor.
And the Greens have an impressive candidate in Ralph Smyth. He spent all day on the hustings on Saturday and despite the lack of a party machine to help, might just get enough protest votes to win a seat. Many will consider him a better bet than the no-show Liberal Democrats, and judging from past elections he only needs 1,000 votes.
So how about a typically mixed-up slate for the three Queensbridge votes on May 4: one leftish Blue, one centrist Green, and oh, go on then, one new Red for old time’s sake: Labour’s Patrick Vernon impressed on Saturday.
As for mayor, that’s going to be a difficult one. Disasters like the Clissold leisure centre and Ocean, the continuing council property scandal and the shenanigans over the Saturday market on Broadway have all occurred on Pipe’s watch: as the borough’s boss of bosses he has to take responsibility for them. Management has not been his strong point. But, as he will argue, he did inherit a dysfunctional borough, there are signs of recovery - and a Labour council with a Tory executive mayor might be an uncomfortable partnership.
Boff is a strong candidate but as in all elections, oppositions don’t win - governments lose. Uncomfortably for Pipe, the backdrop to Saturday’s photocall was the wreck of Tony Platia’s once-flourishing café, and towering over the smiley candidates the brutal black lampposts imposed on the market by the mayor himself. Bad omens, Jules.
The full list of mayoral and Queensbridge candidates appeared in last week’s newsletter, archived on realone.org/news. Political links:
Hackney election page
Labour candidates
Liberal Democrats
Conservatives
Green Party
This organ may vanish for a couple of weeks while the editor earns some money.
Issue No.9, April 25, 2006
© Andrew Veitch Associates.
It was a gruesome moment. Mayor Jules Pipe and mayoral hopeful Andrew Boff, jowl by jowl, smiling for the cameras on the hustings in Broadway Market on Saturday. New Labour cheek to cheek with Blue Labour. The incumbent pink and smooth as can be, his gleaming Brompton chained to the bike rack; the blue-chinned challenger, rough around the edges, arriving on a dirty old Trek. Pipe smart as a management consultant, Boff baggy as a shop steward. That’s Hackney politics for you, all mixed up. “I’m going to catch socialism”, squealed Boff as he was squeezed against Pipe. Not from Jules you won’t, Andrew.
Pipe’s appearance - his first on the market - is a sign that Labour realise the Conservatives could run them close on May 4. Boff’s work as a Queensbridge councillor will give him a strong personal vote in the south of the borough. He should get decent backing in the north where his chum Eric Ollerenshaw has proved himself an effective leader of Hackney Conservatives.
Nationally the latest opinion poll (ICM, the Guardian) shows Labour down five points at 32 percent, the Conservatives holding steady at 34 percent, and the Liberal Democrats up three points at 24 percent. As the Guardian comments a poor showing for Labour in London could see it losing 10 of the 15 councils it is defending.
But Hackney, as ever, is different. The Liberal Democrats will make little impact here: they’re concentrating on Islington and they didn’t bother to show up for Saturday’s hustings so they’re out of the race. In the mayoral contest, and in most wards, it will be a straight contest between Labour and the Tories, and that will suit Labour - provided they can get the vote out.
Queensbridge ward is also different. This may be Tony Blair’s old ward but Labour has an abysmal record here. Of the last three councillors - none of whom are standing for re-election - one was chucked out both by his own party and by the Standards Board for failing to attend council meetings, one hardly showed her face in the ward and the third was (reasonably) busy doing other things - chairing the council’s planning committee. If Bill Hodgson (for it is he) was standing again this organ would be behind him. Since he is not, it is hard to understand why anyone in Queensbridge should have confidence in Labour again.
Boff, however, has worked mightily to improve Holly Street and to build the Saturday market (literally - he helps to erect the stalls) and he continues to wrestle with the housing department on behalf of tenants. That should ensure a cross-party vote large enough to secure his re-election as a councillor.
And the Greens have an impressive candidate in Ralph Smyth. He spent all day on the hustings on Saturday and despite the lack of a party machine to help, might just get enough protest votes to win a seat. Many will consider him a better bet than the no-show Liberal Democrats, and judging from past elections he only needs 1,000 votes.
So how about a typically mixed-up slate for the three Queensbridge votes on May 4: one leftish Blue, one centrist Green, and oh, go on then, one new Red for old time’s sake: Labour’s Patrick Vernon impressed on Saturday.
As for mayor, that’s going to be a difficult one. Disasters like the Clissold leisure centre and Ocean, the continuing council property scandal and the shenanigans over the Saturday market on Broadway have all occurred on Pipe’s watch: as the borough’s boss of bosses he has to take responsibility for them. Management has not been his strong point. But, as he will argue, he did inherit a dysfunctional borough, there are signs of recovery - and a Labour council with a Tory executive mayor might be an uncomfortable partnership.
Boff is a strong candidate but as in all elections, oppositions don’t win - governments lose. Uncomfortably for Pipe, the backdrop to Saturday’s photocall was the wreck of Tony Platia’s once-flourishing café, and towering over the smiley candidates the brutal black lampposts imposed on the market by the mayor himself. Bad omens, Jules.
The full list of mayoral and Queensbridge candidates appeared in last week’s newsletter, archived on realone.org/news. Political links:
Hackney election page
Labour candidates
Liberal Democrats
Conservatives
Green Party
This organ may vanish for a couple of weeks while the editor earns some money.
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home