The Green Tax Switch

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It’s the big Lib Dem Green Tax Switch campaign week at the moment, so today we held our own street stall. This is a national campaign to get people to sign up to our Green Tax Switch (www.greentaxswitch.com). And Lib Dems up and down the country are having street stalls to back the campaign. I was on our stall on Crouch End Broadway, and after a bit of early rain – the sun came out.

The big idea is to begin the move away from taxing work towards taxing the polluter – and whilst the overall tax take remains neutral – as well as helping to stop Climate Change (one of the two biggest threats we face) it also allows us to lift the bottom 10% of people out of tax altogether and cut the basic rate of tax by two pence in the pounds for everyone. (That’s not two pence off the your tax bill, but rather more!). It is a real shift in taxation policy – and already we are seeing the other parties having to come onto our territory. I am just glad that the environment is now centre stage and that we are able to force the issue politically.

It’s so great when you are doing a street stall and you see someone rushing by with both hands full of shopping as one lady did and then – as you mention ‘climate change’ – they stop! It’s the last thing they want to do with hands full and rushing about – but their conscience will not let them pass. Thank goodness so many people really care about the future and took time to fill in the Green Tax Switch sign up cards.

The future of the Chocolate Factory

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I went straight on to from my meeting with Haringey Council’s Chief Exec to a meeting between the management, building owners and tenants of Chocolate Factory 1. There is a whole rumpus over the rent reviews on both Chocolate Factory 1 and 2 – but 2 decided not to come to the meeting arranged by Manoj (Collage Arts – the Management) as they are being represented by a surveyor who is fighting against the hike in rents and service charges. But the tenants of 1 were at the meeting and Manoj had invited me and David Lammy – as Minister of Culture and Arts it would have been useful if he had come, but he didn’t. The Chocolate Factory is our Cultural Quarter and the willingness of our artists to move into this industrial area and help revive it has so helped the area. So – gave them some advice on the short and long term issues, but most of all advised them to get detailed specialist advice over the possible future leases.

It was very difficult to know whether what was on offer was fair or not – but I am concerned that they are all individuals seemingly frightened that if they make a fuss or object, they will lose their space altogether. They wanted to know about funding streams and I will try and find out what they might bid for – but David Lammy is, as I say, the Minster for Culture and Arts and so I will try and get an appointment to see him – after all, charity begins at home!

Meeting with Haringey Council's Chief Exec

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Met with Haringey Council’s Chief Exec and raised a number of issues:

– the fact that the Noel Park Recreation Ground children’s play area was still unfinished and the contractors according to a local parent had not even been on site for three weeks. I can’t think of an excuse and if they were my contractors I would want to take action.

– the need for Haringey to gain two stars in their star rating assessment for housing. Residents were encouraged to vote to outsource housing from the Council to an ALMO (Arms’ Length Management Organisation) because then they would get lots of money for housing improvements – but only if the service also got a two star rating. So I asked for the action plan and was told I can get it from the new Chief Exec of the ALMO who used to be Director of Housing at the Council – which I will do. We need Haringey and ALMO to deliver that action plan (and I don’t care to distinguish between that revolving door) so that tenants don’t face the double whammy of outsourcing responsibility for housing in order to get repairs done only to find that they then don’t qualify for the dosh.

I have offered to help in any way I can to lobby the Government on this (or indeed if anyone ever was interested to tell them what I know from all those who come to me about housing issues).

– the long time it is taking to get a lorry ban in Dukes Avenue. I know there is a meeting to take place (not the first) soon between my colleague Cllr Susan Oatway (Lib Dem, Alexandra ward) and the appropriate officer – but I want to raise the slowness of the process (years) and indicate that waiting for the North Circular to be resolved is like waiting for Godot.

– the poor result in Ofsted on Youth Services – for which the response was an assurance was that the Labour Exec Member in charge of this area was a good and absolutely committed councillor. All well and good – but I had hoped for a somewhat more robust assurance about what the Council might be doing in terms of action and resource in this area – when we know that so much of the anti-social behaviour that is complained about stems from young people having nothing to do and nowhere to go etc.

– and a number of other issues, including provision of business recycling services (a must in my view), lobbying on the costs of asylum and the need to investigate what is and has been built behind the shop fronts on Myddleton Road.

Ita (the Chief Exec) will get back to me on all of these in due course.

MP LAUNCHES FIGHT AGAINST GOVERNMENT THREAT TO LOCAL POST OFFICES

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Local MP Lynne Featherstone has launched a fight against Government plans to abolish the Post Office Card account which provides essential revenue for many local small Post Offices.

New figures obtained by the Lib Dems reveal the popularity in Hornsey & Wood Green where 5,810 people use the account, of which 1,370 are pensioners and the rest use the account for other benefits.It is therefore certain that local Post Offices will suffer financially as a result.

Ms. Featherstone comments:

“It is astonishing that the Government seems intent on destroying a service which is of such great value to so many people across our local community.The post office card account offers a straight forward and affordable way for thousands of people in the area to receive their pensions and benefits, yet the Government is proposing to axe it.

“Without the vital revenue stream from the post office card account, the Government is further undermining the long term viability of the post office network meaning that even more than the 3,500 post offices already closed by Labour will be put out of business.”

Commenting further on an Age Concern report published earlier this month, Ms Featherstone MP added:

“The Government must pay far greater heed to the effects the closure of post offices have on a community – nearly 8 out of 10 people feel that the closure of their local post office would present a loss of essential local services.

Veiled debate

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I was listening to the Nick Ferrari radio phone in show (LBC) the day after Jack Straw’s controversial column on wearing of the veils became public. Numerous members of the Muslim community were phoning in to say that it was a religious requirement to wear such veils. There was an equally large number claiming it was not – but simply a cultural preference. It’s a classic dilemma for toleration and liberalism – what do you do when you think something is optional but someone else insists it is mandatory? My view – women should only wear the veil if they want to rather than if pressurised to.

Personally, however, I think there are more issues around women in the Muslim faith than whether they cover their faces or not. I find the covering of the face quite alien but that’s their choice, but have more difficulty with the different positions of relative power between Muslim men and Muslim women. However, I am equally shocked by that male/female power battle when it is displayed in any culture – including my own!

But I do think that Jack Straw’s line that people coming to his surgeries were happy to remove their veil when he asked them to is highly questionable. When someone comes to you as their Member of Parliament, they are in a vulnerable position and almost certainly will be nervous of refusing to comply with such a request and would remove the face veil for fear that non-compliance would unfavourably dispose the MP to helping them. Quite possibly Jack Straw put it sensitively and without pressure – but it is simply the act of coming to surgery in itself that puts both constituent and MP into a power hierarchy. Because someone meets his wishes in that environment doesn’t mean deep down they are comfortable with that.

All that having been said – we are clearly in some trouble. There does now appear to be a growing unease within the white community about where this is all going. I now hear it all the time in a way I have never experienced before. Most of these groupings are articulating that Jack has a point. They find the reaction to the publication of cartoons or the inappropriate statements of the Pope over the top – albeit acknowledging that such incidence do give offence. Such reactions challenge the very fundamental tenets of British society and some people are clearly feeling restless and put upon. This isn’t just an issue about Muslims – after all the questions about what clothing is appropriate to wear, what fits with our cultural norms and what is seen as separate or threatening apply just as much to the debate over the wearing of hoodies by youngsters of all races. But add in religion in the current climate and it makes the issues more pointed and the emotions more strained.

Well – we are all in this together. And together we need to bridge the schism that the terrorist atrocities of 9/11 and 7/7 have opened up. We need to disentangle the terrorists from mainstream Muslims in the British psyche – at the same time as breaking down the walls of separation between Muslim communities and others.

We are going to have to do some straight talking. I don’t know if this was Jack Straw’s clumsy attempt to begin to do so. But we do need to talk about any differences between us that are causing friction or fear. Covering the face, with a veil, hoodie, big sunglasses or a motor helmet all interfere with communication – that is just a statement of fact. Putting up a sign in a bank asking people to remove a veil before entering is, though, a very different matter from asking people to remove motorcycle helmets. So, is there anything we can do about alleviating those fears raised by some items of clothing- be it rational or irrational?

I think many of the fears are caused by the separateness of different communities. What seems threatening on a stranger seems quite different on someone you know – just as a hoodie on your child often seems quite different to a hoodie worn by complete strangers. This invidious argument about the veil is symbolic of some of a much deeper schism which appears currently to be ever-widening. The problem is how rarely people from some communities meet, mingle and befriend those from other communities. That to me is the real challenge – encouraging communities to engage as with the welcome moves in many Muslim communities in this country for more preaching and teaching in English and more outreach to the local community. That is about solving the problems, not just fretting over the symptoms.

Problems with Royal Mail

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I managed to attract Mr Speaker’s eye on at question time in the Commons – and came in on a question from another MP on lost and stolen post. Having done a survey a little while back in Hornsey & Wood Green and received an enormous response, it is clear to me that the Royal Mail is unable to deal with the issue properly. Part of the problem seems to be the lack of accountability short of the very top – when something goes wrong there is pretty much always someone else, higher up, to whom the issue can be passed rather than real local organisation and accountability.

I raised the result of my survey with the Minister Alistair Darling who said he would see that the Royal Mail addressed any specific issues and that 99% of the mail is delivered just fine and dandy. Gee thanks Alistair – I have already passed all the individual complaints to the Royal Mail having already got their agreement that they would deal with them. The point I was making to Mr Darling was that it wasn’t some tiny little individual problem – but that if I get around 1,000-2,000 complaints from just one survey in one constituency – something ain’t right! More on this in next week’s Ham & High column.

My future

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Wednesday evening sees my reselection for the seat of Hornsey & Wood Green. Happily – the motion passed unanimously. My lot know a work-horse when they see one!

We had the local party’s AGM on the same evening – and it was really well-attended, with a new Tottenham Branch also formed, following the election of our first councilors in the seat in May (and moving back up to second place in the Parliamentary seat in 2005). Hopefully we will replicate our success in Hornsey & Wood Green in Tottenham.

The second half of the evening was political debate. Paul Marshall, who runs the Centre Forum think tank came to discuss his book Britain after Blair, in which I wrote a chapter on race relations. Given that Haringey is one of the most multi-cultural areas in the country – and all the debate about veils at the moment – we had a pretty lively evening on both race and Blair!

Iraq, ethical companies and post offices

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PMQs – same old, same old. Bear pit behaviour – no score draw between Blair and Cameron – but Ming was really on form. It was on Iraq – and of course this is home territory for Ming and where he is at his best. Still – despite the barrage of suggestions that our military presence might be part of the problem rather than the solution – Blair is only conceding that ‘of course they want to bring the troops home as early as possible – but not until the job is done’. When is ‘done’?

The debate today is the second day of Modernising Company Law Bill and I sat in to listen to the part that I have had most correspondence from local constituents on – that is the section about regulation and audit for companies with regard to their ethical behaviour in purchase, behaviour and sales.

The Labour Government dropped some rules in this regard a little while back – and the amendments today are to try and introduce a wider remit for what is now called Business Review – a requirement to report on a variety of ethical behaviour issues.

The amendments widened that remit to include reporting and revealing things like the supply chain – for who a company buys from is just as important in terms of how ethical or not that company is as its own direct behaviour.

Sadly, the so-called Labour rebels withdrew their amendment on this before the vote. Our amendment was on bringing a formal audit to the Business Review – alone in the lobbies with the moral high ground as usual – we lost the vote. The debate continues.

Big lobby on Parliament today by the sub post office masters with the largest petition ever presented – something like four million. Not surprised – as per my entry on Monday it was down to the Lib Dems to bring a debate on the Post Office to the floor of the House of Commons as the Government won’t even give it debating time – let alone save the sub-post offices that remain after decimation under both Labour and Tory governments.

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN AND LYNNE FEATHERSTONE MP ASK YOU TO 'WEAR IT PINK'

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Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, is joining forces with Breast Cancer Campaign in its award winning ‘wear it pink’ day on Friday 27 October 2006 as part of breast cancer awareness month. By making a donation of just £2 you can dress as brightly as you like, as long as it’s pink. Your donation will allow Breast Cancer Campaign to continue researching the cure and help the one woman in nine in the UK that will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It’s as simple as that. Last year our fun loving “pinkies” raised a staggering £1.69 million with our target £2.1 million this year.

Lynne Featherstone MP says “Every year over 13,000 people in the UK die from breast cancer. There are many women and families in our area that are touched by this illness that is why I am supporting Breast Cancer Campaign’s ”wear it pink’ day. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. It’s great fun and the money raised will go towards valuable breast cancer research.”

Help us reach our target and take part in the UK’s original and best pink day. To register and to receive your free fundraising pack either call freephone 0800 1073104; or visit www.wearitpink.co.uk

HEALTHCARE RESULTS SHOW SCALE OF PROBLEMS FACED BY LOCAL NHS

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The annual assessment by the Healthcare Commission highlights the serious problems being faced by Haringey’s healthcare providers, say the Liberal Democrats. Haringey’s Teaching and Primary Care Trust (TPCT) received mediocre results, whilst the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital were criticised over poor financial management and use of resources.

The Mental Health Trust was in the bottom 15% in the country. It received a rating of ‘Weak’ under ‘Use of Resources’, meaning that it “failed to demonstrate that it had adequate arrangements for managing its finances. Areas for improvement were identified.” The North Middlesex was also rated as ‘Weak’ in this area.

Haringey’s TPCT did marginally better, scoring ‘Fair’ for both ‘Quality of Services’ and ‘Use of Resources’. A new grading system used this year by the Healthcare Commission explains that trusts rated as ‘Fair’ mean that “the assessment of the quality of services provided by this organisation highlighted areas for improvement.”

As part of its assessment of quality of services, the Commission looked at five core standards. It did not agree with the Trust’s declarations on two of these five standards. In particular, the evidence supplied by the Trust to support the declaration that “[the Trust will] keep patients, staff and visitors safe by having systems to ensure that all risks associated with the acquisition and use of medical devices are minimised” did not meet with the Commission’s standards.

Councillor Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health and Social Services, comments:

“We are quite worried that little improvement has been seen since last year’s assessment. Both the Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital have been assessed as ‘Weak’ in their use of resources, and it is clear that sound financial management is lacking. The PCT is still struggling, not least because it has been continually told to surrender its funds to the Strategic Health Authority throughout the year, leaving it in a precarious financial position, unable to plan for the future.

“The Labour government’s claim that this was the ‘best year for the NHS’ is not ringing true for the people of Haringey. We have seen money top-sliced from Trusts’ budgets, closures of a ward and sexual health clinics, the attempted closure of the X-ray unit at St Ann’s, and now a poor assessment from the Healthcare Commission.”