Bambos Charalambous
Labour
Other candidates in Enfield Southgate
By Michael Daventry
Whatever your politics, you can’t accuse Bambos Charalambous of not fighting hard. This is the second time he is trying to win Enfield Southgate back for his Labour Party and he says he has been knocking on twice as many doors as the Conservatives.
“The Tories do two [campaign sessions] every weekend. We do five: on a Friday at 1pm, two on Saturday, morning and afternoon, and two on Sunday.”
He’s absolutely convinced he can overturn his own 7000 vote deficit from the last election: “Hand on heart, we’re going to win. It’s going to be close, as with all things, but we’re going to win.”
Labour did remarkably well here in the local elections last May. If the exact same votes were cast in this year’s parliamentary election, his party would win by 500 votes, he said.
Mr Charalambous has a healthy entourage of a local councillors campaigning with him as he knocks on doors on the grey Sunday morning I join him in Bowes.
One resident emerges in a white fluffy dressing gown and tells him the story of the woman across the street whose front door was kicked in the other week.
“I’ve heard this story from one of your neighbours,” Mr Charalambous tells him. He takes his contact details and promises to raise the issue with the police.
Crime is the number one issue raised to him on the doorstep, he later tells me. “This is Boris Johnson cutting police numbers. It’s a Tory cut.” Crime is generally falling, he accepts, but “in certain areas there has been a spike.”
What about immigration? Do residents talk to him about that?
“It’s usually a byword for other problems in society, like school places or benefits claimants. There’s a perception of unfairness out there but in a recession people blame immigration. It’s happened before.
“If you believe in the European Union, you have to allow them to come in. These are workers, people making a contribution.”
Besides, he adds, “my parents are immigrants”. Mr Charalambous is a Greek Cypriot and I ask how the Cyprus conflict plays into his career.
UNITED CYPRUS
“There are more things that unify people than divide them. I have tremendous respect for my colleagues who are Turkish Cypriots. We are great friends and we socialise together. But there are people out there who are better placed to deal with the Cyprus issue.”
He is enthusiastic about Turkey’s EU membership too, using the phrase “when Turkey joins”. I ask him to repeat it just to be sure: “I’m in favour as long as the issue of Cyprus is resolved to the satisfaction of everyone.”
We turn to Chase Farm Hospital, where the emergency department and maternity wards were finally closed in 2013. I put it to him that the loss of these services was a failure of politicians of both parties, Labour for proposing the closure and the Conservatives for not blocking it.
Chase Farm no longer has an A&E unit
Mr Charalambous has a clearer idea of who to blame: “Burrowes, de Bois, Cameron, Lansley,” referring in quick succession to the MPs for Enfield Southgate and Enfield North, the prime minister and the health secretary of the time. “They all said no. They said Chase Farm would not be closed. They need to be held to account.”
DOĞUŞ DISAPPOINTMENT
I can’t avoid asking him to account for his own selection by the Labour Party, considered acrimonious by some. Centre for Turkey Studies director İbrahim Doğuş staged a challenge for the nomination and still maintains he won the contest by a single vote.
Mr Charalambous is firm on doubts over his victory: “the result was verified by Labour’s National Executive Committee.”
But he adds: “I understand why İbrahim wanted it. He was obviously unhappy [with the result]. But he has never come out with us on campaign sessions since, which is disappointing.
“I grew up in the area. I have lived here all my life. I’ve been a councillor for 20 years. I think I’m best placed to win here.”
