Off to the residents’ association for Tivoli, Montenotte and Glasslyn Roads. I turn up for the AGM itself so I can hear the discussion before my allotted speech and so get a better idea of their concerns. I arrive at 11am and am offered wine – this is good news – but I decline until after the meeting. I like a glass of wine – but they have asked me to speak for 40 minutes and take 20 minutes of questions – so wits and brain need to be intact!

They are clearly a top-notch residents’ association who are organised, active and hands on. Cllr Dave Winskill (Lib Dem, Crouch End) has been working closely with them over some time on issues around planning and anti-social behaviour. The roads are right next to Highgate Wood School which brings its challenges in the form of young people sometimes causing agro and damage. They, the school and other key partners meet and have had a fair bit of success. John, the guy who looks after the schools issue, makes a good point that when there is someone out in the street on a Friday night the kids don’t do the destructive stuff. One was heard saying ‘better not – there’s people about’. If only people were out and about more – it would deal with quite a lot of it as well as giving more confidence to others to go out.

Winskill arrives at midday and I tell him that his ears should have been burning from the very complimentary remarks several members have made about him and how helpful and active he is. Dave doesn’t blush – but tells me that they are the best residents’ association in London. So clearly mutual admiration!

I give quite a long speech, trying to interweave the local issues around Hornsey Town Hall, planning, anti-social behaviour and phone masts – together with the how they fit into the national picture. I also go into quite a lot of detail about the Government’s impending proposals for new legislation on terrorism and why we are supporting three of the proposals but not the other two.

The country wants and needs its political parties to try and work consensually at such times as these – and we are doing our best to do so. However, we mustn’t abdicate our responsibility to scrutinise proposed legislation in Parliament. It is very easy under the stress we are feeling to bring in draconian legislation which removes our freedoms in the name of protecting us from terrorists – and is a terribly difficult line to walk. But bad, rushed legislation does harm.

There are three proposals from the Government that we totally support. These are the ones to make it an offence to train to be a terrorist, carry out acts preparatory to terrorism and inciting terrorism.

However, we are not supporting the Government on two new proposals in their current form. The first – ‘glorification of terrorism ‘ – has far too broad a definition. Such looseness will mean a feast for lawyers interpreting what constitutes ‘glorification’. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. I can understand where the Government is coming from on this. My blood boiled when I watched one of the suicide bombers broadcast video on Al Jazira praising the act. However, legislation has to be effective or it is worse than no legislation. A smart lawyer will run rings around this one.

The second proposal we have problems with is the one to allow three months detention without trial. This strikes at the heart of the British principles of justice that there is not detention without trial. We understand the need that the police have to get evidence which is not always obtainable within the 14-day period currently allowed, but allowing detention for three months without trial is basically internment.

I am hoping that the Government is genuine about consensus with us and therefore will be willing to discuss these two proposals. If they simply bowl along and say they are going to legislate on those two without trying to find a way through – then we will be forced to oppose.

We had a good discussion post my speech – and then I succumbed to a glass of wine.