Tag Archives: the westminster hour

Meanwhile, in other business…

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I am remiss in blogging the things I am doing outside of the Equality Bill – but I am still doing the usual level of meetings, events and so on. I met with the Gurkhas at Parliament to support the campaign for equal pension rights. I met with a local woman who is starting a campaign to get a counsellor (talking therapy kind – not Haringey Council) into every primary school. I think this is a very good idea – and in principle am supporting her campaign. I met with a Japanese reporter who wanted my assessment of the key issues around the Baby Peter case as they have a similar case in Japan – where they don’t have children’s social services. I did a lecture on ‘ A Different Future’ to a progressive group – expounding my theories that we mustn’t return to the same old same old greed and avarice – both in banking and in politics. I did an interview with the programme ‘How to Look Good Naked’ and no – it didn’t involve me in taking my clothes off – and no I am not going to reveal here what it was about! All will be revealed in the autumn when the program goes out! I did an interview with the Westminster Hour (pre-recorded) on the Parliamentary procedures around Bill Committee – don’t get me started – just so wrong.

I visited a local hostel run by St Mungo’s – famous for its work with rough sleepers and the homeless. This hostel works with those coming out of prison – and is doing really great work with some of the most difficult and challenging persistent offenders. They are having quite a lot of success in reducing re-offending – which in my view is the way to go. Currently re-offending rates are astronomical – but often because those in prison have mental health or substance issues and come out with no skills, sometimes illiterate and no home or job. The work that St Mungo’s do is to give people the ability to take their place back in society by helping them with all those things.

I went to Abyssinia Court – a local sheltered housing scheme – where a local volunteer had organised a fantastic afternoon. Yolanthe had persuaded local therapists and nutritionists to come into the home to talk about important, really important things for the not so young – like nutrition, exercise, yoga, homeopathy and many other alternative therapies. There were talks explaining the different things in the main room – and then you could go to any of the advisers or therapists for a taster. What a fabulous thing to do for our older citizens. And then there’s been the the Hornsey Carnival and Bazm-e-shero adab at Wood Green library!

Catch me on the radio this evening

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnI’m on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm.

If you miss the show you’ll be able to listen again on their website.

If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You’ve got three choices:

  1. Using this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LiberalDemocratsMediaAppearances, or
  2. By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can also change your preferences – login and then click “Edit your preferences” in the left-hand menu; you need to tick “Media Appearances” under “Email options”), or
  3. On the web: take a look at the dedicated Flock Together page.

The Westminster Hour tonight

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnI’m on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm.

If you miss the show you’ll be able to listen again on their website.

If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You’ve got three choices:

  1. Using this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LiberalDemocratsMediaAppearances, or
  2. By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can also change your preferences – login and then click “Edit your preferences” in the left-hand menu; you need to tick “Media Appearances” under “Email options”), or
  3. On the web: take a look at the dedicated Flock Together page.

The Westminster Hour: 10pm, Radio 4

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnI’m back on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm.

If you miss the show you’ll be able to listen again on their website.

If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You’ve got three choices:

  1. Using this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LiberalDemocratsMediaAppearances, or
  2. By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can also change your preferences – login and then click “Edit your preferences” in the left-hand menu; you need to tick “Media Appearances” under “Email options”), or
  3. On the web: take a look at the dedicated Flock Together page.

Sunday: double dose of media

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnI’m doing the paper review with Adam Boulton a bit after 10:00am on Sky in the morning, and then it’s The Westminster Hour on Radio 4 from 10pm in the evening tomorrow (Sunday).

If you miss the radio show you’ll be able to listen again on their website.

If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You’ve got three choices:

  1. Using this feed: http://feeds.libdems.org.uk/LiberalDemocratsMediaAppearances, or
  2. By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can also change your preferences – login and then click “Edit your preferences” in the left-hand menu; you need to tick “Media Appearances” under “Email options”), or
  3. On the web: take a look at the dedicated Flock Together page.

Westminster Hour: 10pm, Radio 4

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Appearing on Radio 4's The Westminster Hour with Carolyn QuinnI’m back on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm.

If you miss the show you’ll be able to listen again on their website.

If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You’ve got three choices:

  1. Using this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LiberalDemocratsMediaAppearances, or
  2. By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories of events you want to be emailed about. (If you are an existing Flock Together user you can also change your preferences – login and then click “Edit your preferences” in the left-hand menu; you need to tick “Media Appearances” under “Email options”), or
  3. On the web: take a look at the dedicated Flock Together page.

Parliamentary season kicks off again

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Back to The Westminster Hour last night – and the gang is all there. They are kicking off for the new Parliamentary season with the three of us – me, Ed Vaizey and Emily Thornberry.

Before that it was a busy day campaigning for Nigel Scott in the Alexandra Ward by-election which takes place on Thursday (Yom Kippur). In fact, I have referred Haringey’s refusal to change to avoid the clash to the Equality and Human Rights Commission as religious Jews are actually forbidden to make a mark during their holy day. Of course – that doesn’t change the date but maybe it will help concentrate Haringey Council’s mind in the future – councils have a choice over which day to pick for by-elections, and that choice should be used with more care and thought.

Sarah Ludford (MEP) took a team in the morning delivering – in the pouring rain! Thanks Sarah.

Much of the political news is still dominated by Peter Mandelson’s return. The Conservatives’ line on it is that ‘Labour must be desperate’. Desperate they may be – but this was a political finesse I really didn’t think Gordon capable of. However – it now looks more and more as if Tony Blair ‘told’ him to go and help. Oh what an ironic twist that one old foe of Gordon’s told him to bring back another old foe to try to save his skin!