Sienna Miller and Alastair Campbell

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The Lynne Featherstone MP with Nick Clegg and some of the Liberal Democrat Haringey councillors at our local social eventbig local fundraising social of the year took place in my home today. Our star guest was Nick Clegg (Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary). A huge turnout – partly ‘cos Nick is a big draw and also partly because eleven would-be GLA candidates competing for selection on the list came to lobby for votes. (The party is currently selecting its candidates for the next London elections, and as this is done by a postal ballot of party members the wannabes are busy going round to lots and lots of local events at the moment).

Several local members put together a fantastic array of food (which is the real reason this annual event is so popular) and Nick gave a brilliant summation of where we are and where we need to be going.

In his introduction he obviously talked about our time working together in the Home Affairs team – and in describing me – he said I was a mix between Sienna Miller and Alastair Campbell! I was flattered by only one of these – your call as to which one!

Sadly two pieces of bad news today too. One of our long-serving activists and committed party members, Roderick Benziger died after a long illness. Roderick was one of the very first people to kind of believe in me and give me the confidence and courage to go forward. This never stopped us arguing over a range of issues as Roderick was a thinker and liked nothing better than a good political argument in the pub after any of our activities. From high politics to whether FOCUS should be ready-folded or on gold paper! I was so sad. Particularly as having spent seven months or so at the Whittington, he was finally moved to a nursing home only very recently (which his partner Diana had had to fight tooth and nail to even get him in) and I suppose I was hoping that he would have time and peace to make some sort of recovery. But it wasn’t to be. All the Lib Dems and I send Diana our condolences and love. Roderick was held in great affection by all of us.

The other bad news is the stabbing of a police officer who was working at the front counter of Wood Green police station. A young man jumped over the counter and stabbed the officer in the stomach. The officer is recovering in hospital and a fifteen year old has been arrested. What on earth was the motivation? Was it revenge for some grudge against the police? Was it drugs? When I spoke to the police – obviously it was too early to know any of those aspects but it does remind us abruptly and forcefully just what the police can have to face. Best wishes to the officer who wishes to remain anonymous at present for a speedy recovery.

UPDATE: Duncan Borrowman and Jonathan Fryer have now blogged about the Nick Clegg event too.

Hearing the Highgate Choral Society

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On Saturday evening it was off to a concert by the Highgate Choral Society at St Joseph’s Church (Highgate Hill). Apart from some Christmas choral concerts at St John’s in Smith Square, choral music hasn’t been my musical place – despite having such wonderful local groups as this one and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.

But – I was invited to become a patron of the Highgate Choral Society, so it was off to attend the concert to see and support them. And it was absolutely wonderful. The first piece was Haydn’s Nelson Mass – which was soaring and uplifting. The second piece (which everyone warned me was ‘challenging’ and not at all ‘traditional’) I really liked. It was ‘modern’ by choral standards – and the composer, Paul Patterson (who is a Highgate residents) was actually there. In eight parts, it veered from discordant to melodic and dramatic.

The choir itself must have numbered eighty or so people – plus there was the New London Orchestra, four soloists and Ronald Corp conducting. All in all, a great local evening and the church was absolutely packed out with hundreds of people.

What does a young person have to do in Haringey?

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Gail Lynne Featherstone MP with Gail Engert and the local police team at the Muswell Hill and Highgate Area AssemblyEngert (Muswell Hill councillor / Lib Dem) had a fantastic idea. Haringey’s Area Assemblies are a good thing in theory – but the same people tend to come each time and it often ends up as the Council presenting rather than the ‘you talk, we listen’ promise that Labour Haringey said these meeting would be.

So – Gail (who now chairs the Muswell Hill and Highgate Assembly) had the idea of having it in a marquee right in the middle of Albert Road Recreation Ground and focusing it on young people and families.

So there were stalls – which gave out information on all the projects – and there was a section for young children to play in – so lots of parents with toddlers were able to come for once. And there was a seating section for the formal part of the meeting. And it was on a Saturday afternoon – not a weekday night.

It’s a shame that the weather wasn’t better – but attendance was pretty good and it wasn’t just the usual people there. But with all the relevant departments there to inform local people about every aspect of youth services the pity was, as one woman said, that Haringey Council really doesn’t publicise these things in a way to get new people in and more people in. There weren’t even leaflets through very local peoples’ doors. I know Haringey Council does a bit – but not nearly enough – though of course the local Liberal Democrats do put efforts into publicising the area assemblies too (and when occasionally for one reason or another we haven’t done our bit, it has shown in the lower than usual attendance).

There were a few very short informative presentations and then they had a panel including Shayan and Adam (our co-chairs of Haringey Youth Council) on a panel and some officers and councillors to answer questions from the attendees. And the sort of points made were spot on:

– there’s nothing for my son and his friends to do around here
– the PFI improvements to schools mean that the halls that used to be rented free or cheaply to local groups like scouts and woodcraft folk have been priced out the market
– there is real anti-social behaviour (it’s not just perception)

You get the gist. The positives are that there is a program of activity for young people, a summer university and a discount card for young people in Haringey – but I really don’t think that they get out into the community and the schools in the west of the borough in the way they do in the east. That was reflected by members of the audience who raised it too.

There had been quite a lot of trouble at Alexandra Park Library and originally in the recreation ground too, but I was talking to the (police) Safer Neighbourhood Team before the meeting itself started and it was clear that they were working their way into being recognised by and having a relationship with the ring-leaders. As with most of this stuff – it is just a very few young people who make life a misery for others.

One good idea from elsewhere – the Bounds Green Safer Neighbourhood Team did some youth football etc last summer and now have a ward football team, Bounds Green United. So perhaps that’s something the Alexandra ward team could look at – and perhaps even all the wards so that there is a ward football league?

So – lots more effort needed. Make sure that the kids who say they have nothing to do are engaged and informed and brought in to what there is to do. Re-open Muswell Hill Centre full time – that seems bloody obvious. Young people are generally good – but if there’s nothing to do – well they hang around and…

Talking to one young man who was in the middle of a survey of young people, he made a strong argument for not simply creating (as if they would) facilities in each location. There is a lot of ‘territorial’ problems where young people won’t go into others’ territories for fear of trouble – and he argued out that the creation of separate facilities would simply make those divides even greater. So – perhaps we also need to work on keeping the territorial issues to sporting contests – rather than potential gang warfare.

Anyway – congrats to Gail for thinking up such a new approach to Area Assemblies.

How should the President of the World Bank be selected?

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The World Bank President site has picked up on my exchange in Parliament with Labour minister Hilary Benn on this topic. Given the huge powers that the World Bank has, it’s President should be appointed in an open-way – and based on the merits of the candidates. It’s too important a job to dish out on buggins turn regardless of who could do it best.

Labour Council finally agrees to fund radiation tests

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Haringey Council has finally agreed to fund a £15,000 survey to establish the extent of contamination by Polonium 210 at the home of the late Alexander Litvinenko in Osier Crescent, Muswell Hill.

The move follows weeks of sustained pressure from close residents, local MP Lynne Featherstone and her Lib Dem colleague, Cllr Martin Newton, in which the Labour Council failed to get grips with the problem and keep worried residents informed.

Cllr Martin Newton, Lib Dem Fortis Green wards comments:

“I welcome the fact that this survey is finally being undertaken and it will give the facts as to the extent of contamination and what is needed to clear it up, but this should have been done months ago. This Labour Council was wrong to just ignore close neighbours and not let them know what was happening.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green adds:

“Given what we all hope is the unique nature of this incident, there has been a lot of buck-passing The residents of the street don’t deserve to be blighted whilst various agencies argue what to do about it.”

Get composting, say local Liberal Democrats

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In their support for Compost Awareness Week, (6th – 12th May 2007) local Lib Dems have launched a five-point plan to encourage residents to start composting. Compost Awareness Week has been set up to encourage residents to keep Haringey’s gardens, allotments and open spaces in bloom by getting more and more people to home compost their kitchen and garden waste.

Lib Dems believe that by supporting and promoting composting, Haringey may take a step closer to becoming an environmentally sustainable community. Composting is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to dumping waste into landfill sites.

Haringey’s Liberal Democrats have provided five easy steps for residents to follow to create their own compost:

1) Get a compost bin!Cheap, subsidised Bins are available from the Council.

2) Create a good mix of waste – Good compost needs the right mix of ingredients. Create a good carbon to nitrogen ratio, of browns to greens. Dried flowers, woody stems and cardboard (browns) are high in carbon, while fresh grass cuttings and kitchen waste (greens) are high in nitrogen.

3) Nurture – Every now and then introduce air into your bin either by using a garden fork to mix the material or by adding scrunched up paper and card. To help speed up the composting process, add a handful of soil, finished compost or a compost accelerator (young nettles are an excellent natural accelerator).

4) Keep adding – a good mixture of materials.

5) Be patient – Your compost will be ready to use when it resembles dark soil and has a sweet, earthy smell. This can take anywhere between six months and two years.

Cllr Bob Hare (Lib Dem Spokesperson on Green Issues), makes compost on his allotment in Haringey. Cllr Hare comments:

“Composting kitchen and garden waste is a simple yet effective way to get resident’s involved. The environment and recycling is an issue that we all care about and composting is a way that everyone can do their bit.”

Cllr Lyn Weber (Lib Dem Deputy Spokesperson on Green Issues) adds:

“If all households composted their waste this will have an enormous beneficial impact. We need to act now to reduce the amount of waste we landfill and composting is an ideal opportunity.”

Tony Blair's farewell

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So – Tony’s begun the final stretch of his long goodbye. Shed a tear and forgive him for he only did what he thought was right seems to be his message. I guess – in the end – that’s the get out of jail free card he wants to play – but I am not sure that Iraq, above all other issues, can be put away so easily.

Of course, it’s better waging war if you think it’s the right thing to do than waging war if you think it’s wrong – but that’s not really the issue. So – why did we go to war in Iraq? We can never crawl into his head to find out for sure, but my guess would be a mix of the following:

  • the difficulties of getting armed intervention working in the former Yugoslavia made him (wrongly) see the US as being the only effective international force for intervention
  • he believed disagreeing with George W Bush wouldn’t stop him, but agreeing with him would give the UK some influence and control over what happened (largely wrong again I think)
  • he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do – and it became almost a crusade for him (though the religious overtones of that word shouldn’t be latched on to too much – after all armed intervention in the former Yugoslavia was largely on behalf of Muslims to protect them)
  • he judged that Saddam’s fall would bring peace and stability to Iraq

And as for weapons of mass destruction – did he really believe Iraq had them and sincerely convinced himself of the case? Or did he deliberately set out to make a case, exaggeration and distorting it knowingly in order to get the votes in Parliament and the support outside? Plenty of ink has already been spilled on that question and I don’t think today’s speech will have changed people’s views one way or the other.

Anyway, I digress. Of course – all the media focus is was he good or was he bad. Ten years of Prime Ministership has to deliver both good and bad. Northern Ireland – good. Iraq – bad. The obvious is easy.

My own main beef with Tony (outside of illegal wars) is that he went a step further than Thatcher. Thatcher is the reason I went into politics. I couldn’t stand the selfishness she created by promoting and encouraging a grasping ‘me’ society – and negating the common good. Blair has gone further down the road by delivering permission to dodge and spin to get what you want. Truth doesn’t matter – only getting what you yourself wants matters. It’s a sad old world – ain’t it?

Shingles, revisited

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I’ve previously blogged about my support for efforts to raise awareness of Shingles and improve treatment, so sad to say I’m now experiencing the issue first hand as it were – having been diagnosed with Shingles this week.

Brown refuses to tackle vulture funds yet again

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The Government has today missed another opportunity to take meaningful action to tackle vulture funds, said Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary, Lynne Featherstone MP.

Her comments come after Gordon Brown issued a written ministerial statement about the funds, which buy the debt obligations of poor countries at a fraction of their face value in the hope of enforcing them through the courts at full value.

In one recent case Donegal International was awarded $15.5m from Zambia in a case at London’s High Court.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“This statement once again proves that Gordon Brown is happy to talk about this problem, but won’t actually do anything to address it.

“It was a disgrace that a court in this country awarded Donegal International millions of pounds from Zambia.

“Whilst international action is required to solve this situation in the long term, Gordon Brown needs to show good will on this and actually start addressing this problem in his own backyard.

“The Government uses phrases like ‘will therefore take forward talks’ which prove to be meaningless as soon as you read between the lines. It is time they stepped up their efforts beyond empty rhetoric.”