Arrive at protest against the Vodafone mobile phone mast which is to be hoisted aloft the old BT building in Grand Avenue, Muswell Hill.

I am about 15 minutes late (doctor’s appointment) and as I arrive I hear this fantastic chant of ‘another brick in the wall’. Except that it’s the children from a nearby school singing (to the tune of ‘another brick in the wall’) – ‘We don’t need no – radiation … All in all we’re gonna fight ’til all the masts fall.’

It was a fantastic sight and sound with the children and parents standing firm to protect their youngsters against the harm that we are all concerned may lurk around masts – and mobile phones for that matter. I’m a firm believer in the precautionary principle.

I hope that Vodafone have a heart and decide against proceeding with this mast. But that won’t answer the bigger picture issue. Individual protests spring up around lots of mast proposals – sometimes there’s a victory, more often not. And of course, lots of us use mobile phones – so simply arguing for an outright ban wouldn’t make sense or be consistent.

So instead on Friday in the Commons, Andrew Stunnell (Lib Dem MP) is bringing forward a Private Members’ Bill which proposes the precautionary principle. It makes sense to be cautious and careful, particularly around children, the elderly and the sick. And for local authorities to have the power to reject an application based on the precautionary principle where there are vulnerable children and adults nearby.

We also want ALL masts to need to go through the planning process – not just those over 15 metres. It’s daft that at the moment large masts can go up without any planning application being needed but many people have to apply for planning applications for relatively minor changes to their home such as to a porch.

Next Monday at Haringey Council we are also debating the issue after my colleagues in the Lib Dem council group submitted a motion. I hope the protestors will be bringing a deputation too.