Christmas carols with the Highgate Choral Society

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Completely uplifted!

Went to the Advent Anthems and Christmas Carols in St Michael’s Church in Highgate Village. This was the Highgate Choral Society’s Christmas concert. It was just lovely as the voices swelled to such strength and volume; the beginning of Christmas for me really!

There are 230 members of the Highgate Choral Society – and about 130 of them were singing for us tonight. We are lucky to have such a local group with a national reputation.

I became a patron of the Choral Society earlier this year, and tonight I got talking to one of the other patrons, Lord Jenkins of Roding – who told me in the interval (mulled wine and mince pies) that he had been a councillor on Hornsey before it became part of Haringey Council. I never knew that! Anyway – well done to everyone involved – as it takes a huge amount of work to stage such an event so successfully.

Celebrating Action for Kids

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Lynne Featherstone MP and LornaOff to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary for Action for Kids. This is a national charity based in Hornsey which does remarkable work with disabled children and young people.

At Action For Kids they help disabled children, young people, their parents and carers in three main ways. They provide mobility aids, work related learning and family support services. In fact they try never to say no and will help in any way we can to enable disabled children and young people lead full and independent lives.

And you can tell that they have a crack team who are all totally committed to what they are doing – and who do it to the highest of standards.

I met Lorna (see photo) – who has a mobility unit which is engineered to do just about anything and everything. Lorna has now completed a teaching degree in dance and is working. We should be very proud to have such a fine organisation in on our doorstep.

Warm Homes Campaign warming people's homes

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Warm Homes CampaignWent to Mr Oswald Smith’s home in Wood Green to see the Warm Homes Campaign 2007 for real.

And the house was certainly as warm as toast when I called around. So Oswald (78) and his 82 year old wife will be quite sure of being warm through the cold months ahead.

This was all done through the Warm Front Scheme – which Mr Smith was eligible for as he is in receipt of a state penison credit. So – pass it on to anyone you know who might be eligible and who needs to be sure to keep warm!

Budgens lead the way on curbing plastic bags

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Sadly my nice photo of Andrew Thornton (Budgens, Crouch End) and myself is blurred beyond use – so I can’t show you me proudly clutching my Crouch End Shopping Bag at its launch.

The lights were turned on and children from three local schools walking together down Crouch End Broadway to the Town Hall Square to sing carols – but the star of the night is really what Crouch End traders are doing by their drive to cut out plastic bag use in the area and encourage people to use reusable bags instead.

I have also written to all the supermarkets in Hornsey & Wood Green, urging them to supply a recycling bin in store near their checkouts so that people can discard the dreadfully overdone packaging at site.

Just to give you an idea of what can be achieved if a store is willing to commit to this, here are Budgen’s most recent statistics:

  • They have cut the average weekly usage from 35,000 to 16,000
  • They estimate that more than half of their customers now bring their own bags with them
  • They have saved over 220,000 carrier bags so far

Not bad for just five months work! They are now planning to ban free carrier bags totally from March. And they are putting the large multiple chains to shame – who are aiming for a measly 25% cut over two years. If Budgens can do so much more so much quicker, why are they dragging their feet? Perish the thought that they aren’t just as well run as Budgens!

Congratulations to The Westminster Hour

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnBumped into Carolyn Quinn of Westminster Hour fame – and she told me the brilliant news. At a ceremony in London held by the Political Studies Association, The Westminster Hour won an award for being Political Programme of the Year. The Political Studies Association is the professional body for the nation’s political scientists.

I congratulated her effusively – and she kindly pointed out that I was part of the program. I guess – in a ten minute panel way – that’s true. Anyway – I am jolly pleased for them!

PS And I’m on the show again this Sunday: from 10pm, Radio 4. Or if you miss the show you can listen again on their website.

Dismay as Labour votes to cut residents out of planning visits

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Lib Dem councillors have expressed their outrage as Labour members of Haringey’s Planning Committee this week voted through new rules which will exclude members of the public from attending site visits concerning planning applications in their local area.

The new protocol relating to site visits limits the attendees of site visits to council officers, councillors and developers. In exceptional circumstances, local residents would be permitted to attend but only if the Labour Chair of Planning agreed.

The new rules, which have been drawn up without any input from opposition councillors were forced through by the 5 Labour members of the committee despite Liberal Democrats urging a delay so that there could be a proper discussion of the proposed changes.

Councillor David Beacham (Alexandra ward) comments:

“This makes a mockery of Haringey claiming to be a listening council. If a government inspector holds a site visit for a planning application appeal, members of the public affected by the decision are allowed to be present. Haringey should adopt this gold standard.”

Treehouse winning funding

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Just got notification that our own, our very own Treehouse Trust in Muswell Hill has won their TV contest with funding for landscaping at their Muswell Hill site. This comes from the People’s Millions programme, a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV in which viewers vote for the community project they want to receive funding. The Treehouse Trust was chosen by the public to receive funding.

As the email said: ‘Their Treehouse Landscape for Learning Project will transform the land around the National Centre for Autism Education into a wildlife area providing a habitat for birds, insects and wildlife. The group will plant trees and shrubs which, when matured, will provide a woodland walk to the boundaries of the site. The project will provide a safe, creative, sensory environment for the children at Treehouse. The group will work with local schools, other autism providers and community groups to extend opportunities and access to the facility. The 1,700 beneficiaries, mainly those with autism, will benefit from a range of new learning opportunities both practical and creative, whilst contributing to the sustainment of the eco-system. The one year grant of £80,000 will pay for landscaping work, trees and shrubbery, spoil movement and plant irrigation’.

Hurrah!

Treble dose of good news about Liberal Democrat MPs

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Interesting poll by Iain Dale on his website of how his readers think MPs of all parties have been performing in the last month. 1,256 blog watchers voted and they rated the performance of a selection of MPs over the last month.

Both our Liberal Democrat leadership candidates are in the top quarter, Chris at 10 and Nick at 21! Not bad for a Conservative originated contest on a website with a heavily Conservative readership!

However, both might like to look at the methodology of the occupier of the No. 1 spot for guidance when our new leader is declared and take a leaf out of the Cable book of stealing the limelight – for it is indeed Vince Cable who comes out as the top rated MP over the last month. Well done all three.

Iraqi interpreters: new EDM

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I have retabled my EDM calling on the British Government to move further and faster in its help for the Iraqi interpreters – those who helped us and are helping us in Iraq but for whom the consequence of doing so is to be hunted by death squads in Basra.

All EDMs fall at the end of a parliamentary session – which is why I have retabled it for the new session and it is now open for MPs to sign it (whether or not they signed the previous one). Encourage your MP to sign!

It’s EDM 401 and you can read it here and see who has signed it.

If you are not familiar with this issue – here’s what I wrote recently:

Many Iraqis employed by the British are tortured when found by the Iraqi death-squads. Like Haidr al-Mtury, a translator for the British, who had holes drilled into his hands and knees before both legs were broken and acid was poured over his face. Only then did a bullet to the head put an end to his suffering.

You can read the full article here.

Meanwhile – Dan Hardie has a harrowing account of the day-to-day fears for their safety of Iraqis who worked for Britain.

Andrei Lugovi earns immunity

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One particular piece of bad news from Russia’s Parliamentary elections: Andrei Lugovi, the man suspected of murdering ex-KGB agent (and constituent of mine) Alexander Litvinenko – was elected, and so now has Parliamentary immunity.

Not good news for those of us who want to see the case come to court and him either convicted or cleared depending on the evidence – either way, a court case would give the chance for justice to be done.