No satisfaction…
Generally working from home is great. But today I’ve been trying to work while getting music from upstairs at full blast. Currently I’m getting an earful of the Stones. It is indeed true that you can’t always get what you want….
Archive for March, 2008
New Holloway
Richard & I had a normal Saturday morning today (shock, horror) including food shopping, laundry, picking up Percy’s Frontline prescription and unblocking the vaccuum cleaner. We know how to have fun... Then with Rich heading off to catch the old firm game, I caught up with the campaign team for lunch.
We had teams out in Holloway and St George’s, and ended up lunching just over the border in Camden at Rustique Cafe on Fortess Road. It’s a lovely bohemian cafe with sofas, wooden chairs, warm walls and a great good value menu. I can heartily recommend the pancakes with apples and cream cheese. There are similar cafes I love at Newington Green and Hazelville Road but nothing quite like it nearer home, certainly not on Upper Street.
After lunch, James Kempton & I went off to deliver letters to the new flats on Eden Grove and Hornsey Street. These are a mix of private and affordable homes, plus a gym, studios and the inevitable Tesco metro, as well as an attractive new open space between the D-shaped blocks (designed by Piers Gough). For as long as I can remember - certainly since I was a student at North London Poly in the late 80s - the site was a largely-derelict and inaccessible industrial estate. Now it’s completely transformed.
While most of the buildings are completely new, there are some older ones, all vaguely ecclesiastical. The development has preserved the old Mount Carmel school on Eden Grove, a victorian building with gothic windows that’s now converted to flats. Tucked away at the west end of Eden Grove is Sacred Heart church which dates from 1870. Next to it is a fascinating facade: “Vestry of St Mary, Islington” above, “Electricity Generating Station” below. This dates back to 1894 when the Vestry, the predecessor of the borough council, ran its own utilities. Over a century on, James is enthusing about the Council developing new green projects for local electricity generation; this is an idea I floated when I was a councillor so I’m delighted it’s still on the agenda.
Meanwhile we had a great opportunity to see the buildings in action as lived-in homes rather than the building sites or half-empty developments we’d visited before. I wondered if the private flats would be one of those gated communities that are cut off from their neighbourhood by choice or design. We were pleasantly surprised. The concierge was welcoming once he’d established we were legitimate callers. Wherever you go delivering, you find the pizza leaflets have got there before you. In this case I actually met the pizza man, complete with pizza, wandering around the central courtyard looking for a particular flat... There is an active residents’ association, with a sociable outlook (a pub crawl features among recent events). I also had the chance to chat to some of the residents who were genuinely pleased to have us seeking their views. New Holloway is not New Labour! I’ve already picked up one issue where we can get some results for them. So we’ll definitely be back for more.
On the stump for Brian
We really seem to have had four seasons in a week this last week, talk about campaigning in all weathers. But as the nominations close for the London elections on 1st May, there is also a change in the political climate towards Labour and Mayor Ken Livingstone.
As a loyal Lib Dem, naturally I’m backing Brian Paddick. But what’s refreshing about campaigning for him is how Brian is reaching out to lots of different people, not all of them natural Lib Dem voters.
I’ve been door knocking and phoning residents across Lib Dem and Labour held wards in Islington this week, many different people with different views; but a uniting factor is dislike of the Mayor and a lively interest in how best to replace him. And for many of the them, the answer is not Boris or Berry but Brian.
The Greens have done themselves no favours by forming an electoral pact with Labour, when much of their recent electoral success has been by picking up anti-Labour protest votes.
Even habitual Labour cheerleaders, like Nick Cohen (an Islington resident), are warming to Brian. Writing in the Evening Standard, Cohen says “if you want a candidate who can reform the police, take a Leftish stand on social, environmental and economic issues and beat the Conservatives, then Paddick, not Livingstone, is your man.”
At a friend’s party last night, one group was exchanging football trivia, as you do… The question that had us all stumped was “What is the highest altitude (professional) football ground in England?” For the answer, according to friend Bill, click here.
Meanwhile, the question that’s stumping them on the doorsteps is “Who is your GLA member here in London North East? and what have they ever done for you?”
Cold comfort as British Gas rakes in the profits
More news on British Gas today. The Chief Exec of British Gas’ parent company Centrica is now earning £5,100 a day. His £23k pay rise is itself a reward for the 40% increase in operating profits for the company. All this at a time when, as Nick Clegg has been highlighting in Parliament, 4.5 million households currently live in fuel poverty, spending at least 10 per cent of their income on meeting energy costs.
Last month, Richard & I upped the energy saving round the house. We’ve put foam strips round the back door and stuck film inside some of the windows. And in some excellent news from Homes for Islington, we’ve recently heard that they are going to insulate our cavity walls - and get the utility companies to pay; so no extra cost to leaseholders. Until then, working from home, with the weather so cold, I’ve had the heating on most of the day. Luckily I can afford it. But what is the Government doing about those who can’t?
Hail and history on Good Friday
This morning my delivery round took me to the network of streets between City Road and the canal. These are some of the oldest streets in the area, and there are little bits of history at every turn.
On 32 Haverstock Street, now a private house being refurbished, there is a plaque saying ‘Seminary for Young Ladies’. On the corner of Coombs Street and City Garden Row is a plaque marking the boundary of St Luke’s parish.
Another church, St Matthew’s, used to be nearby on City Road. It was destroyed in bombing in 1940, and Langdon Court now stands on the site. Behind it in Oakley Crescent, the former vicarage survives. It’s now called St Peter’s House; when I first came to Islington in 1992, the then curate of St Mary’s church, Pete Ellem, was living there; we enjoyed many evenings of coffee, philosophy and gossip in his attic flat. What I didn’t know then was that another former tenant was the French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. Perhaps Islington should put up a plaque?
Even the street names are full of history. Nelson Street and Nelson Terrace were built in1802; Nelson was already a hero from the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, years before Trafalgar. Elia Street is named after the pen-name of the essayist Charles Lamb who had a cottage nearby on Colebrooke Row. City Garden Row evokes the time when this land was a recreation area just outside the city boundaries. Other streets like Graham Street, Noel Road and Vincent Terrace are probably named after the developers’ families (as are Matilda Street, Muriel Street and Rodney Street in Barnsbury). We like a bit of history. Today’s developers, who seem to go for empty names like ‘The Island’, ‘The Base’ and ‘NorthPoint’, should take note….
Despite being just off City Road, the streets were surprisingly quiet. In fact the only noise came from the refuse collection and recycling teams doing their rounds. On a Bank Holiday? Yes, thanks to the Lib Dem Council and the hard-working binmen. We also have a Friday collection in Morton Road and I’m glad to say both our bins and our recycling were collected as normal today.
The weather this morning was much better than forecast, and perfect for delivery. That changed this afternoon. About 5pm I was picking my way around the steps and basements of Packington Street, when the sky suddenly went dark, and then hail struck. I lurked in a porch while the ice bounced off the pavement and thunder rumbled.
Today is of course Good Friday. As a Christian, I should have gone to church, indeed would have done if I’d not had my deliveries to get out. My church organises a procession on Good Friday; carrying the cross along Upper Street to St Mary’s, starting at noon. They’d have had good weather today. On the first Good Friday, the Gospels record that the sky went dark and the earth shook. So the hailstorm gave me pause for thought as well as a pause in my delivery.
The storm passed and I carried on delivering, albeit with bits of ice inside my collar and making their way down my back…. Still it did make our post-delivery meet-up for a drink all the more welcome. To quote Apollinaire, “La joie venait toujours après la peine”; pain is always followed by joy. Not a bad thought for Good Friday.
British Gas: don’t call us….
I’m working from home most of the time these days, and so my office number is diverted here too. My extension is diverted to my mobile, but colleagues often call on my landline too. So if the phone goes, I rush downstairs to answer it.
A couple of weeks ago, mid-afternoon, I had a call. I always answer with my name – “Good afternoon, Bridget Fox speaking” – so was mildly irritated when the first question was, “May I speak to Ms Fox?” Anyway, it turned out to be British Gas. Did I have Homecare? Yes. Was I happy with it? Yes. Did I want some upgrade or other? Not now, thank you. End of call. So far, so good. Back to work….
The next day, mid-afternoon, the phone goes, I answer, British Gas again, about my Homecare. I assure them that my requirements for Homecare have not changed in the last 24 hours. Back to work.
Day 3, the phone goes. It’s British Gas, asking for the man who lived here before me. I explain he’s not lived here for years. “It’s about his British Gas Homecare”. Of course it is. “Is that… [some address in Essex]?” No, I explain, this is Morton Road in Islington. You’ve got the right address for Mr T but the wrong number. Chap from British Gas apologises, they will update their records. By the way, would I like British Gas Homecare? Grrr. Back to work.
Day 4, the phone goes, I answer it, give my name – and the caller hangs up. I do a 1471, and then ringback: it might be important. “You were called today on a non-urgent matter by British Gas….”
Day 5 and each day since, the same. The phone rings, I answer, they hang up, I check, it’s British Gas.
Did you know that the letters in ‘British Gas’ can be rearranged into short but expressive words for use on such occasions?
There is a number to call to stop this nonsense. It’s 0845 0700828.
The bad news is it may take up to 28 days before the calls stop….
Islington says NO2ID
Today I was doing my morning delivery, when a man taking his child to nursery stopped to say hello. He’s someone who’s not a regular Lib Dem voter, certainly not a ‘woolly liberal’; but he told me he’s backing us because of our support for the NO2ID campaign.
His objections to the ID card scheme are very down to earth: he thinks it’s ridiculously expensive, he doesn’t trust the Government to make it work, he’d rather have the money spent on more police – plus he thinks it’s just not British.
Government ministers like to portray opposition to ID cards as coming from some oddball or elite minority, people who are anarchists or more concerned with abstract civil liberties than day to day crime. Not true in my experience. This was an ordinary Dad, who cares about his community, but thinks ID cards are simply not the answer. And he’s not alone. The phoning and surveys I’ve done on the issue finds Islington residents from all backgrounds are overwhelmingly opposed to the idea.
As I’ve reported before, Islington North’s Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, has spoken out against compulsory ID cards, while Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South, is an ID card fan.
The NO2ID campaign is holding a ‘Mayoral hustings’ – a chance to question the candidates for Mayor of London – at Friends Meeting House opposite Euston Station on Tuesday 8th April at 7pm. All welcome; maybe I’ll see you there?
Whoops she did it again
There has been some debate about whether our local MP Emily Thornberry did, or did not, vote for post office closures last year. What’s clearly on the record is that she did vote against an Opposition motion which said “…condemns the Government’s short-sighted plan to close 2,500 sub-post offices…”.
And at the same sitting she voted with the Government FOR a long amendment which failed to express any condemnation or regret about closures and instead said “…endorses the Government’s firm commitment to ensuring the continuation of the network, while acknowledging the widely held view that its present size is unsustainable; supports the Government’s approach of allowing Royal Mail the freedom to respond to future commercial challenges and opportunities, and in particular enabling Post Office Limited to determine the future shape of the network within clear Government rules…”.
So did Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn, who, unlike Ms Thornberry, is a regular rebel. In fact, no Labour MPs rebelled on that vote.
Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that back in January 2007, they believed that the rather pompous Government motion wasn’t code for closures. Perhaps the Whips were in particularly terrifying form. And maybe they believed that with Islington having already lost 10 Post Offices, there was no way that their own area could possibly be facing more cuts from their own Government.
Roll on a year. It’s March 2008. Two more Islington sub-post offices, at either end of Caledonian Road, are scheduled to close; plus the busy Crown Post Office at Essex Road. So are neighbouring post offices in Highgate, on Blackstock Road and Murray Grove, Hackney, all used by some Islington residents. It’s clear that the axe is falling on Islington, and that local people are angry.
Another Parliamentary motion is tabled. It “calls upon the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to instruct Post Office Limited to suspend the compulsory closure of sub-post offices while these issues are re-assessed”. A Government amendment is also tabled which notes the financial losses made by the Post Office and deletes the proposal to suspend closures.
The amendment and the motion give our MPs a clear choice: to stop closures or continue them. We know beyond doubt that these closures are now affecting Islington. But what about the Whips? Not that terrifying evidently; because 20 Labour MPs rebel, including Jeremy Corbyn, and neighbouring Hackney MP Diane Abbott.
And what about Emily? She voted with the Government. For closures. Again.
Postal voting
MPs vote today on post office closures. Last time there was a vote - January 2007 - Labour MPs (including Islington’s Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Corbyn) dutifully voted the pro-closure party line “enabling Post Office Ltd to determine the future shape of the network within clear government rules”.
Since then we’ve seen MPs, even Ministers, claiming they didn’t think that meant their post office in their constituency. No wonder public confidence in politicians is at an all-time low. The vote couldn’t be more topical for Islington; the consultation on local closures ends in a couple of weeks’ time. So we’ll be watching how our MPs vote this time with great interest.
Springtime for Packington
The spring air is chilly and May day may seem an age away, but it’s just six weeks to the London elections. Thanks to the efforts of my Liberal Democrat council colleagues, virtually every estate now has entrance security, meaning deliveries have to be done in the early morning “tradesman’s” slot. Even though the post now often arrives mid-afternoon ... So my morning routine now includes an hour or so of trotting round with leaflets before work. Who needs the gym?
Yesterday I went along the canal, sharing the towpath with cyclists and joggers on their way to work, passing sleepy ducks who seemed untroubled by this very civilised rush hour.It’s fascinating to see familiar buildings from the other side; like the NarrowBoat pub, small and quaint at street level, which shows its elegant glass walls over the canal.
Alongside the towpath are the hoardings surrounding the Packington Square estate. Packington used the same panel-built design as used for Ronan Point. Ronan Point famously collapsed after a gas explosion. Under Labour, Islington Council failed to make the necessary checks that the buildings met modern standards: they don’t. The Liberal Democrat council made the estate safe by taking out all the gas appliancies. And now the estate is finally being pulled down and rebuilt. The residents have chosen a traditional street pattern; ironic, as that’s what the planners swept away when the estate was first built. It marks the high tide of post-war estates in Islington; after Packington, residents and councillors revolted and refused to demolish any more streets.
Beyond the hoarding, the first blocks have already come down, with one lone lift tower opposite Cluse Court still standing. Packington has been crying out for action for years. Neighbours on my estate were rehoused from Packington twenty years ago when their homes became uninhabitable. The original estate layout with quarter mile corridors in the sky was a hotspot for crime; so the estate security here was particularly welcome, but it cuts the estate up into fortresses where each staircase and landing is bisected by fences; one former resident calls it Colditz.
The optimistic illustrations of the new housing association estate are a total contrast: they show sunlit streets, with happy residents and even Eames-style chairs on the balconies. But it’s not too sanitised; on one of the drawings, an enterprising campaigner has stuck a Stop the War sticker so it appears like a banner over the balcony. Radical Islington lives!
