Could we all behave like grown-ups?

At the moment one of the five City of London North London Open Spaces cafés is being run by Daisy Green and four are still managed by the original operators. This is because we are all waiting to see what the High Court makes of a legal challenge by Hoxton Beach who say that the bidding process was flawed and that the outcome was, to put it crudely, a stitch-up. The City accuse Hoxton Beach of trying to frustrate a properly conducted exercise for selfish reasons. Quite soon a judge will say whether the legal challenge is strong enough to go forward to a judicial review. If this permission is granted a lot more information can be expected to be released on the background to the decision to give four cafés to Daisy Green. In the meantime the City seems unclear on whether it can be business as usual in the meantime, with park users allowed to get the service they're used to. This article by local government journalist Ben Lynch seems to show that the City are even prepared to risk the physical security of the Lido rather than engage normally with the Café, and that there is proof in the form of internal instructions to staff. On the other hand the City's press officers insist they are engaging normally. It is as clear as mud -- rather like, you might think, the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing that led the City to hand over much loved community assets to investors in glitzy hospitality chain.