Category Archives: Blog

Muswell Hill mobile phone mast

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Another all day surgery at Wood Green library. The library staff are pleased that I am operating an appointments system as it is orderly and well-managed. I am giving everyone 15 or 20 minutes – depending on the issue as discussed on the phone previously. Open surgeries are great – but in the end people could wait all day and still not get seen or have their time squashed. We will see how it goes.

My sister is helping me at present as it is not wise to be on your own for surgery and she’s also taking notes – just fantastic! And we a good natter over lunch.

I then rush from surgery to Muswell Hill to chair a meeting between parents near Tetherdown School and Vodafone, who are about to turn on their mobile phone mast.

It is a pretty depressing meeting because the last hope is really that Vodafone would have supplied the mapping the parents had requested at the last meeting – which would show the beam of greatest intensity and where it fell – and whether it was within the education authority’s guidelines. They haven’t done this.

It is clear as the meeting progresses that Vodafone are going to turn on the mast regardless and have come to the meeting simply because they promised they would at the last meeting – not with any real intention of changing their position.

They agree, under excellent and expert pressure from the parents, to supply the mapping information (although now after the event) and refuse point blank to wait for another week whilst the parents receive and analyse the mapping. They do agree to take readings and measurements before and after switching it on.

So – an unhappy end thus far. The parents will continue to campaign and I will support them. I think there really is a lack of willingness on behalf of mobile phone companies to avoid vulnerable residents and children voluntarily – and I will be pursuing in Parliament legislation to give local authorities the power to refuse such applications on the ‘precautionary principle’ where sited near vulnerable residents.

Finishing off at the MPA

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Off to the MPA (having resigned a couple of weeks ago) to lead a deputation from Highgate who have submitted a question. Highgate Tube is out of action – closed – so have to take car. Looks like I won’t make it – but I do and arrive just in time.

The issue is that with Highgate being split between three boroughs, no single police commander will ever rate it important enough to get a Safer Neighbourhood Team. So the deputation wants the three police commanders to be given a nudge and a way to be found for such a team to be introduced in the area.

The reaction of my erstwhile colleagues on the MPA is hilarious. Kind of – how dare I? I dare.

Toby Harris (Labour and former GLA member himself) joins with the Tories in trying to infer that I am a johnny come lately to this and it was really started by Tories. Nonsense – as the chair of the MPA points out, I have been working on this for months and raised it on his borough visit to Haringey months and months ago. It’s another example of the rather cynical Labour and Tory love-in we often get in Haringey – they’re both so scared of losing yet more elections to the Lib Dems they like to talk each other up in public.

Anyway – it sparks a jolly good debate – and a few promises. After which melee the MPA Chair asks me to join him and makes a presentation to me with a gift and thanks me for all the hard work. ‘Ah – so now you’re being nice to me’!

I say thank you and how much I have enjoyed my time on the MPA. I also – parting shot – say that they won’t be losing me entirely as I have been put in the LibDem Home Affairs Team! Joy all round……..

In the afternoon trail round dismally looking at the few offices which are still left in Parliament. I am almost bottom of the heap and will be left with shoebox, far from the Commons and far from staff by the look of it. I lost my place in office allocations because I had to go to Leeds to do Question Time.

Then I have to meet Mark Littlewood from the LibDem Press Office who runs through the whole media operation with me. Coming from high profile on the Assembly, I have a lot of media experience now – so much of what we cover is for form. Mark seems very on the ball and a good thing from what I can see.

In the evening – pop into Valerie and Clive Silbigers’ farewell party. They are moving to France. The first meeting Haringey Lib Dem meeting I ever went to was in Valerie’s flat. She has been a stalwart of the Party for over 30 years and is currently President of London Region – an unsung hero of the party to whom I am grateful for her love and support over the years. And in this election – whereas she has always done front of desk at Simon Hughes’ campaign HQ – this time she did mine! We wish them all the very best in their new life in France.

Highgate, Ken and more Highgate

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8am: meet key local campaigners over the Highgate Tube Control Centre. Tubelines want to improve the service on the Northern Line (good thing) but are doing this by putting a big ugly building in at the edge of Highgate Woods (bad thing).

We are meeting with Catherine McGuinness of the Corporation of London for a photo op and discussion. Tubelines has listened a bit to the campaign from residents living next to the site about their side of the site, but they have not taken, seemingly, a blind bit of notice of the damaging aspect towards the Highgate Woods side.

I assume this is because trees and squirrels can’t complain? However, Cllr Bob Hare (Lib Dem, Highgate ward), the Highgate Society, the Corporation of London and me are speaking out on behalf of all those who use the woods, the trees, the squirrels and indeed the bats.

We release a joint statement for the press.

Then at 10am my last Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall. I am sad to go – but as ever have a bit of a spat with Ken. Basically a skirmish over his failure since re-entering the Labour womb to deal effectively with the Tube PPP. The performance is abysmal and the private companies, in my view, unlikely to deliver even what was in their original bid. We are a Capital City – get us out of it! Ken has got to threaten more – and/or get us out of the contract at the Government’s cost. Spending too much time fixing for us to use mobile phones on the tube – and none on getting the infracos to deliver the basic services!

Anyway – still sad to be leaving. I have just so enjoyed it all.

A couple of hours later I pop up to see Ken because I have promised residents campaigning on another issue to raise the issue with him. Ken and I chat for a while – and then he says – have you come to say goodbye? And I say no. I have come to request a deputation on the Highgate Tube station fence issue.

Ken has actually seen the fence and seems to totally agree and says he doesn’t need a deputation – let’s just deal with it. He drags me through to Redmond (right hand man’s) office and we run through it. Redmond says he will contact Tim O’Toole (Transport for London) and ask him to take down the fence and see what he says.

Glad I won’t be there to hear the expletives! – but this is Ken at his finest, actually standing up for what matters. I wait with baited breath.

In the evening, after my first three line whip vote in which melee I find myself next to Boris (my new best friend from Question Time) Johnson and ask him which is the ‘ayes’ and which is the ‘noes’ lobby? I clearly don’t want to go the wrong way. Boris claims not to know … Very charming – but I don’t believe a word.

My maiden speech

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Frantic rush to get out two of the most urgent casework queries from Friday’s surgeries and write my maiden speech. Difficult process – as traditionally you are meant to say something nice about your predecessor, describe your constituency and that’s about it.

Having listened to a few already like that, it seemed a bit pointless to not have any substance. But how to get away with it in the confines of what’s “expected” of a maiden speech?

I had dropped a note to the Speaker (which is what you do) the previous week to ask to speak on the Tuesday of the Queen’s Speech debate. Tuesday was for debating education and health – only you don’t really have to relate your speech to the subject – but a fleeting nod in that direction is appreciated.

You have to be in the chamber at the start of the debate – rise to your feet at the end of every speech to indicate to the Speaker that you want to be called – and not leave the chamber at any time or you lose your place.

So starting at 2.30pm I got up. I sat down. I got up. I sat down. This performance went on and on and on. Various colleagues coming and going throughout the process – including my mentor Don Foster (each of us new kids have been given a mentor). Don has a flip through my speech and seems to think it OK.

At around 8pm – by which time I am parched, hot and very warn out from the tension – Don goes and has a word with the Speaker to get me excused for a ten minute break and we go to the ‘smoking room’ where Don and John Thurso have whisky – and I have a glass of water. This is not the time to have a drink as much as I want one.

I go back into the chamber having managed to give a quick phonecall to my daughter to say I think I will be called in the next hour. Sure enough – at about 9.20pm I rise to my feet to attract Mr Speaker’s attention – and realise – as I am literally the last one standing that he will finally call me – and he does.

I was nervous – I saw on the tape that my kids took – a bit of shaking of papers. However, it went well I think. (You can watch the speech for up to a fortnight after it was given on the Parliament TV website – click on Archive on the left and then search for my name – so judge for yourself! Or read it in Hansard.).

I covered the ground I wanted to: Hornsey Town Hall (getting the Deputy Prime Minister to exempt Haringey from best value rules so it doesn’t just have to be sold off to the highest bidder); phone masts (the need for legislation to give local authorities powers to refuse applications on the precautionary grounds); school places (shortage of); over-cramming development with poor design and inadequate health, school and transport infrastructure; gun and knife crime and anti-social behaviour.

A huge sense of relief flooded through me as I finished. THe Labour MP who followed was very flattering – and I am grateful that it all went so well. Everyone had warned me that the first time you rise in the House to speak your knees knock and your hands shake – and thus it was.

Out onto the terrace (so beautiful) for a quick drink. Mark Oaten (our Shadow Home Secretary) joins us. Can’t remember if I already said – but I am to be in the Home Office team and Mark has informed me that I will be spokesperson for Police, Crime and Disorder – which is just the best possible brief.

I go home to my children and we watch the tape they made of me speaking. They liked it – but eldest daughter says my hair is a disgrace and needs cutting!

Haringey Council's AGM

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Haringey Council’s Annual General Meeting and Mayor Making. The chamber is full of dignitaries and guests. A dilemma had arisen about whether I would sit as an MP or sit with the other councillors (I’m carrying on as a councillor until my current term of office comes to an end). I had cleared up the dilemma by choosing to sit with the councillors. I was there primarily in that role – to vote.

Now this council meeting unlike others is meant to be mainly ceremonial. However – the form from previous years has been Labour saying in advance, “it’s ceremonial, let’s not have the political stuff at this meeting” and then at the meeting promptly ignoring agreements about how to handle the meeting and going for all sorts of political stuff.

This year – shock horror – everyone behaved!

The new Mayor was sworn in. Neil (Lib Dem leader) and Charles (Labour council leader) said a few nice things about myself and David Lammy. And they we all went off for the dinner / dance hosted by the council at the Ally Pally.

Crouch End fun run

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Afternoon – get to give out prizes at the YMCA Fun Run in Priory Park. It’s an annual event that has become one of the biggest community events in the borough.

As I enter Priory Park – I am meant to find Alison … Where amongst the thousands of people will she be? I meander to a sort of raised stand with an awning where a girl with a microphone is barking out instructions. Hurray – it’s Alison!

I am giving the prizes for the childrens’ races. THey are running late – so Mr Lewis who basically is Mr YMCA walks me around the park to view the different stalls. The event is sponsored by New River and will raise money for the charity CLIC Sargeant.

Alison eventually starts the announcements at the end of the day before the prize-giving. She told the audience that the charity was for childrens’ cancer and talked about how many children would get cancer. There was a bit of a gasp as the audience at that point was mainly children, but it’s good to increase levels of understanding of cancer.

I clamber up onto the platform and Alison announces the winners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd of every boy and girls race – for every age. It takes a while – but was such a pleasure. The little kids especially sweet as I presented them with their trophy and they turned to fact the crowd and raised their ‘cup’ aloft – just like Wembley!

Details of the winners are in the local newspaper’s report of the event.

Highgate Tube fence

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Met with key group against the Highgate Tube fence which was erected by Tubelines / Transport for London after a meeting where the predominant voices won – but were not fully representative of people in the area. And even though Tubelines / TfL were warned immediately after the meeting that this was the case and a public meeting was then held – they still proceeded.

Now we have a fence blocking the green view from Archway Road and reflecting much noise (and possibly pollution) back on to the Archway Road as if residents and shops there don’t already have enough to contend with. There’s a balance to be struck and it hasn’t been struck right.

Upshot of meeting is that I am to arrange a deputation to the Mayor of London by these key stakehoders – and try and knobble Bob Kiley too.

My first surgery

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Surgery all day at Wood Green Library. I’ve not yet put in place a regular surgery schedule – need some time to asses demand, where people want to come to, etc. But there are already so many requests for surgery appointments I have simply booked every Friday for the next few weeks for all day surgeries – tough going, but I don’t want to leave people waiting too long.

So this is the equivalent of three surgeries but all on one day. My sister comes along to help me with the notes and because I have been advised not to do it on my own.

As ever – all human life in its frailty is there – and it reminds me how difficult life can be if you are not coping. Immigration, housing and schooling are the main issues. There are about thirteen booked appointments. A couple of extra people show up and three don’t show – so it all works out. But come home to phone messages for lots more. It’ll be another long day next Friday!

Development in Wood Green

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Meeting with Charles Kennedy who is seeing us new kids on the block. Again a good meeting with lots of ideas and good humour. Charles seems very happy with his new intake.

Then back to the constituency (glad I’m a London MP!) for a meeting (“Development Control Forum”) on a proposed development in centre of Wood Green. It is revolting. There is no other way to describe the design – insensitive, unrelated to the buildings around it, ugly, poor materials and so on.

The residents attending gave the architects what for and then some. Three members of the planning committee were there – so hopefully they noted not only the adverse comments of everyone in the room but also the genuine planning objections that could rise from them.

The Mayor’s London plan was often sited as the reason they had done this or that. But it’s not much of an excuse. The London Plan at least aspires to good and sustainable design – it doesn’t demand cramming nor ugliness nor lack of appropriate infrastructure.

Haringey's 40th birthday

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Lively debate at our Parliamentary Party meeting. Much desire from everyone to ensure the party moves further ahead in this Parliament and lots to discuss about how best to do it.

In the evening dash back to join the celebrations at Ally Pally for 40 years of Haringey Borough. A whole line of ex-councillors from days of yore told their tale after the dinner – very interesting historically.

Undercurrents of tension around the room – seems to me there is much blaming going on by Labour of everyone but themselves for the loss of the parliamentary seat. I guess they can see the writing on the wall for the council elections next year. But, just like Tony, their ‘listening and learning’ from the results of the election and the message that Haringey residents sent to them doesn’t appear to have gone in at all. Jolly good I say. Let them blame me, blame council officers, blame Blair, blame anyone but themselves – that way they will be too busy fighting each other and moaning to stop the Lib Dems taking control of the council next May.