"I find myself somewhat troubled by the recent ‘blogs’ by Councillor Sitkin, particularly in relation to last Wednesday’s council meeting. Despite a few days having passed since then, I still feel compelled to respond.
"It strikes me as rather disingenuous to promote a selective and inaccurate account in a forum such as this. Such politicking insults the intelligence of your readership (what, both of them?) and borders on propaganda.
"You see, I was in that room, without a hint of political bias, on behalf of the Pinkham Way Alliance. I was part of a group of impartial observers, optimistically awaiting a mature bipartisan response to the motion in hand – a much warranted cross-party objection to the NLWP and Pinkham Way.
"What unfolded was nothing short of tragic - a significant opportunity to ‘do the right thing’, squandered by the Labour contingent, in a pathetic clamber for chief lackey!
"Your public rhetoric belies your actions in private, Councillor Sitkin. In the cloistered confines of the Council Chambers, you (and your fellow Bowes Councillors) spectacularly failed to uphold the promises you had made to your constituents.
"It seems you had left your principles at the door, and voted contrary to your convictions, in a dogged display of determined obstinacy. Dissent for its own sake, a herd mentality all too apparent, toeing the party line in spectacular fashion.
"Despite your protestations to the contrary, I find a greater measure of truth in Councillor Pearce’s retelling of the events of Wednesday evening. It concurs rather more with my own experience of the meeting. The Enfield Independent’s journalist, Tristan Kirk, also reported a similar version of events.
"Had the will been there, the outcome could have been very different. You could have negotiated an amendment to the sections you found objectionable in the 'Sequential Testing' section of the Conservative-led Motion - there was ample opportunity to do so.
"You could even have abstained from the vote to reject it (which would have been preferable to throwing it out entirely). You did neither.
"On matters of great importance it is imperative that political divisions are put aside. Throughout history, even vehemently opposing factions have worked together for the greater good. This was not a trivial matter; this proposal will affect us for generations to come. I fear the gravity of the situation was lost on your fellow Councillors. It was incumbent on you to ensure otherwise, but you failed in this regard.
"True political integrity demands defending one’s principles in spite of all opposition. In words as well as in deeds, it requires courage and steadfastness at all times. That the Bowes Councillors latterly lodged an objection to the NLWP provides but a small comfort. I am glad of it, nonetheless.
"If only they had demonstrated the courage of their convictions within the Council Chamber, where it truly mattered. Now that would have been inspiring.
Irene Sallas
(Southgate Green resident and member of the PWA)
(Southgate Green resident and member of the PWA)
"If you are the lady with whom I spoke, before and after the Enfield Council meeting, I'm sorry that you misunderstand what was actually happening there. As I was trying to tell you on the night, and as indicated in your recent comments, we Bowes Labour councillors have, true to our word, lodged an objection to the NWLP regarding the Pinkham Way proposal.
"Why you suggest that this provides only 'small comfort', given that it's exactly what the Pinkham Way Alliance wanted, I don't know. It seems a little churlish, and I know that several of your colleagues have reacted entirely positively to our work. I tried to tell you that on the night that we were heading in that direction, but you didn't believe me and/or wouldn't listen.
"The whole premise of your comments is that you wanted us to sign the Conservative motion, as if there were no other way for Enfield to oppose Pinkham Way. To us, that premise is wrong. There are other ways to oppose Pinkham Way. For instance, there is the path that we, the Bowes Labour councillors, have followed.
"Instead of impugning my character, I'd ask you (like I did on the night, while you were unfortunately yelling at me) to concentrate on the strings attached to the Conservative motion, i.e. the betrayal of Edmonton.
"Because you speak about convictions, please note that mine are that ecological and social justice must go hand-in-hand. If you do not share them, if you feel that it's okay to sort oneself out, without caring about what happens to other communities, then fine, you are being true to yourself, and I understand you better.
"My values are different, and I will be sleeping very well with them, now and in the future. They are also shared by the overwhelming majority of our constituents, with whom we've spoken. We do not let our opposition to Pinkham Way interfere with our moral compass, or with our ability to come up with reasoned and creative alternatives. These must optimise outcomes for as many parties as possible, instead of simply shifting burdens to those who may be less able to defend themselves.
"In the hope that you might again become as independent as you claim to be, I'd like to point out that there is nothing preventing you, or the Conservative councillors, from supporting our representation to the NLWP. We all agree to oppose Pinkham Way, and to repeat: it is churlish and quite unworthy to pretend this isn't the case. There are disagreements, however, about the alternative (Edmonton vs. Barnet) and I'd be delighted to have that discussion. The rest is just character assassination, and actually quite nasty. It's also fluff.
"I'm not a professional politician with career ambitions - just a civic-minded guy from the community. I am trying to step into the breach, and do good work for as many people as possible, for however long I have the privilege. If idealists like me are subjected to gratuitous attacks like this, is it no wonder that most people don't want to be councillors. Can we stick to the facts the next time, please, instead of casting unwarranted aspersions?"
Alan Sitkin
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