Tag Archives: david lammy

Haringey Council's AGM

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Haringey Council’s Annual General Meeting and Mayor Making. The chamber is full of dignitaries and guests. A dilemma had arisen about whether I would sit as an MP or sit with the other councillors (I’m carrying on as a councillor until my current term of office comes to an end). I had cleared up the dilemma by choosing to sit with the councillors. I was there primarily in that role – to vote.

Now this council meeting unlike others is meant to be mainly ceremonial. However – the form from previous years has been Labour saying in advance, “it’s ceremonial, let’s not have the political stuff at this meeting” and then at the meeting promptly ignoring agreements about how to handle the meeting and going for all sorts of political stuff.

This year – shock horror – everyone behaved!

The new Mayor was sworn in. Neil (Lib Dem leader) and Charles (Labour council leader) said a few nice things about myself and David Lammy. And they we all went off for the dinner / dance hosted by the council at the Ally Pally.

Boxing night

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Haringey Police and Community Boxing Club Charity Evening – a black tie dinner and boxing match. This is a club started by ex-Haringey Police Commander Stephen James which helps kids box – with the intention in part that it thereby also helps keep them out of trouble.

I arrive at the venue and am put in a little ante-room for the top table with others. Stephen James is there, as are the current top-cop in Haringey Stephen Bloomfield, Council Chief Executive David Warwick, Cllr Peacock (Labour), soon to be ex-leader George Meehan, David Lammy MP and Pastor Nims from Haringey Peace Alliance.

So a good crew. Stephen James introduced me as the next MP for Hornsey & Wood Green – which went down well as you can imagine with the Labour members there! I though Sheila Peacock might thump him.

Then we were announced one by one to go into the hall and to the table. The boxing ring itself is directly in front of the top table with other tables filling the hall to the right and the left. The dinner is served, there is an auction of various items to raise money and then the boxing itself.

I know it is probably not politically correct to enjoy boxing – but I thought it was fantastic. There is a basic instinct – a primeval pull – when two men (boys) fight each other – and boy did they fight. The last bout included Michael Grant who is one of the real successes of the boxing club. A black youngster from Tottenham who is now No 2 in England. It was a great fight and I take my hat off to Stephen James for what he has done.