Category Archives: Blog

Prime Minister's Questions

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Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) sees Cameron flounder for about the third week running while Ming does good. He goes on the dreadful situation in Palestine. Why oh why doesn’t Tony Blair roll up his sleeves and work at the Middle East situation the way he did for Northern Ireland? The political will of Blair and Bush just doesn’t seem to be there to sort this out. The people of both Palestine and Israel deserve peace. It is the people who have been completely let down by the rulers – now and before. If the USA and we have muscle – then for goodness sake use it to force the road map through to peace before more generations grow up in fear or poverty and hatred.

After PMQs I am leading on the front bench on a Statutory Instrument on the floor of the House. They are usually done in committees but this is about bringing into being detention without charge for 28 days. It’s the issue on which we defeated the government’s push for 90 days. There has been a delay until now because Dominic Grieve (a Tory) suggested that we needed a new code to cover the treatment of those being detained under this new order.

It has taken the Government all this time to come up with it. Considering the indecent rush with which they pushed to get the time without charge extended, it is a bit of a rum do.

We are all supporting the code, but I raise issues around how this is likely to affect a community (the Muslim community) which is already extremely tender from the mistaken crude associations that some people make that Muslim = terrorist. Anyway, the Minister acknowledges the points I raise – and the statute is made.

Haringey Police Consultative Group

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Spent whole morning and lunchtime at a conference about the future of the Police Consultative Group (PCG) in Haringey. The Met Police Authority are cutting the funding – which is terrible. Haringey’s PCG is active, useful and works really well with the local Commander and all the groupings.

There is a very dedicated group of activists involved – and it isn’t really fair that they will have funding cut to equalise funding to all PCGs across London. I remember well from my time on the PCG that there were some that local MPA link members said were obsolete, non-functioning and needed to be ended – and then others that are active and quite vibrant like Haringey.

Anyway we all say at tables and had sessions addressing a number of issues around how local people could hold the authorities, politicians and police accountable; about the different levels of engagement; about young people and so on. Reasonably useful – but not sure about whether we reached conclusions.

Even more usefully, I met a couple of guys who work with young people. And one was lobbying me basically to stop politicians paying so much attention to the kids who go off the rails but to pay more to those who are positive role models but who might just need a bit of help or funding to get on – into uni – or whatever. And to spend money on a centre for the kids who are good but just need somewhere to go – not just pay attention and money to the negative.

And actually, that evening I am involved in a crime think tank (or anti-crime more accurately), so I bring it up and get it in to the consultative papers that Lib Dems will debate and take forward.

350 years of Jewish History

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Quarterly meeting with David Sloman, Chief Executive at the Whittington Hospital. Overall the Whittington has managed to balance its budget. Phew! But what awaits the good guys is a demand from the Government that they make ‘savings’ next year. David explains to me that there will be a capital investment (or at least that is the plan) – so that we will get it back another way. We have a discussion about the way health (and everything else) is being regionalised – and I talk about the need for nurses to be able to be caring as well as clinically excellent. So often they are rushed off their feet and so can’t give that extra personal care and attention. I remain convinced that the caring part of nursing is a keep part of medically effective treatment overall.

In the evening I get to go to 350 years of Jewish History. This is Mr Speaker’s reception for unsung heroes of the Jewish community and I go to have a drink etc. If Mr Speaker invites you – you go! In fact, I went last Monday to what I thought was this event. As I arrived, I shook hands with Mr Speaker – and in the reception line next to him was a Catholic priest. Which did strike me as odd – but… Then as I moved into the room, there were not very many people and there was a very quiet atmosphere. Jews gathered together are not normally quiet – I know ‘cos of family bashes. So I went back to Mr Speaker and asked him. And I had actually arrived at a celebration for the Apostles of the Sea! Mr Speaker kindly invited me to stay – but I said I would come back to the one he had actually invited me to the next week.

This time – the Chief Rabbi was there – and it wasn’t quiet! I met a little clutch of women from the Jewish Women’s League, a woman from Hornsey & Wood Green, the wife of the Chair of the Board of Jewish Deputies and a wonderful woman who sent people to far off places to do voluntary work. It is funny really. The Jewish population have managed to stay as a pretty firm culture and race – and assimilate at the same time. However, one woman told me that there is quite a lot of trouble and snobbishness about which type of synagogue or congregation that you belong too. There is no culture or race, I guess, who don’t have status levels. Great fun!

Race and asylum

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Spend day wrestling with the chapter I am writing for the next, so-called, Orange Book. They asked for blue skies thinking; I’m writing on Race and Asylum: Bridging Communities in Britain after Blair.

One part of what I talk about is the low turn-out at elections so that decisions about resource allocation aren’t supported by a majority. Now – along comes this email into my inbox about getting people engaged and helping people with no money (unlike Al Gore) to campaign. They allow small-scale, zero-budget campaigners to get on-line for free. They do not raise any revenue from this site. They are doing it for fun and because there are a lot of people out there who can make good use of this type of service. They just need to find them! So I am pleased to put a link to them on my blog: www.CampaignON.com.

Children's play equipment in Noel Park

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Summer days and local or school fetes are the order of the day at the moment. Noel Park Community Family Fun Day is one of the ones this weekend. It is a gloriously sunny day. I meander around the stalls introducing myself and learning about what is going on.

The big issue, about which many people wanted to talk to me, is Haringey Council’s failure to replace the children’s’ play equipment that they removed while building the children’s centre.

Promised now for two years that it would be replaced, local kids are facing their second summer without anything to play on. I will meet one of the organisers about it this week – and a little pressure and some help from the media will hopefully prompt them into action. That’s what happened with Campsbourne Play Centre where the Council had been messing them around – and last week I ‘opened’ the new play equipment. So – action stations!

Then it’s on to Bounds Green School where I am working on the refreshment stall, doing a walk about and then drawing the raffle. All went well – and then on to Abbeyfield open day. Abbeyfield is a home for the elderly – beautifully maintained and run. There are cakes for sale (which I buy) and lots of families visiting their loved ones.

Fortuitously on Sunday I am able to get home in time from visits to get home to watch England play Equador. Painful as always! I am in trouble for the next match as I (as a member of the Home Affairs team) sit on the Government’s Community Development group and we have to go for a two-day meeting next Friday and Saturday – and although it finishes at 1.30pm on the Saturday the chances of getting back to London in time for the 4 o’clock kick off are nil!

ID cards

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Got my new passport this morning! If you remember – I applied for a new one before my old one was due for renewal as a protest against the Government’s plans to introduce ID cards. You may or may not know that if you apply for a new passport in future, you will automatically have to have biometric information taken and be put on the National Identity Register (the new big brother database). And this is the first step to the ID card that goes with it. But if you renew your passport now, you can put off those steps for a decade – by which time they’ll have been an election or two, and – with a bit of luck! – the plans will have been stopped.

You can get more information on how you can renew your passport too (if you have one) at www.renewforfreedom.org.

Dealing with Hamas?

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Go to early Jewish Assembly at Highgate School where I am to talk briefly on being an MP and then take questions. As I have been told that the questions will be on the Israel / Palestine issue and other Jewish related matters, I try and set out the way an MP makes up their mind on an issue. I think it is always one of the confusions – do you represent the party you stand for, the people you represent or your conscience? Of course, it’s all three – with a range of variations on how strong each of those remits is on each issue.

I was explaining that you need to be very clear in your own mind – particularly on those dramatically split issues where both sides have enormous lobbies who are quite venomous if you don’t agree with their particular view. On Israel/Palestine I have always been quite clear that the two-state solution is the only way forward, they are both wrong when they do wrong, and the rights and wrongs of history and historic actions cannot be the arbiter of future solutions. It’s long and complicated and I do the best I can with a young audience and only a few minutes. I do tell them that an even-handed approach wins you no friends – on either side.

Anyway – we go on to questions. There is one young man who asks, as I have been discussing the difficulty caused to the western world by the election of Hamas, about relations with Hamas. We promote democracy as the fair and judicial way to select our administrations. Palestine has elected Hamas democratically. Previously, they were treated as a terrorist organization. So – the question was how do we deal them? I don’t think the young man liked my answer – which was that you have to negotiate. Yes – use all the powers that we in the West collectively have in terms of influence to insist that they recognise the state of Israel – but talk we must.

One of the things that always shocks me about the Middle Eastern situation is the lack of sustained drive and priority that Bush and Blair seem to give to it. I remember Blair literally rolling up his sleeves to get Northern Ireland on the road to peace – and the IRA were terrorists too.

As ever young audiences are always interesting – and I enjoy working with schools greatly. Have had lots of schools up to Parliament for a tour and then I will meet them generally if I am able to take half an hour’s questions. Last week – Coldfall and Highgate.

Off to surgery followed by a home visit to one of the audience from the Carer’s Conference I did last week. She had just been totally neglected by Haringey Council. As it is so difficult to even get out of the house if you are a sole carer – I said I would pop round to her house. She has a very disabled three-year-old daughter. Without going into details – physically cannot walk, feed herself etc There is an older daughter aged six and the mother has lupus.

She is still waiting, after two and a half years, for an assessment. She has no support. No respite. No social worker. No nothing. I do sometimes wonder what an earth is going on. Most of us who are well, able and in work do regard ourselves as lucky to be so and are glad to pay our taxes so that there is a welfare state there to help those who need assistance. We may get cross when our money is wasted or misused – but certainly we believe in the system and ideals. And when I encounter situations like this – I just want to scream. Do the powers that be have no idea what it is like to try and look after a severely disabled child 24/7 on your own? For goodness sake Haringey – this just isn’t on. We will see how quickly we can change this situation.

I had another carer that had spoken up at the conference who came to the surgery. Haringey Council supplied a commode – but it was too big for the accommodation so had to go back and be exchanged for one that was smaller. He is still waiting for the replacement years on. It isn’t rocket science for heaven’s sake.

Blair’s big speech on rebalancing the scales of justice was today. That’s all he has left in him – mouthing off about how bad things are. Well 50 pieces of legislation in the criminal justice and home affairs arenas under Labour mean that if things are wrong – there’s only one person and one party to blame – and that’s T Blair and Labour.

So tough on crime when it comes to talk – but such a catalogue of disasters in reality: porous borders, escaped prisoners, shortened sentences etc etc.

Last thing watch Cameron on Jonathan Ross. Jonathan is a class act – and Boy Dave is not. In fact he looked uncomfortable, wasn’t funny, tried to peddle his cuddly mantra (didn’t work) and I thought was pretty well exposed as having little understanding of the people. (Oh, and changed his mind on Iraq, again!). At least when Blair and Kennedy go on populist shows, they come over as human and likeable. Advice – stick to reading soundbites at PMQs.

Fortismere School

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Meet with the Head of Fortismere School and the Chair of Governors this morning. In answer to enquiries about where I stand, I had laid out my views – subject to this meeting. Basically I am against foundation schools in principle because of my concerns over the breaking of ranks with the Haringey community of schools, the possibility of bringing in selection, the difficulty that might be caused by the draining of other schools if Fortismere then expanded, the possibility of loss of statemented places and whether such a move might place Blanche Nevile (school for deaf children and co-sited) in jeopardy. Most importantly, I have asked for a ballot of all parents – as the school will fare better if the parents are on board and seen to be on board with whatever decision is made.

However, I acknowledge that Fortismere has been put in an impossible position by Haringey Council. The meeting confirms my view that, although the Governors have been considering foundation status for around a year, it is the intransigent position of Haringey Council in terms of funding the repair and renovation of the unusable buildings that has forced this issue.

It became clear that it has been indicated to the school that the Council expects to fund any building through the sale of Fortismere’s land assets. There will be nothing forthcoming from the Council. Nothing forthcoming from the Government. And it is possible that the Council will decide to remove the £2 million extra squeezed out of them in the wake of the lack of funding from the Building Schools for the Future funding allocation.

Fortismere, not surprisingly, does not trust Haringey Council. Only a short while ago, the Council sold off one of the school’s land assets, Strathlene House, on the basis of a promise to the school that they would receive the proceeds. Pigs might fly. And that is the problem. Having been shafted, the Governors are making the only move they can to stop any sale of land for the moment. The move to consider foundation status freezes all assets. Their argument is that at least if the Governors have control in future, the school will receive the benefits of any sales.

I raised the key concerns and received the following responses:

– that Fortismere will continue to be comprehensive and play a full part in the community of schools in Haringey (indeed the new Head has a track record of already doing so in his previous authority)

– that this was not a means of introducing selection as they still have to operate within the national criteria

– that they feel the administration of waiting lists would be fairer and more local with foundation status than with the current situation, where they are administered by Haringey Council

– that this was not the start of the route to becoming a Trust School

– categorical assurances that the Governors have never even discussed becoming a Trust School

– that statemented children will still have the right to name and go to the school to which they wish to be sent

I asked them about a ballot of parents – and the answer was ‘we are considering a ballot / survey of parents’.

So! I remain of the view that the Labour Government’s policies on choice in schools will usher in the break up of the community of schools in locally administered areas. However, it is quite clear that Fortismere has had enough of Haringey’s cavalier attitude towards them in terms of treating them as if they are not part of the community of schools anyhow. Fortismere has not even had a place on the boroughs School Forum to date. I have no doubt that the Head and the Governors are moving to try and protect the school and its future in what they genuinely believe is the best interests of the school. That is why it remains absolutely crucial that the parents are able to express their view through a fair ballot.

From what was said, it was clear that the Governors believe that the vast majority of parents want the school to go down this road. If that belief is evidenced through a ballot then their case is genuinely made. Whatever my views in terms of education – I do understand the local problems that Fortismere is facing and so long as there is a democratic process will support the decision of the parents and school.

Meeting Al Gore

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I chair the Lib Dems Liberty Group in the House of Commons and today we meet to discuss the Human Rights Act. It is one of the most important pieces of legislation for our citizens – and yet the Government (which had the balls to do it) now seems hell bent on destroying it.

It is true that it has been misused on occasion and there have been some exceptionally stupid interpretations of the Act that diminish it and hold it up to ridicule – but the fault is not with the Act but the use of it. So education of those who need to be aware of it is critical.

I remember when it was coming in and I was sitting on the Metropolitan Police Authority. We all had lots of briefings. It was clear then that there was a nervousness by, in this case, the police about what they would and would not be allowed to do once the Act came in. In fact, outside of the two absolute – the right to life and the right not to be tortured – the other articles are all about balance and common sense. All of those articles weigh up the balance between the rights and freedoms of the individual against the benefit or disbenefit to the wider community.

Al GoreThen in the evening I met Al Gore!

A local constituent sent me an invitation to a screening of a film to be released here in September. It is called ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. (You can watch the film’s trailer on YouTube.com).

It is basically Al Gore’s lecture on the Doomsday scenario we are hurtling towards – climate change. Whilst it won’t rival Harry Potter in terms of attendance, it is a film that every person should see – because it demonstrates quite clearly our path to destruction. But it has the message that if we change there is hope.

So Al – who was the next President of the United States once upon a time – has taken it to be his life’s mission to spread this word and campaign to wake us up.

I was totally impressed with the package and the commitment. After the screening Al Gore came to the front of the cinema and took questions and – shock horror – answered them straight. Then we went to the reception. I was lucky and got to speak to him (sadly no photographs). I congratulated him but did point out that I thought he should edit the shots of him looking pensively out of aeroplane windows – and carbon emissions from air travel didn’t feature clearly. He said I was right and etc. etc and shook my hand.

He asked us all to join in this mission – and I am pretty keen to give it a go. More of this later.

As for my own efforts in recent months? Well, I declined my friend Alexis’s prodding to put a wind farm on my roof – long before boy Dave Cameron upset Notting Hill by his efforts to be cuddly. I decided not to – because I live in a conservation area and it would just end up as being seen as a publicity stunt and I wouldn’t get my wind turbine at the end of it.

I decided that the most environmentally friendly thing I could do outside of recycling and turning off lights etc was to not use planes unless absolutely necessary (and then you can pay for your conscience through carbon offset).

So earlier this year I went for a weekend with my youngest daughter to Amersfoort near Amsterdam by train. It was four trains each way – and having spent the majority of the Friday and Sunday on the train and only Saturday actually with my friends in Amersfoort, I decided that a weekend break was probably not the best way to do this! Not deterred – as I love trains and hate planes – this summer am dragging same daughter around Europe by train. All easily arranged on the phone with RailEurope. I think that – as we have a couple of weeks – it will be a great way to see all these places and the spaces in-between. I just wish we could get train fares down and have airfares better represent the true costs to the environment. It’s Lib Dem policy – but Tony B and Boy Dave only like to talk tough on the environment – and that’s exactly what they are: tough on the environment!