Category Archives: Blog

Meanwhile, over on Liberal Democrat Voice…

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Two postings today that have caught my eye – as they mention myself!

First – Alex Foster on that issue of the moment – the monarchy and sexism.

Second – Jo Swinson has her latest piece publicising the (Lib Dem) Campaign for Gender Balance blog awards.

The existence of these awards has caused a bit of a fuss I know (why have awards just for female bloggers?) – but I think they are a good idea in highlighting good female blogs and in encouraging other women to blog. The proportion of Lib Dem political bloggers who are female – for example – is much lower than the proportion of our members who are female or our councillors who are female and so on. I could write all night on the different possible reasons for this, but overall – to me it says that there’s something here worth doing a little to remedy.

If the Lib Dem blogosphere is an expression of views from across the party, it’s good if that expression reflects reasonably the different parts of the party – new and experienced, elected representatives and armchair members, young and old and so on – all the different characteristics which can lead to different views and perspectives and yes – that also include male and female.

So yes – some encouragement is good. I didn’t need the existence of such awards to encourage me to blog obviously – but similar awards in other areas do have a good impact in encouraging greater diversity. So here’s hoping that these awards too do their own bit to help move us forward.

Best wishes Justin

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My friend and colleague Justin Portess and his wife Siri are expecting their first child. They are also moving out of the area and this major change in circumstances has caused him to stand down from the Council. This means the residents of Highgate ward (myself included!) will be choosing a new councillor. I’ll miss Justin but I’m delighted to hear that he is starting a family.

In the meantime if you have any problems you still have two fantastic Lib Dem councillors in Neil and Bob and, of course, you can always get in touch with me. You can raise any issues with us via the Highgate ward site – and note that the ward itself, despite its name, also includes the Archway area.

Highgate Wood School

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Having just returned from visiting Highgate Wood School – I am happy. And I am happy because the young people I met are great – and whilst there are loads of issues around knife crime and behaviour and so on and so on – the truth is that most of these young people are raring to go. It’s us who have to make their road ahead interesting, safe, full of opportunity and happy!

I addressed the Year 7 Assembly (around 200) and then did an hour Q & A with the Year 11 Sociology Class. There was a coterie of about five of them who are really, really interested in politics and having a voice – and I always enjoy talking over the issues. We were discussing the issue of having nowhere to go – and £58 million for new youth clubs across London coming on stream.

I was saying that what facilities are provided is key – as just a table tennis table won’t do it. It seems pretty clear to me that what is needed is a place to gather and socialise – that’s the main function. I know a couple of years ago a commercial company, for example, started a ‘pub’ – but a non-alcoholic ‘pub’ so young people could hang out, have coffee, juice etc. I haven’t heard how it fared – but it was that imaginative thinking that we need to try – along with sports facilities and all the usual.

I had tea with members of the school council – all bright and enthusiastic about civics and engagement. And then I toured many classrooms to see students in action. The School Council members showed me round – led by Adam Jogee – who is standing for Haringey’s Youth Parliament Rep. He had stickers for everyone and posters up around the whole school – clearly working as everyone we passed said ‘Hi Jogee’!

Highgate Wood is going through a real up period. There is an atmosphere of genuine enthusiasm amongst both pupils and staff.

Ken Livingstone and racism

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Listened to Mayor Livingstone on Nick Ferari this morning.

Ken really does have no shame. With all the muck flying about the London Development Agency (LDA) – known colloquially as Ken’s Bank – around LDA funding and the behaviour of the Mayor’s Policy Adviser, Lee Jasper – a decent Mayor would engage properly with the allegations.

But – hey – cheeky chappy believes he is right whatever the situation. Evidence: see yesterday when he said that the investigation into the LDA funding was ‘independent’ – and then the financial officer of the LDA at an evidence session before the London Assembly spilled the beans, saying it was an internal investigation.

Anyway – Nick F was suggesting to him that the coming edition of Dispatches on TV Monday night – in which I make a brief appearance – has allegations both about his personal habits and professional ones. Instead of dealing with the issues Ken – par for the course – goes for the program’s maker, Martin Bright. Ken says Martin Bright is doing a hatchet job on him – and it is because he has an agenda about Muslims in Britain.

Ken’s cry of racism against people who don’t fawn at his feet demonstrates quite clearly why he isn’t fit to be our Mayor. This sort of politically convenient wheeling out of racist charges also does damage to the very real and necessary battle against racism – because it devalues the term. Shame on you Ken.

Massive response to Jacksons Lane Community Centre petition

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Whoosh! Over four hundred people have already signed the petition to save Jacksons Lane Community Centre. Thank you to everyone who has signed so far, whether online or through the petitions we’ve been distributing in the area. If you’ve not signed yet, please do add your name – just have to click here and fill in the online form.

Highgate councillor Neil Williams and I feature in the Journal’s coverage of the story this week, which you can read here.

Scandal at the London Development Agency: latest news

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As the Evening Standard reports today:

Ken Livingstone has been accused of “misleading the public” after claiming an internal probe into the City Hall grants scandal was independent.

The Mayor was attacked by MPs from all three big political parties over his claim about the London Development Agency review. It examined allegations that LDA cash was misappropriated by friends of his adviser Lee Jasper…

Today the London Assembly heard evidence from two senior LDA officials dramatically at odds with Mr Livingstone’s claims.

Andrew Travers, who led the review, told Assembly members: “The review has been conducted by a team of LDA staff supported by a team of internal auditors – the conclusions of the review are mine alone.”

LDA chief executive Manny Lewis said the review had spoken neither to Mr Jasper, nor to anyone from the suspect projects or not employed by City Hall.

Labour MP Kate Hoey, Lib-Dem Lynne Featherstone and Conservative Greg Hands accused the Mayor of misleading the public. Mr Hands, MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, said: “It is deeply misleading for Mr Livingstone to suggest that the LDA has either been cleared or that the enquiry is independent.”

Ms Featherstone said: “Ken has no shame. It is almost as if if he shouts loud enough he makes what he is saying true, but the evidence shows that what the Mayor has said is not true.”

Ms Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, said: “The Mayor has been consistently misleading the public over the status of this review. It was not independent and it did not clear Mr Jasper or the LDA. People need to wake up about what is happening.” …

Assembly members fiercely criticised a Mayoral and LDA press release issued last Friday claiming the review had given the projects the all-clear. Lib Dem leader Mike Tuffrey described it as “spin” … [See my previous blog entry on this]

Mr Travers also confirmed that the review had not spoken to Brenda Stern, the ex-LDA whistleblower at the centre of the allegations involving one of the projects.

Appearing on Woman's Hour: the monarchy

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Well – having referred one institution (the monarchy) to the Equalities Commission, I find myself invited to another institution (Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour) to talk about it. They hauled in Charles Mosley as the reactionary to argue the case against stopping male preference primogeniture (i.e. to argue that it’s ok for a man to bump a woman in the line of succession to the throne just because they’re a man).

I don’t really think there are any valid arguments against changing rules on this – and indeed plenty of other monarchies have already changed.

As I said on the program – the current sexism is offensive! It says to me that this country still believes men are better than women. A large part of the monarchy is about symbolism – so what does it say that we let it be a sexist symbol? We romped through all the arguments – but to be frank – none stood against the central plank of discrimination.

Having referred the issue to the Equalities Commission – I expect that they are wondering what to do. If they take it seriously – as they should given their charge to fight discrimination – then they will come out and say that this is a wrong that must be righted, that they will put a working group together to advise the Government on taking this forward and say that Parliamentary time must be made available to see this through.

There have been efforts before by Private Members’ Bills – but at no point has the establishment been moved to actually get to grips with this. By omission this could remain the status quo forever. I hope that the Queen (who I was told by my opponent today on Woman’s Hour is pro this change!) will also suggest via usual channels that this should be done.

Anyway – it was a good debate – and three cheers for Woman’s Hour for giving it air time!

(And if you missed hearing it, you can listen again via their website).

UPDATE: Local newspaper coverage here.

Have you thought of being a firefighter?

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Women Lynne Featherstone MP meeting firefighters and local parentsat the school gates are a goldmine of talent, enterprise and skill – but they sometimes need an extra helping hand on the road from where they are back into the working world. I faced the same. I was at home (albeit working from home) for years whilst my children were young – and it’s a real challenge. Well – Women Like Us is an organisation that set out to help address this pool of unused talent – and has been sooooo successful that they are now working with around 3,000 women on their books, are used by big companies to recruit staff and so on.

Yesterday the Fire Service had a women’s recruitment team and fire engine come to Campsbourne School at close of play so that mums collecting their offspring (and it is overwhelmingly mums, not dads) could meet and talk with fire fighters about such a potential career. It’s a good one. Always a local station near home – and a really interesting career. Not just fighting fires – obviously – that’s about 2% of the job. Much of it is community-based fire prevention, teaching, talking and training.

The kids loved the engine, the fire hose and the uniform and we all had a great time. Hats off both to Women Like Us for the real inroads they are making and the possibilities they are bringing to women’s lives and the women firefighters – who were not only inspirational – but great fun to talk to.

UPDATE: local coverage of the story here.

Equal Pay Act: time for a major overhaul

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Pay packet pictureThere’s still a huge need for equal pay legislation – and legislation with real teeth – in order to deal with discrimination in pay rates for men and women doing equivalent or the same jobs.

However, the Equal Pay Act doesn’t seem to be up to the job.

The question of the Act is very much back in the news after the Equality and Human Rights Commission called on Monday for it to be scrapped and replaced with more appropriate legislation.

My own views are along similar lines – the current law simply isn’t working as it should to protect people from discrimination. The Equal Pay Act itself is based on the outdated view that discrimination is a rare occurrence perpetrated by individual ‘bad’ employers but fails to recognise the wide-scale structural discrimination that exists.

Part of the answer to this is for class actions to be seriously considered by the Government as a way of reducing the burden on victims and the tribunals – i.e. have legal actions which cover many employees in one go, rather than having to have separate legal cases for each person.

This individual system is the current approach – and it means the whole system is bogged down in massive numbers of cases. The result – it’s taking far too long for people’s cases to get through the system, and the longer a case takes, the longer justice is denied.

In addition, Ministers should also consider compulsory equal pay audits across the board to bring discrimination to light. These could be followed by a ‘protected period’ for employers to put their house in order before a lengthy tribunal process becomes necessary. In other words – highlight the problem, give people a chance to put their house quickly in order – and then if they fail, take legal action. Again, the idea is speed up the system and rescue people from intolerable delays until the system gets round to dealing with their case.

The Guardian picked up on my views – you can read their piece here and you can see my press release here.