Category Archives: Blog

Iraqi interpreters update

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The indefatigable Dan Hardie has an update on his blog on the shameful way our government has failed to stand by Iraqis who worked with our armed forces. For all Gordon Brown’s fine words in October last year – Dan hasn’t been able to find any Iraqis who have actually been evacuated from Iraq since then.

As to why this matters – here’s what one of the people fearing for their lives says:

They (the militia) keep asking my relatives and my family’s neighbors about me and they keep moving in my family’s street and keep their eyes on our home… they told them: anyone know anything about A__ he should tell us immediately and also they said: we will never give up until we catch A__ .

So – do go read Dan’s post – and then lobby your MP (and, yes, it’s worth doing the lobbying even if your MP is someone like myself who is already supporting the cause – because the more contacts MPs get in total, the more pressure Government Ministers will feel under).

Have you been over-charged for Royal Mail stamps?

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A friend has told me about their experience buying stamps in a newsagent in Crouch End – the newsagent added a mark-up and was selling first class stamps for 40p each.

Generally I’d be happy for shops to choose what to charge, but I think stamps are something a little different. In particular, because people expect them to be the same everywhere – and because you don’t pick them up off a shelf where you can see the price they are being sold at in that outlet – it’s too easy for people to be fooled into paying more without realising it. All the more so when you often go to the till with various items, ask for some stamps too – and then are charged a total where (unless you’ve kept a running total of your purchases as you go) you normally won’t notice any mark-up on the stamps.

Anyway – the Royal Mail doesn’t condone charging over the odds for stamps. So – (1) do watch out for what you’re being charged, and (2) if you are charged too much, you can ring them on 08457 640 640. I’d also be interested to hear from you, so I can gauge how widespread (or not) this issue is.

I've been shortlisted (again!)

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Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised by the news that – as this blog has been shortlisted for another award – I’m now expecting to be runner-up yet again!

However, you can help break this tradition – by voting here (where the excellent Alix – one of my constituents – is also shortlisted, so you can make it a Haringey 1,2!).

More trouble with personal data at Haringey Council

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Well – went to the ex-Haringey Council housing office in Crouch End – again – to do some media stuff over the discovery of piles of files containing personal data on 20,000 people. The files had been abandoned by Haringey Council when they stopped using the building – just left behind, unsecured.

Now, after the news broke – the Council said they had then secured the files. But what happened when I turned up to meet the media?

One of the squatters came out and invited us in to see where the stash of private information in the files had been. Just round from the door in a sort of cupboard was where four-foot stacks of peoples’ private information had been just abandoned.

I then went outside to wait – and a few minutes latter the squatter Steve and the media came out carrying a box of 14 files that had just been left on the floor. So much for Haringey Council having secured the files after the news broke!

Anyway – the Liberal Democrat council group tabled the motion about the dumped data – and Labour (obviously very hang dog) supported us. The council Chief Executive promised that all the individuals would be contacted – and we have asked for an independent investigation.

I want to be able to reassure local residents that their private and sensitive information that is given to Haringey Council will be properly looked after in future – whether archived or current.

The casual approach to people’s data is a real concern as we move further and further into an age where our details are kept technologically. And as for finding another 14 files even after Haringey said they’d secured the abandoned files…!

What would you do with files of personal information, including bank details, on 20,000 people?

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If you’re Haringey Council – the answer is, “leave the dumped in a squatted building”.

Yes – really! That’s what The Sun has discovered. The building in question is in Crouch End, and used to be used by a council Housing Benefit office. But when they stopped using the building, they failed to secure or clear out the files. Instead, we have a building open to anyone to walk in – and stuffed full of personal files, containing details of 20,000 people, including in many cases all the details needed for identity theft.

I am shocked and extremely concerned for the people affected. They urgently need to know the risk they have been exposed to by Haringey Council’s incompetence. They must be contacted immediately by Haringey Council so they can check whether or not they have been a victim of identify theft or fraud. Then, the council leaders need to sit down and seriously review their archiving system. With benefit claims, child protection documents and Council Tax records, Haringey Council holds some extremely sensitive information on virtually every person in the borough – and it must be properly looked after.

Neil Williams, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Haringey Council, is tabling an emergency council motion today calling for a thorough investigation and review.

Breaking down barriers between communities

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I’m quoted in the Sunday Times today:

Children from ethnic minorities are to be sent on adventure holidays with white youngsters in a scheme to break down racial and religious barriers.

Ministers want children from different backgrounds to mix at summer camps where they can enjoy extreme sports together. The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) centres also offer workshops in skills such as circus tricks and producing pop videos…

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat youth and equality spokeswoman, said: “Breaking down barriers is a good idea. [But] we need to look at the long-term effects of these schemes: they have to be more than a holiday.”

What did I previously think about Brian Paddick?

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From my latest column for the Ham & High:

The risk with keeping a public diary (as I do with my blog) is that it means your words are out there, in full public view – and (thanks to search engines, caching and all that malarkey) even still there to be found if I hit delete on my own site.

So – when Brian Paddick, a former Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, put his name forward to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor, I went through two immediate emotions.

Firstly – pleasure, because my experiences of dealing with him whilst he was serving in the police and I was serving on the Metropolitan Policy Authority were very positive.

But secondly – anxiety, because I did wonder whether I’d ever written something critical about him – and if so whether therefore my words would get quoted back at me or Brian for evermore – or at least, until polling day.

Read on to see what I found when I went back to look…

The lesson of the Lotfi Raissi case

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The latest terrorism news is a timely reminder as to why it’s foolish to think that the answer to fighting terrorism is simply to give the authorities a blank slate to do whatever they want when it comes to locking up people, bugging them, and so on:

Six years of fighting for justice left Lotfi Raissi an emotional and physical wreck and his marriage close to ruin. But yesterday, the Algerian pilot falsely accused of training the September 11 terrorists heard, finally, that he was “completely exonerated” of any part in the attacks on the twin towers…

Three of Britain’s most senior judges condemned the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for abusing the court process, presenting false allegations and not disclosing evidence. (The Times)

That second paragraph of this quote is the key. To be fair – from what I’ve seen of the case, it may well be that the mistakes were made in good faith, by people working hard under great pressure, rather than anything worse – but abusing processes, false allegations and failing to disclose evidence are all serious mistakes – and the more power people making those mistakes have, the worse the impact is.

Power needs to exercised with caution, control and moderation – something that, as I wrote about before, seems to be lacking far too often.

And even more of our Post Offices are under threat…

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Following on from the news about Highgate Village Post Office (sign the petition here), six more also face the axe. As the Hornsey Journal reports:

THE proposed closure of seven Haringey post offices is set to be announced next week, the Journal has learned. Councillors and anxious residents have thrown their weight behind a lobby to stop the cutbacks which could see trade and the community suffer.

The leaked list, revealed by a reliable source, includes Weston Park, Ferme Park Road, Alexandra Park Road, Salisbury Road, West Green Road, Page Green Road and Highgate High Street…

Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green Lynne Featherstone, who lives in Highgate, said: “These are disgraceful plans. We have just seen off a threat to our local community centre at Jacksons Lane and now we have this.”