Category Archives: Blog

Simon Hughes

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Simon Hughes is indeed in the tabloids today – as being gay or bi-sexual. Now, it is hardly news to anyone I know – but Simon has always protected his right to keep his private life private – and I support him on that. But the attack is because a week ago to three newspapers he denied he was gay. I guess he was cornered and the question was never going to go away – and he just made an error of judgement. The media say he lied. I think he just defended himself badly. So another roller coaster for the party to bear as this latest news works its way through the rounds of the media.

It is the first question Steve Richards asks myself, Ed Davey and Phil WIllis who are having a pre-recorded panel session which will go out Saturday at 11am – the Week in Westminster. This is a panel of the key supporters for the leadership – me for Chris Huhne, Phil Willis for Simon Hughes and Ed Davey for Menzies Campbell. So – whilst none of us would go on any media to discuss Simon – once they’ve got you there anyway, there’s no stopping the question. We all basically defended Simon’s right to privacy and right to be whatever sexual orientation he wanted. Then, thank goodness, we get on to policy areas and have a right good ding dong. Great fun!

I get a call last thing because we (Lib Dems) need to put out a statement on Sir Ian Blair’s attack on the media for being biased towards coverage of white murders. For bizarre reasons he chooses Soham as an example of their bias. I remember the coverage at the time – because first the poor girls were missing and we all went on that journey of anxiety as we moved toward the eventual horrific reality. It would have been the same what ever colour the girls were. It was a huge story and the press were bound to follow that one.

However, Ian Blair is right to highlight the issue of bias in coverage. But when I think back I can remember examples both ways – when two murders occur when sometimes the black murder will be covered and sometimes the white. So methinks we need proper examination of this issue – as it is a very important one. We need to look at the way information about a murder gets to the press. Which stories originate from the police forces themselves. What are their policies in terms of media liaison over murders. Let’s have an analysis of all murders and their coverage over the last few years and see what led to what. I am not happy about statements that are not backed up by factual analysis on this. So I welcome the opening up of this as an area for concern – but let’s get it right and based on factual information.

Get home late – just in time for Question Time and Simon Hughes is on tonight. I don’t know if it’s good or bad to have such a media opportunity at this point when there is a feeding frenzy around him. It did give Simon the chance to put his case – which he did as well as he could under the circumstances.

Police reform

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There is a lobby of parliament today by the Association of Police Authorities (APA). The Government wants to merge the current police forces into fewer but larger police forces. Almost everyone is against this.

Labour state that it is to plug a gap that appeared during the Soham murders where a local force did not have the specialist capability to deal with the investigation – and argue that a larger police force would have the capacity. But a smaller force can always bring in such specialist skills when needed. And what we know is that Safer Neighbourhood Teams and local policing work – work in terms of intelligence, in terms of public visibility and so on. In other words – local services, delivered close to the people they are meant to serve, work best. Labour’s proposals centralise the controls of forces – just going the wrong way. And as ever – this nonsense will cost millions and millions and millions.

So the APA have come to see me to put their case against the Government proposals. I am with them on this. There will be an opposition day debate on this next week in Parliament.

The Lib Dem leadership contest rolls on – an my boy Huhne is definitely coming up on the rails – overtaking even Simon Hughes now in the betting. Having taken an hour’s questions from Stroud Green Residents’ Association I get home just in time to listen to the special Any Questions being held in Richmond. They all did pretty well I thought. What is very striking is that following the first hustings, where Chris laid out some key themes around eco-taxes, taking the low-paid out of tax, localism and so on – the others are now singing the same song. I guess this is how it goes. I remember the Mayoral contest in London last time – where Ken and Steve (Norris – in case you’ve forgotten) apart from a couple of issues largely took our ideas.

In fact, it made me laugh today when I heard that Ken is going to allow an extra day to pay on the congestion charge. I first floated that one even before the Mayoral contest – and Ken pooh-poohed it publicly at many an Assembly. But now it will happen! So – look out for Oxford Street to be humanised and for GPS to come to bus management instead of CountDown and AVL!

Simon sounded a bit lacklustre – probably explained later by a text around 10pm saying Simon would be in the tabloids next day. Who says Liberal Democrats are dull?

Holocaust Memorial Day

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Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Haringey tonight at Bruce Castle Museum. I give a five minute speech (as do whole series of others) on the theme of what difference once person can make. I mention Schindler, Luther-King and Gandhi – but the real point is that each of us has to take responsibility for stopping any evil, discrimination or unfairness we counter in our own lives.

More important was the witness statement by a holocaust survivor – Eva Schloss. Every time I listen to a survivor tell their tale – I weep. No need to reiterate the particular story she told – all the stories from the holocaust break your heart. What I do know though is the importance of this day of remembrance for that Holocaust – and for all holocausts and genocides. As the stories are told – there is a small space in my life to remember and think about what happened and how that happened.

That is why this year’s theme is so important – because each of us is responsible for what happens in this world. And if we see evil and do nothing – then we are as guilty as those who do the act itself.

LibDem leadership rules

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There’s been a bit of chatter over the fact that the party’s leadership election rules mean the candidates don’t get given copies of the party’s membership lists – this was a decision made by the party’s conference when it voted on the rules a few years ago. Ah democracy … !

All the leadership candidates are understandably wary about talking about the rules – as it can so easily sound like special pleading. But there is clearly widespread unhappiness with this rule. In public elections, candidates get to know who the electors are and their contact details (from the electoral register) – so why shouldn’t the same apply to Lib Dem internal elections? In fact – it does apply to many of our internal elections, such as for Parliamentary candidates, but not for leader. Giving the candidates the list of members would also mean we skip all the worries (and sometimes down right silliness) over what records different people can or can’t use. What’s a personal record that is ok to use and what is an official party record this is not ok to use? Is my address book on my computer at home ok to use, but not the one in the party’s office? Etc.

So – just a quick suggestion to anyone who thinks the rules don’t make sense. Doubtless there will be a review as ever afterwards as to how the rules went – so don’t forget to let the Acting Returning Officer (Chris Rennard) know your views, so they can feature in any review. In fact – why not tell him your views now, so you don’t forget afterwards? You can write to him at 4 Cowley St, London, SW1P 3NB or use the Lib Dem feedback form.

I’m sure Chris is very busy with both the leadership election and the very winnable Dunfermline by-election campaign – but sending in comments which don’t require an immediate reply but can instead be complied after the election is over would be a good move I think.

PS You can get details of all the leadership candidates – including websites etc – on the main Lib Dem website.

Local school success

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Well – no surprise what the gossip at the Palace of Varieties is today. Members of the other parties and the media keep asking – did you know? I think the answer is that no-one knew – except apparently the News of the World. And I guess, after Mark had withdrawn from the leadership they had to get their story out before their hook for it with the leadership contest wasn’t headline news any more.

I am kicking myself because the odds are shortening on Chris – and when I first urged him to run he was on at 300-1 and fourth in line for the throne – and I haven’t had time to put a bet on. Now the odds have shortened faster than any other political odds in history and he is in second place.

I go over to Alexandra Park School later morning for a photo op with two of the sixth formers who have gained Oxbridge places – one at each Oxford and Cambridge. The head, Ros Hudson, rang me last week to tell me the good news – so this is to celebrate to have two kids in the first year of the new sixth form attain such places. We have a cup of tea and a chat about the interviews they have both been through to get their places – terrifying. The newspapers turn up to take the photo – and hopefully this ‘good news’ story will encourage others to reach for the stars too.

When I get to the Commons, I discover it is Questions to the Minister of the Defence Department – and decide I want to put a question to him. In order to get called (if you are not one of the MPs selected in the ballot for Questions on the Order Paper) you have to stand up each time anyone finishes speaking during this session. I sit quiet until Question 5 which is on Iraq – as the question I want to ask is on this subject.

This time I am lucky and I get called to ask my question – which is: ‘Has the Minster had any discussions about gradually replacing British troops in Iraq with troops from Muslim Countries?’ John Reid, I think, looked pretty pleased to get an opportunity to say who he had been speaking to and push this up the agenda as he had had a number of meetings on the issue. So that was good all round – as I do think the sooner we are replaced by troops better trusted than ourselves the better for all.

I have a short meeting with the man who has been the subject of the police trawl for Operation Minstead and who was asked to give a ‘voluntary’ DNA sample and refused. The deadline for Met to respond to the CRE call for extra information is 30 January – as is mine for a response from Met Commissioner Ian Blair to my enquiries on this matter.

In fact DNA is in the news for all sorts of reasons at the moment. I have had a bee in my bonnet about it for some time and my various Parliamentary Questions (written) have elicited some startling statistics including the disproportionate amount of DNA taken from black men and the fact that the DNA of around 134,000 innocent people who were never charged or cautioned is now on the record books.

This weekend the coverage is about the 24,000 of those who are juveniles. This is shaping up for a real battle at some point – as there is a national database being built by stealth. If the Government want this – then they should have the balls to put forward legislation and have the public debate. My simple question to those who defend what is happening is this: ‘if it’s so great and without any problems, why not be upfront and have an explicit debate and agreement (or not) to set-up such a database?’

I think it would be dreadful – but at least there would be a logic to it if the whole country was held. Randomly keeping the DNA records of people the police erroneously arrest is ludicrous. Doing it by default also means we don’t get the same safeguards in place as we would if there was a proper debate and decision.

Personally, and this is not necessarily the party view we will come to when we discuss it further, I think it will lead to all sorts of mischief. For instance – once DNA is the main arbiter of guilt or innocence – how easy it will be to set someone up! I can foresee absolute nightmare scenarios – and what is a phenomenal detection tool and confirmation of guilt – will be misused ultimately. And a million other issues – but the temptations will probably be too much for old authoritarians to resist. Let alone if we have a malign government who might misuse such a system.

This issue comes up at the emergency Home Affairs Team Meeting which Alistair Carmichael has called as he has stepped up to take Mark’s place until the leadership contest is decided and the new leader reshuffles us. It would be fair to say that there are a variety of views on the issue – and so we need a paper that brings us up to date on facts around DNA before we can make our judgements. Alistair seems to have it all under control.

We sit talking into the late night between and after votes – about the leadership contest. We may all have differing views on who should be crowned – but the spirit is good between our different camps – thank goodness!

Tech Refresh financial scandal at Haringey Council

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Reading through emails over weekend – catch up with what my colleagues are doing on Haringey Council and there is a huge financial scandal unfolding – one that Labour seem to have been trying to cover up.

Basically – the Audit Commission has produced a damning report on the mishandling by Haringey Labour Council of an IT project called ‘Tech Refresh’. It was meant to have cost £9 million, but already is projected to cost around £20 million – an overspend of nearly £11 million

Local Council Tax payers are going to foot the bill for ‘slippage and overruns’ to the tune of 11% of the total amount charged by Haringey in Council Tax this year. And – Labour have been covering it up. Local residents will be apoplectic – as this sort of mess just totally confirms local residents’ worst fears about how Labour use and abuse them! Roll on the local elections…

Lib Dem leadership

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Watch the rolling news as it turns into Sunday’s political programs. Anxiously watching as to the media handling of Mark Oaten’s fall from grace. My boy Chris is on Andrew Marr and does really well – and inevitably the Mark Oaten issue is first on the list of questions. What can you say? Except what Chris said – that the guy has apologised to his wife, apologised to his constituents and to the party.

I don’t know why he took such terrible risks. An affair – with a man or a woman – is no longer the end of the political road. But the three-in-a-bed with a rent boy combined with the shots of his leadership campaign launch showing him, his wife and their two children was a truly bad move. I just hope he gets the time and privacy he needs to put it back together for the sake of his family. The party will survive fine – but his home life is what matters now.

I phoned round some more key people in London for Chris Huhne’s leadership campaign. Everyone was wondering what next? Hopefully – policy ideas. Still finding a real hunger from people to know about Chris. My own view is that playing safe as a third party is a hiding to nothing and that with Chris we will have the best chance to move on to the next stage. Well – I would say that – wouldn’t I?

Toleration levels

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Surgery all morning dealing with constituents’ problems followed by a home visit to a disabled gentleman who wanted me to pop round. I stayed about three quarters of an hour. Last appointment was to go over to the offices of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

As prison spokesperson – this was really interesting. There is a natural alliance between our position and the work they do. The Director said something really interesting during our long discussion. She said that we need to tolerate as a society. What she was referring to was the sort of zero-tolerance environment that was being created by the political battle between Labour and Tory as to who could be tougher on young people and the causes of young people. I think what she was saying was that we need to learn to tolerate a bit of noise, a bit of dirt – a bit of life. And that the pendulum was swinging (swingeing even) too far towards the punitive.

A lot of sense there. However, I said to her, that the other side of that coin was that in my view care in the community wasn’t working. And it’s the police and the prisons who bear the brunt of that.

So – I am thinking about tolerance levels. What should we tolerate? Weighty stuff for a Friday afternoon!

Finish day rounding up the info from the Huhne leadership campaign. All seems to be going incredibly well. Momentum is with us. More and more councillors, peers and supporters are climbing on board;. The funding limit of £35,000 for the campaign is already promised. We expect more MPs to come on board. And of course, Mark Oaten withdrew from the race yesterday – and the betting odds have now shortened on Chris to 5-1. So – all to play for!

Positive role models

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Morning went to the start of an all day event / seminar by Friendship Global – titled ‘Peace, Friendship and the 2012 Olympics’. This is a group started in Haringey by the suggestion of two little girls who after 9/11 wanted to do something to stop such terrible things happening again. So their father started this peace group – where the basic idea is that through friendship we can stop wars.

From there I went straight to make a speech and give out awards at the Haringey African and Afro-Caribbean Awards for excellence. A huge hall full of children and their proud families thronging the Alexandra Palace. Now, as much as they all obviously loved me – I can’t help thinking that myself and George Meehan (Labour councillor) were not the main attractions. Kwame and Lemar (spelling of both iffy) were the main event. After my speech – Kwame and myself gave out the first batch of around 30 awards. I felt the kids would feel cheated if they came up on stage for their award and they just got it from me rather than him – so made sure they all got to shake hands and have a quick word with him.

I had to leave before Lemar did his bit – but the screams and clapping when he came in were pretty impressive. I thought the whole event was fantastic. So much negative stuff about black under-achievement – and so great to have an occasion celebrating the positive. I am absolutely committed to aspiration and inspiration. If you are treated like a failure – you will fail. It isn’t rocket science – and this was positivism in action.

The evening took me to Holborn & St Pancras where I was a panel guest on a Question Time format for the University of London with students from London’s universities come to grill us. Slightly to my surprise, they didn’t ask about ID cards or civil liberties. They did ask about taxation. They did ask about cannabis. They didn’t ask that much about the environment. They did ask about the Lid Dem leadership. They did ask about smoking bans. They did laugh when I told them that I once went barefoot and wore flowers in my hair! What’s so funny?! Anyway – I had good fun as I took a bit of license and went way off message. Well – a bit of blue skies thinking is always good for the soul.