Identity crisis

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Last week I was singled out at the Despatch Box by Tony McNulty – the government minister summing up in the Identity Cards debate – for being ‘irresponsible’, ‘wrong’ and ‘wrong’ again. So – clearly I’m doing something right!

One of the many problems with Labour’s case for ID cards is it’s based on a perfect world – one where computers get it right, where iris scanners are as accurate as something straight out of James Bond, where administrators have accurate records, where every policeman is perfectly impartial in who they choose to stop, and on and on. Well – life isn’t perfect!

The government hasn’t got much of a record when it comes to getting big projects right. Tony McNulty himself should know that only too well – having previously been the minister in charge of CrossRail – that big rail project which has been delayed even more than the trains.

The Passport Office’s big IT project was an expensive nightmare – yet they’re a key part of the ID cards plans. Even the much, much simpler plan to draw together councils’ different electoral registers into one national electronic database has precious little to show for the last five years of planning – though at least the project has done so little, it hasn’t managed to waste much money!

But above all there’s the civil liberties question. I was born free and have always believed I was innocent until proved guilty. When I walk out of my front door going about my own business – no one has any right to know anything about me as long as I do no harm.

I should not need a license to leave my house – let alone pay between one and three hundred pounds for the privilege. (Even if Labour keeps down the cost we get charged for an ID card, that will only be done by taking the money from somewhere else – we’ll still be paying for it through our taxes).

Labour’s proposals strike at the heart of everything I believe in and am passionate about in terms of civil liberties. This is the biggest shift in the relationship between State and individual in my lifetime.

And then – of course – the scheme won’t deliver any of the benefits the Government dangles as a carrot over the nation’s head – which is why the carrot keeps changing. At first it was to stop terrorism. It won’t do that. Accuracy of identity documents has not been the problem with terrorists. Credit where it’s due, thegovernment has admitted that Thursday’s tragic events would not have been halted by ID cards.

The government has tried justifying ID cards because of immigration – and it’s no surprise to me that the figures on ‘illegal’ immigrants have suddenly surfaced. That won’t work either – the Met Police’s Operation Maxim crackdown on organised immigration crime found plenty of forged ID documents in use by the criminals. But guess what … more than 9 out of every 10 is a forged ID document from another country. Changing the UK’s ID documents won’t help with that. Trying to make the rest of the world start using the UK’s ID cards would be a bit too big brother even for Blair and Clarke!

And so the Government moved on to identity fraud – which ID cards do not tackle either. The Government keeps on saying this costs the UK £1.3 billion a year. Quite possibly true – but that doesn’t mean ID cards will help. Some of this sum is estimates of excise fraud, but much of the criminal activity involves people who have (and would still have) foreign ID cards, not UK ones. Or look at the figures for credit card fraud that are in that total too. Oh but – look again, they include fraud where the card users wasn’t present, so no chance to check any I.D. documents anyway.

So as the Government’s rationale changes as each new argument is demolished, as the costs spiral and as people realise the huge range of information the Government wants to store on the ID card database – I make it over 30 different items listed in the legislation already (and that’s without the inevitable creep which will come over time) -the scheme hopefully will go down.

The alternative? Well, the Lib Dem manifesto costings for the general election pointed out how the sums could be made to add up – if we scrap ID cards – to get an extra 10,000 police officers plus 20,000 community support officers. Now that would be fighting crime seriously!

Thursday in London

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I have big boxes to bring back from Parliament – so for the first time – drive in. I give my daughter (Jenna) a lift to Bedford Square where she is studying. We leave at 9.00am. Shortly after begin reports on the radio about a major incident at a tube station – a power surge is being mooted as the cause. Other reports of other incidents at other stations are now being reported. I am trying to imagine why a power surge would be surging to this effect – given the amount of safety devices which must exist to stop surges surging.

Jenna and I think it is a terrorist attack despite what is being said on the radio. I hear Christian Woolmar (rail and tube pundit) verbalising on the radio the exact thoughts running through my brain. All the hallmarks of a terrorist attack. The National Grid is not reporting any signs of electrical surges in London. Cut outs cut in when there is a power surge. Christian hypothesizes that this is a terrorist attack.

We have always believed that the tube would be a key target. We have always known that G8 would be a ‘high alert’ status day/period. Add it all up together with the new report of an eyewitness who says he has just seen the top blown off of a bus in Woburn Place – and any last doubts have fled.

So what to do? I decide to continue onto Westminster, dropping Jenna at Bedford Square and instructing her not to leave the college until she hears from me again – under no circumstances. I try telephoning my other daughter who is still asleep at home – but the networks are down. I drive on as herds of people are exiting tube stations as the whole system shuts down. I see a bus driver receiving a call – stopping the bus – and emptying out the passengers.

The roads are pretty empty. Buses now are mostly empty and the pavements are thronging with people. Outside shops with TVs are small congregations of people trying to find out what is going on.

As this is the first time I had brought the car in – I am not sure of the procedure as I drive in the gates of the Palace of Westminster. First you stop at a barrier where two security guards check the car for bombs very thoroughly. Embarrassed by not knowing how to open my bonnet when required to do so. Turns out there’s a little handle on floor of car by right foot.

On to various other security bits and pieces and then down into a huge car park – which I didn’t even know existed.

Rush up to office to try to use landlines to contact younger daughter and put TV on to see what is happening. I get through to my new caseworker who is still working in my house as constituency office not ready yet – and ask him to go wake Cady and tell her there has been a major terrorist attack on London and that I will phone on the house line in 5 minutes – which I do. I forbid her to go on the bus – and say if she wants to go into school for the last day of term (which it is – so all fun and no work – thus the keenness!) she will have to walk or get a lift. She begs me to come home as is worried that Westminster is key target. I tell her not to worry.

TV now reporting it as terrorist attack on London although number and timing of different incidents not clear. Pager goes off to tell me that the Home Secretary will come to the chamber at 12.15pm to make a statement. Impossible to get on with any real work.

The emergency plans appear to have swept faultlessly into operation – with all emergency services and transport staff doing an incredible job which I have no doubt saved lives and kept what actually was an eerie calm in the City.

I go into the chamber about 15 minutes before the statement – and it is business questions to the Leader of the House. As we reach the appointed hour – it is clear that Charles Clarke is not yet ready and we get whispers to keep questions going. I think of one and start standing up to get called – just an obliging person willing to help. However after about another 15 minutes where many of the questions are clearly becoming pretty unfocused – Mr Speaker decides to suspend the House until 12.50pm – so we all leave.

When I come back into the chamber it fills suddenly and the Speaker takes his seat. Charles Clarke comes to the Despatch Box and makes a truly statesmanlike announcement sticking only to facts. He gives our sympathy to the relatives of those who have died and support to those injured along with friends and family. No politics at all.

David Davis and Ming Campbell make equally strong speeches praising the emergency services and condemning speculation. The House pulls together in the way it does best in times of crisis.

I had had to cancel a radio interview that morning – but the Beeb reschedules for 2.30pm and I walk over to Millbank to the BBC studios. It is strange outside on the streets. The sun is shining and there are, albeit in hugely reduced numbers, tourists still around the Palace – but the roads are virtually empty.

I am being interviewed by Mark Darcy for the Friday “Today in Parliament” program about my on-line campaigning. I really enjoy the interview as it is so removed from everything else going on around me. Except that in another studio, Brian Paddick from the Met Police is fronting media interviews on the attack.

Back to Parliament and start to think about getting home. I ring eldest daughter to say will pick up at 4pm and to be outside her building. I give a colleague a lift too and as I leave the Westminster Village the roads are still strangely empty – and there is not a bus to be seen. But the pavements are absolutely thronging with people setting off early for the long march home. It’s a different world out there today.

Hansard Society event on ecampaigning

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In the evening I go to a Hansard Society event on on-line campaigning. There are four speakers (including me). I am there as the ‘practitioner’ – as I actually do the business (like this blog).

The others are commentators or academics who pontificate on the subject. They were all excellent and the two statisticians/academics gave us the numbers on who was using the net in elections and why. Stephen Coleman was pretty clear that he didn’t care about politicians (hurt – I was) but that his passion was for a democratic voice from the people. Stephen Ward also did some number work on how and why people use the internet during elections. It seemed to fall into different uses – some for information – some for details on issues. Young people (not surprisingly) used it the most.

It was kind of what you would expect in terms of the whys and wherefores. There was a keenness from the panel for ‘interactivity’ – but I’m not convinced that’s what people want when push comes to shove. It may very be what people say they want – but experience has demonstrated to me that mostly information giving is appreciated better.

The other panellist was a media journalist – Bill Thompson – who took a broader look at where and how this e-democracy fits in with other media. Bill is clearly a free spirit and was clearly against the suggestion from one of the audience that bloggers who are actually political parties at work – but who don’t own up to this on their sites – should follow some code of conduct.

Bill was dead against this. Obviously – because then it would limit what got said – and under the guise of anonymity people would have the freedom to be bold and brave in their pronouncements. I take the opposite view – I think they are cowardy custards (custors?)! We’re not talking about issues like someone talking bravely about a medical condition, raising public awareness and understanding but wanting anonymity. For these sorts of sites we’re just talking about political banter that’s often barely more than insults and abuse. So – if you want to say something nasty or critical of me – fine – but have the balls to say it with your name attached! (I changed the word ‘balls’ to ‘guts’ when I spoke. Overawed by traditions of Parliament already!).

As the event is going on – simultaneously – I was one of the nominees for the media awards for the New Statesman being announced at a do somewhere else in London. As I say to the assembled – I am pretty sure I can’t have won as I am not there – and you have to believe that they would have wanted me there if I had.

So – I leave the Hansard ‘Spinning On-Line’ evening – and rush over to the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) reception which I was meant to speak at – but told them I couldn’t get there in time. Happily I do get there in time for a glass of wine (or two) and a lively discussion with Hugh Muir of the Guardian about ID cards. Diane Abbot joins the discussion and as we are both on the side of the angels in this debate – and we need another wedge of Labour rebels to defeat the Bill when it returns. I ask her why Sadik Khan (who kicks up about a number of race/religious issues) voted for the Government proposals. Diane said she hasn’t discussed it with him. Well – given how few Labour votes need to change sides – a bit of active lobbying might be a good idea.

Then rush back to chamber for a vote. In fact no vote is taken – the ayes have it. But there is a division on the ‘programme’ motion for the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill. More jargon! A programme motion is just the length of the time or number of sessions it will get in committee stage. We vote against – because there should be more debate on the issue.

Asylum and immigration

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First meeting of the day with a woman from St Mary’s Estate (also known as the Lightfoot Estate) in Hornsey. The list of things Haringey Council are not doing that they should be doing is as long as my arm. So much of it is just stuff that should be done – for which we are paying. I will pursue all items with Haringey Council!

Up to the Commons for the asylum, immigration and nationality debate. The Government is rightly trying to make our laws on immigration and asylum better, however – in their usual fashion – are making a pig’s ear of it. I intervene on the employers part of the bill – where I think that the new fines, inspection regime and penalties will frighten employers into discriminating against employing ‘foreigners’ in case they are breaking the new law. And the guidance, information and indeed, documentation, is so unclear – a risk-averse employer will simply play safe. So even though the government’s intentions are good in wanting to stop the exploitation that we have seen of foreign (illegal) workers – they need to do a lot more work to make sure there are not unintended consequences.

Alexandra Park School gets a new science block

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American Independence day! No relevance to my day. My first visit of the day is to St Ann’s Hospital, where the George Marsh Centre is a facility supporting sickle cell and thalassaemia sufferers.

As sickle cell affects mainly members of the Afro-Caribbean community it is a big issue here in Hornsey and Wood Green. I am there to open the ‘awareness day’ – an afternoon of talks and discussion about the condition and how to support the community and spread awareness. Some of the support staff were chatting to me before the opening and saying – ‘well Lynne – what are you going do to raise awareness?’

I thought my best use – apart from opening things and turning up to things – was to put down parliamentary questions pushing the government into more action and support, perhaps be able to have a Westminster Hall debate on the issue and so on. And I will.

Then Alexandra Park School science block opening – a grand occasion. Mike Tomlinson (he of the report that the government is ignoring) is opening the block itself – and I am opening each of the classrooms. So Mike gets to pull the red curtain back on the plaque. I get to pull bits of red paper off the sign on each classroom.

At each class one of the children reads out the reason that a particular name has been chosen. For example – Albert Einstein – and then I pull off the paper to reveal the name.

We go into each classroom where the kids and their teacher are doing scientific things with Bunsen burners. Looks absolutely fantastic fun – and such talent being nurtured. Almost revised my opinion of government policy on specialist schools…!

They we trooped over to a classroom for ‘maths in the 21sst Century’. I loved the way they taught maths. If I had had such an enthusiastic and innovative and alive maths teacher as Iraj – I might have learned more myself. So – the key to the amazing atmosphere in the maths department I think had a lot less to do with the razzamatazz of the white boards and the IT and far more to do with having a brilliant teacher – who sadly was about to leave.

Then run to Commons arriving literally as the division bell rang to vote. Phew!

LABOUR IN MELTDOWN – LIB DEMS EXPRESS OUTRAGE OVER SPECIAL FULL COUNCIL

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Haringey’s Lib Dem Opposition has expressed its outrage that a special full council meeting is to be held next Monday to vote through the retirement package of the Chief Executive, David Warwik.

The Lib Dems were not even informed that Labour had scheduled the special meeting until the papers for it arrived through their letterboxes over the weekend. Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams is raising his concerns with the District Auditor and has suspended all cross-party agreements between the Lib Dems and Labour.

Cllr Williams asks why Haringey Council could not consider the issue at its normal full council meeting just a few days later on 25 July. Further, the papers for the meeting reveal that the Chief Executive remains in the employ of the council until September – despite the council publishing misleading statements that he is leaving in July.

Cllr Williams has asked the District Auditor for a ruling on this issue as the cost, through the appointment of an ‘interim’ Chief Executive, is likely to run into tens of thousands of pounds for Haringey’s hard pressed taxpayers.

In a further development Labour has thrown another veil of secrecy over a special a meeting of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider a £380,000 grant to the Haringey Business Development Agency, despite Labour members briefing that this matter and the departure of the Chief Executive are related. All the papers for this meeting have been issued as ‘exempt’ items.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“Haringey Labour are in utter disarray, but they must not be allowed to play fast and loose like this with council taxpayer’s money and abuse secrecy rules.This whole affair has become an utter shambles, and Labour are desperate to keep the public in the dark.”

LIB DEMS CONDEMN COUNCIL BACKTRACK ON MUSWELL HILL AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB

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Liberal Democrat Councillor Wayne Hoban has today called on Haringey Council to explain why a last-minute decision has been taken to withdraw funding for the refurbishment of a Muswell Hill after-school club building.

The Grove building in Alexandra Palace Park was closed two years ago on health and safety grounds and had been earmarked for renovation. However, the Council has now withdrawn funding because, according to them, at £150,000-£200,000 it is “not good value for money”. This is despite the fact that George Meehan, Executive Member for Children & Young People, had given an assurance only six months ago that it would go ahead. Parents had originally been told that the new after-school club would be up and running in the Grove workshop building by early 2005 and this has since been kicked into the long grass.

The Grove Workshop Advisory Group and Cllr Hoban had worked with the Council on this project since June 2004. Encouraged by the Council, architects had been appointed, full and detailed plans had been drawn up, costings presented and approved, and planning permission sought and given. Yet at a meeting with council officers last week, attended by Cllr Hoban and Cllr Gail Engert, Lib Dem Education Spokesperson, shocked and angry parents were informed that the project has been abandoned.

The decision effectively leaves parents back where they started, with inappropriate ‘temporary’ playgroup facilities in the basement of the Baptist Church in Dukes Avenue and no viable solution to their childcare dilemma, and the summer holidays fast approaching.

In view of their concerns over this decision, Cllr Hoban and Cllr Engert have asked the Council to provide a copy of the project feasibility study and costings at the earliest opportunity.

Cllr Hoban comments:

“It beggars belief that the Council has decided to withdraw funding at this late stage due to “lack of funds”, especially given that the Government is pumping £2.5 million into Haringey primary and secondary schools over the next three years to enable the school day to be stretched to ten hours for pupils who want to take part in before and after-school clubs.”

Cllr Engert adds:

“Haringey Council has recently trumpeted that an extra £5 million has become available due to overestimation of the budget to tackle homelessness in Haringey last year. It is therefore frankly not credible that funds could not be found to ensure completion of this vital project.”

LIB DEMS WELCOME REJECTION OF CONTROVERSIAL PLANNING APPLICATION

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Lib Dem councillors in Muswell Hill have welcomed the decision by Haringey Council’s planning committee to refuse planning permission for the controversial planning application at 30 Muswell Hill, N10 on Monday (27th June).

Haringey Council had recommended that the application be given permission with conditions attached, but the planning committee refused permission. They cited the complete lack of affordable housing included in the plans as the main reason. However, there were also concerns on the environmental impact of the modern building in the Edwardian surroundings.

The news has delighted residents and Lib Dem planning spokesperson, Jonathan Bloch, who has supported residents in their campaign against the application to demolish the current Edwardian house and garden and erect 12 grey and aluminium flats on the corner of the busy junction.

This application was the latest in a recent spate of controversial planning applications in Muswell Hill that Lib Dem councillors and residents have successfully fought against.

The Lib Dems are concerned that developers still see Haringey as an easy target for large profitable developments. Cllr Bloch says that the Lib Dems are determined to ensure that developments add to the area rather than detract from it.

Cllr Bloch comments:

“I am delighted that once again inappropriate development plans have been rejected. There is a need for more affordable housing in London, and this development failed to address this. It is also essential that new developments do not detract from the surroundings. That too was a factor for residents in this application. We place a premium on open space in the borough and will continue to work with local residents and Lynne Featherstone MP to ensure that developments that are to the detriment of the area continue to be opposed.”

Visiting the Dominion Centre church

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I spent the morning in church – a black Christian Church celebrating its first anniversary of coming to Wood Green. Housed in the old Gaumont Cinema – now called the Dominion Centre – it hosts a thriving and growing community, a bookshop and many community activities.

As I walked in to a giant congregation (with that wonderful salutary experience of being the only white person amongst around three or four hundred black people) Reverend Sam was preaching. And in the best style of preachers a la Jesse Jackson – he was absolutely compelling, riveting.

Then there was the singing, the wrap, the performances by the children. The warmth of the community wrapped itself around me. And when I addressed the congregation – they were incredibly supportive and warm. This church is doing good work. The level of caring about each other – and particularly the youngsters in their community – is what will make their future avoid the desperate culture of knives and guns which blight and sometimes end entire lives.

And I did a bit of dancing too – impossible to keep still with the music. I really enjoyed the whole service – and was incredibly impressed with the whole morning.

Hornsey Carnival

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Off to Hornsey Carnival! Arrive at base of Ally Pally to meet Monica who is accompanying me for the duration. I find the organiser Paul and Mr Rathbone – who is Mr Hornsey Carnival.

I am to judge the best business float – so I wander up the road looking for the five ‘floats’ named on my judging sheet. One of the floats is for Action for Kids – well – a painted van would be more accurate. But they were all dolled up as hippies – peace and love man – which appealed as that was my youth. And I can’t find the other three competitors at all. So – I declared the winner Action for Kids and the runner up – Greig Academy.

Retracing my steps to the beginning of where everyone was lining up, I was introduced to Karl Heinz and his troupe of girls from Koblenz. The Hornsey Carnival queens go over there each year and they visit back from time to time. In Koblenz the carnival is big and the streets are lined five deep with onlookers.

I am to sit on the back of an open-topped Mercedes with the Deputy Carnival Queen – Verity. Verity was Queen last year and knows the ropes. She is my mentor for the duration and knows all there is to know about carnivals, waving and smiling. She was a lovely girl, actually, and I learned a lot from her about what the girls do – from selling brochures for the carnival door to door to attending all sorts of functions as well as going to other local carnivals to take part. They raise quite a bit of money for local charities – and lots of people give their time free from the woman on the committee who makes the girl’s dresses (both day and evening) to the woman who had moved away from Hornsey but still helped run the carnival as she had for years.

The parade moved slowly off and through the streets of Hornsey. Five deep the crowds were not – but there were quite a lot of people out to waive and watch us pass. The atmosphere was lovely and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Waiving at strangers is clearly an art – and it is quite a psychological study as to how to make even the grumpiest, “I am not going to smile or waive at any cost” teenager, respond. If you catch someone’s eye – and you waive and smile directly at them – it is almost impossible for them not to respond.

And so the carnival parade wended its way for an hour and a half through the streets. At the journey’s end I went on my way – as the carnival would go on late into the night with dancing and celebrations.

I went home and watched what was left of Live-8. My two daughters had texted and been lucky enough to get tickets. At 10am this morning they had departed for Hyde Park and at various times throughout the day they had called me to let me a) know they were alive and b) listen to the music live through the mobile.

I thought the whole thing was fantastic! Of course – I remember the first one 20 years ago. And I don’t subscribe to the cynics who say that this will do nothing. Of course this won’t solve poverty in Africa – but it is a start. We need to make sure that the aid that is given is given to agencies who will help enable the local African people to build small businesses and sustainable lifestyles so that they can survive and build an industry of their own to sustain the economy.

Sir Bob and Live-8 have delivered the increased debt write-off and the increased aid – but more than that – they brought us all together to say we do care and we will act.