Playing tennis with Greg Rusedski

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So Penny Chalmers, she who must be obeyed, of Coolhurst Tennis Club said I had to wear shorts to play tennis with Greg Rusedski when we ‘opened’ the new tennis courts. My office said yes – no problem. I said – cellulite! However – not having a track suit – I bowed to the inevitable.

It was very heartwarming in a way – as the local crowd there were very kind (considering I am an MP and we are scum currently) but as a good guy – they seemed relieved and wanted to reassure me that they didn’t see me like the others. But I have to say – I feel contaminated by what has been going on.

Back to tennis. Penny gave her speech thanking all those who have worked tirelessly to get to the point of today – three new tennis courts to which the local children from schools around will have access. Fantastic – and a host of people have driven this through the many obstacles. Islington Council (Lib Dem) gave some funding towards it as dear old Labour Haringey refused.

It is hard to believe it’s only three and a half months since we did sodding ceremony (where I had to dig up the first sod with a shovel). And equally hard to believe that it is only nine months since Penny first contacted me about planning challenges – which is when I dived in to support their cause.

I want to applaud the scheme – Congratulate Coolhurst and The Trustees of Aloysius Playing Fields – for making this scheme a reality. The concept of partnership between private members clubs and schools for shared use facilities offers tremendous community benefits.

As for today – I managed to get a couple of balls back across the net to Greg – so that was a major achievement. And – of course – by tennis past as ball boy at Queen’s was revealed. Sadly – as I ball boyed for stars such as John Newcombe and Rod Laver – it was a bit of an age give away!

The Speaker should go

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The Speaker should go. This is the man who moved to block freedom of information on MPs expenses. This is the man who is meant to hold the respect of Parliament and parliamentarians. This is the man whose first instinct last week was to shoot the messengers rather than address the crisis breaking all around us.

There is to be a vote of confidence next week – but I hope for his as well as our sake – that he goes of his own volition before then.

That doesn’t deal with the MPs who have defrauded the system or evaded tax – who must face investigation under the law. They should be sacked. Those who have had to ‘pay back’ depending on the scale of the offence either should be deselected/resign or face their electorate in due course and give them the ultimate say on their future. And those MPs who haven’t done anything wrong should have equal space in the Telegraph saying so.

I texted Nick Clegg a few days ago to suggest he call for the dissolution of Parliament as I cannot see how we can continue given that we, the members of the House of Commons, have collectively no credibility or respect or trust. Listening to a pundit on the news just now, though, he said we need three months to do this in orderly fashion – to deselect those MPs who have abused the system and to not go to the polls at a moment when in anger – the baby would be thrown out with the bathwater. I assume he meant that the anger and the fury of the people voting at this moment would turn it into an election exclusively about an expression of that anger – and that elections should be about the economy etc. I am not sure I agree – as everything feels contaminated at the moment.

Scrapping SATs

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A few weeks ago I arranged for Evelyn Davies (Head of Coldfall School) and two of her associates to meet with Jim Knight (schools minister) to make their case that SATs should be scrapped. And Evenly made a superb case. Coldfall had done a survey showing the level of concern from parents about sATs.

So the news now that year 6 Science SATs will be scrapped is excellent – except the Government needs to go further. So far it is only science SATs that are to go – and they need to include English and Maths in the plans.

Expenses

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There seems to be a line being drawn in the expenses disgrace between those MPs who may have committed fraud or who have manipulated the ‘rules’ to maximise personal gain – and those who have claimed for things that never should have even been thought of as a claim. In the case of the former it is in my view a matter for the law and resignation, and for the latter a matter of paying back, public humiliation and the electorate’s verdict in due course.

And then there’s the rest – who claim only for normal office expenses and proper receipts for renting or staying!

I can’t see this ever ending at the moment. And the awful disrepute into which we all collectively as MPs have fallen and the terrible blow to to parliamentary process and democracy altogether is horrific.

Also, this is the only story in town. And as someone who over the last week has been involved in two really desperately important issues both covered in the press: Will Pike’s right to compensation as a British citizen hideously injured in the terrorist attack in Mumbai and secondly the revelation that Great Ormond Street Hospital has been as bad as Haringey Council with regard to Baby P – I am worried that those who need to be pressured will not be getting the attention that the seriousness of those issues deserves.

Ready for Business: Haringey Liberal Democrat frontbench team selected

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The team that will take Haringey Liberal Democrats up to the local elections in 2010 was selected last night with Cllr Robert Gorrie elected unopposed as Leader of the Opposition.

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Leader of the Opposition, comments:

“I am confident this is right team to challenge Labour’s incompetence and stick up for local residents. We will continue to fight to find out why Haringey’s taxpayers have to pay one of the highest Council Tax rates in London, why Haringey Council has only help create a hand full of jobs in this recession and what is being done to restore confidence in children’s services.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“I’m delighted at election of such a talented shadow cabinet. We have an experienced and energetic team to take the next step towards the local elections in 2010.”

Commenting on the Labour AGM appointments, Cllr Gorrie added:

“This is yet another shuffle of the same faces that have let down residents for too long. The Labour group seem to be more obsessed with awarding nearly every councillor extra responsibility allowances than tackling the problems Haringey faces.

“What is most surprising is that, after leaving the borough’s finances in such a mess, the Labour group have seen fit to appoint Cllr Adje to scrutinise, amongst other things, the borough’s finances.”

Delight as local café saved from developers

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A popular café in Muswell Hill was saved from developers this week after the Planning Inspectorate dismissed an appeal to build a new restaurant. Local Liberal Democrats welcomed the decision to save the Cherry Tree café and said it was a “victory for common sense.” Cllr Jonathan Bloch who made representations opposing the original application and Cllr Gail Engert who attended the appeal hearing were overjoyed at the decision.

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, comments:

“This was a victory for common sense. The current cafe called Cherry Tree is a much-loved local institution. The developers have been trying to bring in an up market restaurant for many years. Local residents, supported by their local Liberal Democrat councillors, have rallied behind their local greasy spoon where meals are sold at affordable prices. I hope this heralds a sea change amongst the inspectorate staff attitude and that they will as in this instance give due emphasis to local feeling.”

Cllr Gail Engert, adds:

“The owners of the Cherry Tree are delighted. Their café is a prime example of a popular local enterprise that we were right to fight to protect from wholly inappropriate development.”

Labour campaign at Haringey taxpayer expense

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Labour has today come under attack by opposition councillors for electioneering at the taxpayer’s expense after Haringey Council distributed its latest edition of the controversial ‘Haringey People’ publication just 21 days before the European election on 4th June where two Haringey Labour councillors are standing as candidates.

The publication which Labour councillors have complete editorial control is delivered to every household in Haringey at a cost of £400,000. This edition features prominent articles promoting Cllr Lorna Reith, deputy Labour leader.

Haringey Council’s own publicity guidance published before the election shows that during the election period the Council must not publish any material which appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party. The publication of Haringey People during this period seems to break these rules.

Liberal Democrats are committed to cutting the number of publications from 12 to 4 a year, and would uphold the neutrality during election period.

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, says:

“It is completely wrong to use public money, particularly of a council in financial crisis, to campaign in the middle of an election where Labour councillors are standing.

“Local residents who face real hardship with job losses and recession will be outraged to learn they are subbing Labour in its election campaign.

“Haringey Labour should be forced to pay back the costs.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, Hornsey & Wood Green MP, added:

“If Haringey Labour cannot motivate any supporters, it doesn’t mean it should turn to the public purse to make up the shortfall.

“Haringey Labour has long treated Haringey Council as its own personal piggy bank. It is time for this to stop.”

Meanwhile this week, Parliament debated the Equality Bill

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On Monday I led for the Liberal Democrats in the Second Reading of the Equality Bill. The key issues are: the gender pay gap, the duty on bodies to reduce socio-economic inequality; the ending of discrimination on age in goods and services; procurement and much much more – as you can see in my speech here.

But one idea I floated in the speech was how to stop being disbarred from getting a job – before you even get an interview. Lots of people get thrown on the scrapheap because their name is a give away as to their ethnicity, sex or age. This is not (just) about discrimination that is overt – but in a pile of applications it’s about also subliminal and unconscious discrimination – and I have come up with a proposal to eliminate it. It’s in my speech in full – but Personnel Today also picked up on it.

Great Ormond Street failed Baby P too!

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When I found out that the last doctor to see Baby Peter failed to recognise a broken back and ribs – like the rest of the nation I thought she must be a terrible doctor. And she clearly was. However, I also read that she was a locum – and ever since then I have been digging and digging to find out why there was a locum and what lay beneath.

I found out. And whilst I have no doubt that Haringey Labour Council and Sharon Shoesmith were first in line for retribution being the lead agency and lead individual – I have also had no doubt that there were other agencies who were just as bad.

There was a locum because the consultant pediatricians, four of them, in the children’s health department in Haringey (commissioned by Haringey PCT and run by Great Ormond Street – GOSH) had either left, been off permanently sick or on special leave! On digging I found that these doctors had raised their concerns with GOSH and been ignored. Yet again – management taking no notice of dangers being flagged up by professionals – just as the police and a senior social worker at Haringey raised concerns that Baby P should be taken away from the family.

I raised it on my blog. I got Norman Lamb (Lib Dem Health Spokesperson) to raise it in a health debate. I raised it myself in a speech in the chamber. But it is only now that investigative journalist for the Evening Standard, Andrew Gilligan, has found out the real detail of the story and broken it in the paper that the part that GOSH and Haringey PCT played in Baby P’s death is coming to light. He actually has a copy of the letter to the management at GOSH saying that they don’t believe the management has taken their concerns seriously and listing the reasons that children’s lives were at risk.

And yesterday – the Health Care Commission report into Baby P’s death also came out with findings that make it clear that there were systemic and individual failings in GOSH and the Health Trusts – all scandalous stuff.

What has been going on in children’s health in Haringey is practically a mirror image of what was going on in Haringey Council, Children’s Services and the Safeguarding Board.

I hope that this now all comes to light and that equally drastic and appropriate action is taken.

Needless to say – I will be writing to Ed Balls in this regard.