Hornsey School for Girls – another brilliant event

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YPI (Youth and Philanthropy Intitiative) is a program developed in Canada and now in schools here which raises awareness among young people about philanthropy.

On the ground – what this means is best described by the event I went to last night. The girls were in teams of about four or five. They had over a series of ten weeks chosen a local charity, visited and worked with them to understand what they were about and for this occasion – put together a presentation to judges (and us in the audience) to win the £3000 prize which would go to that charity.

I could only stay for the first three presentations. The first team were championing Noah’s Ark Hospice – incredibly moving – with computer images in the back ground and a role play and song. Then Action for Kids was the next team’s charity. I know this group very well having visited them several times. The words and the staging were fantastic and you could see that the girls who had gone to visit had really got it – understood the value of young people with all sorts of disabilities, including learning disabilities, having somewhere to train and work. The last one supported a charity which helped victims of domestic violence. What was so compelling in their presentation was the depth of understanding of what domestic violence does – not just to the direct victim – but to the family around.

All three were quite extra-ordinary – so I look forward to hearing who won the cheque for their charity –  but I can’t imagine how the judges could choose between all worthy causes and brilliant presentations.

LibDems win Camden by-election

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I love it!

Two minutes after the General Election – with Labour crowing in Camden that it would get loads of votes from LibDems furious about the coalition – and they bombed!

The Liberal Democrats won all three seats in Camden Council’s delayed Haverstock West election, beating Labour and improving their share of the vote by six percent.

Commenting on the result, Liberal Democrat Party President, Ros Scott said:

“This is a fantastic result and is testament to the hard work and dedication of our Liberal Democrat councillors in Haverstock.”

Even better – this is in the Miliband’s old backyard in the very heart of Labour territory.

New Politics – old politicians?

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I was hoping to see the ‘new politics’ on show yesterday in the  Queen’s Speech debate. For me – the way politics is conducted with jeering and negative point scoring – has always seemed an odd showcase to the world if we want to look like grown ups making and taking grown up decisions.

It was marginally good humoured (at times) but there was quite a lot of the old politics on show. One of the advantages of coalition politics – it has always seemed to me ( a natural supporter of consensus politics) is that we seek to find the good in each other’s policies rather than the negatives. Our more extreme ends are rubbed off – and the common sense and agreed ground moves forward.

In this brave new world – I was/am hoping that perhaps the conduct and manner of politics can keep up with the change. Perhaps today at Prime Minister’s Questions we will see a matching change in behaviour? I live in hope !

Local MP kick-starts new term by visiting her old school

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Lynne Featherstone visiting Highgate Primary Year 6On her first local visit after being re-elected MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone on Friday went to visit her old school, Highgate Primary, to help the children write a special school magazine with stories from old and new students.

The year six students from the North Hill school asked the Liberal Democrat MP about what was different when she was a student there. They also go the chance to ask the new Home Office Minister what it was like to be in Government, and what made her become an MP in the first place.

Lynne Featherstone ended the visit by attending a special assembly, where some of the younger students did their own take on the book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“What a wonderful way to kick-start a new term in office, by coming back to my old school, chatting with such incredibly bright and interested students, and reliving old memories.

“And topping off the visit by seeing the children do their own version of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was just fantastic. Especially when I got to join in the ‘monsters munch’ dance! Such fun!”

Mayor Boris gets it!

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Little businesses have a hard job surviving business rates, red tape and parking restrictions – let alone the extra challenges of the recession. So – very good to see a glimmer of common sense on a local parking issue on which I have been corresponding with Transport for London for some time!

Archway Road – a fantastic road, beautiful houses, jolly interesting little shops – always fighting the volume of traffic as a main arterial road. Not surprisingly (and rightly) this is a red route. But even on a red route – between 10am and 4pm there is one hour parking outside parades of shops up and down the road. However, there is no need for there to be a cut off at 4pm on the side that bears the traffic load in the morning going into town – not in the afternoon when there is virtually no traffic at all. (One bit has already had that restriction post 4pm removed).

The simple request to remove the post 4pm restriction on the remaining parade of shops on that side of the road so customers can come and shop – had fallen on deaf ears. But at last – following a strong letter to Boris – I hear from Transport for London that they are coming to survey the traffic etc in the light of my most recent request. And my request is obviously based on representations from the small businesses whose customers melt away each time one falls foul of a ticket. A £60 penalty charge is pretty heavy duty punishment for shopping in your local shops – so people are changing their shopping habits. These little parades of shops are vital for people living in the area – let alone the jobs they provide for local people.

We need to preserve and help the shops we have – at the same time – making sure parking does not stop traffic flow on important routes.

I look forward to common sense winning the day in due course!

Equalities in action!

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Coming back to my home base on Friday – after a week in the Home Office – my first ‘visit’ of the new term was to my old school – Highgate Primary. It couldn’t really have been more appropriate if we had tried – because Highgate Primary has within its boundaries –  the Blanche Nevile School.

Blanche Nevile is a school for deaf children which provides a child-centred, sign-bilingual, bicultural education for deaf children  from a wide range of London Boroughs. The deaf and hard of hearing children have some classes on their own and some integrated – and it is the most wondrous thing to see this in action.

A group of children had prepared questions to ask me about politics, the election, coalition and so on – to be followed by a show in Assembly and a cake sale. I walked into a room full of children literally bursting with energy and enthusiasm for politics – not always that common in ten year olds  – but something new is in the air. I don’t know if it was the leader debates or what (clearly they have fantastic teachers who had worked with them to prepare questions and enthuse them) but I have never seen a class like it.

Almost every hand went up every time a new question was needed. Why did I choose the LibDems? Why did I choose the Tories not Labour? What would I change if I was Prime Minister? Did I always want to be an MP? And much much more.

Straight on to  a production of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ in Assembly. It was absolutely gorgeous – as you can imagine. I loved particularly (probably cos it’s my era) their rendition of ‘Wild Thing!’. And yes – both the questions class and the show and the assembly were mixed hearing and non-hearing children.

And that is really the key point – all those children will grow up without questionning the equality of the hearing and the non-hearing. Just as it should be. As Minister for Equalities – this was equalities in action!

Rape anonymity

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The accused in rape cases is going to be given anonymity. We have anonymity for the victim – but until now – the accused has been named. Now – it will only be following conviction that the perpetrator will be named.

It is clearly appalling for someone who is innocent to find their life and reputation ruined by false accusation and trial – but the issue is much wider than that.

Yes – 60% of  rape cases that come to court lead to conviction. But the cases that end up in court are the tip of the rape iceberg. Only 6% of reported rapes lead to conviction. So there’s one hell of a gap between what is happening out there – compared with the ability to bring these cases to justice.

The British Crime survey says that one in every twenty-four women will suffer rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes. Their figures show that only 11 per cent of rapes or attempted rapes are even reported to the police.

Speaker Bercow

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Well – when I arrived in Parliament in ’05 – Michael Martin was in the Chair. As I knew nothing about business in the House – and assumed that the Speaker knew everything – I just thought that was the way it had been done from time immemorial – and thus would it be ever – biased to calling those MPs from Scotland and men! Well – that is how it seemed to me.

Anyway – when John Bercow was elected (and I supported his bid after our own candidate Alan Beith was eliminated) I was delighted by his ability to manage business. Oh – what a difference. He is bright and witty and doesn’t let Ministers drone on – or questions bumble along never getting to the ask. He gets through more business. More people get opportunities to speak. And he understands the more complex demands that sometimes rear their heads.

My colleague, former MP David Howarth (stepped down at election – completely brilliant, in love with constitutions, standing orders and the minutiae that passes me by – but by which means confounds the processes of the House of Commons) was always using a standing order not used for decades to force a vote, or get an amendment taken or other dastardly confusions. Bercow actually understands the stuff.

Of course – I would prefer the chamber of the House of Commons to be horse shoe in shape, use language and form of language commonly understood by everyone, using names as well as constituencies (to humanise) and many other modernisations. However, for now, we simply have ‘new politics’ in the form of our fledgling coalition – but one day – I hope for greater change – where games with standing orders are not required to try and get business properly addressed and scrutinised in the elected chamber.

Today the questions is – will there be a revolt (by some Conservatives) against Bercow continuing as Speaker and a challenge – or will he prevail? I hope he prevails.

Equalities

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The Birmingham special LibDem conference was pretty special. In a party that has always been (for lack of better terminology) left of centre – it was very life affirming to see that Liberal Democrats en mass got it. We all understood – not only that coalition with the Conservatives was the best and only game in town – but that you cannot believe in Proportional Representation which always results in balanced parliaments – and then say – don’t like them – not doing it.

Watching and listening to my colleagues, one by one, give heartfelt voice to their thoughts, their journeys and their concerns – was a very moving experience. And in the end – of around 2000 LibDems attending – only about 12 voted against.

One of the amendments to the motion for coalition was to reaffirm our commitment to the Lesbian, Gay, B and Trans communities – so obviously – I put a card in and spoke to that. I made it clear – to the delight of the assembled ranks – that there would be no roll back of equalities on my watch.

What was interesting though, is that I read out four manifesto commitments:

– Change the rules for gay people fleeing persecution to be granted asylum

– fight for unequivocal support for gay rights around the world, and use international groups like the Commonwealth to put pressure on countries to tackle persecution of LGB and T people

– change the law to remove the requirement to disclose historical convictions for consensual gay sex

– tackle homophobic bullying including a new category of exclusion data specifically for homophobic abuse

The shocking thing about the above four manifesto pledges above – is that they come from the Conservative manifesto – not ours!

I know there has been a lot of concern as to Theresa May’s track record on voting on LGB and T issues – and indeed a facebook group against her has already grown to around 50,000. She crucially voted the right way – for civil partnerships. And I believe that she and the Conservatives will use the opportunity of this coalition with us – to move forward. Time will tell. But it is easy in the Liberal Democrats to be liberal – Theresa has had a much harder road in the Conservatives to bring change. So I give her and the Conservatives the benefit of any doubt to be new Conservatives – shedding hopefully their old reputation – and moving into the light with us!

I think there is a genuine desire to work together and I go forward in good heart.