It's been a privilege

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Lynne Featherstone with residents surveysSo – bets are on that today’s the day when the date will be set for the general election! And that means people in Hornsey & Wood Green get their chance to cast their verdict not just on my promises for the future but also (for the first time!) my record as an MP.

So it seems appropriate to put up my latest column for the Muswell Hill Flyer and the Highgate Handbook – on what a privilege it’s been to be the MP for the last five years for the area where I grew up, went to school – and got married. And as you can see from the photo – sometimes it’s been tough to keep up with all the issues from residents!

I make it over 28,000 people I’ve helped – so a particular thank you too to all my staff over the years who have assisted. Thank you.

It’s been a privilege

It’s hard to believe that five years have already passed since I was elected Member of Parliament for Hornsey & Wood Green.

It has been a complete privilege and joy to serve this community. There have been so many battles to fight – great and small – standing up for local people. Even what may seem a small issue to others can be a major issue for those directly involved. And sometimes it has been the petty swipe of unfairness that is the wrong that needs righting.

Take the newspaper seller, Alex Chobur, who got fired by the distribution company for a newspaper for drinking water whilst at work. That is the sort of employment practice we should have left behind with the Victorians – but he contacted me and, with the help of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, we got the firm to change its rules to be rather more humane.

On a similar theme – making those in charge remember to put a little bit of humanity back into their behavior – I remember also the mother a paraplegic child who had waited five years to swap their flat, which had a long narrow staircase that the child had to be carried up and down, for a ground floor one. Time after time Haringey Council said it could not find a more suitable property – until I got the press involved and thanks to the magic of bad publicity what had been for years a “no” became a “yes”.

Sometimes (well quite often) it is Haringey Council driving people insane either by taking no notice of local people – over a planning issue, empty grit bins in the snow, potholes in your road deep enough to dive into – to the very serious issues of fair funding (or lack of it) for our children at Haringey schools or the dreadful events around failures in child protection. It is not chance that Haringey Council was assessed by the Comprehensive Area Assessment (the body that rates councils right across the country) as the worst council in all of London.

And don’t even get me started on the threat the Whittington A&E! Insanity!

The economy, however, dominates. Vince Cable (who wins all the polls on who people want to be Chancellor) is quite clear that we must address the horrendous deficit – but not before the recovery is sure. He is absolutely right to also say we must break up the banks so they are no longer too big to fail and able to gamble safe in the knowledge that if it all goes wrong – someone else will have to bail them out. Once but never again. Changing our financial system not only makes economic sense – but it is the fair course of action too.

The same applies to our plans to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000, taking millions out of income tax and putting an extra £700 in the pocket of the average working person. That would be paid for by closing tax loopholes and bringing capital gains tax in line with income tax – because that’s the fair way to put together a tax system.

I was driven into politics by the best of motives – to fight injustice and unfairness. But there is still so much to fight for and to battle against – which is why I hope my term in Parliament is but my first.

Whittington A&E – Story 27

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Rebecca’s story:

When my son was approximately 6 months old he had a bad cough and he produced some spots of blood as he was coughing. I took him to my GP who referred me immediately to the A & E at the Whittington.

As this is my local hospital my child was born there so I was familiar with the place and I felt comfortable going there. We drove ourselves to the hospital. The journey took no more than 10 mins which meant I did not have to worry for an unnecessarily long time.

We were seen quite quickly and reassured that the problem was not serious and were home within approx 3 hours. I feel so lucky to live near to a hospital with an A & E facilty.

I have used the A & E at the North Mid for my child also as he had “pulled elbow” but the only reason I used this hospital was because we were shopping nearby at Ikea. It would take us at least 20 mins to get to the North Mid from my home, this would be massively increased if there were traffic on the very busy A10.

I actually feel a real sense of security being so close to the A & E at the Whittington, and would be very concerned if it were to close or run under reduced services.

Liberal Democrats announce key election pledges

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Haringey Liberal Democrat launchFreezing Council Tax until at least April 2012 is a key election pledge announced by the Liberal Democrats. Ahead of the launch of their manifesto next week, Haringey Liberal Democrats revealed six key pledges in their bid to take control of Haringey Council in the upcoming local elections on 6th May 2010 and put an end to the failure under Labour that has led to Haringey being the worst-run council in London.

The six key pledges are:

1. More police on the beat – We will put more police on the beat when and where they are needed most with new 24 hour local police teams.

2. Fairer funding for our schools – We will fight to end Labour’s unfair school funding system, which gives every Haringey child £1,000 a year less than children in neighbouring boroughs.

3. Secure future for Children’s Services – We will end the culture of cover-up and secrecy on child protection, and protect funding for vital children’s services.

4. Freeze Council Tax – We will freeze Council Tax until at least April 2012, by cutting waste – such as Labour’s £3m PR budget.

5. Cleaner streets – We will clean up Haringey’s streets with 200 more litter bins and a ‘Clean Streets Warden’ from every neighbourhood.

6. Real action on the environment – We will take real action on the environment by boosting recycling and investing £5 million in a fund for green projects.

Commenting Councillor Robert Gorrie (Hornsey), Leader of Haringey Liberal Democrats, says:

“We have been listening carefully to local residents – and this has formed the basis of our pledges today. They will be the foundation for the type of council we want to run – one that puts the people it serves at the heart of everything it does.

“A Liberal Democrat administration will hit the ground running, with a clear set of priorities. Residents are fed up with high council taxes, but poor council services. This will change under the Liberal Democrats.”

“The fresh start will begin on the 7th May.”

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, and former Hariangey Councillor adds,

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party that can challenge Labour’s stranglehold of Haringey Council. With these pledges, local residents have a clear idea of the difference they would see if the Liberal Democrats take control. The fight is on!”

LGTB community see through Grayling and Cameron

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Grayling’s real thoughts, as exposed by the Observer (where Grayling says that B&B owners shouldn’t have to admit gay couples if against their Christian belief if the B&B is in their own home) and David Cameron’s stuttering inability to answer on gay issues during an interview with Gay Times has seen Conservative poll ratings fall amongst the gay community in response to a Pink News survey.  http://bit.ly/aaQDqb

I should hope so too!

Making the right noises for political purposes is not enough – and the Conservatives have been exposed as still having a very long way to go to transform their real position into a genuinely liberal one. This debacle has demonstrated the reality behind the warm words.

Why is China afraid of Bob Dylan?

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I love Bob Dylan. Apparently China doesn’t. I read this morning that his planned concert tour has been cancelled because the authorities refused to let him play in the major cities.

So – China having the Olympics didn’t work then!

I thought that was meant to be the new China putting its best foot forward and kicking its bad old human-rights record into the history books. Well – no surprise really. Google and now Bob have the truth at first hand.

At least China isn’t ageist! They still think Bob is a danger at 68 – and perhaps they are right. Music can be dangerous – thank goodness. It can call us together. It can inspire. It can symbolise the feelings of a generation. And I speak as someone who thrilled to the anti-war songs of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan – and the righteous days of the anti-Vietnam chords ‘One, two, three – what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me I don’t give a damn. Next stop Vietnam!’.

We need a new Bob Dylan really. There was no equivalent during the Iraq war to sing out the opposition – no rising up or dropping out of the younger generation. We did march against the war – all ages. I did go on the march – and my eldest daughter came with me – to show the Labour Government that we did not want to go to war on an illegal prospectus. Much notice they took of the wishes of the people!

Bob! Come here instead.

Whittington A&E – Story 26

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A’s story:

A few years ago my nephew sliced the top off his finger with an electric planer [used to plane wood]. I wrapped his finger in a towel and rushed him to The Whittington A & E Dept. We had to wait a little while as it was very busy but when he was seen, he was taken to the ward and had the operation that night. They did a marvellous job, and although his finger is slightly short, he is still able to be a cabinet maker and hardly anyone notices.

If we had to have travelled further, he might have lost the use of his finger.

Grayling shows Tories still don't get it

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Yes – of course – there are great sensitivities around how to give everyone religious freedom to believe their doctrines and live their lives according to that doctrine whilst at the same time ensuring equality and freedom from discrimination. That is one of the great challenges that we have to meet – and it reared its head constantly in the Equality Bill.

However, in the end, the provision of goods and services must be provided on an equal basis to all. That is where Chris Grayling has failed to understand the real nature of equality. It will mean, for example, for those Christians who believe it is against their religion or belief to rent facilities to homosexuals – will not be able to exclude gay couples.

That is a clear example of where the line is drawn. There are more complex ones – particularly in employment where I know Churches feel it is entirely their business who they employ and they want to employ Christians. The line here is drawn to allow discrimination in the employment of someone who is involved in the liturgical side of the Church – but not in ordinary jobs within that establishment. For example – obviously the Vicar, priest and youth leaders who have a duty to teach will be discriminated in favour of for those jobs – but a caretaker, accountant, etc will not. That is the line that the law draws.

The problem with what Grayling said – apart from the substance itself – is that it reveals (just as Cameron’s stuttering performance when being interviewed on gay issues demonstrated) that the Tory Party in its heart still doesn’t believe in equality.

You hear it in the Chamber. During the Equality Bill, I was speaking about the need for protection under the law for those with gender identity issues. From the Tory backbenches I could hear the cries of ‘filthy perverts’.

So – yes – there are huge sensitivities and challenges in achieving a way through that values and frees Christians and others to observe their faith – whilst protecting the rights of all to equal treatment under the law.

Whittington A&E – Story 25

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S’s story:

My story re the Whittington is that last year my two year old granddaughter started limping and it is was discovered that she had an infection in the bone in her leg. The diagnosis took a week to sort out and during that time she had to stay in the hospital and be sedated three times to have scans to try and work out what was wrong. the staff were fantastic and if she had not received the care and attention that she did she could have lost her leg. She had to be treated with intravenous antibiotics daily for six weeks. This meant a trip to the Whittington daily for my daughter with her daughter and a four month old baby.

Featherstone and Schmitz candidates in most important ever election in Haringey

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“It’s a privilege and a joy to serve this community”. Those were the words of thanks from sitting MP Lynne Featherstone, who was formally adopted this week as the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for the Hornsey & Wood Green constituency.

Sarah Ludford MEP and Brian Paddick, former Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor, were guest speakers at the packed event in Hornsey Bowling Club, which also adopted local campaigner David Schmitz as the party’s candidate for Tottenham.

The elections in Haringey are predicted to be a very close contest between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with local Tories out of the race. Ms Featherstone is defending a 2,395 vote majority over Labour, and elections for Haringey Council are on a knife edge between the two parties. The Conservatives have no elected councillors and finished a poor third in both the Parliamentary seats last time.

Ms Ludford described Lynne as, “a local treasure for Haringey and a national treasure for the party,” reminding the audience that she had been labelled a ‘Saint’ by the Daily Telegraph for her exemplary record over election expenses.

Brian Paddick, a former senior Met Police officer, welcomed the party’s policies to boost policing in Haringey, with plans for more out-of-hours police cover. Welcoming the adoption of David Schmitz as candidate for Tottenham, Mr Paddick stressed the need for a second Lib Dem MP in the borough.

Commenting after the meeting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the last five years, and I am looking forward to the campaign. I will continue to fight for local people and for services in Hornsey and Wood Green, working for local residents, fighting for fair funding for our schools and putting a stop to threats to our local health services. And in David Schmitz, Tottenham can also have a Parliamentary champion who will fight hard for residents.”

Whittington A&E – Story 24

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Dave’s story:

The nearest other A&E is the Royal Free, which is miles away & very difficult to get to, especially for older people (my wife & I are over 60 and my neighbour 89), even by ambulance (rarely available) or car, due to multitude of intervening “sleeping policemen”. Direct public transport is non-existent.

1. About 10 years ago, my wife badly lacerated her arms when a glass door shattered. As waiting an unspecified time for an ambulance was not an option, I drove her to Whittington A&E (took 10-15mins). They were excellent, prioritising her treatment & even the security guys let me park “illegally” outside A&E for a while.

2. About 5 years ago I had a series of eye operations at the Royal Free. Again, excellent (not A&E) treatment. However, journey by car took about 45 mins and by public transport, with several changes nearly hour and a half.

3. Last year, my 89 year old neighbour had a bad fall at the end of our road (bad cuts & bruises to her face & some concussion). A helpful passer by called me & an even more helpful policeman called an ambulance (arrived in less than 10 mins), which took her to Whittington A&E. I then drove there, so as to keep her company until her daughter could arrive from work in Central London. Took about 10-15mins again plus 5mins to find a parking place.

The point of the 3 stories is that I know the driving & public transport routes to both hospitals, I know that each method takes 3 times as long to Royal Free as to Whittington, and even though an ambulance would be quicker, the relative times ratio would still be the same, especially with the number of “sleeping policemen” en route (& assuming an ambulance was available !).

Perhaps not an issue for stories 2 & 3, but I would worry that the tourniquets I put on my wife’s arms (story 1) would have stemmed her blood loss long enough for a journey to the Royal Free.