Haringey is the new Liverpool

Funk Dooby / CC BY 2.0

For those of us old enough to remember Derek Hatton, that story is about to be re-run on a similar theme in Haringey. Having forced out the main Moderates in the controlling Labour group there, Labour councillors backed by Momentum will today take over the Council.

It will be a great spectator sport of course, as long as you don’t live in Haringey that is. If you do, time to move frankly. As those of us with embarrassingly white beards when we don’t shave at weekends can tell you, we have all seen how that movie plays out. Current predictions include: general mismanagement, council tax rises, strikes by council staff, fact finding missions to Palestine, votes of support for the oppressed people of [insert as appropriate], consultations on how best to inform school children of their transgender rights etc. All paid for by local council taxpayers.

The impact of this will be interesting. If Haringey does go full on Loony Tunes Lefty, then this will be the first time that Corbynism will be actually seen to be tested. Up until now, Tory attacks on Corbyn’s 1970s style politics and support for questionable socialist regimes and causes, has all been very theoretical and so historic that the average vaping, bearded, flat white drinking hipster has shrugged it off. Those Tory attacks had no meaningful impact in reality. However, if the first test bed of Corbynism heads off down the road previously trodden by Hard Left-run councils, then the media will hurl their failings in Corbyn voters’ faces. Time will tell.