On current form Labour deserves a bloody nose in next May’s elections

Friday, 7th January 2022

• WE are very lucky to have such a fine free weekly newspaper.

By its own admission, a cornerstone to the CNJ’s success is its letters pages. Week after week, residents (myself included) comment on life in Camden.

Most of us regular contributors could be described as “critical friends”.

Of late the word “critical” has been writ very large. There’s little evidence that the council acts on the advice and suggestions contained in these letters.

I’ve never been a member of the Labour Party but I have great respect for some of the left-wing councillors that I know personally, like Paul Tomlinson and Simon Pearson.

They have proved to be good, caring, councillors yet they’re not going to stand again in next May’s elections.

Our council must, of course, be stress-tested by healthy opposition parties but also from within by a broad church of socialists.

What we are being offered from Labour in the May elections is incumbent centrists, a new “woke” slate, and just a few left-leaning surviving councillors.

Cllr Tomlinson supported a scrutiny “call-in” on the proposed Camley Street development plan. For such a sin he has been deselected by Labour and, outrageously, this exclusion was confirmed at appeal.

If a councillor is ostracised for supporting an opposition party’s “call-in” this makes a mockery of the scrutiny process, which should be non-partisan.

I conclude that while this administration is headed by the leader Georgia Gould, in reality it seems to be run by a self-serving “star chamber” clique of councillors with a bunker mentality who think they know best.

For example, with expensive obligatory, consultations, this cynical cabal seem to just go through the motions but make decisions with no due regard.

On current form Labour deserves a bloody nose in next May’s elections.

PAUL BRAITHWAITE
Bartholomew Villas, NW5

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