PMQs: Parliament shows how out of date it is – again

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Well, well – so Vince Cable tried to ask a question at Prime Minister’s Questions today – and it was ruled out of order. His heinous offence? Mentioning the Queen in his question:

It is reported that Her Majesty the Queen cancelled her Diamond wedding party because it would be ‘inappropriate’ to indulge in extravagance when the country faces recession and economic gloom. Is this another good example of Her Majesty’s unerring instinct for the national mood; or does the Government think she is simply overreacting?

Well excuse me – but what sort of out of date organisation is it that has this sort of ban? So much for being a modern democracy!

Debt, unemployment and violence: top fears of young people

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CSV (Community Service Volunteers) have a really interesting study published today – the Youth Future Fears UK study. As they say:

Young people aged 16 – 25 across Britain were asked to rank their biggest fears for the future … The survey reveals:
• Nearly half (48%) see debt as one of their biggest future fears
• 40% are worried about unemployment
• Violent crime is a top concern for 38% of young people
• One in three (30%) are fearful for the challenge presented by global warming
• One in five (20%) are worried about increasing drug use whilst 17% fear an increase in racial tension
• 12% fear obesity, while binge drinking is a concern for 9% of Britain’s youth
• 9% are worried about an increase in sexually transmitted infections…

Regional variations include:
• Violent crime is the top concern in London for 37% of young people while debt is only a concern for 22% of those in the capital

My views? As I’ve said in a quote for the media:

No-one is saying that young people should live in a bubble, but we should be seriously concerned when they’re saddled with worries over debt, jobs and being beaten up.

This Government has been more interested in eye-catching headlines on ‘binge drinking hoodies’ than in creating real opportunities for young people.

We need to encourage more projects to harness the tremendous potential that young people have to offer our communities.

Where've you been Boris?

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So – Boris Johnson is now complaining that Ken Livingstone keeps on nicking his policy ideas. Well – though of us who have actually been involved in London over the last decade have been well used to Ken doing his magpie act year after year. This complaint says more to me about how sudden and new Boris’s interest is in London than anything else!

Paddick promises full 603 service

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A full all-day 603 bus service will be introduced if Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, gets elected on 1st May. This was pledged on Monday as Mr Paddick toured the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency with GLA candidate Monica Whyte, and Lynne Featherstone MP.

The 603 route, which runs from Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage via Highgate, is currently only running at very limited capacity, with 4 buses a day.

Brian Paddick comments:

“The 603 provides a valuable service – it’s pretty much the only public transport running from Muswell Hill to Hampstead and beyond, but currently its capacity means that its usefulness for local residents is limited. If I’m elected Mayor, I promise to introduce a full all-day service that will much better serve the people of Hornsey and Wood Green.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Brian has been listening to local people, and I am delighted to hear that he has promised to add many more buses to this much appreciated and cherished local bus service. The response to the local campaign on the 603 over many years – and the many email responses and online petition signatures I have received – show how vital this service is to local residents, and how well used it would be.”

Lynne Featherstone joins the Twittering classes

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Local MP Lynne Featherstone has become the first MP in the country regularly to ‘twitter’.Hornsey & Wood Green residents will now be able to sign up and get direct updates to find out what their MP is up to on regular basis using twitter.com

Forty-four people have already signed up to get the latest whereabouts of the net-savvy MP who has for a number of years kept a regular blog.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone says:

“I am happy to have joined the twittering classes!I am never a stranger to new technology, particularly when it will help me keep in touch with the people I represent.

“The Twitter service also means that local residents can sign up and tell me what they’re up to. It will be a great way for me to find out my constituents get up to and what’s bugging them at any given moment.”

People wishing to sign up to track Lynne Featherstone should sign up at http://twitter.com/lfeatherstone

Haringey Liberal Democrats lay foundation for Post Office rescue plan

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Haringey Liberal Democrats have secured an emergency life-line for local Post Offices threatened with closure. At Monday’s Full Council meeting, the Liberal Democrats pushed through a firm plan of action to urgently investigate what support Haringey Council could offer if the Post Office ignores local residents’ pleas to keep vital services open.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“It is disappointing that Haringey Labour used its majority to water down our rescue plan. Nevertheless, we were successful in getting Haringey Council to commit to action. If we sit on our hands and wait for the axe to fall, when it comes to act it could be too late.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Hopefully the government will listen to the huge opposition against these plans. And if that fails, thankfully local Liberal Democrats have started the fight to put an insurance policy in place if the worst comes to the worse.”

Ten most popular blog postings (1st quarter, 2008)

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End of another quarter – so it’s time for another top ten list. Here are the blog postings which have proved most popular with readers of my blog in the last three months:

10. The interesting case of Seb Green – the admirable way someone has reacted when things go wrong.

9. I’m the bride – at last! – blogging prize, not wedding bells. But nearly as exciting.

8. One of my favourite topics for blog postings – about winning an election! This time Rachel Allison was the much deserving winner in the Highgate by-election.

7. I’ve blogged quite extensively over the last three months about the scandals surrounding Ken Livingstone and the funding of projects in London – so no great surprise that this posting about Ethnic Mutual’s grant made it into the top ten.

6. Low Copy Number DNA – one of those postings which keeps on getting traffic as, each time there’s a crime involving DNA records, people go hunting on the internet for more about this technique.

5. Mr Speaker doesn’t speak for me – I disagree with the Speaker’s decision to try to keep things secret.

4. Lots of online coverage for me first steps using Twitter.

3. A (then) Conservative councillor calls for sterilisation of people whose lifestyles he doesn’t agree with – An appalling insult to mothers and fathers.

2. Our sexist monarchy: why in the modern world should men still be able to elbow aside women in the line of succession to the Throne?

1. And in at number one: Brian Paddick comes calling. Somewhat surprised to see this at number one as it wasn’t the most interesting or exciting posting – at least in my eyes!

(Click to see the previous top tens).

It's not only the guilty who get arrested

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Did a piece for BBC London News on Kevin Reynolds – a constituent who was arrested as a suspect in the Sally Anne Bowman case. Kevin had a dreadful 36 + hours before the police eliminated him from their enquiries. But they took his DNA and somewhere in cyber-record, despite his innocence, his name is linked with a murder enquiry as a suspect.

One really dreadful aspect of his ordeal, however, is that the police – had they been doing their job properly – could have eliminated him in five minutes. They already had his DNA on the much vaunted DNA database – but guess what – the police didn’t even check against their existing database! Held up as the answer to life is DNA in detection and corroboration of crime – but they didn’t even look. They just took another sample which they then used to eliminate him.

So next time the police argue for having the whole nation on the DNA database – let’s point out to them that firstly a tool is only any good if you bother to use it. And perhaps instead of spending zillions tagging innocent people – better to spend the money catching the guilty.

There’s a novel idea!

Then briefed by Thameslink on the works that will affect Hornsey & Wood Green residents as they begin from end of May-ish. The benefits won’t be seen for a while as we are not in ‘key output 1’. But we will feel the knock on from the works in ‘output 1’ as Farringdon, London Bridge et al get the renovation they need and we deserve. Later in ‘output 2’ we may get more direct benefits. We will have to mainly grin and bear any disruption that comes our way – as this long awaited transport improvement finally is delivered.

Liberal Democrat anger at "Free leisure facilities" claim

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Haringey Liberal Democrats have reacted with anger and disbelief at claims made in a newspaper edited and published by Cllr Basu, the Labour Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, regarding the new leisure centre pricing structure which is launched today.

In the Holloway based “New World” newspaper, Cllr Basu triumphantly claims that pensioners will have “free weekday day time (sic) use of council run leisure centres”. This follows a shambolic reversal of a Cabinet decision taken in January to abolish free universal passes for older people in Haringey.

The article says that, “The decision follows consultation with older people on the pricing policy,” and goes on to quote Cllr Basu as saying, “We said we would consult. We have done so, and we have taken those views into account.”

The piece appears on the front page of the current issue alongside a picture of a grinning Haringey Council Leader George Meehan.

Cllr David Winskill, Lib Dem Culture and Leisure, spokesperson comments:

“It is quite breathtaking that Orwellian ‘double think’ like this still goes on in Labour circles. I have spoken to a wide range of elders who regularly use leisure centres and they feel totally excluded from any so-called ‘consultation’. Labour have made a complete mess of this and should not be bragging about what they’ve done.”

Cllr Richard Wilson, Lib Dem deputy leader adds:

“Once again Haringey Labour have demonstrated not just how out of touch they are, but also their belief that if they keep saying the same thing often enough people will believe them. The people of Haringey want honesty not slogans.”

Brian Paddick on the campaign trail in Haringey

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Lynne Featherstone, Brian Paddick and Monica Whyte promote a green alternative to plastic bagsBrian Paddick came to Hornsey & Wood Green and we visited a number of hotspots. The area is becoming a bit of a regular haunt of his – he was here during the Highgate by-election too. This time I showed him Wood Green cross – which is the area that local residents in the Wood Green area are most worried about crime wise. There stands a disused and vacant and deteriorating police box. Originally conceived and procured to ease peoples’ fears by having police on the spot – it never really opened for enough hours for anyone to have the slightest confidence that there would be a police person in the box. So it failed. Such a stupid waste for what was a good idea.

We went to Alexandra Park station (Oyster needed / on the way); Ally Pally – to show Brian the historic building which Labour Haringey first built up a debt (for which we locals had to pay) and then tried to sell on in a highly controversial deal – stopped at the moment by a local group taking Labour Haringey to court; then off to the 603 bus route in Muswell Hill where Brian pledged to extend the operating hours of this much loved route.

In Crouch End he promoted the Crouch End Traders ‘Bag for Life’ and posed in front of the Clock Tower whilst he did various interviews with the local press. He tried to squeeze in Weston Park Post Office – but in the end Monica Whyte (GLA candidate and local councillor) and David Winskill (local councillor) went there to meet a disabled lady whose life will be ruined if Labour’s proposed Post Office closures go ahead.

And I went to visit Bonnie – living with husband, two children and sister in two rooms in terrible state – but more of this story in a while. I am on the warpath for this one.