WALTHAM FOREST: "Respect my mandate" GLA member tells Boris (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WELCOME....

to our new website Click here »

GET IN TOUCH

Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting WFNEWS to 80360 or email » »

News RSS Feed

WALTHAM FOREST: "Respect my mandate" GLA member tells Boris

10:03am Wednesday 7th May 2008

comment Comments (29) Have your say »

By Sarah Cosgrove »

LONDON Assembly victor Jennette Arnold said having Boris Johnson in charge would not make any difference to her work as member for London North East.

Mrs Arnold's constituency covers the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington.

The Labour Party member has enjoyed a good relationship with former Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone since they were both elected in 2000.

Mrs Arnold has retained her North East constituency seat.

But she said Mr Johnson, who is busy replacing Mr Livingstone's staff with his own, would have to respect her electorates' concerns.

She said: "I've promised that I'll be working for them to ensure that we get policing and community safety and proper resources for our young people, and that they get adequate homes that are affordable."

Speaking at the count at Alexandra Palace on Mrs Arnold said: ""I say whoever is Mayor, I have been given a mandate and I expect the Mayor to respect that and to work with me."

The 59-year-old, who has been London North East's constituency member since 2004, responded to a hot campaign issue both the Tories and the Greens exploited - Londoners' increasing unease about the Olympics.

Politicians from both parties had said that people on the doorsteps were concerned about being priced out of their homes, squeezed out of job opportunities and losing green space such as Hackney Marshes.

But Mrs Arnold, who was the GLA's lead member during the bid for London, said she wanted to reassure people that the Games would be good for the east of the capital.

"I represent two Olympic boroughs and I'll be working to make sure that we get the Olympic legacy," she said.

"Let's be real, when we look at what we'll get, we'll get the largest green space in Europe. We'll have a fantastic park there.

"We are also going to get the skills coming out of the jobs being created."

She expressed her excitement about being part of the final run up to the Games in 2012, but could not be sure if she would have as much influence as before, especially as a member of the committee on the Cultural Olympiad.

"I haven't got a clue what will happen now," she said.

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say Your Guardian

Chuckles, Leyton says...
10:18am Wed 7 May 08

It won't make any difference to her work because she doesn't actually seem to do any!

Report this post »

H, waltham Forest says...
10:47am Wed 7 May 08

Who is this woman? Anybody local heard of her? I have never seen her in Waltham Forest.

I suppose Boris could just as easily say the same back to her: she should respect his mandate, its a bit biger than hers.

Whenever I hear politicians saying they are working on anything to do with the Olympics I know I have to watch my wallet. What's she after- free tickets to the games and a load of buffet lunches?

Report this post »

mr Khalid, walthamstow says...
10:49am Wed 7 May 08

she rubish mamber an do no think for the pepals of here and should go lok after she famly becose we nededed the parson to do this work who have the intrest in chengeded the crime and the think matter the pepal

Report this post »

Dave, Chingford says...
12:00pm Wed 7 May 08

Agree with H, I've never seen sight nor sound of her, sounds like another Olympic bandwagon person, yes it must be good for you all cause we tell you so

Report this post »

Joe agnew, East London says...
12:31pm Wed 7 May 08

Hopefully the Mayor will work with you, because afterall you do indeed have a mandate from your voters. Likewise, i am sure you will work with the BNP assembly member, because of his democratic mandate too.

Report this post »

MTD, Chingford (A place Jennette Arnold has never visited) says...
1:41pm Wed 7 May 08

Boris Johnson has the single biggest personal mandate of any elected politician in the UK EVER!

Jennette (who?)Arnold on the other hand is never seen in Waltham Forest, has never done anything for us, and is only kept in power by tribal Labour voters in Islington and Hackney, which are the only bits of her constituency she seems to care about.

Report this post »

J, Chingford says...
2:40pm Wed 7 May 08

I agree, Who is this woman. Noone ever seems to care about what happens in Waltham Forest... unless a terrorist cell is unmasked here.
I'm sure Boris would actually give a ****... at least he's been here.

Report this post »

Jeannette Ellis, Leyton says...
3:46pm Wed 7 May 08

She only gets elected because black people vote for her out of perceived loyalty.

Report this post »

Dave, Walthamstow, Walthamstow says...
4:06pm Wed 7 May 08

What does the Old Etonian Tory Boris Doris know/care/understand about the needs and concerns of ordinary Londoners, black, white or Asian?
He was elected with the help of the Evening Standrad and anti-congestion charge my-car-is-my-life brigade!

Report this post »

Vivene, Chingford says...
4:32pm Wed 7 May 08

His wife is half Indian for a start. I'd say that proves him to be a non-racist and he might just listen to other ethnic groups too?

Report this post »

jaffacake, waltham forest says...
4:33pm Wed 7 May 08

Dave, its a fair question, but one which was decided by a couple of million people going to the polls a few days ago. The majority of voters seem to think that Boris was the better candidate for the job.

Its called democracy. You will have another chance to stand for Mayor in a few years time: if you think you know more about what Londoners like me want from a Mayor, why don't you stand?

Report this post »

Dave, Walthamstow says...
8:53pm Wed 7 May 08

jaffacake wrote:
Dave, its a fair question, but one which was decided by a couple of million people going to the polls a few days ago. The majority of voters seem to think that Boris was the better candidate for the job. Its called democracy. You will have another chance to stand for Mayor in a few years time: if you think you know more about what Londoners like me want from a Mayor, why don't you stand?

Perhaps if the Evening Standard throw their weight behind me, I may.
Anyway, I hear that Kerry Katona is next on the list. The public wants what the public gets - celebs in power...as someone once said: "No politician ever suffered through underestimating the intelligence and sophistication of the electorate".
Ooh congestion charge...

Report this post »

chris, essex, says...
9:34pm Wed 7 May 08

Dave wrote:

jaffacake wrote: Dave, its a fair question, but one which was decided by a couple of million people going to the polls a few days ago. The majority of voters seem to think that Boris was the better candidate for the job. Its called democracy. You will have another chance to stand for Mayor in a few years time: if you think you know more about what Londoners like me want from a Mayor, why don't you stand?
Perhaps if the Evening Standard throw their weight behind me, I may. Anyway, I hear that Kerry Katona is next on the list. The public wants what the public gets - celebs in power...as someone once said: "No politician ever suffered through underestimating the intelligence and sophistication of the electorate". Ooh congestion charge...

What a load of skcollob.

Report this post »

J, Chingford says...
10:21pm Wed 7 May 08

chris, essex wrote:

Dave wrote:

jaffacake wrote: Dave, its a fair question, but one which was decided by a couple of million people going to the polls a few days ago. The majority of voters seem to think that Boris was the better candidate for the job. Its called democracy. You will have another chance to stand for Mayor in a few years time: if you think you know more about what Londoners like me want from a Mayor, why don't you stand?
Perhaps if the Evening Standard throw their weight behind me, I may. Anyway, I hear that Kerry Katona is next on the list. The public wants what the public gets - celebs in power...as someone once said: "No politician ever suffered through underestimating the intelligence and sophistication of the electorate". Ooh congestion charge...
What a load of skcollob.

haha skcollob... how clever.

But seriously i think londoners may just make up their own mind, without the evening standard, and such a paper is most intune with London's issues.

But more to the point Dave, what was the last thing you remember Mrs Arnold doing for the residents of Waltham Forest. Mr Johnson has been in office less than a week and has already started to make practical changes. At least someone is helping to sort out the state of the place - rant now over

Report this post »

the marksman, everywhere says...
11:17pm Wed 7 May 08

if anyone would lke to know who mr khalid is email me at letsshootmrkhalid.co
m

Report this post »

mdj, e10 says...
12:13am Thu 8 May 08

Apparently about 400,000 voting papers were invalidated because of flaws, a hugely bigger number than the winner's majority. Also, although signs at the polling booths said you could not cast two votes for the same person, apparently the election website said that you could, so many of those votes invalidated may have been cast by people following what they thought was official information. Is this just a huge b$%*#s-up, or a coup masquerading as one?

Report this post »

Mr. T. C. Hull, Walthamstow says...
12:36am Thu 8 May 08

Getting back to the 'Unknown' Mrs Arnold perhaps the comments on this site might galvanise her into appearing within the boundaries of Waltham Forest so we can see she really exists!!

Report this post »

me, here says...
12:42am Thu 8 May 08

So what if Boris's wife is half-indian??!! It didn't stop him having an affair for several years did it?
Let's face it - we have a bumbling, white, male, upper class tw*t for a mayor - GREAT!!

Report this post »

mdj, e10 says...
1:03am Thu 8 May 08

If being a white male is sign of incapacity for elective office, perhaps we could be spared taxation by way of recompense? Did it invalidate Ken's tenure? Please explain.

Report this post »

John Delaney, Hainault says...
1:06am Thu 8 May 08

We see reverse racism here. Where it is okay to be racist against a white male. Why do people ask what he is going to do for groups e.g. "I'm black what will he for me". The Mayor will do what he would do for anyone. Try and reduce crime, increase housing and fix the transport. This affects us all equally. Can we stop an end to reverse racism from black people and others - it gets us nowhere.

Report this post »

technomist, walthamstow says...
5:10am Thu 8 May 08

Well said John Delaney. I also have to question why going to Eton is such a disqualifier. By all accounts its a very good school, though the dress code is a bit embarrassing I expect for many of the inmates and the pressures they are put under can be quite intense.

Still, I like the idea that some of our politicians have had an education. I am quite sure he went to the school where his parents told him to and had very little choice in the matter.

People who hate well-educated people in politics always puzzle me. Why are they scared of a leader who is is educated? Are they really just jealous, or is there more to it than that? Could it be they don't like the idea that a thinking person could come up with a different set of ideas than their own and actually be able to articulate them and put them into practice?

There is a good argument for saying that more schools should be as good as Eton and it should be easier for children to get that kind of an education, if its what their parents want for them, but to say that it is a bad thing that a politician went to a good school seems a bit odd to me. Who wants the county to be lead by ignorant people?

As for his being white. Maybe you have a stereotypical view of white people, I don't know. Being white is not a dissqualifier. Boris does not have anything to apologise for being white. He does not, admittedly, have a typical English background, save in as much as like many people, his forebears come from all over the place. He is apparently proud of being descended from a Turkish slave.

Report this post »

Elaine, Walthamstow says...
8:13am Thu 8 May 08

He is an Old Etonian who doesn't understand or care about ordinary Londoners or London issues. Ken was far more clued-up and intelligent than Boris who like many Tories was (expensively) educated beyond his intellect!

Report this post »

John, Leytonstone says...
10:47am Thu 8 May 08

me wrote:
So what if Boris's wife is half-indian??!! It didn't stop him having an affair for several years did it? Let's face it - we have a bumbling, white, male, upper class tw*t for a mayor - GREAT!!

Look on the bright side, he replaced the bumbling, white, lower class t*at.

Report this post »

jaffacake, waltham forest says...
1:19pm Thu 8 May 08

Elaine, Ken was so un-clued up about what Londoners wanted that they voted him out of office. Maybe he should have spent less time trying to solve the transport problems in Venezuela and concentrated on what he was elected to do.

Report this post »

Elaine, Walthamstow says...
9:35pm Thu 8 May 08

Jaffa's lost it! John sounds more like an Essex man rather than Leytonstone methinks.

Report this post »

Mr Codgers, Snaresbrook says...
10:10pm Thu 8 May 08

WHO SHE?

QUANGO FODDER

Report this post »

Mike, Hackney says...
4:59pm Fri 9 May 08

"Let's be real, when we look at what we'll get, we'll get the largest green space in Europe."

No, that's not being real, it's being deluded. If you look at the Olympic plans you'll see the green space is far smaller than Victoria Park which is right next to it. And there was loads of green space there already, before they wasted billions digging it all up. As for influencing the 'Cultural Olympiad' - who cares, no-ones interested.

Report this post »

Alan Griffiths, Forest Gate, London says...
7:54pm Sun 11 May 08

I'd like to congratulate Jennette on her election as chair of the Assembly for this year.

And I have a picture of her at an event in Walthamstow on 31 January 2008.

Report this post »

technomist, walthamstow says...
8:29am Mon 12 May 08

What event was that Alan?

Report this post »

Your sayYour Guardian

comment Add your comment

Register for a FREE East London and West Essex Guardian Series account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.

Please register now or sign in below to continue.