Spurs Foundation

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Visited Spurs Foundation yesterday with Lib Dem colleagues: councillors Robert Gorrie, David Winskill and Rachel Alison, plus David Schmitz who is our prospective parliamentary candidate for Tottenham.

We were looking at the work the foundation is doing in terms of encouraging learning, sports opportunities for children with disabilities, and generally discussing how and what needed doing in terms of integration between the west and east of Haringey.

Spurs have moved a long, long way since the days when they were totally resistant to putting back anything into the local community and over the last several years have come on in leaps and bounds with 65 projects now running in Haringey and Enfield (and a couple in Waltham Forrest).

So – nice to establish closer relationship between Spurs and the Lib Dem council group so that we can work together to ensure that Spurs doesn’t only hear Labour voices in future.

Fighting 42 days online

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I’ve always felt that we bloggers have a little bit of viral campaigning power – but to date – have not really used what we have. There are some honorable and fantastic exceptions – Dan Hardie‘s Iraqi interpreters campaign comes immediately to mind – but not enough.

So – yesterday I invited Sunny Hundal of Liberal Conspiracy and a couple of others to meet and discuss what we bloggers who oppose Labour’s plans for 42 days detention without trial could do to stop this hideous legislation. Sunny in turn suggested some other people, and meet together we did.

As I said, we need to stop this legislation – and for that there are three main targets: the Lords, those Labour MPs in the Commons who were reluctant converts to the Government’s line or are wavering, and the wider public – to undermine the faux argument that the public supports 42 days.

On the last – we know that the poll that Gordon Brown prays in aid of put the question pejoratively. Supposing you were asked if 42 days detention without charge was too long a time to hold terrorists without charge. Most would say – of course not. But if you said is 42 days detention without charge too long to hold innocent people – you might get a very different answer!

Sunny is going to lead the charge – as I pointed out best not to have a politician leading as it then stops like-minded people from other parties joining whole-heartedly. This campaign is for anyone from anywhere who wants to fight against the 42 days! He’s written more about it over on Liberal Conspiracy.

Lynne Featherstone congratulates her Three Faith 'ParliaMentors'

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Three young women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim backgrounds have graduated this month in the ‘ParliaMentors’ Programme under the tutelage of local MP, Lynne Featherstone.

The participants have met regularly over the academic year with Lynne Featherstone locally and in Parliament as part of a mentoring programme organised by the Three Faiths Forum. The aim of the scheme is to bring people of different faiths together and to inspire them to get involved in politics and social engagement.

Ms Featherstone looks forward to participating in next year’s scheme.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It was a real pleasure to mentor these three ferociously talented young women from such diverse backgrounds.I have no doubt they will be going on to greater things, so watch this space.

“I am certain that their shared experience with people from different faiths will help them appreciate how much we have in common and what can be achieved together.

“I would encourage any undergraduates locally who are interested in this or any of the other mentoring programmes to contact the Three Faiths Forum.It really is a fantastic opportunity.”

First round in Parliament on the Equalities Bill

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Today’s the day! Or should have been. The Equalities Bill ”statement’ today in the House of Common chamber came after loads of leaks and media on the subject.

I can only assume that Ms Harman wanted the news agenda to herself – avoiding opposition criticism. Which is a shame – as the media have made great hay with the bit which will allow an employer who at interview has several equally qualified applicants – give the job to the one they feel fills a gap in the make up of their workforce. So – for example – if there was under-representation of male teachers in a primary school – and a woman and man both were equally qualified to get the job – the employer could decide to give the job to the man to improve the under-represented groups representation – without being sued. That’s the point. Previously it was against the law.

This is the bit that (in garbled and misleading form) grabbed the media attention, but the media have pretty much ignored the really good bit – that at the eleventh hour the Government included tackling age discrimination both in extending the equality duty on the public sector but also applying it to the provision of goods and services. Hurrah!

This is something that should have happened years and years ago – and you might ask – what changed the Government’s mind at the last moment? My current theory is – given that Labour may not be the Government when the costs of implementation come in – they decided to get it right as a sort of legacy – a farewell gift to equality and fairness. Well – I don’t know really – but hurrah! Older people have had the worst of treatment in the equality agenda – so three cheers!

However, the hawks in the cabinet have clearly won when it comes to tackling the private sector over their equality practises. The Government has baulked at any mandatory pay audits – and Harriet did not answer me when I asked at what point in the voluntary, softly softly approach to asking companies to publish their wages for employees so we can see the truth, the measures would become compulsory.

And there was lots more – but over the next seven months – we will be pushing the agenda as hard as we can. And I expect the Government to include many of our ‘asks’!

Today's news round up

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A few stories out in the newspapers today in which I feature:

Equalities Bill – the Guardian has coverage today, including:

The Liberal Democrat equality spokeswoman, Lynne Featherstone, said: “If the government genuinely wants to tackle equality, it must do more to end the growing discrepancy between the rules on pay for the public and private sector.

“Without compulsory pay audits for the private sector, these proposals will represent a very real victory for the hawks in the cabinet. Public sector equality rights are fast becoming an ivory tower that private sector employees can only dream of. A few tick-box questionnaires for government suppliers on their equality policy are going to do little to change the day-to-day opportunities for the 20 million people who work in the private sector.”

The future of the FAITH centre has been covered by the Hornsey Journal (blogged about here):

THE FIGHT to save a centre that supports disabled people in Wood Green has reached the 11th hour, campaigners fear.

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone joined a protest over the planned closure of the FAITH (Further Advancement In Training in Haringey) Plant Centre, in Wolves Lane, last Friday.

She said: “The notification has come late. This is almost the 11th hour. Everyone has got to get a shifty on to make sure it doesn’t close before a rescue plan can be put into operation.”

The Journal’s also covered the case of a local resident and her parking fine:

A DISABLED resident is up in arms after a no parking sign pointing the wrong way left her £600 out of pocket.Elizabeth Bennett, of Highgate, could not see the sign when she parked in Southwood Avenue at 8.10am on Sunday, May 18, and was left with the hefty fine.

Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey and Wood Green, MP is fighting her corner demanding transport bosses review the fine and repair the sign.

Transport for London (TfL) has refunded the ticket and vowed that cars displaying blue disabled badges will never be removed.

Lynne Featherstone said: “Parking restrictions are a necessity but when they are applied without compassion there is something wrong.

“I understand how Mrs Bennett believed she was parking legally. And £600 is way off the scale of what is fair. TfL must act.”

Local MP congratulates students with winning formula

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Top chemistry prize-winning students at Highgate School were last week congratulated by local MP Lynne Featherstone as she tabled a parliamentary motion (EDM 1810) in their honour.

The winning team, consisting of students Charlie Bruce, Jack Saville, David Ooi and Max Jamilly won the national ‘Top of the Bench’ competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The students excelled in the final at the Science Museum in April after proving themselves in both theory, research and a practical test.

Lynne Featherstone commented as she met up with the winners on Friday:

“I’m so impressed with these bright boys, it really is a fantastic achievement to win Top of the Bench; I know the competition was fierce.

“It’s also great to see how keen and interested the students are in chemistry. It’s such an important subject, but less and less students take it. That’s why competitions like Top of the Bench are so important, and I’m delighted to be able to do my bit by tabling this EDM. Well done guys!”

Single Equalities Bill about to be published

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Well – the much trailed Single Equalities Bill will be announced Wednesday or Thursday.

We know that dealing with discrimination based on age is in (hurrah) and there will be a public sector equality duty. Equality in provision of goods and services for the elderly will be staged – exact timing not sure.

Equal pay will be a biggee too – as there is still an unacceptable gap. We know the Government has baulked at mandatory pay audits in the private sector – so the hawks in the Cabinet won that one. Hope at the very least the Government does away with the requirement for a real comparator.

I am sure Gordon Brown promised that this type of stuff would be announced first to parliament – not leaked to the press. Wonder if he told Harriet that?

I suspect much of the Bill will be consensual – and we will all be glad when this magnum opus is completed. Much of it is tidying up and our discrimination law on the whole is pretty good. It’s making it stand up in the real world and changing culture that is the barrier. Still – it’s important to have the law to hang the behaviour around…

Play suspended in Fortis Green

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Fortis Green will not be hearing cries of ‘Anyone for tennis?’, with unwelcome restrictions on a local tennis court.

Following the closure of the tennis club on Twyford Avenue in Fortis Green, local residents fought and won access to one tennis court through an agreement between Haringey Council and the developers. However, houses in the development are now being advertised with a ‘private’ tennis court, which has alarmed the local residents who were looking forward to playing tennis again.

After investigation by Liberal Democrat councillor Matt Davies, it has been revealed that although the original permission included wider access to a tennis court, a second agreement with Haringey Council failed to have a similar clause – which means local tennis players face exclusion.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Matt Davies (Fortis Green) comments:

“With Wimbledon getting into full swing, more people are interested in being involved in tennis. The loss of the tennis club was very unfortunate and something that we fought against. But the single court being available to residents in the area was a crumb of comfort – it now seems as if even that crumb is disappearing.

“It looks like we may now need to rely on the developers keeping their word, which they gave at the Committee hearing. But having to rely on that, rather than Haringey Council ensuring effective legal back-up, doesn’t seem to be a very satisfactory situation.”

Intergenerational mobility

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Intergerational mobility – or lack of it. I am speaking on a panel at the end of a day’s conference for specialists, academics and the like about the fact that social mobility is less now than 30 years ago. If you’re born poor you will die poor – is the basic message.

For me the big issue is the widening equality gap and how bad that is for everyone. Countries with less of a gap between rich and poor do better, are happier and so on. Conclusions (mine) that we are still relatively class ridden society who look down their noses at vocational education (not me!) and we would do well to take a leaf out of the Netherland’s school structures. And yes – 0 – 5 years is crucial – but so are second chances. Damn the government for taking away funding for a second degree later in life. That removed so many second chances – and hey ho – hits women (often single mothers) returning to work and advancing themselves.