Police reform

Posted on by

There is a lobby of parliament today by the Association of Police Authorities (APA). The Government wants to merge the current police forces into fewer but larger police forces. Almost everyone is against this.

Labour state that it is to plug a gap that appeared during the Soham murders where a local force did not have the specialist capability to deal with the investigation – and argue that a larger police force would have the capacity. But a smaller force can always bring in such specialist skills when needed. And what we know is that Safer Neighbourhood Teams and local policing work – work in terms of intelligence, in terms of public visibility and so on. In other words – local services, delivered close to the people they are meant to serve, work best. Labour’s proposals centralise the controls of forces – just going the wrong way. And as ever – this nonsense will cost millions and millions and millions.

So the APA have come to see me to put their case against the Government proposals. I am with them on this. There will be an opposition day debate on this next week in Parliament.

The Lib Dem leadership contest rolls on – an my boy Huhne is definitely coming up on the rails – overtaking even Simon Hughes now in the betting. Having taken an hour’s questions from Stroud Green Residents’ Association I get home just in time to listen to the special Any Questions being held in Richmond. They all did pretty well I thought. What is very striking is that following the first hustings, where Chris laid out some key themes around eco-taxes, taking the low-paid out of tax, localism and so on – the others are now singing the same song. I guess this is how it goes. I remember the Mayoral contest in London last time – where Ken and Steve (Norris – in case you’ve forgotten) apart from a couple of issues largely took our ideas.

In fact, it made me laugh today when I heard that Ken is going to allow an extra day to pay on the congestion charge. I first floated that one even before the Mayoral contest – and Ken pooh-poohed it publicly at many an Assembly. But now it will happen! So – look out for Oxford Street to be humanised and for GPS to come to bus management instead of CountDown and AVL!

Simon sounded a bit lacklustre – probably explained later by a text around 10pm saying Simon would be in the tabloids next day. Who says Liberal Democrats are dull?

POLICE AND JUSTICE BILL A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Posted on by

Commenting on the publication of the Police and Justice Bill, Liberal Democrat Policing Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“The Bill gives the Home Secretary carte blanche to meddle in the composition of police authorities without having to ask for Parliamentary approval.It gives absolutely no reassurance to those of us who fear the loss of local accountability under the police merger plans.

“The proposal for the police to be sent a list of every passenger on every domestic UK flight is a deeply worrying intrusion into people’s private lives.It adds another building block in the construction of surveillance society.

“This Bill would have been a golden opportunity to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act which currently bars many ex-offenders from finding work.The Government has been promising action on this since 2002.Instead of taking an important step to cut reoffending, they have chosen yet again to focus on centralising power.”

GOVERNMENT'S POLICE MERGER PLANS A DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Posted on by

Lynne Featherstone MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson, commenting ahead of the lobbying of MPs by the Association of Police Authorities today over Home Office plans to merge police forces, said:

“The Government’s proposals are a double whammy for local communities.People will be expected to fork out more Council Tax to pay for the cost of the mergers, but at the same time they will have less of a say in how their police force is run.

“The Home Secretary should look carefully at the alternative suggestions on the table. He can deliver improvements in policing without severing local links.”

PLANNING: MIXED FORTUNES FOR LOCAL CAMPAIGNS

Posted on by

Local residents and campaigners from Creighton Avenue (N10) went home from Monday night’s planning committee with mixed feelings.

Some were celebrating success, having seen the plans for six four-storey houses to replace 14-16 Creighton Avenue rejected. Others were left extremely disappointed by the Committee’s failure to accept their objections to the proposed care home at 79 Creighton Avenue.

The plans for 14-16 were the second version, an initial attempt to get permission for seven houses having been recommended for refusal last year. The new plans were recommended for approval, but having heard the objections of residents and ward councillors the committee agreed to throw the proposals out.

Local ward councillor Matt Davies (Liberal Democrat, Fortis Green) comments:

“I am delighted for the residents of Creighton Avenue and Pages Hill that these proposals have been rejected. Campaigners have worked hard to show that this development would be unsuitable for the site and this is their just reward.”

However, the proposal to build a three storey care home at 79 Creighton Avenue, where Strathlene House currently stands, was approved. This approval came despite strong concern – and objections from more than 100 residents – based on issues of overlooking, traffic, size and design.

Matt Davies comments:

“I am disappointed the committee failed to take the concerns of local residents seriously on this application. The planned demolition of Strathlene House is highly undesirable and the new building will be both ugly and far too large for the site. The impact on neighbours, especially those in Ringwood Avenue, will be extremely overbearing. The general impact on the area of the cheap looking design and increase in traffic will also be very high.”

Holocaust Memorial Day

Posted on by

Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Haringey tonight at Bruce Castle Museum. I give a five minute speech (as do whole series of others) on the theme of what difference once person can make. I mention Schindler, Luther-King and Gandhi – but the real point is that each of us has to take responsibility for stopping any evil, discrimination or unfairness we counter in our own lives.

More important was the witness statement by a holocaust survivor – Eva Schloss. Every time I listen to a survivor tell their tale – I weep. No need to reiterate the particular story she told – all the stories from the holocaust break your heart. What I do know though is the importance of this day of remembrance for that Holocaust – and for all holocausts and genocides. As the stories are told – there is a small space in my life to remember and think about what happened and how that happened.

That is why this year’s theme is so important – because each of us is responsible for what happens in this world. And if we see evil and do nothing – then we are as guilty as those who do the act itself.

LibDem leadership rules

Posted on by

There’s been a bit of chatter over the fact that the party’s leadership election rules mean the candidates don’t get given copies of the party’s membership lists – this was a decision made by the party’s conference when it voted on the rules a few years ago. Ah democracy … !

All the leadership candidates are understandably wary about talking about the rules – as it can so easily sound like special pleading. But there is clearly widespread unhappiness with this rule. In public elections, candidates get to know who the electors are and their contact details (from the electoral register) – so why shouldn’t the same apply to Lib Dem internal elections? In fact – it does apply to many of our internal elections, such as for Parliamentary candidates, but not for leader. Giving the candidates the list of members would also mean we skip all the worries (and sometimes down right silliness) over what records different people can or can’t use. What’s a personal record that is ok to use and what is an official party record this is not ok to use? Is my address book on my computer at home ok to use, but not the one in the party’s office? Etc.

So – just a quick suggestion to anyone who thinks the rules don’t make sense. Doubtless there will be a review as ever afterwards as to how the rules went – so don’t forget to let the Acting Returning Officer (Chris Rennard) know your views, so they can feature in any review. In fact – why not tell him your views now, so you don’t forget afterwards? You can write to him at 4 Cowley St, London, SW1P 3NB or use the Lib Dem feedback form.

I’m sure Chris is very busy with both the leadership election and the very winnable Dunfermline by-election campaign – but sending in comments which don’t require an immediate reply but can instead be complied after the election is over would be a good move I think.

PS You can get details of all the leadership candidates – including websites etc – on the main Lib Dem website.

Local school success

Posted on by

Well – no surprise what the gossip at the Palace of Varieties is today. Members of the other parties and the media keep asking – did you know? I think the answer is that no-one knew – except apparently the News of the World. And I guess, after Mark had withdrawn from the leadership they had to get their story out before their hook for it with the leadership contest wasn’t headline news any more.

I am kicking myself because the odds are shortening on Chris – and when I first urged him to run he was on at 300-1 and fourth in line for the throne – and I haven’t had time to put a bet on. Now the odds have shortened faster than any other political odds in history and he is in second place.

I go over to Alexandra Park School later morning for a photo op with two of the sixth formers who have gained Oxbridge places – one at each Oxford and Cambridge. The head, Ros Hudson, rang me last week to tell me the good news – so this is to celebrate to have two kids in the first year of the new sixth form attain such places. We have a cup of tea and a chat about the interviews they have both been through to get their places – terrifying. The newspapers turn up to take the photo – and hopefully this ‘good news’ story will encourage others to reach for the stars too.

When I get to the Commons, I discover it is Questions to the Minister of the Defence Department – and decide I want to put a question to him. In order to get called (if you are not one of the MPs selected in the ballot for Questions on the Order Paper) you have to stand up each time anyone finishes speaking during this session. I sit quiet until Question 5 which is on Iraq – as the question I want to ask is on this subject.

This time I am lucky and I get called to ask my question – which is: ‘Has the Minster had any discussions about gradually replacing British troops in Iraq with troops from Muslim Countries?’ John Reid, I think, looked pretty pleased to get an opportunity to say who he had been speaking to and push this up the agenda as he had had a number of meetings on the issue. So that was good all round – as I do think the sooner we are replaced by troops better trusted than ourselves the better for all.

I have a short meeting with the man who has been the subject of the police trawl for Operation Minstead and who was asked to give a ‘voluntary’ DNA sample and refused. The deadline for Met to respond to the CRE call for extra information is 30 January – as is mine for a response from Met Commissioner Ian Blair to my enquiries on this matter.

In fact DNA is in the news for all sorts of reasons at the moment. I have had a bee in my bonnet about it for some time and my various Parliamentary Questions (written) have elicited some startling statistics including the disproportionate amount of DNA taken from black men and the fact that the DNA of around 134,000 innocent people who were never charged or cautioned is now on the record books.

This weekend the coverage is about the 24,000 of those who are juveniles. This is shaping up for a real battle at some point – as there is a national database being built by stealth. If the Government want this – then they should have the balls to put forward legislation and have the public debate. My simple question to those who defend what is happening is this: ‘if it’s so great and without any problems, why not be upfront and have an explicit debate and agreement (or not) to set-up such a database?’

I think it would be dreadful – but at least there would be a logic to it if the whole country was held. Randomly keeping the DNA records of people the police erroneously arrest is ludicrous. Doing it by default also means we don’t get the same safeguards in place as we would if there was a proper debate and decision.

Personally, and this is not necessarily the party view we will come to when we discuss it further, I think it will lead to all sorts of mischief. For instance – once DNA is the main arbiter of guilt or innocence – how easy it will be to set someone up! I can foresee absolute nightmare scenarios – and what is a phenomenal detection tool and confirmation of guilt – will be misused ultimately. And a million other issues – but the temptations will probably be too much for old authoritarians to resist. Let alone if we have a malign government who might misuse such a system.

This issue comes up at the emergency Home Affairs Team Meeting which Alistair Carmichael has called as he has stepped up to take Mark’s place until the leadership contest is decided and the new leader reshuffles us. It would be fair to say that there are a variety of views on the issue – and so we need a paper that brings us up to date on facts around DNA before we can make our judgements. Alistair seems to have it all under control.

We sit talking into the late night between and after votes – about the leadership contest. We may all have differing views on who should be crowned – but the spirit is good between our different camps – thank goodness!

Tech Refresh financial scandal at Haringey Council

Posted on by

Reading through emails over weekend – catch up with what my colleagues are doing on Haringey Council and there is a huge financial scandal unfolding – one that Labour seem to have been trying to cover up.

Basically – the Audit Commission has produced a damning report on the mishandling by Haringey Labour Council of an IT project called ‘Tech Refresh’. It was meant to have cost £9 million, but already is projected to cost around £20 million – an overspend of nearly £11 million

Local Council Tax payers are going to foot the bill for ‘slippage and overruns’ to the tune of 11% of the total amount charged by Haringey in Council Tax this year. And – Labour have been covering it up. Local residents will be apoplectic – as this sort of mess just totally confirms local residents’ worst fears about how Labour use and abuse them! Roll on the local elections…

Lib Dem leadership

Posted on by

Watch the rolling news as it turns into Sunday’s political programs. Anxiously watching as to the media handling of Mark Oaten’s fall from grace. My boy Chris is on Andrew Marr and does really well – and inevitably the Mark Oaten issue is first on the list of questions. What can you say? Except what Chris said – that the guy has apologised to his wife, apologised to his constituents and to the party.

I don’t know why he took such terrible risks. An affair – with a man or a woman – is no longer the end of the political road. But the three-in-a-bed with a rent boy combined with the shots of his leadership campaign launch showing him, his wife and their two children was a truly bad move. I just hope he gets the time and privacy he needs to put it back together for the sake of his family. The party will survive fine – but his home life is what matters now.

I phoned round some more key people in London for Chris Huhne’s leadership campaign. Everyone was wondering what next? Hopefully – policy ideas. Still finding a real hunger from people to know about Chris. My own view is that playing safe as a third party is a hiding to nothing and that with Chris we will have the best chance to move on to the next stage. Well – I would say that – wouldn’t I?