Visit to Abyssinia Court today – a housing scheme (extra care and sheltered) – to meet with both the tenants and also those attending the drop-in centre and luncheon club. It’s a really well run scheme – but if only Haringey would create more, or let the Hornsey Trust who run and manage the scheme create more. Mind you – Haringey Council have tried twice since I’ve been around to close luncheon clubs in the borough. Each time, local people and the Lib Dems campaign against the closure. Labour get frightened politically and then back off – until the next time. But several of the elderly residents and drop-in users told me that the luncheon club is their reason for getting up each day. Without the social interchange they find there it would be very empty and pointless. One man whose wife died four years ago after a 50-year marriage really puts his life down to the drop-in centre. And they do good things. They organise trips and bingo and events and socials.

Caught a very odd part of President Bush talking at the Global Leaders Conference. He was talking about the need for America to help those countries in the developing world and that by helping them they would be helping themselves – and opening up markets. It was kind of – the truth! But he explained it over and over and over again – as if talking to babies. I did wonder if this is how his advisers brief him!?