Lynne Featherstone

When I heard the magnitude of the scale of the closures that Tubelines want during their upgrade of the Northern Line I thought they must be taking the you know what!

Sixteen months of early evening closures and something like 83 weekends - and we are talking major closures - either the whole caboodle and/or north of Stockwell. They must be bloody mad!

I could say 'I told you so' - 'cos I did - endlessly when Labour forced the PPP (private public partnership) on us for the tube. The contract is a nightmare - and now we in North London (and the other end of the Northern line obviously) are about to be tortured endlessly by this dreadful arrangement.

Boris has woken up late - as usual - hope someone is checking what he said about the PPP! As Mayor he is now saying let's change the contract to another private company. That would be out of the frying pan into the fire AND would cost a fortune to get out of the existing contract I bet. The shareholders wanting a slice is much of the current problem and definitely a huge whack of the ginormous price tag of £6 billion that Tubelines are asking for.

£6billion! It could be done for £4 billion I am sure - if the  shareholders and profiteers were not guaranteed under the PPP contract their rake off before the work even begins.

No - our best bet - is for Tubelines to want out of the contract themselves. Then LU / TfL who already had to rescue Metronet when they went under (the other private public partnership) to take over. Blimey - just when you think it can't get worse - it does.

Having been Chair of Transport in London for nearly five years when I was on the London Assembly - and knowing a little bit about engineering and repairs as a consequence - I am sure that Tubelines have asked for way more closures than they need. The reason - well they would get charged a penalty probably if they over ran their agreed closure time - and so rather than risk penalties - I bet they have asked for loads more time in closures then is actually needed.

So - I have got my fingers crossed - just hoping that Tubelines want to get out of the kitchen!

Local Liberal Democrats have expressed outrage at the Mayor of London's refusal to consider a proposal for a one hour ticket on London’s buses.

The refusal was made clear in a letter to Liberal Democrat London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon despite a campaign supported by over 2,000 Londoners and all London Assembly Members.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It’s ridiculous that the Mayor will not even consider the idea of a one hour bus ticket. This is such a brilliant idea and it would have been a great green proposal to back in a bid to help Londoners cut their carbon footprint.

“I’m very disappointed at the Mayor’s disregard for the views and concerns of over 2,000 Londoners and all the London Assembly Members - with that kind of support it should have been given proper consideration but it clearly hasn’t.”

Martin Newton, Haringey Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, adds:

“The Mayor's response is a hasty, knee jerk reaction that shows he is not prepared to look into a sensible proposal which would help cut congestion and give residents in Haringey and beyond an affordable alternative to using their cars.”

Met with UpRise (London United Against Racism Festival) a group formed to reinstate the Rise Festival that Boris scrapped as one of his first acts to bring London together and spread the love. This was an annual anti-racist, free, music festival in Finsbury Park each summer.

It was indeed supported by that spawn of the devil (as far as Boris is concerned) ex-Mayor Ken - which may be the reason that Boris pulled the plug on it. However, at the risk of extending the 'plug' analogy - it plugged a good message - and it is a shame that Boris wasn't big enough to understand the importance of that message in this very diverse part of London. And with the abhorrent rise of the BNP - my own view is that a public statement where we all hold hands together against racism is a jolly good thing.

Or maybe it was because the unions backed it.

Either way, the two who came to see me and Cllr Ed Butcher (LibDem Stroud Green councillor) have managed to contact many of those involved in the organisation of the original Rise. We suggested that they concentrate also on making it a local community event and bring in the local businesses and schools - so that the heart of the new festival is community too - albeit obviously open to all.

They are working very hard to find funders and sponsors so that - albeit on a smaller scale - Rise can rise again.

I tweeted thus this afternoon: 'Got in lift at City Hall to find Boris, Tessa Jowell and John Denham. I thought an Olympics cabal. But what else might they have been up to?'

And here followeth samples of the wit that flowed forth from your responses:

1) Fight Club?

2) Expenses alibis?

3) If you get Seb Coe and David Beckham you get to shout house!

4) Looking for a brain cell?

5) Grey's Anatomy at City Hall?

6) Jowell and Denham realising that New Labour project has bankrupted country are throwing their hands in with Tories?

7) Dissing LDs?

8) Eastenders casting?

Number 6 is my winner.

Thanks for contributions. LOL

Went back to City Hall for a meeting of ex-GLA members of the London Assembly. Very nice to meet up with old faces. Boris wandered over to say hello. He gave a funny speech - which is his talent. Can't have been that long after his now much publicised hissy fit where he stomped out of a Commons Select Committee 'cos he didn't like the questions about why London transport stopped the night we had snow. What a woos!

Off to OxPoly - as was - now Oxford Brookes University - as an alumni to take part in a panel on 'successful women'. Unwittingly began my political career there - my first taste of politics was marching against Maggie Thatcher and my first campaign was to Save Art (hugely successful obviously - at least for a short while till I left and they got rid of it anyway). This was a blast from the past. The session itself was sold out and very well attended and hugely enjoyable -hopefully for the audience too.

The other alumni all had stellar careers in a variety of settings - and it was brilliantly facilitated by Peninah Thomson - a real high flier! What she did was, rather than have a sterile format with each of four of us giving a speech, to have questions with herself bringing in the audience right from the start. We all had drinks with the audience after - which was great too.

Several people there actually remembered my Save Art campaign - and even stranger, the Social Secretary from my era was there. He got such great bands to come to OxPoly. I saw David Bowie for example the year before he hit the big time - and there were only about 50 people there! Ahead of the curve...

Went to St Mary's School in Hornsey - who put on one of the best ever 'exhibitions' that I have seen. The whole school got involved in creating 'The London Experience'. From good size replicas of key London sites from Big Ben to the Globe, to the religions of London, to London Zoo and wartime London - completely brilliant. Wish I could show you the scope, scale and sheer brilliance of this mega project - but look at the photos here and here. I bet the information and learning that the children got from all of this will be embedded in their brains forever - far more than just being taught it. Congratulations to all at St Mary's!

Turing to a less happy subject - two of my constituents have been held for years under control orders. Every time I write to the Home Office I am simply told they are a threat to national security. They have never known what evidence there is. It is kept secret. Their conditions are awful - let out three hours a day with a visit to report at police station in the middle.

But this doesn't quite add up. If they are a threat of such great order that this has gone on for three years and everything has to be kept secret, then why are they let out at all? And Mr W spent two years in Belmarsh - but then his charges were dropped. He was then free for five months - but then put under control order where he has now been for a few years.

Finally - lap dancing. I went to an 'evidence' session hosted by Andy Slaughter and to which all MPs (like me) who have an interest in how to fight off lap dancing applications in unsuitable areas were invited. Also there were expert councillors who have had experience of fighting off such applications - with varying success etc. I will be writing more on this shortly - so watch this space.

A quick update on the very popular market at Wards Corner, and the controversial development that threatens it, as I know the issue of interest to people across Haringey.

Before the Mayor elections: Boris Johnson says he's backing local campaigners against the development.

After the Mayor elections: Boris Johnson says he won't use his planning power to block the development nor will he use Transport for London's ownership of the key part of the site to block it either.

Hmm ... not impressed Boris! This man is for turning! Liberal Democrat Voice has more details on Wards Corner.

In traditional reverse order, here are the ten postings which have proved the most popular over the last three months:

10. The morning after the night before: the moment when it looked like Paxman might punch Johnson - one of the (few) TV highlights of the London Mayor election: Boris Johnson flounders over his bus policy.

9. The real lesson of the 10p tax rate fiasco - it wasn't just the tax policy that was wrong, it was the whole way we do budgets.

8. What will Boris Johnson be like as Mayor of London? - no prizes for guessing the topic of that piece!

7. The London results - yes, Boris is Mayor.

6. Olympics protest - I joined the protests as the Olympic torch passed through London.

5. Crewe & Nantwich by-election: are the rules wrong? - should election campaigns really be rushed through at the convenience of the incumbent party rather than giving the public time to find out about the candidates and their policies?

4. Iris Robinson - homophobia is certainly still alive in Northern Irish politics.

3. Nine years in a squalid and infested flat - a tale of failure that should make Haringey Council ashamed.

2. David Davis and his resignation to fight a by-election.

1. What did you think of the BBC TV local elections results program on Thursday night? Not a lot by the looks of it, though given the amount of traffic to this post long after the poll has closed it's clearly an issue still on some people's minds!

No surprise to see the London elections features so heavily in the list - but interesting to see that several of these posts are very brief and basically just me saying what my view is on an issue of the moment. I guess people have read them either because they've been very timely - or perhaps because they do want to know my views on issues!

Here's the official wording used in Parliament today to call the Henley by-election, now confirmed for 26th June:

That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant for the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for the electing of a Member to serve in this present Parliament for the County Constituency of Henley in the room of Alexander Boris Johnson, Esquire, who since his election for the said County Constituency has accepted the Office of Steward or Bailiff of her Majesty’s Manor of Northstead in the County of York.

Modern, engaging and de-mystifying don't you think?

The Liberal Democrat candidate is Stephen Kearney - good luck and have fun Stephen!

No prizes for guessing what my first newspaper column after the London elections is about...

This weekend eight years ago I was elected to the London Assembly – and Ken became London’s first Mayor. It was so exciting – a blank page on which to write the capital’s future. And now it’s Boris! Unbelievable...

What will Boris Johnson do to London? I have to ‘fess up immediately – I was upset by Boris even throwing his hat in the ring – let alone winning. To me he was not someone who had ever shown the slightest interest in London and its key issues prior to this opportunity knocking on his door.

Mind you – Ken had become arrogant from his years in office and really failed to tackle the issues of the sleaze and corruption allegations swirling around his advisers. Two of them had to quit in the end – but we are still left with a whole host of questions over what money went where and why, and Ken never looked like he was really interested in sorting out matters. The cheeky chappy of yesteryear had worn out our good will and we were clearly desperate for change. But will that change be for the better?

To continue reading the piece, visit my website.

I woke up this morning hoping that Boris winning was just a bad dream - but sadly - it really happened. His acceptance speech though was very gracious - I would advise keeping that speechwriter standing just behind him at all times! Much as I have enjoyed Boris on TV shows I didn't want him as Mayor of London. Didn't want Ken either. However, the people have spoken and now the opportunity belongs to Boris and I hope desperately that he doesn't bugger up all the good things that have happened in London since the GLA was created and that he does seek to re-unite this city.

Anyway - my poor Brian got hideously squeezed - and the knock on for my Assembly colleagues was a loss of two seats on the Assembly. As for the revolting result of a BNP member being elected despite a good turn out - that turns my stomach. Don't know how colleagues will manage to deal with that every day!

We should get the ward results and therefore constituency results in due course - and I expect that in Hornsey & Wood Green the Lib Dem vote held up very well as overall Monica Whyte, our Enfield and Haringey candidate, polled more votes than last time and on percentage vote share changes had the best relative Liberal Democrat performance in London too (I think).

It was a huge surprise (seemingly to her as well) that Joanne McCartney held the Enfield and Haringey London Assembly seat for Labour. The Tories thought it was in the bag - but it wasn't. Shades of the 2004 election where again Labour pulled off a surprise victory in the seat despite very high Conservative confidence that they would take it.

And together with the gain of the Tory seat of Brent and Harrow - the Labour Assembly members did not do as badly as expected on a night when Labour nationally had disastrous results in the local elections and when Ken lost. A bit of a silver lining for them there.

So - off we go - finding our way around a changed political map of London with a Mayor who may garner affection - but can he run London? We will see.