Posts Tagged Labour

Weak-willed Labour MPs veto 10:10 at Westminster

23 October, 2009 at 8:29 am · Filed under Campaigns, Going green, Liberal Democrats ·Tagged , , , ,

Lib Dem MPs have been leading the debate on fighting climate change by trying to get the Government to sign up to 10:10 this week. Having been at the 10:10 launch, I was delighted to see this motion tabled – and I’d certainly have voted for it if I was in Parliament.

10:10 is the initiative to get individuals and organisations to commit to start reducing carbon emissions right now, by reducing 10% by the end of 2010. Islington Council has signed up and so have many individuals (the Fox-Turnbull household is doing its bit by replacing our old boiler with a combination one).

With endorsement from so many campaigners, including the 38 Degrees pressure group, and with the Copenhagen summit coming soon, this would have been both popular and good, the right decision at the right time.

After all, we are the first generation to understand the full impact of climate change, and the last to be able to do something about it.

So did Labour embrace the opportunity? No they did not. Despite many individual Labour MPs and ministers pledging to back 10:10, when it came to the vote they rejected any commitment to specific action by the Government, voting through an amendment full of vague praise for existing schemes instead.

Warm words and photo ops from Labour politicians are a waste of time if when it comes to taking real action now on the environment they refuse.

It’s no surprise that Islington South MP Emily Thornberry was among those vetoing 10:10. She has already failed to vote against Heathrow expansion; and she helped kill off the Fuel Poverty Bill.

Signing up to the 10:10 initiative would have made the Government’s commitment to action clear ahead of the Copenhagen summit. But once again we will get words without action. It’s shameful that weak-willed Labour MPs let the Government whips defeat this vital move.

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Time for a Citizens’ Convention?

13 October, 2009 at 8:26 am · Filed under Campaigns, Liberal Democrats ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Yesterday’s Guardian has more voices in support of a Citizens’ Convention to reform our political processes, kickstarted by the expenses scandal.

Among various luminaries of the reformist left and centre are a number of Lib Dems, including Lib Dem Voice editor Stephen Tall, and Liberal Youth chair Elaine Bagshawe. Their cause is honourable, but there is an air of deckchairs and Titanic in a lineup which features no Tories at all.

Lib Dem blogger and democracy campaigner James Graham argues that pre-election legislation is essential to tie the hands of any incoming government. That’s not terribly democratic – if Labour did that on an issue we loathed (and there are lots of examples from ID cards to Heathrow, nuclear power, Trident renewal or new databases), we’d be the first to complain.

As it is, I can’t see a dying Labour government giving up legislative time to anything other than damage limitation. This will be the palliative care parliament.

The real chance for reform will come from electing MPs with the right mandate. James also points out that MPs of all parties have backed the Convention by signing the EDM (although Emily Thornberry, unsurprisingly, has not). But the only ones from a party committed to electoral reform are Liberal Democrats, which is why maximising the number of Lib Dem MPs is so important.

So yes, let’s keep writing letters. But let’s deliver them in our key seats too!

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Council tax: will Labour eat their words?

4 October, 2009 at 3:25 pm · Filed under Campaigns ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Islington residents will have smiled wryly at the claim that Labour-led boroughs will be freezing the Council Tax next year.

As we know all too well, Islington Labour put up our council tax this year, to pay for their pet project of universal free primary school meals. Given that families on low incomes already get free meals, Islington Labour’s scheme is redistributing money from poorer council tax payers to richer parents. There are also concerns about whether this will distort the ‘free school meals’ tally on which many government grants to Islington depend. Plus it’s not at all clear that schools have the infrastructure or the budgets to deliver free school meals across the board. Even school meals champion Jamie Oliver has doubts that this is the best use of limited funds.

As Islington’s lone Green councillor, Katie Dawson, said at the time, “I’ve become increasingly nervous about how the free school meals will be funded. I’ve agonised over this and taken professional advice and remain unconvinced that going into a recession it is wise to empty all the coffers of the council.”

Other councils piloting free school meals – like Newham, Wolverhampton and County Durham – are getting their schemes subsidised by central government. If national Labour think this is such a good idea that they will fund it elsewhere, why do they expect local council taxpayers to pick up the whole bill in Islington? And if Islington’s Labour MPs really have clout on behalf of our community, why didn’t they get us into the national pilot instead? It seems they care more about posturing than policy.

Meanwhile the Lib Dem council is taking real action to improve things for local kids. There’s a new uniform grant for children starting secondary school. Record results at Key Stages 1 and 2, and the best GCSE results ever, show the difference we’ve made. Nationally, Lib Dem plans for a pupil premium would see class sizes halved for 5-7 year olds. By contrast Labour’s policy is not to cut class sizes but to cut teachers.

When Labour ran Islington, we had the highest council tax in the country and some of the worst services. Since then Lib Dems have regularly cut and frozen the council tax; and even in years when it’s gone up, it’s stayed below the London average. Then this year, the first time Labour had a majority in the Town Hall for a decade, they put the tax up again.

Judge them by their deeds not their words.

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A real chance for fair votes?

29 September, 2009 at 10:32 pm · Filed under Campaigns ·Tagged , ,

Do you remember your first vote?

Mine was in the 1983 General Election, when Labour and the Alliance got equal shares of the vote – but dramatically different results. That was so obviously unfair that I became an instant convert to fair votes, and I’ve supported electoral reform ever since.

Over the years we’ve seen fairer voting systems arrive in Scotland and Wales, for Europe and for the London Assembly. But as we all now know, despite many (broken) promises from Labour, we are still waiting for reform for council and Westminster elections.

It’s no surprise to me that there is a correlation between ’safe’ Parliamentary seats and the likelihood of MPs being guilty of the worst expenses scandals. That’s what happens when our supposedly democratic system takes power away from the voters.

In marginal seats, defensive MPs are trying to exploit the weaknesses of ‘first past the post’ to cling on to power. At the last election, here in Islington South & Finsbury, the Labour MP Emily Thornberry had a majority of just 484 votes ahead of myself, the Liberal Democrat challenger.

With the polls confirming that voters are turning away from Labour, she is now desperately talking up the Conservative vote to bolster her position.

I wish that all parties’ votes carried equal weight. But the sad truth is that with our flawed electoral system, they do not. For example, voting Conservative or Green in my local constituency just helps Emily Thornberry – a firm opponent of fair votes – stay in place. So in this seat, the best way to get fair votes for all voters in Islington is to vote Liberal Democrat next time.

Public anger about the state of our politics gives us a golden opportunity to press for the reforms that are so badly needed.

A wave of campaigns have sprung up. Take Back Power sets fair votes at the centre of a range of reforms. Vote for a Change and Make Votes Count are calling for a fair votes referendum on polling day: Unlock Democracy and 38 Degrees want a citizens’ convention to bring forward plans for reform. That idea has cross-party support, including from Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn.

Both approaches would give the electors, not just MPs, a say. It all makes Gordon Brown’s approach -vote for us now and you’ll get a referendum later, on one voting option only – seem a pretty poor offer.

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Planning in Islington: let’s get it right!

26 June, 2009 at 11:15 am · Filed under Church & faith, Neighbourhood ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Even the smallest planning decisions can have a massive impact.

During the Euro elections I heard from one man so frustrated that his change-of-use application was turned down at least 5 years ago that it still affects his voting intentions today. What was routine policy (and technically entirely correct) for the Council, was an unwelcome and life-changing decision for him.

And in the last couple of weeks I’ve met more people with planning on their mind: from an architect enthusiastic about designs for homes, workshops and new open space on an old industrial estate, to the family upset that a neighbour’s controversial extension has got the go-ahead.

Even more distressing was the rejection of plans for a new community centre at St David’s Church on Westbourne Road. The church building, like so many, had been surplus to CofE requirements, and so leased to another denomination, in this case the Greek Orthodox. They have now moved to a new home in Islington, leaving St David’s empty once more. In the interim, a new Anglican congregation had started worshipping in the church hall, and running busy community projects.

Working with the community, the church came up with plans that would bring the old church building back into use, not just for worship on Sundays, but as a place of service throughout the week, including a new home for the fantastic Prospex youth club (they work with some of the most excluded kids in the area). The plans even had hundreds of petition signatures in favour. So what was the problem?

Well, the community centre works have to be financed somehow, and the plan was to sell the current church hall site for housing; mostly private, although with some units for social rent and for the church’s own staff. And this ran up against the local Labour party’s unbending insistence on 50% affordable housing – whatever the context and whatever the planning policies actually say – in part of the borough where they dominate the area planning committee.

Everyone knows we need affordable homes in Islington (and it’s good the LibDem Council is building more). But even if there was a 100% rule there would still not be enough homes to go round.

We need more homes – but also the facilities to make those homes a decent place to live. And that’s why I think Labour’s rejection of the St David’s scheme was such a big mistake. A real benefit has been lost to a community that really needed it – by the very people elected to represent them. And it’s not just me saying that. Hopefully there will be a rethink or an appeal: watch this space.

It’s really important that the planning policy framework is right; yet most people, understandably, only encounter planning policy when their own application or objection is up for decision.

So I thought I’d share this email received yesterday:

Your Neighbourhood, Your Islington, is Islington’s Core Planning Strategy. It sets out our plans for the future of the borough up to 2025. Its aim is to make Islington a better place to live and work. As well as setting out how different parts of the borough might develop, it also sets out Islington’s approach to important issues including how we will seek to improve the built environment, provide for affordable housing and employment spaces, respond to climate change, and provide facilities for our communities.

Over the last year we have sought the views of residents and organisations on these and other issues. We have now produced a first draft of the plan called the Core Strategy Direction of Travel.

You can view the Core Strategy Direction of Travel at: our website, your local library, or the Municipal Offices, 222 Upper Street, N1 1XR

If you would like a paper copy of the plan, or have any questions then please email ldf@islington.gov.uk or call 020 7527 6799.

We would welcome any comments in writing by post or by email. Please send these by post to Planning Policy, 222 Upper Street, N1 1XR , or by email. It would help if you could send any comments to us by Monday 3 August 2009.

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Islington’s Euro election results

7 June, 2009 at 10:53 pm · Filed under Campaigns, Liberal Democrats ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

I’m back home from Islington’s Euro count after the declaration just after 9pm.

In fact the count had been over, and the result had shared with agents and ready to declare for about 20 minutes by then, but could not be revealed until the Euro polls closed at 9pm. So we had the surreal scene of the counters all gone, the tables and chairs cleared, and just the returning officer, a couple of staff, and a dozen party activists standing around – plus the caretaker jangling his keys – as we awaited the declaration.

The main Islington borough numbers are as follows:
Labour 12,428
Green 8,551
LibDem 8,167
Cons 6,170
UKIP 2,639
BNP 1,488

I won’t enumerate all the other minor parties and independents!

These numbers are borough-wide. Our ‘box counts’ sampling individual polling districts show that Lib Dems came second to Labour in the Islington South and Finsbury constituency, with Greens doing particularly well in Islington North where they have their councillor.

The Greens are up, UKIP are down, and BNP did badly; but the main party percentages (and the turnout) are largely unchanged from the last Euro results in Islington. Labour will no doubt be delighted to have held their own, given their very poor results in other parts of the country.

The Greens have the most to celebrate, so it’s ironic they were not at the count to witness it. In our canavssing, we picked up a lot of Green votes who wanted to vote for a non-Westminster party this time, because of the expenses scandal. And of course the Greens benefitted from the PR voting system for Europe – no ‘wasted’ votes this time.

As I’ve been writing this, Labour’s Lord Adonis (himself an Islington resident) has been on the TV saying that the non-Westminster parties have benefitted from protest votes at this election but will lose ground to the three main parties when the General election comes.

Being the most pro-EU of the main parties, has sadly not always served the Lib Dems well. I can remember Euro counts when we came 5th… this time I canvassed many people who are normally Lib Dem voters who said they were voting UKIP or abstaining this time because they are Euro-sceptics, but will vote Lib Dem in the next election: so we’re actually pleased with the result which confirms we are the challengers to Labour in my constituency.

I don’t know what expectations the Conservatives had of the Islington results, but they don’t seem to have benefitted from the upsurge in Tory support elsewhere. The results certainly nails Labour’s lies that the electoral battle in Islington is between Labour and Conservatives.

Now Islington’s numbers go into the London-wide pot for the capital’s Euro results. We should certainly see Sarah Ludford re-elected, although it’s not yet clear whether or not we have got Jonathan Fryer in as a 2nd London Lib Dem MEP. Watch this space…..

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Is Brown a vote winner?

3 June, 2009 at 10:48 pm · Filed under Campaigns ·Tagged , , ,

In the last General election, it became a bit of a joke that Tony Blair featured more prominently in Conservative and Lib Dem leaflets than in Labour ones. And Ken Livingstone’s election campaign for Mayor of London similarly ignored Gordon Brown.

But for the Euro election campaign it’s been different. Labour’s election address has a picture of a smiling PM. Labour campaigners were almost too excited when Gordon Brown came to visit Islington this week (yes, that chin-pulling incident was here in N1). Some voters have even had a ‘personal’ letter from the Prime Minister.

Perhaps he should have written instead to the editors of the Observer, the Independent and the Guardian, all of which are now encouraging people to vote Liberal Democrat.

Despite the press and the poll ratings, Labour obviously believe Gordon is an asset. We’ll find out soon if the voters agree.

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Libs and Labs on Liverpool Road

24 May, 2009 at 5:20 pm · Filed under Campaigns, Liberal Democrats, Local history ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Lots of folk out enjoying the sunshine in Islington today, Lib Dem campaigners included.

And Labour. Both parties had canvassers out in Barnsbury. I was with a Lib Dem trio calling along Liverpool Road when we saw our Labour MP (whose office is just off Liverpool Road) heading towards us. Let’s just say that the weather was sunnier than her expression…

Liverpool Road runs north from the Angel up to N7 and has a fascinating mix of buildings and residents along the way. There are fine 19th houses, small infills of modern flats, the old Royal Free Hospital (now housing), and the Samuel Lewis Trust estate built 100 years ago. There’s also a sprinkling of shops and local businesses, ranging from trendy yoga to traditional workshops, fine dining to greasy spoons, all in among the homes. Add in St Mary Magdalene school and church at the N7 end, and the Business Design Centre amd Chapel Market at the south, and you have a microcosm of Islington in a single street.

Some of the period terraces are whole family houses, others converted to flats. We canvassed several voters by yell as they leaned out of top floor windows. That’s why we have big Lib Dem logos on the clipboards… I was intrigued to see one house had a vintage entryphone, made by the “Sterdy Telephone Company, N7″.

Liverpool Road is named after Lord Liverpool, Prime Minister from 1815-1827. His time in office was marked by a radical surge for reform, with ordinary citizens demanding more rights and better representation. Lord Liverpool himself said of voting ““(I consider) the right of election as a public trust, granted not for the benefit of the individual, but for the public good.” So quite an appropriate place to be campaigning today!

Two hours later and we reconvened to compare notes: lots of supporters, lots of posters given out, and even a new deliverer recruited. As we finished, we saw a couple of Labour canvassers starting to call on Liverpool Road. Just after we’d already called round. And just as the Arsenal were about to kick off. Bad timing, boys.

Still they can count on one supporter at least. One voter was firmly Labour despite the party’s support crumbling: his name? Euan Blair….

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Benefits changes hit poorest hardest

11 April, 2009 at 9:44 am · Filed under Campaigns, Consumer ·Tagged , , , ,

The BBC is reporting a change to benefit payments that starts today. All benefits will start being paid fortnightly in arrears. That’s instead of a week in arrears or even in advance as some benefits are at present.

So what’s the big deal?

A week’s difference in payments may not sound much, but any change to payment dates affects your budgeting. If you’re paid monthly and suddenly you are told this month’s pay won’t arrive to the end of next month, that’s likely to cause you some problems. And people on benefits, by definition, are least likely to have the resources to handle a loss of cashflow. If your freezer is full, you have savings in the bank, and your services are on quarterly bills you can cope. But if you have no savings, you are on a prepay meter, and the cupboard is bare, this change is likely to be a nightmare.

Apparently, you can ask for a loan: but it will be docked from your benefit over coming weeks, so you’ll still lose money.

Until the BBC raised the issue, there’s been virtually no publicity. There’s nothing I can find on the Department of Work and Pensions website. Some individual claimants have had letters, but there’s been no advice or awareness campaign. In fact, there’s been no debate or discussion in Parliament either.

It’s a mean change, affecting the poorest hardest, and sneaked through. Another Labour triumph.

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MPs allowances: the system is broke and we need to fix it

6 April, 2009 at 12:15 pm · Filed under Campaigns, Consumer ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

More rows about MPs allowances.

Today’s Metro picks up on the case of Geoff Hoon, who managed to claim an allowance for his (not-in-the-constituency) ‘constituency’ home, while living free in London as a Minister, and renting out his other London home. Proof that at least one member of the Government can manage public money… though sadly not for the public’s benefit.

Meanwhile, Claire Ward, the Labour MP for Watford, is another who finds the daily commute (16 minutes from Euston) too much to bear. And Tory MP Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell, 45 minutes from Victoria) not only claims for a second home allowance but also clocks up high travel expenses (over £10k in 2007-08).

To quote Nick Clegg, “It is clearly barmy for ministers to indulge in a form of double counting that enables them to enjoy two homes at the taxpayers’ expense. To say this is within the rules will only serve to convince the public that the rules are broken and need to be fixed as soon as possible.”

Islington escapes all this as we’re an inner London borough, so no second home allowances. However, other MP expenses such as postage and foreign travel should still be open to scrutiny.

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