Michael Jones

Crossword wrangler, wrong kind of writer, some kind of idiot. Mostly staying off Twitter for a while. Occasionally breaking that rule.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

Wednesday’s solar eclipse, nearing maximum, as seen from London (photo taken at Alexandra Palace, Haringey). Not the sharpest image, but it will do.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

@Tomintheciti @ediz1975 Green Lanes has multiple buses in both directions. Where are you putting the bus stops northbound? Although not perfect for cyclists, the better solution is to have all-day bus lanes on both sides (but I doubt local traders and their customers would be happy to lose parking).

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

(Honestly, who the hell is going to read all of that? I'll shut up now.)

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

.@HaringeyGreens have got a tough job ahead of them. A lot of the problems with Haringey Council are with the officers, not councillors. It’s the mindset embedded at a senior level. It’s the unwillingness to take responsibility. The poor comms, internally and externally… 1/n

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

(8) Above all, listen. Labour’s mistake was (and, nationally, still is) to think they need to tell us what they’ve achieved. No. Government’s job isn’t to tell a story. It’s to listen. 11/11

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

One more thing (for now). Some of the stuff that gets posted about the outgoing Labour councillors is vile. You may not agree with everything they did (and I certainly don't) but most of them worked hard to try to make things better and they don't deserve abuse. I wish them well.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

(I realise I have zero reach on Twitter these days but if people are going to offer ill-informed hot takes on local politics that no-one's going to read amid the sea of blue-ticked hate tweets from trolls and bots, I want to be one of those people that no-one's reading.)

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

Greens grew in strength because Labour under Starmer were so weak. Suddenly there was a viable alternative and Haringey residents seized it.

So Starmer created the conditions for this result, but he wasn't wholly the reason for it. Labour losing Haringey wasn't all about him.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

Mixed feelings about the Haringey election result. Labour locally did some good things (eg council house building, improving children's services). But I don't think residents did feel Haringey listened to them, not really. They were the most complained-about council for a reason.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

Change has been coming for a while. Labour's long reign came not because of wide support but because, apart from LDs in the west, no-one else has any kind of core voter base. Labour won in the past because there was no alternative, so voter turnout was always low.

[Michael Jones @MIJ1s]

Not the most spectacular image but for the second time this year the #aurora was visible over Wood Green in London. #auroraborealis #northernlights