Category Archives: Blog

London selection results

Posted on by

Well – what to make of the results of the party’s selection of our GLA (London Assembly) list candidates for next year?

This time round I wasn’t standing (I finished third and top in the selections for 2000 and 2004, but stood down from the GLA when I became an MP), so it’s been interesting to see the process from the outside.

I’m glad that the overall list is so well balanced in terms of men and women – good progress there – and with a good mix of people used to taking on not just the Tories but also Labour! It is also clear that those who (like myself previously!) started their selection campaigns well in advance of the process officially starting generally did well – Jeremy Ambache and Caroline Pidgeon particularly. Good to see hard work and campaigning bringing benefits.

Is it all good news then? Well with nine out of the eleven being white, there’s bound to be some talk about the ethnic make-up of the list. There was a good range of candidates to choose from, so I hope those who weren’t successful at getting on this list this time treat the result as a stepping stone to the future rather than as a permanent rebuff.

Finally, congrats to Monica for getting on the list, and best of luck to Wayne and Ajmal – the other two candidates from Haringey – for other selections.

Visting Abyssinia Court

Posted on by

Visit Lynne Feathestone MP visiting Abyssinia Court to meet the residents and see the excellent luncheon club and drop-in centreto Abyssinia Court today – a housing scheme (extra care and sheltered) – to meet with both the tenants and also those attending the drop-in centre and luncheon club. It’s a really well run scheme – but if only Haringey would create more, or let the Hornsey Trust who run and manage the scheme create more. Mind you – Haringey Council have tried twice since I’ve been around to close luncheon clubs in the borough. Each time, local people and the Lib Dems campaign against the closure. Labour get frightened politically and then back off – until the next time. But several of the elderly residents and drop-in users told me that the luncheon club is their reason for getting up each day. Without the social interchange they find there it would be very empty and pointless. One man whose wife died four years ago after a 50-year marriage really puts his life down to the drop-in centre. And they do good things. They organise trips and bingo and events and socials.

Caught a very odd part of President Bush talking at the Global Leaders Conference. He was talking about the need for America to help those countries in the developing world and that by helping them they would be helping themselves – and opening up markets. It was kind of – the truth! But he explained it over and over and over again – as if talking to babies. I did wonder if this is how his advisers brief him!?

Hornsey Central Hospital: what's going to be built on the site?

Posted on by

Met yesterday with the developers (Acorn) who bought the bit of land that Haringey Primary Care Trust controversially sold off at the Hornsey Hospital site. The land shouldn’t have been sold off, but it was (regardless of local residents’ views). We haven’t even yet had in black and white that the monies will go on Hornsey Hospital – but as it has been sold off, I wanted to find out what the plans are now for it.

So – this meeting was with the buyers of said land. Undoubtedly they are approaching us locals with a softly softly approach to say their development means us no harm. It would be true to say that they are clearly professional and very keen not to run into trouble – and therefore appear to have gone to some lengths to meet possible concerns over planning issues. They are lucky that the vast majority of the site is not overlooked by residential properties and that Haringey Planning Department seems to have forewarned them of the likely list of objections. With their plans involving a good proportion of social housing – at least this isn’t one of the awful ‘ram expensive houses in the space where back gardens meet’ set of proposals.

As I said to them – the most important people in this are those directly affected, so when the application goes in we will see what they say. We desperately need social housing – but existing residents must first make sure they are happy with the proposals.

Should Robert Zoellick head up the World Bank?

Posted on by

As I’ve said to the media today, following the news the George Bush has picked Robert Zoellick to be the next World Bank President (and the US nominee has always got the job in the past):

No offence to Mr Zoellick, but this is another American and another Bush appointee.

The World Bank has fallen into disrepute through political appointments.

It is not credible for the World Bank to preach good governance to developing nations when its own governance is based on such an outdated and patriarchal world view.

The President of the World Bank should be chosen according to a transparent process on the basis of merit and qualification.

It is a shame that the British Government has done nothing to push for an open and meritocratic selection process for the World Bank presidency.

How can football help tackle crime?

Posted on by

That’s one of the subjects touched on in my latest (and brief!) column about issues around young people and crime in Haringey, written for one of the local magazines:

Are you (whether young or not yourself) intimidated when you walk past a group of young people wearing hoods? Lots of people are – but I still believe that it’s not how young people look but how young people behave that counts. In itself, there’s no particular reason to fear a piece of fabric – but it gets seen a symbolic of a bundle of fears and so induces worry for many people.

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

The abolition of the slave trade

Posted on by

A tremendous event: a commemoration of the bicentenary of the Act abolishing Britain’s transatlantic slave trade. It was put on by the Commission for Racial Equality in Westminster Hall in Parliament – where the debate that ended this abhorrent part of history took place.

There were speeches by Uzo Iwobi, a Commissioner from the Commission for Racial Equality, Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords and Trevor Phillips, Chair of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The event was hosted by Floella Benjamin OBE (former presenter of Play School, but that’s only a small part of her many and varied activites). It also included actors from the Globe Theatre who enacted dramatised readings, a young poet, Louis Antwi, and two choirs.

What I liked about it was that the speeches were very hard hitting about the reality of what happened. It wasn’t about bitterness or recrimination – but about accepting the reality of what is our history and understanding the consequences – psychological, socio-economical and historical – for all of us living now in this country. It was very, very powerful.

Writing to a random peer

Posted on by

OK – so the next step in the Freedom of Information ‘defeat the secretive buggers campaign’ is to ‘Lobby a Lord’. If you visit www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi then you can select a random (or specific) Lord to nag about the way they will be voting on the Bill when it is debated in the Lords.

This is my text to my random Lord!

Dear Lord Bishop of Worcester,

I am writing to you to beg you to join the Liberal Democrats in the lobbies when the time comes to vote on the Freedom of Information Bill. There is no reason on this earth why MPs should not be subject to the same amount of scrutiny and transparency as the rest of the Institutions and organisations in this country. MPs’ correspondence and correspondence appertaining to constituents business is already protected under the Data Protection Act and its sections and sub-section exemptions. There is no need for any further amendment or shenanigans.

Please, please do not support those who would wish to exempt themselves from this scrutiny.

Yours sincerely
Lynne Featherstone, MP

You can find out more about the campaign at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi

Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Residents Association

Posted on by

Rush from Houses of Parliament to make the Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Residents Association AGM. This is the Rolls Royce of residents associations. It has something like 500 members – which makes it huge. It is dynamic, active and successful. John Hadju (who was re-elected chair) has guided this gem for some time now – and with a very active vice-chair in Dawn Miles, and lots of really active other committee members and members – makes a real difference for the community.

In the last year their incredible work on the proposed closure (and subsequent actual closure) of Fortis Green clinic ensured that the services that had been provided there were re-established within the community and didn’t a) disappear altogether and b) move out of the area. Too much good work to describe here – but congratulations to all!

Prime Minister's Questions

Posted on by

PMQs today! Tony is obviously demob happy and enjoying life. He was very sparky today. Cameron had another bad hair day. I don’t know who is advising him – but his choice of attack is failing. Lot’s of stuff about asking what the ‘new’ Prime Minister will or won’t do. Firstly – he is no match for Tony. Secondly – the problem he has whenever he goes for health or education or useless ministers is that he always finds himself on the back foot because however different Dave wishes to present himself as – Tony reminds him of what the Tory party thinks and says – and usually quotes some killer Tory hostage to fortune to nail his coffin. It will be soooooooo interesting to see how it goes when Gordon is crowned. And Ming did well – but it wasn’t hard given the open goal the Government’s White Paper on Energy is in terms of its nuclear strategy.