Was it something I said?
My internet presence seems to have wound up this lot http://www.clissoldleisure.com/ who want to see the faster re-opening of my local swimming pool and judging from the style and content they are also behind this http://lukeakehurstsblog.blogspot.com/ - someone had a busy weekend. Funny and clever but not particularly nice.
I'm not sure why I'm their latest target though perhaps they thought that Hackney sliding back into hung council chaos in the 4 May elections would have helped re-open the leisure centre faster - I rather doubt it would have helped.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 8:08 am
12 Comments:
You said: "the faster re-opening of my local swimming pool".
You are so ignorant of Hackney, you don't even know the name of your local pool, do you?
Anyway, Clissold isn't going to open, as you know. You just lied about that until the election was over.
Oh, and please don't come and use Kings Hall. There's a water shortage on and, with the displacement you would cause, you'd nearly empty the pool.
Of course you could try the Instant Weight Loss method to reduce a large amount of excess fat.
Cut your head off!
2:33 pm, June 27, 2006
Er... I live in Stoke Newington and have done for eight years ... and would use Clissold if it was open ... and King's Hall is in the ward I represent ... so obviously I am ignorant about Hackney and its current lack of swimming pools.
3:31 pm, June 27, 2006
Dear Luke, While you seem bemused by the clissold users' attention, the rest of us are astounded that labour councillors who've had a hand in the Clissold Leisure Centre seem to be oblivious to the harm, to the tune of £38M and running, they have caused this borough. As Uncle Roy told Man Utd- You're just not good enough.
10:37 am, June 29, 2006
Somewhere along the track, Labour councillors in my beloved Hackney deluded themselves into thinking it was about them.
When you have a labour lock on a borough because of its demographics, I suppose it is hardly surprising that you get a bit confused as to why you won the vote. It must be tempting to think it's because you're doing a great job!
The trouble is- any idea that hackney labour are "delivering" is not based in reality. Look around.
People harp on about the Leisure Centre because it is the white elephant in the sitting room that not only does Mayor Pipe not want to talk about- he gets you guys to sweep it under the carpet!
If I were a labour councillor in an inner-city borough with terrible poverty and education; and I had been and continued to be involved in one of England's most wasteful and mismanaged public projects- I'd be pretty goddamned ashamed of myself.
12:25 pm, June 29, 2006
BTW, before you trot out the "do you want to go back to a hung council?" mantra, consider this: It is because labour have such an overwhelming majority that we should be able to expect more- not less!
1:53 pm, June 29, 2006
Dear Anonymous,
Lay off poor Luke will you? You should know by now he has only two defences:
1) It didn't happen on my watch i.e. it happened before I became a councillor (as in the Trotter "bubble"), so "we" are blameless and not accountable.
2) If "we" weren't managing it, you'd have to return to a hung council [note: that is a Labour/Tory hung council!] so, again, "we" are blameless and not accountable. [Yes, it doesn't make sense, but Luke has repeated it often enough, he really believes it!]
As for feeling "pretty goddamned ashamed of myself", poor Luke is constitutionally incapable of such a sophisticated feeling. Don't make such unfair demands on the kid.
3:38 pm, June 29, 2006
We were held accountable on 4 May. You all know the results. No one in the Hackney Labour Party is claiming that CLC is a sucess story. But it is one issue that is being tackled - see Jules' statement here -http://www.hackney.gov.uk/index.htm/c-sports-facilities/cs-clissold-leisure-centre.htm - alongside a whole range more where the council has visibly improved since we won back control in 2001. The council's finances, child protection, revenues & benefits, housing, schools, recycling - have all improved from the basket case situation we inherited. I'm not ashamed, I'm proud of Labour's record in Hackney. I'll be even prouder when we do get CLC re-opened. Even in the bits of Stoke Newington most directly affected this was not the top issue on the doorstep this May. People are generally level-headed enough to judge us on our overall performance - and the likely and proven (in 1996-2001) performance of our opponents - not one building. If you have any constructive ideas about how to deal with the CLC situation better please post them.
6:26 pm, June 29, 2006
Ref. the sniffy reference to a " labour lock on a borough because of its demographics" do I detect a bit of middle class angst about the fact that the working class majority in Hackney has now twice elected thumping majorities on the council for a local Labour Party that unashamedly prioritises and delivers on their interests and issues?
6:40 pm, June 29, 2006
"Even in the bits of Stoke Newington most directly affected . . ."
Eh? Every part of Hackney is directly affected by Hackney Council's failure to provide and maintain swimming facilties, surely?
I'm not ashamed, I'm proud of Labour's record in Hackney. I'll be even prouder when we do get CLC re-opened.
For "proud", folks, read "smug".
7:11 pm, June 29, 2006
Dear Luke, so much for your own prejudice- I am far from a hand-wringing middle class angst ridden muppet of the description that voted for you!
You want my better idea for the Clissold Leisure Centre: sell it.
That's right- Why don't Hackney sell Clissold Leisure Centre to Holmes Place or Esporta or Arsenal-you know, people who already know how to project manage and run leisure facilities.
That way, councillors can get back to governing (or whatever it is they do) and stop throwing good money after bad on things they obviously know nothing about.
Simple as that.
And before you start crying you heart out- hackney labour councillors know all about selling off the family silver. Ask Jules, it really is no big deal.
10:49 pm, June 29, 2006
Dear Luke, I've been thinking. Perhaps I have been a bit rough on you. Maybe it's my time of the month; or maybe it has to do with the fact that even you cannot justify the mountain of the working people of Hackney's hard earned cash pissed down the pan because of sheer incompetence, greed and ego.
Either way- Here's the deal. Uncle Jules' latest projection for the CLC is Summer 2007. You boys get that thing open to the public by January 2008- I'll take you to the 'Petit Coin' and buy you a latte and a doughnut. My treat. You can keep in touch on: http://kris-stoke-newington.blogspot.com
11:03 pm, June 29, 2006
It's a deal.
8:48 am, June 30, 2006
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