Category Archives: Blog

Being charmed by Smokin' Joe

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Lynne Featherstone and Jo FazierSmokin’ Joe and me are the best of friends!

Last night Haringey Police and Community Boxing Club had a black tie dinner to raise funds for the club. Smokin’ Joe (Frazier) – World Heavyweight Champion and one of the few to knock Ali down -was the big event. Introduced before the dinner – he was somewhat flirtatious as was his manager. At my age – this is now to be enjoyed!

It was a fantastic evening – and I hope it raised a lot of money for the club, as this is one of Haringey’s finest achievements – all down to the local police who started it some years back. It takes kids who might very well wander into trouble and gives them real attention and aspiration. Our club is also doing brilliantly on the international stage and making a really superb reputation for itself.

At the annual dinner there is boxing – but tonight there was no boxing, though there was an auction of signed memorabilia (like boxer shorts of Ali and Jo signed by both). And then an interview with Smokin’ Joe for about half an hour and time for photos. He is one hell of a character – and a bit of a charmer I found!

Radio 4 blogging interview now available

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Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can here in full my interview (along with Dizzy Thinks – aka Phil Hendren) with Radio 4’s PM program before it is even broadcast! It’s up on their website.

I do like the what they are trying with their Saturday show (called iPM) – doing things like making available the draft running order for the show (and showing how it changes over time) and also putting on their website the full interviews which then get edited down for the actual show. It gives the rest of us a better sense of how a radio news programme is actually put together – and also (as with this interview) some access to the fuller information behind the news stories.

Why this week has brought good news for your personal data

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Well – having been banging the drum for a long time that one of the problems with Labour’s national mandatory ID cards scheme is the risk of all that personal data being abused, misused or mislaid – I think you can guess my views this week! But good to see – as Liberal Democrat Voice reports – that the latest polls now show a decisive majority against ID cards.

So – if all the problems of people’s personal data being lost by the government has helped to highlight some of the problems with ID cards, perhaps some good will come from it all after all. As I said back in September 2006:

The introduction of ID cards will allow our personal data to be shared without our consent. Even the tightest security will eventually be breached. ID cards will only hold limited information but there are 52 categories of ‘limited’ information that can and will be held which will build up a pretty comprehensive picture of us and our lives.

Radio 4 interview on blogging

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Am doing an interview with Radio 4 today about politicians and blogging. It’s for the PM program tomorrow – and, as this is their interactive edition, you can see the work in progress on this story over on the Radio 4 iPM website. I think this means the interview will be broadcast tomorrow too, sometime after 5:30pm – so listen out!

'Labour is conspicuous by its conservatism'

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Stirring words from Chris Huhne in today’s Guardian:

… On climate change too, Labour is conspicuous by its conservatism. Carbon emissions are up, green taxes down. Climate change research has been cut. Firms have been let off reporting their environmental impact. Road freight tolling was vetoed. Flood defences were cut last year. The climate change bill sets a target lower than the science demands. None of this will meet the greatest challenge of our times …

For the country’s sake, the Liberal Democrats need to get back a sense of anti-establishment insurgency. With Labour and the Tories scrabbling over the same ground, we must set out a programme of radical change that can give back hope and trust to the millions excluded from the political system. Without trust in the process, progressive politics is dead. Only the Liberal Democrats have the vision to revive a movement of conscience and reform.

The full piece is here.

Bowes Park Community Association

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Bowes Park Community Association (BPCA) had their AGM tonight. What makes this group particularly impressive is that they have created a range of sub-groups that DO things.

There is the Community Garden sub-group, that despite early and vocal opposition brought to life and use a piece of unloved green space – now winning flags for achievement. The fear raised by objectors six years ago was that if you made it nice and put in benches it would become a nest of drug takers and alcoholics. It hasn’t. It has become exactly what the vision was – a lovely oasis where community picnics or sales or events take place and a garden proper.

There is a walking group, another garden group (different space), a social group (quizzes etc) and so on. And yes – they do lots of work on traffic and rubbish and so on – but it’s a positive group doing good things!

A death sentence for UK's Iraqi employees

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That’s the subject of my recent article for Liberal Democrat News:

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. These Iraqis are people whose intelligence and work the British Forces lives have been dependant upon. Yet the fact is that the British government is treating these people as if they are applying for means tested benefit – not like people who are fleeing for their lives.

The British treatment of Iraqi employees stands in stark contrast to the employees of the Danes. When the Danish government pulled their troops out of Iraq at the beginning of August, they foresaw the perils facing their staff and immediately acted, chartering a flight that took all 60 of their Iraqi staff, and their families, straight to Copenhagen and a new life without fear…

The government’s protracted review has brought us a remarkably poorly thought out policy that is practically unsustainable and morally unforgivable. The death squads won’t wait and neither should we; the government must act immediately or it will have the blood of Iraqi employees on its hands.

You can read the full piece here and sign the petition here.

Busy, busy day

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Earlier today got the figures on the funding proposal Haringey Council is getting from the Labour Government. I’ve been campaigning on fair funding for Haringey’s schools since I discovered that our schools get £736 per child less than those in neighbouring boroughs. Well the new funding proposals adds insult to injury. The gap will widen further to a £1,000 differential. I am seeking an urgent meeting with Ed Balls.

It was also the launch of Stroud Green School Children’s Centre today. This is after a series of delays, changes in staff, etc etc – and even today the Service Level Agreements weren’t signed. However – putting all that process mess out of the way – today was a lovely occasion with children helping with ‘planting’ a tree and a whole class singing to entertain us. This is part of a program to create 18 children’s centres in Haringey. Ten down – eight to do.

This is the first one to be constructed in a primary school and cost half a million. It’s much needed in the community but because of Haringey’s delays they missed the September term time start. But they open in a week or so – and there are some very lucky children who will be going there.

Iain Dale and I were then the speakers on ‘new media’ for the NCVO. Always enjoyable to share a platform with the uber-blogger! Then to Parliament for a series of votes before heading over to the Haringey Civic Centre for a Police consultative meeting.

Packed chamber as the IPPC had come back, as they had promised, to talk to local people, campaigners and the Sylvesters (Roger Sylvester‘s parents) about their report which basically resulted in no recommendations for discipline from the police – or indeed anything much.

Well – you can understand in Haringey where we have had a number of black deaths in custody – and no action on any of them – that the people in attendance were not best pleased. Actually it is really traumatic to see and hear the pain still in the room – eight years on – because they feel that justice has not been done. It is too hard to understand how a man could be dragged naked into the freezing night and die.

At least the Haringey Community and Police Consultative Group gives a forum where the anguish can be voiced – but it’s pretty cold comfort for a family who don’t believe justice has or will ever be done for their son’s death.

Two more voices speak out against extending detention without trial

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There’s something quite bizarre about the drive to extend the period people can be detained without trial to 90 days. We’ve already had the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, admitting there hasn’t been a single terrorist case so far where more than the current 28 days limit was needed.

Today two more significant voices spoke out. First was the former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, who told the Home Affairs Select Committee that he had seen no evidence to go beyond 28 days – and that he would even have resigned from the Government to fight Labour’s attempt to get 90 days previously.

Also appearing today was Ken Macdonald, head of the Crown Prosecution Service – and so right there at the heart of decisions over whether or not enough evidence has been gathered in cases to proceed with a prosecution. His verdict? He is “satisfied” with the current 28 day limit and that he hasn’t seen any cases that would have required a longer period.

So, why oh why is Labour (or, to be fair – some parts of Labour) still so eager to increase the limit?

And why does all this matter in the end? It’s because not everyone the police arrests is guilty. Innocent people get arrested and detained too.

Extending the amount of time people can be detained isn’t just some cost-free exercise to punish the nasty; we should remember also the innocent people who get detained – locked up, separated from their families, taken away from their jobs – with who knows what to return to afterwards. That’s an awful trail of wreckage to make out of someone’s life – and no way should we risk more of that happening without an utterly convincing case as to why longer detention without trial would really help.

Crouch End parking chaos

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Crouch End residentsMy Liberal Democrat councillor colleagues in Crouch End are having a right go at Labour Exec Member Brian Haley over the parking chaos in Crouch End. Cllr Lyn Weber organised a tour with residents for Brian – to try to finally get through to him the parking nightmare which his policies have brought about and which need to be addressed now – not some vague time in the future.

Residents form Claremont Road and Stanhope Gardens as well as several other areas bent his ear – hard – about the really severe problems they are now having as a result of Haringey Council not planning for the knock-on from other CPZs.

The proof of the pudding was on display and Cllr Haley saw vehicles reversing down roads; the difficulties posed by no parking spaces; the distressing story of a young child in pain who had to be carried to a far-off car to get to the Whittington Hospital; road rage; small business being affected by lack of access to houses, and much, much more.

Cllr Haley was short on concrete answers but has assured residents that a consultation will occur in the New Year. Fingers crossed…

Funding is also an issue. Excuses from Haringey Council over funding just won’t wash. If Haringey Labour can find £10 million to cover losses on IT upgrades, surely they can find the small amount of money needed to tackle this misery for residents?