I see from the papers that Alan Johnson (Labour Secretary of State for Education) is now talking too about the need to involve fathers more in their children’s welfare with ideas such as “dads and doughnuts” … all of which rather echoes my speech last Thursday which I talked about precisely this good idea from the US. Flattery, imitation etc. applies I think!
Category Archives: Blog
MercyCorps
In Edinburgh today supporting Siobhan Mathers who is a prospective candidate there in the forthcoming elections. She is just excellent – and brimming with energy and enthusiasm. We visited MercyCorps and met with Alison Christie who heads their funding operations.
MercyCorps is an NGO that focuses very much on sustainable economic development and works in around forty countries. Their local agents in the field are mostly local people rather than coming from base countries – thus building capacity on the ground.
CPZs: better consultation at last
Some good news on parking plans in Haringey for a change: the Council has now agreed to a proper length consultation period on CPZs. More details are in the news release from my colleagues.
One year of Ming
Ming’s first anniversary! So how’s my leader doing? I was talking to a broadcaster earlier this week who asked me the same question. Ming has made us all feel immeasurably better about ourselves inside the party and we are much higher in our poll ratings than we were one year in to the reign of previous leaders.
I know there is more that always needs to be done – but it is quite something to be led by someone who you know is fundamentally decent and does not change his principles according to who he thinks the next vote will come from. Contrasted with Cameron and Blair – Ming wins hands down.
What future for families?
Off to Edinburgh. Two brothers aged 15 and 11 got on at one stop and sat opposite me. We got into conversation and the reason I am writing about it is because they were both absolutely delightful – and that is a truth: that the vast majority of young people are good kids and not the bad kids that we hear endlessly about.
And that’s where you are wrong, David Cameron – because your ideas and preaching about tax breaks for couples who stay together is a political drum that can be beaten, but not what it takes to put in the support and engagement of parents for which helps give a feeling of security and stability and role models that those in particular from families that are no longer all under one roof need.
The two brothers were on their way to see their father – which they do every two weeks. They were lively, articulate, interested and interesting – everything you would want in your children.
And the only point I am making, is that it is the support and love and involvement that matters most. Trying to stick couples back together or encourage them through tax breaks isn’t the answer. And given the number of children that come from separated households, and the number of single parents (both sexes) battling to stay involved with their children fully – it’s insulting and discriminating against those families to suggest that only having one family all under one roof is the right answer.
Electing council group leaders
Threw cat amongst the pigeons – Lib Dem pigeons naturally – at London Region Conference tonight. However, the pigeons didn’t react as expected.
I had written a piece for Liberal Review a while back on how Lib Dem council group leaders are elected – currently by the elected councillors in that group. I had suggested that this should be changed to come in line with how we elect our Party Leader – one member one vote. The comments that followed were pretty robust and whilst there were many who agreed – there were certainly a whole host who felt that you couldn’t and shouldn’t let ordinary members have a say. Shock horror. Anyway – if you want to read the piece in full it’s at on the Liberal Review website.
Tonight I simply put the case and then it has to be said, barring one councillor who spoke against, all seemed to think it was the right thing to be thinking about. So have asked those there to take it back to their particular areas and see and debate in their own local parties – and then – use the usual opportunities to bring forward such a motion.
I also gave a keynote speech, my last as London Spokesperson as Tom Brake is taking over following my elevation to Shadow Cabinet. So outside of encouraging our troops and pointing out our tremendous advances in London, I was laying out a thesis about gun and gang culture and putting forward some suggestions on how to engage fathers with their children. You can read what I said on my website.
Control orders: Labour break their word, again
I couldn’t help thinking, as Blair announced the beginning of a phased withdrawal from Iraq (too little, too late and too slow – but better than nothing) that this was two finger to Brown. For had Brown’s 100 days started with an announcement of withdrawal he would have had instant double-bounce. Sooooooo – that explains the timing!
Sponsored (which means basically booked the room) for the Centre Forum debate ‘Security versus Liberty’ where Nick Clegg (Home Affairs No 1) was able to trail our opposition to the extension of control orders before the debate tomorrow.
When introduced in 2005 as an emergency – the Government promised (oh when will I learn) that they would have a proper review of them one year later. One year later they didn’t review them – but extended them with the promise of a review one year on. One year on they didn’t review them – they just wanted to extend them.
So – we are going to stamp our feet about this and vote against. They will still win – of course – they have a majority. But it is wrong to incarcerate people without trial without making all best efforts to bring them to trial whenever practical. And there’s much more the Government could and should be doing rather than simply falling back on the easy option of locking people up without having to prove their case against them in a proper court case. Examples of what they could be doing include allowing phone-tap and other intercept evidence to be used in court and also the use of questioning after people have been charged.
Well done Kirsty Williams
Have now seen all the short-listings categories for the Dods Women of the Year Awards and note that my Lib Dem colleague Kirsty Williams (Welsh Lib Dem AM) has been nominated too in the Welsh Assembly Member category. Congrats to Kirsty!
Liz Santry and Haringey Council's website
You may have seen in the local papers how Haringey Labour councillor Liz Santry (Haringey Council Executive Member for Young People) has had a go about a supposed mistake on this blog.
In brief – I said Haringey had failed to properly publicise an important public meeting through its website, and even now – as I write this and after she wrote to all and sundry saying I was wrong – the relevant web page doesn’t mention the meeting at all.
In more detail – I wrote on 6th February:
So – the second meeting of the ‘New School Bidders’ for the competition to take control and author a new secondary school in Haringey. If you remember, we kicked up at the first meeting because there were only six were members of the public.
This time it was a packed meeting – maybe a hundred people. I had put out an email to my lists as I am never convinced that a notice in a local paper – which is the standard Council approach – really reaches everyone. It’s a good thing that other people did promote this meeting as Haringey Council did not even get round to updating their website pages about the new school to mention the second meeting. But this time we didn’t leave it to just the Council – and got a far, far better attendance.
Haringey Council’s website pages about the new school is here and is found if you take the obvious (albeit long!) course through the menus from the council website front page: Home >> Children and Families >> Schools and Education >> Consultations >> New Secondary School
It only mentioned (and still mentions) the 16th January (poorly attended) meeting and not the one on 6th February. In fact, even as I write this now that meeting is still not mentioned – even though the page is noted as having been updated on 13th February.
Yet Liz Santry claimed in her letter that my blog entry was “Completely untrue. The appropriate web pages were updated on 17 January and will remain active at least until the consultation period closes.” All rather undermined by the absence of a mention about the second public meeting to go with the mentions of the first meeting – you’d have thought someone would at least have hurriedly added the information after she sent off her letter of complaint!
Transport for London briefing
Briefing for the London MPs by Transport for London (TfL). Felt like my old stomping ground as five years on the GLA’s Transport Committee stands you in good stead for knowing just what they are talking about.
What glared at me was the lack of planning for capacity increases to cope with the increased transport demands coming from Mayor Ken’s housing program for London.
We get the houses (much needed) but not the infrastructure to go with it – in this case the extra public transport.
The other glaring issue is the set of glitches (polite term) for the PPP tube contracts. I’ve asked for the performance statistics – as it might very well appear that the failure rate is once more increasing. One wonders whether we are even getting the bangs for bucks that were contracted for – let alone what we might have been aspiring to.We’ll see when the stats come through.
Other than that it was really TfL’s projections and planning up to 2025. Yes – it’s all the right words – but in the end it’s the dosh that will make the real difference.
Lynne Featherstone 