Highbury Barn's festive lights go on, but without a choir, band and celebrity

Published: 10th December, 2010
by TERRY MESSENGER

A STREET party will be staged in Highbury next week to compensate for the “disastrous flop.” that was the Christmas lights switch-on.

Liberal Democrats and community groups plan to hold a “Not the Christmas Lights Switch-On” celebration at Highbury Barn next Saturday, December 18.

They hope the event will prove more successful than the poorly attended official lights ceremony last Wednesday, organised by Islington Council.

Opposition Lib Dem group leader Councillor Terry Stacy said: “We’re going to do it properly this time. 

“Last time there was no choir, no kids, no band, no funfair. It was hopeless.”

The second attempt is the latest twist in an unseasonal row between the Lib Dems and Labour over the High­bury Barn Christmas lights. 

Cllr Stacy aban­doned attempts to organise the official event after the Labour-run council insisted that Mayor Mouna Hami­touche flicked the switch. He accused Labour of hi-jacking the party for political ends. Cllr Stacy wanted BBC political editor Nick Robinson, who lives locally, to do the honours. 

The Mayor turned up last Wednesday with Labour environment chief Councillor Paul Smith – but none of the usual accompanying festivities took place.   And hardly anyone was present to see the switch-on.

Chairwoman of Taverner and Pecketts tenants’ management organisation Gabrielle Mann berated Cllr Smith as he sheltered from the cold in Highbury Barn pub. She said: “I told him exactly what I thought. It was a disastrous flop. No mince pies, no celebrity, no kids, what a joke. I got no reaction from him – nothing.”

Ms Mann, who describes herself as a “floating voter,” will help organise the December 18 event.

Council staff install the lights, which are paid for by the council.

Cllr Smith said: “This is a non-story. The default position is that the Mayor switches on the lights. The lights were switched on. Job done.”