A protest song against the threats to the Whittington Hospital has been penned and launched. You can hear it here. Come sing it as we march on the 27th February from Highbury Fields to the Whittington.
Category Archives: Blog
Whittington Hospital: come to public meeting with key decision makers from the NHS
(Also on YouTube here)
It is clear from the overwhelming response to the campaign and petition that local people want the Whittington A & E to remain and remain 24/7. In fact – most people can’t believe closure is even being proposed – as to anyone locally this is madness.
But the fight doesn’t stop at a petition. On the 4th March, I have arranged a public meeting, where local residents will get the chance to hear at first hand, what the hospital bosses have to say about the threat to the A&E. To represent the NHS, I have invited Rachel Tyndall, Chair of the North Central London (NCL) review panel, the body that has put forward the proposals to close the Whittington A&E, and Richard Sumray, who is chair of Haringey Primary Care Trust.
This will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions – directly to the powers that be. And I want you to be there. If we can show just how strong local feelings are about this threat, I think we might have a chance of stopping them. We now know from the latest document that there are seven draft ‘options’ for the future of the Whittington. Four out of the seven show an end to 24/7 A&E at the Whittington.
The meeting will take place as follows:
Thursday the 4th March from 8 pm, Greig City Academy, Hornsey, N8 7NU.
To access the assembly hall where the meeting will be held, please use the entrance from Hillfield Avenue and follow the signs. If you have any questions, just call my office on 020 8340 5459.
Lastly, I also wanted to mention that I am marching, with my fellow Liberal Democrat colleagues, in protest against the potential closure on Saturday the 27th February. The march, organised by Defend the Whittington coalition, will start at Highbury Fields at 12 noon and to the Whittington Hospital.
Do come along and show your support – if you want to find more details on the march, please go to: http://dwhc.org.uk/.
Thanks again for the support you have shown for our campaign, and please help spread the word about the threat to our A&E – together we can fight this!
Question Time this Thursday
Am doing Question Time this Thursday. What do you think the questions will be?
I remember doing Question Time the Thursday after I was elected in 2005 – a terrifying thing to do to a new MP with virtually no television experience. But actually – it went well. I was sitting next to Boris – still an MP at that point in time. There was a question about whether young people should be banned from wearing hoodies in Bluewater shopping centre. I remember noting down the words ‘dress code’ and saying that any establishment was welcome to have a dress code – but in terms of hoodies – it should be about behaviour not a piece of clothing. After I spoke – Boris said ‘dress code’ definitely – and agreed with me – or words to that affect. He was very funny and whilst I don’t agree with him that much – and am still cross with him for even standing for Mayor of London (let alone winning) I’ve always had a soft spot because of his kindness that evening.
A couple of days later, I think – although memory may not be completely accurate – I met or was phoned by Shami Chakrabarti – who said she had watched Question Time and that answer signalled to her I was ‘one of us’. Much flattered – and the start of a good working relationship – which as I became spokesperson for Crime and Policing shortly afterwards was a very good thing.
Of course – it might still not happen – as last time I was lined up I was bumped off the program in favour of that Nick Clegg!
Guardian decides shape of future government
The Guardian front page this morning says we have ruled out coalition with both Labour and Tories. In recent weeks I think they have had stories saying we will support coalition with Labour, coalition with the Tories – and now – no coalition at all.
We haven’t changed our position at all. The people, not the party leaders, are the kingmakers and it is completely pointless and wrong to try and predict the future until people have had their chance to vote.
The voters will decide the result of the election and then all the parties will have to respond to the country’s decision.
What we have said is that our four key priorities around fairness are what’s important.
Wood Green police station: latest plans
Here’s my latest column for the Ham & High:
The police are planning to expand their presence in Wood Green – keeping the existing police station in use but also moving the front counter to the Fishmongers Arms (right next to the Civic Centre, closer to the centre of Wood Green, closer to where people congregate and closer to the crime hotspots).
I was impressed with the new front counter – not yet in use – when I went with Cllr Robert Gorrie (Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Haringey Council) to see it and meet the local Commander, Dave Grant.
Having staffed and open police stations in the heart of our community is central to the fight against crime and the fear of crime. It gives us a police service that knows its community and whose community knows it. That’s why I fought for so longer to get the Muswell Hill front counter reopened.
The new front counter in Wood Green is much better equipped and located than the current one. It’s all ready to go – brand, spanking new – and has the advantage that local people would be able to use the front counter to report their problems in a much more peaceful and calm atmosphere – no longer needing to mix with the less salubrious side of station life with those who have to report to the police station, and so on.
If the existing building is also kept in use for police services, such as cells and a base for patrol cars etc, then this means overall a bigger and better police presence in Wood Green. Hurrah!
If!
We need to be sure that moving the front counter doesn’t become an excuse to cut back, sell off property – and leave us with fewer services. That has to be the concern in these times of economic uncertainty.
And then there’s still the question of exactly what policing will be done from the existing police station building. The police have promised a public consultation on that – including the possibility of moving the front counter back from the Fishmongers Arms, if it isn’t a success in its new location and local people want it moved back.
We also need to make sure that any building work on the old police station preserves its historic front, which is a real architectural gem that adds to our community. Last time the police made proposals for the station the local community was rightly up in arms at the insensitive architectural designs. That planning application was withdrawn and we await a new one, due to be submitted in the autumn.
So we should be due two chances to have our say – the public consultation on police services in the area and also the planning application for the Victorian police station building.
But ahead of that the police want to try out starting to use the new facilities at the Fishmongers Arms – moving their front counter service from the existing police station to the new location.
I know some people have been skeptical about this, worried that it’s a way for the police to preempt those two chances for us to have our say later in the year.
But if it is a genuine trial, making use of new expanded premises and with a commitment written in blood that the final decisions will only come after we’ve been consulted – then it means we get to try out the new services sooner and it makes for a better decision in the end if there’s some practical experience to draw on.
So this is a debate which will run for some time – and do let me know your own views.
You can also watch my latest film about Wood Green police station:
Sky News – Most fanciable MP!
Over my first term in Parliament I’ve been nominated for many awards: Woman Politician of the year, Chanel 4 Rising Star, Stonewall’s Politician of the Year, numerous blog and website awards – and in all cases have failed to top the poll! Always the bridesmaid – never the bride.
Until now! And which accolade finally comes my way – Sky’s most fanciable MP!
Thank you Sky – you’ve made an old woman very happy!
Binyam Mohamed
I read the news of our complicity in torture and cover-up – not believing what I was reading. How can we have come to this terrible place? I am so ashamed of our Goverment.
And because we know that this is a Government that misleads us when it suits them – how can we have any confidence in the Foreign Office’s denial of involvement in rendition and torture of terror suspects?
As Ed Davey (LibDem Shadow Foreign Secretary) said:
“With allegations of complicity in torture coming on top of the Iraq Inquiry’s revelations, it is painfully clear that Labour has left Britain’s reputation in tatters.
“If the Government is so sure it has nothing to hide, it should allow a judicial inquiry into torture allegations to go ahead.”
Wood Green Police Station update
Here’s the latest about Wood Green police station. Cllr Robert Gorrie and I met Dave Grant (local Commander) at the brand, spanking newly kitted out police front counter in the ‘Fishmongers Arms’ next to the Civic Centre in Wood Green.
Whittington A&E threatened closure – Protest March – 12 noon 27 Feb
Managed to get to the meeting of the Defend the Whittington Coalition last night. The key issues being decided were the route of the march, the speakers, the publicity, banners, placards and so on. Credit to the organisers – as it is a lot of work to get this together.
We all need to take part in this protest. Given that the ‘options’ for the future of A&E at the Whittington currently (in their draft form) contain four options out of seven that end 24/7 A&E – we need to demonstrate just how much anger there is amongst local people.
So – demonstrate we will. I will post final times and locations for the various stages of the march and rally as soon as I have them.
BBC London looks at the threat to the Whittington A&E
All last week BBC London took a look at what is happening – or likely to happen – to our health services in London. Their survey includes, obviously, the threat to A&Es in London – and in particular the Whittington. You can see my interview -and the whole piece here in the A&E section.
Lynne Featherstone 