Lynne Featherstone

Meet to discuss drugs policy. Clearly the Government’s prohibition strategy isn’t working – indeed it could be argued somewhat well that prohibition (much like drink in the most famous prohibition of them all) is making it worse in some ways. Addiction is flourishing in many places and the countries where the raw materials are grown have often seen drugs become industries that dominate and ruin large parts of those very countries. Much to be thought about.

In afternoon I visit The Spinney. The Spinney is just that – a little wooded spinney that adjoins on one side Rhodes Avenue Primary School and on the other Alexandra Recreation Ground. The school has got six months use of The Spinney. To date it has been a dumping ground and little used – but local volunteers have helped clear it up, the school has laid a nature trail and when I visited classes were busy studying nature for real. Absolutely fabulous. The Council have said in principle they are happy for the school to have some use of it in future – but that they will not be responsible for cleaning, health and safety or opening and locking the gates. And the local community also – understandably – wants to have access to the site too.

So – could I help? Well, after the meeting I spoke with my colleague Wayne Hoban (one of the Lib Dem councillors representing the area) about setting in motion a meeting of the key local interest groups – school, community, Friends of the Park and the Council to see where the land lies. You can perhaps see a solution where the children from the school have exclusive access during the school hours – but outside of school hours on a weekday, on weekends and during the holidays it is available for everyone. But would that be acceptable to all parties? And how would the practicalities of maintenance, care and safety be addressed? None of this insurmountable – and I have to say – it is a little magical space that would be wonderful for the Rhodes Avenue children and the local community to enjoy!

Thirty plus children from Alexandra Park School came to Parliament today. They had the tour, sat in the chamber for Prime Minister’s Questions – PMQs – and then came to question me for half an hour in a room I booked in Portcullis House.

Straight in – no hesitation – what should the public think of politicians who lie? So I gave them a very long and very direct answer – on the whole sad story of why politicians fall from grace. They were very condemnatory of George Galloway – and much, much more. I like it when children are lively and engaged as these young people were.

The Parliamentary Education Unit has produced a new brochure for young visitors to the House – and I even star on one page!

The afternoon is taken up with the police mergers debate. Nothing new to add since it was debated before Christmas. Labour’s plans are still wrong – combining illogical areas to fit in with the government’s regionalisation, hugely expensive and will not fix the real issues. Expensive nightmare! And ordinary you and me will have a double whammy. We will pay extra in taxes for the extra costs but also have less a less local and less accountable police force (except in London which remains unchanged).

I rush away at the end to go to Channel 4 Political Awards. Have been nominated for the Rising Star award – which is quite an accolade and only awarded once in every term of parliament. I am up against two Labour and one Tory. Given that it is one member of parliament one vote – I suspect I won’t win. It is a star-studded (ish) affair and I am seated next to Tony Benn (great person to sit next to) and Michael Howard on the other side of him.

They have put together packages of each category’s nominees with people, journalists or other MPs talking about them. I won’t spoil it all by giving it away here – but it will be on Channel 4 on Monday at 8pm. There were copious jokes at George Galloway’s expense – and the LibDems didn’t get away scot-free from what passed for jokes.

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!

As ever – nearly four hours of surgery at Wood Green library. It never ceases to amaze me how much of a mess the benefits system is.

I rush out at the end to get to Alexandra Park School where I am addressing and taking questions from their school Parliament.

I am very keen on engaging young people in the political process – and so keen to not come over as too boring! There is a terrific turnout – and I whip through the ‘my day’ and ‘why we are the main opposition’ points that they have asked me to address in my speech and then take half an hour of questions.

I was much encouraged by their enthusiasm and intelligence. There is a clear ‘Stop the War’ influence in the hall – alongside a very knowledgeable body on the terror laws and ID cards. Several of the students and teachers come afterwards to ask questions that the debate runs out of time for – and I really enjoy staying and talking more directly. I think there are several would-be politicians in the making there!

Onward to a meeting with someone who doesn’t turn up – and then onward again to my last meeting with Chief Superintendent Bloomfield – the local police commander who is leaving next week to go to New Scotland Yard to head up the London-wide Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

I am very sad to see him go – as I think he has been a really successful and much respected local commander who has achieved real results, knows all the communities and is a very wise man! I also meet his successor who moves to us from Enfield – and who I am sure will continue the good work as he was previously on the borough and knows it well. I run through a raft of small issues brought to me by constituents from pavement cycling to ‘yobs hanging around’ to policing in Highgate.

We also discuss the recent police car accident which was fatal for a pedestrian, tragically, and is now the subject of a full investigation. We range over the use (ever increasing and successful) of volunteers in the borough and the 90 days terror suspect detention – now 28 days. I am sad to see him go – but wish him well!

Last call of the day is to Jacksons Lane Community Centre – who are celebrating their 30th anniversary. It is unimaginable now that Jacksons Lane didn’t always exist – but I am old enough to remember the early campaign and set up that created it – and all credit to those like Melian Mansfield, Chris Hindley, Nicky Gavron and others who made it happen. Tonight’s celebration is champagne, speeches and then watching a production called ‘Motions in Time’ by Daryl Beeton – an actor with a disability – and Jacksons Lane has led the way in its work making disabled actors a parity in the profession.

I meet the relatively new Director of Jacksons Lane and suggest that we set up a meeting for a more appropriate time to discuss how I can best support them in the coming times when they will undoubtedly need to raise funding to repair and renew the fabric of the old church. The production is great fun – very enjoyable – and then it is home.

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!