da bet7: We have all sat back in shock as rioting and general anarchy continues to sweep across the country’s major cities. It makes you wonder when it is all going to end and how the Government is going to act to bring this nation back in order.
da pinnacle: I remember being alerted late on Saturday that Tottenham was apparently ablaze as the first of these riots kicked-off. At the time I hadn’t seen any of the damage or the full extent of the troubles, but my initial thoughts was that Dan Levy and the football club have suddenly found the perfect bargaining tool to get the borough of Haringey and the likes of Boris Johnson to sanction some funds towards the NDP project. If anything the riots merely underlined why the football club have been so keen to not only build a stadium but regenerate what is arguably one, if not the poorest community and area of London.
When the club looked to move to Stratford and take up residence of the new Olympic Stadium it was widely condemned by Haringey council and MP David Lammy in particular. They felt the club were committing some sort of treacherous act, without realising that the likes of Levy had very little option given the finances that were involved in making the NDP project happen. There are only so many times that you can bang your head against a brick wall (and Spurs did a lot of banging trying to get just their plans approved, let alone attempting to get help funding it) therefore without the backing the club rightly looked to cheaper alternatives – you see building a stadium it is the easy part, the real cost lay in the club’s desire to take on the responsibility of the council and regenerate an area in desperate need of investment.
It is all rather ironic that those who look to defend the actions of the rioters in Tottenham have cited a lack of work and facilities as a potential cause – everything the NDP project would actually provide to the community if it could be funded. Maybe the events in N17 will finally hit home with the powers that be that they can no longer penny pinch around an area of London that needs investment and signs of prosperity the most. The NDP will provide this, so let’s hope the club and the council can now find a financial solution so they can build this better future for the people of Tottenham.