There are important local elections around the UK tomorrow of course, but for us locally it's the GLA and Mayoral votes.
My colleague and flatmate Cllr Monica Whyte is our Lib Dem GLA candidate for Enfield & Haringey, Brian Paddick would make an excellent Mayor (head and shoulders above the comedy show that is Boris and Ken) and our Lib Dem GLA team can grow even stronger with a big vote for us on the list. So, if you're asking, I would recommend Londoners - and especially fellow Enfield & Haringey residents - to use all three votes for your Lib Dem candidates. That's a surprise to you all, I'm sure.
But, if you have elections tomorrow, then please go and vote - whoever you're voting for (well, with one or two obvious exceptions).
And don't forget that if you've forgotten to send in your postal vote, you can still take it in to a polling station tomorrow.
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Giant balloons, bongos & hash
Sitting in Mumbai airport departure lounge, after 5 days here in India for my university friend Vivek's wedding. This is just about the first moment I've had to stop and think in the last couple of weeks.
The campaigning carried on until the day I left and picks up again in the morning, with the usual ridiculously early start to deliver leaflets. In fact, as the main events for the wedding were yesterday, I am actually missing the second day of celebrations to fly back to London in time for polling day.
A very short trip for my first visit to India, but has given me a good flavour of Mumbai at least. Had a couple of days in the Colaba area first. Some great buildings, some great food and plenty to catch the eye. I probably wouldn't have predicted the three things people tried to sell us the most often:
1. Giant balloons
2. Bongos
3. Hash
Wel, I might have guessed the last one, but the others were unexpected. One of my friends did suggest that you would need the hash before you were likely to buy the balloons or bongos - maybe that was the business thinking behind it.
The wedding was great fun - I'll try and post a couple of photos when I get home. That took place in Thane, around an hour and a half south of Colaba. Everyone was very friendly, everyone had lots of fun and the wedding celebration was really interesting for us.
Anyway, after another hair raising taxi ride (back to the airport), my short time here is nearly over. Some of the others have gone off to spend more time exploring, up to the North or to Goa, but for me polling day awaits...
The campaigning carried on until the day I left and picks up again in the morning, with the usual ridiculously early start to deliver leaflets. In fact, as the main events for the wedding were yesterday, I am actually missing the second day of celebrations to fly back to London in time for polling day.
A very short trip for my first visit to India, but has given me a good flavour of Mumbai at least. Had a couple of days in the Colaba area first. Some great buildings, some great food and plenty to catch the eye. I probably wouldn't have predicted the three things people tried to sell us the most often:
1. Giant balloons
2. Bongos
3. Hash
Wel, I might have guessed the last one, but the others were unexpected. One of my friends did suggest that you would need the hash before you were likely to buy the balloons or bongos - maybe that was the business thinking behind it.
The wedding was great fun - I'll try and post a couple of photos when I get home. That took place in Thane, around an hour and a half south of Colaba. Everyone was very friendly, everyone had lots of fun and the wedding celebration was really interesting for us.
Anyway, after another hair raising taxi ride (back to the airport), my short time here is nearly over. Some of the others have gone off to spend more time exploring, up to the North or to Goa, but for me polling day awaits...
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Congrats Lembit
When I worked in Parliament, we shared an office with Lembit Opik, Lib Dem MP for Montgomeryshire. Lembit is a top guy & the news tonight is that he has got engaged to his girlfriend Gabriela.
I met her briefly a while back and she seemed lovely. Congratulations to them both and we'll look forward to the wedding photos.
A night off campaigning completely today - was at the Long Blondes gig at the Forum in Kentish Town.
Was a great gig, Kate Jackson looked and sounded great and I like the venue. Unfortunately hadn't been able to listen to their new album, though I've had it for a couple of weeks, as my CD player's broken and wasn't able to get it loaded on to my ipod. So not recognising some of the songs detracted from it a bit.
But with Weekend Without Makeup, Giddy Stratospheres, Once And Never Again - well, pretty much everything from the Someone To Drive You Home album - it was an awesome gig anyway.
Back to leafleting though - tomorrow morning before work. Also have my own ballot papers to post... don't forget to complete and post yours, if you've got them lying around your house now!
I met her briefly a while back and she seemed lovely. Congratulations to them both and we'll look forward to the wedding photos.
A night off campaigning completely today - was at the Long Blondes gig at the Forum in Kentish Town.
Was a great gig, Kate Jackson looked and sounded great and I like the venue. Unfortunately hadn't been able to listen to their new album, though I've had it for a couple of weeks, as my CD player's broken and wasn't able to get it loaded on to my ipod. So not recognising some of the songs detracted from it a bit.
But with Weekend Without Makeup, Giddy Stratospheres, Once And Never Again - well, pretty much everything from the Someone To Drive You Home album - it was an awesome gig anyway.
Back to leafleting though - tomorrow morning before work. Also have my own ballot papers to post... don't forget to complete and post yours, if you've got them lying around your house now!
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Good Morning Vietnam - sorry, I mean Good Morning Postal Voters
It's been a fun-packed weekend so far - Friday evening delivering leaflets, with the help of my uni friend Alastair, then up at 4.30am this morning to head out and... deliver leaflets.
Just got home from delivering 'good morning' leaflets to postal voters, which means covering as much of the borough as possible, but with just a handful of houses to deliver in each street. My ward of Fortis Green has a very high number of postal voters and is also one of the largest wards geographically, but we did a pretty good job of getting around it.
Delivering what amounts to around 10-12% of the voters does mean that you zip down streets much more quickly than normal. But you can absolutely guarantee that if you have a single postal voter in a block of flats, their flat will be on the top floor. Never just the ground floor.
On the way back through the centre of Muswell Hill there were a few Ken Livingstone supporters (maybe Labour?) handing out flyers - a slightly more scattergun approach than how our morning's task was organised. One of the Labour councillors who lost his seat to us at the last local elections was shouting the slogan 'Vote for Ken, man of the people, not the racist Tory toff' - but then he was never known for being the shy, retiring type when he was on the Council either. I had a quick chat with him as I headed home from nearly 7 hours of leaflet delivery.
The reason for getting these leaflets out as early as possible is today's arrival of postal ballots for the GLA and mayoral elections, of course. So it was a relief to see my own ballot paper was waiting for me when I got home - hopefully that means residents across Haringey have woken up to find our leaflet alongside their ballot papers.
It won't surprise you to hear that I will be using my three ballot papers to vote for Monica Whyte as our Enfield & Haringey candidate, Brian Paddick for Mayor and the Liberal Democrats on the GLA list.
12 days to go!
Just got home from delivering 'good morning' leaflets to postal voters, which means covering as much of the borough as possible, but with just a handful of houses to deliver in each street. My ward of Fortis Green has a very high number of postal voters and is also one of the largest wards geographically, but we did a pretty good job of getting around it.
Delivering what amounts to around 10-12% of the voters does mean that you zip down streets much more quickly than normal. But you can absolutely guarantee that if you have a single postal voter in a block of flats, their flat will be on the top floor. Never just the ground floor.
On the way back through the centre of Muswell Hill there were a few Ken Livingstone supporters (maybe Labour?) handing out flyers - a slightly more scattergun approach than how our morning's task was organised. One of the Labour councillors who lost his seat to us at the last local elections was shouting the slogan 'Vote for Ken, man of the people, not the racist Tory toff' - but then he was never known for being the shy, retiring type when he was on the Council either. I had a quick chat with him as I headed home from nearly 7 hours of leaflet delivery.
The reason for getting these leaflets out as early as possible is today's arrival of postal ballots for the GLA and mayoral elections, of course. So it was a relief to see my own ballot paper was waiting for me when I got home - hopefully that means residents across Haringey have woken up to find our leaflet alongside their ballot papers.
It won't surprise you to hear that I will be using my three ballot papers to vote for Monica Whyte as our Enfield & Haringey candidate, Brian Paddick for Mayor and the Liberal Democrats on the GLA list.
12 days to go!
Friday, 18 April 2008
Gwyneth Dunwoody
Sad news this morning that Gwyneth Dunwoody, long-serving Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, has passed away.
Well respected for her independence and persistence, there is no doubt that she will be a great loss for Parliament - both as a personality and as a legislator.
Well respected for her independence and persistence, there is no doubt that she will be a great loss for Parliament - both as a personality and as a legislator.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
With friends like these...
Another evening of leaflet delivery and campaigning ahead. Still, it could be worse - at least I don't have any colleagues who attack me as I campaign. The weekend too is going to be mostly campaigning, though will hopefully get Saturday evening off and have a resident to go and visit on Sunday inbetween leaflets as well.
That will be my last weekend helping out the GLA and mayoral campaign though, as for the final weekend of campaigning I will be in India for a university friend's wedding. Just for a few days and I am missing the second formal wedding dinner - so I can get back in time to help out on polling day, May 1st for anyone who doesn't know yet.
That will be my last weekend helping out the GLA and mayoral campaign though, as for the final weekend of campaigning I will be in India for a university friend's wedding. Just for a few days and I am missing the second formal wedding dinner - so I can get back in time to help out on polling day, May 1st for anyone who doesn't know yet.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Non-traditional engagement gemstone
Now, I've heard of some novel ways of making a marriage proposal special before, but this takes the biscuit. What if she had never got a high enough score?
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Resident participation - on a small, but nonetheless useful, scale
Tonight I had a couple of meetings to chair as part of my scrutiny review into 'neighbourhood management' at the Council.
That probably won't mean a lot to most people - but this is the department that runs Area Assemblies, dishes out the Making the Difference money to local communities and is meant to ensure that Things Get Done, in terms of residents' key concerns on a very local basis.
Tonight's meetings were very useful and we even had a resident come along, from White Hart Lane ward. Now, it might seem a sad indictment that I am happy that a single resident came along. Pretty much all our council meetings are public and open to any resident (or indeed anyone) to come and sit in on. But that covers a huge range of meetings, some rather more 'accessible' (i.e. interesting) to the public than others.
There are usually a handful of people at our Full Council meetings - or many more, if residents have come to make a deputation on an issue of concern to them. Meetings like the Area Assemblies are specifically designed for residents (with varying degrees of success), but the rest are only likely to attract those residents with a very keen interest in the subject. Which means, for scrutiny meetings like these, you might get one or two along, but often none.
On the plus side, having one or two residents there can work really well, as it is easy for me as chair to use my discretion to include them in the debate/discussion and give them a chance to air their views. Clearly if there were a large group at any meeting, it would be difficult for everyone to do this and still actually get the business of the meeting done. Our meetings are accessible - in terms of webcasting, agendas and minutes being published and being open to the public - but sadly not always genuinely accessible in reality. Of course, I accept that sometimes that is necessary, the whole point of electing councillors is for them to represent you, take the interest and spend the time that you can't or don't want to.
Got home to hear the feedback from flatmate Monica's hustings tonight for the GLA elections and also just been watching Brian Paddick ("the only candidate with a business degree") on the televised hustings. So another politics-heavy evening...
Off to the Indian High Commission in the morning before work though.
That probably won't mean a lot to most people - but this is the department that runs Area Assemblies, dishes out the Making the Difference money to local communities and is meant to ensure that Things Get Done, in terms of residents' key concerns on a very local basis.
Tonight's meetings were very useful and we even had a resident come along, from White Hart Lane ward. Now, it might seem a sad indictment that I am happy that a single resident came along. Pretty much all our council meetings are public and open to any resident (or indeed anyone) to come and sit in on. But that covers a huge range of meetings, some rather more 'accessible' (i.e. interesting) to the public than others.
There are usually a handful of people at our Full Council meetings - or many more, if residents have come to make a deputation on an issue of concern to them. Meetings like the Area Assemblies are specifically designed for residents (with varying degrees of success), but the rest are only likely to attract those residents with a very keen interest in the subject. Which means, for scrutiny meetings like these, you might get one or two along, but often none.
On the plus side, having one or two residents there can work really well, as it is easy for me as chair to use my discretion to include them in the debate/discussion and give them a chance to air their views. Clearly if there were a large group at any meeting, it would be difficult for everyone to do this and still actually get the business of the meeting done. Our meetings are accessible - in terms of webcasting, agendas and minutes being published and being open to the public - but sadly not always genuinely accessible in reality. Of course, I accept that sometimes that is necessary, the whole point of electing councillors is for them to represent you, take the interest and spend the time that you can't or don't want to.
Got home to hear the feedback from flatmate Monica's hustings tonight for the GLA elections and also just been watching Brian Paddick ("the only candidate with a business degree") on the televised hustings. So another politics-heavy evening...
Off to the Indian High Commission in the morning before work though.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Possibly the worst campaign photo ever?
Spent most of today delivering leaflets in my ward for Enfield & Haringey's Lib Dem GLA candidate Monica Whyte and Lib Dem mayoral candidate Brian Paddick.Walking down Wellfield Avenue in my ward, thought I'd just take a quick snap of what used to be a nasty pothole. Unlike when I took the last photo, I was down there on my own today, so the picture is essentially just a piece of tarmac. I don't think it'll make the cut for our next Focus leaflet.
But if you look at the old post, you can compare and contrast and see that I did manage to get the Council to fill in this and others along the street, but it is still a bit of a state and they are not looking to resurface it properly in the near future. So for now it is just going to have to be constant reporting of all the holes as they appear - and reappear.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Campaigning cranks up as season limps away
There hasn't been much good stuff to blog about Spurs in the last couple of weeks - and having just been to White Hart Lane to see us draw 1-1 with Boro, nothing has really changed in that respect.So going to stick up a photo from a match I never got around to blogging about at the time - our 2-0 win against Portsmouth a few weeks back.
But I do now have a digital camera, at last, so when I get properly set up I'll start posting some better quality photos.
Got the camera just in time to head to Leeds to see my brother last weekend - and his then 6 day old baby, Ciaran. That's my first nephew to go with the four nieces I have. Had a lovely weekend, hadn't seen Ciaran's two sisters for a little while either.
Oh, and if you're in Leeds I can recommend Akbar's for somewhere to eat. Great service, great food and what I will promise you are the most enormous naan breads ever.
The rest of the last couple of weeks has been a combination of casework (including a couple of tricky ones), meetings, a busy time at work and a few other bits and pieces keeping me busy. Including the GLA elections of course - was out delivering at 7am on Thursday before work, for example...
Under three weeks to go now! But until May 1st it will only be getting busier...
Bag for Life
A week or two ago, I saw this pretty depressing article about where our plastic bags end up.
Reminded me of Haringey Labour's recent failure to support local initatives to reduce plastic bag use in the Council.
Reminded me of Haringey Labour's recent failure to support local initatives to reduce plastic bag use in the Council.
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Sweeping corruption under the carpet
News today that the High Court has ruled that the Saudi arms corruption inquiry should not have been dropped.
Which reminds me, another thing that has happened since I last blogged is that BBC News have changed their website design. I don't like it.
Which reminds me, another thing that has happened since I last blogged is that BBC News have changed their website design. I don't like it.
Back with a bang, out on a high
In the next day or two I'll try and do some blogging about what's been going on in the last couple of weeks to keep me away from updating this blog. In part, of course, it's been the GLA election campaign, out delivering leaflets for my exceptionally hard-working flatmate Monica Whyte (Lib Dem GLA candidate for Enfield & Haringey) and our Lib Dem mayoral candidate Brian Paddick.
But for now it's just a quick one with some breaking news. At our Haringey Lib Dem Group meeting last night, our leader Cllr Neil Williams formally announced that he will be stepping down at our AGM in May.
Neil has led our group - and so been the Leader of the Opposition on Haringey Council - for four and a half years and done a fantastic job. The obvious electoral highlights were removing the final Tories from Haringey in 2002, slashing the Labour majority from 49 to 25 in the process, and then cutting that majority right down to 3 at the last elections in 2006. There have been many stunning by-election victories too, right up to the most recent - in Neil's own ward of Highgate where my new colleague Cllr Rachel Allison was elected last month.
Neil will be staying on as a Highgate councillor with Rachel and colleague Cllr Bob Hare. He has achieved so much for us as a local party and for local residents, it's not possible to express my thanks adequately. To take Neil's words in explaining his decision to stand down from the leadership when we are two years from the 2010 elections where Haringey Lib Dems need to win just 3 seats from Labour to take control of the Council:
We will elect a new Lib Dem leader, who will be Haringey's Leader of the Opposition, at our meeting in May.
I'll leave the final words to our Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone, whose election Neil played a vital role in:
But for now it's just a quick one with some breaking news. At our Haringey Lib Dem Group meeting last night, our leader Cllr Neil Williams formally announced that he will be stepping down at our AGM in May.
Neil has led our group - and so been the Leader of the Opposition on Haringey Council - for four and a half years and done a fantastic job. The obvious electoral highlights were removing the final Tories from Haringey in 2002, slashing the Labour majority from 49 to 25 in the process, and then cutting that majority right down to 3 at the last elections in 2006. There have been many stunning by-election victories too, right up to the most recent - in Neil's own ward of Highgate where my new colleague Cllr Rachel Allison was elected last month.
Neil will be staying on as a Highgate councillor with Rachel and colleague Cllr Bob Hare. He has achieved so much for us as a local party and for local residents, it's not possible to express my thanks adequately. To take Neil's words in explaining his decision to stand down from the leadership when we are two years from the 2010 elections where Haringey Lib Dems need to win just 3 seats from Labour to take control of the Council:
"However, we need a leader to take us through to at least 2014. Ten years in the role I feel would be too long for me, so it's definitely time for a change. The Liberal Democrat Council group in Haringey has so many great people coming through. It's a fantastic group that is just raring to go when it comes to taking control of the Council. I'm really looking forward to getting the new team in place, but most of all I will have more time to spend on the most enjoyable part of the job, which is working with my two ward colleagues Rachel Allison and Bob Hare as a ward councillor for Highgate."
We will elect a new Lib Dem leader, who will be Haringey's Leader of the Opposition, at our meeting in May.
I'll leave the final words to our Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone, whose election Neil played a vital role in:
"Neil has been a brilliant Leader of our Council Group. It's not just that he is talented in the chamber - which he is. It's not just that he has guided our Liberal Democrat group from 15 to 26 members ready to take the Council next time - which he has. It's not just that he has a sharp political brain - which he does. It's that he has been a friend and trooper for over ten years and co-author of the rise of the Liberal Democrats in Haringey. I've no doubt that whatever role he takes on next Neil will be brilliant again."
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