Communications failure at Brent Civic Centre

The first Council meeting at Brent's £100,000,000 Civic Centre was the occasion for opening remarks  praising this 'magnificent' new building by Labour councillors.

Then things went downhill.

Councillors' microphones were either not working or only intermittent, making proceedings inaudible to the public and some councillors sounding like short-circuiting Daleks. The speakers' screen that shows the Mayor, who chairs the meeting, who is due to speak was not working. The mobile phone signal in the conference room was very poor and the broadband not sufficient to download the documents under discussion. The display board merely displayed the Brent logo rather than documents, speaker's names or motions under discussion.

The public are now roped off on the same floor level as the councillors with some councillors seated right in front of them, this obscures the view.

More complaints are coming in to me regarding the phone service including residents' calls not being answered, being abruptly cut off, barely audible answerphone messages and the robot switchboard voice recognition  'mishearing' names and departments and making ludicrous suggestions as to what the customer may require.

It is beginning too look more than mere teething problems.

Gardiner admits opposition stopped Modi's visit

The India News today quotes Barry Gardiner MP on the Modi visit  following the protest at the Brent Civic Centre on Monday LINK

Following the protest, Gardiner said that Modi is unable to come to the UK in the next few weeks in the face of so much of opposition.

This is contrary to previous statements that merely said Modi was too busy to come at present.

The same report quotes Pete Firmin, Chair of Brent TradesUnion Council:

It is a terrible idea to invite Modi given his involvement in the massacres in Gujarat. Barry Gardiner should withdraw the invitation right away,

 

Gardiner under fire on allegedly selective surgery appointments

Following the anti-Modi demonstration at Brent Civic Centre calling on Barry Gardiner to withdraw his invitation to the controversial Gujerat politician there was an ezxchange on Twitter about allegations that Gardiner had refused a surgery appointment to a woman with a Muslim name citing a full list but granted one to a man with an 'anglo' name who rang later. Gardiner produced a list of  people's names who had attended his surgery which included some of Muslim origin. The charge that he had tried to avoid meeting  potential critics continue to be made.

Here the 'man with the English name' writes a Guest Blog for Wembley Matters describing what happened:

As a constituent of Brent North I was recently approached with a request to try and book a session with my MP at his next Surgery. This came about as it seemed that a number of people involved in the campaign against inviting Narendra Modi to the UK had been unable to secure appointments until the end of the month at the earliest.

On 4^th September 2013 I made an email request at 21:32hrs to the office of Barry Gardiner MP requesting a Surgery appointment the following Monday, 9^th September. I was offered a slot with a caseworker, Ms. Sylvia To, via email the following morning pending the provision of some further details. The appointment was confirmed over the phone late the following afternoon.

I admit that in securing the appointment I used a little poetic license, describing the reason for my request as “issues surrounding the new Civic Centre” – which I euphemistically used to describe the planned demonstration.

Attending the demonstration prior to my 12:50hrs appointment I was introduced to one of the campaigners who had failed to secure a hearing, and updated on the day’s events; Barry Gardiner had issued a letter to the demonstrators after a brief discussion as he accessed the building, and people were being informed that Narendra Modi would not be taking up the invitation to visit the UK. The letter was a duplicate of an earlier missive to the Council of Indian Muslims (UK) dated 19^th August, with an additional paragraph noting the right to demonstrate and the small number of complaints the MP had received regarding the invite. 

Demonstrators with access to the Gujarati media pointed out that Modi had not refused to visit the UK, but was currently unable to do so due to the pressure of his role in leading the Opposition electoral campaign for the 2014 elections.

Barry Gardiner MP left the Civic Centre prior to my appointment, citing a late request to attend a meeting in Westminster. My meeting with Ms. To lasted exactly seven minutes and fifty-nine seconds from “Hello” to “Goodbye”.

Greeting Ms. To, I thanked her for providing me with a session at such short notice; she explained that normally it would take three weeks to get an appointment, but it looked like I had probably secured a cancellation. I again expressed my appreciation, clearly indicating that I was here as part of the demonstration and had been concerned that I had been prioritised for a hearing due to my “Anglo” name as other demonstrators had been unable to secure appointments. Ms. To said that they had been told this earlier and there was a short discussion about telephone line issues three weeks previously which was cut short when it was made clear that appointments had been offered by the MP’s Office. (This indicates the lack of a priority-based waiting list if true).

Ms. To then expressed how “bemused” Barry Gardiner was to find the demonstration. He had only received five letters via e-mail disputing the invite issued to Modi – had I read the letter he had issued to the demonstrators? I said I had, and it was a cut ‘n’ paste of his previous letter to the Council of Indian Muslims, that sadly took no account of their recent reply which had been a point by point refutation of his statements. Ms. To reiterated that the MP’s Office had only received five emails opposing the invite to Modi; they had fifteen pro-Modi messages after the invite was publicised, and the administrative staff assigned issues importance according to public intervention. I pointed out that there was obviously some feeling in the Borough opposing the invite: I was advised to tell all those who felt this way that they should contact the MP’s Office in writing. I expressed an ironic disappointment that the issue was to be reduced to a “numbers game”, but agreed to pass the information on. Ms. To apologised that I was not able to discuss the issues directly with Barry Gardiner MP, as he would have been more able to respond to my issues. She then indicated she could fill in a form with my concerns to be passed on to the MP. I am now on record for raising the following points with my MP’s Office:

1.    Modi is a known human rights abuser and – according to the University of Chicago – a member of a proto-fascist party. He is refused access to the USA. In the UK there are immigration controls against giving access to those who abuse human rights or have extremist political views. Why are we issuing an invite to such a man?

2.    Why would Barry Gardiner MP ignore the wishes of his voters and place more importance on the Gujarati economy?

3.    As Chair of the “Labour Friends of India” it is sad that my MP seems to be so ill-informed on this subject; he needs to reply to the rebuttal of his previous comments – repeated in the letter to the demonstrators today - by the Council of Indian Muslims (UK) soon;

4.    The issue is not about the ability of Modi to attend meetings in the UK; it is about refusing to issue visas of this kind to those who are perceived as worthy of economic rehabilitation. The invitation should be formally withdrawn, as it is now merely suspended.

An update on runners in the Brent Central race

Sarah Teather's decision not to stand again seems to have breathed new life into the Brent Central election battle. Some local Liberal Democrats are firmly of the opinion that their candidate should be a woman while, intervening from Sutton, Lester Holloway has claimed the candidate should be of African or Caribbean background. Apparently he hasn't ruled himself out! A BAME criterion would have suited Cllr James Allie who was on the list of approved Liberal  Democrat candidates and the only Black Lib Dem councillor- unfortunately he crossed the Council Chamber floor and joined Labour. As if to forestall any thoughts that Allie may have of changing horses again, Cllr Jim Moher writes in The Voice that James is very much at home with Labour LINK

Moher, who some say played a king maker role in Muhammed Butt's election as Labour Group leader, strongly promotes Dawn Butler as Labour's Brent Central candidate in  his Voice article. Muahmmed Butt told me last night that, despite rumours to the contrary, he was not going  for the nomination.

Among other possible Labour contenders Sabina Khan is still in the running but has also been interested in Ealing. Sabina emphasises her credentials as a business woman and entrepreneur and yesterday posted an article on Energy on the Progress website LINK

Cllr Zaffar van Kalwala made a grandstanding speech about Sarah Teather at the Brent Council meeting last night to a mixture of applause and derision indicating that his hat was firmly in the ring and capable of performing some dazzling tricks. Kalwala has been active on the Harlesden Incinerator campaign but has perhaps not had as much active support on protests and demonstrations from party colleagues as he deserved.

Butler, who was tainted by the  expenses scandal, is joined by two other former MPs with similar issues. Tony McNulty, former MP for Harrow East and a government minister is married to Christine Gilbert, Brent Council's acting Chief Executive, whose tenure was recently extended until after the 2014 council elections. He resigned from his ministerial post over expenses allegations.

Parmijit Dhanda, former MP for Gloucester is also mentioned as a possible candidate. Dhanda had to pay back over £1,800 in overpaid mortgage expenses. The latter has a rightwing record having voted for replacement of Trident, ID cards, tuition frees and anti-terrorism laws and against an inquiry into the Iraq War.

A more left alternative is offered by Mike Buckley who is North London representative for the Christian Socialist Movement LINK. He is said to be an admirer of John Cruddas, is against imperialist wars and has worked for Islamic Relief.

Dr Sundar Thava, an NHS doctor, worked with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan and spoke recently at the Labour Party meeting on Syria and you can read what he had to say on this  blog HERE

Patrick Vernon has been continuing to cultivate the grassroots with vigour and his work on Windrush Day and health issues has been prominent. However his campaigning blog 'Patrick Vernon for Brent Central' lags way behind his activities and is not kept up to date. LINK


Further down the list is Camden councillor Mike Katz whose credibility has been dented by his de-selection as a council candidate for 2014.. Richard Osley of the Camden New Journal described his as 'cast as a New Labour eagle in a nest of lefty voices'. LINK Katz blogs HERE

Another name mentioned to me is Dan McCurry who writes regularly for LabourUncut. His main claim to fame is leading the Labour fightback against Respect in East London with the slogan 'Vote for Us or Get George' which managed to keep the council in Labour hands. He often expresses frustration at Labour's current failure to fight the Coalition with sufficient energy and aggression.  McCurry's Blog

Rumour has it that there are up to 38 candidates with perhaps more expected following Teather's decision not to stand again. With these numbers I don't have all the names so anyone wanting to contribute any more information is welcome to send it on.

As I remarked on Twitter with more runners than the Grand National in the Brent Central Labur contest there are likely to be some broken legs!

The election for a candidate is expected to take place in October.

PS The Greens are biding their time...

All parties on Brent Council unite to condemn Eric Pickles' decision not to intervene on Welsh Harp development

Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors tonight joined the Brent Council ruling Labour group to condemn Eric Pickles' decision not to intervene in the West Hendon redevelopment on the banks of the Welsh Harp reservoir and nature reserve.

The Barratt Homes  development in Barnet was narrowly approved by  Barnet Planning Committee but opposed by planners in neighbouring Brent. The reservoir straddles both boroughs.

The news was received only shortly before the Council was due to discuss a Labour motion calling for Pickles to intervene because of the scale of the development (flats of up to 29 storeys) and the damage it would do to a cherished and rare open space.

An amendment was quickly tabled condemning his failure to intervene and was passed unanimously in a very rare show of party unity.

Lib Dem councillor calls for African or Caribbean successor to Teather

Guest blog by Lester Holloway, Liberal Democrat Councillor, Sutton North Ward

I am immensely saddened that Sarah Teather has decided to step down from her Brent Central seat at the next election.

She stood up for liberal and democratic principles, particularly after she left government, and on immigration was a shining if lonely beacon of common sense in the Lib Dems.

In an interview with the Observer yesterday she singled out the visa bond scheme and the general approach to immigration as among the main reasons why she could no longer support the party in parliament.
My disappointment is that she has not chosen to stay and fight for those beliefs, particularly as so many party members agreed with her stance.

Certainly the likes of Bernie Grant would not have quit but carried on the fight from the backbenches. However, as Teather admits in her interview, her commitment to the party mean she would not be comfortable with such a role.

Her stepping down should now be an opportunity for the Lib Dems to do some serious soul-searching about what she has said. It is time to reflect and debate what we need to do to appeal to diverse communities.
Nick Clegg made a speech after being elected leader promising to challenge Labour in its’ heartlands and carried this theme into the 2010 general election. This ambition appears to have been lost in coalition government but needs to be recaptured.

Policies like the visa bond for Nigeria and Ghana should never have been agreed. As the Observer interview reports:

When all three party leaders made speeches over Easter this year about the need to take a tough line on immigration, Teather says she reached her lowest ebb. Clegg said some immigrants from “high-risk” countries should be asked to make cash deposits of £1,000 when making visa applications, which would be returned when they left the UK. Teather plunged into an instant, deep depression, seeing this as an abandonment of the liberal approach that drew her into the party in her teens.

“It was spun like it was a bail-like payment linking immigrants, who were mostly just coming for a wedding, with criminals. I just felt catastrophically depressed. It took me some time before I began to communicate with Nick Clegg … It was an absolutely black moment. I couldn’t even move from my seat when I read it. I was so depressed, I couldn’t even be angry. I was utterly desolate.”

I argued recently on Lib Dem Voice that the party should reorientate itself to appeal to BAME communities, and got a lot of flak on the reader thread for my efforts. However Teather’s decision to stand down only reinforces the need to focus on appealing to Britain’s increasingly multicultural communities.

Labour in Brent are continuing to take the 2015 election for granted. Dawn Butler was defeated by Teather in 2010 in part because Butler had her nose in the expenses trough claiming for lavish items like a £2,300 whirlpool bath yet has never apologised, shown any regret or contrition to the best of my knowledge despite having ample opportunity to do so.

Yet the same Dawn Butler is positioning herself to run again. Her voting record when in parliament includes voting for ID cards and for clamping down even harder on immigration, the very issues that Teather stood against.

Whereas Teather successfully campaigned against Labour’s policy of detaining children in asylum detention centre prisons and worked closely on the Pupil Premium for disadvantaged children, Butler’s contribution in Westminster was minimal. 

I was on BBC London radio last night opposite Butler talking about Teather and Butler on particularly screechy form accusing Teather of “lying” without being clear what the “lie” actually was. She has obviously learnt nothing from previously being forced to publicly apologise to Teather for calling her a “hypocrite.”
Butler’s schoolyard jibes continued after the show when she Tweeted that I was “delusional”. She spelt my name “Leister” but to her credit managed to spell ”delusional” correctly.

Today The Voice has published a shamelessly partisan article by a Brent Labour councillor who fails to mention any other contender for the Labour nomination despite other hopefuls being well-known.
I have heard that many Labour activists in Brent do not want Butler again but they may not have no choice in the matter as she has long been busy signing up supporters, I hear, and may already have enough votes in her handbag, no doubt along with all her expense receipts. It’s the sort of tactics that have seen Labour suspend several constituency parties in the past.

The question of who the Lib Dems pick to replace Teather is an important one. While I have never argued that BAME candidates must necessarily run in BAME-majority seats, the fact that the party do not have a single MP of colour and are so far behind both Labour and the Conservatives it would be madness to pass up the opportunity in Brent Central.

The party have never had an African or Caribbean MP, yet this constituency has more black voters than any other ethnic group. I know there are extremely capable African or Caribbean Lib Dems considering this seat and in my view it would be unacceptable not to pick one of them.

First published on Lester Holloway's blog HERE

We won't be SILENCED: oppose the Gagging Law

Pickles to be urged by Brent Council to call-in Welsh Harp development

The development site

The motion below is being put to tonight's full Council meeting by Cllr Roxanne Mashari. I understand it will have Liberal Democrat support but I don't know the position of Conservative councillors:

West Hendon development

This Council opposes the West Hendon Development plans which have recently been approved by Barnet Council and the Mayor of London.

Members note that the Welsh Harp Reservoir and Nature Reserve is the only site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in Brent or Barnet and has London wide and national ecological significance.

Members note that Barratt Homes has failed to address concerns raised by Brent Officers, community groups and wildlife organisations who have opposed these plans, which will lead to 6000 new residents moving into tower blocks up to 29 storeys high and the construction of foot bridges leading directly from the site into the SSSI. Members agree that the scale and design of this development amount to an act of environmental vandalism.

This Council notes that the scale and design of the proposed development contravenes official guidance in both the Barnet and London plans.

This Council wishes to reaffirm the value of our Welsh Harp Nature Reserve and reservoir and its belief that this site must be preserved for future generations.

This Council therefore urges the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to call in this decision with the utmost urgency. This is in light of the numerous and grave concerns raised by a number of professional and community bodies which remain unaddressed.