Archive for April, 2010

I spoke at a hustings meeting at the beautiful St Mary-le-Bow Church at lunchtime.  All the candidates had 2 minutes to make an opening statement at the start of the event, and this is what I said:

After 13 years of Labour government it is sometimes hard to remember life under the Tories. But you can get a flavour of what life might be like in the future by looking at their voting record while in opposition.

First, they voted against the action Labour took to support businesses through the recession. They voted

• Against the reduction in VAT to stimulate demand
• Against the Business Payment Support Service allowing over 160,000 struggling businesses to delay tax payments
• Against the Enterprise Guarantee Scheme which has helped almost 9,000 businesses access finance
• Against the car scrappage scheme which has helped the sale of 400,000 vehicles
• Against the Strategic Investment Fund worth £1 billion to develop the UK’s industrial strength

The Tories voted against key measures on crime, like tougher sentences for murder, sexual, and violent offences, including voting

• Against measures to control our borders, including tougher penalties for those who smuggle people in, and measures to streamline the immigration appeals system
• Against the banning of handguns
• Against five-year minimum sentences for carrying an illegal firearm
• Against allowing new trials for murder if new evidence emerges
• Against tougher measures to fight terrorism

They opposed measures to help employees, by voting

• Against the right to request flexible working for workers with children
• Against the minimum wage
• Against introducing paternity leave and against increasing maternity leave

They fought Labour’s attempts to reform and modernise Parliament, by voting

• Against the House of Lords Bill which removed the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords
• Against the recent Electoral Reform Bill passed by the Government to allow a referendum on the Alternative Vote system.

Most shamefully, they tried to block measures to promote equality, democracy, and a sustainable future by voting

• Against legislation to stop discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
• Against legislation to stop discrimination against older people
• Against measures to help families and pensioners through the recession, including the 2009 £60 bonus, and the trebling of cold-weather payments for the elderly
• Against devolution in Scotland and Wales
• Against the Planning Bill, which is paving the way for investment in low-carbon energy
• In Tory councils around the country, against wind power
• Against the ban on hunting with dogs

So if their record in opposition is anything to go by, a new Tory government would wreck businesses, promote crime, exploit workers, protect privilege, promote discrimination, fight democracy and torture animals.

Come to think of it, that’s pretty much how I remember the last one.

On Sunday I spoke at a young Labour activists event at the incredible Westminster Academy in Karen Buck’s Westminster North constituency. At the event Ed Miliband launched our party’s Green Manifesto and Gordon Brown set out his key messages for the final 10 days of the campaign.

There were speeches from politicians old and new. Familiar faces included Ed Miliband, Douglas Alexander, Sadiq Khan, and Yvette Cooper; PPC’s Chuka Umunna and Emily Benn spoke about what inspired them to get involved; first-time voter Needa Ardehali explained why she’s supporting Labour; and broadcaster and performer Amy Lamé hosted the Q&A.

Finally Gordon Brown spoke, I think striking the right note of optimism about our vision for Britain’s future and also giving a stark warning about the Tory threat.

We need to do a lot more events like these; they show just how untrue it is that young people aren’t interested in politics.

I was recently joined on the campaign trail by Nick Duxbury from Inside Housing magazine. Nick came along as my team and I canvassed the Tachbrook Estate in Pimlico. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and we were able to speak to a lot of residents and listen to their concerns.
 
Inside Housing is a social housing magazine and is a really good read. I recommend it to you!
 
Below is a link to the article Nick has since written up about the day:
 
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6509519

Yesterday afternoon I was kindly invited by the BC Project (Integration of British Chinese into Politics) to attend a voter registration event in Chinatown. I was joined by Mark Field and representatives from the Lib Dems as we tried to get Chinatown residents to register to vote before the deadline at 5pm on Tuesday 20th April. It was a really fun afternoon and hopefully we were able to help get more members of the Chinese community at the polling stations on May 6th.

For anyone who hasn’t registered yet you have can still do so by 5pm tomorrow. Westminster Council are accepting applications by post, fax or as an attachment to an email.

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/councilgovernmentanddemocracy/elections/voting/contact/

You can find the registration form on the About My Vote website.

www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

Over the last few weeks I have been been canvassing residents in Mayfair and Soho. Thanks to everyone who took the time to talk with me.

The nearly universal complaint I heard was that of the noise of rubbish collection at all hours, especially recycling collection with the clattering and breaking of glass bottles. I recognise that living right in the centre of London, as grand as that seems, can be a challenge as well.  In such mixed use areas some early morning deliveries and collections are inevitable.

One thing to be aware of is that many of the local businesses have contracts with their rubbish collection companies which stipulate the hours when the refuse can be collected.  Since the collections occur when the businesses are closed the owners and managers may not know the collections are not happening during the contracted hours.  Just letting them know might help solve some part of the problem. 

If there are ongoing problems in your neighbourhood feel free to contact me, or the Westminster environmental team.

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/environment/pollution/noisepollution/about/

On Sunday afternoon my campaign went out to support my political hero and inspiration – Karen Buck in the Westminster North constituency.   The purpose was to meet voters in the Church Street Ward.   The weather was perfect and over 20 people turned up on the day,  including Ken Livingstone.   I think some thanks are due to London Young Labour who helped round up an enthusiastic crowd for the event.

Our team canvassed near Lisson Grove.  It was certainly refreshing to canvass in some blocks with such enthusiastic Labour support.  But not surprisingly, when issues came up they were mostly about housing:  the lack of suitably sized housing,  or the conditions of the existing housing.  Just finding suitable, affordable, family size accommodation in Westminster is such a huge challenge.   I think we can be doing much more to help local housing management be responsive and focused on taking care of residents.

Remember that Karen Buck is in a tough election battle this year because of the changes to her constituency boundaries.  Karen will always be a stronger advocate for affordable housing in Westminster than her opponent,  any support you can lend her is always appreciated.

www.karenbuck.org.uk

The consultation period over the sale of some of the Crown Estates property has recently ended. Residents now face an anxious wait.

I have been appalled by the way this issue has been handled, and I welcome Frank Dobson’s lead in opposing the sale. The way Crown Estates have conducted the consultation period is nothing short of disgraceful. It has been way too short and the residents were denied the opportunity of a ballot.

I hope that the fantastic grassroots campaign that residents ran will have the desired effect of knocking some sense into the estates management. Housing is a real problem in our community and the sale of any affordable housing would be a disaster.

I hope to see some of you at the ‘Hands Off Our Homes’ show on the 28^th April at the Vauxhall tavern.

Last night the Government rushed the Digital Economy Bill through Parliament without proper scrutiny in what is known as the ‘wash up’ procedure. This procedure is designed to allow the government of the day to pass uncontroversial bills once an election has been called, to prevent the country grinding to a halt.

However, the Digital Economy Bill is far from uncontroversial. It contains provisions that allow users to be disconnected from the internet and websites to be blocked without any kind of judicial process. It is opposed by organisations as diverse as consumer groups, and the secret services.

The bill was promoted by the record and film industry, despite private admission by those involved that it would do little to halt the decline in their businesses. The potential unintended consequences of such a complex bill receiving so little debate may be disastrous.

All in all, yesterday was a poor day for democracy. See who voted for and against here. More information here.

In the US they had Puff Daddy and Mariah Carey. In Ilford they had, er, David Rowntree?

This is me speaking at the ‘Rock the Vote’ event on Saturday. Despite years of playing in a band, I’m still not entirely comfortable at the front of a stage, but they were a nice crowd. Of course you are preaching to the converted at these events. Who would come if they weren’t interested in politics in the first place? But they are worth doing, even if it’s just to show that there is more to being a Party member than sitting in endless committee meetings.

But I still cringe when using the word ‘rock’ to describe anything I do…

Saw this while out and about in E1 yesterday…