Blogging4Merton

Pollards Hill stabbing fatality statement

2011-10-23T18:06:00.003+01:00

This morning, I received the shocking and tragic news that a stabbing incident had taken place in Pollards Hill, and that a 28 year old male had died from his wounds. As you can imagine, it was extremely distressing and harrowing to hear this news, especially as Pollards Hill is normally a safe area with relatively low levels of crime. In my time as a councillor, we've had no fatalities in the ward as a result of knife crime, and to hear about a fatal stabbing incident was a bolt from the blue. My deepest condolences and sympathies goes to all his family at this difficult time, and may he rest in peace.

Given the seriousness of the issue, Siobhain McDonagh MP and the local councillors for Pollards Hill will be organising a meeting in Pollards Hill at 7pm at the Community Centre, South Lodge Avenue, Mitcham on Tuesday night(25 October). The meeting is to give re-assurance to the local community, many of whom are inevitably concerned at what has happened and to update them further. Tomorrow night (Monday 24), a number of people will be meeting outside the community centre at 5pm to talk to local residents about the incident and to let them know what is happening. A leaflet will also be distributed locally to residents in Pollards Hill. If you can help deliver leaflets, or talk to local residents please drop me an e-mail on martin.whelton@merton.gov.uk or call 020 8542 4835 or 07941514589.

The incident took place around 11.40 pm last night and if they're any witnesses or anyone with any information should call the Incident Room on 020 8721 4906 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Further information about the identity of the victim will be released shortly but today has been a difficult today for both myself and the community of Pollards Hill. I am proud to have represented this area for the past nine years on Merton Council, it's a diverse community with many fantastic people in the area. This incident is no-way reflective of everyday life, it is a tragedy, but I have no doubt that the community locally will come together after this terrible incident.

Letter to local residents from Siobhain McDonagh MP about riots in the Tandem Centre and Priory Retail Park

2011-08-10T00:31:00.001+01:00

Dear resident,

I was out in Colliers Wood at midnight on Monday night as shops in the Tandem Centre and Priory Retail Park were being burnt and looted. I cannot remember when I was so angry. Kids are coming out and starting riots and adults are driving round in cars to see what they can steal.

I would ask all parents to keep their sons and daughters in over the next few nights. Many young people are getting caught up in these riots who have not previously been in any trouble - so the safest thing is for them to be off the streets altogether as they could easily be arrested and end up with serious criminal records that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

And as for the adults. They are preying on the most vulnerable people, taking or destroying property from people who have very little and often have no insurance. People’s jobs and livelihoods are being stolen from them. So can I ask if you know anyone who has looted, or if you are offered stolen goods, please call 999 and tell the police.

If you are worried about passing on this information then tell me and I will speak to the police and keep your details confidential. With Westminster in recess I am working in the constituency full time. So you can get me at my Morden office on 020 8542 4835. If I'm out on a visit then leave a message with Amy and I will call you back.

Can I also take this opportunity to say to parents that there are lots of events over the summer for children and teenagers. Here are examples of two free events in the next week -

Commonside Development Trust ‘Funday’

Saturday 13 August midday to 5pm

Donnelly Green

South Lodge Avenue

Pollards Hill

There is a day of activities and events for all ages, including army assault courses and a barbeque, and for younger ones there is also a bouncy castle, face paints and stilt walkers. There will even be an Elvis impersonator, so please come along. All are welcome!

Free Basketball Taster Day

Thursday 18 August 11am to 3pm

Lavender Park

Steers Mead

Mitcham CR4 3HL

All ages and abilities, including beginners are welcome. There will be expert coaching, skills and drills and prizes and giveaways. There will also be free weekly basketball sessions every Tuesday from 4-6pm at the same place for the rest of August and September.

I have also put together a full list of one off summer events, plus a booklet on regular all year round youth clubs. If you'd like copies of these, again call my office 0208 542 4835 or email me on siobhain@mmlp.org.uk. Or simply call in to my office at 1 Crown Road, Morden SM4 5DD (it’s just behind the civic centre) to collect your copy.

With good wishes,

Siobhain McDonagh

PS if there is any trouble at all local Councillors and I will always come out at night to make sure local residents are safe. This is our community and we must not let a minority wreck it. But please tell the police or me if you know anything. These mindless individuals are putting our neighbours’ livelihoods and lives at risk.

Message from the Leader of Merton Council and Merton Borough Commander

2011-08-09T10:23:00.000+01:00

Message from the Leader and Borough Commander
As you have seen in the national media coverage, many areas of London suffered violence and looting over night. The Tandem Centre in our own Colliers Wood was targeted by criminals intent on committing both arson and looting.

Council officers have been working around the clock with very brave officers from the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade.

There can be no defence of this criminality, and the council will continue to work with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice.

We ask that if anyone has information about those involved in the violence and looting in Colliers Wood or at any of the other locations affected by the violence, they contact the police.

Leader of Merton Council, Councillor Stephen Alambritis

Chief Superintendent Dick Wolfenden

2012 Olympic Games & Merton

2011-07-27T20:43:00.004+01:00

With it being a year to go until London 2012, things are moving apace and with only 366 days left until the opening ceremony it will be frenetic between now and next July. As someone who is passionate about sport, being awarded the Olympics back in 2005 was a dream come true. Yes it had sceptics along with those who thought it would cost too much, be a flop and of that London was incapable of hosting the games. They have all been proven wrong, to date it has run extremely smoothly, construction costs have came in under budget and ahead of schedule. No other games has better prepared at this stage than London 2012 and Seb Coe and all his team have done a fantastic job.

Of course the press have been looking for the negatives, the recent ticket allocation being a case in point and I speak as someone who got no Olympic tickets. Yes I felt the disappointment, but no other games has had this level of demand for tickets which is an amazing feat given that in Athens you could've bought tickets for the 100 metre final four weeks before the games. Hopefully further ticketing opportunities will arise before the games.

In Merton, we are proud to be the host borough for the tennis. Being cabinet member with lead responsibility for the Olympics, I'm aware of the many logistics and preparations that have to be undertaken for the games. As a council we're incredibly well prepared; were also lucky that Wimbledon tennis is the largest outdoor sporting event in the UK each year over a fortnight(except in 2012!) and we know what is required of us a council. However, the Olympics brings new challenges, next year it will follow just three weeks after the conclusion of the championships and many tasks will have to be carried out to make the ground ready to host, with LOCOG moving in straight after the championships. It may sound an easy task, but I can assure you it's a huge challenge.

In terms of promotion, Jonathan Edwards recently raised the flag at the Merton Civic Centre and shortly we'll be having the Cultural Olympiad in Pollards Hill on August 13 which a number of events promoting sport and culture will taking place. We also have Linford Christie, Olympic gold medallist form Barcelona visiting Mitcham in August. In the run up to the games, we'll also see further events take place as the excitement builds towards 2012.

I'm incredibly proud London is hosting the Olympics and despite the many challenges of the next year, I sincerely believe that the 2012 Olympics will be the best ever.

Merton Tories Caught Out Again

2011-07-27T20:21:00.003+01:00

Thanks to Chris McKeown who has passed on a rebuttal by the Merton Park Independents on the latest leaflet to be circulated around Merton Park by the Conservatives. Sitting in the council chamber, I regularly hear the vilification meted out against the Merton Park Independents at council meetings especially by Cllr Richard Hilton who described them as "puppets".

The allegations made by the Tories are untrue and the Independents do make up their mind on an issue by issue basis. In the last council they voted most of the time with the Conservatives, much the consternation of the Labour Group. Despite their nasty campaign against them at the last election, the Merton Park Independents massively increased their majority over the Conservatives. After 22 years of electing Independents the Tories have repeatedly failed to win back Merton Park ward despite their best endeavours. They show no sign of winning it back anytime soon.

Merton Tories Caught Out Again by Chris McKeown
In Local Government, Tory Myths, UK Politics, Wimbledon on July 24, 2011 at 8:03 pm

Yesterday I received a leaflet from Merton’s Tories viciously attacking the Merton Park Independents (my ward’s three councillors upon whom Labour rely for their control of the council). Today, I received a copy of an email from the Independents refuting all of the allegations. Read on, it’s fairly damning:

Dear Resident,

As you know, we distribute email alerts to keep residents up to date on important local issues. We don’t believe you want to hear too much about party political posturing in the Council Chamber. However, you may have received a flyer from Merton Conservatives accusing your Independent Ward Councillors of failing to represent your interests. A number of residents have contacted us querying its accuracy. The simple response is that the claims are inaccurate and expose some muddled thinking. They are crudely made but require rather longer to refute. If you don’t want to read more then by all means “Look away now” but if you want to contrast reality with the allegations contained in the Conservative flyer then read on . . .

There are six bullet point arguments contained in the flyer, each of them short, pithy and misleading. They tell you that “Your Independent Councillors

“voted to abolish the free garden waste collection”

With just cause: this year’s Council Budget, which had to reduce spending by £26 million, removed the free garden waste collection. It was replaced by a paid-for service which began a few weeks ago. The previous service was costing £227,000 a year and collected 1,700 tonnes of garden waste from fewer than 14,000 properties (about 1 in 5 of the total in Merton) of which only a few thousand were regular users. It was not a statutory service (i.e. one they have to provide) and it seemed fairer to charge these households directly for collection than to subsidise it out of council tax. We know that many users are willing to pay for the service. In our current residents’ questionnaire on Council Services several residents have expressed the opinion that they would favour a paid for service. And across the Borough over 2000 households have already signed up for it. To be sure, the introduction could have been handled better by the administration. Preparatory work to plan a paid-for service was in hand in January and despite your Councillors urging all speed to have a replacement service in place to allow a smooth transition, there was a hiatus which we know caused considerable inconvenience to some residents.

“voted to extend controlled parking, against your wishes”

Not true: your Ward Councillors voted for a consultation. The Council Budget includes a provision for an extension of CPZ restrictions to Saturdays. But the Conservatives themselves acknowledged in a previous flyer that any extension is explicitly subject to full consultation which can take up to six months. As you will know, we have been critical of the operation of the CPZ in the past and steered an amendment through Council over a year ago to cap CPZ charges and reintroduce the half day visitor permit (proposals that the Conservative administration actually tried to vote down). We are still waiting for the officers to announce their consultation plans. Not only will we be fully engaged in the consultation process; we shall be conducting our own surveys to ensure your opinions are fully represented.

“voted for wheelie bins costing over £4 million, despite 75% of you telling them you didn’t want them”

Not true: your Ward Councillors have not voted for wheelie bins. During the council debate on the issue, Merton’s Conservatives put forward a motion that your councillors could not vote for because it was misleading. In the debate, Cllr John Sargeant, who chaired the cross-party Task Group into Wheelie Bins, pointed out the logical flaws in their motion. For example, while the motion called for all the Task Group recommendations to be accepted, it also called for an immediate roll-out of food waste collections to every home in the Borough, which the Task Group, with its two Conservative members fully on board, expressly recommended against. (For the full text of John’s speech, click on the attachment.)

The three other issues in the flyer relate back to the debate on the Council Budget passed in March. Without being explicit, they simply refer to school standards, front line services and back office costs. Faced with the reality of less money, and more cuts to come, it is all too easy to decry the loss of some services. We could have followed the Conservative approach to spend an additional £1.7million beyond our means (equivalent to 2% on Council Tax) to postpone necessary cuts. But that would merely have built up even greater problems for future years. Throughout the Budget discussions we sought outcomes that would balance the budget while protecting the most vulnerable residents.

Many thanks to those of you who have contacted us to query the accuracy of these allegations. You are right to be sceptical. We, for our part, will continue to provide you with the facts, without spin or over-simplification. We are always keen to hear your views.

So, Merton’s Tories are at it again, deliberately misinterpreting the facts instead of actually doing their jobs.

Remembering Sheila Draper

2011-02-03T21:26:00.003Z

This morning I heard the awful news that Sheila Draper, Labour Party stalwart in Mitcham and Morden, but also Mayoress of Merton from 2009-10 and husband of my Merton Council colleague Nick Draper had passed away.

Although she had been ill of late, this was a bolt from the blue. I considered Sheila to be good friend and I mourn her loss deeply. My most abiding memory of her was the night of Wednesday 13 May 2009, it was the night that I stood down as Mayor of Merton. Who was to succeed as the next mayor was a matter of great debate at the time as Merton Council was evenly divided, with 30 votes for the Conservative nominee, Cllr Gilli Lewis Lavender and the same number for the Labour nominee, Nick Draper. It required every Labour councillor to attend the meeting(which thankfully they did) and for the casting vote to be cast by myself as the outgoing mayor in the event that the votes were equal(and they where). After a nerve wracking roll call, Nick Draper became Mayor of Merton, it was sheer relief to us all as it was a tough battle to ensure Nick was elected.

In the corridor outside the chamber, I met Sheila, because she was so nervous and thought Nick would lose she wasn't planning to attend. However, at the last minute she changed her mind and attended. I remember hugging her in jubilation in the corridor, it was so emotive and the relief on all of us that Nick had been elected was palpable. I'm so pleased looking back that she had the opportunity to serve as Mayoress, and I know Nick wanted to become Mayor as much for Sheila as for himself, it was decision that changed her life.

Her year as Mayoress to Nick was an amazing time, she was a great ambassador to the borough, but also helped Nick raise over £50,000 for his chosen charities. Nick and Sheila made a great mayoral team and made a huge contribution to Merton during their time as Mayor and Mayoress, but also in the events they organised. I will never forget the Elvis tribute night which was a fantastic fundraiser as Sheila was one of Elvis's biggest fans. It certainly was one of the liveliest ever mayoral events, and it was all put together by Sheila.

Sheila reached out to all parts of Merton, sometimes civic office and the bling gives some individuals airs and graces, but through it all Sheila remained a down to earth person who performed the role admirably.

I am so pleased that she had the opportunity of being the Mayoress last year, and for the work she undertook during that year along with her support to Nick.

The Labour Party will also miss her deeply, she was treasurer of Mitcham and Morden and helped keep the accounts in order. She was also a great socialist, probably slightly old Labour, but very loyal to the values of the party.

I will miss Sheila greatly and my deepest sympathies and condolences go to your husband Nick, and to your children Gregory, Anthony and Caroline.Your memory lives on for many of us.

May you rest in peace.

West Barnes library update

2010-12-13T23:32:00.005Z

My e-mail inbox has been full of representations over the past few weeks from residents in West Barnes that I am about to close their library. This followed a Lib Dem focus leaflet that I was to announce its imminent closure from next April, this of course led to a deluge of e-mails from local residents. This has now been followed up, belatedly, by a Tory leaflet. Of course my e-mail address has been on the leaflets and residents have understandably sent e-mails to me supporting the library. The running total is over 40 to date with no doubt many more to come.

Firstly, no decision has been made to close West Barnes library. As a council we only received our grant settlement today - and as expected it's not good news. Like many other councils faced with a similar position we are still analysing the full extent of the cuts we need to make, no area of council expenditure can be off limits for possible cuts.

From a child growing up with a wonderful library in Sutton, I know how pivotal they've been to my learning experience and I know how valued they're in the local community. However, with the level of savings that we need to make, we are having to make some very difficult choices at present. Merton as a council has already identified over £11m of savings so far and will still need to make further savings in the budget process beyond those already proposed.

In terms of the library itself, I don't want to be in a position to make a decision I don't really want to make. However, Tory minister Eric Pickles cuts are forcing us to do things that I never envisaged I would have to do in politics. Maybe both Conservative and Liberal councillors can join me in lobbying Eric Pickles for more money - with local MP, Stephen Hammond being his Parliamentary Private Secretary he may have some sway, though I am sure the queue is very long.

I also know the valuable role libraries play in the local community, especially in my own community of Pollards Hill, but also in other communities within Merton including Motspur Park and West Barnes.

In terms of libraries, I am already having to make savings. West Barnes library is proposed to close for another day each week, though it will now be opened at lunch hours which will only result in a small reduction each week in opening hours. Although hours will be reduced, in other libraries across the borough apart from Colliers Wood we'll be increasing opening hours. A further consultation will be carried out with users in the New Year but this is positive news in troubled times, and we'll be able to run the service at a low cost than at present with longer opening hours as well. Sadly Conservative councillors on Merton including their culture spokesperson, Cllr Samantha George seem to be opposed to these changes. They are being made in response to the many requests we've had from residents to open the main libraries of Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden on Wednesday afternoon and to abolish lunchtime closures. So it's not all doom and gloom.

Across London, libraries are being proposed for closure by councils. In Conservative controlled Wandsworth they want to reduce their libraries from 11 to 5, a figure lower than in Merton which is a significantly smaller borough. We are not yet in that position in Merton and I hope it will remain that way, but thanks to Government cuts we have many challenges ahead in protecting our library service.

As a community we do need to look to the future in terms of libraries and I would welcome ideas, suggestions. I believe libraries do have a future, but their role has changed in recent years, and will no doubt change further in the years to come.

Local Government settlement

2010-12-13T23:23:00.002Z

At last, the local government settlement has been made, and true to form Eric Pickles has certainly taken care of his mates in the Tory shires. whilst shafting the urban areas which are predominately Labour authorities. In London, the bias is also endemic where surprise, surprise the Tory boroughs have done much better than the Labour Boroughs, just like what happened under Maggie. Fair it isn't, but then again then they've never been known for that trait and they are still the same old Tories despite all the coalition gloss.

In Merton we will be required to make even larger savings than those envisaged previously. It is tough times, and it will mean taking some very difficult decisions in the next few weeks. One thing is sure, as a Labour Council protecting the vulnerable and those in need will remain paramount to our decision making and principles.

Thoughts of Manchester

2010-09-30T22:15:00.004+01:00

Finally, I am back blogging again after a very-long hiatus. In that time, I got re-elected as a councilor for Merton Council in Pollards Hill with one of the highest swings to Labour in London at 13% and increased my majority from 250 to over 1600; become a Cabinet member in Merton with responsibility for culture and housing; saw the end of the Labour Government after 13 years along with the demise of Gordon Brown; along with the formation of a coalition government led by David Cameron and a Liberal Party under Nick Clegg that has sold its soul to become part of government.

I have spent most of the last week in Manchester for Labour Party Conference(my fifteenth), they're exhausting with many late nights, but I do find them very addictive. This was the first time I'd attended where the election of a new leader was to be announced. Last time we had a contested election was back in 1994, and I was a party member of barely a week (I am just about pre-Blairite). So despite my years spent in the party, this was my first contested leadership election.

It was a conference that looked to the future and not the past. The leadership of the party was finally resolved and I congratulate Ed Milliband on his success. Personally I supported David as I believed he was the best choice. However, while party members and the parliamentary party shared my view that David was the best choice, the trade unions and affiliates decided otherwise and as party with a very complex electoral college system, it meant Ed come out on top by the narrowest of margins. I hope that the party does moves towards a one member, one vote system in future elections and abolishes the archaic electoral college. I had five votes in the election, both as a member of the party, but also as a member of various affiliates, this really is ridiculous and change is long-overdue. I do support the Labour Party trade union link but believe it is time we reform how we elect our leader. That though is a debate for another time.

We should now move on and not have recriminations or have sour grapes about the result. Ed is the leader and as a loyal supporter of the party, I firmly believe we have to unite behind Ed. He is the new generation and I was impressed by his speech. As for 'Red Ed' it is really is a myth, the speech was very much centrist middle of the road, the content of which reflects most of my own views on politics. He is not in the pocket of trade unions like some in the media would like to portray

I am sad that David won't be serving under him, he has a lot to offer the party and his decision not to stand in the Shadow Cabinet is a major loss. I can understand why he has decided to go and the non-stop media obsession about David and Ed would clearly have continued. I feel awfully sorry for him and hopefully after some time away he will return to the fray as we need him back.

The next few months will bring difficult times. First on the horizon is the spending review will have a major impact across the public service as budgets are slashed by 25-40%. It will be challenging, and I know from being a Cabinet member in Merton it will mean taking some very difficult decisions, some of which will be very painful. We know savings have to be made, but as a party it is our duty to protect the vulnerable and help those in need. Some of the cuts have already impacted adversely on our poorest communities, and I have no doubt that the spending review will bring further pain. I also dread to think what other half-baked policy they will announce soon, they have had many in the first few months(abolishing PCT's, Audit Commission, Free Schools to name but a few) and no doubt more to come soon.

We also have to face the facts that we lost the election badly. Some changes will need to be made and its important that as a party we learn the lessons. We can get back in one-term, but we d need to look fundamentally at ourselves and reach out to communities that deserted us at the last election. I wish Ed Milliband the best of luck, he made a good start, now is the time to deliever and bring us again to the promised land.

George Reynolds & Miles Windsor allegations

2010-03-05T16:49:00.006Z

It seems that Miles Windsor, the Tory candidate in Cannon Hill has been spreading false accusations against Siobhain McDonagh. In his blog he claimed that Cllr George Reynolds, "asked to be exempted from canvassing on a Sunday. A reasonable request most would think, especially as it isn’t just his beliefs that would be conflicted (although this would be reason enough) but also as it is his job. Siobhan wouldn’t agree it would seem. He has been de-selected."
http://mileswindsor.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/george-reynolds/

In terms of Sunday morning canvasssing, it has never been a requirement to undertake it to remain a Labour candidate. Many of my group cannot attend canvassing on a Sunday due to church commitments and instead go out on Saturday or other days during the week. I also know that Siobahin, like myself is a regular attender at church and in the Labour Party people beliefs are always respected despite what is being claimed by Miles Windsor. He may want to check his facts next time.

Meanwhile, he should be asking questions of the Conservative leader, Cllr David Williams who was made remarks recently that the rising Merton birth rate "was the pope's fault". He claimed it was a joke, but many Catholics have been offended by his remarks. Now I wonder whether Miles has criticized him yet about his remarks? I see no sign of it yet on his blog.

Below is a full response that has been issued by the office of Siobahain McDonagh MP in response to the Miles Windsor allegations and the Archbishop Cranmer blog site http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/

I am Siobhain McDonagh, and I would like to confirm that this whole story is completely untrue. It is also deeply offensive and should therefore be removed.

Most offensively, it suggests I am anti-religion. Anyone who knows anything about me would be aware I am a Catholic who goes to church assiduously every Sunday. I am very angry that you have portrayed me as conspiring against anyone for their beliefs or religious observances. What you have written about me is hurtful and 100% false. It is hard to believe anybody with any true religious belief could be so nasty as you have been in your blog, or could so deliberately damage another person’s reputation without checking any facts.

Your source is utterly unreliable. He cannot even spell my name correctly. This should have been a clue.

Indeed, the story is completely untrue. To be clear, the rules of the Labour Party expressly forbid exclusion on religious grounds, and neither can any individual veto anyone else from standing. In any case, in the fact of this case, Cllr Reynolds has never been excluded from standing, and his religious beliefs and commitments never arose during the selection process. This wouldn’t have been allowed anyway. The simple truth is that, while they praised Cllr Reynolds for his past efforts as a Councillor, local Labour Party members ultimately chose other candidates. And at all stages it is Labour Party members who choose who they want their candidates to be, not MPs, with the decision made by secret ballot. But since the source of this story seems to have been a Conservative candidate, he wouldn't know that.

This whole story is politically motivated smearing, with no bearing in truth whatsoever, and you should take it down. It is completely untrue, causes great offence to the many Christian Labour activists who give up so much of their time to help their communities, and should be of great embarrassment to you.

It is very upsetting to be accused of anti-religious bigotry, and I hope you will be brave enough to apologise for airing this untrue story and for portraying me in the way you have. I also hope that you will retract the accusations completely so that they are not continuously repeated on other blogs or elsewhere.

Yours sincerely,
Siobhain McDonagh

Merton Full Council Meeting

2010-02-04T20:31:00.004Z

Apart from the David Williams comment reported in my previous posting, the full Council meeting last night was one of the most successful for the Labour Party since 2006. We were successful in getting our parking motion passed in council which criticised the council's rise in parking charges last year for parking permits and visitor day permits. The Merton Park Residents', whose amendment we accepted and former Tory Councillor Angela Caldara supported our motion, and we won 31-28. This is an issue we'll be continuing to push in the run up to the election.

On the Tory Environment motion, we also managed to pass by 28-27 a Labour amendment to their motion. The amendment itself was proposed by former leader, Cllr Andrew Judge who pioneered the Merton Rule during his time as leader of the council.

Unfortunately, we lost the wheelie bin motion as the residents failed to support us on this issue. This is despite widespread support for our policy throughout the borough which has been shown through surveys conducted by the Council when Labour controlled and also by Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh. The Tories have refused to introduce them despite the clear evidence which shows how they would improve street cleanliness, stop bags being riped open by foxes which is a particular problem in my area, and also reduce litter. They have refused to consult on the issue of wheelie bins which is systematic of how they conduct consulation in Merton, certainly not 'Putting You First' which is the council strapline(and also from the last Tory manifesto). In boroughs where they have been introduced, it has made a real difference, and many of those boroughs have a higher recycling rate than Merton. This will be a Labour pledge in the forthcoming Merton election.

The council also passed unanimously a motion on the Holocaust Memorial Day. Having attended the service last Sunday at St Mary's Church Hall in Merton Park, it was a particular moving service as it was addressed by a Holocaust survivor. It is something we should never forgot along with other more recent genocides including Darfur, Rwanda and Bosnia and it is right the we commemorate it each year.

A petition was also submitted supporting the Waitrose proposal for a supermarket at the old B&Q site in Wimbledon. A few months ago, the leader David Williams and local councillor said "the views of residents don't matter" in opposing the proposal. On the Labour side we believe people's views do count and that a Waitrose would be a great bonus for Wimbledon, along with creating jobs in a site that is currently direlect. They are also just the type of business we should be encouraging and having one in Wimbledon would be a real bonus.

Sick and tired of hearing about poor old Mitcham

2010-02-04T20:05:00.004Z

Not my words but the comments of Cllr David Williams, Tory Leader of Merton Council at last night's Council meeting in response to a motion criticizing the response of the council to the recent bad weather and the level of street gritting in the Mitcham area. Even by David Williams standards this was a remarkable comment, he has made a number of gaffes over the past four years, but this one takes some beating.

Nearly all Labour Councillors were amazed that he could say something so crass about the area. I am a Mitcham councillor, I am proud to represent Mitcham, and I will also defend the area against any Tory attacks. The attitude of the Tory administration towards Mitcham in the last four years has been shown in the collapse of any regeneration proposals; the debacle of the Christmas lights this year which attracted widespread ridicule in the press; and also the concern that many residents have about the way they see Mitcham as an area in terms of resources. In Pollards Hill, we saw first-hand with the travellers issue just last summer how the council effectively encouraged a traveller encampment on Mitcham Common.

Now Cllr Williams maybe "sick and tired of hearing about poor old Mitcham", but many residents are certainly sick and tired of his Tory administration, which we'll be reminding voters of over the next three months. Still when you've only had one Conservative Councillor elected in the Mitcham area over the last twenty years, it's not surprising that the leader holds these views as the both him and his Tory colleagues(though less gaffe prone than him!) have no real understanding of the area at all given that only one of their councillors out of 29 lives in Mitcham and even she is quitting at the election.

Goodbye noughties, hello 2010!

2009-12-31T19:14:00.003Z

Well as we say goodbye to the noughties and welcome in the tens, at times like these you look back over the past decade, both the good times and the bad times.

For most of the the past decade, I have also served on Merton Council representing Pollards Hill, this has been both a great honour and a privilege. Becoming Mayor last year was a great moment, along with some wonderful memories from my year in office that I will cherish for ever.

2010 will has many challenges ahead, I hope to be re-elected in Pollards Hill next May, but above all I want to see Labour win a 4th term in power.

I hope everyone enjoys the New Year and best wishes to all.

463 extended to Pollards Hill

2009-12-20T21:17:00.003Z

On Saturday, the 463 bus service was extended to Pollards Hill. For me, this has been a long-running campaign and has been on-going since I became a councillor in 2002. Over that time there has been many delays along the way, but finally perseverance and campaigning has paid off, and the extension has finally came to fruition.

The bus service will provide a direct link to the tramlink stop at Beddington Lane, along with a direct service to ASDA in Beddington Lane which is used by many people living in Pollards Hill. With access to bus services important locally, this is very welcome news and I know that many people locally will use the service. The 463 will run every 20 minutes, seven days a week.

Below is a link to the press release: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/13758.aspx

Merton Conservative leader blames Catholics for rising school places in Merton

2009-12-18T09:59:00.006Z

Now I haven't blogged for a while - pressure of other things in my life has intervened, but I felt compelled to report the following remarks made by the Leader of Merton Council, David Williams at the Cabinet last Monday. At the meeting, following a statement by the Vicar of St Marks school, Rev Stephen Coulson about the Conservative administration's decision to not go forward with the modernisation plans for primary schools, he said as an aside "that rising school places were the fault of local Catholics”.

Many people were of course outraged by the remarks, for s start it was untrue, and secondly the rising birth rate is not a Catholic phenomena, but a problem that exists across London. As councillors we've a duty and a responsibility to respect the beliefs of other religion and not act in a discriminatory way. We may not agree with the principles of a faith, but people have a right to be respected for their religious beliefs.

The story has been reported on in the local Guardian this week, and when asked for a comment on his remarks in the Guardian he stated, “it was absolutely in jest. I wouldn't have wanted anyone to take offence. It was a flip remark, and maybe I should be more careful in making flip remarks”. He may believe that it was “in jest”, but to a large number of Catholics these remarks are not seen as some light-hearted joke. A link to the Guardian story is here:
http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/4802153.Pupils__mugged__by_Merton_school_funding_cut_says_governor/

The matter has now been reported to the Standards Committee of Merton Council for further consideration.

Tories and lottery money spent on new Pollards Hill Library

2009-10-01T00:19:00.003+01:00

Later on today, the new library in Pollards Hill will be opened by The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. This is despite the fact that the Greater London Authority has provided no funding at all for the library, clearly Boris seems to be spending his time opening facilties of which the GLA have no link with and has made no financial contribution at all. As local Pollards Hill councillors', Richard Williams and myself have issued a press release pointing out the hypocrisy of the Conservative administration in Merton, and the policy of the Conservatives nationally in criticizing lottery money being spent on libraries.

Tories: lottery money spent on new Pollards Hill Library was theft

On the day that the new Pollards Hill Library is officially opened local Councillors have been drawing attention to the fact that under a Conservative Government, the lottery money to rebuild the library would not have been available. National Tory policy is that lottery money spent on libraries is 'lottery larceny' and they would change the law to stop it happening.

Pollards Hill Labour Councillor Richard Williams commented:

'Having a new library is something to celebrate but seeing Tories who believe that using lottery money to rebuild local libraries is stealing celebrating with them will leave many residents confused.'

Fellow Pollards Hill Councillor Martin Whelton added:

'Should the Tories win the next election and have their way, there must be fears that the lottery money being spent on the library will be stopped. We'll be inviting Merton Tories and Mayor Boris to tell the Conservative Party that the new library is a good thing and cuts like this would be wrong'

1. Conservative Party policy announced in February 2008 is that lottery money should not be spent on libraries: http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2008/02/Reforming_the_National_Lottery.aspx
The announcement was covered in media reports:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-512984/Lottery-billions-used-Labour-projects-funded-taxes.html
This remains Conservative Party policy: http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Culture_Media_and_Sport.aspx

2. Mayor Boris Johnson will open the library at lunchtime while a celebration for residents, with local councillors attending, will take place in the afternoon.

Federer winning Wimbledon

2009-07-05T22:52:00.000+01:00

What a remarkable final - now I thought last year was good, but this match was every bit as good. In winning, Federer has to be the best ever tennis player, his performance was again brilliant, even if it took until the 77th game to break the Roddick serve. I thought Andy Roddick put up a great show, even after squandering four set points in the second set tiebreak he kept going right to the end and to lose the final set 15-13 and showed his tenacity and perseverance. For Andy Roddick to lose three Wimbledon finals must be pretty hard to take, but Federer is a brilliant player, and to win fifteen Grand Slams is an amazing record unlikely to be beaten for a long time to come. I can even see Roger Federer getting to twenty, and given his age he has every chance of achieving even more.

Wimbledon is a tournament that produces some great matches each year, and this year was no exception. As a tennis addict I am always glued to the TV set during Wimbledon fortnight, the only thing missing this year was not seeing Nadal being able to defend his title, and Murray missing out on the final. Hopefully next year will be different but nothing can be taken away from the triumph of Roger Federer in winning again.

Michael Jackson's death

2009-06-28T20:40:00.002+01:00

Over the past few days the death of Michael Jackson has received saturation coverage in the media and his death is testament of the huge impact he had on the world of music over many years. He was a truly global superstar,known in every corner of the world.

Although I wasn't his biggest fan,the sales of the Thriller album are likely to remain unsurpassed for many years to come(though I thought the Bad album was even better). Michael Jackson was an extremely talented musician and still had a huge fan base, his ability to fill the O2 arena in London for 50 nights showed that he still had great pulling power, hardly any other musician or groups would've been able to sell out so many concerts. It is very sad that his life ended the way it did, but he leaves behind some great musical memories, and for me, Billie Jean is my favourite Jackson track, closely followed by Dirty Diana and I Can't Stop Loving You.

May he rest in peace.

Chris Ostrowski selected in Norwich North

2009-06-28T20:28:00.003+01:00

My congratulations goes to Chris Ostrowski on his selection as Labour candidate in Norwich North. I know Chris from his time as an activist in Mitcham and Morden CLP, and I know what a fantastic candidate he'll make for Norwich North, and for the Labour Party. He will be a great camapaigner for the party and very hardworking. This seat will be a hard seat to hold and by-elections for the governing party are always a challenge, but in Chris our chances of winning are greatly enhanced, and I'm sure he'll fight a great campaign to ensure the seat stays in Labour hands.

Back to political blogging

2009-06-28T20:10:00.002+01:00

Well it's been a while, and after my non-political sabbatical during my mayoral year I'm back political blogging again. Since I've been away plenty has been going on in Merton that I've been unable to comment upon, now that I'm free of those restraints I'll certainly be starting to comment again on the Tories on Merton Council and their actions. With an election now less than a year away, it promises to be a an exciting year. I will also be giving my views shortly on the national political scene, clearly we're in challenging times, the European Election results were a disaster, and as a party we've many lessons to learn in terms of the future.

Back in business very soon

2009-05-10T20:42:00.002+01:00

The blog has been very quiet for a long time, and quite deliberately as it would have been inappropriate for me to give my view on politics whilst serving as Mayor of Merton. However, my year comes to an end on Wednesday night, and after a year doing mayoral activities I will be free to blog again about all thing political, and blog I will!

President Obama - A truly momentous day

2009-01-20T23:01:00.003Z

It was a truly remarkable event seeing Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. After years of dismal failure and disaster under George Bush, America has finally turned over a new chapter in its history and hopefully usher in a new era in politics.

He comes to office at one of the most challenging times ever given the economic problems we face globally, and the economic recession both in the US and across the world. Likewise trying to sort out the mess that is US foreign policy is no easy task, but I believe that under Obama things will change and that we will see a real difference under his leadership.

Today was a wonderful occasion to witness, and his inaugural address was inspiring as well. The time for talking is over, now is the time for delivery. Good luck President Obama, I have faith in you!

Obama is elected president

2008-11-05T22:51:00.002Z

The election of Barack Obama as president is a remarkable and inspirational event. Having backed him from the start, my faith in him was vindicated and his election has ushered in a new era in Amercian politics. It also shows how much America has changed over the last forty years since the civil rights movement and it's willingness to embace Barack shows that as country it has come together.

This has been a hard fought election between Republicans and Democrats with many twists and turns along the way but eventually Barack came out on top. The crucial turning point was the financial problems in September which had a huge impact on the polls and in turning a narrow Obama lead into a substantial lead. John McCain fought a good fight to the end, but it was clear that he did not have the vision to move the country forward or to bring people together. His choice as Sarah Palin as his running mate was a disaster.

Now is opportunity for Barack to turn words into action, expectations are high but I believe that he has the necessary skills to bring about change America.

Lewis Hamilton

2008-11-03T17:29:00.003Z

It really was edge of the seat stuff yesterday, first it looked like Massa had clinched it then sensationally Hamilton won it at the final bend. It was great to watch and my congratulations goes to Lewis Hamilton on winning what will hopefully be the first of many world championships.

One day to go

2008-11-03T17:18:00.002Z

The long road to the US election is finally at an end, and what an exciting campaign it has been. In the States the election has seen record early voting, with the Obama base extremely energised and voting in numbers never seen before. All the polls are in his favour, and looks like it may be a landslide, personally my prediction is that he'll be elected President and win the electoral college with over 350 votes. I also think he'll sweep the swing states, Virgina(first time since 64), Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and may even have some surprise wins in states like Georgia and even Arizona(McCain's home turf). Mc Cain is on the defensive, and the maths are also strongly against him given the latest state polls.

Still elections can be strange beasts, and nothing can be guaranteed but given the polls and 111 successive polls showing Barack in the lead, surely McCain is not get going to pull this one off and it's why I think Barack will be the 44th President. Good luck Barack, you'll make a great President and tomorrow will surely be a momentous day for the world.

England winning in Zagreb

2008-09-10T23:29:00.002+01:00

They struggled against Andorra the other day, but tonight they turned in a vintage performance in Zagreb to triumph 4-1. The performance of Theo Walcott was phenomenal, scoring a hatrick in one of his first competitive appearances for England is a no-mean achievement. Replicate a performance like that again and we'll on the way to the finals in South Africa. England seem to vary from outstanding to downright rubbish, this in my view was the best performance since that never to be forgotten night in Munich back in 2001 when we beat the Germans 5-1. Now lets build on that performance, and not make it a one off. We've had too many false dawns in the past, lets hope it's the start of something great.

Making sense of the US presidential race

2008-08-30T23:16:00.002+01:00

With the Democratic convention over, the Republican convention about to start, the race to be the next president is stepping up to gear as we enter the final two months before America votes on 4th November. Last week saw a successful Democratic convention, where the Democratic party came together and ended in Barack Obama making a powerful speech to 85,000 in Denver where he set out his vision, and demonstrated why he should be elected as the next president. It was also an historic moment - the first African-American to be nominated a presidential candidate by a major party.

On Friday, the attention was focused on John McCain who surprised everyone by naming a complete unknown in Sarah Palin as his running mate. Most people hadn't heard of her prior to the announcement, and most political commentators did not really tip her either. The ability to surprise is one of the traits of John McCain and it was proven in his choice by selecting the Governor of Alaska who had only been in the job less trhen two years. By choosing her it was clearly an attempt to woo the female vote, many of whom felt aggrieved about Hillary Clinton losing to Obama. My reading of the situation is that it will backfire, first of all Sarah Palin has a strongly conservative background, pro-life, anti gay-marriage/partnerships, pro-gun etc, this will not appeal to many of the Hillary supporters who hold views that would be anathema to Sarah Palin. Secondly, her experience is very limited, yes Barack's is limited as well, but not to this extent; she is governor of one of the smallest US states and prior to that she was a mayor of a town of 7,000 people(less then the size of my council ward in Merton), this counts in an election where international issues will come up regularly and she is no match for Joe Biden. Thirdly, various ethics issues exist in Alaska and currently she is being subjected to an investigation over the dismissal of a state employee connected to her brother in law, the investigation is scheduled to end on October 30th just before the US election day. Now I might be wrong, but John McCain has no right to talk about experience when he chooses someone of such limited experience.

This election has all to play for, Barack has received a boost from the convention and no doubt McCain will as well, that's unless Hurricane Gustav throws a spanner in the works by overshadowing the whole convention, and all the reports suggest it's a major one that has the potential to wreak havoc over New Orleans again and a wide part of the US. Given the record of the Republicans over the last eight years, it's inconceivable to me that John McCain can win given the disastorous economic policies of the Republicans, their environmental record and the international catastrophes that have happened over the last eight years. The Republicans may see Sarah Palin as change, but her record suggest she spins the same old Republican line that has failed to deliver over the past eight years. Barack Obama is real change, and its certainly what the US needs given the record of George W Bush in office.

Nadal winning Wimbledon

2008-07-07T17:01:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity of going to Wimbledon to watch the Men's final, and what a fantastic match it turned out to be. Despite the rain breaks, it was edge of the seat stuff throughout and was amazing to see first hand. Roger Federer proved why he won Wimbledon five times by fighting back so brilliantly from two sets down ,and from 5-2 down in the fourth set tiebreak. I lost count of the number of break points he defended in the match. Likewise Nadal showed why he is a worthy champion by playing some scintillating tennis which at times was sheer brilliance. To be the first player since Borg to win Wimbledon after the French, is a phenomenal achievement given that so few players have even won both tournaments let along back to back wins. I was glad to be able to watch one of the great Wimbledon finals - it may have been long match but there was never a dull moment throughout.

Spain winning the European Championship

2008-06-30T23:01:00.003+01:00

I have a confession to make - I actually wanted Germany to win the European Championship last night. With no involvement from the home nations, it was a hard choice to make, but I happened to draw Germany in a work sweepstake, so I nailed my colours and allegiance to them for the duration of the tournament. The fighting spirit lasted for a long time, but sadly it was not to be, and on this occasion they came 2nd. Still my support was for them was for this tournament only, if I had drawn another team I'd probably have supported them for the duration in the absence of any home nation - hopefully I'll not have to make that choice come the World Cup!

However, I am also pleased for Spain and especially el nino(Torres) who scored the winner, being a Liverpool fan it helped make defeat that much sweeter and Spain really had been the team of the tournament.

Andy Murray beating Gasquet

2008-06-30T22:55:00.003+01:00

What an amazing tennis match, and what a player. He never gave up, and won though in what had to be one of the most entralling matches I've ever seen played at Wimbledon. When Gasquet was serving for the match in the third, Murray looked finshed, but back he came, with some of the most amzing shots I've ever seen played in a tennis match.

On Wednesday I'll be going to Wimbledon and I am looking forward to his match against Nadal, maybe another classic??? Hopefully Murray will win, it will be tough, but if he plays as well as he did tonight in the final three sets he stands every chance of going further.

Barack Obama wins Democrat nomination

2008-06-04T22:22:00.003+01:00

Well I've been backing him from the start as the Democratic nominee and finally last night he was confirmed as John McCain's opponent in November. This has possibly been the longest drawn out primary season going right to the bitter end. Hilary Clinton is certainly a formidable fighter and fought him right to the end even though she'd effectively lost a long time ago.

I never really believed that Obama would win the nomination back in January and thought Hilary would come through - a prediction I thankfully got wrong. Now he has to pick a running mate, Hilary is touting herself around and has a strong case but given the divisive nature of the primary campaign is it really a viable option? One thing that does need to happen is that Democrats have to come together and unite behind Obama, if they embark on infighting they'll hand the presidency to John McCain and that would be a disaster for the US and the world. Obama is the change candidate and hopefully will be the next President of the United States.

Let the battle commence!

Mitcham Eastfields station opens

2008-06-03T00:02:00.002+01:00

After nearly a seventy year wait, just aftet 4 today the new Mitcham Eastfields station opened and services commenced. They had orginally meant to start this morning but due to techincial issues the opening was delayed till this afternoon.

The new station will impove travel significantly from the Mitcham area, and especially from my council ward of Pollards Hill, part of which is near to the station. London will now be only twenty minutes on the train, along with providing a direct link to the Eurostar station at St Pancras and to Luton Airport. Hopefully the station will also act as an economic stimulas for the area and bring much needed new investment into the area.

Its been a long time coming but at last its here.

It has to be Barack

2008-05-14T23:59:00.002+01:00

With the endorsement of John Edwards earlier today it surely spells the end of Hillary Clinton's campaign. It has been a fantastic battle and one of the most exciting primary races for a generation, but it's quite clear that Barack Obama will be the Democrat nominee for president.

Hillary will do herself no favours if she stays in beyond the end of the primary season in early June. It is clear that the momentum with super-delegates is with Barack and that he'll soon have enough support to take him over the line. The issues of Michigan and Florida are raised continuously along with their exclusion. It is clear that even if they were included Barack would win, and he wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan.

However, the one worrying thing about Barrack’s candidature for president is his polling among blue-collar workers. The Democrats need to win over that crucial demographic. What has also concerned me is his failure to really win any of the big states except his home patch of Illinois, it's all very well winning the small states but the big ones is where the vote is come election time.

I started off a Barack supporter and remain one, the next few months will be crucial. The Republicans are so unpopular in the USA that now is never a better change to enact real change in America. However, in John Mc Cain you have a maverick candidate who leans to the left on some issues to the ire of the Conservative wing of the Republicans. He may have difficulty motivating his vote to come out on election day which played such a crucial role for Bush in 2004.

The battle is nearly off, and then it's on to the big one Barack V McCain

New Mayor of Merton

2008-05-14T23:54:00.002+01:00

I was elected as Mayor of Merton on Wednesday night and I'll be in for a busy year ahead. The mayor-making ceremony went quite well, though being dressed up in robes is never the most comfortable of experiences. The ceremony in itself is not the easiest but I think I just about managed it on the night. It is a great honour for me to become the new mayor, the youngest to be elected to that position and the first born after 1965. The next year promises to be a busy year ahead but it's a great opportunity and I'm greatly looking forward to it all.

Ward results for GLA/mayoral election

2008-05-13T23:14:00.003+01:00

The results by ward are out for the GLA election. Looking at my own ward of Pollards Hill; Labour were ahead on all three counts in my own ward of Pollards Hill and by a bigger margin then at the 2006 local elections. The results cab accessed on the following link: http://results.londonelects.org.uk/Results/DownloadResults.aspx

Down to the wire

2008-05-05T22:15:00.002+01:00

The Premier League is down the wire, with Chelsea winning today at Newcastle it goes down to the final weekend with both teams on the same number of points and possibly the most exciting end since 1989. Although I'm bitterly disappointed at Liverpool losing last week to Chelsea in the Champions League,in this country we possibly have the best teams in the world at present, and this has been replicated through having an English Champions League final for the first time ever.

As for who'll win, my money is on Manchester United to win the Premier League and that Chelsea will get their revenge in the Champions League final.Hopefully next year Liverpool will be challenging for the Premier League, but it will only happen when we clearly the disastrous team of Hicks and Gillett out of the club.

Marks & Spencer opens new store in Colliers Wood

2008-05-05T22:01:00.002+01:00

Today, I visited the new Marks and Spencer in Colliers Wood which opened last Thursday. This is actually the first full range Marks and Spencer in London Borough of Merton(we have a Simply Food store in Wimbledon) and the store itself is one of the largest Marks and Spencer in the country. The store adds to the growing retail environment in Colliers Wood, which now seems to have every major chain present in various retail park along with providing hundreds of new jobs to local people. The one downside though, is that it's likely to impact on traffic coming into the area and with free parking provided it's likely to encourage even more car journeys. This will need to be watched carefully, but overall it's a significant boost to retail in the borough and is to be welcomed.

The aftermath of the local elections

2008-05-05T21:07:00.005+01:00

Having spent the bank holiday weekend recovering from an arduous election and the shock of seeing Boris win the mayoralty, it has not been the best weekend and along with many on the left it has been a pretty depressing time.

London under Boris means we'll have to face new realities and adapt to new circumstances. The thought of Boris in charge of London doesn't fill me with much confidence and the days of progressive politics in this city are at an end for the moment. I believe that London has a lot to thank Ken Livingstone for; especially the transport improvements; the neighbourhood policing teams and of course London becoming the host city for the 2012 Olympics. Ken, despite his mistakes, had a track record of success. Likewise his policies on affordable housing was something I welcomed as making housing affordable is of vital importance in a city which has some of the highest property prices in the world. One thing I will guarantee, is that Boris Johnson will not have the same commitment to affordable housing. Tory councils across London including Merton will be able to get away with providing low levels of affordable housing.

Despite the success of Boris Johnson, this is still an evenly balanced city. Labour despite the mayoralty saw it votes rise in real and in percentage terms. In losing Ken received more votes then in 2004, sadly more of the suburban Tory area of London voted then the strong Labour areas.

The other disturbing part is the election of the repugnant BNP to the London Assembly, despite their vote only marginally rose from 2000. It was however, enough to see Richard Barnbrook elected along with giving them a platform for their polices of hatred and division.

The rest of the country meant it was not a great night for the Labour Party. Lessons have to be learnt from the result which were poor with a few notable exceptions(Slough, Oxford, Ipswich and Liverpool, spring to mind). As a party we need to have seriously consider how to re-connect. The whole 10p tax issues has not been an unmitageted disaster. What would be disastrous is recriminations, if this happens, we haven't a chance in hell of winning a fourth term. These are difficult times, and lessons need to be learnt. The party does need to be focus more on addressing issues have had an impact on support for Labour. Unlike some in the media, Cameron hasn't got the next election in the bag and the Labour party can recover from its present position.

I also believe that the current economic circumstances will change. People are feeling the pinch at the moment and the economy is going through a rough patch. There is no denying that things are challenging for many people, especially those with mortgages. However, things are in no way comparable to the early nineties with interest rates and unemployment a fraction of what it was under the Tories.

This is not the beginning of the end and we have to remain confident that things will change. Politics has its up and downs, I've had many up's, but sometimes you have your downs, last week was one of those. We lost on Thursday, but we can return to winning ways.

A cruel blow at the end

2008-04-22T21:43:00.002+01:00

Looked like Liverpool tonight we were set for a 1-0 success, and what happens? an own goal is scored with the last kick of the game. Football can provide some cruel blows and this unfortunately was one of them. Still, it's a long way from being over and I'm sure we can bounce back at the Bridge, though it will be difficult given Chelsea's record at home.

Gwyneth Dunwoody

2008-04-18T21:35:00.002+01:00

Although she could be a battleaxe at times, and had very forthright views, Gwyneth Dunwoody was a great parliamentarian who was fiercly independent and a true champion of Parliament. Having recently become the longest serving women MP ever, she contributed a great deal to this country during her time in Parliament which stretched back to 1966.

The Labour Party also has a lot thank for MP's like Gwyneth Dunwoody, who helped move the party towards more commonsense policies, instead of election losing policies which was the hallmark of Labour back in the early eighties. If hadn't been for people like her, the Labour Party would never have recovered from the electoral disaster of 1983.

She was unique, and will be very sorely missed.

Liverpool pull it off again!

2008-04-08T22:18:00.002+01:00

It looked it all over after the Adebayor goal; but like on so many other other occasions Liverpool came bouncing back to set up another re-match with Chelsea. It's night like these which makes up for for all the heartache and failures you have to endure as a football supporter. There is also something about European football that brings out the best in Liverpool, time and again we look down and out and we always seem to manage to come back from the brink. If we knock out Chelesea then it's on we go to Moscow - this may very well be another year of success in the Champions League and with El Niño Torres in such great form, anything's possible.

Mugabe clings on to power in Zimbabwe

2008-04-06T23:30:00.002+01:00

What has been happening in Zimbabwe is greatly disturbing, a once great country has been reduced to a wreck through the policies of the despotic Robert Mugabe who uses every trick in the book to cling on to power.

When a country can barely feed its own population, where the economy has collapsed with the highest inflation in the world and 80% unemployment, the present situation has to change if the people are to be given any hope for the future. With the population collapsing and life expectancy now in the thirties, a country that was once of the most prosperous in Africa has collapsed into a shambolic state.

Of course, if any solution is to come, it needs to be from African countries and especially for the South African government of Thabo Mbeki. The have a clear duty to help bring to an end this regime given the mounting chaos and that as a country they're flooded with migrant fleeing Mugabe. The failure of the government of South Africa to speak out against this regime is nothing short of scandalous given that they could place influence on Zimbabwe and help bring to an end the regime of Robert Mugabe. Likewise, other African governments need to come together to condemn this despot. These governments have influence in a way that the British government will never have where it's seen as the former colonial power.

I hope that a peaceful solution is found and that an orderly transition takes places, I fear though that it will end in bloodshed as Mugabe takes ever more desperate measures to remain in power.

Steve Sinnott

2008-04-06T23:27:00.002+01:00

The union movement lost a great figure with the sudden death of the NUT General Secretary, Steve Sinnott at the weekend. Steve was a great trade unionist who fought for teachers and for better pay and conditions in the sector. His loss is a great tragedy for the union movement, and for education in this country.

Olympic torch protests in London

2008-04-06T23:14:00.002+01:00

The scene of protest throughout London today during the Olympic torch procession is not surprising or unexpected. While I condone the behaviour of some of the protester's, it shows the strength of feeling the existed and that as a democracy people have the right to protest freely. Unfortunately, these scenes will not be repeated in China, as any dissension will be stamped upon severely along with any freedom of expression and freedom to protest. The way the government systematically blocks western websites shows that are uninterested in allowing free and open access to information.

While the may be hosting the Olympics, the Chinese government have made little effort to open the country up and what has happened in Tibet of late, should disturb us all. The Olympics in China were for a wonderful opportunity for the country to reform its ways, but I fear that nothing has really changed and it's business as usual for the totalitarian regime that runs China. I don't believe that a boycott would solve anything as in the past they've made little difference and that countries from across the world should participate in the games. Thankfully with London, the host in 2012, we will be seeing a games held in a country where freedom of speech is allowed, we have a lot to be grateful for and as a democracy it's something we should value.

Boris Johnson lead down to two points

2008-04-03T01:02:00.002+01:00

The latest ICM poll tonight is encouraging news for Ken given that lead for Boris Johnson only has a 2% lead, down from margins of 10% and 12% published by You Gov. This election is all to play for, it'll be extremely close but when the voters consider the issues they'll hopefully realise that Ken is the only option for London. Ken has achieved a great deal for London on transport, policing, affordable housing and in winning the Olympics which will do a great deal to regenerate East London. If elected again, I have no doubt that he'll do even more to improve this great city. All this is at risk under Boris, he may play the lovable buffoon but underneath it's the same old Tory with policies that will only benefit the few. He should not be underestimated, but if elected you can guarantee that the advances made under Ken will soon be reversed.

Liverpool draw against Arsenal

2008-04-03T00:56:00.003+01:00

A very good result and sets Liverpool up nicely for the return leg next week at Anfield. Sadly I missed the match tonight due to the Council meeting, but I managed to get regular updates. The away goal will hopefully also prove crucial to our hopes, but the ball is in our court, now we have to finish off the job at Anfield.

Bertie Ahern resigns as Irish Taoiseach

2008-04-03T00:39:00.003+01:00

Although he was not perfect and many question remain unanswered relating to his personal finances, Bertie Ahern's contribution to politics in Ireland has been significant and he'll leave behind many achievements. The main one has to be the Good Friday agreement in 1998 and peace in Northern Ireland, what has happened in past few years would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. His contribution along with Tony Blair was significant and very successful.

During his time in office, Ireland has enjoyed unrivalled prosperity. As a country it has turned from being a basket case economy to one of the most successful in the western world. Every time I go to Ireland, I see this changing society and as a country it has never had it so good. Though like the rest of the western world, the economy has slowed down recently and levels of personal debt are high.

Bertie was certainly a character, indeed his sheer charisma probably helped him win a third term last year. His departure from office will undoubtedly be overshadowed by recent events and investigations, but his impact on Ireland has been huge and his legacy is a changed Ireland.

Merton Council meeting

2008-04-02T23:58:00.004+01:00

Another month and another Merton Council meeting.The main issue under discussion was post offices in the borough and the council passed a resolution opposing the closures. Regretfully, an amendment proposed by the Merton Park Residents' and seconded by the Labour group was narrowly defeated. This sought to remove the reference to all post office closures being opposed throughout London, and some inaccuracies in the Conservative motion (the Tories even amended their motion to correct some mistakes). While we agreed with most of their motion, some of the motion effectively committed Merton to opposing closures across the capital. While the case for post office closures in other boroughs may have a very good case, we don't know the full circumstances of those closures and as a borough we should be focusing first and foremost on Merton. Sadly, instead of trying to obtain a consensus motion, the Tories decided to play petty politics which makes little contribution to putting the case for Merton.

On the street scene (i.e. environment), we moved amendments on the Conservative motion (which praised the extra resources) despite nearly all the extra money coming for the capital budget. On the revenue budget, the Council has cut the amount spent on the street scene by £1 1/2 million this year. With capital spending for one year it more a case of short term solutions and long-term spending remains unclear. The package of cuts implemented by the Conservatives that relate to the street scene is likely to have an impact over the next year.

Another debate was on Mitcham town centre and the Tories failure to do anything over the last two years. Currently the plans are stalled and have been characterised by in-action from the Tories, the hopes of re-development have all but evaporated of late. Since coming to power, they've undertaken a consultation, which changed nothing but has managed to delay regeneration and the opportunities that would've arisen from the ASDA proposals. The council has been keen to boast a great deal about Eastifelds station which is opening in May (thanks in large part to Siobhain McDonagh). Whilst it will assist, it's not the key to solving all of Mitcham's issue, which the Tories have shown no sign of tackling.

The debate was also characterised by the Tories obsession with Siobhain Mc Donagh, indeed Tory Leader David Williams called her’ Auntie Siobhain' in a derogatry manner. It was a sign of their desperation, when they resort to these types of remarks, indeed Siobhain has done more for Mitcham then they'll ever do. If you asked the people of Mitcham their views on Siobhain, she would come out a great deal more popular then David Williams' Tories. Given the remarks by David Williams tonight, it exposed first hand his lack of understanding about Mitcham.

Andrew Judge to step down as Merton Labour group leader

2008-04-02T23:40:00.003+01:00

Although I've known for a while, it was announced officially at the Merton council meeting tonight that Andrew Judge will be stepping down as leader of the the Labour group in May. On Monday, we elected Stephen Alambritis, the current deputy leader as his replacement.

Andrew has done a fantastic job as leader of the Labour group over the last seven years. He took over during very challenging times for Merton Council in 2001 and went on to win a fourth term for Labour in 2002. During his leadership, the performance of the council improved significantly and a number of significant projects were successfully undertaken; school re-organisation, the extra resources on the street scene and the introduction of Merton Link which significantly improved customer services within the council. The significant improvement that has taken place in Merton over the past few years is in no small part due to his work. He also came very close to bucking the trend at the 2006 local election when we lost the council by a whisker but were successful in holding all our council seats in Mitcham and Morden.

In Stephen, we've got a fantastic replacement who I'm sure will be an excellent replacement as Labour group leader. I have known Stephen for a number of years, and I know what a great ambassador he'll be for the Labour party and on Merton Council.

Observations from Cape Town

2008-03-22T14:59:00.004Z

Having nearly spent a week out in Cape Town, South Africa my holiday out here is drawing to a close. The place itself is a fascinating city and very diverse; it has certainly been a learning experience. One of the most memorable parts will have been visiting a township and seeing some very primitive living conditions andpoverty, it was certainly an eye opener. This country is still very much in transition from the apartheid era; the country has made a start in healing those wounds but it still has a long way to go.

In terms of my week, Table Mountain had to be the highlight. The views from the top are amazing and it has to be one of the best natural wonders in the world.

I have a long flight back to Heathrow tomorrow and then it's back to the reality of life in London.

In Cape Town

2008-03-15T20:34:00.002Z

After a twelve hour delay and a night spent in a Heathrow Hotel courtesy of Virgin Atlantic(it was the least they could do) I am now in Cape Town, South Africa. Thankfully getting through immigration, baggage and customs was a great deal quicker then in many other airports in the world(and I've experienced some shambolic airports in the world and that includes some of the London airports) and I was at my hotel just over an hour after I'd landed. On the flight itself, I also managed to watch three films, Juno, The Valley of Elah and Brick Lane which made the time go that much faster given that it's a twelve hour flight, I would also recommend watching the films as well.

Having been here for the last 24 hours, my observations of the place to date is that it's a country with many contrasts especially between those who have and have not. Crime as well is a major issue out here with fear of crime very prevalent and when you see the barbed wire around houses and security it does bring home how lucky we're back England compared to here. Many people I have spoken to have suffered from crime and compared to nearly everywhere else I've been to in the world crime is a huge issue and exercising caution is a must.

That's not to take anything away from the place, Cape Town in itself is a very beautiful city and Table Mountain that overlooks the city adds to the natural beauty. I hope to go up Table Mountain in the next week and from all accounts it gives an outstanding vista of the city.

The one thing as well that I've noticed is how everything shuts up shop at Saturday lunchtime. It really is eerily quiet in the City Centre on a Saturday afternoon with only the bars and some restaurants open. Apparently Sunday is even quieter. The afternoon was spent watching England beat Ireland in the rugby at Catu Irish bar in Cape Town; though I missed Wales triumph against France. Drink is a fraction of the price it is back home with a pint of Guinness being just 20 rand(about half the price it is in London).

Over the next few days I hope to as well see the main attractions in Cape Town, including Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. As well, I hope to visit a township to get some kind of view of how the other half lives. All in all I have a busy time ahead during my stay in Cape Town. The weather here is pretty nippy, with a strong wind making it seem a colder outside the it actually is, apparently it's a feature of Cape Town. No doubt I'll be learning more about this city during my stay here.

New intergenerational centre in Mitcham

2008-03-13T11:09:00.003Z

Thanks to Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, Merton is to get an extra £1.5 million capital funding for the countries first intergenerational centre. When opened next year it will see a range of service under one roof for older people, young people and families.

In the press release announcing the decesion Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: 'I want the first intergenerational centre in London to be a resource for all age groups, old and young, for families and for individuals. The new centre’s aim is to break down barriers between people of different generations, challenge ageism and generate a sense of shared purpose bringing together and benefitting all members of the community.'

The new centre will be located near the new Eastfields station on the site of a new disused youth centre. Going past the site this morning work has already started to clear the site and it's hoped that it will be open by the middle of 2009

Among the activities at the new centre will be IT, training facilities, arts, crafts and sport activities.

This is a great boost to the local area and it's thanks to Ken that we're getting these fantastic new facilities. Along with the new train station, extra buses and neighbourhood policing, Mitcham has benefitted considerably from having a Labour mayor in Ken. None of this would've ever happened if we had a Tory Mayor of London and if Boris wins on May 1st the area will certainly get none of the benefits it has had under Ken.

Hillary bounces back

2008-03-06T00:43:00.002Z

You can never rule her out and she is back with a bang with her wins last night in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. Just when it looked that Barack was about to clinch the nomination back she comes and in impressive style. She still has an uphill struggle ahead of her given Obama's delegate lead and his gaining strength among the super-delegates. The next states are Mississippi and Wyoming and likely Obama wins before we have the next big battle in Pennsylvania at the end of April and the last big state to vote. Everything is still very open, I hope Barack wins but Hillary is certainly a fighter right to the end.

Merton Council Budget meeting and 3.9% council tax rise

2008-03-06T00:05:00.003Z

After a budget meeting lasting over three hours the Tory administration with the support of the Merton Park Residents' agreed to a council tax rise of 3.9% for the Merton element of the Council tax rise for 08/09. The Labour group on Merton had put forward a series of amendments which included a council tax cut of 1%, 0, 1% rise and a 2.5% rise and also proposed reversing a series of cuts to services from the budget. This would have been funded by reducing the level of reserves which are estimated to be £10.5 million and will increase to £11.5 million after the budget was agreed tonight. We believe this is a cynical attempt by the Conservative administration to build up the reserves and to freeze or cut tax in the final year. At the last election we promised that we'd not increase council tax by more the 2.5% in Merton, since the Tories have got in its risen by 3.6% last year and 3.9% this year, nearly 2.5% more then it would've been under Labour.

At the meeting itself, the Tories tried to filibuster and indeed the Labour opposition leader Andrew Judge did not get the opportunity to speak for nearly an hour as we wasted time hearing remarks from Tory cabinet members about the budget. We did however debate all eight amendments and put our point across about the hoarding of money and the impact the Tory cuts will have on the borough.

I got to speak at 10.10 despite Tory allegations by Tory leader David Williams that I was keeping quiet, it was just that my amendment was last in the running order for the meeting but it did mean I got to make one of the last speeches of the night.

This budget is bad for Merton and the residents' will be paying extra over the next year as part of the Tories con trick pay in advance scheme. Sadly though the people who'll suffer the most from their cuts and higher council tax will be the people on low income.

Obama makes it 10 in a row

2008-02-20T17:19:00.002Z

The Obama juggernaut rolls on with comprehensive victories in Hawaii and Wisconsin. After the stalemate of Super Tuesday, it's clear that the momentum is now behind Barack Obama. While Hawaii is not a surprise given that he was born there, his success in Wisconsin is more significant given that it should've been a state that favoured Hillary Clinton. The nomination his now his for the taking given the lead he has now established and his success across many different states. Hillary should not however be written off quite yet and things can change very rapidly. Victories in Ohio and Texas by comprehensive margins would put her right back in the frame, but she does face an uphill battle. This could go down to the wire with a brokered convention which would have all the hallmarks of an absolute nightmare. The last chance saloon beckons through for Hillary. If she fails to win either Ohio or Texas we'll be set for Obama V Mc Cain in the race to be the 44th president.

100 European wins at Anfield

2008-02-19T21:56:00.003Z

Another amazing European night at Anfield and a 2-0 win against Inter Milan, the
100th European win at Anfield. After the disaster of last Saturday against Barnsley, Liverpool turned it around and given the trials and tribulations at the club of late it was a magnificent achivement given that Inter were last beaten in September. We have, yet again, proved our critics wrong and showed that we're made of sterner stuff. Hopefully now we'll get a result at the San Siro and use it as a stepping stone to the final in Moscow, we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Last post office in Pollards Hill set for closure

2008-02-19T17:25:00.003Z

I was disappointed to hear today the post office in Sherwood Park Road in my ward Pollards Hill is set for closure. If it goes ahead it will leave no post office in my ward which has some of the highest levels of deprivation in Merton

These proposals will be fought as it will have a real impact on the local community and in area where services are already difficult to access along with many people not having access to bank accounts. Likewise, we have many elderly people along with a high number of people with young children where travelling long distances is not an option. The consultation period of just six weeks is also woefully inadequate given that Cabinet Office guidance is for 12 weeks.

I also have concerns that the criteria and distance criteria has not been met and will be looking at the proposals very carefully. Local communities need amenities like the Post Office and their loss will have widespread ramifications for the area. Along with my ward colleagues, we'll be campaigning against these proposals.

Fidel Castro bows out

2008-02-19T16:52:00.002Z

With Fidel Castro formally bowing out as President of Cuba (or dictator of Cuba) it brings to an end an era stretching back to the fifties. Castro was the great survivor, around since before Kennedy became president and a thorn in the side of successive US Presidents’.

Having visited Cuba at the beginning of 2006, Fidel Castro was firmly in control though it was quite clear that his era was drawing to a close. During my time in Cuba, a massive demonstration took place along the Malecon leading up to the American Special Interest Section (i.e. the American Embassy but as they do not have diplomatic relations it's not an embassy) which was flashing pro-democracy messages. It was the biggest demonstration I'd ever seen and it was a wonderful and very colourful display even if the marching bands started playing at 3am in the morning (and woke me up as a consequence). It was addressed by Fidel himself who was still in full-flow with the rhetoric as strong as ever. Looking back, it was probably one of the last major demonstrations to be addressed by Fidel but from the chanting it was clear he was firmly in control.

My view of Cuba under Castro is that whilst it performs well in education and health, the infrastructure of the country is falling apart and economically it's in a state. By no means is it the poorest country in the world and in recent years Chavez has bankrolled the country, but it's quite clear that the revolution despite all the fervour has long run out of steam. Deep down many of the people want change though one thing they don’t want to see is becoming a puppet nation of the US like it was prior to the revolution.

Cuba seeks to blame many of it woes on the US embargo, whilst I think the embargo is unacceptable, many of the problems in the country are more deep-routed and its used as a convenient excuse. If the embargo was lifted tomorrow and I expect its days are numbered; the country will not change overnight and change will be gradual.

2009 will see the 50th anniversary of the revolution and it'll no doubt spark huge celebrations. Beyond that, the regimes days are probably numbered and I expect it will go down the democracy line though it may take the demise of Raul to happen. Cuba will change and new leaders will come to the fore and bring this country forward from its long stagnation. This is a fantastic country and hopefully it will see change in the not too distant future.

Atonement

2008-02-19T00:15:00.002Z

I watched the film of Atonement on DVD tonight and it was one of the best films I've watched in a long-time. The story itself is gripping with main twists and turns along with an unexpected ending. The cinematography were outstanding especially the re-enactment of the Dunkirk evacuation. The transition of the character Bryony Tallis through three stages of her life (the three actresses that played her including Vanessa Redgrave were quite brilliant) along with her atonement for the dreadful mistake she made in the first place was gripping. Definitely recommended to watch, it's not the most straightforward film but it’s certainly deserving of an Oscar.

Al-Fayed and Diana

2008-02-19T00:00:00.002Z

The inquest into Diana's death is becoming more of a farce by the day. Although it's great for filling up column inches in the tabloids and providing even great riches for the many lawyers' engaged on this inquest, it has effectively descended into a farce with today's completely absurd allegations by Al-Fayed along with Paul Burrell seemingly having admitted to committing perjury.

Whatever one may think about the Royal Family, do they really think that Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Tony Blair and members of her family conspired with the security service to kill her off? No evidence exists whatsoever exists to back this absurd claim up.

This inquest is a total waste of money and the verdict is inevitable. The death of Diana happened over 10 years ago, it's in the past, it’s time to move on and close the book on this tragic incident. No doubt it will be labelled 'a conspiracy' by Al-Fayed, I sympathise with him on the loss of his son Dodi, but what has subsequently happened is a complete failure by him to accept that fact that the driver of the car was drunk and was one of the main contributors to Diana’s death.

Northern Rock nationalisation

2008-02-18T23:44:00.003Z

Contrary to what the Tories may say, this is not a return to the past or a sudden thrust of socialism from the Government; it is in fact reflecting the reality of the situation faced by the government in making a decision that was necessary. Despite valiant efforts by the Government to find a buyer, nationalisation is like to best protect taxpayers' money. What happened in the case of Northern Rock was mismanagement by the company on a grand scale coupled with the financial crisis that had engulfed the US mortgage market.

This should hopefully be a temporary solution and provide the necessary stability for the Northern Rock to be a viable bank again. Yes, shareholders' will have lost out in terms of the share value but the alternatives could have been far worse and if the bank had collapsed it would've had widespread ramifications for the whole financial market and the UK banking sector. This option was effectively the only one that was viable.

In terms of Gideon Osborne and David Cameron, the option of administration would have been a disastrous option with little chance of recouping any of the taxpayers' money. They also seem to have developed very few alternatives in dealing with the Northern Rock, with the policy like their general economic policy changing on a daily basis. If the Government had gone down the like they were advocating, instability would have been the likely outcome along with thousands of job losses with widespread economic repercussions.

The West Wing

2008-02-16T20:56:00.002Z

Having turned 33 on Thursday, one of the presents I got was the complete box set of The West Wing. This was in response to a recent confession that I made to friends that I'd never watched an episode of The West Wing. I just never got the time. Sounds remarkable - but it's true and as someone who follows American politics avidly, I'll no doubt be addicted very quickly. With some luck, I’ll hopefully have watched them all by the time I turn 34.

Cup disaster for pool

2008-02-16T20:36:00.003Z

Crashing out against Barnsley at home! What a disaster and a humilation. To lose against a side that have players who have cost a fraction of Liverpool's and a team that are in League One is an appalling result and the players' should be ashamed of themselves for such a woeful performance. For Barnsley, the romance of the cup continues.

I hope that we'll redeem ourselves against Inter in the Champions League though it will be a very tough fixture, otherwise it will be a battle for 4th place. The season started with such high hopes and looks like being another damp squib. All the recent comings and goings hasn't helped and the current instability at the Liverpool has clearly had impact on the club.

Councillor allowances increase abandoned

2008-02-07T01:11:00.000Z

At the Merton Council meeting on Wednesday night, the Tories withdrew plans to increase councillor allowances by up to 28%. The council did however agree to introduce a Dependent Carers' allowance and Subsistence Allowance. The meeting also agreed a resolution to bring the issue back next year; Labour councillors who argued that the scheme should be extended till 2010 and after the next council election opposed this. At long last this debate has reached a conclusion after many hours spent on the issue.

Stalemate after Super Tuesday

2008-02-07T00:49:00.000Z

After Super Tuesday, it seems we're no nearer a winner in the Democrat race. Effectively it was a score draw; with both Barack and Hillary enjoying success in almost equal spoils. From the delegate totals, they've also come out neck and neck though with the super-delegates Hillary has an overall lead of about 100. The next month now sees a number of contests before the next big date on March 4th when Texas and Ohio votes. If Hillary can win in Ohio and Texas she'll be very hard to beat.

Overall, the odds would still have to favour Hillary despite the success of Barack Obama. Her main worry at the moment is cash as she only raised $13 million in January against $32 million for Barack, she has also put in $5 million of her own money. The race continues to be very volatile and many more chapters are likely to be written on this on-going saga, indeed we might not know the nominee until the convention in Denver which takes place at the end of August.

In terms of the Republicans, McCain cemented his place as the front-runner but with the strong showing of Mike Huckabee in the south it's not all over quite yet.

Mayor-elect of the London Borough of Merton

2008-02-07T00:23:00.000Z

Although I've known for a while that I was to be nominated as mayor for the 2008-9 municipal year, I was tonight confirmed as the mayor-elect of the London Borough of Merton and I'll become mayor on May 14th if it's confirmed at the Council AGM. With Merton being the political complexion it is (30 Con, 27 Lab, 3 Merton Park Residents), the nomination was confirmed on the casting vote of the current mayor John Dehaney.

I am of course delighted to have the opportunity of being mayor of Merton next year and having the opportunity to serve the borough. Having been born in this borough and a councillor for the past six years, it will also be a great honour and a privilege to take up this role. Over my mayoral year, I hope to get round to all parts of the borough and hopefully meet many community groups who contribute so much to the borough. The role will also involve representing the borough at a number of events throughout the year. During the year I'll also have the opportunity to raise funds for my chosen charity.

Being mayor will bring with it sacrifices - politics will take a secondary role for the year as neutrality is essential and a pre-requisite of the position. My role as mayor is to represent the borough first and foremost. Throughout the year I'll continue to blog, but it will be primarily about my role as Mayor of Merton and my activities, hopefully I'll also start to add photos to the blog. The year ahead promises to be an exciting year and I can't wait.

In terms of the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Krysia Williams of the Merton Park Residents' will be taking up the position. Krysia I know will make a fantastic Deputy Mayor and will be a great ambassador for the borough.

Derek Conway

2008-01-31T00:58:00.000Z

The recent scandal of Derek Conway and his expenses is an absolute disgrace and undermines our whole political system. If as a councillor I'd done anything remotely similar, I would probably now by looking at criminal charges for fraud and would be thrown off the council.

Standards in public life in this country are generally very high especially compared to countries like Italy where corruption is endemic. If they're are to remain high, then instances like Derek Conway should result in harsher punishment and a great deal more then a 10 day suspension from the Commons. Although he has now belatedly announced he's standing down - he should given the serious nature of his offences be facing expulsion and being ordered to pay back the money.

Jeremy Beadle

2008-01-31T00:47:00.000Z

Sadly the death of Jeremy Beadle is not a wind up and he has sadly departed this world at just 59. Back in the eighties and nineties, he was livened up many Saturday nights thorough programmes like Beadles About(a particular favourite) and You've Been Framed. I was a great fan of his - although he's been pretty much off the screens for a number of years he created some great TV moments and some of the Beadles About wind-ups made hilarious viewing.

The race for the White House narrows

2008-01-31T00:20:00.000Z

With the withdrawal of John Edwards from the Democrat race and Rudi Gulliani from the Republican race, the race has narrowed as we move on to what is likely to be the pivotal showdown of Super Tuesday. The decision of Rudi Gulliani to endorse Mc Cain puts him in an even stronger position after his success in Flordia last night. However, Romney is a strong candidate and should not be ruled out as he has deep pockets and is seen by many in the Republican faithful to be more trustworthy then John McCain who has upset many Republicans through his policy stances on issues like immigration and taxation. Mitt Romney has been playing the conservative card of late and had 're-invented' himself from his time as Governor of Massachusetts. Mike Huckabee is still around and will pick up a few states in the south next week but for all intense purposes his campaign is over, the impact of his staying in is not helpful to Mitt Romney's campaign.

In terms of the Democrat, it's still hard to predict - the win for Hillary Clinton in Florida was pretty meaningless given that its been stripped of any delegates for defying the Democrat National Committee. Barack Obama will have been boosted by the endorsement of Ted Kennedy earlier this week and his resounding win in South Carolina. However, much as I'd like to see Barack win, the odds have got to favour Hillary Clinton coming out on top after Super Tuesday given that she leads in most state polls and is polling very well with the Hispanic, women and older demographic(and more likely to vote as well); for Barack he is of course doing very well with the African-American population but he has an uphill task winning the other groups over in large numbers. The race is sill open and the proportional system should continue to keep the race alive after next Tuesday.

Everything is still very open in this race even as we head to Super Tuesday.

One year to go untill the end of Dubya!

2008-01-20T23:00:00.000Z

On this date next year we'll have a new US president and hopefully a Democrat in the White House as well. The end of Dubya cannot come soon enough and with the 2008 election now in full swing it promises to be an exciting year ahead.

From the Nevada caucuses at the weekend - the results on the Democrat side saw another win for Hillary in her quest for the nomination. Although she won, Barack Obama actually won the most delegates. What was more interesting was the breakdown, Barack was well ahead in terms of African-Americans but Hillary has a lead a large lead in terms of Hispanic votes which made up nearly a third of caucus attending and is pivotal in many US states. John Edwards is also effectively finished after his dismal showing in Nevada and South Carolina should be the spell the end for his campaign.

The next battle is South Carolina - if Hillary can win this primary she'll effectively be set for the nomination given the demographics of the state(50% of primary voters are likely to be African-American). I want Obama to win, but he has to win this state and it's a crucial battle in the race for the nomination and also the first in the south. A debate for Democrat candidates' is tomorrow in South Carolina and could also play an important role in the race.

On the Republican side, I think the battle now is between John Mc Cain and Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee needed a win here and he failed, give the states demographics he really had to win in order to stand a chance of winning the nomination. Rudy Gulliani first and only chance will be Florida, anything less then victory or a very close second will probably mean that he'll be out of the race, he has played a very risky strategy in sitting out the first few races and his campaign seems to lack any momentum. With it being politics, things can change and never rule out the unexpected.

The next few days sees a lull in contests, but with super-duper Tuesday only two weeks away we could soon know the two candidates are for president. However, if it's still deadlocked in two weeks time, it will make the campaign that much more interesting.

Latest from the race for the White House

2008-01-17T23:26:00.000Z

Since last my last update on the blog, Hillary Clinton against all predictions won New Hampshire and now the race between Hillary and Obama has got more exciting. Everything is geared up toward the South Carolina primary on Saturday week which will be a major test for both candidates. For Barack, it's a must win given that 50% of the Democrat registered voters are black, if he fails to win here it will be deeply damaging to his campaign and he may have difficulty recovering. For Hillary she needs the momentum, but can survive a loss in South Carolina. A poor showing for John Edwards who was born in the state will probably spell the end of his campaign.

At the weekend, we also see the Nevada caucus which is the first test of opinion in the west. The polls are looking very even but the caucus system can be very unpredictable.

The Republican side remains deadlocked - three different winners to date and Gulliani might make it four if he wins Florida later this month which is his make or break state. South Carolina is interesting as it looks like a battle between McCain and Huckabee, if McCain can win here he'll be very well placed to win the nomination and going into Florida it will be a considerable boost. For Huckabee, a failure in South Carolina will probably spell the end of his hopes in winning the nomination - if he can't win here he'll have extreme difficulty succeeding elsewhere.

The race for the White House goes on and it's proving for me to be very addictive and very unpredictable!

Heathrow Airport plane crash & expansion of airport

2008-01-17T22:56:00.000Z

Seeing the pictures this evening on the news of the BA aircraft crash landing at Heathrow, it's a miracle that no-one was killed or seriously injured in the accident. The investigation into the incident will no doubt shed further light on what happened, but many people had a a very luck escape.

This of course will raise questions about the future expansion of Heathrow Airport and a third runway. With the matter about to go out for consultation, the accident has certainly not helped the case for a third runway.

I personally do not support a third runway at Heathrow given its location and the fact that a large part of London suffers greatly from aircraft noise. In areas like Mitcham and Pollards Hill which at present do not suffer from aircraft noise, if a third runway is built we are likely to see aircraft noise increase as flight paths are changed and capacity expanded. Indeed, noise contour diagrams have shown that Mitcham will suffer if flights into Heathrow expand.

Unlike many other airports in major cities, the flightpath is directly over the city which increase the number of people impacted byt the noise. Given that Heathrow is surrounded on all sides by residential area's the aiport is located in a densly poulated surrounding area , the environmental impact is huge.

However, while I might be opposed to Heathrow expansion, I believe that aviation is of enormous importance to this country and the economy of both London and the UK. We need extra capacity and that fact is rightly recognised, whilst it would no doubt not be universally popular, given that both Gatwick and Stanstead have flight paths away from urban areas and are single runway airports, this an option that should be pursued even though a planning agreement exists at Gatwick until 2020 that a second runway is not built. Over the next decade aviation will grow further and decisions need to be taken - it is right that we are having this debate even if I disagree with the present conclusions. Heathrow contributes enormously to our economy, but it's time to face facts that given its location it's not suitable for further expansion.

Harris Academy Merton has over 700 applications!

2008-01-16T18:11:00.000Z

The Harris Academy in my council ward Pollards Hill, has this year seen over 700 applications expressing a preference to be admitted to the school from September 2008 and 231 were first preference applications. This is the second highest of any school in Merton and just behind the Ursuline catholic school for girls in Wimbledon. The intake for the school is just 180. This is an amazing transformation from the former Tamworth Manor High School which saw less then 80 first preference applications just two years ago - now it's oversubscribed. It is clear that the transformation that has taken place within the school has had an impact in the local area and I've no doubt that the school will continue to go from strength to strength over the next year. A great deal of credit also need to be given to the Head Andy Halpin.

With a new sixth form about to be built, it has also created enormous opportunities for post-16 education in the area. Parents now want to send their kids to the school instead of doing everything in the power not to send them to the local school which was previously the case. With A-C GCSE's increasing by 11% to 40% the school is certianly changing things for the better locally.

Cllr Angela Caldara removed from the Standards Committee

2008-01-16T17:46:00.000Z

The issues of the proposed allowances increase rumbles on in Merton Council. At a meeting of the Standards Committee last week, Conservative councillor Angela Caladara again took a principled and courageous stand in opposing the proposed increase of 25& in allowances for the Cabinet and an allowance increase of nearly 10%on the basic allowance for councillors.

When it came to a vote on the allowances, the proposed increase was defeated with the independent members of Standards also opposing the increase(these are non-councillors and not Merton Park Independents). On increasing the basic allowance for councillors, only one Tory member of the committee, cabinet member Cllr David Simpson voted for the increase, two other Tory councillors abstained, Cllr Brian Lewis-Lavendar and Cllr Corinna Edge. Cllr Angela Caldara again opposed.

Following the vote and after Cllr David Williams the Tory leader and Cllr Rod Scott had left the room, a statement was read out by Angela Caldara. In the statement she announced 'that she'd been removed from the Standards Committee for refusing to vote for the allowance increase.' This was after the Leader David Williams had stated in the meeting 'that Tory members were not whipped on Standards'. Apparently only full council and the Chief Executive can remove members from committee, it remains to be seen whether she stays on Standards.

Of course, this left the Standards Committee in shock, no doubt we've not heard the last of this but it's clear that that the Tories are determined to get the allowance increase through despite disquiet within the ranks. Angela Caldara is a principled councillor, it's a shame a few more in the Tory group did not share her views as it's quite clear from statement she has made about the matter that they're determined to railroad the allowances through despite opposition from amongst their own ranks. The phrase 'Putting Themselves First' springs to mind for some Tory councillors.

It will be interesting to see what happens when it comes to Council. If they do not obtain the support from the Merton Park Independents, it will not pass through council and with Angela Caldara like to oppose the increase we could be in for another interesting meeting. With the tight numbers on the Council, if they abstain and another Tory councillor joins Angela Caldara it will not go through council.

Merton council tax set to rise by 3.9%

2008-01-16T17:22:00.000Z

Over the past few months the budget has been the major issue of discussion within Merton Council. Recently in the local newspapers, the Tories on Merton Council have been complaining about a poor budget settlement from the Government and having to put up Council Tax by 3.9% to make up for the shortfall. Yet if were to look behind the propaganda put out by Tory-run Merton Council, it seems that they've also managed to accumulate over £10 million pounds of taxpayers' money and this is set to rise even further next year to over 8% of council income. This is the equivalent of £89 for every household paying the full council tax. This is public money and belongs with the public, when Labour left office in 2006 we had over £5 million in reserves and managed to keep council tax down, at the time it was judged acceptable by the Audit Commission.

Last year the Tories raised council tax by 3.6% way above the 2.5% the outgoing Labour administration had promised. Due to the success of the former Labour administration in achieving targets - the Council also benefited from a reward grant from the government of £2 million pounds. This money should have been used to support services and reduce the council tax, instead it is lying fallow in a bank account.

This year’s proposed council tax increase is even worse at 3.9% or about £41 on Band D and way above the nationally approved CPI inflation rate of 2.1%. With the money currently available this should be significantly reduced, it's quite clear that the Tories are putting council tax up now to freeze or cut tax before the next election.
This money should be used now and belongs with the public.

The Council is also proposing unnecessary cuts to vital services for disabled and elderly people and to street cleaning, gully cleansing, fly tip removal, graffiti enforcement, street lighting, the removal of untaxed vehicles as well as charging for library internet use and disabled parking bays. Clearly 'Putting You First' has turned into 'Putting You Last'.

At the same time, the Tory administration are pushing for a 25% rise in cabinet members and other senior Tory councillors. While they plead poverty - allowances seem to be exempted at the expense of services. The Labour group on Merton Council are opposing these excessive and unjustified rises.

Over the next week scrutiny will be looking over the budget, but it's quite clear that Merton Council is not in the perilous financial position that they claim to be in. The final budget will be decided at a council meeting on 5th March.

Barack Obama wins in Iowa

2008-01-04T16:24:00.000Z

The result in Iowa for Barack Obama is absolutely fantastic news given the nature of the state and the importance it has in the nominating process for the Democrats. This is a state that is 97% white and is a fairly rural sparsely populated state, it is not a state that is not in the 'liberal belt' in the US or even the most 'progressive state' in the country. To achieve a result like Barack Obama did last night was a pretty remarkable achievement.

The huge increase in turnout also indicated the enthusiasm that existed for Barack Obama, along with the attitude of change in America which Barack Obama reflects. In winning the caucus, he also motivated and persuaded large number of people to back him in his campaign. This has given momentum to his campaign which now moves onto New Hampshire next week for the first primary.

Essentially the race for the Democratic nomination is a battle between Hillary and Barack. John Edwards needed to win in Iowa to give his campaign traction - his result whilst not bad was a long way behind Barack and given that he'd been working the state for the last four years the result has probably meant the end of his campaign. I personally thought he may have won in New Hampshire, but I was proven wrong in my prediction.

New Hampshire has now become a must win for Hillary Clinton. While she is still ahead of Barack Obama in polls - the momentum is not with her. Her campaign will be in deep trouble if she does not win in New Hampshire given that Super Tuesday is barely a month away.

Everything about this race has suddenly become very exciting and I hope that Barack now goes on and wins the nomination as he represents a real opportunity to make a real difference in the US.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T00:13:00.000Z

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. What a remarkable fireworks display in London as well - the best display in the world in my view. 2008 will hopefully be a great year as well!

Race to be next US President

2007-12-29T22:28:00.000Z

With 2008 nearly upon us, the race to be the next US President is currently very open with many different scenarios emerging. The current polls seem to be all over the place, in Iowa where the caucuses take place on 3rd January followed by the first primary in New Hampshire on 8th January. I will certainly be looking at www.politicalwire.com regularly and I find this site to be the best source for US politics.

The timetable this year is very truncated with a front loaded primary and caucus season, given the schedule it's highly likely that we'll probably know the nominee of each major party by the 5th February. However, if the results are inconclusive or are split the race could drag on for a number of months before being settled at the party conventions which take place in August. An unlikely scenario, but it could happen.

In both the Democrats and Republicans, the battle to be the nominee is still very open with no clear favourite having emerged..

In terms of the Democrats, I actually think Hillary Clinton will probably win the nomination though a great deal will depend on what happens in Iowa and New Hampshire. If she wins in both - she'll be the nominee barring some kind of huge turnaround. When John Kerry won Iowa and New Hampshire in 2004, he effectively clinched the nomination.

Her two main opponents are John Edwards and Barack Obama, of the two Barack Obama is the stronger and is better financed which counts for a great deal. For John Edwards, he needs to win Iowa or come a strong second, anything else and it's game over. Given how the caucus works in Iowa I think he'll probably come out on top. His main problem though is that he has a fraction of the resources available to Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, in this race money matters!

The candidate I would like to see win is Barack Obama, I believe he is a breath of fresh air and inspires people in a way that Hillary does not. Currently he is doing very well in both Iowa which is a three way split and is now leading in New Hampshire, though the polls are within the margin of error. If he wins New Hampshire, he's in a very strong position and the South Carolina primary which precedes Super Tuesday on 5th February and will be key to whether he can maintain the momentum.

My views on Hillary is that whilst I admire her I believe she is a divider and not a unifier along with being a very polarising figure. Last year I posted on this blog my view on Hilary and I stand by this view www.whelton.blogspot.com/2006/11/us-elections-and-next-president.html
Nevertheless, if she does come through I hope she proves her critics including myself wrong - a great deal on her chances of success will also depend on the Republican nominee.

The race to be Republican nominee is far more unpredictable and difficult to judge. Recently Mike Huckabee, a former Governor of Arkansas and resident of Hope (the similarities with Bill Clinton end there) has come up through the polls to become a front-runner. A few months ago he was a rank outsider and was believed to have little chance. Many polls now show him leading in Iowa, though the latest polls show him falling behind Mitt Romney. His views are very much in tune with the politics of George Bush along with the Christian right - they took a long time to coalesce behind a candidate and he seems to be the one. If he was to become the candidate it would probably spell absolute disaster for the Republicans in the swing states and I'd be shocked if he was elected. However, nothing in US politics would surprise me given that they elected George Bush. Personally I think he'll fade but he could win a few primaries and caucuses along the way.

Another major candidate for the Republicans who was thought to be the favourite until recently was Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts. In order to have greater appeal he has swung sharply to the right on a number of key issues including immigration and abortion (he was previously pro-choice when governor of Massachusetts a state where it would be electoral suicide to be anti-abortion). In terms of funding he is also extremely wealthy and has large resources at hand. The forthcoming contests are crucial and New Hampshire is a must-win for him given that he was governor of a neighbouring state. He also needs a respectable showing in Iowa (the latest poll now gives him a lead). Many within the US also question his religion, which is Mormon, whilst in this country religion plays a minor role, polls have shown a high negativity on his religion. I don't think he'll be the nominated, but it would not be a shock if he did come through the field.

That leaves three other candidates.

Rudy Gulliani for a long time was the favourite for the nomination. I never thought he would be the nominee when I posted last year and I still don't think he'll be the nominee. His views on many social issues are an anathema to many Republicans and he'll never appeal to a large sector of the Republican electorate. More importantly, he has targeted his campaigning on states that have primary and caucuses later including Florida on 29th January and Super Tuesday (California, Illinois, New York and many other states) on the 5th February. This is a very risky strategy - whilst Iowa and New Hampshire are very small states with relatively few delegates, they do give candidates momentum along with a huge amount of coverage. A bad performance in both those States, which looks like it’ll be the case will probably doom his campaign. This is despite him having a large amount of resources at hand.

Fred Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee briefly made an impact when he entered the race a few months ago but has since faded. This is another candidate of the right though slightly more charismatic then most of the others, he is also an actor but is unlikely to be the next Ronald Reagan.

That leaves John Mc Cain. A few months ago he was given up for dead, his campaign was low on resources (ie cash), his ratings were plummeting and he was seen as too old (he is 72). Now I think he may just be the nominee. He will not win Iowa but has a very good chance in New Hampshire where he has seen a surge in support lately. If Republicans are serious about electability, he is probably also their best choice given his centrist record and he’s a candidate not beholden to the Republican right (though he further to the right then Gulliani). I also think that he has the potential to be a unifier, whilst I would clearly like to see a Democratic victory next November, he will as a candidate appeal to the middle ground and independent voters.

Looking at the election - the Democrats have a very good chance of winning the White House in 2008 given the appalling legacy of the Republicans and George Bush. However, events can have an impact and a Republican victory should not be ruled out. I hope that Barack Obama is elected President next year as he is a symbol of change - but I also have a sense of realism and objectively Hilary will probably be the Democrat nominee. The next few months will be very interesting and no doubt I'll be posting much more about US politics throughout 2008.

Bhutto assassination and Pakistan

2007-12-29T21:58:00.000Z

The recent events in Pakistan with the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto is troubling and has potential huge ramifications for world peace. Whatever her faults, and she had many, she was probably the best hope for Pakistan given its tumultuous history and current instability. Her death has left a huge void in the country and it will be very difficult for a figure to emerge that can bring some kind of stability to the country.

Since 911, Pakistan has been at the front line of the fight against terrorism. Given its position within this region and with it also being a nuclear power, any instability in the country could have very long-term consequences. Indeed, whilst Musharraf recent actions are regrettable, at least he recognises the issues that the country faces in the war against Al-Qaeda and similar extremists. He's certainly better then many of the alternatives - even if many of his recent actions including the sacking of supreme court justice was disgraceful.

If Pakistan was to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists; the consequences could are unimaginable - a war with India, a haven for extremists and of course possession of nuclear weapons. Any problems the west may have with Iran would pale into insignificance if Pakistan descends into chaos.

2008 will be a pivotal year for Pakistan - what happens in that country has ramifications throughout the world. Benazir Bhutto death is a tragedy for Pakistan and dealing with its aftermath will be a challenge given the politics of the region.

Former Sutton Tory leader disqualified by The Standards Board

2007-12-21T09:48:00.001Z

The former Tory leader of Sutton Tories(neighbouring borough to Merton), Eleanor Pinfold, was yesterday disqualified for a year by the Standards Board for breaching the code of conduct. Judging by the report of the case, it's quite clear that a very serious breach of the code of conduct had taken place. The result was not surprising given that she described the planning department as 'corrupt' and the police of 'political bias'. For a councillor to be disqualified is also extremely rare, indeed very few cases reported even reach a hearing. She does have the right to appeal against the decision, but the case against her does sound pretty overwhelming.

I enclose the Sutton Guardian article.

Cheam councillor sacked for brash emails
By Lisa Williams
Comment

Sacked: Miss Pinfold
A Cheam councillor has been disqualified for a year after being found guilty of breaching the councillors' code of conduct.

Eleanor Pinfold was stripped of her title today after a councillors' watchdog found she had used brash and offensive language when communicating with council officers and Sutton Police.

She was also found to have brought the council into disrepute by claiming its planning department was corrupt.

The panel ruled that these actions put her in breach of the code which she had agreed to abide with when she was elected councillor in 2002 and 2006.

Miss Pinfold, a practicing solicitor, did not turn up for the adjudication panel hearing at the Aerodrome Hotel in Croydon today but sent in written submissions in which she defended herself.

The panel heard how in November 2005 Miss Pinfold had upset Superintendent Warren Shadbolt by addressing him in an email as Shadbolt'.

Supt Shadbolt made a complaint about her after she had also accused him of being politically biased towards the Liberal Democrats and of skewing crime figures.

In an email to him she had written: "So far as I'm concerned you are a Lib Dem who does not really want to deal with the Conservative opposition but you go through the motions of being nice.'"

A catalogue of similar complaints was made about Miss Pinfold from 2004 to 2006 while she was leader of the Conservative party at the council.

They were investigated by the Standards Board and heard in front of a panel today.

Miss Pinfold pleaded justification for her actions but this was refused by the panel.

A by-election for her position as a councillor for Cheam ward is expected to be held in March next year.

5:45pm Thursday 20th December 2007

Nick Clegg elected Lib Dem leader

2007-12-18T22:09:00.000Z

The election of Nick Clegg as a Lib Dem leader is not a great surprise - though the margin of victory was very slim and probably reflected the poor campaign of Nick Clegg compared to Chris Humhe. From someone who thought he would walk it, the narrowness of his success shows that there was less then overwhelming enthusiasm for Clegg. The significant drop in turnout from the leadership election of last year may also show a general air of apathy within the party.

A few months ago, I generally thought that Clegg would improve the position of the Lib Dems, now I'm not so sure and his generally uninspiring campaign has certainly not boosted him as a politician. The real question now is what direction the Liberals go and the signs are is that Clegg will move them to the right though in a party with so many different tasks this will be no easy task.

Andrew Pelling to quit at next election

2007-12-03T23:10:00.000Z

After weeks of speculation, Andrew Pelling MP for Croydon Central has decided to retire at the next election. After all the controversies of recent months he's had enough and after one term in Parliament he'll be retiring. The constituency of Croydon Central is close to Mitcham and Morden and just over week ago a team of us went over to help the Labour candidate Gerry Ryan. We received a very positive response on the doorsteps and support for Labour was holding up in the area. I've know Gerry for a number of years and know he'll make a first-class MP for Croydon Central if elected and is a formidable campaigner. The seat is also now a notional Labour seat on the new boundaries.

In terms of Tory candidates, it will be interesting to see whether Merton Tory Cabinet member and A list member Tariq Ahmad puts his hat in the ring given that he was candidate in the neighbouring seat of Croydon North at the last election. The seat is also a lot closer then many of the other seats he has sought selection for in the past. If selected, he'll have his work cut winning against Gerry who'll be a tough opponent and has deep roots in Croydon. With most constituencies now having selected it will also have its fair share of Tory candidates putting their hat in the ring and competition will be intense for this nomination.

Turmoil at Merton Council meeting

2007-11-29T14:00:00.000Z

The Merton Council meeting was very lively last night with the most contentious issues left to the end.

One of the issues related to Assistant Cabinet members, an issue that’s been on-going for a number of months and was finally resolved last night despite the opposition of the Labour group. Our opposition to Assistant Cabinet members is that we see no need for their introduction and that they're a waste of money, we lost on the matter but were joined by Conservative councillor Angela Caldara. At a recent meeting of the Standards Committee, Cllr Anglea Caldara had also claimed "that Conservative councillors had been pressurised into accepting Assistant Cabinet members along with being railroaded and bullied into accepting them"; Cllr Peter McCabe repeated these remarks at the meeting last night and clearly some dissension exists in Tory ranks.

The allowance issue and the proposal to increase cabinet allowances along with officer holders(and I was one of them as a panel chair) by 25% was next on the agenda and we reached the agenda item at 10-13 leaving just two minutes to debate the issue before the guillotine at 10-15. Labour Councillors called a procedural motion to adjourn the Council meeting as we believed this motion needed more time to be discussed and that we should not be starting a debate at this time given the nature of the proposals. This procedural motion was defeated. After this motion, various points of order were raised and we were informed by the Head of legal that it could only be voted on or referred back to the committee that made the recommendation, a motion was then moved "to refer back to General Purposes committee", this was passed by 31 votes to 28. In voting for the motion we where again joined by Tory councillor Angela Caldara and more surprisingly Cabinet member for Schools Oonagh Moulton(she tried to correct her vote but it was too late) the Merton Park Independents also voted for the reference back.

No doubt the issue will be back - but given the current position of council finances with cuts of over £10 million proposed the increase is unacceptable. Labour councillors are opposed to any increase above inflation. The matter will be debated again at the next General Purposes Committee before its likely re-appearance at the next Council meeting in February. If the Tories had any sense they'd drop the proposed rises and given the current balance of council it would probably be a wise move, it is unacceptable for the allowance increases of 25% for Tory cabinet members and other office holders at a time when the council faces serious budget issues.

Earlier in the meeting, public users of All Saints Centre asked questions about its future and handed in a petition against possible closure plans. The future of the centre does not look good and it’s likely that it will close or the service re-provided, we’ll know more about its future following the conclusion of a service review in December by the Tory administration on 17th December.

I also asked a question about the implementation of the new IT system in Housing Benefits and Council Tax. Since the introduction of the new system, Council Tax collection has dropped by 2% and processing time for Housing Benefits has increased. In order to clear the backlog, the Council spent over £100,000 in staff overtime and used Hull City Council to help clear the backlog. Service levels are still not back to the level they were previously and the new system has now been in place for over a year.

Labour Party funding

2007-11-28T00:02:00.000Z

There is no getting away from the facts that the last few days have been a challenge for the Labour Party and clearly the laws governing party funding had been breached. Our decision to return the donation to David Abrahams is of course quite correct given the circumstances surrounding his donation along with his use of aliases.

Peter Watt, the former Labour General Secretary was correct in his decision to resign over the matter and admit responsibility for not following the law. I do however feel desperately sorry for Peter as I've known him for a number of years and long before he became General Secretary of the Labour Party. I know what a dedicated servant of the party he's been and I can remember him helping me many years ago when I was an election agent in Lewisham, he is a great loss to the party.

In terms of funding, it's an issue that does to be dealt with and I believe that regretfully that a case may now exist for some kind of state funding of political parties. Given the level of scrutiny that exists, no-one would want to donate to a political party given that their background will be looked over for potential impropriety(especially labour donors). Indeed, I understand that a donation of the Leader of the Merton Labour Group Andrew Judge of £1,000 was thought to be newsworthy(Daily Mail), thankfully Andrew will not be unduly worried by this but a lot of other people would be put off by this level of scrutiny and an underlying suggestion of impropriety.

Funding reform is important given the cost of elections and the need to raise large sums of money. Increasingly parties will find it harder to attract donations to their party and if parties are to have the ability to compete at elections then funding reform is crucial. At this rate funding donations from private benefactors will dry up and evidence exists of this being the case.

Finally, it also has to be remembered that the Labour Government introduced the transparency laws in relation to donations. The Conservative party never revealed when in power who donated to their party and their benefactors. We were right to introduce these laws as transparency is important and the public has a right to know who funds political parties along with donations made above a certain amount.

Australian Labor party wins General Election

2007-11-24T11:08:00.000Z

Congratulations goes to Kevin Rudd on winning the Australian General election for the Australian Labor party. From the results that have come in they've achieved a huge win and the Prime Minister John Howard seems to have even lost his own seat of Bennelong in the Sydney suburbs. I know many of my Australian friends will be delighted with the result.

In Australia the policies of John Howard have been rejected, this includes refusing to sign up to Kyoto, introducing anti-union laws through work choices and broken promises on interest rates.

Over the years John Howard has enjoyed some great success in winning four elections but had also come back in a Lazarus like fashion after being kicked out as Liberal leader in the late eighties. His impact on Australia has been huge but clearly after 11 years in office they've had enough and brought his long career in politics to a close.

In terms of Kevin Rudd he has remarkably turned around the fortunes of the Australian Labor Party who looked down and out just a year ago when he took over. Hopefully he'll go on to prove himself as Prime Minster and make Australia a more progressive country.

Egeli Rasta

2007-11-21T23:43:00.000Z

The tragedy of the Egeli Rasta murder last Summer has been resolved with the conviction of Gareth Davies for murder(who was also a resident of Pollards Hill). This was a shocking incident and thankfully justice has been done in this case.

Mitcham Common is an oasis of greenery in my ward and this murder shocked the whole community last summer in what is generally a low-crime area. For someone who had come to the country in the hope of a better life her brutal murder was a tragic event.

Egeli is at peace now and the person who so brutally ended her life is behind bars and hopefully for a very long time to come.

England football calamity

2007-11-21T23:05:00.000Z

Yes tonight was an absolute calamity for the England football team especially for the keeper Scott Carson(though I have some sympathy for the young keeper) fumbling the first Croatia goal.

After England receiving a get out of jail card by Israel last weekend, this was their opportunity to qualify and given home advantage should have been accomplished with ease. The first half performance was lamentable and after coming back from 2-0 down we looked on course to got through until we gave away a third goal and it was all over.

Where next for England? Steve McLaren should certainly be sacked as manager as failing to qualify for a major championship is unacceptable. In terms of his replacement maybe it's time to re-appoint El Tel, OK he was assistant to McLaren but he was a pretty successful coach last time he was in charge of England and has the pedigree - the English alternatives are also very limited. If they go outside England, Jose Muriniho would be my choice or maybe Fabio Capello.

England also have to face facts, the current team consists of many second rate players. Whilst we've many world class players we've no strength in depth and this was brutally exposed tonight. The current situation in the Premier League with the large number of foreign players is not too helpful either and limits the choices considerably in terms of English players

Although next Summer will be barren on the football front we now have to prepare for the next World Cup, hopefully we'll qualify for this tournament and get our act together by then. Given present form not going to Euro 2008 has probably saved us from complete and utter humiliation and we need to re-group and learn the lessons from our abject failure.

Given our disasters at international level at least at club level English teams are performing well but it does not make up for our failure to qualify for a major international tournament.

Death of Ian Smith

2007-11-20T22:53:00.000Z

Although a relative unknown today, back in the sixties and seventies Ian Smith received a huge amount of press coverage following the then state of Rhodesia declaring independence unilaterally back in the sixties. This led to an on-going dispute over sanctions that lasted many years including many negotiations that collapsed

Like apartheid South Africa this caused a huge amount of strife within the country. Thankfully it was eventually resolved and that free elections took place(though unfortunately we now have the obnoxious Robert Mugabe). However the system of government practised by Rhodesia was unacceptable and treating people on the basis of the colour of their skin is abhorrent.

Thankfully the era of discrimination as practiced by Rhodesia and South Africa is over but it's also important to remember that many people were denied the vote on the basis of race, democracy should always be open to all and not just the few. The record of Ian Smith is denying that right for so long was unacceptable. Likewise the behaviour of Robert Mugabe today against white people in Zimbabwe is just as abhorrent.

Missing Child Benefit data

2007-11-20T22:36:00.000Z

Like any IT story this one is a massive nightmare given the potential implications for fraudulent transactions if the information has fallen into the wrong hands. The fact that 25 million numbers were on sent by unrecorded post and not by a secure method make the whole situation even worse in the way that the information has been handled.

Of course, this is of huge concern to millions and the Government have taken the right steps in re-assuring people. Clearly something has gone dramatically wrong and that it's right that the matter is fully investigated and that lessons are learned from this incident.

Although no doubt people will be calling for the head of Alastair Darling he can't be held responsible for every error on operational matters. Clearly issues of concern have to exist with the running of Revenue and Customs and the resignation of the Chairman Paul Gray is a step in the right direction.

I just hope that nothing untoward has happened and measures that are in place to protect against fraud work. At the end of the day there is no need for mass panic given the banking code that is in place, but given the coverage this is receiving it will not be of comfort too many people who'll of course be deeply concerned about this very serious security breach.

A day in Paris

2007-11-20T21:50:00.000Z

On Monday I travelled on the Eurostar train direct from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord.

For a long time I've been waiting for the new high speed link to open and with its opening the previous week I took the first opportunity to travel on the Eurostar to Paris in just 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The service itself was extremely efficient, though security at St Pancras could've been slightly faster. The train itself left on time and arrived in just 2 hours and 12 minutes from London to Paris. Going out from London the train effectively is in tunnel the whole way from London-Dagenham apart from the Stratford box, unlike the journey into Waterloo it's not very scenic but you certainly gain on the speed side instead of slowly traversing the railways of South London. On the way back the train was again on time and arrived in just 2 hours and 10 minutes. Compared to the airlines there is no comparison in terms of the time you can get from city to city. With the project now complete its an incredible engineering feat considering the large amount of tunnels that are passed through but also the Channel tunnel which made it all possible.

My day in Paris was also eventful and the current on-going strike on the Metro did impact on my journey. My journey back from the centre of Paris to Gare du Nord was a nightmare due to the on-going strike, metro's were infrequent and when they turned up they were impossible to board due to the sheer number of passengers. I ended up having to negotiate the back streets of Paris and eventually got an RER train from St Lazare to Gare du Nord, I got to the station with 10 minutes to spare, way below recommended limits of 30 minutes; it seemed lady luck was on my side. At the moment the strike is certainly having an impact and could go on for a lot longer, Sarkozy is prepared for a battle and France could be in for a few rocky months. My advice - avoid Paris when strikes are about though given the nature of the country they're sometimes hard to avoid in France.

Paris itself is a stunning city, having been there a number of times it's a city that is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and has retained its traditional features throughout the city. Most of the boulevards as well are still cobbled and the buildings is architecture at its best, Haussmann certainly got it right when he planned modern Paris. My favourite part of Paris is Sacre Couer, the view over Paris is amazing and its worth climbing up the hills of Montmarte just to see the view. The weather was slightly overcast yesterday but on a clear day it's a stunning view.

My other observations of Paris is the price of drink. Now I find London expensive but compared to Paris its a bargain, a pint in Paris is cannot be found for 7 euros and in most cases it's over 8 euros, cheap it certainly isn't. The food makes up for it in many instances.

The other thing I observed across the city in metro and train stations is bins, long ago they disappeared from our tube stations but in Paris no such thing has happened and they're freely available. In fact in most cities I visited this is the case, it seems in Britain we're just that much more security conscious though the cynic in me sometimes thinks it's used as a cover for saving money. Still with terrorism being major threat erring on the side of caution is probably advisable.

All in all a great city though I'd not want to go there again when a stike is on.

Trip to Edinburgh

2007-11-17T23:18:00.000Z

After visiting many places around the globe, I finally visited Edinburgh and saw this historic city and capital of Scotland for the first time. The city itself has a wonderful vista with Arthur’s seat and the Castle along with Pentland hills overlooking the city.

During my time in Edinburgh, I visited the Scottish Parliament building designed by the late Spanish architect Morales. This controversial upturned boat designed building (build on a maritime theme reflecting Edinburgh’s great tradition as a port) ran significantly over budget and came in at over £400 million. Despite my support for devolution, the Parliament building itself is a truly hideous design and not in keeping with the surrounding area, how this design ever came to fruition is beyond my comprehension. Whilst the inside is not so bad and does have some more redeeming features then the outside, it would certainly not be a building I would regard as a modern architectural masterpiece.

In terms of Scottish politics, the first budget from the minority SNP administration was announced last week. Within the budget, it included a three-year freeze in Council Tax but also u-turns on commitments made in their manifesto including class sizes and university tuition fees. The SNP of course has blamed this on a lack of funding by the Westminster government. Alex Salmond is a very canny politician and any promise he cannot deliver will be blamed on Westminster. This is despite a generous block grant settlement from London. At the end of the day, they’re pushing for a referendum on independence and over the next few years, we are bound to have more of these arguments. The real truth is that the SNP promises did not add up in the first place, having spent their while time in opposition they're are now having to take difficult decisions’ and it's proving to be a major challenge for them.

One of the other places I visited was the Royal Yacht Britannia. At Leith, this has been made into a tourist attraction and it was worth visiting. Looking back it's hard to believe that it was in service until ten years ago - it seemed like a bygone age. The ship itself was opulent especially the royal quarters. The staff quarters were primitive to say the least except if you were of a senior rank. While there was a time and a place for Britannia and other royal ships; given the number of staff needed to run it while the royals were on board (300) it was an extravagance. However, it did represent as well Britain at its finest and with the many receptions held throughout the Queen's reign on board for visiting world leaders along with other dignitaries it was a great advert for Britain.

England back from the brink

2007-11-17T23:12:00.000Z

Well I predicted it last month that England still had a chance to qualify for the European Championship after losing to Russia and tonight that prediction proved correct when Russia lost to Israel. Even if they'd lost to Israel tonight the result in Macedonia which saw as 2-0 victory against Croatia would've left the group wide open.

After all this England can't surely mess this one up and fail to qualify? Stranger things have happened but they should get through to the finals.

My commiseration also go to Scotland on losing narrowly to Italy, I've been up in Edinburgh for the past few days and there was a real buzz about the place and high expectations, sadly they just missed out but it was a brilliant effort in what was an extremely difficult group.

Opening of new St Pancras station

2007-11-14T09:22:00.000Z

Working as I do in the Kings Cross area, I've seen over the last five years the transformation of the area along with the huge amount of regeneration that has taken place. For weeks I've been waiting to see the inside of the St Pancras and today I finally got the chance. To put it mildly the station is awe-inspiring and has been wonderfully restored to its former glory. This is a station that has to be one of most magnificent stations in the world and is a credit to our country.

The 30ft Paul Day statue of a man and woman embracing is a wonderful addition and coupled with the huge clock adds to the ambiance of the station Underneath the station they've also created a huge array of shops many of which are still to open but the cloisters have been bautifully restored..

Next Monday I'm off to Paris on the new high speed link, this really is the railway of the future and it's hard to believe that you can reach Paris now in just over two hours. The high-speed and a huge infrastructure project that has come in on-time and on-budget. Europe has just become that bit closer!

One other bit to note is that Greenpeace have hung a huge banner from the front of St Pancras saying no a third runway at Heathrow, along with a parade of cyclist protesting about access. With so much press around in the station they could not have picked a better day for some publicity.

Brian Paddick selcted as Lib Dem London mayoral candidate

2007-11-13T22:39:00.000Z

I note with interest that the Lib Dems have selected Brian Paddick as their London mayoral candidate. Before he took up his position as police commander in Lambeth Borough which made him one of the high-profile police officers in the country he was in the same position in Merton though it was just before I became a councillor.

Whilst Brian Paddick has achieved some notoriety from his previous time as Lambeth commander he faces an extremely difficult time in London up against Ken and Boris. With two such high-profile candidates it will be very difficult for the Liberals to make much headway. Last time round they selected a high profile candidate in Simon Hughes who did very badly, whilst Paddick has achieved some profile he is still an unknown to the vast majority of Londoners.

Despite some strength in parts of London for the Liberals - this will be race between Ken and Boris. Brian Paddick whilst an extremely experienced police officer has very limited political experience, in the cut-thrust world of London politics this may well be very telling by the end of the campaign and in making a successful transition to politics.

Councillor allowances in Merton

2007-11-13T22:11:00.000Z

The issue of increased councillor allowances is on the agenda for the General Purposes Committee on Wednesday. The Tory administration have come forward with proposals to increase the total allowances by 21.7% which will equate to an extra £156,000 at a time when Merton Council have to make cuts of up to £14 million pounds.

In last weeks local Guardian the Tory leader of the council David Williams sought to justify the proposals on the grounds that we were bringing them in line with neighbouring boroughs and that we've the second lowest allowances in London. In terms of the Labour group on Merton Council we do not favour these increases given the financial climate the Council faces and that restraint that is needed in terms of Council spending(we favour an increase in line with inflation). Now is not the time for voting ourselves huge allowance increases including a proposed 37.&% increase in cabinet allowances along with Chair of Planning and Chair of Scrutiny, 28.5% increase for the Deputy Leader, 23.9% increase for scrutiny panel chairs(including myself) and 10.2% increase for Leader, Leader of the opposition and all other councillors.

I do not doubt for a moment that councillors from across all parties in Merton work hard but now is not time for 'Putting Ourselves First'. I would much rather this money is spent on protecting services some of which are facing massive cuts under proposals brought forward by the Tory administration.

The decision will be discussed at General Purposes committee tomorrow night and Council will be taking a final decision on 28th November.

In remembrance

2007-11-12T00:07:00.000Z

This year saw Remembrance Sunday actually fall on 11th November(the armistice of the The Great War) and as I've done every year since becoming a councillor I attended the service at the War Memorial in Mitcham. At this time, we remember all those who gave their lives in both World War's but all those who've lost their lives in more recent conflicts.

Many people died in defence of democracy and to allow us the freedoms we have today, we owe them all and many others a tremendous debt of gratitude for what they done in serving their country.

Eastfields Station & construction

2007-11-08T23:51:00.000Z

I enclose some information from this weeks Transport Briefing www.transportbriefing.co.uk about the new Eastfields Station. The latest is that it will open in June(though it say New Year in the below article) and it's hoped that both Southern and Thameslink services will both serve the station. Below is some details about the station contruction and the the buildings connected with the station.

Network Rail to assemble first prefab station kit
Filed 06/11/07

Contractors are preparing to assemble the first of an off-the-shelf station design which is to be rolled out across the rail network in a bid to cut construction costs and speed up new station developments.

Civil engineering firm Dean Dyball is close to completing preliminary works for the new Eastfields station near Mitcham in the London borough of Merton. The station kit - which includes platform and canopy modules - will then be assembled on site to allow the station to open early in the New Year.

Network Rail has already approved the design, a trial version of which has been erected on an industrial estate in Ringwood near Southampton. The modular system can be put together in 36 days and is expected to be used for a new station at Cranbook in Devon and to upgrade existing stations at Greenhithe in Kent and Effingham Junction is Surrey. Network Rail's business plan, published last week, includes a commitment to spend around £150m on station improvements as well as plans to allow step-free access to trains across the entire rail network.

The prefab station initiative follows criticism of the multi-million pound cost of opening new railway stations that has seen many schemes flounder due to funding difficulties. Of the successful recent projects Coleshill in Warwickshire, which opened to passengers earlier this year, cost £8.7m while Gartcosh in North Lanarkshire came in at £3.25m when it opened in 2005. Network Rail is under pressure to deliver more affordable new stations to meet the growing demand for rail travel and the infraco believes the prefab kits can also be used to upgrade existing neglected stations, which would otherwise require expensive renovations.

Unbelievable

2007-11-06T21:56:00.000Z

How I'd describe Liverpool's victory tonight and what a turn round from just a few weeks ago. Achieving a record Champions League result of 8-0 is testament to the performance of the team tonight. Just when Liverpool looked down and out, the spirit of Istanbul was with us and the victory tonight was petty amazing to watch.

Hopefully it will be used as a stimulant and improve our Premier League form, we're still unbeaten but need to win those crucial games and not draw them.

A few exciting months could still be ahead for the reds!

Travellers off at last

2007-11-06T21:12:00.000Z

Finally and after four weeks the travellers on Mitcham Common have finally departed. This has been a long drawn out process which has consumed a vast amount of councillor time along with causing inconvenience to the residents' enjoyment of the Common caused by their encampment on Watneys Road. I have no doubt this could have resolved a great deal earlier if the will had existed but there you go - better late then never.

In terms of the barrier the Council are in the process of replacing the barrier that was broken, concrete bollards have been installed as an interim measure.

The downside is that they've now seemingly moved onto the Mitcham Golf Club car park which is in Cricket Green ward - hopefully they'll be gone a great deal quicker then the time it took them to leave Mitcham Common.

Travellers on Mitcham Common, week 4

2007-10-31T23:42:00.000Z

Merton Council have now embarked on removing the travellers from Watneys Road on Mitcham Common after nearly four weeks of prevarication. The delay has been appalling given that legislation should have seen them removed from the highway swiftly many weeks ago. Residents' have every right to be annoyed about what has happened, the Council have agreed to but up concrete barriers to stop future incursions but it's an unacceptable state of affairs. From speaking to local residents' they certainly do not feel that Tory run Merton Council has been 'Putting You First'