Category Archives: Blog

Greig City Academy

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I am against the break up of the school fraternity into trusts, foundations and academies – for very good reason of believing that the only way to bring real success to all children is for the local community school to be excellent. But we are where we are – and the reality of Greig City Academy in my constituency is that it is forging ahead to create a community school and tackling head on the challenge of creating a really good community school with what even the headmaster termed challenging children.

Mr Paul Sutton (the Head) is quite something, and he zooms around the corridors of the school in his wheelchair, having been paralysed only two years ago in a rugby accident. His speedy return and his extraordinary determination to deliver exciting, aspirational and practical futures is quite something to behold. Results are improving from the bad years of the previous school which transmuted into the Greig Academy.

The reason I believe lies in the staff. In the end, it is always the quality and determination of the human beings driving this forward that delivers results – and here from head (literally) to toe there is absolute commitment.

However, academies can pay their staff £5,000 more than other inner London state schools – so of course application is high and the motivation is high. I had about an hour with the Head and then walked around the school going into a few of the classrooms as the children were being taught.

The atmosphere was serious and studious and the teaching was really interesting. In one classroom the teacher was asking the kids a question. The boy answering used the word ‘like’ in his answer almost every two words:

Well Miss, like, it was, like, when you go like, to you know, like to a …

The teacher pulled him up on it. And I thought that was fantastic, because it is a detail – but its a detail that belies a way of thinking behind what is said. And it was done nicely and well.

So – the Head’s aspiration is for the children from the area to come to the school as it is the local school. It is the case, at present, that most of the parents from up the hill prefer to try and get their kids in elsewhere. It will take time – but the school is improving and I have no doubt that the children who go to Greig Academy are being educated – and I mean educated in the best sense of the word.

Architecture awards

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I don’t suppose we will get over this date, 9/11, for may years to come. Important to remember. Am concerned by conspiracy theory gaining any credence that USA did it themselves. Often get the feeling these days that we are psychologically disposed to believe the worst of ourselves and our allies and the best of the terrorists. Those views have been encouraged by the way our trust was abused over WMD.

At the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architecture) London awards – of which I heartily approve. Design barely gets a look in generally and yet it is the answer to many of our problems. An example: minimum room standards. They are far too small. Result – teenagers can’t take friends home; they hang out incessantly; I get queue of people at surgery telling me how dreadful the youth of today is. And I am forever banging on about the importance of the built environment to our lives. It can raise aspirations or blight them.

The awards went to twenty-two buildings in London – which is quite a lot of good buildings in a year. We should be so proud of our good architects and their continual striving to create wondrous spaces and shapes and dwellings and workplaces. They fight the good fight. I just wish developers, councils and politicians would make their lives a bit easier – then we might really have more decent buildings – and not just in central London.

I tried to tell Ken, when I was on the Greater London Authority, to send his architectural adviser – ye Richard Rogers – to Haringey for one of our big projects. But Ken wasn’t really interested in the quality of development in Haringey, and the developers – well they cut every corner in the book.

Haringey Peace Week

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Watched Gordon Brown being interviewed by Andrew Marr and trying to be nice and cuddly. Problem is, as William Hague put it, no one can possibly believe he has had nothing to do with the events of this last week. Most damning was his too long silence. But I guess when you have kept silent for a decade and let TB take all the knocks – you don’t really know how to step to the front. It was evident that he is so used to saying almost nothing when a controversial issue hits (remember his long silences over Iraq? tube privatisation? etc etc). So he reverted to tired phrases. But you can’t have tired phrases if you want to lead a Labour renewal.

Spent the later part of this afternoon at a church service to mark the start of Peace Week. Haringey is the cradle of Peace Week, courtesy of the charismatic Reverend, Nims Obunge. Now a London-wide movement, it is going from strength to strength. Much singing and praising – and I, David Lammy (MP for Tottenham), George Meehan (Leader Haringey Council) and others all addressed the congregation.

Part of the praying and the blessing was to bring strength and wisdom to the leaders of the community (including us the speakers). It is very nice to be prayed for. I am not religious – but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel the spiritual side of life in a way.

It was also very moving to hear prayers for community safety, for entrepreneurs to move into the area, for health and so on. It was very practical prayer. Peace and justice was the overall theme – and of course the point is you cannot have peace without justice.

Street party with a twist

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Greenham Road street party
Sometimes you just see such a good idea you think why doesn’t everyone do it. I have been to summer street parties – many times. And they are always enjoyable, great for community spirit and sometimes for charity too. But today I went to Greenham Road to open their street party with a difference.

Sarah Prince had an idea. Then she got her chums (all women) out for a drink – and then they thought it was a good idea. Then she got WaterAid involved and everyone in the street and bob was your uncle (after a lot of hard work).

Basically the children all get to make chalk pictures on the pavements outside their houses – and with the food and the games and the events the street hopes to raise £5,000 and Sarah got WaterAid to promise to match the funds the street raised. The money will go to a project which will bring a well to a village in Uganda where the children or the mothers walk for hours and hours to fetch water – and water which more often than not is likely to make them ill. This project will make an enormous difference – an unbelievable difference to them.

Having selfishly been gazing at my brown lawn in the July heat wave during the hosepipe ban, how unimportant that seems set against what is needed elsewhere in the world. Couldn’t help thinking that linking street parties with a worthy project is a good way to go. And what was really great is that the children were really involved – could chalk to their hearts content – and the rain will clear it all away eventually. Full marks to Sarah!

Hilary Benn for leader?

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Labour’s continuing leadership problems have made me think about who I would pick to succeed Blair. Hilary Benn would be my man. No enemies (that I know of) but more importantly a new sort of leader – one with a genuine manner and devoid of the Blair-style demeanour that is soooooo yesterday. That will be Cameron’s problem – he is emulating a past the country is getting fed up with. Benn could supply an ideal heritage transmuted to fit a modern agenda. Perhaps that way could lie Labour renewal. Perhaps it is not really for me to intrude on private grief – but it certainly is gripping.

More basic, four and a half hours yesterday of surgery, meeting residents individually about their particular issues. It always serves to remind me of the parade of problems and challenges that never seem to lessen. After which I had my regular meeting with Cllr George Meehan, leader of Haringey Council. I had a raft of issues to raise with him:

– an update on CPZs: there will now be a second phase of consultation, where they discount the roads that didn’t want a CPZ and go back and consult with those that did.

– Noel Park Recreation Ground delays – suffice to say that the poor children have had the summer without their play equipment replaced (it was taken away during building work of a new children’s’ centre and not replaced). I had categorical assurances from the Council about finish dates that were never met. Anyway – I now have the update which promises that the work will be finished by the end of the month.

– I raised the issue of the astronomical amounts of money paid in Housing Benefit for temporary accommodation. I have had two recent cases where the tenant has been placed in quite frankly unliveable one bedroom accommodation (with man, wife and child) at a cost of around £400 per week – and this in areas where normally even in the private market you wouldn’t pay more than £200 I reckon. I know there’s a premium because of the supposed short tenure – but inevitably a temporary placement for 20 days turns into months and sometimes year. Factor that up – and the costs are unbelievable. And it keeps the people who are meant to be helped with benefits in poverty as with that high price of rent they often can’t afford a job because they would then lose so much in housing benefits that they wouldn’t be able to afford to carry on paying the rent. There are some moves to make it possible to place tenants in the private sector – but I think this needs looking at. Some landlords are raking it – and it’s not as if they are taking a risk – as the rent is paid by the state!

– business recycling is next on my list. Businesses are largely untouched by recycling – so I have ‘called on’ George to look into it. In fact, as the Council has decided (controversially) to take back recycling under their own auspices – this is an ideal moment to push home the Lib Dem campaign to introduce business recycling into the borough. And while I was at it – I lobbied for bigger recycling boxes (again)!

– I also raised some issues about the Chocolate Factory with him – but more about that later.

– and last, but not least, I have offered (as the Council hasn’t used me yet) to lobby on behalf of the Council at Parliamentary level. As I had flagged this up on the agenda prior to our meeting, George had one ready for me – the cost of asylum seekers to this borough – or more accurately to get the Government to fund the deficit between spend and available government grant. Will do. In a borough like Haringey (and when I talk to colleagues from other parts of the country who rarely see an asylum case – you can see how uneven the destinations are) we happily have more than our share of the asylum seekers who come to London – but we should not have to bear those extra costs and pressures without full Government assistance.

Last meeting of the day is with Richard Sumray about Hornsey Hospital. Once again Richard stated his commitment to the project and the Primary Care Trust of which he is Chair is hosting a public meeting on 13th. I am stirring a campaign to coincide with this with the view to adding pressure and enthusiasm to support a bid for funding. A bid is being prepared – and I think we need to go for it big time. But we will hear the detail publicly next Wednesday.

Political bloggers

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Speech to the Government Smart Forum. It was a bit like walking into the lion’s den to give the Liberal Democrat position on ID cards (against) because – as the Chair pointed out – most of those in the room stood to gain financially from the relentless march of the ID and smart cards.

In the event it was good fun – and seemed to go down well. And given what the Chair said, I though it was a moral victory that in the straw poll vote at the end the room was pretty evenly split – only marginally in favour of database and ID card! But as the Chair also pointed out – those who voted against may not have been against the card or database – just the idea of this Government implementing and administering it!

Straight on to interview with Channel 4 for a package on blogging. There is a small, but definitive band of us who the media come to for stories about political blogging. Guido Fawkes, Recess Monkey, Iain Dale, me and David Miliband – on the whole. The blogs are all quite different and we all have a different approach and purpose with our blogs.

Ben Cohen, the interviewer, asked me which blogs I read – and I had to confess very few. To be frank as an MP I don’t get any time (although I would love to spend my time doing so) to enter the blogging community in that way. He asked me what I thought of David Miliband’s blog, and I had to confess I had never been onto that site – although I have heard it is pretty bland. Hey – he’s a Labour Minister – what did you expect?

The interesting point Ben brought up was that both Tories and Lib Dems are encouraging their troops to get involved in blogging but Labour isn’t – and therefore is missing out on this movement which is at times breaking news itself. But an army of bloggers saying whatever they wish – Labour nightmare! Especially at a time like now … (Though they shouldn’t be scared. At the time of my party’s leadership travails earlier this year, it was tricky to blog at times – but being able to communicate via blog helped me explain to people what I was thinking and why and things were better for that).

The Lib Dems are taking blogging more and more seriously – indeed I’ll be handing out a “blog of the year” award at this year’s party conference. (If you are a Lib Dem blogger going to conference, see the blogging tips on the party’s website).

And lastly – Blair’s ‘announcement’. I thought it was masked incandescent anger. As for Gordon – he did what Blair forced him to do: give him support. If Labour have any sense (and judging from early rumblings after the announcement sense isn’t their strong card at this moment in time) they will now shut up and concentrate their fire on the Tories. But that would mean breaking some very ingrained habits. We will see!

Muswell Hill Library

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Went to the public meeting / consultation on the plans for Muswell Hill Library on Wednesday evening. If it all came off as described and local residents concerns can be addressed – then the library could be fantastic.

It is much in need of really expensive love and attention. Patching up won’t do any longer – and it is right to develop the library into a modern, vibrant social centre. So that’s the good news.

Of course, funding it requires the building of a few probably luxury dwellings and the leasing of a space within the new library development for a restaurant. There was some concern over a restaurant – smells, noise, suitability and some calls for something more like a coffee shop with evening readings, etc etc. For those living in Avenue Mews, the fly in the ointment and for them a serious fly, is the loss of the only available parking in the street bar about eight on street spaces if the extra development happens.

The issues I raised were really about concerns over the rather vague presentation of the business plan and costs. As it was – with no idea of what bit raised what finance – it was impossible to make any judgement as to whether there was a choice at all as to what the space within the library could be let for – is any alternative to a restaurant feasible? Commercial confidentiality was given as the reason – but I didn’t feel that the figures had been really tested to any degree. So I asked Lorna Reith if she would go back to Property Services and rigorously test the figures. At this point it seemed that Property had simply said we need to sell land for development and lease a space – and that that had been taken at face value.

I also asked that whether she could take back the issue of the problems of Avenue Mews residents re parking to see if there were any other little bits of land belonging to the Council that might be rented to them. Both of these things Lorna agreed to do.

There still was a lack of detail about the plans – and Cllr Gail Engert (Lib Dem, Muswell Hill) made a very good point in terms of having asked after the last meeting for that detail yet here we all were at a second meeting and the detail was still not available.

However, all in all, it was a pretty positive meeting. And as I said at the beginning – if it all works out it could be great. If…

Displacement activity

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You can tell I’m prevaricating and procrastinating – but I’ve been watching the Labour Party self-destruct in preference to writing my speech for the keynote spot at the Smart Government Forum tomorrow.

Cometh the moment cometh the man? Is Gordon going to step forward now and show that he has what it takes to lead? Otherwise – the moment may pass him by. Sky says that he is likely to do interviews in the weekend press. Time and tide etc…

The end for Blair?

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This is a nightmare ending for Blair and catastrophic for the Labour party. Having watched breaking news on and off all night (wakeful – don’t know why – usually log-like) the pundits have concluded that having named the day – Tony won’t last the course. Poor sod. Name the day! Name the day! Tony names the day (via the Sun) – and then the day isn’t good enough.

I would feel sorry – but much has been brought upon himself. If their was ever a Faustian pact ‘twixt him and Brown, once in he clearly didn’t want to go at the end of two terms. Clever (but not really) to announce he wouldn’t stand again at the next election as it warded off the inevitable speculation briefly about his tenure. Followed so swiftly after the election by when, when, when.

Tony’s marginal MPs fear their ending at the next election – and yet even in my short time in politics it has dawned that what the public like least is internal wars about the who. Concentrate on the greater good rather than the Labour good.

Having been one of those who signed my name on the letter that helped trigger Charles Kennedy’s demise, I also know that sometimes you have to do what you believe is in the best interest of the party – even to the very person who you have supported and championed. But as with Charles’s ending – which at least was swift in the event and for reasons of health (both his and the party) – it takes time to heal and move on. With hindsight now – and looking at what is happening in Labour – our own troubles seem to have been tackled and got over remarkably quickly. It was just a matter of weeks really, whilst Labour has been hobbled for month after month after month of speculation, plotting, intrigue and infighting.

Labour could have had an ‘orderly transition’ if Blair and Brown had worked it out and worked for the benefit of the party and the country. But given the enmity and the nature of the two men and the political context in which they hate each other – and the now rising realisation that Brown may not be the saviour he is cracked up to be (as I have been banging on about publicly for around two years now) – I can’t see that there is going to be any sort of happy transition.

Charles Clarke and Stephen Pound (both of whom I kind of like to be honest), I see, are both seizing the moment – and to remind the players in this ghastly ritualistic sacrifice that the people might be more impressed if the challenges that face the country were the priority of the government rather than this unseemly mess.

But you can’t have an effective government without an effective leader – and that’s the conundrum that the Westminster bubble will all enjoy over the coming weeks and months.