Went to Mr Oswald Smith’s home in Wood Green to see the Warm Homes Campaign 2007 for real.
And the house was certainly as warm as toast when I called around. So Oswald (78) and his 82 year old wife will be quite sure of being warm through the cold months ahead.
This was all done through the Warm Front Scheme – which Mr Smith was eligible for as he is in receipt of a state penison credit. So – pass it on to anyone you know who might be eligible and who needs to be sure to keep warm!
Sadly my nice photo of Andrew Thornton (Budgens, Crouch End) and myself is blurred beyond use – so I can’t show you me proudly clutching my Crouch End Shopping Bag at its launch.
The lights were turned on and children from three local schools walking together down Crouch End Broadway to the Town Hall Square to sing carols – but the star of the night is really what Crouch End traders are doing by their drive to cut out plastic bag use in the area and encourage people to use reusable bags instead.
I have also written to all the supermarkets in Hornsey & Wood Green, urging them to supply a recycling bin in store near their checkouts so that people can discard the dreadfully overdone packaging at site.
Just to give you an idea of what can be achieved if a store is willing to commit to this, here are Budgen’s most recent statistics:
Not bad for just five months work! They are now planning to ban free carrier bags totally from March. And they are putting the large multiple chains to shame – who are aiming for a measly 25% cut over two years. If Budgens can do so much more so much quicker, why are they dragging their feet? Perish the thought that they aren’t just as well run as Budgens!
Bumped into Carolyn Quinn of Westminster Hour fame – and she told me the brilliant news. At a ceremony in London held by the Political Studies Association, The Westminster Hour won an award for being Political Programme of the Year. The Political Studies Association is the professional body for the nation’s political scientists.
I congratulated her effusively – and she kindly pointed out that I was part of the program. I guess – in a ten minute panel way – that’s true. Anyway – I am jolly pleased for them!
PS And I’m on the show again this Sunday: from 10pm, Radio 4. Or if you miss the show you can listen again on their website.
Just got notification that our own, our very own Treehouse Trust in Muswell Hill has won their TV contest with funding for landscaping at their Muswell Hill site. This comes from the People’s Millions programme, a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV in which viewers vote for the community project they want to receive funding. The Treehouse Trust was chosen by the public to receive funding.
As the email said: ‘Their Treehouse Landscape for Learning Project will transform the land around the National Centre for Autism Education into a wildlife area providing a habitat for birds, insects and wildlife. The group will plant trees and shrubs which, when matured, will provide a woodland walk to the boundaries of the site. The project will provide a safe, creative, sensory environment for the children at Treehouse. The group will work with local schools, other autism providers and community groups to extend opportunities and access to the facility. The 1,700 beneficiaries, mainly those with autism, will benefit from a range of new learning opportunities both practical and creative, whilst contributing to the sustainment of the eco-system. The one year grant of £80,000 will pay for landscaping work, trees and shrubbery, spoil movement and plant irrigation’.
Hurrah!
Interesting poll by Iain Dale on his website of how his readers think MPs of all parties have been performing in the last month. 1,256 blog watchers voted and they rated the performance of a selection of MPs over the last month.
Both our Liberal Democrat leadership candidates are in the top quarter, Chris at 10 and Nick at 21! Not bad for a Conservative originated contest on a website with a heavily Conservative readership!
However, both might like to look at the methodology of the occupier of the No. 1 spot for guidance when our new leader is declared and take a leaf out of the Cable book of stealing the limelight – for it is indeed Vince Cable who comes out as the top rated MP over the last month. Well done all three.
I have retabled my EDM calling on the British Government to move further and faster in its help for the Iraqi interpreters – those who helped us and are helping us in Iraq but for whom the consequence of doing so is to be hunted by death squads in Basra.
All EDMs fall at the end of a parliamentary session – which is why I have retabled it for the new session and it is now open for MPs to sign it (whether or not they signed the previous one). Encourage your MP to sign!
It’s EDM 401 and you can read it here and see who has signed it.
If you are not familiar with this issue – here’s what I wrote recently:
Many Iraqis employed by the British are tortured when found by the Iraqi death-squads. Like Haidr al-Mtury, a translator for the British, who had holes drilled into his hands and knees before both legs were broken and acid was poured over his face. Only then did a bullet to the head put an end to his suffering.
You can read the full article here.
Meanwhile – Dan Hardie has a harrowing account of the day-to-day fears for their safety of Iraqis who worked for Britain.
One particular piece of bad news from Russia’s Parliamentary elections: Andrei Lugovi, the man suspected of murdering ex-KGB agent (and constituent of mine) Alexander Litvinenko – was elected, and so now has Parliamentary immunity.
Not good news for those of us who want to see the case come to court and him either convicted or cleared depending on the evidence – either way, a court case would give the chance for justice to be done.
Haringey Lib Dem council group leader Neil Williams tells me that he is increasingly worried about council tax payers being taken to the cleaners by the current goings on at Alexandra Palace.
As ever with Ally Pally, it’s a complicated story – and one to which neither Haringey Council, nor the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (also, alas, a Labour councillor) will give full and frank answers, but it goes like this.
When the Trust (and for this we must sadly read Haringey Labour in practice) thought they had a ‘done deal’ with their chosen developer (Firoz Kassam and Firoka), they (the developer that is) were allowed to start trading in the building, to get their feet under the carpet, as it were. It’s a bit like thinking you had sold your house, and then giving the potential future owners the keys before the deal was signed.
However, the deal on the lease was thrown out by the High Court – as the Charity Commission was found to have failed to consult the public properly on their plans for the Palace. The whole process now has to be done again. This could take months, if it happens at all.
In the meantime, as the Trust had no ‘plan B’ to cope with this cock-up, Firoka is now running the trading business at the Pally – and pretty much pocketing the profits coming in, from events and exhibitions, and so on.
Previously, some pretty tidy contributions from trading have always been used to bring down the cost of the Palace to the Haringey taxpayer, possibly up to about £2 million a year – but this pot of money is now essentially in the hands of Firoka, who show no visible signs of passing it on.
Haringey Council describes this situation as “unfortunate” and blames the Save Ally Pally campaign as well as the Lib Dems – i.e. anyone other than themselves, even though it was they who came up with the flawed sell off and they who let Firoka in to start earning money before the deal was finalised. Indeed, they have employed blue-chip PR advisers, Lexington Communications, who are helping them say so – all being paid for by the Haringey taxpayer, just to rub salt into the financial wounds of this all.
Not good!
Waterstone’s seem to have got away with it in terms of the publicity for the event – but I think they should be deeply ashamed for the way they are helping a convicted criminal (and themselves) to make money, and dressing it all up in the language of “oooh, look at our clever new toy”.
What am I on about? Well – last week disgraced and convicted Conservative peer Lord Black did a books signing at Waterstone’s in Piccadilly. Only – he wasn’t there because – following his conviction overseas – he’s not allowed to travel to the UK.
Instead, Waterstone’s reeled out a bit of video conferencing plus a remotely controlled robotic arm so that Conrad Black could get round his travel ban and still “sign” copies of his latest book (about, ironically enough, that other moral reprobate – Richard M. Nixon).
Now – I’m all for treating those convicted of crime in a sensible manner (and that includes using work as part of rehabilitation programmes) but this wasn’t anything like that.
It was a distasteful mix of celebrity and technology to make money for all concerned – with the helping hand of PR courtesy of the robotic arm signing which was only needed because Black was convicted of a crime. Result: more royalties for Black, more profits for Waterstone’s. And to hell with the morality of it all.
So as I said – shame on Waterstone’s for this money grubbing approach to making money however it comes.
And here’s a challenge for Waterstone’s: if you weren’t really just trying to make money out of someone being a criminal and so not able to come to the UK, why don’t you donate all your profits from the event to one of the deserving charities that help victims of crime?
A little belatedly – it’s good to see that my Lib Dem colleague over in Camden/Brent, Ed Fordham (prospective candidate for the new Hampstead & Kilburn seat, which takes in a good part of Sarah Teather’s current constituency) has started blogging.
Ed’s not quite perfect – we are on opposite sides in the Lib Dem leadership contest! – but it’s good to see another addition to the blogosphere. Best of luck with the blog Ed!
Lynne Featherstone 