Letters – EU politicking, electoral sand castles and paper chasing

Hackney Liberal Democrat candidate Dave Raval

Labouring the point on EU

Re: Mayor launches #HackneyLovesYou campaign to make EU nationals feel welcome amid Brexit debate

I bet the Mayor regrets his sentence talking about how the conference season will involve debates on Brexit. Labour members, famously, voted to choose other issues as being more important this year, and they didn’t debate Brexit.

Labour positions itself as pro Europe in Remain voting areas and pro Brexit in Leave voting areas. Talk about the worst type of duplicitous politics. Their official party policy is still to leave the EU and end freedom of movement for labour from across the EU. The Liberal Democrats and Greens have been steadfastly pro Remain.

Make no mistake, regardless of what local Labour politicians and members might think, Labour is a pro Leave party.

Dave Raval (via website)

Vittoria Wharf. Photograph: Save Hackney Wick

Bridges and sand castles

Re: Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville criticised for ‘remaining shtum’ on Vittoria Wharf demolition

The name Vittoria brings me to a beautiful city in Espírito Santo, Brazil, known for its splendid nature reserves, which is a far cry from Hackney Wick, where nothing is preserved, least of all the wishes of the people. In 2008, there was deep and meaningful consultation about a bridge, which spanned the whole community. It never got built.

Now we have a newly elected left-led Labour Party in Hackney. Momentum has risen from the ashes. Surely they could solve this problem and score their first Vittoria for the people of Hackney Wick. I am afraid they have fallen at the first hurdle and…suspended full democracy in order to protect their councillors.

Building bridges can be difficult, but not as dangerous as building electoral sand castles.

Terry Stewart (via website)

Hackney Today has been accused of competing with local papers

Paper chase unbecoming

Re: Hackney Council freesheet claims to be a ‘fortnightly newspaper’ – but legally may be neither 

I have lived in Homerton for over 34 years and have received and read Hackney Today during its existence. I find it a useful source of information about events and issues in the borough. In terms of Hackney’s total budget the cost is minimal.

It has been under attack from anti-public service interests, including the Tory/Lib Dem coalition and the present Tory government, for a very long time. Those who have attacked it do not represent the interests of the vast majority of residents in one of the poorest boroughs in Europe.

I fully support your articles on important issues such as fire safety… They are the issues that concern me and my neighbours and not the Hackney Today “freesheet”.

Steve Stannard (via email)