• THIS day will go down in Camden’s political history as the day democracy died.

We now have an absolute one-party dictatorship where the leader chooses the cabinet, no voting necessary, even that previously restricted solely to Labour councillors.

Given the fractious nature of the local Labour Party where “mediators” had to be hired to stop infighting, no leader is going to choose a cabinet member other than one offering total personal loyalty.

At the “parish pump” level we have just seen the Gospel Oak “neighbourhood assembly” being “chosen” by a mysterious, secret algorithm by consultants, and unmonitored by councillors.

Who has been chosen is unknown but so far I have found four critical and experienced activists, including myself, who have been rejected. Surprise, surprise.

The council officer supervising the “process” has repeatedly failed to answer even my simple questions, including the cost of the farce, about an “assembly” which can have no democratic credibility whatsoever.

Since democracy has been abolished at both ends of the political spectrum, why not stop pretending, and let the leader and senior officers run the show and save money.

On the way cabinet members can vote themselves yet another £10,000 a year increase in allowances as a loyalty bonus.

Community concerns such as the missing £11million to the council’s coffers, the botched £210million “refurbishment” of the Chalcots and how a council vacant property came to be used as a Crystal meth bakery, can now be totally ignored as was the last Gospel Oak consultation in 2016.

Next up… is it to be postponement of Camden Council elections in 2022?

MICK FARRANT,
NW5