Posts Tagged Islington

Catchup – too busy to blog!

14 November, 2009 at 9:17 am · Filed under Campaigns, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , ,

Once again, I’ve been too busy of late to blog. So here’s a quick catchup on what I’ve been up to over the last few weeks:

- attended the service of blessing for the re-opening of St Mary Islington’s crypt with former Archbishop George Carey
- welcomed party President Ros Scott to our Pizza & Politics evening
- spent a morning visiting businesses, from pharmacies to Fish Central, in Finsbury
- speaking to black community churches at the WOSEM ‘Prayer for Islington’ event
- raising poor breast cancer screening and referral rates with Islington NHS
- continued to campaign for justice for Equitable Life investors
- wearing pink to support breast cancer charities
- lobbied for MPs to back the 10:10 targets for government (Emily Thornberry didn’t)
- attending the Friends of Barnard Park AGM
- meeting Essex Road traders, jointly campaigning against Labour hikes in business rates
- meeting Nick Clegg to discuss London issues
- meeting council leader Terry Stacy to discuss local services
- meeting leaders of Islington’s Somali community
- attending Remembrance ceremonies
- various interviews and meetings with City University students
- dealt with casework from housing to hunting
- knocking on doors across the constituency
- speaking at Islington Lib Dem AGM

plus a long weekend in Amsterdam (that’s it for holidays til after the election!)

Now I’m off to give the opening speech at London Region Lib Dem conference, which meets today at City University, followed this evening by a Q&A on climate change at All Saints church, Caledonian Road, after their showing of the ‘Age of Stupid’.

Busy busy, but I love it!

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Strike a light

25 October, 2009 at 4:59 pm · Filed under Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , , ,

Despite real fears about crime, the figures are getting better. Crime fell 14% in Islington last year, and the Lib Dem Council is funding a new team to support crime victims and work with residents to increase the number of anti-social behaviour cases going to court.

Meanwhile one Finsbury resident has been jailed for a year for a rather unusual crime. Andrew McKee from Hermit Street, EC1 was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for ‘recklessly and negligently endangering an aircraft’ – despite never leaving the ground.

Back in July 2007, the Metropolitan Police helicopter was on an operation over Hermit Street, when a green laser light was shone directly into the cockpit, several times.

The police traced the laser back to Mr McKee and charged him under Article 73 of the Air Navigation Order 2005. MoD scientists and the helicopter pilot gave evidence that shining the laser into the cockpit did put the aircraft, its passengers (and of course all the people living below including Mr McKee and his family) at risk.

I don’t expect the Met Police have much call to apply the Air Navigation Order, airports apart, but it could have its uses.

Article 66 of the same Order, you will be glad to know, prohibits dropping animals from an aircraft in flight (‘whether or not attached to a parachute’); while article 50 requires one pilot to remain at the controls at all times while it is in flight. Makes sense to me.

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Westbourne Road licensing verdict

24 October, 2009 at 10:35 am · Filed under Campaigns, Consumer, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Sad to say, the campaign to fight yet another off-licence opening in Westbourne Road has been unsuccessful, after the appeal by Mr Kilic against Islington’s award of a licence failed this week.

Cllr James Kempton and I were among those who gave witness statements in support of the residents’ objections.

In my witness statement, I argued: “This is a residential area, with schools, churches, community centres, a children’s centre and an adventure playground nearby. It is not a suitable area for an increased number of alcohol sales outlets. I find it deeply ironic that as one Government policy has robbed this neighbourhood of its post office, another now allows the flooding of the area with off-licences. This is not an improvement.

“There is growing concern about the impact of alcohol on crime and anti-social behaviour and in making people, particularly young people, vulnerable to crime. The local council, sitting as the licensing authority, should balance the legitimate desire of local businesses to trade with the negative impact of certain trades on the community. In this case, I believe another off-licence in such an over-provided area would be one too far.”

And I was not alone. Residents, councillors, local churches and schools, and other local businesses all expressed their concerns, backed by a large petition.

But to no avail. The Licensing Act makes it almost impossible for councils to refuse licences, unless the police also object, and the court faced the same problem.

As David Trillo of the Ellington Street Residents’ Association (ESRA) puts it, “Everyone knows that the law pertaining to alcohol is counterproductive and until it is changed off licences will continue to be handed out like confetti.”

Meanwhile, the Council has taken action against another off licence, caught persistently making underage alcohol sales. Express Food and Wine in St Peter Street lost its licence after being caught on 4 separate occasions selling booze to under-18s. And that was after having their licence suspended for a month due to previous offences.

This week there have also been calls for a minimum price for alcohol, in response to what researchers call “an epidemic of alcohol-related health and social problems”. The idea is to stop the situation where off-licences undercut each other on booze to get people through the door. Which is exactly what Westbourne Road residents fear will now happen near them.

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Islington’s most haunted?

20 October, 2009 at 1:06 pm · Filed under Local history, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , ,

The Evening Standard has a piece about London’s most haunted places – and one of them is in Islington.

According to the Standard, Charterhouse Square, on the southern fringe of the borough, is haunted by ghostly screams from the site of a plague pit dating back to 1348, where some 50,000 victims were buried.

And it’s also claimed that the Charterhouse itself is haunted by the ghost of its former owner Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, “who strides down the main staircase, head tucked under his arm, as he returns to where he was arrested.”

They don’t mention the ghost of William Wallace, executed in nearby Smithfield. Nor all the ghosts that might haunt Poirot’s flat in ‘Whitehaven Mansions’ (real-life Florin Court).

I have to say that I’ve never had any ghostly experiences while delivering or doorknocking around Charterhouse Square. Not even while coming home late after a night out. What with the pubs, clubs and early morning meat market, it’s the living who have trouble sleeping….

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Plastic fantastic

5 October, 2009 at 3:37 pm · Filed under Going green ·Tagged , ,

Hooray! We can now put all those annoying bits of plastic packaging in our Islington recycling boxes.

Plastic drinks bottles joined the mix a while ago, but now we can add yoghurt and margarine tubs, sandwich containers, even plastic bags. Also juice cartons and other tetrapaks.

So we can now recycle plastics, glass, paper, cardboard and cans. And compost our food and garden waste.

I’m beginning to wonder what will be left in our black bag?

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Campaigning across the generations

2 October, 2009 at 9:25 am · Filed under Campaigns, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

It’s been a madly busy week.

On Saturday we had an action day in Clerkenwell, with dozens of helpers piling in. They got all our leaflets out by lunchtime, and canvassed chunks of the ward too. Meanwhile I stole away to enjoy the launch of Black History Month at St Mary Magdalene Academy. Over lunch I chatted to three generations of women from the Martin family. Originally from the Caribbean, they work as a carer, a civil servant and a special needs teacher: amazing women who contribute a huge amount to our community. There are some fascinating events during the month: I’m looking forward to the talk about the Rev Samuel Ajayi Crowther on 15 October.

On Sunday I was celebrating with a different community as I joined a party of Turkish friends to support Halkevi’s fundraising concert at the Hackney Ocean. Halkevi do fantastic work with the Alevi community of Turkish and Kurdish origin, and it’s no surprise they’ve outgrown their current building. We enjoyed music from singers including Sivan Perwer ‘the Pavarotti of the Middle East’, as well as a (non-singing) appearance from our MEP Sarah Ludford.

It’s Freshers Week, and I dropped in to help out at the LSE Freshers Festival on Tuesday. The whole of the Clement Building on Aldwych, normally full of quiet study rooms, was packed with stalls and students. Outside there were promotions from everyone from Streetcar to the Ministry of Sound. Inside, students collected stickers from each society they wanted to join and then got charged a £1 at checkout; every efficient. On the third floor we were in a room with the other political parties and the Politics Society. The Tories were in suits; Labour in plain sweatshirts and long faces; Lib Dems with yellow bunting, in high spirits. Also in our room, bizarrely, was the Manga Comics Society stall. Surrounded by comics, the guy on the stall was intently reading the FT. Only at LSE!

We had queues of people wanting to join the Lib Dem Soc; good news as LSE has a Hall of Residence in Islington South. Although many are overseas students (one friend swears that LSE stands for Let’s See England) there are enough homegrown voters to give my campaign even more of a boost.

From students to seniors: yesterday the St Luke’s community centre in Finsbury was celebrating Older People’s Day. I’ve got lots of friends there, as I’m a member of the St Luke’s timebank, but I’ve never seen the centre quite so busy. We had everything from massage and health checks to ‘giant knitting’ on huge wooden needles, live music and yet more stalls. Freshers eat your hearts out.

I always love meeting people, but what’s made all the events this week special is the mood of excitement, as people are really interested in my campaign and looking forward to their chance to vote. Earlier this year, there’s no doubt that the expenses scandals had put a lot of decent people off voting. Now the mood has changed again. There’s a real sense since we got back from conference that we are now in the countdown to the General Election. Liberal Democrats have even overtaken Labour in the national opinion polls.

We’ve had teams out door-knocking every day this week, in very different territory, and, as ever, meeting some great people. Like the Asian mum and business woman on an estate in Clerkenwell, the science student recently moved into the Angel, or the cheerful grandmother in Barnsbury, people can’t wait for their chance to vote Lib Dem next time.

Bring it on!

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Citizens Advice launches new service in Islington

17 September, 2009 at 11:46 am · Filed under Consumer ·Tagged , ,

The CAB has launched a new Islington telephone advice service for local people needing help with legal or money problems.

Call 0844 856 3537 between 10am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

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Early doors for the Glass Works

4 September, 2009 at 1:02 pm · Filed under Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , , ,

Islington Police have sent me an update on the Glass Works pub.

The Glass Works is not a typical Islington pub, but a Lloyds/Wetherspoons venue, located upstairs in the N1 shopping centre. Nowhere in Islington is far from someone’s home, but the Glass Works is about as non-residential a location as it gets. And although definitely not to everyone’s taste (well not mine anyway) it’s popular for a cheap night out or meeting up before or after a film.

So of all the pubs in Islington, why are the police tackling this one?

Well, the major fight that took place last month was the last straw, following various violent incidents earlier in the year.

The Police have successfully lobbied the Council – as licensing authority – to cut back the venue’s opening hours. The amended license conditions are as follows:
– To reduce the hours for the sale of alcohol to 23:30 pm, 7 days a week.
– To reduce the hours for the provision of late night refreshment to midnight, 7 days a week.
– To reduce the closing hours of the premises to midnight, 7 days a week.
So it’s not exactly early doors, but now more pub than club.

The Islington Gazette has more on the story here.

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Angel Canal Festival this Sunday

4 September, 2009 at 9:55 am · Filed under Liberal Democrats, Neighbourhood ·Tagged ,

This coming Sunday, it’s the Angel Canal Festival, which always takes place at the start of September.

It’s the nearest thing Islington has to a village fete, with a fun fair on Graham Street park, and boat rides along the canal. The eclectic mix of stalls, and the lovely setting, on the canal towpath and narrow streets alongside, make it definitely worth a visit.

Last year’s event was extra special, because then Mayor, Lib Dem Cllr Stefan Kasprzyk, had Islington Kids Afloat (a partnership of Islington Narrowboat and the Islington Boat Club) as his charity.

canal stallAs usual, Islington Lib Dems will have our stall on Graham Street. We’ll be being both social and liberal; whether your preference is for jam and cake, fun and games, or petitions and politics, there’ll be something to enjoy; so do come along and say hello.

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Dukes and peasants

3 September, 2009 at 4:35 pm · Filed under Local history, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , ,

The Independent has listed its top 50 gastropubs, and two Islington establishments are included: the Peasant (a regular haunt for Islington Lib Dems after a Clerkenwell campaign session) and the Duke of Cambridge.

The latter is named after George, Duke of Cambridge a leading C19th general, Crimean War hero and cousin of the royal family. He has a genuine local connection beyond pub names, as he got married in St James church Clerkenwell.

I recently blogged about pubs, including former pubs, in Islington. Since then I’ve come across this fascinating set of photos on Flickr, showing over 500 former London pubs. I’d not realised before that the HSBC branch on the corner of White Lion Street was indeed the former White Lion pub.

Once you start looking for them, you spot the ex-pubs everywhere. Corner sites with high ceilings or large windows, often slightly taller than the adjacent buildings. Or with giveaway details like the old pub name in tiled floors or on the pediments.

As well as the bank branch, new uses for Islington’s old pubs include a church and even a mosque.

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