Category Archives: Blog

A reason to be positive about the environment, poverty and war

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Something Picture of the sunthat brings good news on all three would be a pretty good Christmas present for us all, wouldn’t it?

Well – in my speech on international development to party conference in September, I briefly touched on the question of using solar power from Africa’s deserts:

Let’s us be both ambitious and optimistic, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. An area of great poverty and so often little progress. It is an area of huge potential for solar power. We have seen what wealth the oil era has brought many formerly poor areas of the world. Let’s aim for the era of green energy to spread those benefits more widely – and support the development of green energy.

At the moment, the sun beats down on these areas, and nearly all of the sun’s rays go to waste electricity-generation wise. Yet they hold a huge potential as a source of electricity to those countries and neighbours. It could be a case of win-win-win.

First, really large scale solar electricity production is not just renewable – no fears about the sun running out any time soon! – but brings benefits in the battle against global warming and the climate chaos that follows.

Second, just as the oil boom brought prosperity to millions in newly oil producing countries, a similar boom in green electricity production could bring prosperity to large parts of Africa, a continent so often blighted by poverty.

Third, bringing greater prosperity to parts of Africa and the Middle East will help undercut some of the forces driving armed conflict there. Reducing armed conflict, cutting the number of deaths and injuries, having fewer people flee their homes, cutting the number of refuges seeking refuge in grimy refugee camps or unwelcoming other countries: it’s all very much to be welcomed.

The possibility of securing this triple win is in the news at the moment thanks to the Desertec proposal recently presented to the European Parliament. It would see solar power stations being built in or near the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Power cables could then transport the electricity under the sea into electricity hungry Europe.

Current estimates are that this power would cost double electricity from other sources. At that price differential – there’s a problem, but given how technology can march on and drive down prices over time, I’m quite cheered by it ‘only’ being double at the moment.

You can find more details on the particular Desertec proposal on their website. Lots of food for thought – and optimism! – there.

Kim Howells puts the Government's case on Iraqi interpreters

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It Helicopter in Iraqcompletely buggered up my going to Pond Square carols on Thursday – which is one of my fav of the year events – but having been trying to get a meeting with Minister Kim Howells about the Iraqi interpreters issue for some time – then when only the day before I was told that a 5.30pm meeting was arranged, that took precedence.

I think it was the powers of persuasion of Chris Bryant (MP for Rhondda, Labour) rather than my that achieved this – but also Ed Vaizey Conservative MP and Dan Hardie – my local constituent who first brought the issue to me and who is at the forefront of this campaign.

The Minister would only see MPs and Ed was unable to come – so myself and Chris put the issues to him. I have abbreviated substantially and just give the essential gist below. The answers are those given in the meeting by Kim Howells – rather than my own view of what the answers should be!

Q. Why had the Government decided that only those Iraqis who had worked for more than 12 months for the British armed forces could qualify for the asylum or resettlement grants?
A. Difficult to draw the line – but must be drawn somewhere otherwise Britain would be open to thousands coming here; 12 months seemed to accommodate most of those at risk.

Q. But why not make a decision based on a risk assessment of an individual’s circumstances rather than impose an arbitrary cut-off date?
A. Too difficult a process in the situation.

Q. Why can’t people who worked for the British armed forces before 1 January 2005 qualify for asylum or resettlement grants?
A. It wasn’t dangerous before then.

Q. Why is the process of helping those who have worked for our armed forces so slow? Time is of the essence when people are in fear of their lives.
A. Because it takes time to do checks before a person is got out of the country, and when they are got out to a third party country there is another delay there whilst their status etc. is sorted.

Q. How long is it between contact by an Iraqi in danger and getting him/her out of the country
A. Three months.

At this point the Minister had to attend the Commons Chamber and the meeting terminated. Kim Howells seemed genuinely committed to trying to get those at risk to safety – but in erring on the side of caution so much it did seem to me that he was getting it wrong.

There would be people whose cases did not neatly fit the guidlines, and the whole process can be terribly slow. When people’s lives are at risk, it is better – far, far better – to err on the side of of saving someone’s life. We live in a world that at times seems obsessed with avoiding any risk – hence all the warnings that packets of nuts may contain nuts, that hot drinks might be hot, and on and on. And yet then when we have lives at risk in this case – suddenly erring on the side of safety doesn’t apply. A mad, mad world!

To be continued…

But in the meantime, there are two things you can do:

  1. There’s an EDM (a sort of Parliamentary petition) you can ask your MP to sign. It’s EDM 401 and you can read it here and see who has signed it.
  2. You can sign the petition at ourcampaign.org.uk/interpreters

(If you’d like some more background on the issue, you can read my recent article on the subject).

Park crime figures show why we need to keep Parks Police

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I’ve written before about Labour’s plans to axe the Parks Police here in Haringey. Well – the latest figures for crime in our parks show exactly why they should be kept!

Also in sobering local news this week was the estimate that up to 50 people will die of fuel poverty this winter in Hornsey and Wood Green – another good reminder, if one were needed, of the need to publicise the Warm Front Scheme to people who could benefit from it. In the scheme’s own words:

If you need help paying for heating and insulation improvements in your privately owned or rented home, you, your partner or civil partner may be able to get money from the government’s Warm Front grants scheme if, for example, you’re receiving income or disability-related benefits.

On a happier note, this week I visited Royal Mail staff in Hornsey to thank them for their efforts with the Christmas post, whilst in international news – the news about new funding for the World Bank reinforces the point that changes in policy are needed too.

Red tape and murder

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That’s the title of the latest blog posting from Dan Hardie, the indefatigable blogger on the shameful way in which the British government is turning its back on those Iraqis who work as interpreters for our armed forces over there. As Dan writes:

This comes down to one simple principle: the Iraqis whom our Government should help first are those who are at risk of being murdered for having worked for the British. It is still not too late for the Government to implement this principle. It is administratively possible. It is morally imperative.

And from the Government’s viewpoint, it is now politically advisable: a continued policy of literally niggling people to death, putting bureaucratic obstacles in the way of men and women in fear of their lives for having worked for British troops, will attract nothing but contempt, from the press and the public.

There’s an Early Day Motion in Parliament on this topic; please do ask your MP to sign. It’s EDM 401 and you can read it here and see who has signed it. To contact your MP, just visit www.writetothem.com and pop in your postcode.

Britain turns its back on more than half our Iraqi interpreters

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The Times today really says it all:

More than half the Iraqi interpreters who applied to come to live in Britain have had their applications rejected, drawing accusations that the Government is “wriggling out” of its promise to help former Iraqi employees.

The Times has learnt that 125 of the 200 interpreters who took up the offer to resettle in Britain have failed to meet the strict criteria laid down for eligibility…

In three cases seen by The Times, former Iraqi employees were told that they were ineligible because of “absenteeism”.

The interpreters claim that they risked their lives to serve the British and are living in constant danger of reprisal from Shia militias. If they did not show up for work, it was because they were fleeing for their lives. They said that they now felt betrayed by the Government…

Lynne Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat MP who has championed the cause of the Iraqi interpreters, said that the Government needed to use its imagination in a difficult case.

“If those Iraqis who have helped us are now being told that they can’t come here because their absence was regarded as a resignation, this is the world gone mad,” she said.

If you’re as angry about this as I am – there are two things you can do:

  1. There’s an EDM (a sort of Parliamentary petition) you can ask your MP to sign. It’s EDM 401 and you can read it here and see who has signed it.
  2. You can sign the petition at ourcampaign.org.uk/interpreters

(If you’d like some more background on the issue, you can read my recent article on the subject).

Modbury leads the way on plastic bags

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Lynne Featherstone MP and the Crouch End Shopping BagFollowing on from the launch of the Crouch End Shopping Bag (non-plastic, non-temporary), my latest article for a local publication is about plastic shopping bags:

You may have heard about the village of Modbury where the use of plastic bags has been eradicated. This village’s 43 traders, spurred by the need to tackle the environmental mess we have got ourselves into, all decided to do away with a real scourge of the environment – plastic bags. They have converted to corn starch paper, cotton or cloth – all sorts – but not plastic.

Now, Crouch End – with Budgens leading the charge – is on its way to doing a Modbury. Budgens has got a group of traders together to first cut use of plastic bags and is campaigning and on the path to then one day eradicate plastic bags. As well as encouraging shoppers to purchase a ‘bag for life’ (which is a special non-plastic bag) Budgens launched a Pennies for Plastic Appeal earlier this year in a bid to change customers’ shopping habits and cut the use of plastic bags. For every bag a customer reuses, the shop donates one penny towards building a theatre stage for a local school.

You can read the rest of the article on my website.

Leadership campaign: what are members saying?

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Did some phoning of members yesterday to see how the voting was going in the Liberal Democrat leadership campaign . Still around half hadn’t voted; I expect there to be a flurry of voting as we near the deadline (next Saturday).

The late voters were pretty much all going for Huhne and a couple of early voters for Clegg saying that they now thought they had made a mistake. So – still going in the right direction. As Chair of Chris’s campaign – to sum up I would say I am cautiously optimistic!

And here’s a quick plug for some reasons to vote for Chris:

  • Telegraph interview, including their verdict on Chris: “increasingly the favourite among the grassroots”
  • Chris’s three point plan to stave off recession – taking the political fight to Brown, which is just what we need!
  • Chris’s views on how to raise the party’s profile: watch here

PS If you are a party member and haven’t yet received your ballot paper – email returning.officer@libdems.org.uk ASAP.

Has Ed Balls got it right?

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Remote control and TVLabour Cabinet minister Ed Balls has been in the media today (e.g. see the Sunday Telegraph) talking about the possible effects of advertising on children. Some of this talk is oh so terribly New Labour (10 year plans, setting up new reviews, etc) but at heart there’s something to welcome here.

So many parents mention the impact that advertising on TV has on their children – shaping their attitudes, setting their tastes, increasing their demands for material goods. It’s an area we have to address. As I wrote in September, on the subject of the pressures that so many young girls feel over the images of what they “should” be liked hurled at them day after day:

The pressure to become mini-clones and mini-consumers is immense…

The answer is to seek balance – to value forms of status other than simply appearance. So, friends, activities, sport, study – and just being a nice person – kindness, humour, gentleness – need to become valued virtues.

Part of the solution lies with the media – and what a fantastic service it is that the BBC provides with its CBeebies channel, allowing children to enjoy the best of what TV can bring – the fun, the entertainment, the education – without being subjected to a commercial barrage of advertisements. That is public broadcasting at its very best.

So, let’s hope this is one government initiative that brings good news.

Christmas carols with the Highgate Choral Society

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Completely uplifted!

Went to the Advent Anthems and Christmas Carols in St Michael’s Church in Highgate Village. This was the Highgate Choral Society’s Christmas concert. It was just lovely as the voices swelled to such strength and volume; the beginning of Christmas for me really!

There are 230 members of the Highgate Choral Society – and about 130 of them were singing for us tonight. We are lucky to have such a local group with a national reputation.

I became a patron of the Choral Society earlier this year, and tonight I got talking to one of the other patrons, Lord Jenkins of Roding – who told me in the interval (mulled wine and mince pies) that he had been a councillor on Hornsey before it became part of Haringey Council. I never knew that! Anyway – well done to everyone involved – as it takes a huge amount of work to stage such an event so successfully.

Celebrating Action for Kids

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Lynne Featherstone MP and LornaOff to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary for Action for Kids. This is a national charity based in Hornsey which does remarkable work with disabled children and young people.

At Action For Kids they help disabled children, young people, their parents and carers in three main ways. They provide mobility aids, work related learning and family support services. In fact they try never to say no and will help in any way we can to enable disabled children and young people lead full and independent lives.

And you can tell that they have a crack team who are all totally committed to what they are doing – and who do it to the highest of standards.

I met Lorna (see photo) – who has a mobility unit which is engineered to do just about anything and everything. Lorna has now completed a teaching degree in dance and is working. We should be very proud to have such a fine organisation in on our doorstep.