Category Archives: Blog

Brian Coleman in trouble again

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I blogged before about Conservative GLA member Brian Coleman’s foolish and insulting comments about Haringey.

Although Brian gamely tried to defend his words in a comment on my earlier blog piece, the real sign of what happened is that even Boris Johnson – not exactly a stranger to the blundering insult of an area himself! – thinks our Brian went too far, as one of our local papers reports:

Boris Johnson MP (Conservative), who was campaigning in Wood Green last week as part of his bid to become the Mayor of London, distanced himself from Mr Coleman’s comments.

He said: “Like everywhere it has its problems. There are lots of lovely bits and lots of lovely people here. I think generalisations are not particularly helpful.”

The perils of blogging: the Alisher Usmanov affair

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What with party conference and now general election preparation – not to mention the normal day-to-day work for my constituents – I’ve not previously got to blogging about the Alisher Usmanov affair.

If you don’t know – he is an Uzbek billionaire (and then some) and owns a large chunk of Arsenal football club. Craig Murray – former British ambassador to Uzbekistan – made various allegations about him in his book. No libel writ. But he then repeated them on his website. Result?

Threatening legal letters to the firm hosting his website. Firm then decided to pull the computer on which his website was hosted – removing from the internet both Craig Murray’s site, but also a host of other sites from people who had never even mentioned Alisher Usmanov. Also caught in this was Tim Ireland (of Bloggerheads website, and who had also mentioned the allegations) – his site was pulled by the firm too.

I’ve not actually read Murray’s book or blog – so I don’t know whether the allegations are true or not – but that’s not the point. There are two free speech problems here.

First – I’m all for people who publish things online being held accountable for what they say – but people who publish online should also have reasonable protection. It is possible to get an injunction against a book, newspaper etc before going ahead with a full action for libel – but there are hurdles you have to meet and in the end you have to make your case in court and win if you want to stop the allegations being distributed. That’s not what has happened here as far as I can see – instead it was a case of threatening legal letters and – bing! – the site went.

Second – those innocent sites caught in the crossfire – including Tory MP and London Mayor wannabe Boris Johnson and Labour councillor Bob Piper. These and others do seem to be back online – but they shouldn’t have gone in the first place.

In many ways the internet – and blogging community – has shown its resilience through this, with widespread support online for the principle of free speech (and far more publicity about the allegations I suspect than if the lawyers had never sent those letters!) There’s an impressive list of blogging supporters at Tim Ireland’s new/temporary site.

Now – libel law isn’t my area of speciality, but clearly what’s happened here leads to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with our laws.

There’s much that is wrong with our libel laws overall (basically – too much power given to the rich who are willing to gamble on the libel lottery), but it may also be there are some smaller, more immediate changes that would be feasible to pursue in Parliament, even though I’m sceptical of the odds of getting a major libel law overhaul in the near future. Something to ponder – and I’m open to suggestions.

(Update: I’ve corrected the text above as more than one legal letter was sent – I originally wrote about “one” letter)

Our secret vice

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That’s the topic of my latest column for the local Muswell Hill and Highgate magazines.

As to what the vice is?

Well, you’ll have to read on…

Our secret vice
But Lynne Featherstone with Highgate councillor Bob Hare's prize winning golden pears at the recent horticulural show in the Moravian Church, Hornseyit’s a wonderful vice – it’s growing things! Having attended a number of horticultural shows this summer, including the Highgate, Muswell Hill and Hornsey Horticultural Societies – I have been staggered not only by the produce and exhibits – but the commitment and participation by so very many local people to this raging passion.

Now a veteran of a number of local shows – I am wise to the fact that most of the First in Show honours are collected either by Gary Sycamore or Eric Gurman – who basically clean up on each occasion. However, as one woman who kept coming second to Eric said to me at the Muswell Hill show – that when she does get a First Prize and beats him – it really means something to beat such a master. And there are so many categories – that others do get their chance to shine.

A tremendous amount of effort goes into organising and arranging these shows – and they are all incredibly well attended and very much enjoyed by everyone. Personally, I love them. I cannot grow things myself – for two reasons: a) incapable and b) time poor! But one day, when I have time – it’s on my list – because it is such a joyous thing to do.

I am always amazed at how such beautiful flowers and vegetables come into being – despite last summer with no rain and this summer with nothing but rain. Over my two years of shows, I am learning about what makes a perfect vegetable or bloom and that the National Horticultural Society judging has very strict, high and testing criteria.

It is also clear that there is a wonderful community that grows up around allotments and horticultural societies. This year I ‘launched’ the new ‘shed’ for the ‘Golf Course’ allotments – the result of lots and lots of work in terms of bidding for a lottery grant. Now we have a splendid shed – and a community who all know each other, where the kids can play and where actual food is grown! This isn’t just about shows – this is a real opportunity to bring people together, make people feel part of a community – and to produce wonderful vegetables which save a lot of money.

I was given a basket of vegetables to take home from the Muswell Hill show – and the vegetables just tasted heavenly – completely different from the ones I buy. It makes you think! And it is not just the taste that appeals – it is knowing that there is a vibrant community behind the growing of the fruit and veg that appeals too – because so often, especially in our urban areas, community ties are so weak and hardly anyone knows anyone else.

Anyway, this is just one of the best of local community activities and individual pastimes that you can get. I ran into one of my Liberal Democrat colleagues at the Hornsey show, Cllr Errol Reid (Hornsey) who is now campaigning to expand horticultural horizons. Errol wants to get the National Horticultural Society to extend its judging categories to window flower boxes and stuff grown inside – so that not lucky enough to have access to an allotment or garden can join in the fun!

The angels that are Macmillan Nurses

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Coffee morning in support of Macmillan NursesYesterday my pub – well I say my pub because my constituency office is upstairs – had a coffee morning this morning to support Macmillan Nurses. It was part of a national thing today – and I love The Three Compasses because they really are a community pub and do community things such as this – and have Fairtrade products and care about all of it.

Seemed to go pretty well with a steady, if small, flow of people coming in to support the campaign.

It’s funny, you know, for all of us who have been supported by Macmillan nurses when our loved ones have been dying – we all turn to each other and say ‘they are angels’. For those who are lucky enough not to have had to come into contact with them personally – these are the most wonderful beings who come into your home and do the things for the dying that make them comfortable – as comfortable as possible – as their ending comes. And it is also the comfort they bring to the family tending the dying person.

I know when my mother was dying – those last couple of days (and more importantly nights) were gruelling and the weeks before had been gruelling – but when the Macmillans came, some of the lonliness and anguish was reduced. It’s really hard to explain.

So as I say – for those of us who have experience of Macmillan nurses – we can’t sing their praises high enough. I am pictured with Ellen on my left and Kerry on my right. Ellen and I briefly shared the fact that both of us had had parents where Macmillans had come in – and agreed – they are definitely angels.

Fair funding for Harnigey's schools

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Collect Lynne Featherstone campaigning against the £736 per pupil under-funding of Haringey schoolsmore signatures for my Fairer Funding for Haringey Schools – outside Rokesly School today. The basic issue is straightforward – Haringey schools don’t receive as much money per pupil as schools in neighbouring boroughs – hence my petition (click here to sign it online).

From the reply from Ed Balls so far – he acknowledges there is a problem and that a simpler formula is needed, is carrying out a review and hopefully in 2011 (!) will introduce an improved funding formula.

So – pressure to be applied, because our children and teachers shouldn’t have to wait until possible changes four years hence – though the good news from his response is that it suggests pressure may yet succeed as there’s a chink of light there already.

Nick Robinson refuses to show me his balls

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I had my hopes up when lovely Nick appeared on the TV this evening … but alas, they were dashed.

Another BBC news reports about Gordon Brown, general election date and all the will he won’t he dithering.

On to screen strides Nick Robinson – he whose balls I wish to see – and we see him confront the Home Secretary about general election date – but what then happens? Soft question, easily batted away.

None of the tough questions about why in a democracy the PM should be able to pick the election date that most suits the PM’s electoral prospects. None of the tough questions about the hypocrisy of Brown saying he wants to get on with governing – whilst at the same time happily stoking up election date speculation.

Now – I know Nick Robinson can be a tough interviewer when he wishes – indeed, I still remember him clearly chasing Sir Ian Blair (London policeman) down the stairs, along a corridor and through to the outside, thrusting microphone in his face and asking tough, aggressive questions.

So come on Nick how about it next time – how about addressing the tough questions to Labour?

What's happened to Tony Blair?

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I have been astonished at the lack of Blair at Labour’s party conference. Obviously not in person – but it is as if the collective guilt of those he left behind has painted him out of their history. Hate to point it out guys – but you all (with honourable exceptions) voted for the war, kept quiet or in Gordon’s case – signed the cheques.

You can’t lay it all on Tony – you were all there, cheering and voting him on. New Gordon? Doesn’t wash with me!

Gordon Brown and election dates

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Having complained before about how easy a ride the media are giving Gordon Brown over his rather arrogant attitudes towards election dates, treating our democracy as if it is his own personal plaything – full credit to Jonathan Freedland for writing:

The absurdity that the timing of our elections is in the hands of the prime minister has to end. It doesn’t just destabilise our politics; it is grotesquely unfair. British elections are running races in which one of the contestants gets to fire the starting gun. So when Gordon Brown finally names the date, let him also vow to be the last prime minister to exercise that privilege. Let’s give our parliaments fixed terms – and end this guessing game once and for all.

Well said!

UPDATE: And also good pieces over on Paul Linford’s blog and The Herald.

Plans for the NHS

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Well, well, well! So Health Secretary Alan Johnson has outlined plans which aim to make the NHS more user-friendly for patients in his speech to the Labour conference. He said patients should be treated close to home and GP surgeries should open “at times and in locations that suit the patient, not the practice”.

I will be quoting this incessantly at Haringey PCT if they try and move our GP practises into the polyclinics! That’s the point I keep making. We need to be treated close to home.

As for this shenanigans with Brown and the election – a real man, a real Prime Minister – would put the country first! I rest my case!