SKATE PARK – LABOUR ADMITS TO WASTING £25,000

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There was anger with Labour in the council chamber last night, as their environment lead member was forced to admit that £25,000 has been wasted on futile attempts to turn part of Priory Park into a skate park.

Lib Dem councillors have been warning Labour-run Haringey Council for almost a year that the site was unsuitable, and had uncovered that Thames Water had told the council as long ago as February 2005 that the site would not be suitable because ofthe large open drainage chambers situated beneath the concrete area chosen for the sake park. However, despite repeated warnings and questions from Liberal Democrat councillors, Labour denied the problems until recently, when it finally admitted that the plan could not go ahead.

Lib Dem Leader Councillor Neil Williams, who asked the question, comments:

“It is shocking that the council has wasted so much money on these plans, despite being told nearly 18 months ago that the idea was not a runner. It shows staggering incompetence.”

Local councillor Gail Engert, who has been pressing the council on the issue for months adds:

“All along Labour has been in denial about problems at the site, and has tried every trick in the book to stop local councillors getting involved. If they had listened, they could have saved Haringey Council Tax payers a great deal of money. They have also paid lip service to the views of local residents, and it is such a shame for falsely raising the hopes of local kids about the future of the site.”

CPZS – LABOUR FEELS PUBLIC WRATH AT FULL COUNCIL

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Angry residents last night watched Haringey Labour vote down Lib Dem attempts to put on hold Haringey Council’s controversial bid to turn the whole of west Haringey into a controlled parking zone. Lib Dem Councillor John Oakes had tabled a motion proposing that the current consultations be suspended in favour of a proper, full and effective consultation to include emergency meetings of the Area Assemblies.

Labour councillors felt the wrath of a packed public gallery at the meeting of the full council, as they refused residents the right to speak on their parking plans. The Lib Dems have condemned Labour for trying their hardest to prevent Councillor Oakes’ motion from being discussed at all, and gave rambling answers to ‘planted’ questions from their own members.

Eventually, to cheers from the gallery, Labour members agreed to Lib Dem demands to alter the agenda so that time was made for residents to hear the CPZ debate.

Councillor John Oakes comments:

“With such huge concern about the CPZ plans, residents were very rightly furious that Labour could act in such an arrogant manner. The consultation on this is widely agreed to be useless, yet Labour keep telling the public that they are giving them what they want. It is very clear to residents that they have not been given the chance to tell Labour what they want.

“Many have not received their consultation forms, and Labour haven’t bothered to consult with local businesses or representatives. The matter has never been discussed at Area Assemblies, and it is very clear why this is. Labour want to push the decision through as quietly as possible. They are not interested in hearing people’s opinions at all. They should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.”

Note – full text of Councillor Oakes’ motion:

This Council:

Acknowledges the very high level of public concern over the current proposals for parking schemes in the borough;

Acknowledges that the level of consultation undertaken by the Council with residents, businesses and elected members of this Council on these schemes has been entirely ineffective and is not acceptable;

Believes that parking schemes need to be seen by residents and businesses as a positive contribution to their immediate local environment, and not as the careless creation of a remote authority greedy for every pound it can get;

Believes that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution is not correct, and that proper consultation is necessary in order to ensure that in each area the parking scheme is tailored to meet local needs;

and mindful of the new Statutory Guidance on parking imminently expected from the Department of Transport;

Resolves to suspend the current consultation process indefinitely while this new statutory guidance is pending;

Resolves to further suspend the consultation process until such time as an effective and thorough consultation process has been undertaken in every area affected, to include public meetings in each area.

Proposer:Cllr Oakes
Seconder:Cllr Davies

Home Office questions

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Run in to Parliament – not literally – to prepare for Home Office Questions. Lively debate between Nick Clegg (No 1 in the Lib Dem Home Affairs team), Mark Hunter (No 3) and myself (No 2) on which subject to go on. ID cards narrowly squeaked it ahead of asylum and immigration and the robbery figures to be released later this week.

The new Minister for ID cards, Joan Ryan, has a very hard time defending the indefensible and Nick has some dynamite statistics. 88 million American identities have been stolen. A single master database such as is envisaged for the ID scheme will provide a great big honey pot for criminals to steal from.

Mark’s researcher tells us that our visit to Heathrow next Monday is now off. We were originally invited by the group running the immigration operation at Heathrow to come for a visit. But when we said yes we would like to come, it then it had to go through Immigration National Department and then we needed the permission of the minister – and now eight weeks later they had phoned to say the date was no good. What are they scared of? You might think they were blocking our visit…

After Home Affairs questions there was, not surprisingly, a statement by the Foreign Affairs Minister (in the Foreign Secretary’s absence) on the Middle East. Listening to the statement and ensuing debate, I return to my view yesterday but even more so: the only solution is negotiation and all the huffing and puffing in the chamber, and all the hand wringing about how important it is to get back to the road map, is no substitute for real action and commitment both now – when it is vital to bring forward a ceasefire – and in the future – when there is no crisis and no world’s media looking on.

DNA records

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Calming down with the Sunday papers I see The Observer has carried the story about DNA that they spoke to me about earlier this week.

A private firm has been secretly keeping the DNA details of thousands of people. I predict that DNA issues will run and run and that all the assurances about the integrity of the database are not worth the paper they aren’t written on! The Government says the DNA database and DNA details are tightly controlled – the truth is rather different.

I had headed off this morning for a day of rugby. Not particularly my scene – but we have a great Haringey team – the Haringey Skolars – playing at home today. The Skolars’ Chair, Hector, has invited me to lunch followed by the afternoon watching the match. So off I go. The Skolars are Rugby League (not Union – I’m learning) and over the last eleven years they have built up not just a team, but a raft of supporters, Super Skolars (young supporters) and also work in Haringey schools to bring rugby to all. They are clearly completely and utterly committed to improving sport and life chances in the borough. Indeed that is why I am spending the day with them – to show support.

Given that the Skolars won 31 to 6 today (and they have not had the most successful season) it was definitely a very good day on which to see them play for the first time! Their home base is the New River Stadium in White Hart Lane and if anyone is interested they can contact them on 020 8888 8488 and the website is www.skolars.com.

Amnesty International's campaign against censorship

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A friend pointing me in the direction of http://irrepressible.info – Amnesty International’s new campaign against attack on people’s freedom of speech on the internet.

I particularly like the little campaign tool they’ve provided for websites, which allow you to display extracts from censored documents on your own website.

I like this idea of protest – undermining crackdowns on freedom of speech by publicising the material across the internet – and the way it highlights the absurdity of some of the censorship (such as extracts from BBC weather reports being censored!). You can now see the Amnesty button in the bottom right corner of my homepage.

The Middle East conflict

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Wake to worsening news on Israel and the Lebanon. It makes me feel physically sick to think of what is happening to the ordinary civilians on both sides. Tony Blair’s words from the G8 Summit are really strange – that this is not really to do with Israel and Hezbollah, but rather it’s about the axis of evil with Iran as the string puller in the background. It keeps coming back to this vague references to things we, Jo Public, don’t know or understand are going on. It’s time the government laid this out clearly with evidence. What lies ahead could be so catastrophic that we should know why our leaders say what they say.

When it started last week, the situation seemed redeemable. To me it was unquestionably wrong to kidnap the Israeli soldier – there was bound to be a reaction from Israel in the effort to retrieve that soldier. However, despite Israel’s contention that their destruction of the central power station and the shelling of Gaza is not collective punishment – it certainly appeared to target the many indiscriminately. So whilst I was sympathetic to Israel’s desire to recover their soldier, it is completely unacceptable for Israel to punish the people of Palestine.

There is also the bitter irony that in the name of being tough on terrorism, Israel is doing just what the terrorists want. They want Israel to be provoked, and been provoked it certainly has. Hamas looked like it was being backed into a very difficult (for it) corner over policy towards Israel and a possible Palestinian referendum on future attitude towards Israel. Losing that referendum (as looked likely for Hamas) would have placed it in a very difficult situation – no longer being able to claim to speak for the people of Palestine. But now with some terrorism, provocation, retaliation and escalation, they may get off the hook as violence spirals upwards and the referendum idea dies. Let’s hope not.

My personal position is and has always been to a commitment to a safe homeland for both Israel and Palestine. It is truly time for both sides to stop retaliating for endless wrongs and start negotiating their way to a settled peace for both nations. And it is the duty of the West to use its power and its influence to bring both to the table – something that Tony Blair and George Bush appear to be failing to drive forward. Unless and until the issues in this region are sorted, agreed, implemented and protected – we will continue to experience the destabilising of the Western world through terrorism.

Blair rolled up his sleeves and pursued peace in Northern Ireland. He has not done that for Israel and Palestine. He should use what time he has left to use his influence with the United States – and together bring both sides together around the table to begin a real journey to peace. That would be a real legacy with which to depart his time in office.

Listening to the Sunday political programs this morning with spokespeople from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, it is clear that positions are hardening, blame is increasing and arguments on who started it are deepening. We will never get anywhere in this climate of escalating blame if all we argue about is who did what. This is truly a moment for the leaders of the world states meeting today to stand together and apply enough pressure to stop the atrocities that are killing ordinary people. It has to stop. There is power in the world to force a ceasefire. That has to be the first step. Israel is not going to be annihilated or driven into the sea – and the Palestinians must have a viable and safe state of their own.

Do music lyrics cause crime?

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Police dog at Haringey Police Open DayBusy, busy day! First port of call – Haringey Police Open Day held at St Ann’s police station. Beautiful weather – so I wasn’t expecting many people to be there, but there were. How far we have come in terms of community relations and making the police part of the local vernacular! The police have worked bloody hard to achieve this. So in the courtyard there was face painting, police motorbikes, a police dog (gorgeous – a six month old pup called Oscar being trained); first aiders, a history of identity parades and much more. So it was fun!

Haringey is a hugely diverse area, and actually does very well in terms of integration. We have huge challenges – but as demonstrated after 7/7 the communications between our communities is there. There wasn’t a single incident or attack following the bombings in our area – and it is this work and all the work by the various faith, race and umbrella groups that achieved this. Full marks to Haringey Police for walking the talk!

Straight on to Campsbourne Community Residents’ Association where there is an open day for residents to look at the plans for the little square of grass on the estate. There are two alternatives – both very imaginatively designed – and people who come are asked to express their preference. There are also some alternatives for what should be painted onto the paving stones as play equipment is not to be installed. Amongst the choices are hopscotch, clocks and so on. I am reassured that the option of hopscotch is by far and away the most popular – thus proving that just sometimes the old ones are the best ones!

Straight on to Jacksons Lane Community Centre for a two-hour panel debate on Gun and Knife crime. It was a very interesting and lively debate. The officer in charge of Operation Blunt, two mothers from Mothers against Guns, a youth worker and myself, plus a chair.

The audience (which was small and only just outnumbered by the panel) was up for participation – so despite the small numbers I thought some valuable ideas were raised. The most interesting contribution was from a young guy at the back. We on the panel had been banging on about youth diversion etc – and he was saying that you needed to get in and show young people how to earn money (enterprise).

Coincidentally at the police station I talked for a long time to a guy who is running an enterprise effort called BusKids (excuse spelling, may not have got that quite right?). This is a programme to go into schools and teach teenagers money management and entrepreneurial skills to set up small businesses and so on.

The other ruck at the meeting was over reference (by me and others) to gangster rap and hip hop. There was a debate as to whether this was or was not in any way responsible for the rise in gun and knife crime. I think it has an influence but probably not a direct correlation. It sets an atmosphere rather than directly making someone go out and do something. In the end solutions have got to be about changing a whole culture and changing life chances.

Just time for a quick wash and change before it’s on to the 40th Anniversary Ball of the Highgate Society. I grab a dress I have never worn and shoes that are incredibly uncomfortable and off I go. The Highgate Society does and has done over many, many years, the most incredible job of working to improve and protect Highgate. It’s a grafting organisation. Day in day out, year in year out, good people work for the betterment of the local and local people – from planning issues to ensuring the future of Highgate Village.

It is much undervalued I believe, for the work it does. Highgate gets scant attention and support from either Haringey or Camden councils who both seem to write it off as being somehow not part of their borough. Reverse snobbishness – which abandons a large swathe of people who have a variety of incomes from indeed the very rich to quite frankly the very poor.

The Ball is held in Highgate School’s dining room on the side of one of the playing fields. It is so beautiful – the epitome of an English cricket green with the evening sun falling and sparkling. I dance once – with the new Chair of Highgate Society – and then just before midnight I decide enough is enough and walk home bear footed carrying my high heels in my hands and sink gratefully into bed.

Haringey Race Equality Council

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After surgery I go to meet the Chair, Director and staff and associates of Haringey Race Equality Council. We start with the issues that are troubling them – mostly around funding, as these days it is hard to get core funding and whilst the local council has given them three-year core funding, the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) now only funds projects and only for 12 months. This makes it very difficult to plan or to have continuity of project.

Looking at the wider context, there are clearly issues around the voluntary sector as there is now no forum in Haringey for them. This means that – apart from special bi-lateral arrangements – the different groups are all off in their own silos doing good things but with no overarching strategy and little communication.

The Haringey Strategic Partnership – which does bring a whole range of stakeholders and partners together – leaves many many groups untouched by the whole process according to the Haringey Race Equality Council. And there are further issues coming up about the new communities from Eastern Europe and how you bring them into what for the most part in Haringey is pretty good community cohesion. Interesting stuff.

Then I conducted a little instant research into some of the theories I have written into my forthcoming chapter in the Lib Dem book to be published just before our autumn conference, Britain after Blair. If the reaction I got was anything to go by – I have hit nail on head!

To comment or not to comment?

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I’ve been reading with interest the discussion on Iain Dale’s blog about my blog, and whether I should allow comments.

I thought that Tim (whoever you are!) put it quite well:

“Lynne’s blog is set out as a ‘diary’, as the title explains. That suggests that she is simply listing the events of her week, and the thoughts she has had on it. I notice with her blog that most of her opinions are linked to what has
happened to her in the week.”

But he did go on to say I should allow comments anyway!

Anyway – food for thought there (and in feedback from others), so I’m thinking about turning on comments. Frankly anything that may engage more with the public should be looked at by an MP – though perhaps I draw the line at Big Brother!

One concern obviously is that the comments descend into political Punch and Judy (though Punch and Judy are often funnier!). The comments on Boris Johnston’s blog work quite well from what I’ve seen – but this seems to the exception.

Another thought is that there are plenty of other places where people can talk ‘national’ politics. What attracts me most about having comments is around engaging better with people in my constituency (Hornsey & Wood Green). Even if comments work well, this local discussion might get drowned out by wider political discussion from people across the country.

So – here’s a one-off experiment. You can let me have your comments on whether you think I should allow comments, how they would work best, etc. here – where a sample of them (will) appear too.

The Nat West Three

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Catching up on two more things from yesterday.

First, I went to give evidence at the Watson Road Planning Inquiry. I fight the good fight against these abominable flats. The worst thing about them for me is the size. Yes – they are just about legal – but quite frankly a bedroom that is 8′ x 6′ is the size of room may be ok for a baby or small child (or box room) but as the child becomes a teenager and has brothers and sisters – it is the local MP they come to in order to beg for more space because they are all on top of each other.

These are future ghettos of dissatisfaction created by lowest common denominator developers putting pressure on local infrastructure and all in the Mayor’s name. (See my article about developers here).

Then burst into the Commons chamber just in time to squeeze in next to Nick Clegg, Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary, who has used an arcane standing order – Standing Order 24 – to call for an emergency debate on extradition with the USA. Amazingly, the Speaker agrees – and with requisite 40 Lib Dems rising to our feet – we secure the emergency debate.

It is our appallingly negotiated extradition treaty with the USA that we wish to rescind. America can take our citizens for trial in the USA only having to show that the person they want is the person they say is the one. On the other hand – if we want to extract an American to our shores – we have to provide evidence that there is a case for them to answer. To add insult to injury – we ratified our side of the treaty and the USA did not. We are supine, as ever, and the USA does a better job of protecting its citizens than we do.

The Lords, also today, put down amendments to the Police Justice Bill to throw out the treaty – and they won (Lib Dems and Conservatives). So when it comes back to the Commons hopefully the Government will see the light.

All this of course has been pushed to the forefront by the Nat West Three who face extradition on Thursday.