Owen Jones "Are you a socialist?" Caroline Lucas "Yes, definitely."

Do you know about the Kilburn Mob and the Rudies?

Lloyd Mentore

Guest blog by Bethan Mentore

Family history has always interested me.  Stories of workhouses, coal miners and war heroes are always good for sharing round the dinner table at family reunions.  When I married my husband in 2007 I knew his dad, Lloyd Mentore, was well-known in Brent.

Lloyd had coached Brent Youth football and taught Judo at Poplar Grove on Chalkhill Estate.  His legacy was plain for all to see when 600 people attended his funeral in 1998.  A few months ago I decided to see what I could find out about my father-in-law on the Internet.

 A search via Google came up with Lloyd's name in a forum about skinhead fashion.    This was the post in the forum:

The Kilburn Mob was made up of Black and White Lads, My best mate at School..a Black Lad was Lloyd Mentor,RIP, we both used to go to Judo together in the mid 60s, he was always better than me ..and went on to become a 5th Dan, Lloyd use to work in a Cloths shop on Willesden Lane.. after school and Saturdays, He got me into Skinhead cloths, Lloyd had a Cousin Lenny V, He was a wild Rudie, and about the best dressed bloke in Kilburn and feared,

When we had a fall out with the Blacks, and was at War for a few months, My mate Lloyd kept out of it..also another of my Black mates Ollie a African lad who lived next door to me, Lloyds Cousin.Lenny, also kept out of it , not that he was worried, He was just one of these individuals, who was his own man.

One night we was walking down Kilburn High Road.. Along the High Street. was a Machine Arcade, Outside was a Black Lad.. everyone steamed over to have a go at him, It was my mate Ollie, I just stood with him, He was my School mate and lived next door to me.., Some of the Lads started to turn on Me, But i was not having it. Me and Ollie just walked home.

Lloyd died of a Brain Haemorrhage aged 42.

After reading this we were not only interested to find out who Cousin Lenny V was but also wanted to know more about the Kilburn Mob and the Rudies

If you can throw any light on this please comment below or send me an email at mafran@globalnet.co.uk  and I will pass it on to Bethan

'My Kilburn' Then and Now photo competition

Jeremy Corbyn talks to Salma Yaqoob on Prevent problems and the alleged failure of multiculturalism

Brent North nominates Jeremy Corbyn for leader

Rather unexpectedly, Brent North CLP backed Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader this evening. Yvette Cooper was in second place, followed by Andy Burnham with Liz Kendall last.

This completes the Brent constituences. Brent Central also backed Corbyn and Hampstead and Kilburn backed Yvette Cooper.

Fighting the Trade Union Bill inside and outside parliament - what are the options?

Corbyn mania was well in evidence at yesterday's Rally on resisting the Trade Union Bill. Corbyn supporters were leafleting outside the NUT's Hamilton House and pressing JC stickers on anyone and anything in the vicinity, almost as bad as the Jehovah Witnesses outside Wembley Park station!

Brent was well represented with LRC members of Brent Labour as well as former Labour councillor Jim Moher present along with Pete Firmin Chair of Brent Trades  Council, Michael Calderbank, chair of Brent Central CLP; Sarah Cox of the SWP, Brent Fightback, and Brent Save Our NHS;and yours truly from Brent Green Party and the Green Party Trade Union Group.

The Corbyn factor was evident from the beginning when Dave Prentis announced Unison was backing him for Labour leader and ended the rally when John McDonnell pledged that Corbyn would mount real opposition in this Parliament to the Bill and when elected to  power in 2020 would repeal all anti-trade union legislation.

Clearly Corbyn's campaign is still to be won and if he does win the problem of what to do about a Parliamentary Labour Party that failed to make a comprehensive stand against the Welfare Bill will loom large.

If he does not win and an austerity-lite candidate becomes leader what happens to the relationship between Labour and the unions?

Another issue that emerged during the speeches was the extent to which unions would be prepared to break the law. There was a sober warning towards the close about what happened previously when unions found their funds sequestered by a hostile Tory government.

Would the Labour Party back breaking an unjust law?

The details of the Trade Union Bill are still to come and there are likely to be amendments from both sides. The Green Party opposed previous anti-union legislation and are almost certain to oppose these both from within parliament and outside when they meet at Conference in September.

Huge chunk of Wembley Park to go to US company in Quintain deal

Quintain Estates and Development are recommending a  £700m bid by US private finance company Lone Star to shareholders. Quintain own land around Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena as well as the London Designer Outlet.

This is how Business Insider reported a dealing frenzy this morning:

Quintain has planning permission to build 5,500 homes in the area and 835 are currently under construction.

Angus Dodd of Lone Star in a statement said:

The proposed acquisition represents a unique opportunity for Lone Star to gain further exposure to resdiential and commercial assets in London

Wembley Park is one of the largest and most exciting urban renewal projects in Europe and complements our experience in this segmewnt of the market.

We intend to contribute significant additional financial resources to help Quintain in its next phase of growth to accelearte delivery at Wembley Park, building more homes more quickly and continuing the creation of a cohesive and exciting new community.

I wonder how many of the new homes will be social housing?

It will be interesting to see how Brent Council, Quintain's development partner, get on with the new landowners.

Reuters report HERE
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Another accident at Wembley ASDA junction tonight

I came across another accident close to Wembley Asda about 40 minutes ago.  Locals have become increasingly concerned at the number of accidents, including collisions, at this site.  Cars leave several lanes to exit from Asda to turn right into the southbound carriageway of Forty Lane.  Others turn left into the northbound carriageway, while cars also enter King's Drive from Forty Lane.

The satellite photograph above was taken before the opening of the new petrol station at Asda which resulted in a new road layout within the Asda site and increased traffic and the Click & Go facility has now had its hours extended.

The French School is due to open in September at the former Brent Town Hall and will eventually have 1100 pupils adding to the traffic.

At the timeof the school run and just after northbound traffic on Forty Lane is often bumper to bumper across the junction with cars exiting Asda trying to squeeze in when the lights change.

Thankfully injuries tonight appeared to be only minor but clearly this junction needs urgent review.