Childminding

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Visit to a Quality Assured childminder in Noel Park to see more of how the Sure Start program works.

Patty and Roger Wanasen are the childminding couple who I am visiting in their home. The sun is beating down and Patty has told me not to eat before I arrive as she is preparing a picnic lunch. As I arrive I am thinking that it is too hot to sit out in the garden having a picnic and that the children will all get sunburnt etc. When I arrive and am walked through to the garden, however, I see an outdoor palace for children. Proper shading provided by the sort of tents you see at Henley or Wimbledon – one shading a table laid out with a feast (no other word can describe it) and the other covering a play area stuffed with children’s delights in terms of toys and play items.

And all the children and all their parents are there. It was totally delightful – and a truly good news story.

Childminding has always born the brunt of bad associations – the image being someone who has a child and takes in others to made a bit of money, puts them in front of the TV, gives them chips and crisps and takes no notice if they cry.

Well – this is as far from that as you can get. To be Quality Assured through the Childminding Network – locally co-ordinated by Naima in Noel Park – you have to jump through some pretty high hoops in terms of child nutrition, safety, knowledge and so on. Patty shows me around her house which really is a shrine to her love of children and her work – and shows me all of the record keeping on menus for the week, fire drills, accident book, attendance and all the certificates of various training achievement that both she and her husband Roger have attained. Patty is still a bit upset because OFSTED (yes that one) have given her ‘good’ rather than ‘outstanding’ and she doesn’t know why as she has poured her life and love into her childminding.

I have to say I am astounded too – I cannot imagine a better childminder setup or people more committed and warm and lovely. It’s just what you want when you have to leave your child somewhere – someone who will care as much as you. I thought they were outstanding and take the OFSTED report to study it. One parent suggests to me that OFSTED don’t like the free play time that Patty and Roger include. OFSTED apparently like children to be worked and instructed non-stop. I agree with the parent – free play time to do nothing, muck around or stare at the sky is vital. I will see when I read the report. But if that is what the case is – then it needs arguing against with OFSTED directly!

All the parents, and both mums and dads were there, were over the moon with the facilities and the personalities (which after all are paramount I reckon) of their childminders – and several of them had decided to keep their child there until school rather than go on to nursery.

All in all, superb. Then on to surgery at Jackson’s Lane for another couple of hours. Hot work…

LABOUR DITHERS OVER KNIFE CRIME AS EQUIPMENT LIES IDLE

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Labour are dithering over how to tackle the growing culture of knife crime, say Haringey’s Lib Dems.Expensive metal-detecting arches purchased by the police have lain unused for more than a year. The discovery comes quickly on the heels of Labour’s national u-turn on knife crime sentencing.

Lib Dem Police and Community Safety Spokesperson Councillor Ron Aitken expressed concern over the rising level of knife crime in the borough as early as June last year, highlighted by several high-profile attacks in Muswell Hill, Ida Road and Seven Sisters.

Councillor Aitken requested a meeting with both Haringey Police and Haringey Council’s lead member on crime, Nilgun Canver. While the police responded, the Labour Executive Member was not willing to commit to specific measures to address the issue.

The police have purchased metal-detecting arches in a bid to dissuade people from carrying knives. “Labour have refused to say whether they believe a trial of metal detecting arches in schools should go ahead,” comments Cllr Aitken. “There should instead have been a public discussion of the issues involved before the expenditure of public funds.”

Councillor Aitken adds: “While Labour are dithering, the Lib Dems have proposed real measures to combat knife crime. Nationally, we want the maximum sentence for carrying a knife to match that for carrying a gun – a policy Labour rejected. At the local level, we are committed to working with the borough’s police to make real progress.”

Concrete factory

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Bad news this week about the decision on the Cranford Way concrete factory – the Inspector has given it the go ahead. Everyone is devastated. Following a tremendous campaign by local people and politicians across the parties – the Inspector deemed to find that all our cares and worries were as nothing. According to his findings we must all be mad. Sadly – it will be ordinary local people who pay the price in their quality of life reduction if we are right and he is wrong.

Goliath has won. Well Goliath in this case has loads more dosh for fancy lawyers.

Oh yes – the Inspector has applied various conditions to London Concrete’s permission to go ahead. But I wonder how long their promise to only supply Haringey building sites with concrete will last – and how long before they apply for an extension to the number of lorries going in and out. Enforcement is not the weapon of choice – but now we will just have to see. The planning process is always weighted in favour of the presumption to permit – sadly. And unlike London Concrete who were able to appeal the initial refusal of their plans – residents cannot appeal this decision as there is no appeal against the Planning Inspector. Judicial Review is the only next step – and that would be impossible to stage and even if we could – I don’t think they would not find against the process.

So depression all round.

Leave London for Torquay at 3.45 on Thursday for Question Time. Researching – I feel sure that Ming’s speech on tax (attacking twin evils of climate change and the widening equality gap by upping eco-taxes and reducing capital gains tapers etc on shares) will be on the agenda. I am wrong in the event – not even a mention.

To my horror, earlier in the day I find out that George Galloway is on the panel. I had been told about David Lammy and Liam Fox – but not gorgeous George. I wouldn’t have gone on with him if I had known. He is a brilliant orator – but a dominating bully in terms of a panel. However, no choice by the time I find out. Worse – they sit me next to him. And thus it was – from the terror raid to the murder of the Butcher of Baghdad it was George on his soapbox.

Given Respect only has one seat in Parliament – don’t even think he should get the time of day. Particularly after his colleague decided to whip up the divides in Forrest Gate by advising Muslims to withdraw cooperation with the police.

Whatever else I might think about this seemingly bundled operation – the police had to go in. The intelligence seems wanting – and this isn’t the first time. But when both Muslims and everyone else need most to rely on each other and hold hands against the terrorists – George’s lot are stirring it – and successfully. The march on Friday will not be helpful. Even if peaceful – it is not necessary. The police will get it in the neck anyway if they have got it wrong on such a massive scale again. And the intelligence services need to go back to school – or over to Canada where they seem to get it right – and they could learn a few lessons.

It’s an evil agenda – and the shame is – that there is a great need to support the Muslim community in this terrible time for them – as the terrorists hide behind their skirts. But George’s way creates division and discord.

Anyway – the boys (and there were four of them and one of me) were all being very alpha male and so hopefully I provided some common sense.

Got back to London around 3am.

Notice in my inbox when I get in (yes – I did – even at that time of night) that some of the DNA stuff has appeared in the media – which is good as I am determined to follow this through until we get results. This was when I discovered from the answer to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) I had tabled that individuals’ samples on the DNA database have been shared with other foreign countries with no real safeguards in place.

Under new EU proposals, all member states will be able to access the British DNA database and the information on it. This is bad in itself and a bad omen for the upcoming ID register, now the Government has made it clear that our personal data can be shared with foreign countries.

There are no real safeguards in place to control this huge database – which leaves it open for misuse, especially as now we find out it’s not only being misused in our country but also internationally. What confidence can we have in the Government’s reassurance of the DNA database having proper safeguards when, until last year, they didn’t even collate requests properly?

The World Cup

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I am definitely over-excited! I’ve bought my flag AND managed to attach it successfully to my car window. They clearly make the merchandise woman-friendly these days. I did go through minor agonies wondering if flying the England flag on my car was a) suitable b) jingoistic or c) not the sort of thing a responsible Member of Parliament should be doing. And then I thought – who cares? I love the World Cup. I love sport. I have a team taking part. Hurrah!

I’d watched other cars proudly show off any number of wind-whipped flags over recent weeks – and as the fever mounted could resist no longer. My eldest daughter had also been nagging about getting a flag. Football does kind of go to the heart of even my family. My ex-husband always said he could have played for West Ham. It was a good line. My younger daughter tried out for Arsenal Girls.

Anyway – during last week when Parliament was in recess and I wrote articles, caught up on the difficult bits of work that somehow, mysteriously always work their way to the bottom of the pile and gave both myself and my house an MOT. It’s impossible to get things done when House is sitting – so plumbing (mine and the house’s), dentist, cleaning, tidying and a host of other ‘must do when I have a minute’ tasks have been the order of the day – along with plenty of radio listening.

Not surprisingly, the World Cup featured a lot. There were some interviews with Scottish fans (allegedly including tennis star Andy Murray) who basically would rather support Paraguay or anyone rather than support England. Of course, the World Cup is soooooo much more exciting when your own team is in it. But whenever we have not made the tournament – or we have been knocked out – I have always, always transferred my affection to whichever other British team still remains if there is one.

Of course, once this had been broadcast across the capital – lots and lots and lots of Scots living here phoned up to say they didn’t feel like that and were ashamed of their countrymen. But it didn’t quite remove the undercurrent of resentment which had been vocalised – and which doubtless partly reflected that England is so often the dominant – even domineering – partner in the UK. Of course – hopefully this badinage is just at a relatively playful level. But there is a real issue of intolerance in Scotland that does sometimes have a bit of an unpleasant edge. English nationalism is by no means 100% pure either – just look at what the BNP do in its perverted name. Actually – that’s another reason for happily flying the English flag. We shouldn’t just leave it to the thugs and racists to claim it as their symbol.

All this did make me ponder (as one of the articles I am writing is about race and asylum) how easy it is to fan the flames of differences and how important it is to continually to work to bring people together. Football has had huge problems with racism in the past, by no means all of which have gone. But it is interesting how important seeing black and other minority players playing for their team has been in changing fans’ attitudes. Familiarity breads understanding. A lesson there perhaps for other public services such as education in the importance of bringing together different parts of society?

So – I’m flying the flag with pride. I’m all set and currently desperately hoping that there are no public engagements at local summer fetes and street parties – it’s that time of year – that will clash with England matches. And no – it’s not just self interest (although that figures) – it’s also always a great shame for any organisation or society or residents’ association or people getting married or whatever – who find that their big day or event clashes with England’s matches as they advance through the rounds.

And I think they will get through the rounds – to the final of course!

LIB DEMS: "STOP THE NHS CUTS AT ST. ANN'S"

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Haringey’s Liberal Democrats led by Councillor Wayne Hoban have launched a campaign to stop the proposed cuts to NHS services at St Ann’s Hospital. Budgetary pressure has forced the hospital to consider closing its X-ray unit, which supports many local GPs and other healthcare providers.

Tottenham councillors Karen Alexander and Carolyn Baker have joined Councillor Hoban and Lynne Featherstone MP in collecting signatures for a petition against the closures.

Councillor Hoban comments:

“Labour’s management of the NHS is in crisis. It is fine for Tony Blair to tell us time and time again that there is more being invested in the NHS, but at a local level we are seeing cuts, cuts, and more cuts. The closure of this x-ray unit would be a loss to the people of Tottenham and Haringey. Such services should be local, for local people.”

Sign our petition

We, the undersigned, call on North Middlesex Hospital to stop the closure of the x-ray unit at St Ann’s Hospital.

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Foundation schools

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My youngest daughter’s 17th birthday today. I have to get her up for presents and cards at 7.30am – poor thing. Finished her AS’s yesterday thank goodness. So dash off to work. Am studying the news very hard this week as I am on Question Time tomorrow and live in terror of not knowing about some issue that may come up.

Lib Dem Home Affairs Team first thing – and we thrash out our views on the terror raid in Forrest Gate, discuss trafficking and general crime issues. I have to leave early to go and meet the School Council from Fortsimere School who I have sponsored for a tour and who come up to see the exhibition of some of their work on display at the House. The new head is with them and I ask him for a meeting to discuss the school’s desire or otherwise to become a foundation school. I am against this on principle – but Haringey have screwed them financially to the point where I guess they feel it is Hobson’s choice. I will try and persuade them – but in the end – so long as there is a proper democratic process for making this decision – it has to be for the school, the students, the governors, the staff and the parents to decide.

I go to PMQs – and then stay both for the statement on the NHS and then the Opposition Debate on Tax Credits. What a mess – both of them!

DNA DATABASE OUT OF CONTROL

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Lynne Featherstone MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, has discovered information that shows how individuals’ samples on the DNA database have been shared with other foreign countries with no real safeguards in place. Under new EU proposals, all member states will be able to access the British DNA database and the information on it.

Commenting Ms Featherstone said:

“This is a bad omen for the upcoming ID register, now the Government has made it clear that our personal data can be shared with foreign countries.

“There are no real safeguards in place to control this huge database which leaves it open for misuse – and now we find out it’s not only being misused in our country but also internationally.

“What confidence can we have in the Government’s reassurance of the DNA database having proper safeguards when, until last year, they didn’t even collate requests properly?”

Notes:

The figures were revealed in a Parliamentary Question asked by Lynne Featherstone MP. Ms Featherstone is calling for an independent advisory body to oversee the usage of the DNA database.The revelation comes just two weeks after the Government admitted for the first time that it will share data from the ID cards register with overseas authorities.

National DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information on the national DNA database his Department has received from other countries in each year since its inception. [73347]

Joan Ryan [holding answer 24 May 2006]: From the inception of the National DNA database in 1995 until comparatively recently, requests for international profiles were rare and therefore no data was collated by the NDNAD until 2004. Since 2004 here have been 519 such requests.

Joan Ryan [23 May 2006]: Section 18 of the Identity Cards Act allows information to be provided to overseas authorities, for example law enforcement agencies, for the purposes of criminal proceedings and investigations, as provided for in section 17 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. This is subject to safeguards provided in section 21 of the Identity Cards Act and section 18 of the 2001 Act. Other than that, there is no provision, or power to make provision, in the Identity Cards Act for information from the NIR to be provided, without consent, overseas.

Off to prison

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Spent the morning in Brixton Prison. I was there for the launch of a new book on Restorative Justice. Prison is unremittingly grim. I know it is meant to be – but sometimes it is portrayed as barely different from our lives on the outside. That is so not the case – and I wish more people could be taken to see and feel the claustrophobia of and harshness of the environment where we incarcerate criminals. It’s no cakewalk.

As the hysteria between Tory and Labour crescendos towards locking up everyone and throwing away the key – to show who can be tougher – I am more and more convinced that we need to concentrate on what works; what is effective. The overflowing prisons and increasing rate of offending demonstrate incontrovertibly that the Government’s policies are not working. For all the headline grabbing toughness – it’s a load of baloney. They keep on preferring headline grabbing new laws to properly enforcing the ones that are already there. And the Home Office – after years and years in which Labour could have sorted it out – is still a mess. Whether it is prisoners walking out of prisons, sentences that mean nothing, probation not coping and people being lost track of – it has almost become farcical.

So whilst I am quite a toughie myself in terms of sentencing and enforcement – what I am completely clear about is the need to reduce offending and re-offending – and you can’t do that by simply locking people up. We certainly need to lock up those who might harm us – possibly permanently if the danger is severe. But we also need to make sure that those who will come out of prison one day come out in a state where they get a job, live a decent life and neither re-offend nor become a permanent burden to the tax payer. Otherwise – things ain’t going to get better.

Thus – restorative justice (which has long time been a Lib Dem theme) is now being heralded as one of the ways to do this. Making a criminal meet with the victim they have created can be a powerful step. It brings it home. It’s not easy on the victim – but there is a magic that happens (not for all but for some) when they are confronted with the harm they have done. For the first time the reality of the hurt gets through. And some are so affected that the work to make them change begins within themselves. I know – the dangers of being called soft etc – but I tell you – tough methods on their own do not work. The proof is in the criminal pudding. And the better results on pilots where restorative justice has been implemented are impressive.

So – an interesting morning. Walking away from the prison into the sunlight makes you realise how amazing it is to be free – and how close to hell being in prison actually can be.

Do a long interview with Politics Junkie – which is a website just as it says for the sad! Then a quick SI (Statutory Instrument). We are in agreement with this one – which adds bribery and corruption to the crimes that the Serious Organised Crime Agency can investigate.

Last gig for the day is to meet the other judges for the Guardian’s Public Services awards. These are to be judged in due course and a gala presentation next December. Bill Morris (Lord now) is one, and have enjoyable chat with him and several others. I find out what I will have to do. Apparently the judging will take place over a lunch – and the prizes awarded as I said in December. Luckily one of the judges who has done it previous years did mention that a very large box of paperwork will arrive prior to all of that. So there’s where the hard work will obviously have to be done! Anyway – absolutely delighted to be asked to do this as public services deserve more recognition – or rather the people and organisations that keep it all going. The voluntary sector is included – which is great as they often get left out – but they serve the public too.

LIB DEMS EXPRESS HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT AT CONCRETE PLANT DECISION

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Haringey’s Lib Dem councillors have expressed their enormous disappointment at the decision of the Planning Inspectorate to give the green light for the construction of a concrete batching plant in Cranford Way, N8.

The decision came despite massive public resistance to the plans. Residents’ groups, local activists, Lib Dem councillors and Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone have fought a long campaign against the proposals for the concrete plant.

Councillor Laura Edge (Stroud Green) worked alongside local residents on the Green N8 campaign, and helped to persuade Haringey Council to carry out independent assessments of the impact of the factory. She comments:

“It is extremely disappointing that the Inspectorate has ignored the views of local people and given the go head for this vastly inappropriate development.

“London Concrete Ltd put all their commercial might behind winning this appeal, hiring a QC to state their case. The decision shows how unfair the current planning system is, with local residents having no right of appeal against a decision which will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on local amenity and quality of life”

Crouch End councillor David Winskill adds:

“This decision is a great disappointment for residents group Green N8, who have worked extremely hard on a campaign the like of which has not been seen before – they deserved a better result. The desperately bad news is that Crouch End and Hornsey residents will now have to look forward to up to 100 lorry movements a day through their communities.”

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Goliath has won against the quality of life for ordinary local people. This is a devastating blow. Whilst London Concrete had the right to appeal the decision, ordinary people don’t have this right.”

London bombings report

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Report came out today by the London Assembly – my old stomping ground. It’s the findings of their investigation into how the emergency services and other coped with the London bombings and what problems were encountered.

It’s a really good piece of work. I suppose the overarching and key finding was that all the planning that went into London’s emergency planning post 9/11 was about the emergency services. What emerged clearly from the investigation was that the survivors and public’s needs had not even been factored into the equation. This report is the first to give voice to the needs of those caught up in the events of 7/7 and its findings and recommendations should be taken seriously and implemented.

The main things in terms of the emergency services was the lack of communications. The radio and mobile networks did not suffice and hospital staff found themselves having to go and see what was happening to their crews at the scenes ‘cos they couldn’t contact them. The train drivers couldn’t communicate with their controllers or the passengers. Once the City Police – completely autonomously – closed down the mobile networks except unto a few special exceptions – no-one could contact anyone. So that was a disaster – not just for the services – but ordinary people couldn’t find or contact loved ones to let them know where they were or how they were. And it is somewhat arrogant of the City Police to decide that theirs was the only need to be addressed by the plan or their actions. So much room for improvement there.

There were also eye-witness accounts of ambulances turning up without any proper equipments and so on. All things which need grabbing hold of and making sure that checking systems are in place.

Great plaudits, of course, for the bravery of the staff of the services involved – and not a report about blame – but a report that looks at the things that didn’t go right on the day and the needs of all those involved in terms of future disaster planning.

Of course, the problem with London Assembly reports is that the recommendations have no teeth and therefore there is no compulsion to implement the findings. That’s one reason why we still need a proper public enquiry. The other is that the voice of the people still has not had proper public hearing nor have the public had the opportunity to scrutinise the investigation in public on matters that we all, as Londoners, have a right to have analysed to the same level as the scrutiny in America which did hold a public enquiry.

Footnote to the day – was Mayor Livingstone demonstrating his petty-minded, grubby approach to statesmanship. His comment on the Assembly’s work was that it was ‘nitpicking’. Don’t suppose the relatives and friends of those who died, or the survivors, or the rest of London will be impressed that he places so little value on finding out what happened and making sure we are better prepared in the event that we come under attack again. Well done Ken – generous as ever!