Harrow Students Debate the Big Issues

I had a great time last week at a Question Time style hustings at Harrow College.  I was pitched against Bob Blackman, Conservative (who will resign as Conservative leader of Brent Council AFTER the election); Tony McNulty, Labour; Fred Leplatt, Respect; and Nahid Boethe (Lib Dem). There was a lively audience of 80-100 mainly first-time voters who questioned us on the economy, capitalism and climate change, Afghanistan, BNP, tuition fees and black and asian political leadership. 


Students were asked about their voting intentions before and after the debate. The results were encouraging. Voting intention before the debate in brackets:

Conservative 18% (20%)

Labour 23% (25%)

Liberal Democrat 9% (7%)

Green 23% (9%)

Respect 11%

Other 5% (9%)

Not voting – 7% (18%)

Don’t Know – 3.5% (9%)

The most important issues for the students, listed in order of priority, were: Education, HE Fees, Afghanistan and the Economy.

Harrow Observer report - Click on image to enlarge

 

Greens are the REAL alternative

"....But the bigger political picture, in the wake of the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s, won't get a look in. That's partly because over some of the crucial controversies, the public is on one side of the argument and the political class on the other.

"That's the case with the war in Afghanistan, the cossetting of bankers, privatisation of public services and tax privileges for the weathy, for instance. The main parties in England support them, so most voters will have no choice."

So said Seumas Milne, writing in yesterday's Guardian summing up the cosy consensus amongst the three main parties.  The Green Party does hold sharply different positions on these issues and if you are lucky enough to live in Brent you can vote for them:

• AFGHANISTAN - We are for withdrawal of our troops and a regional peace process
• BANKERS - We want reform of the finance sector, separation of retail and investment banking and a 'Robin Hood' tax on international  financial transactions
• PRIVATISATION -We are opposed to the privatisation and deregulation of services and would end PFI schemes 
• TAXES ON THE WEALTHY - We would increase taxes on the wealthy, close loopholes and have a special permanent tax on bankers' bonuses

Why You Should Vote Green on May 6th - Caroline Lucas

Give up one minute of your time to hear Caroline Lucas on why you should vote Green.

POLICIES NOT PERSONALITIES? TEST YOURSELF

An enterprising site has been set up which lists the policies of six political parties in 10 areas.  You choose the most important policy areas for you personally, and then vote for the policy you prefer.  This is done blind - you are not told which policy belongs to which party.

At the end you are told which party your choices favoured.

Simple?  Have a go by clicking this link  VOTEFORPOLICIES

Boris turns Brent Cross protests into a joke

Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, demonstrated his cosy relationship with developers and contempt for democracy when he spoke at the London Planning Awards 2010. He dismissed the widespread opposition to the environmentally disastrous Brent Cross Cricklewood Regeneration with a flippant 'Never Mind'.

The fact that the Mayor gave the opposition such contemptuous and cursory consideration must reinforce the pressure on the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to call in the application for a Public Inquiry.

Darren Johnson, Green Party AM said,

This sound clip reveals that beneath the Mayor's chuckling veneer lurks a cavalier disregard for the views of Londoners and a reckless abandonment of any pretence of reaching an informed and balanced view of major development applications and their environmental impact. A public inquiry is essential.

Brent Needs the Green Party's Equality Policies

from 'The impact of income inequalities on sustainable development in London' a report for the London Sustainable Development Commission by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett of the The Equalities Trust. PDF of the report HERE

A key report concludes this month that:

• 
  
  Economic growth has ceased to be a reliable source of higher standards of wellbeing. Many countries achieve levels of life expectancy similar to Britain but at a fraction of our levels per capita  of national income and emissions.
• 
  
  The high rates of many social problems in London, and Britain more widely, are directly attributable to the scale of inequality and would be reduced if inequality was decreased.
• 
  
  This means that future improvements to the quality of life now depend more on narrowing income differences than on economic growth.
• 
  
  The pressure to consume is substantially increased by inequality because inequality increases status competition.
• 
  
  The achievement of a low carbon, sustainable society depends on people's willingness to act for the common good. Greater equality strengthens community life, public spiritedness, and trust while weakening individual status competition.
• 
  
  Tackling inequality and climate changes requires a change in mind-set away from anti-social consumerism and instead an ethos where wework together to improve the quality of the social and natural environment.

The full report goes into much more detail about the benefits of greater equality and is at pains to point out that the benefits would not only be for the poorer section of the population but for everyone. The table above shows the impact for London as a whole.  Elsewhere in the document figures show that with greater equality Brent would almost halve its incidence of mental illness, sharply reduce teenage pregnancies and reduce the level of obesity (currently the third highest in London).

As Brent Green Party's spokesperson on Children, Families and Schools, and a school governor, I was struck by the graph based on Unicef research that shows the UK's position on children's wellbeing/income inequality.

All this makes the Green Party's redistributive policies absolutely central in tackling social and climate change problems.  In creating a more equal society we will be giving ourselves important weapons to tackle issues that threaten us all.

Why Equality is Better for Everyone

Read this book before casting your vote in the election:



The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, Penguin, £9.99
ISBN 978-0-141-03236-8

CLICK HERE for Equality Trust slide show giving the statistics used in the Spirit Level

Message from Greenpeace: Government must reconsult on 3rd runway

"Fantastic news! Both the climate and common sense have scored a major victory at the High Court today, where the government's plans for a third runway at Heathrow have been dealt a huge blow.

In response to a legal challenge against the mounted by a coalition of organisations that include Greenpeace, Lord Justice Carnwath ruled that the Government's decision to give a green light to the proposed third runway does not hold any weight. He said that their claims to the contrary were 'untenable in law and common sense'.

The judge said that the government's decision hadn't properly taken into consideration climate change policy or the economic case and surface transport. Effectively this means that for the runway to go ahead, the government will have to re-consult on these major issues as part of an overhaul of its wider aviation policy.

While the government has been sent back to the drawing board, it is very hard to see how it can resuscitate any enthusiasm for the new runway. However, we will be keeping a very close eye on the situation, and we won't rest until the any new government has scrapped the plans categorically and permanently."

Martin Francis, Green Party candidate for Brent North said, "This is great news but we must remain vigilant and make sure the thrid runway is a feature in the forthcoming election campaign.

I am one of 73,000 people who have become beneficial owners of Airplot, bang in the middle of the proposed site,  in an attempt to spread ownership of the land needed for the third runway and make the government deals with thousands of individual owners.  We're still going to need your help to see the runway off once and for all. We want to reach 100,000 beneficial owners - so tell your family and friends to sign up! "  SIGN UP HERE

Jarvis PLC - a narrow escape or warning about the future?

News that Jarvis PLC has gone into administration may revive old memories amongst Brent councillors and headteachers.

Ten years ago the then Labour Council was negotiating for a Private Finance Inititiave deal for its schools, one of the biggest deals in the country. The PFI would have handed the schools over to private companies.  The company would rebuild the schools and take over their maintenance and be paid back over the 25 years.

Jarvis was one of the two bidders left in the ring and local headteachers were invited to the Town Hall council chamber to see presentations which were of course glossy.  I quite upset one Jarvis suit when I asked him if about criticisms of Jarvis's rail operations and what that said about their fitness to maintain our schools. He hotly argued that rail maintenance was a totally different side of the business.  Jarvis later had to admit liability for the Potters Bar railway accident.  It eventually sold off its school building arm to a French company.

After spending more than 2 years on the project and hundreds of thousands of pounds, we returned after the summer holiday in 2001 to find that the officer responsible for PFI had mysteriously disappeared - we assumed he had been sacked. The Council announced that the project to rebuild 17 secondary and primary schools had been abandoned for 'reasons outside the council's control'. Mystery still hangs around what really happened...

Just imagine the what could have happened to Brent schools if Jarvis had won the contract.  Would we now be spending hundreds of thousands of pounds keeping the company afloat?

Bye-bye Bob

More fun and games amongst the Tories in Brent as we head for the elections. The Conservatives already have two candidates in Brent North (one under an 'Independent' label) . Now we have a Conservative group leader in Brent, who isn't standing in the local elections, but won't resign as leader until after the election.

Bob Blackman has announced he won't be standing in Harrow East MP. However this means the Tories will go into the council election fight with a leader who will have his mind on other matters, and who won't be there to pick up the pieces after the election. Will there be moves to replace him before May 6th?
It will mean that Tory candidates will be fighting with one eye on the upcoming leadership battle and jostling for position. Cllr John Detre (Northwick Park) has already thrown his hat in the ring.

Atiq Malik, standing as an Independent in the Brent North Parliamentary constituency (where I am also a candidate) is one of two Conservative councillors (the other is Robert Dunwell) who formed the Democratic Conservative Group, following disagreements over Blackman's leadership. Blackman was also indirectly criticised by Merrick Cockell, Chairman of London Councils, after he failed to win against Navin Shah in the London Assembly elections in 2008. Cockell said then, "Internal divisions have certainly had an effect and if you are not pulling together defeat is what happens."

A month before the election the Evening Standard had reported accusations by black Conservative Party members that they had been treated in an 'insensitive and unsympathetic way' when trying to attend a local party meeting in Brent North.

Blackman survived an attempt at deselection in Harrow East in 2008 because of his 'underperformance' at the Assembly elections. At the time Conservative Home reported that Conservative HQ were 'disappointed' that deselection wasn't successful.

SUPPORT THE KILBURN CENTRE STUDENTS

Click to enlarge

Learning Skills Council (LSC)/RIBA Runner Up for Innovation By Design 2008

Closed 2010 due to reduction in LSC funding?  A scandal...

A message from Students at the College of North West London (CNWL) protesting against the decision to close the Kilburn Centre on Priory Park Road.

Why are we unhappy?

Managers came into our classes on Monday 15th March and Tuesday 16th March to tell us of their decision to close the Kilburn Centre on 1st August, 2010.  We are very unhappy because the Principal, Vicki Fagg, didn't ask us for our opinions before they decided to close the Kilburn Centre.

We want to go to college to learn. Most students want to improve their education by going to the next level. How are we going to do that, if they shut down our local college?

Many of us are parents with young children and we can't travel to the other centres at Willesden or Wembley because our children go to local schools. Other students young and old also don't want to travel far away to study.

We feel cheated because we have nowhere else to go and our education will be affected.

What's good about the Kilburn Centre?

We like this college because it has courses for young people and older students. The courses offered by the college help us to get qualifications, like English, maths and IT, which companies want when we apply for jobs.

The college is also part of our local community and easy to get to. The staff are very pleasant and helpful and the teachers make things easy to understand.

Why should the Kilburn Centre stay open?

The students can not express in words how important it is for this college to stay open. It is unjust and such a waste of money to close the college because it opened only a few years ago.

It is an important land mark in our community because there are not enough places where people can go to learn new skills. We have a right to an education which suits our needs.

Most students at Kilburn are doing ESOL courses because English is not their first language. Many of them had a difficult past. They rely on their local college and don't have the confidence or the money to travel to the other sites at Willesden or Wembley. If the Kilburn Centre closes, we have no way to improve our education and get the skills to get a job.

The management are holding our future in their hands.

What is the petition for?

The students want to show how strongly we feel about the closure. We are united in the way we feel as students who enjoy coming to this college and want to make a difference. All we ask for is a chance to better our lives and maybe pass some knowledge onto our children.

We really need your support to keep our college at Kilburn open.

Please sign the petition and help us keep the Kilburn Centre open.

THE STUDENTS MAKE AN EXCELLENT CASE AND I HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO SIGN THEIR PETITION. WE NEED TO KEEP LOCAL, ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION VALUED BY THE COMMUNITY.  Martin Francis, Geen Party Candidate for Brent North

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

DENHAM ISSUES 'STOP' ORDER ON BRENT CROSS APPLICATION

The Government Office for London yesterday issued  a 'stop notice' on the Brent Cross Cricklewood Development.  This instruction, under Section 14 of the Town and Country Planning Order 1995, directs Barnet Council not to grant planning permission on this application without specific authorisation from John Denham, the secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Denham has now given himself more time to consider whether to call in the application for a public inquiry. He has wider powers than Boris Johnson and will need to consider the massive local opposition, sustainability issues and the views of neighbouring councils.

Brent Council's reservations are summarised in a letter from Paul Lorber, leader of the Council and Cllr. Alec Castle (Dollis Hill):

We have restated Brent’s formal opposition to the plans, and made clear that until key wider planning aspects of importance to us are resolved, our strong objections will remain.



The developers have paid little attention to transport issues, and without measures in place to alleviate the likely problems of thousands of extra cars and heavy freight lorries navigating the streets off Cricklewood Broadway and Edgware Road, the impact in Cricklewood, Dollis Hill and Dudden Hill would be devastating.


In our view, no work should begin until appropriate traffic measures and parking restrictions have been formally agreed and put in place. These in turn must be properly informed and influenced by a long-awaited study on the wider traffic flow around the A5 Corridor.

The stop notice does not definitely mean that Denham will call in the application or order a public inquiry but does indicate that the Coalition for A Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan have made a considerable impact. They deserve our congratulations and thanks.

Asylum system contributed to these deaths

Saturday's Guardian revealed that the asylum seeking family who apparently committed joint suicide in Glasgow last week by jumping from the balcony of their high rise flat, previously lived in the flats opposite Brent Town Hall in Forty Lane.

The Serykh's, originally from Russia, arrived in the UK from Canada. The deaths occurred after the family's asylum application had been refused and they were told that  financial support and housing would be withdrawn.

Serge Serykh appeared to be suffering from a mental illness.  He claimed to have been a Russian secret agent and to have been given refuge in Canada for 'services rendered'. However he fled Canada as a result of feeling he would be a target for the Canadian secret service because he had discovered a Canadian ploit to kill the Queen.

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for North Brent, had given the family advice at his asylum surgery when they lived in Wembley.  Gardiner has become embroiled in an argument with campaigners who claim that the brutality of the asylum system, and particularly the withdrawal of financial and housing support, was to blame for the deaths.

Gardiner told the Guardian, "I am not qualified to judge his mental health, but in layman's terms he had paranoia. My overwhelming impression is that this was a tragedy that was always going to happen. He was not an ordinary person driven to suicide by the Kafkaesque immigration system, as some people seem to be suggesting."

I do not doubt the hard work that Barry Gardiner does on immigration and asylum. I was particularly impressed when I took a Kosovan family to his surgery for help and he gave time to their 10 year old daughter who insisted on an individual interview to put the family's case. He has an enormous workload on these issues.

However, I think his comment underestimates the stress caused by the withdrawal of support, threat of homelessness and fear of deportation experienced by all asylum seekers. It is likely that it was  not a matter of either mental illness or withdrawal of support being the cause of the likely suicides, but that withdrawal of support was the final straw that literally drove the family, already suffering the father's mental illness, over the edge. They died on the day they were told to leave their flat.

Under pressure from the media and the far right, the government has adopted a 'tough' policy on asylum that does us no credit. Forcing families into destitution and detaining children at Yarl's Wood offends any concept of a decent society.

Boris Approves Brent Tox Development

According to the Harrow Times, Boris Johnson has approved the Brent Cross Development, and therefore well deserves Darren Johnson's award  for bad planning decisions: "By waving through a development that will create a surge in traffic and air pollution, the Mayor has undermined city-wide efforts to improve air quality, and has done nothing to help severely affected centres in neighbouring boroughs."

Boris Johnson claimed the development would help lead London out of recession: “This is another great example of pushing ahead with major development and infrastructure improvements to create jobs, and boost the capital’s economic growth, while transforming the quality of life of thousands of Londoners.”

So there you have it we will all benefit from increased traffic and pollution, a monstrous shopping centre feeding over-consumption and indebtedness, a shopping centre that will destroy local high streets in neighbouring boroughs, and an incinerator that will impact on the health of our children: nice one Boris!

Let's hope that John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, will have a little more wisdom and foresight and call in this pernicious scheme.

Hear First Hand Accounts from Gaza Convoy

Click on image to enlarge

Rage Against the Tube Closures

With Jubilee, Metropolitan and Bakerloo line closures again this weekend Brentonians can be forgiven for thinking that Transport for London has a vendetta against them. As fleets of buses from all over the South East park along Bridge Road to eventually transport bewildered, frustrated and angry travellers in a meandering journey along already clogged up roads, they should reflect on the reasons for this.

It is of of course the Thatcherite policy, embraced by all three main political parties, of private enterprise intervention in the public sector: Public Private Partnerships. As you sit fuming on the top deck of a 1960s Dorset double decker as it crawls along Blackbird Hill, reflect on the wisdom of Andrew Smith, Chief Secretary to the Treasury:

Partnerships between the public and private sectors are a cornerstone of this Government’s modernisation programme. They are delivering better quality public services by bringing in new investment and improved management, and are helping state-owned businesses achieve their full potential.


Tube Lines, the remaining leg of the PPP deal is responsible for the maintenance and upgrading of our underground lines. Metronet, responsible for the other two contracts, eventually went broke at the cost of an estimated £400,000,000 to the taxpayer - thinking about that should calm you down! Their responsibilities have been taken back 'in house' by TfL. Meanwhile TfL is tied into a 30 year contract with Tube Lines which means I'll be over a 100 years old before they've finished the job.

What PPP actually means is that no one is really accountable and that we as voters, and politicians themselves, can't get at them. Navin Shah AM, Sarah Teather MP, Cllr Daniel Brown lead Brent Council member for Transportation, have all protested about the closures. They have had little success except to get Metroplitan line trains stopping at Willesden Green when only the Jubilee is closed. Large and small businesses have protested about the loss of trade to no avail. Instead the work is dragging on and running a year late.

Written into the PPPcontract is a provision that Tube Lines can order line closures whenever they wish. This 'improved management' of our transport infrastructure is now in even deeper trouble because of a shortfall in the budget of £1bn for the next period. The Public Private Partnership Arbiter has had to be brought in to rule on the dispute between TfL which offered Tube Lines £4bn and Tube Lines which wanted more than £1bn on top of this. The arbiter ruled that TfL should pay £4.46bn, leaving £460,000 to be found - probably from us the fare payers. TfL is looking at possible legal remedies and has revealed that forensic accountants are probing what it described as ' massive and secretive payments to Tube Lines’ shareholders’, who are Ferrovial and Bechtel.

Meanwhile you are still stuck on the bus, smouldering....

So what about Boris, can't he do something? Well he characteristically blusters away without making any impact. At the recent Harrow Question Time he described the Tube Lines structure as 'ludicrous' and 'completely mad' and in a vital response suggested that while you are sitting on the top deck of that 'replacement bus service' nothing much may be happening at all on the closed line:

'We have been asked for closures when actually they are not able to get on with sending their people down the line to put in the new signalling because the program work, the software work, still hasn't been done in Canada.'

He argues for a new system that will stop, 'What is in my view a complete rip-off by the contractors - a licence to steal, to put it no higher than that'.

All three main parties are in favour of public private partnerships despite these difficulties. Perhaps Boris should bend David Cameron's ear.  Similar stories can be told about the lack of accountability of PPPs in education (academies) which the Tories want to expand, and health (Private Finance Initiative schemes).
If you want democratically accountable public services vote Green. Meanwhile should we strike back with a 'No Fare Pay' day during the week to match every weekend closure?

Brent Greens Back Brent Cross Public Inquiry Call

Coalition members, including Tim Storer of Brent Green Party,

 outside the Departmentr before handing in petitions and letters

Yesterday the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Regeneration, supported by Navin Shah AM for Brent and Harrow and Sarah Teather MP handed in petitions and letters to John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to ask him to call-in the Brent Cross Regeneration Application for a Public Inquiry.

Brent Green Party's letter requested a call-in based on the following grounds:

1. The residents of the London boroughs of Brent and Camden were not consulted on this matter despite the scheme having major impact on residents of the two boroughs. Our own council, Brent, remain opposed to this development despite suggestions to the contrary at the Barnet Planning Committee.

2. This development will have a major impact on North West London in terms of traffic, increased pollution and the destruction of local shopping areas in surrounding localities. These issues were not considered by the Barnet Planning Committee which had a Barnet-centric approach to the application. A wider assessment of the application is vital and would be provided by a Public Inquiry.

3. The application does not conform to the Government’s Climate Change Law to reduce Co2 by 80% by 2050. The scheme will generate thousands more car journeys per day and become a net contributor of greenhouse gases and global warming.

4. The lack of clarity in evidence presented at the Planning Committee on the proposed waste handling plant and incinerator. In the face of expert opinion by a visiting US professor on the potential health hazards of the proposed gasification process we believe that the Secretary of State should institute a Public Inquiry to ensure that the health and safety of the local population, and particularly that of young children who are particularly vulnerable to the impact of toxic substances, is safeguarded.

5. The major thrust of the application is to extend the Brent Cross Shopping Centre and other components of Phase One of the scheme, such as affordable housing, have been cut back. A proposal to increase the size of the Shopping Centre was rejected by a Public Inquiry in 1999 and a Judicial Review and High Court judgement in 2003. The proposal represents the developers’ second bite at the cherry in much changed and less favourable economic circumstances.

6. Although the Planning Committee is supposed to make an independent judgement, the application was compromised by the fact that the Barnet Borough Council are major supporters of the scheme and have helped facilitate the process for the applicants. Importantly they are also major landowners in the development area.

Conservatives select Brent North Candidate - now it's 'Two Tory' Brent

Last night Brent Conservatives selected Cllr Harshadbhai Patel (Preston ward) to fight Brent North. His opponents will include former Conservative councillor colleague Atiq Malik (now a 'Democratic Conservative' councillor) who is standing as an Independent.

Cllr Patel was Mayor of Brent in 2007-8 and is associated with the Federation of Patidar Associations, Brent Indian Association and the Hindu Council. Atiq Malik is actively blogging about the election on UK Polling and Conservative Home to the annoyance of many fellow bloggers. On one blog he claims that at the selection meeting 2 rows of seats were filled with 'up to 30+' new party recruits but doesn't follow with any specific allegation. He claims that Patel has stated that he has 300 'foot soldiers' ready to go out and campaign in the election.

Another contributor asks if the Democratic Conservatives (Malik and Cllr Robert Dunwell) have 'gone into bed with the Greens or the Lib Dems?'As Green Party Candidate for Brent North I can answer that from our perspective with a resounding 'No'!

With a Labour candidate who, in calling for his resignation, demonstrated that he had no faith in Gordon Brown; and two Conservative candidates, Brent North is shaping up to be an interesting (and possibly bewildering) contest.

Coalition: Why John Denham Must Call in Brent Cross Plans

The Coalition opposing the 4.5 billion development for a Brent Cross Cricklewood new town is urging Secretary of State John Denham to call the development in to Public Inquiry, in view of Barnet sending the papers to the Government Office for London and the Mayor of London.
The Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan believe the development clearly meets the criteria to merit a call-in as set out in section 77 of the Town and Country planning Act1990[1]. The Secretary of State’s powers to call this in are very general and discretionary. Barnet should have referred this to the Secretary of State prior to the planning meeting on the grounds that Barnet owns some of the land.

 Some other grounds for call-in are :
- significant effects beyond the immediate locality
- giving rise to substantial regional or national controversy or where issues are of more than local importance
- raise significant architectural and urban design issues
- and in 2008 the sustainability of the proposed development was specifically added as a criterion.

Lia Colacicco, Coalition Co-ordinator and Mapesbury resident says, “ This scheme could be called in on several criteria but in particular because its effects go far beyond the immediate area, Brent and Camden councils object to it, local people don’t want it in this form, and because it is completely unsustainable in terms of traffic, housing, and the environment. There was no meaningful public consultation so we are now calling on John Denham to call it in immediately so that these disastrous plans can undergo full public scrutiny….”

Darren Johnson (Green Party London Assembly Member) says “given Boris Johnson’s manifesto commitment to cut London carbon emissions 60% by 2025 and build more environmentally friendly homes the Mayor must refuse this development. From 2016 all new homes are required to be carbon zero whereas this development falls far short of that.”

Shahrar Ali, Green candidate for Brent Central, Steffi Gray of Brent Friends of the Earth, and other activists at the Brent Campaign Against Climate Change Meeting Photo: Jan Nevill

The campaign was strongly backed at Tuesday's meeting on Fighting Climate Change after Copenhagen. People were clear that the regeneration proposals represented a reckless disregard for issues of over-consuption, sustainability and consultation.

The Mayor and Secretary of State John Denham have until just March 12th to call in the plans for Public Inquiry.

Criteria for a Call-in.
Petition Calling for a Public Inquiry
Coalition Website

Malik makes it messy for Tories in Brent North

Click on image to enlarge

I did a double take when I saw this poster in a local shop - at first I thought it was something from the BNP! It turns out to be a campaign poster for Cllr Atiq Malik who was elected to Brent Council as a Conservative but after falling out with Cllr Blackman, leader of the Brent Conservative Group, formed the Brent Democratic Conservative Group with Cllr Robert Dunwell.

Malik has aroused controversy for his comments on Sharia law and women (Cllr James Powney is engaged in a spat with him on this subject at the moment), was accused of using an assumed name to praise himself as a potential parliamentary candidate for the Tories on a Conservative website, and is carrying out a bitter campaign against Barry Gardiner on expenses.

Malik has jumped in as an Independent candidate before the official Tory selection which takes place at the Pattidar Centre on March 4th. The Tories will be choosing from Madhuri Davda, Louise Hall, Tim Lines, Anjana Patel, Blaine Robin and former mayor Harshadbhai Patel. On the Conservative Home website Malik tells the party that no Tory could beat Barry Gardiner in Alperton, Wembley Central, Sudbury, Fryent and Queensbury wards. Look closely at the poster and you can see Malik lists all these wards as places where he is working for 'all communities' and throws in Barnhill, Kenton and Northwick Parek for good measure - the full set!

Elsewhere on Conservative Home he claims Tories will need a 10% swing to unseat Gardiner but doesn't discuss the impact of his own candidature. The Odds Checker website gives a clue: Labour (Barry Gardiner) is quoted at 1/3, Conservatives at 9/4, Lib Dems (James Allie) at 25/1, Malik at 40/1 and I bring up the rear at 100/1. No odds are quoted for the English Democrats (Arvind Taylor).

Wembley Observer salutes Dan Viesnik

PEACENIK VIESNIK: LIFE IN THE NICK

Comment is free but libel could be expensive!

The story about the Youth Parliament elicited many comments which showed a heartfelt antipathy towards the Council from many local people. Amongst those comments are some which I have not published because they contained allegations about individuals which could have resulted in legal action.  To quote Tony Benn, it is issues that are important, rather than personalities.

I am happy to publish comments about local issues, including those which take up matters such as the extent of local democracy, accountability, consultation (or lack of it), neglect of some communities and the key Council areas of education, social care, libraries, parks, transport, planning and housing - but not personal attacks on individuals. These policy areas are of fundamental importance as we approach the local elections in May.

For those who want to air more personal concerns there is the option of setting up a blog of your own and it is easily done - follow this LINK.

Martin Francis

Dan out of prison and fighting on

Dan Viesnik was released from Pentonville last week after serving four days imprisonment for refusing to pay his fine. He is now busy helping with the Aldermaston Big Blockade which is happening tomorrow.

This video shows Dan setting out his reasons for not paying the fine and his background in anti-nuclear weapons activity. It also contains footage of Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader, speaking on the nuclear weapons issue.

Kensal Rise Victory?

We have received this message from Doron & Minkie who were campaigning against the re-siting of the Kensal Rise bus stop

Victory!... thank you!


It appears that due to overwhelming community pressure Brent Council have decided to withdraw their new bus lay-by proposal... even though they recently completed pavement works to reposition cables to make way for the proposed bus lay-by!


WELL DONE TO EVERYONE. We submitted a petition to Tim Jackson with over 1500 signatures, and of course copies of all emails. They were also inundated with emails!


This afternoon we have received an email from Emily Tancred (local Lib Dem councillor) , who in turn received an email from Tim Jackson, Head of Transport at Brent. We have asked for a copy of this e-mail and believe it says something to the affect of... the council’s plan for removing these buses by making a bus stop 'was clearly mistaken'.


We are so heartened by the immensely warm and caring community we live and also work in and would like to thank you all for your time, effort and hard work given to help overturn this ludicrous proposal.


Clearly something needs to be done about the buses but hopefully in the future we can be consulted as a community in order to find a sensible solution. We have asked Tim Jackson that we be personally consulted in all future proposals. You will in turn of course be contacted by us with any such news, which of course there will be... the problem with buses and traffic congestion has not gone away!

Think local, change the whole country

Empty Democracy?

The comments on the Youth Parliament story indicate widespread disenchantment with the political process as it stands. This message may be of interest to you.

My name is Annie Quick.

I'll be organising POWER2010 in London. It's my job to make sure that people in our community stand up to our politicians - making sure that they all sign up to our Pledge - and then follow through on their commitment in the next Parliament.

We need to let our candidates know that we want our democracy to have a fresh people powered start.

Help me tell them - click here to vote for the reforms you most want to see in the POWER2010 Pledge.

POWER2010 is a UK-wide movement, but it's most important at the local level. Together we will ensure every candidate standing for election backs these reforms so that the next Parliament delivers the change we need.

The best way to communicate that to them now is to vote. The more votes we have, the more legitimate we'll appear to the politicians, and the more they'll respect us.

I'll ask for more help as we get closer to the elections, but for now the most important thing you can do is vote for the reforms you want to see in the POWER2010 Pledge:

http://www.power2010.org.uk/VoteLondon

Together, we can make our democracy better, stronger and fairer.

Thank you,

Annie Quick

P.S. In the next few weeks POWER2010 will be stepping up the campaign in London, so if you'd like to get more involved in supporting us in your community sign up here:

http://www.power2010.org.uk/LondonAction









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Kensal Rise Plea - Save Our High Street Now

An important message from Doron at Minkie’s Deli…

Dear Friends,

We have only one week to pull together and fight what will ruin the top of Kensal Rise. We need your support to preserve our thriving community and not turn it into a giant bus depot!

Brent Council is trying to build a new bus stop and layby to accommodate three buses on Chamberlayne Road, just outside Minkie’s. This involves cutting down the beautiful healthy and mature tree, and narrowing the pavement which will then be too narrow for a pushchair – all to create a layby at the top of the hill: unsightly and noisy, and exacerbating already dreadful traffic congestion on Chamberlayne Road.

No residents or local businesses were consulted before this was put into play, jeopardising Kensal Rise’s family and child friendliness. Brent Council has kept this under wraps and is closing the ‘consultation period’ on FEBRUARY 5, 2010… which is THIS FRIDAY. The consultation document neglects to state that the council also intends to abolish the bus stands in Station Terrace (which holds up to six buses): this has only emerged from a telephone conversation with the transportation department. This will cause an even greater congestion problem on Chamberlayne Road.

In the last three years, Minkie’s Deli has tried to help make Kensal Rise and Chamberlayne Road an aesthetically pleasing, welcoming, family-friendly and community-driven neighbourhood. Imagine walking up Chamberlayne from Harvist Road and all you see is stationary buses on the left and right hand sides of the hill.

Send your views to Phil Rankmore, Head of Special Projects, Transportation Service Unit: Phil.Rankmore@brent.gov.uk BCCing us at info@minkiesdeli.co.uk so we have evidence that residents are complaining. Please ask your friends and neighbours to do so too. I am sure you understand why this is extremely important to us!

View the consultation documents HERE Click on Chamberlayne Road Layby and then on the two links to the consultation document and questionnaire. We really appreciate your support in maintaining a welcoming and safe environment on our high street.

Ironically, this bus lay-by will not affect Minkie’s trade. In fact it is likely to increase our direct footfall – it will just ruin the look of the area as a whole and Chamberlayne Road will be further riddled with traffic.

You can also come into Minkie’s and sign our petition.

Wembley Peace Activist Sentenced to 14 Days Imprisonment

Sit-down protest at AWE Aldermaston, 27 July 2007 - pic by M. Atkinson

Wembley peace  and environmental justice campaigner, Daniel Viesnik, was today sentenced to 14 days imprisonment at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.  The sentence was in relation to an unpaid fine of £50 and costs of £465 resulting from a peaceful symbolic sit-down protest outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire in July 2007, during the Footprints for Peace International Walk towards a Nuclear-Free Future from Dublin to London.

In December Daniel had written to the Court in the following terms:

I have given the matter plenty of consideration and have thus arrived at the decision that as a matter of conscience I shall not pay the outstanding sum, either as a lump sum or by instalment. My wholly unnecessary, disproportionate and unjust prosecution, conviction and penalty for "obstructing the highway" arose from my participation in an entirely peaceful symbolic sit-down protest in opposition to what I consider to be the illegal, immoral and criminally irresponsible maintenance and development of weapons of mass murder and destruction, namely Trident nuclear warheads, and supporting infrastructure at the Aldermaston atomic death factory (also known as Atomic Weapons Establishment) in West Berkshire. The event in question took place on 27 July, 2007 as I walked nearly 900 miles from Dublin to London via Belfast and Glasgow for a nuclear-free future with an international group called Footprints for Peace. I was doing nothing more that day than peacefully carrying out my moral duty to protect humanity and life on planet Earth from the grave threat of nuclear annihilation and radiation exposure. My strength of feeling on this issue is such that I am prepared to face imprisonment rather than pay the fine, despite never having experienced prison before. I initiated a case-stated appeal to the High Court against my conviction, but eventually withdrew for reasons that do not concern this Court. In my experience the courts in general appear to be deaf to arguments of morality, conscience and common sense, especially in politically-sensitive cases such as this, with the result that true justice is often sacrificed in favour of appeasing the Establishment.

Showing his usual quiet courage and perseverance Dan maintained his dignity and respectful demeanour throughtout his appearance and addressed. the court from the dock. He was supported by about 20 sympathisers and will serve his sentence at Pentonville.

I express my admiration for Dan's principled action and his courage at a time when there is so little of either in evidence from our politicians. It is incredible that on Friday the Chilcott Inquiry failed to make Tony Blair answer for waging an illegal war, which killed thousands of innocent civilians, on a pretext of non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction; and on Monday a peace activist was jailed for not paying a fine incurred when he demonstrated against our own Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The Impossible Hamster

Huge increases in consumption, fueled by huge increases in debt, are behind much of the current economic crisis. Many politicans and economists believe that the economy has to keep growing without limit: industry, finance and commerce need a constantly expanding market in order to make profits. Everything is monetised (has a money value) and our 'wants' replace our needs. It doesn't make us happy and meanwhile millions don't have their basic needs met.



More from Impossible Hamster Club

We must not let Blair get away with murder

The comments on my story about the Youth Parliament show how angry, frustrated and disenchanted people feel with local politicians. At a national level the expenses scandal got massive publicity, but to my mind the public lies told by Tony Blair and his government over Iraq are of a different magnitude. The number of British soldiers killed is in the hundreds - the number of Iraqi civilians killed is in the hundreds of thousands. War crimes are more important than financial crimes.

That was the reason I went down to the demonstration outside the Chilcott Inquiry on Friday when Blair was due to testify. Interviewed by Australian TV for Channel 9, I stated baldly that the Iraq War had been illegal and that therefore Blair should be put on trial for war crimes. I predicted that he would easily manage the Inquiry Panel and would be unapologetic.  I stated my belief that his action had been predicated on staying onside with President Bush and the US at any cost.

So it turned out. The low number of people attending the demonstration, after the hundreds of thousands who marched against the war in the first place, was a big disappointment. It may be that everyone expected Blair to dance circles around a toothless panel but I fear that our failure to express massive anger about Blair's actions is a sign of our feelings of helplessness and resignation. If this is part of a wider political disengagement we leave the way clear, internationally for an attack on Iran, and nationally for the shadowy Right to exert more influence. 

Earlier in the week I read an account on the front page of the local paper in Leighton Buzzard of a row about the BNP renting the local British Legion club for a meeting. A BNP spokesperson was quoted as saying that the BNP should be heard because it was the only political party opposed to the British presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Such a stance opens up all sorts of scenarios for the General Election.

Wembley Southern Train Link: a little more official!

Since I publicised the Wembley Central Southern Trains route north to Milton Keynes (Platform 5) and south to Shepherd's Bush, Clapham Junction and East Croydon (Platform 6), here and in a letter to the Wembley Observer, there has been an increase in passenger traffic on the routes.

In a welcome and sensible step, station staff have now posted timetables at the rather forbidding entrances to Platform 6 (Southbound) and Platform 4 (Northbound). If changing from the Bakerloo or Overground you have go through the barriers to Central Square to access the Southern/London Midland platforms.  If you find the doors locked don't worry, they are opened just before the train is due. Trains in both directions leave just past the hour up to just after 9pm on weekdays, but finish earlier on Saturdays. They do not run on Sundays.

On Wednesday February 3rd I observed passenger traffic on the trains that depart just after 4pm. I counted 10 passenger boarding s the north bound train  and 22  the south bound service.

Council accused of intimidating Brent Youth Parliament members

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, yesterday accused the Liberal Democrat led Brent Council of intimidating members of Brent Youth Parliament. He raised a point of order in yesterday evening's debate on the European Communities Act:

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Speaker has given his full support to the work of the Youth Parliament and I seek your ruling, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as to whether it is in order for a public body to seek to intimidate its members in any way.

Recently, my hon. Friend Ms Butler invited young people who were members of her Facebook group to visit her in Parliament. Many of those young people were also members of the Brent Youth Parliament. Shortly thereafter, members of the Youth Parliament received a letter from Brent council's senior lawyer. The letter stressed that Brent Youth Parliament is supported by the London borough of Brent and it counselled them as follows: "You will obviously need to give careful consideration as to whether you wish to align yourself with a particular person or group and what impact this may have on others' perception of you as a Brent Youth Parliament member. If you do decide to participate in local politics, you will need to give consideration as to which person or group you are willing to be connected with and any implications of this."


Many of these young people have been frightened by the letter and regard it as a warning shot. They have previously believed that Brent council was encouraging young people to become politically active, but they now consider that it encourages them only if they are sympathetic to the Liberal Democrats. What action can this House take to ensure that these young people are not bullied in this way by a local authority?

The Deputy Speaker advised Mr Gardiner to write to the Speaker about the issue.

A HISTORY OF STRUGGLE FOR LOCAL CHILDREN

The picket line at Grunwicks, Chapter Road, Willesden

Chatting last night after a Brent Green Party meeting in Willesden, we got round to discussing the Grunwick dispute which took place round the corner at the Cobbold Road and Chapter Road Grunwick photo processing factory owned by George Ward. I described joining picket lines at 6.30 in the morning as a young teacher, before going off to do a day's teaching, often bruised as a result of the pushing contests between police and pickets.

The dispute lasted from 1976-1978 and was significant in many ways.  Firstly,  it was a dispute involving immigrant workers from East Africa, Indian and the Caribbean, that broke through into the national trade union consciousness.  It produced solidarity action from the Cricklewood Postal Workers' Union, who stopped delivering the processing mail orders, and when this was stopped by court action, other unions joined in mass pckets including miners and printers. It was also a dispute that mobilised many women trades unionists and activists: a women only mass picket met with unprecedented police violence. Immigrant workers became visible for the first time and other disputes followed, aided by the workers' experience of mobilising against colonialism.

Secondly it marked the first major intervention by the National Association For Freedom (yes it was NAFF - probably why they renamed themselves the Freedom Association, currently going large on climate change denial) on the side of bosses and against trade unions, and was in many ways a rehearsal for action against the miners during the Thatcher era.

Thirdly, it exposed weaknesses in the Labour government and the labour movement which we still suffer from today. The precarious Callaghan government was split on the dispute. Shirley Williams, a member of Apex, the strikers' union, joined the picket line, while Home Secretary, Merlyn Rees, sent in the police and the Special Patrol Group to break up the pickets.

Many Brent schools take part in Black History Month every October. They often study American Civil Rights leaders while UK studies are often about Black role models or celebrities. A study of Grunwick would reveal the strength of self-organisation and solidarity action and relate immediately to local people and the local area. In the revealing video produced by Brent Trades Council Vipin Magdahi, a member of the Strike Committee, says, "You can go to any college or school - but what we learnt in those days nobody could teach us."  Jayaben Desai, leader of the dispute, on hunger strike outside the TUC to ask for support, was asked by Len Murray, then leader of the TUC, "Who told you to do this?" (He was obsessed with the idea that the 'ultra-left' was responsible). She replied, "Nobody - it is part of our Indian tradition."  The strike failed when the wider movement decided to concentrate on fighting the Labour Government's pay restraint and social contract, but there is much children could learn from this strike which was of national significance.

There is an exhibition about the strike called 'Striking Women: Voices of South Asian Workers from Gruinwick and Gate Gourmet'  at the Women's Library, London, E1 7NT until 31st March. Images can be found on the SocietyGuardian website.  It would be wonderful if it could be exhibited at the Willesden Green Library in the future and visited by local children.

Copies of the DVD cost £10 and can be ordered through the Brent Trades Council website or by writing to Brent TUC, Willesden Trades and Labour Hall, 375 High Road Willesden NW10 2JR, enclosing a cheque for £10 payable to Brent TUC.

HAVE YOUR SAY ON CIVIC CENTRE AND ELIZABETH HOUSE REBUILD

The Civic Centre site

Brent Greens have previously asked searching questions about the lack of public consultation on whether the borough really requires a new Civic Centre.  The Council recently announced that they were consulting on the plans and a story in the local press and in the council's own Wembley Way told readers they could find details on www.brent.gov.uk/planning.  However this only takes one to the main portal and there is no direct link to the plans. You have to go through several menus and know the exact address or the case number to eventually get to the appropriate page.  The case number can only be found if you happen to have spotted it in the classified ads at the back of the local newspaper. Brent Greens have previously asked that important consultations should be linked from the Council's home page, or at least the planning portal.

Anyway we have decided to do the Council a favour and advertise the consultation, which officially closes on January 31st, although submissions can be made afterwards and may be taken into account if there is time to add them to papers before the Planning Committee. Follow this LINK to go to Civic Centre plans where you can also submit a response. The plans are likely to go to the Planning Committee at the end of February or mid-March. If you want to inspect the plans in details they are available at the Town Hall One Stop Shop, the Willesden Green Library and the planning department at Brent House. Case number 09/2450 and Planning Officer david.glover@brent.gov.uk

As the Council is itself the applicant in this case it is regrettable that the process has not been more accessible and the short time left to respond raises doubts about whether residents have been given a fair deal. You can't help feeling that the Council's decision to advertise for a contractor to finalise the design and build the Civic Centre withba closing date for tenders of February 10th 2010, before the Planning Committee considers the application, is jumping the gun somewhat. The Council hope to complete the building by the end of 2010.

One of the benefits the Council claims for a Civic Centre is that it will make it possible to dispense with their use of other buildings and we have asked at the Wembley Area Consultative Forum what they intend to do with the redundant buildings. We didn't get a very clear reply but this artist's impression gives a clue.  It comes from the documents submitted for the demolition and replacement of Elizabeth House in Wembley High Road (the offices and flats behind the petrol station next to St Joseph's church on Wembley Triangle and backing on to the grounds of St Joseph's School). The Civic Centre would free up other buildings in the area including Chesterfield House, Brent House and Mahatmi Gandhi House.

The plan is for a 13 storey building comprising 115 flats and a ground floor commercial unit. Follow this LINK to the planning documents. It is case number 09/2506 and is due to be decided no earlier than January 28th 2010. Planning Officer avani.raven@brent.gov.uk

Convoy gets through - then Galloway deported

A volunteer hands over the keys to his vehicle

The Viva Palestina convoy have now handed their aid over to the Central Council of Charities - a non-governmental body of civic societies - at a ceremony in Gaza City. Convoy volunteers will now be visiting hospitals and other places where their aid will be put to use, as well as taking a tour of the devastated areas of Gaza.


Keven Ovendon, convoy leader, said "The level of support internationally for this mission has been tremendous. We`ve been understandably in a bit of a bubble - especially when we were barricaded in at the port of Al Arish. But we´ve got some sense of the scale of solidarity events and of media coverage.


"The sight of people lining the streets virtually the full length of the Gaza Strip, after waiting for 10 hours for our last vehicles to pass (thanks to further Egyptian delays) was the only vindication of that this initiative ever required.

"This was an incredibly diverse group of 518 people. Now we aim to build on that across the UK and internationally.

"Thanks to everyone who responded to the calls to action from the VP office. There are thousands of emails to respond to and we will do as soon as we can. We are now working on further plans for coordinated initiatives over the next 12 months, which will be announced shortly. "

British MP George Galloway was officially deported from Cairo today (Friday), when Egyptian plain-clothes police officers bundled him onto a London plane.


Galloway had been trying to return to Rafah after news broke that seven of the Viva Palestina convoy members were said to be arrested. Police, who at one point were numbered at 25 mainly plain-clothes officers, refused to allow him to return.

Information from Viva Palestina website

Anti-racist Action in the Workplace

Everyday life in the workplace is a scene of struggle and at its most stark is a battle between management attempts to divide and rule and workers efforts to unite and better their working conditions.

The divide and rule tactics can be based on gender, qualifications, different contracts and other working conditions and hierarchy. Increasingly immigration status has become an issue with on the one hand companies using the insecurity created by immigration checks and raids on workplaces to drive down pay and conditions, and unions seeking to organise all workers, including migrant workers, to provide secure jobs and decent wages and conditions. 

Privatisation and out-sourcing of services in the public sector means that these struggles often take place in schools, hospitals and colleges where cleaners, maintenance staff and catering staff are employed on minimal wages and with few employment rights. The prevailing climate of mounting racism and right-wing activity attempting to blame immigrants for the economic crisis is reinforced by highly publicised raids by riot style squads on workplaces to check the immigration status of workers and detain those whose papers are not in order.

The Hands off my Workmate campaign aims to prevent the use of immigration law and the activities of the Borders Agency to intimidate migrant workers, and especially their use on workers who are seeking to exercise their rights to join and organise trade union membership and representation. It is important to recognise that such raids introduce insecurity and potential violence into the workplace and the shock of seeing workmates with whom you have built up friendship and solidarity seized in front of you is a distressing experience. It was similar emotions that caused many schools to organise against the deportation of families when children and their parents had become part of the local community and local people experienced the shock of the brutality of the state at first hand. Now the brutality is more hidden as children are held in detention centres with their parents at places like Yarl's Wood and prevented from going to school. A moving interview with Yarl's Wood children was published in the Guardian in August.

Students and staff at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London took solidarity action when migrant worker cleaners were held in detention after a raid and forced management action to provide papers to the workers and the release of those held in detention, as well as reconsidering the out-sourcing of cleaning contracts.  The HOMW promotes similar action in other workplaces.

Green Left have agreed to support the campaign, recognising its importance in combating racism and protecting fundamental human rights and I hope that the Green Party nationally will follow their lead. Solidarity action at workplace and community level is an effective and practical way of challenging the divisive activity of the extreme right.

Viva Palestina Convoy Faces Riot Police

The following message has been passed on to me from the Viva Palestina convoy taking humanitarian aid to Gaza. Refused entry by Israel they attempted to cross via Egypt:

To all friends of Palestine


Our situation is now at a crisis point! Riot has broken out in the port of Al- Arish.

This late afternoon we were negotiating with a senior official from Cairo who left negotiations some two hours ago and did not return. Our negotiations with the official was regarding taking our aid vehicles into Gaza.


He left two hours ago and did not come back. Egyptian authorities called over 2,000 riot police who then moved towards our camp at the port.


We have now blocked the entrance to the port and we are now faced with riot police and water cannons and are determined to defend our vehicles and aid.


The Egyptian authorities have by their stubbornness and hostility towards the convoy, brought us to a crisis point.


We are now calling upon all friends of Palestine to mount protests in person where possible, but by any means available to Egyptian representatives, consulates and Embassy's and demand that the convoy are allowed a safe passage into Gaza tomorrow!


Kevin Ovenden
Viva Palestina Convoy Leader

Following her attention being drawn to the siutuation by Brent PSC, Sarah Teather, MP for Brent East has written to the Egyptian Ambassador and the British Foreign Secretary to urge humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass safely.

However the reply received to a similar plea by a Brent PSC member from the Foreign Office does not give much encouragement:

The UK Government's clear advice is against all travel to Gaza, and this is the advice we have given to the organisers of the Viva Palestine Convoy. While we understand the humanitarian motivation of such efforts, it is reckless to travel to Gaza at present and any medical and other essential specialist staff seeking to access Gaza should co-ordinate their entry to Gaza with the major international humanitarian organisations already on the ground......Entry to Gaza via Rafah is a matter for the Egyptian authorities and humanitarian organisations wishing to deliver aid to Gaza must work with the Egyptian authorities on methods of delivery. You should contact the Egyptian authorities for details of any planned openings.