Lynne's Parliament and Haringey diary

Meeting more shops and small businesses. Rather than bore you with the same phrases about my stomping around the businesses and small shops in each area on the blog every day - I am simply going to highlight one or two incidents.

Today’s was meeting a young architect, Olatunji Olagunju, who had come here from Nigeria originally and has set up in this small parade of shops (Aylmer Parade) a really smart, modern architects office.

The practice is called 'Forthright Design' and together with two associates, is making its way in residential mainly. Just nice to meet young guys making a go of it - and bringing benefits to the whole community.

First day of my stomping the streets of Hornsey & Wood Green to meet local shops and small businesses. Whilst local residents and I are in virtually constant contact of one sort or another - businesses are far more reticent about coming forward to see me - and yet I am here to represent them in Parliament too! So - my summer program includes visiting them all (as many as I can) to say hello; say I am here to help and ask them for their views on a number of business issues so I can then raise them in Parliament or with Haringey Council.

What is fun is their faces when I explain that they don't have a vote, that there isn't an election - but yes - I am still interested in what they have to say!

In the evening I go to Haringey's Dinner in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slavery Trade Act. Crossing a picket line to enter (more of a silent protest with placards) I go up to the protesters who quite rightly are furious because Haringey Council has cut funding to a school which helps black youngsters. The juxtaposition of celebrating the end of slavery with the cutting of funding to this school is pretty clear. However, on the face of it, my understanding is that it is Haringey Labour Council making a huge cock-up having discovered that they had been funding the school and the teaching and didn't even realise it.

Suddenly when they did - and found out that meant this school was getting way more than other supplemented schools - they literally cut and run. The kids therefore left in the lurch!

The dinner was a good occasion and there were speeches and dancing and histories - a generally good evening and a truly important occasion in our borough.

Up on my website now is a piece I wrote a little while back for Asian Voice about tackling terrorism:

Any religion - or perversion of religion - that claims a right to kill people because they find their behaviour offensive is where my tolerance stops. And it is not as if those who declaim against the supposed decadence of Western society are particularly pure or clean themselves. A quick quiz question: who was it who superintended the widespread growing of illegal drugs for Western consumption and made profits out of it? Answer – Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. So much for their claims to being virtuous; the truth is that they are the very same amoral grubby profit seekers they attack others for being.

You can read the full piece here.

Labels: osama bin laden

Going to my constituency office today, I get a call from the police telling me of a flood in Muswell Hill at the bottom of Ally Pally – so I head over on foot to see what’s up. (See the photos over on Flickr). All traffic had been stopped. Encountering a policeman I ask what is happening and he gets a car to take me up to the meeting place where Chris Donaldson from the Metropolitan Police is in charge and all of the agencies were coordinating their work. A 24 inch main had burst and a torrent of water was cascading down through Alexandra Palace Park into the backs of houses on Redston Road. The fire service were diverting and channelling the water away from residences as well as they could and sand-bagging up houses’ entrances to protect them.

The water board reckoned they would get the main turned off within a half hour - but as this was at a pumping station they had to turn off a series of mains across London before this one. The emergency services seemed extremely efficient and I then walked down through the park to see the worst affected houses.

It was terrible to see the gushing torrents coming out of peoples' houses. The high odd numbers on Redston Road were worst hit. I went inside with Mrs Catherine Harper - one local resident - to see how bad it was. Her carpet was sodden and the patio out the back completely submerged. Other residents I met couldn't speak highly enough of the fire service who had rushed into peoples' houses and helped householders lift all their moveable possession upstairs or at least piled above where the water had come to.

In another house, where builders were working, they had erected barriers to protect three or four of the houses at the back by diverting the water around. Other local neighbours were coming out of their houses with broom and wellies.

My councillor Lib Dem colleagues Gail Engert, Martin Newton and Robert Gorrie were also all there to offer help. I left after about an hour and a half (with rather wet feet!), stopping at The Priory - which is sheltered accommodation for the elderly on Priory Road. I briefly met the warden and manager there who were all coping magnificently and trying to get hold of more sandbags - which were on their way. They were keeping everyone safely inside.

It was certainly quite a bad burst water main - and I guess that all of us who have been watching the dreadful floods throughout the country over recent days never dreamt that a part of Muswell Hill would experience flooding. It's not on the scale of the rest of the country - but for those affected - it is dreadful.

Congratulations to all of the emergency services who really worked fantastically to help local people - well impressed!

Labels: martin newton

Wednesday evening met with Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London. My three asks were: extending the 603 bus route to run all day and evening (as always); the transport issues around the new London Health Trust plans including the polyclinics (we need to ensure there are good public transport links for any such); and whether he would think about encouraging car clubs (where people share cars) via a congestion charge incentive.

So - number 1 - the 603 bus from Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage. Well - the possibly good news is that it comes up for review next year. So our job is to make sure we feed into that review with thousands of requests to extend the operating hours from its current school run times only. People keep asking me about this - so we will have to ramp up our campaign again.

On number 2 - well it was interesting - because there are huge transport implications in the proposals to restructure health services. Firstly - the need to access in emergency for stroke, heart attack and major trauma the proposed super-specialist hospitals. Surely travel time trials from every part of London need to be done to establish the worst scenario time taken when traffic is bad and no air ambulance available? If we can't get the victims to the right place in time - then this plan won't work.

Secondly, the establishment of polyclinics - which are to serve up to 50,000 residents - may raise big transport issues. Will people be able to get to the polyclinics in reasonable time and at reasonable cost?

Peter was saying that this could be an issue and was going to arrange to meet with the Government to talk over the transport implications. Hurrah!

On number 3 - yes - Peter is considering how best to encourage the expansion of car clubs - so he agreed to look at the congestion charge in that regard - but I think any discount will be along the lines of discounts to people within the zone but not outside. Anyway - it is in and on his mind.

Update: you can read my article subsequent article about polyclinics here.

Labels: 603 bus, nhs, peter hendy, polyclinics, tfl

At last we have a meeting with Hutchison 3G who are the mobile phone company erecting a mast on Mount View Road - where residents have been fighting tooth and nail against it.

Even Haringey turned it down - but Hutchison won on appeal. This is really a last ditch attempt to try and get Hutchison to change their mind.

These meetings are never easy - and I am grateful to Mike Davies from Hutchison for coming to face us. The mast will be situated barely 20 metres from residents' houses, and very close to children’s bedrooms.

For me the important issue is to follow the precautionary principle - don't site masts near young children, vulnerable people and schools etc. So - back to this mast. Robin Derham and near neighbours with a range of phenomenal skill sets were there for the discussion. There had been deliberately no demonstration organised this time – the idea was to talk and persuade.

Attending as well as Mike Davies, who is the Corporate Affairs Manager for H3G, was the planner for the site and on the residents' side – Barbara Derham (Co-ordinator of the Neighbourhood Group, Mount View Road); Dorothy Livingston (lawyer); Peter Sommer (radio and telecomms expert); Chris Turrell (businessman) and Dr Chris Wood - doctor specialising in immune systems. Sadly Neil Morrissey could not be there - but was quoted as saying he was willing to chain himself to the railings if it came to it!

I won't go into the techy arguments - but Mike Davies agreed to take back to the decision makers the question that Robin put - were Hutchison willing to look for alternative sites even at this late stage? And also - to look at the angles and direction of the coverage which appeared to mostly go towards the houses where there was already coverage as opposed to H3G’s stated aim of filling in the coverage gap in the other direction.

I hope they will look for a new site as far away from residential properties as is possible. They mentioned a site that seemed to be arbitrarily rejected before, but I don’t know enough details to judge whether it would be better or worse than this one.

So - we wait and hope.

One problem H3G voiced was that Haringey Council has put a moratorium on masts on council property, land or buildings – and that is forcing the mast companies on to residential streets. The criteria should surely be not who owns a possible site – but how suitable or not the site is.

Second problem – and one I will be pursuing - is that the conditions set by the Government for the licence for mast companies requires that they have an independent network. With five companies in the field all erecting their own sites - that's a lot of masts. So – I’ll be pressing the Government to allow for more sharing of resources.

We do all (well many of us - including me) use mobile phones – which is why I’m happy with arguing for the precautionary principle – and not an outright ban – because we should put health concerns first, whilst also recognising that people do like having decent reception on their phones.

Labels: ken livingstone, mobile phone masts

Meetings, meetings, meetings - from blogging, to China to trying to Stop the Trafficking of children in the developing world - and Shadow Cabinet too. Later today, I lead for the Liberal Democrats on the Conservative Opposition debate on Attacking Global Poverty. The Tories have spent 18 months producing a huge tome from their commission. But - they barely mention climate change. Given that is the most catastrophic threat the developing world is facing - a bit of an omission I thought. I've put down an amendment on the climate change aspect - but it won't be selected because the Government amendment (which is almost identical to the Tory motion) always gets selected.

Listening to Nick Ferrari this morning though, Cameron was getting it in the neck for being in Rwanda rather than Witney which is under water. Cameron isn’t doing himself any favours by going when Parliament is sitting (rather than waiting a week and going during recess – after all, that’s part of the justification for having recess, so you can devote chunks of time uninterrupted to a particular issue) and surrounded by a press pack (compare with Paddy Ashdown’s trips to spend time with people when he was our party leader – done without a trailing press pack). That having been said - Iain Dale's blog is a window on the aftermath of genocide and worth reading.

Muswell Hill and Highgate Neighbourhood Assembly - centred for its theme on older people in the area. Featuring were both the plans for Hornsey Hospital to become a polyclinic and the abandoning of the idea from Haringey for a restaurant in the centre of Muswell Hill Library - at which we cheered as the detailed case had never been made for it.

On the rest of the plans for the library (which is much in need of care) - there was still no timetable at all - and the Director of Libraries who was there didn't know the timetable and didn't have information about some of the basics of the plans. Not impressive. And the tragedy is that some of the ideas that have been talked about have been excellent - but it's all being lost in a mess of vagueness and foot dragging.

And then the poor woman presenting the Hornsey Hospital update got it in the neck for the shameful consultation process taking place at present on the local Primary Care Strategy. Sue Hessel said that only seven people attended the first meeting and the second which is tomorrow night may attract just as few. They said they were happy to go to other meetings if invited but as I pointed out - having a meeting isn't consultation - nothing like. So I've written my Highgate Handbook and Muswell Hill Flyer column on this issue (will post after it is published) as local people need to know what is going on.

Update: my article about polyclinics is now here.

Labels: hornsey central hospital, muswell hill library, nhs, polyclinics

Last of the Westminster Hours before recess. They have all three of us (one MP from each main party) in to chew over the by-election, housing, floods and so on. Ten minutes between three doesn't go very far - and it was a bit of a gallop. Mark d'Arcy kept referring to me as Lynne Jones (a Labour MP). I didn't comment at first - and then thought perhaps humour would be best - but as it was Radio 4 I settled for hissing under my breath. It happens. I have been called in the chamber as Julia Goldsworthy before now - and given the disparity in our ages (she's half my age) am simply grateful!

Labels: the westminster hour

Mosey along to the 'consultation' on the plans for Parkland Walk. It would seem from the number of times that officers told me that the priority for the walk was its role as a nature reserve followed by a walk for pedestrians - that the message has got through from we local people.

The fear was that Haringey Council - in order to get the dosh from Transport for London (from their cycling department) - were going to turn Parkland Walk into a commuter cycle track. I had, subsequent to hearing local peoples' concerns, got with a Freedom of Information request documentary evidence that indeed that was what the Parkland Walk money was for.

Having put this in the public domain and got loads and loads of people to give me their views on the then proposals (which I forwarded to the Council consultation), it would now seem from looking at today's plans that the Council has taken note. Mainly the grant now seems to be being proposed to be used for improving access, patching paths, putting in drainage and introducing better signing.

It was still quite hard to tell what surface material they were proposing for the patching of the paths - as they displayed a range of about four - with no indiction of their favourites.

If the work goes ahead as displayed - outside of a bit of concern about the steps that will be replaced by ramps for cycles, wheelchairs and buggies - it looks OK.

So - fingers crossed!

Labels: parkland walk, tfl

Wake up to the pleasant news that Liberal Democrats had pushed the Tories into third place in Sedgefield and improved their second place in Ealing Southall.

It is a terrible result for Cameron - particularly as on the actual ballot papers in Ealing their candidates was described as “David Cameron’s Conservatives” rather than simply “Conservative”. This was very much his personal campaign, with the message being “David Cameron wants you to vote for this man”. Reputation on the line – reputation very damaged! Serves him right for hiking someone to stand, Tony Lit, who wasn't a Conservative but was someone who Cameron thought could attract votes. Poor judgement and poor practise.

Labour majorities were slashed - but they didn't lose - which is also one in the eye for the Tories. Though still don't think Gordon will rush into a General Election - having waited all his life to get where he is today would he really risk losing it all so soon?

UPDATE: There's a good round up of what the press are making of the by-elections over at Lib Dem Voice.

Surgery in the morning followed by my regular meeting with police borough Commander Simon O'Brien. I raise the issue of gangs, the parks constabulary and the need for even more Neighbourhood Policing. The parks constabulary now are on the same radio band as the police. I had been concerned that the two systems were making a farce of the parks police chasing a criminal, for example, who runs out the park - but they cannot radio the Met to catch him. Simon assured me that the radios were now all up to modern standards and working together on the new Airwave system.

I discussed some ideas I have for youth diversion - and am putting some proposals together on this. And I also asked whether Haringey Police and PCSOs had any capacity that could be used (if paid for) to deploy to particular projects or areas of need - and the answer is yes. So my council colleagues will be pushing to use this capacity to tackle the persistent areas of anti-social behaviour.

Labels: crime

Whist the by-elections play out on the political stage, long before they were called - I had arranged the inaugural meeting of my Haringey Local Darfur Action Group (HLDAG) today. (Read here for my earlier posting on why such a local group is needed).

I had been amazed by the response to my initial email - and to the number of people who wanted to join me in this pressure group. My idea is to set up an organising group to lobby and put pressure on the sensitive political spots that might prompt the Government of Sudan to stop the genocide and let the African Union / United Nations troops be deployed before 2008 - the current best estimate following President Bashir's promise to finally allow them in.

But there are many other things that need doing – including the extension of the UN arms embargo across the whole of Sudan as weapons are coming into Darfur from there. The difficulty of getting the UN resolution through is I guess because China and Russia have a veto and they both earned well over £20 million each on arms sales to Sudan in 2005. So - an example of what I hope the group will do (and the group will grow in size) is to all send emails to the Chinese Ambassador asking him not to use the veto, for example - as it would be a shame if the Olympics in Beijing were to become a political football, etc etc.

I invited a Darfuri refugee to come and speak to the Group, and Ishmail Jarbo, whose parents were murdered and he himself injured before fleeing to this country, told us his tale. This was very powerful and brought home the reality of the genocide. My Lib Dem councillor colleague, Errol Reid (Hornsey ward), then spoke. Errol has long been involved with Sudan and is also the secretary for the International African Lawyers, fighting on human rights and anti-slavery.

We all then contributed a great range of ideas and a number of those attending stepped forward to take this campaign forward.

I know, I know - how can what we do in Haringey affect Darfur? Well – I totally believe in people power. I also believe, that at this particular juncture, China will be sensitive to world opinion and as China is the most influential foreign power in terms of Sudan - pressure on China is one way forward. And there is divestment - as we pressure groups not to invest in companies who are supporting the genocide. And, this is my pilot, and I will be trying to extend this nationwide in due course.

Being impotent and doing nothing is why dreadful things continue for decades in this world. This is a complex situation and in the end, only a negotiated peace will bring real peace to the area - and both Arabs and Black Darfuris will have to come around the table with all the groups and militias and rebel bands. But that cannot happen until the killing is stopped. So first deployment and stopping arms.

The communication for this group will be primarily by email - and if you live in Haringey and you want to join in what will be a relatively simple exercise in targeted lobbying - then let me know. You can also join the Facebook group.

The group will hopefully have its first organisational meeting to decide the action program in the next two weeks and then we will email out the first proposed action; after all - this is an action group!

Labels: darfur, olympics

PMQs - and Gordon didn't have a good one - repetitive and unsure of facts or what to say. It's not so easy being PM as he expected.

Vince Cable had a question on the order paper and used it to batter Gordon over his head with the failure of Metronet - whose slide into economic meltdown was inevitable. There’s no sliding away from this issue for Gordon because when he was Chancellor - the PPP for the tube was his baby. Ken L went to court to try and stop this dreadful contract which cost something like £500 million in consultants and lawyers alone.

I was shoulder to shoulder with Ken against the PPP - for the very reasons that are now coming to light.

Make no mistake - these are Gordon's PPP chickens coming home to roost - and not so new Gordon is entirely to blame for this debacle.

Labels: gordon brown, pmqs

Pleased today that the Guardian - who called me yesterday - have the story online about exploitation by some of our big supermarkets who pay a pittance to people overseas. Good story by them - here is part of what they say:

The call came after the Guardian reported allegations by workers at factories in Bangladesh supplying Asda, Primark and Tesco that they worked up to 80 hours per week for as little as 4p an hour. They also reported abuse by supervisors, and sackings for taking sick leave.

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat international development spokeswoman, said legislation should guarantee that pay and conditions of overseas workers met international standards: "It's obscene that [UK shoppers] can earn more through their club card points than the people who produce the goods they are buying." She was setting up meetings with supermarkets and other large employers of overseas workers to talk about their corporate responsibilities.

Well, well, well!

William McDougall - ex-Tory councillor on Haringey and their Tottenham candidate in the 2005 general election - has surfaced as a fully-fledged UKIP member. This is his endorsement for the candidate for Sedgefield by-election:

"I was the Tory Candidate for Tottenham in the last general election, and previously was both a Conservative on Haringey Council and Chairman of my local Conservative Association. Like Toby I have become fed up with the direction the Party has taken, and have now joined UKIP.

"If I wanted to support a social or liberal democratic group there are already two well established parties. If I wanted to support environmental extremists there is a third. But why support Cameron? He is losing the Tory base without convincing anyone else. His Ealing candidate even donates money to the Labour Party."

Ealing bright and early - everyone seems very jolly this morning. Think that is probably the aftermath of the news that broke yesterday about the Tory Tony Lit (and Tory must be a loose description) who gave £4,800 to Labour just before he became Tory candidate.

Then back to Parliament, where suddenly see on the annunciator (TV screens around Parliament that tell you what is happening in the Commons and Lords) that there is a statement to be made - an update from the Foreign Secretary on Litvinenko.

I seize my opportunity, as I have been waiting for the new Cabinet to be in place before trying to arrange for Marina Litvinenko and myself to meet with the Foreign Secretary. I get called - compliment (genuinely) David Miliband on his proposal to take a hardish (but proportionate line) with the Russians - expelling diplomats in response to their refusal to extradite the murder suspect in the case - and then ask him if he will agree to meet with me and Marina. He basically says yes - him or if not him - his official. So - a good ask!

Then straight into the BAE corruption debate. It is a Liberal Democrat Opposition motion. What struck me most was the Government's absolutely vitriol towards us for raising the issue. Very telling! They didn't like it one bit. I expect it is because the Government has used the smoke screen of 'national security' to hide the reason for the dropping of the investigation into BAE by the Serious Fraud Office. They wanted the contract for jobs and commercial reasons - but that is not a reason that can be used for dropping an investigation - only national security is. Hence - it is about national security and I'm the sugar-plum fairy! I didn't catch Mr Speaker's eye sadly - despite bobbing up and down for a few hours. I had to satisfy myself with a few interventions instead!

Labels: alexander litvinenko, david miliband

Saturday I go to the Highgate Horticultural Society Show to award the prizes. It is a complete delight to see the absolutely beautiful exhibits. My children don't let me near our plants! That says it all. However, clearly the prize winners and all who took part are green fingered. A lot of work goes into these events - so congratulations to all.

As indeed, on Sunday, congrats to the Golf Course Allotments - particularly Karen - whose sterling efforts resulted in a successful (but modest) lottery bid to have a new Community Hut. And what a splendid hut it was - absolutely gorgeous. This is an amazingly committed community and I was delighted to have supported their bid and delighted to be asked to open the new hut. As the heavens opened as I cut the ribbon - lucky we all had a new hut to gather in!

I've just uploaded my latest article - this time one about the economy for Liberator magazine:

I have petitioned and campaigned for - and against - many, many things since the world of political campaigning crossed my path. But the absurdity of the thought of running a petition calling for next month's inflation figure to be cut by at least 0.3% or running a street stall demanding an extra 0.1% on the third quarter's GDP growth figure should not become a reason for ignoring economic issues in our campaigning.

You can read the full piece over on my website.

Hurrah! Wake up to two texts on my phone saying we won the by-election in Camden by 150 votes - which is pretty huge and a great sign of things to come. Well done Matt. No one is going back to Labour (it was a Labour resignation that caused this by-election) and no one is swinging to the Tories. So - hey - not resurgent after all!

Spend the morning in Ealing for the by-election. Seems very jolly over there and upbeat. Main community event of the day back in the constituency is going to Avenue Gardens Residents' Association to do a 'Question Time'.

Key issues from the evening included Haringey's lack of consultation with residents over planning proposals - in particular - Haringey Heartlands. And - even if there is a consultation - they ignore it.

One resident raised the issue of the proposed polyclinics - and the potential of these plans to denude us of our local GP practices. That is what we need to make sure doesn't happen.

It was interesting when I met with the Trust and asked what I would think is a critical question - what proportion of GP visits require further action (diagnostics, referrals to a clinic, etc), they couldn’t give a full answer.

But this is key to the polyclinics idea – because if, say 90% of doctor’s visits require follow up with one of the services that will be at the polyclinic – then having the GP and those other services all on one site can have advantages of saving further trips (and so further delays). But if those 90% instead don’t require further services, then having GP practices centralised isn’t nearly so attractive.

Anyway - back to Avenue Gardens Residents' Association - we also ranged over excess of traffic, HGVs, the tick-box society, the quality of councillors, the poor quality of decision-making at Planning Committee, and other topics too. I enjoyed it - as I always do. Meeting people at events like this always reaffirms the point to the whole process. It is always about peoples' lives!

Labels: nhs, polyclinics

Brown was a great deal better today than last week - and followed PMQs with a draft Queen's Speech. Innovation - the ability to discuss and disseminate proposals before the Queen’s Speech - or does the PM just want his manifesto out there for an autumn election which gets called before the actual Queen’s Speech? Hmmmmmmm.

Then it was the Tory Opposition Day debates. There was a tepid motion, apple pie against which it was impossible to vote - however, it was based on the report by Iain Duncan Smith. In fact, I went to record for the Week at Westminster to discuss the 'back to basics' marriage proposals of the Tories with Diane Abbot and Nadine Dorries. Needless to say - Nadine supported her Tory colleagues and tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to argue that the £20 per week for married couples was the answer to all our ills. Diane and I were on the other side on this one.

To me - ludicrous to go backwards and propose a 19th century solution to a 21st century problem. Yes - we all agreed that having two parents in situ was the optimum (although only Nadine thought they had to be married not just cohabiting) but Diane and I recognise the world we live in - not make believe. That genie isn't going back in the bottle - not for Tories or anyone. It was a fun knock around - better than having the boys in! Then I returned and sat in the last half hour of the debate itself - but listening to Tories bang the marriage drum just makes me wonder whether they have changed at all!

Labels: pmqs

International Development Questions - so I thought I asked an interesting question of our new Secretary of State. Sadly, it got a competent answer but not an interesting one. This is the exchange:

Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green) (LD): I welcome the Secretary of State to his role and wish him well. The stringent restrictions of movement that are imposed on the Palestinians continue to exacerbate the humanitarian position. They undermine all the aid and humanitarian work that is going on. What will the Secretary of State do to persuade Israel to remove those restrictions?

Mr. Alexander: When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last addressed the House, he made clear the three principles whereby we will move our work forward on the matter in the months ahead. He said that first, we would be unyielding in our support for finding a two-state solution; secondly, we should express a genuine willingness to work with all those who would renounce violence as a way forward; and thirdly, we need to continue to address the immediate humanitarian challenge while recognising the social and economic development needs of the Palestinians. It is right to place on record the fact that restraints on movement and access are a severe constraint on the capacity of the Palestinian economy to grow.

Although, of course, it is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance with immediate effect, there is no substitute in the longer term for a sustainable, developed Palestinian economy. For that to happen, we need the restrictions on movement and access to be removed.

I had been hoping for more. Because the simple mantra of a two-state solution etc (albeit I agree with it) doesn't really answer the question I asked.

You see, right now when the Palestinians are having a hideous time in terms of movement, poverty, etc - I don't think that the most constructive approach is to simply condemn Israel (albeit the wall position and the ongoing settlements are wrong) - but I want to find out what Israel wants, needs or could be persuaded by to remove those restrictions. Let's try and see what Israel needs and what process would be acceptable. If there is nothing that will ever persuade Israel to lift restrictions through negotiation and agreement - then we would know where we are and can work out perhaps what next steps say the EU might need to take. (They are the biggest aid donor to Palestine and biggest trading partner of Israel). I have always felt that there is a way through this - and the people of both countries desperately need the international community to find this way through and hold both safe on that journey.

Labels: middle east

My mate Mark Pack has got the Tories going some! Now - as a non-geek - I did have to phone him to ask what astro-turfing was. To elucidate. One Tory - Grant Shapps - stands accused of trying to fake a comment on YouTube which claimed to be from a Liberal Democrat, only was really from him. Tsk tsk!

Now, Iain Dale (who – even though he is a Tory! – I actually quite like and is usually worth reading) seems to have lost his reason and is defending the indefensible. Iain would have us believe that some evil people were using Grant's easily guessable password. Grant’s meant to be an IT expert, but even I know you shouldn’t set your password to 1234, I mean really! – yet that’s what Iain claims he did – and then that someone guessed it – and then that someone set him up. And then – even better – the story also involves Grant (or his staff) having supposedly spotted a problem a few days ago – but then not changing the password when they did!

So no surprise - reading the comments on Iain's blog – pretty much no one believes his story. Stop digging seems to be the advice to Grant.

Oh the joy of by-elections!

Labels: grant shapps, iain dale, youtube

Start the day meeting all the lobby groups against the Planning White paper. The paper is a developers' charter - and not only gets it wrong on many counts - but omits huge areas that do need tackling. For me - I want ordinary people, objectors - to have the same right of appeal as developers or applicants. It's not fair that if you are refused permission you can appeal - but if it is granted and you are an objector - you cannot. Also - another bugbear - is that Her Majesty's Inspector who doesn't live in the local area and doesn't have the same interests as local people - can overturn a decision made by the local Planning Authority. That could do with an overhaul too! (On which point ... you can read more in my newspaper column on the topic from a little while back).

Then meeting with Foreign and Commonwealth officers to discuss all my many and various Parliamentary Questions on Darfur. I have raised Darfur in Parliament many times - and it was riveting to discuss the substantive issues with officers who really know the subject and working with those on the ground. Not going to discuss here as the material is something I want to think about how best to use.

Labels: darfur, planning issues

Well - after Haringey keep forgetting to update me when they promise to - I contacted them. Again! The 'critical survey' which measured the Pollonium 210 residue in the Muswell Hill home of the Litvinenkos and the consequent advice on any remediation needed arrived a week or so ago.

There was some time taken over a difference of opinion in terms of how something was calculated between the Health Protection Agency and Corillion - but that didn't amount to much. There may be a few spots which are just above the safety level - but most of the house has now returned to the levels normally found in the atmosphere.

So - with regard to the hot spots - there was a 'strategy' meeting last week about what comes next and what arrangements need to be made for cleaning the house and as ever - who pays will need to be sorted. I am promised a phone call tomorrow.

Labels: alexander litvinenko

Main meeting of the day was with Richard Sumray, Chair of Haringey Primary Care Trust (PCT). For me the key question was around the proposals for Hornsey Hospital which has now become part of the wider Primary Health Care Strategy. This strategy proposes (and is part of the London-wide strategy as well) something like six polyclinics in Haringey.

Hey - what's this poly thingamajig - I hear you say. Well - it's a sort of community hospital without beds – i.e. it's a super, duper, all singing all dancing health facility with clinics for various things like diabetes, services like chiropody, diagnostics and the kitchen sink. I say that - because the array of services proposed for Hornsey Hospital is yet to be consulted on and we hope (despite our experience - so hope against hope) that the services can accommodate what local people want not simply that which is prescribed by the PCT.

There is some confusion around consultation because there is a consultation by the Enfield Haringey Health Trust on the local Primary Care Strategy - which is really with health stakeholders etc and then there is also to be a consultation on Hornsey Hospital itself.

The polyclinics really come up in the Primary Care consultation - and this may contain the key issue which I believe is what loss will there be of our local GP practices as part of the move to polyclinics? The idea is to improve local health services in these new facilities and provide some of things we are used to going to the hospital for nearer to home.

But the polyclinics will need some rental income, I believe, from GP practises based in the polyclinics. Of course - if a local GP practise moves into a polyclinic - it may mean for the ordinary person who is ill, just needs the doctor and a prescription or not without further treatment, a longer journey. That in turn raises issues of travel, access, car usage, parking and public transport connections - all very difficult.

So - on the individuality of each polyclinic - including Hornsey Hospital - Richard promised me that there would be a separate consultation - a continuance of the public meetings twice a year that we all have had on Hornsey since it was closed. I would also wish to put pressure on the consultation to demand that no area of the borough should be denuded of a local GP practice - and that any practise or doctor who wants to move in to a polyclinic ought to consult with their patient list.

The polyclinics sound great - but we have to make sure that local people have a say in what is provided and a say in what happens to their local GP practices and that there is a net gain. Perhaps local people want out of hours services, doctors that will visit in the home (which might solve some of the access issues as you don't feel like getting on a bus when you are sick), and so on and so on.

There is so much involved in all of these changes - I have to say to people get involved, respond to the consultations. I am happy to have a spanking new facility on the Hornsey Hospital site as has been promised to me and local people for years now - but it has to deliver a great slab of what local people want and not remove the very local doctors that people rely on.

Update: you can read my article subsequent article about polyclinics here.

Labels: nhs, polyclinics, richard sumray

First off on Sunday was speaking at Wightman Road Mosque – as part of an open community day - as they do each year. Wightman Road is an exemplar mosque - friendly, welcoming and open. This reaching out into the community is what we need to disperse fears and unwarranted suspicion of each other. Happily in Haringey – this sort of work that has gone on for years in our joyfully diverse borough by a whole range of groups.

Then a dash to the Priory Avenue backsite opening. Here the fight against developers who would have ruined the space in between back gardens with profit-making squashed houses has been won by local residents. After fighting off planning application after application - eventually the developer realised his best shot was to sell the land to the surrounding home owners. It was Benji Lesser who got everyone together to buy the land. They now own it between them - and we now have our equivalent to those wonderful communal gardens in Kensington where the kids can all play safely and make lifelong friends. This is real community.

And it will be a real beacon to all of those residents fighting developers who land grab behind houses - not for social or affordable housing which is desperately needed - but for profit on the luxury end of the market. Squashing stuff in is not the answer to our housing problems. Well done Benji and team - this is really stirring stories for residents!

Just thinking about my up and coming inaugural meeting of the Haringey Darfur Action Group on July 19th. This is a group I am setting up to campaign locally - and I know Darfur and the genocide there seem far away - but you would be surprised how effective local pressure can be. And the scale of the horrors in Darfur means we must do something more.

I have lots of ideas of action we can take so we don't have to stand idly by and feel impotent in this catastrophe. Also - I have set up a Facebook Group for the Darfur group - so please join in.

Labels: darfur

Catching up - last visit of the day on Friday was to see the old railway track turned nature reserve at the back of Cumberland Road in Wood Green.

Haringey Council - having paid it no attention for years - suddenly seems to have served notices by letter about 'encroachment' to various houses whose back gardens adjoin the linear wood.

I went via one resident's house to see what this 'encroachment' was. What I found was that the council boundary fence which might once have delineated where gardens stopped and the wood started is in complete disrepair. Decades ago some of the back gardens have 'encroached' by a foot or two. Given that this happened so long ago and many of the houses have been purchased with this tiny extra space in use as part of the house, the council has taken a very heavy-handed and unproductive approach. Where the encroachments have been tiny – as with most – they should regularise the situation and take action against the significant ones – such as one garden that has seemingly doubled its size and does encroach well into the wooded space.

Another is a fence which runs right across the wood at right angles to the houses blocking the walk altogether. Apparently, I was told, one resident does some clearing work in the wood and got a grant for this fence. But if you can imagine a linear walk, through a fantastic nature reserve, which you walk along – and then you come to a fence completely blocking your passage. I need to find out why Haringey Council has allowed this to happen.

So it’s the usual mix of some real issues that need tackling, but Haringey failing for years to sort out things and then taking a crude and heavy handed blanket approach. Not helped by the Council attacking residents for the rubbish in the woods, whereas the truth is that the residents and the erstwhile Friends of the Green had actually been clearing and tidying the space - where the Council had done absolutely nothing over decades.

I think there is something not quite right going on. Anyway - since the residents called me in – Haringey Council seems to have realised that they have been unfair (at least that is what I am hoping is the case) and have invited residents in for a meeting on Monday night. So I have said to the residents to see what the Council say on Monday - and if it is not resolved - then I will try and help them.

It's the Hornsey Carnival today - just a lovely thing to have on our doorsteps in Hornsey. The Carnival Queen, her deputy and the princesses all looked gorgeous and at last, amazingly, the sun shone. I did the judging for the Fancy Dress - and I have to say - they all really put in great effort.

First I put Hornsey Girls with their Carnival Costumes - which were amazing; second I put St Mary's Infants and Juniors whose theme was jungle - and all the children had put an extraordinary amount of work into Papier Mache masks; and then joint third The Hornsey Tavern (Cleopatra and slaves - grown men dressed scantily, what can I say) and Hazel Perryman - who was just a fancy dress all of her own. A very, very close fourth were the kids from Action Aid.

And here are some photos from the day:






Well done to the Carnival Team who make so much effort for charity every single year. They are always looking for new groups to join the parade and the charity fundraising - so anyone reading this from Hornsey & Wood Green - give it a go!

Labels: hornsey carnival

Two new newspaper / magazine columns out this week - one about local shops and whether we should help safeguard them and the other about the handover from Blair to Brown.

Labels: gordon brown

Straight on to meet David Sloman, Chief Executive at the Whittington. His issues are around the Health Strategy for London which will begin on 11th July and the Whittington's own move towards foundation status. This is a bit different from Fortismere's problems - firstly it is mandatory as the Government as decreed that all hospitals must do this within the next few years. What the Whittington gets out of it is the ability to plan for the long term, revised engagement in terms of real community voices in decision-making, legal and financial freedom. I will consult with colleagues on this in due course.

On the London-wide strategy: some of it seems ok - like stroke victims and heart attack victims going straight to special centres - so long as there are enough in London (i.e. not just shipping people miles away, especially as the first hours are so vital). The local community hospitals like the Whittington are fine too.

Where the battle lines will be drawn - and this refers back to what I said about Hornsey Hospital and the proposed polyclinics. For example - there will be something like five or six in Haringey each serving up to 50,000 residents and will provide super-duper clinics, diagnostics, etc etc. However, it will only financially be viable if they bring in our local GP practices to operate from there. Now - I wouldn't mind if they swept up the individual single-handed or two men doctor practises and put them in there - that would be improving the service - but I bet they will be after our other practices and I don't think the community will want to have the normal visit to their doctor that doesn't require other services moved away from the local.

Maybe I am wrong. We do want after hours services which would be provided on such a site - but I though that the huge hike in doctors pay and contracts was to create extra provision. Ain't seen nothing yet! So I suspect that may prove controversial. Polyclinics - great - but don't take away local GP practices.

Labels: david sloman, nhs, polyclinics, whittington hospital

Gruelling advice surgery – it can be so draining as people's problems can be so deep and so distressing. I've noticed over the years how simply listening properly to someone who has been frustrated or downed at every turn often results often in the person crying, just because they can finally talk to someone who listens to them. At first I found this really hard - but now I understand that it is a release as finding someone to listen is hard in today's society.

Then it was straight on to meeting with Fortismere's Chair of Governors, Jane Farrell, to discuss the ongoing state of the school's move to Foundation Status. The informal consultation being finished, we are now in the statutory consultation period. The informal stage results were that out of only a 6% response rate, 70% were against (to some degree).

I put forward the suggestion that - based on such a low response rate - the school should go back and ballot the parents, accompanied by a recommending report from the majority Governors who are for the proposal with an accompanying minority report from those Governors opposed. That to me is a way forward that would then, upon the result, re-unite a community which has been divided by this issue creating at times a pretty unpleasant atmosphere. Whatever, the outcome, the school must move forward with any divisions healed.

However, the school's position is not to offer a ballot. The Governors feel that the statutory consultation period instead offers another opportunity