An article written for and published in Pink News following the launch of the Government Charter for Action on Monday:

As a Liberal Democrat in Government, fighting for a more equal society is my driving force and I am lucky to be in a position as Minister for Equalities to be able to do so much. But sometimes you are reminded that simple Government diktat doesn’t change everything. We can declare equality but unless people understand what that really means, there’s only so much you can do. Societal change doesn’t happen because a Minister says it must it happens because everyone out there works towards it.

I was reminded of this during our Spring Conference in Sheffield, where I visited a local support group for young people struggling with their sexuality and/or gender, Sheffield Fruitbowl. The charity running the group, the Sheena Amos Youth Trust, had also invited a number of young people along who take part in the Side by Side project, a peer education initiative to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. I was struck by the enthusiasm and commitment of these teenagers. Here were a group of people who saw an injustice in their schools and instead of standing by the side-lines, instead of shrugging their shoulders and keeping their heads down, they went out into schools in Sheffield to tackle homophobia and prejudices towards gay and transgendered people, through drama and workshops.

They quite rightly asked me what I was doing to support people like them and the Charter for Action to tackle homophobia in sport, which I launched on Monday, is one of those ways. Sport is such a key element in our society, so many people enjoy playing sports and watching them. But it remains an area where homophobia remains prevalent. So many gay sportsmen and women fear coming out and those that do are often well-established in their careers. It is a shame that homophobia, and probably more importantly the fear of becoming the target of homophobic jibes, leads to many LGBT people simply not partaking.

The fight against racism has been so successful in football and other sports, through programmes like Kick it Out. Given the role sports can play to change attitudes in society, it?s crucial that we break down the culture that allows spectators and participants to get away with homophobia. The Charter for Action is the first step in bringing people together to start doing just that.

I’m glad that the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union joined the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) in becoming the first signatories of the Charter. Their clear intention to make sport welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be a first step. We will work together to change the culture of sport, to educate and to show just how hurtful and damaging homophobia is ? to people as well as the sport. Imagine the Welsh rugby team without Gareth Thomas, imagine England?s cricket team without Steven Davies, imagine diving without Matthew Mitcham or speed skating with Ireen Wüst. You can’t because their sport would be poorer for it without them. It is in everybody’s interest that people can be themselves because then they will perform at their peak.

As I said in answer to an oral question in Equalities Questions last week – it is hugely important that role models like Gareth Thomas and Stephen Davies have come out – and that soon we hope that working with the Football Association footballers too will feel that the atmosphere and ambiance around football will enable them to come out too. But the real importance of these fantastic role models is the message that goes out to young people – that up and down this land children will feel able to be themselves, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity, and take to the fields of sport without fear or anxiety. That is the ambition.

UPDATE:  Forgot to post the details of facebook page: facebook.com/LGBTsportcharter

Following close on my last post – Andrew Gilligan in the Telegraph tells it like it really is in Haringey. You can read it here.

This YouTube video from Haringey’s young people about the 75% cuts  Labour Haringey have made to youth services just about says it all. Watch it here.

Access Eastbourne is a a great idea – which is why I am posting here – as I would be interested to know what people with disabilities think of it and what else is available in other places of a similar nature – if any.

The East Sussex Disability Association (ESDA) with huge support (and some funding) from the Liberal Democrat Council in Eastbourne have set up a website to advise those coming to Eastbourne and those living there what the facilities are for someone with disabilites at restaurants, hotels, etc. You can see the site here.

It’s a kind of disabilities trip adviser.

ESDA train reviewers in how to assess places – and then the reviewers review. It was only launched last October but is growing fast in terms of the numbers of places now reviewed. Access Eastbourne only do positive reviews – so that if a restaurant is not accessible it won’t find itself on the website at all. The information contains all the facts about loops, ramps, etc – and then there is a comment facility so that people who have gone there can post their experience of the establishment in terms of its access for people with disabilities. Of course – those comments can be negative or positive – that’s the beauty of this scheme.

Moreover, it is having an encouraging effect on those establishments next door  a reviewed restaurant – for example – who note that x restaurant is getting more trade (and there are nine million people with disabilities in this country). The reviewers will go visit then if requested and advise why they can’t be included – for example no ramp access. Said venue then installs the necessary facilities to qualify – and so another establishment then becomes accessible.

It really is win win!

My old campaign manager (old as in former, not age!), Mark Pack, now writes a really good newsletter about the Liberal Democrats which I think merits going far and wide.

In pursuit of which – you can see what you think – and promote it further on your social media networks if you agree. See what Mark says by signing up here.

There is an excellent piece by FactCheck on the Channel 4 website here. FactCheck investigated the claims by the No2AV campaign that the cost of a Yes result in May will run well over £100m due to need to introduce electronic voting machines, as counting ballots manually under AV would be too difficult.

FactCheck find that:
They find the NO2AV’s claims are ‘fiction’
There’s never been any suggestion that electronic voting machines will be necessary under AV. Australia has used AV for 90 years has never had electronic voting, all counting is done manually.
As such there’s no estimate of how much it would cost as it’s simply not necessary and therefore not on the cards.
Furthermore, in elections in Northern Ireland and other countries where they use STV, a more complicated system, counting ballots is still done manually.

Here is my most recent column from the Muswell Hill Flyer and the Highgate Handbook:

I declare an interest. I am not enjoying having to go to the sub-post office on Archway Road instead of the one that closed in Highgate Village. I expect I am not alone in this! It may be that there are no queues there – but certainly on each and every occasion I have been – there has been a long queue (often into the street).

Unforgivably – Labour closed five of Hornsey & Wood Green’s sub-post offices – despite huge campaigns by local people, local LibDems and myself – and the fantastic support of local celebrities like Victoria Wood.

Labour stopped the closure program when they realised the political cost that they would pay. Five thousand post offices closed – leaving their communities bereft. That loss is still being felt keenly by those communities – including our own! Sadly the political realisation that Labour was losing votes over the closures came too late to save our much beloved local post office.

Enter the Coalition last May. The Coalition government’s plans for the Post Office are excellent – and will save the Post Office and Royal Mail. Hurrah! Indeed – there are exciting plans afoot for new sorts of arrangements for post offices – working with local councils and others.

In the new model – the Coalition wants to see the Post Office expand its financial services and become a real front office for local and Government business. There are a lot of pilot projects on the table and lots of new things being developed. The Coalition believes that the Post Office could do more of the verifying of documents for the pension service, offer an end- to-end Criminal Records Bureau application service. Maybe it could support JobCentre Plus and the work on National Insurance application processes. All good stuff!

But I want a sub-post office to re-open in Highgate Village (and in other locations where the need is evident following the loss of a local facility) and was wondering if anyone else felt the same? By the time you read this I will have met with the regional Head of the Post Office to ask him to consider opening another sub-post office in Highgate Village.

I am sure the new ‘model’ for local post offices will be splendid – but where we have lost a treasured local community service – all we really want is what we had – back!

So I am meeting Mr Richard Barker – he who is Head of our region Post Officewise – to get an early bid in for a future service in Highgate Village. It is probably on the over-optimistic side to think this meeting will produce a new sub-post office – but hey – I am an optimist. And more to the point perhaps – I want to start campaigning now – so that when perhaps a new ‘post-office local’ is developed – we are first in line to pilot it here in Highgate and Muswell Hill. (Alexandra sub-post office was also closed by Labour – leaving many, many residents there with a bus journey to reach the main post office in Muswell Hill).

So – as I said – I declare an interest because I miss my local post office. If you do too – then please let me know by emailing at me featherstonel@parliament.uk or write to me at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

UPDATE:
Post the meeting – which was also about the the overlong queues at Wood Green, Muswell Hill and Crouch End – these main post offices will now to have action taken to reduce wait times. As for ‘post office local’ – it is still a bit distant horizon and gleam in Post Office eye rather than imminent reality – but I am convinced that we will get back local services in the future in a new form under the new arrangements.

Reports of the Budget meeting of Haringey Council from Thursday show Labour in their true light – clapping and cheering as they cut youth services and day centres.

Labour voted to close older people’s day centres, cut youth services by £2 million (75%) and slash budgets for the voluntary sector. The Labour group rejected my Liberal Democrat colleagues’ alternative plans to further reduce the Council’s bureaucracy which would have saved day centres and reduced the effect of cuts on youth services, the voluntary sector and projects to tackle crime and unemployment.

Yes – cuts have to be made – by councils up and down this country. There is no money – thanks to Labour, the banks and a general buy now pay later – personal debt mountain.

However, where the cuts are made here in Haringey is entirely down to Labour – and this was their choice. There were very, very good alternatives put forward by the LibDem group which would have saved these very vulnerable services – but they were totally ignored by Labour.

This is from the news release sent out following the meeting:

Labour councillors cheered and applauded cuts to youth and older people’s services after they voted down opposition budget proposals to these protect front line services.

Labour also ignored the powerful last minute pleas by Haringey’s young people who were present at the meeting to ask Labour councillors why they were being targeted with 75% cuts when the Council’s overall budget faces a funding reduction of 13%.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader, comments:
“I was shocked by the actions of a minority of protesters last night but what angered me more was the behaviour of the Labour group.

“They say they care about front line services and vulnerable residents, yet when faced with alternative proposals which would save some services for our older residents, help mitigate the cuts to youth centres, the voluntary sector and projects to tackle crime and unemployment, they reject them.

“Labour is more worried about playing the blame game of national politics rather than making the right choices Haringey’s residents.”

The plans to reverse Labour’s closure of older people’s day centres, drop-in centres and luncheon clubs which were part of the Liberal Democrat’s alternative budget proposals were contained in five amendments.

Liberal Democrats set out their choices for spending priorities which would protect older people’s services, invest in the youth service, support action on crime, and help to develop the voluntary sector and job creation.

Liberal Democrats were crystal clear that Labour were making the wrong decisions targeting front-line services for cuts and, proposed instead, new savings in IT, management, and communications.

The position faced by Haringey was obviously made worse by Labour’s home-made financial crisis in their financial management of Haringey. A £10 million overspend during the course of the current year, £20 million of cost increases forecast for next year, the failure to deal with waste sooner, the ongoing impact from the £37 million frozen in Icelandic Banks all add up to put Haringey in a worse situation to deal with the funding reductions.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader and Resources Spokesperson, comments:

“Haringey Labour’s home-made financial crisis compounds the mess made by their Labour colleagues nationally when they were in government

“We believe that there is an alternative to Labour’s decision to close older people’s day centres, cut youth services by 75%, and cut funding for action on crime and job creation.

“More savings can be made on the £16.5 million spent on IT, the £20 million spent on senior management, the £1.5 million spent on communications, and the £3 million spent on policy and performance. Yet Labour have instead made the choice to shut day centres and cut youth services by 75%.”

To read the Liberal Democrats’ alternative budget proposals please click here.

Paul Waugh’s article ‘He Who Libs wins’ takes a look at the difference LibDems are making in government. Yes – it is a nice article about LibDems. Given the amount of flack we take for being in government – it is good to see some recognition of the benefits of having us there.

For those interested you can see Paul Waugh’s article here.