Archive for October, 2007

Labour backs down on raiding school budgets

31 October, 2007 at 8:57 am · Filed under Campaigns ·Tagged , , , ,

The Government has thankfully backed down over plans to raid school budget reserves. As David Laws says “This daft idea should never have seen the light of day.”

It was always hypocritical for Labour ministers on the one hand to talk about empowering schools and on the other try to take back delegated budgets when they don’t approve of how schools use it. I should declare an interest as a former chair of finance at EGA (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, a girls’ secondary school near Kings Cross). Schools aren’t businesses. A very high proportion of school budgets is tied up in staffing costs which cannot be changed in-year. Or is the Government really suggesting that sacking teachers is better than running reserves?

Schools have virtually no revenue generating ability; therefore budget flexibility is minimal without reserves. In my time at EGA we had to contend with heating failures, unexpected IT overspends and a window falling out of one block - all of which needed extra money to be found. If schools do not have reserves, then the LEA (local education authority) has to bail them out. And that’s without the additional revenue contribution schools will have to make to pay for new PFI buildings in the future.

There is a case for LEAs seeking to get agreement between schools on relative budget allocations, taking reserves into account. Oh, hang on, that’s what schools forums are for. Perhaps no-one had told Jim Knight about them. He’s only been the Education Minister since May 2006 and I’m sure there’s a lot to learn.

If the Government is worried about schools in better-off LEAs hoarding reserves, then why not direct more money to poorer communities in the first place. Pupil premium, anyone?

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Sign stealing

31 October, 2007 at 8:11 am · Filed under Neighbourhood ·Tagged , ,

Does someone have a collection of parking signs in their attic?

Back in March, I took up the case of residents whose estate parking spaces had been hijacked by non-permit holders, after the “residents parking” sign was stolen. The housing office replaced the sign. Last week, residents were back in touch - the sign had gone missing again - so I got back on the case.

The housing officer replies that a new sign will be up shortly, which is good news, but adds ‘There has been a long history of the “no parking” signs being removed here, indeed our Estate Parking Manager has confirmed that seven have been removed since 2001…. removal of any signage is an act of criminal damage and we will seek to prosecute any identified culprit’.

So if someone tries to sell you a limited edition ‘no parking’ sign in a pub, don’t buy it, it could be nicked….

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You’re on camera…

30 October, 2007 at 11:24 pm · Filed under Campaigns, Movies & media, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , ,

The British love affair with CCTV means we are now the most filmed nation in Europe, with roughly one camera for every 14 people. I’m not a CCTV-phobe - in my time as a councillor, I sat on the regen board that introduced the first CCTV in Islington, and with my Lib Dem colleagues, voted for significant investment in more CCTV across the borough in later years. But I am a sceptic, in the sense that I don’t see CCTV as a universal cure for crime.

Even if it was desirable to have a camera on every corner, it’s unachievable; but the idea that CCTV is the only cure to problems of crime and anti-social behaviour can be a distraction from finding other solutions. CCTV is good in controlled spaces, less good in the open; good at detection, less good at deterrence.

Programmes from Crimewatch to Police, Camera, Action demonstrate that being filmed does not always deter crime. And even detection depends on what the camera sees; earlier this year my purse was stolen on a bus under the camera’s eye, but how to identify the thief when the bus was so crowded with jostling at every stop along the way.

Omnipresent CCTV must be a headache for crime writers. No mystery if the killer is caught on camera. I’m enjoying the new series of ‘Rebus’. Richard is a big fan, partly because Ian Rankin, and Rebus, are fellow Hibs fans. Last week’s episode included the death of a junior minister, during a trade summit (which rather improbably seemed to attract minimal press attention). Rebus enjoys taking on the establishment rather than being part of it. Anyway, without spoiling the plot, CCTV footage that could have shown one killing goes missing. The victim’s sister says she’s glad his death won’t ‘end up on YouTube’.

I don’t know if that line is a Rankin original, or if it was added for the TV version. Either way it was written before the horrific case of Anthony Anderson who was jailed last week for urinating on a dying woman, Christine Lakinski, while shouting “this is YouTube material“. Like happy-slapping, being on camera is integral to the crime; the offenders are, literally, shameless.  Another court case this month saw phone footage from one of the defendents used as evidence of alleged terrorist preparation.

If even the most serious criminals are happy to film themselves in the act, will all that public CCTV be redundant?

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In the pink… and the ginger

26 October, 2007 at 7:10 pm · Filed under Family & friends, Health ·Tagged , , , ,

Like many people, including my colleagues at SirsiDynix, I’m wearing pink today as part of Wear It Pink and breast cancer awareness month. My mother-in-law died from breast cancer, developed in her forties, and diagnosed too late to save her. A generation on, women’s chances after detection are much better, but early detection remains vital. Women over 50 are covered by the NHS breast cancer screening programme; but younger women are not included. So being breast aware and checking your breast health is vital. And for any men still reading, that applies to you too.

A few years ago, I’d have been hard-pressed to find any pink in my wardrobe. Growing up with ginger hair, pink was a no-no, but my coppernob has mellowed over the years.  Gingernuts are in the news again today; apparently new research has found that Neanderthals shared the DNA characteristics of redheads, or, as Sky puts it, Shock Discovery: Cavemen Were Ginger. My parents are busy tracing the family history; it could take some time.

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Question Time

25 October, 2007 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Liberal Democrats, Movies & media ·Tagged , , ,

Imagine that you are convening a panel for a political discussion programme, broadcast on publically funded TV, from a particular city. The host city has two constituencies; one has a Lib Dem MP, the other is a Labour/Lib Dem marginal. The same city has 15 Liberal Democrat councillors on the City Council to 19 Labour and just 2 Conservatives. The city is also the seat of a county council, which has twice as many Liberal Democrat members as Labour. The Lib Dems are in the early stages of a leadership election which should make them more on your radar than normal. Your panel has 5 members. So do you have a Liberal Democrat?

Not if you are responsible for tonight’s Question Time, broadcast from Oxford. One Labour peer; one Tory MP; George Galloway; a Spectator journalist; and an Oxford historian. Unimpressed? You can text QT on 83981.

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Eurostar elite?

24 October, 2007 at 8:45 am · Filed under Consumer, Going green ·Tagged , ,

Yesterday we booked our Eurostar tickets for Brussels online - £59 each return. Today I read that EasyJet bosses claim “Eurostar caters for a central London elite“. Sorry Stelios: £59 return, without travelling to the airport, or the hassle of baggage reclaim, is a bargain; and trains hold a lot more people than planes, so not particularly elitist. Plus it’s greener. In his memoirs, the political correspondent John Sergeant writes about his first trip to the US as a student in 1963. He went on the liner Queen Elizabeth because it was the cheapest way. “By 1963, travelling by ocean liner across the Atlantic was already a minority sport…. it had for the fashionable completely lost its glamour; they had been enticed by endless advertisements featuring air hostesses and modern planes which defied space and time.”

We live in a celebrity-conscious age where the marketing men want us to believe that Denise van Outen goes to Morrisons, Joan Collins queues up at the Post Office and Take That shop at M&S, while the A-list share their perfume and fashion designs with us.If ‘glamour’, as well as convenience, cost and ethics, affects people’s travel choices, then EasyJet labelling Eurostar as ‘elite’ may prove a mistake.

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How green is Brown?

23 October, 2007 at 9:30 am · Filed under Campaigns, Going green ·Tagged , , , ,

Today’s Guardian reports on

Labour’s plan to abandon renewable energy targets

Leaked documents detail strategy for climate change U-turn

It seems that John Hutton at the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform thinks the 20% target for renewables is too tough for the Armed Forces and big business to meet. And he is arguing that the UK should work with the enviro-sceptics in Europe to get EU-wide targets lowered. 

Bringing the MOD into the frame may be a smokescreen - Ministers can use national security to plead urgency, while being secretive on any details. But also John Hutton has a constituency interest in defence; his Barrow-in-Furness constituency is the home of BAE Systems (formerly Vickers) who make nuclear subs. My brother Phil and I marched against nuclear missiles in Barrow back in the 1980s. Now the cold war is over and the fight against climate change is on. It would be shameful if one minister’s special pleading weakened not only Government but European policy on climate change.

The Labour in Europe website claims “Labour has shown consistent leadership in the field of climate change, at home and abroad, by setting bold targets and pursuing ambitious policies”.  Well it’s certainly an ambitious policy to push a u-turn on climate change targets while expecting us to believe the Government takes the issue at all seriously.

As the Director of Greenpeace says,  ”Gordon Brown is now in danger of surrendering any claim to international leadership on climate change and would rather support nuclear power and scupper the European renewable energy target.”

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Looking for a leader

22 October, 2007 at 6:41 pm · Filed under Liberal Democrats ·Tagged , , , , ,

Who should our next leader be? Yes, we have two excellent candidates in Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg, and no, it’s not an easy choice.

Putting people in boxes is not very liberal; but we do love to do it, and the media are happy to help. Last time we had the leftie, the greenie and the oldie. Of course it wasn’t that simple then; but it’s certainly not simple now.

We have two prosperous white men with background and outlook in common, and yes, that’s frustrating in that our party and our electorate is much more diverse. But it does mean we can focus on what they are saying, what that means to us, and who sounds like a winner, rather than the label they wear; and that’s got to be good.

We’re not deciding til December. So whether it’s the Heineken effect, a L’Oreal moment or M&S food you’re after, we should take time and be demanding consumers sizing up our leadership candidates.  And for now I’m still undecided.

Like Steve Goddard, I’m a candidate in a marginal seat, Islington South & Finsbury, just 484 votes behind Labour last time. Party members have given me a job to do, to win this seat; and so this isn’t about who is nicest or even who pushes my policy buttons; or who I voted for last time (Huhne); but who I believe can best help us win here.

When England lost the rugby final, captain Phil Vickery said, be proud not sad. When my team won a massive swing in Islington South & Finsbury last time, but we just missed winning the seat, I was proud and sad. Next time I want us to be proud and happy. And I want a leader who makes voters feel proud and happy to back them - starting with me.

I’m not looking for a staged clash of philosophies and certainly not a tick box on particular issues; after all, it’s not the leader who makes policy, it’s the party.  Like all Lib Dems, I care about the environment, civil liberties, social justice at home and abroad. And I’m happy to hear Chris & Nick pay homage to our tribal gods. But that’s not enough.

It’s not about who has got the most or the best endorsements - people I like and respect are in both camps - although Steve Webb backing Nick is a significant one.

I don’t need them to tell me that we have to raise our game, motivate our activists, win new votes and get our message across; but I would like to hear how they’ll make it happen. I don’t just want someone who’ll stay off the front page of the News of the World; I want someone who’ll get us in the comment columns, tabloid and broadsheets, for all the right reasons.

I don’t want to be patronised; but I do want to be inspired. Not left-wing, more West Wing; not right-wing, more Mr Right. I want the vision thing. I want to know why Chris & Nick think Liberal Democrats have the answers to the big challenges of our age: globalisation; climate change; international terrorism; loss of trust in institutions.

Imagine for a moment that you are a floating voter.
 - You’re told our economy is strong, but a recession may be around the corner, you’re working longer hours than ever, your pension has evaporated; a home may be a safer asset than a savings account, but you can’t afford to buy or inherit one.
 - You sense what should happen in education, health and policing; good teaching in orderly classes, prompt treatment in clean wards, police there when you need them and a neighbourhood where you feel safe; you’re told more is being spent on these services than ever before; but the common sense solutions don’t happen, children and patients aren’t safe and the police still seem powerless to fix local problems.
 - You may hear talk about localism, empowerment, choice in public services; but all you experience is more hassle and frustration - and your newspaper doesn’t tell you Lib Dems have the answer.
 - You believe that Labour lied on Iraq - so what; you think all politicians lie. Your Labour MP turns out to be a champagne socialist rather than the people’s friend; you expected nothing better. Labour ministers faking photos; Cameron on a bike with his shoes in a limo; bad weather; sporting failures; even Blue Peter fixing phone-ins - is nothing sacred?
 - You’ve switched between Conservatives and Labour in the past - you felt Thatcher and Blair stood for something - but things have ended sleazily all the same. You liked Charles Kennedy but he’s gone. Brown’s not interested in giving you a vote on Europe or anything else. No-one needs to tell you there’s a cosy consensus. Never mind voting Lib Dem; why should you vote at all?

Islington has just been ranked the 7th worst place to live on a ragbag of statistics. We do have challenges - on housing, crime, community cohesion and conflicting aspirations. We cannot neglect these issues. Islington’s anything but bland - we’re exciting and interesting and edgy and changing all the time. Islington’s not typical, we’re different. And I want a party vision that’s different too.

We need a message that speaks to the diverse communities in places like Islington and beyond: the ex-Labour voters who rebelled over Iraq; affluent young professionals who don’t care about municipal issues; and estate residents (black and white and Muslim) who are finding the world changing in ways they don’t like. It’s no coincidence that the three most-read papers in Islington are the Guardian, Metro and the Sun.

Liberalism and Liberal Democracy are essentially optimistic philosophies. We believe that progress frees people, rather than oppressing them, and that the rule of law should do the same. We believe in choice and opportunity, not levelling-down. We believe in individuals, full of potential, not groups stuck in neatly-labelled boxes. We believe that change and difference are not only natural but can be good, and that it’s the role of government not to block change or crush diversity but to give a framework in which people can flourish. We believe that we need to act urgently to tackle climate change and defend our freedoms - but we also believe that we can do it. We like people; we believe that people are not the problem but the solution.I want to hear that optimism expressed not in platitudes about sunshine but in a practical vision that plays to a wider audience than the party faithful; that acknowledges the reality of the problems people in places like Islington face, but goes on to challenge the fear and envy and cynicism that are the junk-food of the contemporary political diet.

Yes, I want a lot. Luckily both Chris & Nick have lots to offer. Now it’s over to them…..

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Location, location: best & worst

21 October, 2007 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Movies & media, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , ,

I watched the repeat of Location, Location’s best & worst places to live, knowing already that they’d ranked Islington as 7th worst out of all 434 local authorities in the UK.  The rankings are based on statistics for crime, education, environment, ‘lifestyle, health and employment, in that order.  Islington scores low because of poverty, crime and lack of greenspace.

We’re not alone in having high levels of crime or deprivation, although since the programme came out, the official crime stats for Islington have fallen. So that bodes well for next year’s ranking. Greenspace is more of a challenge.

London has 30% greenspace more than any other equivalent size city in the world - largely thanks to the Royal Parks in central London, plus spaces like Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest owned by the City of London.  But central, densely-populated, Islington has always been short on large parks - despite having over 120 small ones. Increasing our open space in the face of unmeetable demand for housing is not going to be easy. Policy-makers encourage building on ‘brownfield’ sites, but when these are next to greenspace - like the park depot sites alongside Barnard Park and Rosemary Gardens, or the old car park at Winton School - it’s not always popular.  Meanwhile real greenspace on housing estates is not designated as parkland, so does not count for Phil & Kirsty’s stats - and isn’t protected in planning law either. But at least the Council is trying. 

New or extended parks have been created out of development sites, including Graham Street park due to be extended at City Road Basin and new public greenspace at Packington Square.

Of course statistics alone don’t tell us anything about the spirit of the place. And statistical averages don’t mean a lot. My cat and I have an average of 3 legs each. So what? Nothing will convince me that Islington is a less desirable place to live than Knowsley. And this set of stats give no points for Islington’s plus points - what about our architecture, excellent transport links, diverse community reflected in all the different places to eat & drink, the independent shops, the theatres, and the community spirit.

People voting on the Channel 4 website rate Islington 4 out of 5. That’s more like it. Meanwhile, the typical top ten entries are plush Surrey districts with good education and low crime - safe but dull.

Kirsty obviously likes Islington, despite bemoaning our lack of shoe shops! In the programme she appears in Muriel Street while talking about Mansfield and Newham; and discusses Nottingham round the corner next to Grimaldi Park off Pentonville Road. The programme is focused around house prices, showing what £200k, the average national house price, would get you in Islington. Not a lot.

If dissing our reputation on prime time TV makes Islington’s overheated house prices dip a bit, then maybe Phil and Kirsty will have done us all a favour after all.

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Shopping around

21 October, 2007 at 2:37 pm · Filed under Consumer, Going green

At the start of this year, I resolved to stop flying: or at least to avoid flying unless absolutely necessary. So far we’ve managed it. In June we went to Bruges and we’re just back from a short break in Paris, both via Eurostar. Now we’re planning a trip to Amsterdam.

Looking at the Eurostar website, they do offer through tickets via Brussels. But the prices start at £183, one-way, before we’ve booked any accommodation. A BMI flight one-way would be between £49 and £85. And it takes half the time. But if we get the same Eurostar train but book it to Brussels, it costs just £59. And we can get a connecting train from there to Amsterdam - purchased separately - for about 35 Euros. It may not yet pay to go green; but it certainly pays to shop around.

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