Statues and Editing the Past

I find attempts to edit our various monuments really quite beside the point and much more about signalling than actually tackling the often complex problems involved.  As with this piece  in the Independent, the author discusses which statues he dislikes rather the far more important issues around racial inequality that he is supposed to be worrying.  It is rather like a fossil fuel company "greenwashing" to distract from dealing with emissions.

Firstly his list is arbitrary, and simply based on his own knowledge.  Since he refers to Colston (died 1721) as contempory with Wilberforce (born 1759), we can assume that this is not extensive.  He also seems not to see why some figures have multiple messages.

For instance Oliver Cromwell is a well established figure for the Irish (although some argue that his massacres were conventional war practices for the time), but he was a complex figure who changed over time.  He can be seen as a champion of Parliament against Royal tyranny or as a man who overthrew Parliament.  He can be understood as an English/ British patriot or as an oppressor of these islands in whole or part. His parliamentary statue was erected as a symbol of non-Anglican Protestantism, a largely forgotten cause now. In other words, like Churchill, how you view him depends on which parts of his life you choose to emphasise.

This is important not least because the judgement changes according to fashion and the individual concerned, yet the statue is there for the whole community.

Does Nelson deserve his place in Trafalgar Square as a national saviour from invasion or should he lose it as a slave owner? Should George Washington be in the same Square despite being a slave owner and as someone who defeated the British in war? Does Henry Havelock get in the same Square as a British champion or should he be removed as a colonialist?

Is it really sensible to try to edit the urban environment in this way to bring into line with current thinking, or should we not just accept that all landscapes are a compendium of decisions made over a long time rather than one particular moment?

If this sort of editing has any place, it is a due process based on accurate information and made by accountable people, preferably (given the subjectivity) elected ones.  The alternative is a rather ugly picture of kulturkampf dominated by violence and the threat of violence.

UPDATE 12.06.20

I see that some of the statues being vandalised have nothing to with the supposed.  This includes Queen Victoria being labelled a slave owner (She wasn't) and Robert the Bruce in Bannockburn as a "racist king".

The Guardian Appeals for Brent Experiences

In light of Brent's awful infection record, the Guardian is appealing for accounts of people living in Brent here.

Keeping Clean Air After Covid19

Some interesting examples of promoting clean air after Covid19 Here.  This all appears to be uncertain at present as our rudderless government lurches from one contradictory announcement to the next.  One moment Grant Shapps is promoting car use, the next he is trying to ease public transport use.  Then it is back to discouraging public transport with higher fares for children.

The Colston Statue

The toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol strikes me as yet another of these symbolic protests that distracts from actually solving problems to just making people feel good about themselves.

There are plenty of demonstrable ways in which various ethnic groups are disadvantaged compared to the population average. Solving such problems, which are probably multi-causal, takes time, data, persistence and a certain amount of political guts.  Much simpler to throw a statue off a quay as a gesture to yourself while leaving the hard work of really changing things to others.

NHS Anger

The sheer anger shown by NHS CEO Chris Hopson at being bounced into a reorganisation by government ministers with no notice was extraordinary. On the Today programme, Justin Webb could not get a word in. I think ministers literally have no conception of how work is needed to get large oeganisatìns to do things.

Badly Thought Out Slogans

A decidedly ill thought out slogan i have seen recently was for the use of COVID19 masks. It was "Wear a mask; pass it on." Do people never think these things through?

What Boris Johnson's Word is Worth

A few days ago, Boris Johnson was in front of the Commons liaison committee and was about the no recourse to public funds rule.  He gave the impression of knowing nothing about, but promised to review it.

A few days later, he seems to have backtracked on the review.

European Transition

I understand that the Northern Ireland Assembly has requested that the UK has apply for an extension to the current EU agreement.  I have no doubt that the vast majority of MPs, although they will no longer being allowed a constituonal vote following Rees-Mogg's Purge.

The alternative is the nightmare of an off the cliff exit from the EU at the same time as a second wave in COVID19.

Indeed that may have been the intention of the purge.

Mogg's Purge

The farcical Commons vote yesterday whereby dozens of MPs will henceforth be unable to vote in Parliament is  (I think) the first such purge since Colonel Pride in the interregnum.

Effectively, we have had a coup d'etat via a proceedual vote.

Who would have thought Rees-Mogg would be the one to bring us back to this kind of republicanism?

UPDATE 03.06.20

I notice that the government appears now to be backtracking and allowing shielded MPs to vote remotely after all.  Why doesn't the government ever seen to get it right the first time round?

Jeremy Corbyn and the EHRC

Jeremy Corbyn is making a pre-emotive attack on the EHRC ahead of what is expected to be a highly critical report on antisemitism under his leadership.

No surprise there. The alternative would be to accept responsibility.

I am surprised by his belief that Churchill was antisemitic, as Jews were the one "ethnic" group that Churchill liked.  At least that is the account given by Sir Martin Gilbert in his Churchill and the Jews.

Jenrick in Tower Hamlets

Jenrick's extraordinary planning decision on a planning application in Tower Hamlets is a far more serious problem than his previous breach of lockdown guidance.

Well Stocked Public Libraries

There is a short quote at the back of Alasdair Gray's Lanark: "I regard a well stocked public library as the pinnacle of democratic socialism." Worth remembering in these days when Brent Libraries are closed.

When will Brent Libraries Reopen?

Brent been without a physical library service since 20 March 2020.

Surprisingly this does not appear to bother all the Campaigners who used to assure me that they regarded libraries as a lifeline. It does however mean that Brent Council may be breaching its legal duty to provide a library service.  This also has consequences.

People who public computers to access universal credit or other service and have no home access are currently simply cut off from any online service, which may have financial and other services.  Other Boroughs appear to be making PCs available.

No books are available despite many pupils needing to home school.  It would be useful to know if a limited reserve service could be restarted, or even (depending on safety) a full lending service.

Likewise, many people shut in overcrowded housing might welcome the public space.

At the very least Brent should be discussing these issues.

Lanark and Alasdair Gray

I have recently been reading Lanark by Alasdair Gray, which is quite the most impressive British novel I have read for a long time. Sometimes tough going, it is nonetheless worth it.

Interim Vice Chair for Brent Council Audit Committee

The removal of Cllr Aslam Choudhary as Vice Chair of Audit has left Cllr Janice Long as the new "interim" vice Chair.

Bristol Ahead of Brent in Pedestrianisation

Bristol appears to be considering a much more ambitious level of pedestrianisation than Brent.  Given concerns over air quality, climate emissions and transport pressures, finding a car lite option is really the only way London can go.

Yvette Cooper's Visa Concession

Yvette Cooper MP appears to have won cross party support for a concession for foreign workers in the NHS to be allowed to stay without going through the UK' s horrendous visa system.

This clears up something that was puzzling me.

Why did she vote for a second reading against the Labour whip with all the potential political dangers she might face as a result. I take it she had had some sort of indication that this was a quid pro quo.

Still Charging

Boris Johnson has performed a u-turn on making some NHS workers pay extra on top of their taxes for NHS services that they work to provide. However, he has yet to back track on others such as administrators and non-clinical staff. Why not? Are there any other areas where foreigners are subject to a special charge on top of their taxes?

Boris Johnson Misleads at PMQs

Boris Johnson misled the Commons at PMQs.  Under questioning from Keir Steamer, he claimed abolishing the charge that foreign NHS workers need to pay if they need NHS treatment would cost about £900 million.  In fact data obtained from the House of Commons library by Seema Malhotra MP suggest it would be between £1.3 million and £35 million, depending on how many employees are involved.

Johnson should back to the Chamber to correct himself.

UPDATE

I gather that as of the evening  of the 21st of May, the Tories have now u-turned on the anti-migrant charge.  That does not in my view obviate from the need to publicly acknowledge the facts.

Congestion Charge Myth

The Tories have trying to peddle a falsehood that Sadiq Khan has voluntarily reimposed the congestion charge and that the Tory government played no part in this.
This is flatly untrue.  In fact the reimposition of the charge is a condition of the bailout agreement. Not signing the bailout would leave TfL unable to trade I.e. not running any tubes or buses, leaving many Londoners without any way to get to work or in cases to access food shops.

The original thinking behind this was to encourage the use of public transport as an alternative to the car, but public transport is now highly restricted because of the social distancing rules.  Grant Shapps has urged everyone to use cars instead, which I am sure he knows is a complete non-answer in London where many don't have access to a car.  In any case replacing the journeys normally made on bus and tube with car journeys would lead to horrific traffic congestion.

I cannot help but suspect that the real Tory agenda is to infuriate Londoners and for Sadiq Khan to get the blame prior to the Mayoral election next year.

Sexual Equality in Parliament

The Labour Party has for the first time in its history a (bare) majority of female MPs.  The first party to achieve this was the ill fated TIG break away group. Reading the Liberal democrat survey of the reasons for their election drubbing I note that they seven female MPs out of eleven (64%), and they comment that they want to maintain that proportion.

That seems odd, as it is above the population average.  Bringing the MPs in line with with the general population has been the most common reason for promoting specific groups, since this makes the best use of talent and a variety of different views is held to make for better decision making.

Although the Tory Party still seem to fall short in female representation, might this be a time when Labour and the Lib Dems need to rethink their selection processes?

Roundwood Cafe open as a Takeaway

Taking advantage of the reduced lockdown conditions and sunshine yesterday, i found that Roundwood cafe is now open as a cafe.  As one in eight households have no gardens nationally, and a lot more round Harlesden I suspect, parks are valuable than ever.

Labour Party Membership Hits Record High

According to NEC representative Alice Perry, Labour Party Membership is now 570,000.  I believe this would be the highest level since Harold Wilson.

Sadiq Khan and Grant Shapps

Sadiq Khan shows a much better understanding of the problems of an urban transport network than Grant Shapps (aka Michael Green.

Everyone driving cars is simply not viable in London because there is not enough road space or parking and a very high proportion of residents do not have access to a car.

Rough Sleepers Back on the Streets

Rough Sleepers will be forced back on the streets according to the Manchester evening News. They were taken off at short notice at the start of the lockdown with central government saying that they paying the bill. In Brent' s case I have been housed in an hotel in Earl' s Court.  The funding is being withdrawn with no notice by the government.

In some cases, the sleepers had been able to make progress with the problems that led to the rough sleeping in the first place. This risks being thrown away if they are just put back on the streets, but councils such as Brent are otherwise being forced to meet the costs from budgets that already overstretched by the effects of the virus and more than a decade of cuts.

Are Tory ministers too cynical to even care?

Brent Library Loans Extended

Brent libraries have been extended until 30 June.  Informally, I have been informed that any opening is likely to be piecemeal.

Dudden Hill Councillor Suspended

I understand that Cllr Aslam Choudhary (Dudden Hill ward) has now been suspended from Brent Council Labour Group after posting a video containing comments on Jewish control of America.  This happened on Friday and is the fifth removal from the Labour group in  six month period, a very short time.

It will not result in an immediate election because of the virus legislation and the distinction between being a Group member and a councillor.

UPDATE 5.5.20

I now have learnt that Cllr Choudhary is suspended as a Labour member, and is likely to be removed from his committee posts, but he is still allowed to attend Labour Group meetings.  This all seems rather strange.

Hybrid "Con" and Inflation

There was a recent Guardian article about hybrid vehicles being a con.  Whatever it tells you about hybrid vehicles, it says something important about measuring value over time.

The article says they a "con" for a number of reasons.  Partly it points out that it depends on how the driver uses it (duh...yes).  Partly it points out the growing size of vehicles meaning that they weigh more than years ago for the same class and there fore require more energy to move.

That demonstrates a problem with changing values and technology.  Is a new digital TV really the same as the old analogue version, which could do far less.  A modern computer has far more processing power that older models.  Are they effectively he same product anymore?

Going for a Walk

The Living Streets campaign is advising people to go for a walk unless self isolating due to illness or heightened risk.  Good advice. 

Slippery Johnson Cannot be Trusted

If proof were need that the government are indeed as slippery with extending their powers as I have suggested, take a look at the sudden postponement of local elections.  These were postponed not just for a few days as in 2014, but for an entire year without any explanation.

The article also points out how awkward this makes life for  an existing Assembly member but new MP such as Flo Eshalomi MP (and GLAM come to that). 

A less distracted opposition would be on top of this.  Marina Hyde makes it seem easy. 

The Odd Behaviour of Jewish Voices for Labour

I don't often comment on Jewish Voices for Labour (JVL) as it is not really a local government  concern, but it does seem a strange sort of body that is mainly geared not to Jewish issues or to Labour campaigning, but merely trying to deflect accusations of antisemitism and attacking the much longer established Jewish Labour Movement.  This odd document is another reminder of that.  By contrast, JLM seems to take an interest in specifically Jewish debates on Education, adult care etc. as well as wider issues such as police discrimination.

Incidentally, this table by JVLWatch below gives some hint as to why these various "Jewish" groups are not really representative and therefore (if you really want to engage with the majority of the Jewish community, it is better to go to the Board of Deputies and such like.

On Street Parking in London

Catching up with this piece on on street parking in London.  It argues that cars are still taking more than their fair share of road usage despite being at the bottom of the road user hierarchy. 

Law Commission Finally Reports on Election Law Reform

The Law Commission has finally come up with recommendations on election law reform.  As I pointed out long ago, the current system really isn't fit for purpose. 

Election Study Overshadowed

Largely overlooked amid the virus crisis is serious academic research on voter behavior during the 2019 General Election.  Voters' party allegiance to the Labour Party in particular seemed weak.  The other big thing was that Boris Johnson did not seem to scare as many people as Theresa May did. 

Corunavirus and Leaving the Single Market

David Davis MP is now apparently suggesting that a collapse in international trade helps us to leave the Single Market without a trading agreement and that this is therefore desirable.  It seems a long way from "the easiest thing in the world" and "the German car manufacturers' will make sure an agreement is passed".

There is now a petition to Parliament to extend the transition period for two years as the corunavirus outbreak has made an agreement even less likely than it seemed already.  

Stella Creasy MP's locum MP experiment

Catching up on non-corunavirus stories, I see that Stella Creasy MP's locum MP experiment has run its course.  The details of the casework I don't find surprising and would be familiar to many caseworkers and councillors.  The key problem I see with that role is where the constituent wants policy casework, explaining the MP's position on this or that public issue, or asking the MP to lobby ministers.  I don't see how that can be farmed out to anyone else. 

Council Tax and Business Rates

The apparently well sourced stories that there will be a three month holiday on business rates make me wonder what the position of local authorities will be.  London Borough these days often get more of their income from business rates than from Council Tax.  Will they just be expected to take the hit?  Or will they be expected to recover the money at a later stage?

Prescience from Dave Hill of OnLondon

Dave Hill of OnLondon makes what I imagine will turnout to be a prescient comment on Boris Johnson below.

Brent Library Opening Hours

Brent Libraries have had their opening hours cut back to 10am to 6pm on weekdays and no weekend opening except for Wembley library which will be open 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.  Thus the hours now have been hacked back almost to the level before the Libraries Transformation Project was put in place. 

Brent Law Centre Closed

Brent Law Centre is now closed, as reported in the Kilburn Times.  It opened in 1971 and had Labour MPs Jack Dromey and Harriet Harman as early workers.  During their time there they took part in the famous Grunwick dispute.  It was "saved" in the 2011 budget debate, but further cuts to legal aid have led the trustees to close it it so that it can be done in an orderly fashion. 

Well Said Chris Bryant

Chris Bryant MP has protested against the Johnson government giving itself "emergency powers" to among other things arrest people for suspicion that they have Covid19.  The powers as mooted at present will last for two years.  He is right to denounce this.

This Prime Minster has repeatedly shown his contempt for parliamentary scrutiny and the rule of law, he cannot be trusted.  Nor should any government have the power to arrest people not because they have committed any criminal act but simply on the suspicion that they might be ill.

That said, I wonder how the government think they might use such a power.  Where would they put the arrested people? Back home, where they can walk out again?  In a police cell, when Brent and many other places simply don't have enough as was indicated in the 2011 riots?  In our notoriously overcrowded jails where they can infect everybody else?

It seems to me that our main defence of UK citizens against this government's totalitarian instincts is their incompetence in thinking them through. 

Suspending Parliament

Boris Johnson is apparently considering giving himself draconian powers to pass any legislation he likes without any Parliamentary scrutiny whatsoever.  Given his track record on prorogation, the EU withdrawal agreement and indeed his position as the UK's most notorious liar, I really don't think that would be sensible.

The benefits of proper scrutiny are indicated by Dr Rosena Allin Khan's question at PMQ yesterday.  Why do NHS doctors not have the protective equipment they need (or the testing that would mark out whether they are inadvertently endangering patients).

Quite apart from his genuine threats to constitutional government, what does one think of a Prime Minister who has a Conference call with CEOs about constructing more ventilators and makes a remark like this (Courtesy of Pippa Crerar):

Libraries and the Corunavirus

Concern appears to be rising over keeping libraries open  during the corunavirus epidemic, as shown in this Public Libraries News post (which incidentally I think has somewhat misunderstood the role envisaged by "herd immunity").

One of the problems of closure, is that much of this effort is about getting out timely and accurate public information to keep public trust.  This appears to have been undermined by recent political briefings and is a core purpose of libraries.  To close them down might leave some people unable to access information easily, which would be a major price to pay.  Of course it is sensible for any service to keep its self under review and make changes such as intensify its daily cleaning.

The Irish Prime Minister has already observed this:

I also think that there is an issue with the whole close this and close that approach that you do it as a one off, but it seems to be a bit more of a whack-a-mole situation where any country that manages to close the disease off in one place can face a resurgence coming from somewhere else, and that this is likely to remain the case until a vaccine is found.

UPDATE 19.03.20

I have a shrewd suspicion that Brent libraries will shortly announce a temporary closure to at least the end of April. 

Closures

The widespread closures and election postponement will hopefully slow the spread of the corunavirus, but I suspect they will also take their toll of local businesses, especially around Wembley where the events are central to drawing in customers.  I hope that other public services such as Council ones continue to be open so that businesses can survive. 

Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum Charity

It seems that Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum is finally officially a charity after almost a year of trying to get the Charity Commission to register it as such.  I can't believe that such a delay was really needed, but at least it is over now. 

The Harlesden Neighbourhood Forum has also featured in this recent GLA report.  

Future Costs and Brent Council

One of the reasons Brent Council was so careful about scaling down its budgets from 2010 onwards is the knowledge that there were huge additional costs coming down the line because of things like demographic change and now Brexit.

Brexit will create a particularly difficult environment of Labour shortages as workers are deliberately kept out or removed from the UK.  Simultaneously, pay will be going up for legislative reasons, but also I suspect as a result of market forces.  We may also see the wholesale exit from provision by the private sector leaving the Council to clear up the mess.  This is an existential issue for local government. 

Lexi Cinema Close to getting Second Screen

The Lexi cinema is now close to getting its target funding figure for a new screen due to large grants of taxpayers' money from both Brent Council and the Mayor for London.  The cinema will be able to add a second screen as a result.  You can learn more about the Lexi Cinema from its web site. 

Sunak's Budget Reversal

Rishi Sunak's budget is remarkable for its political amnesia.  As well as pretending to be a new government (rather than a re-elected one after a decade of mismanagement), it pretty much trashes all the thinking that led to he and his colleagues in the previous decade of cuts that have led to public services being such a wreck.

It is rather as if a husband battered his wife for a decade and then arrived with a bunch of flowers.

Of course, the new spending pledges often just take things back to levels of spending inherited in 2010, and sometimes not even that.  And the institutions meant to spend them are so enervated that they will struggle to spend the new largess properly.  In particular adult social care can not easily make up for the years of cuts, especially with the immigration restrictions likely at the end of this year.

Lisa Nandy is quite right to ask for an extension of the EU transition period. The reactions of all the Labour Leader and Deputy Leader candidates are published by Labourlist. 

Unsafe Cladding

Interesting example of the SNP passing the buck to be found on the Red Brick blog here regarding unsafe cladding in blocks.  I quote in full:

"Scotland has an unusual problem. Even though there is no leasehold/freehold distinction north of the border, the Scottish Government has limited influence on the actions of mortgage lenders since this power is reserved to Westminster. The London Government has issued an advice note that deals with fire safety in buildings post Grenfell throughout the United Kingdom. Even though building standards are higher in Scotland than in England, lending organisations now require home inspection reports to reflect the new London imposed standards. Consequently, some leaseholders in Scotland who wish to sell or remortgage have found that they have been imposed with a nil valuation."

Of course, Scotland has more than fifty MPs at Westminster, almost all SNP, who can pursue this or any other issue in the same way as any other Westminster MP.  If they have a "problem" it is probably the reluctance of the SNP MPs to raise such bread and butter issues as it does not accord with the Nationalist narrative. 

Flooding and Austerity

The government is now reversing course on its cuts to flood defences here.  I pointed out the likely consequences some years ago, as (in considerably more detail) did Simon Wren-Lewis. The new funding announced is therefore just the government admitting that it has been making a disastrous (literally) policy for almost a decade, and simply undoing some of the damage that the government has already done.  As well as the financial cost, the cuts have also led to a delay in building the defences.  Had the government continued the trend it inherited from Labour back in 2010, many of the flooded properties of this year might never have been flooded.

Priti Patel and Bullying

The ongoing defence of Priti Patel from the accusations against of a pattern of bullying remind me of a similar case I can recall in Brent Council.  In that case the bullying was of a man against a succession of women and sometimes others.  The behaviors were similar, and so were the excuses

• The behavior was minimized as just a bit "hardball"
• It was suggested that the complainants were oversensitive
• It was suggested that rather that it was just a management style.

Above all, the bully saw themselves as the victim, and in the Brent case, tried to respond by making it impossible for anyone to complain about his behavior. 

Flytipping in Alperton

The Kilburn Times has spotted a truly shocking level of flytipping at a site in Alperton.  The tone of the reportage seems to be why hasn't the Council cleared it up?  This seems to miss the point somewhat.  If it were public highway that would be what the Council would do automatically, but is private land.  The Council can issue a notice against the owner to clear it up provided it is judged a public nuisance and even forcibly clear it and send the bill to the owner.  This would take time and proof of the nuisance (e.g. a massive rat population).  It is dismaying that neither the the recently elected Lib Dem councillor for Alperton nor the Brent Council respondee make this point.

Agreement on Brent Libraries

It is always nice to find areas of agreement, and so I would like to say that I agree with both Paul Lorber and Martin Francis that the reference in a Brent poster to ten libraries is misleading.  Brent runs six libraries serving far more people in more ways than it did with twelve in 2011.

There are six publicly run libraries in Brent.  These are the two new ones Wembley and Willesden, one completely refurbished one at Kilburn, one partially refurbished one at Ealing Road and towo others in Harlesden and Kingsbury.  They are open to all residents, pupils and workers in Brent free of charge for all kinds of library services and subject to various statutory guarantees.  They are staffed by paid staff on the Council payroll with the various worker rights that guarantees.

Not so the four "community" libraries which each private organisations that do not publish things like visitor or loan numbers, and do not give the kind of access guarantees that Brent's seven day libraries have.  I would be surprised if they access the range of services either since that would be extremely expensive.  In the past, it appeared that one of them seemed to be more a bookshop than a library. 

Sadly, I do have to point out that Paul Lorber is doing a bit of misleading of his own in implying that Brent could have just handed over buildings to volunteer groups. That is simply not so.

I think it is also worth pointing out that Brent is one of a dwindling group of authorities that still provide a museum and archive service (at Willesden Green), and that Philip Grant's point about having an exhibition.  There has been at least one previous exhibition on Ernest Trobridge, at the Willesden Museum back in 2010. 

Hampstead and Kilburn Labour Party

Coverage of the goings on in Hampstead and Kilburn CLP gives cause for concern as they appoint constituency officers with some very strange behavior behind (and quite possibly in front of them).  They are not known as people keen to go out on the doorstep, quite possibly because they would find a lot of the public disagree with their views.  Both Brent Labour Party and the Party nationally will need to consider whether such people should continue their activities or whether the Regional Director needs to step in. 

Electric Trial for Dust Cart

I see that Brent are trialing electric dust carts with Veolia.  That seems eminently sensible.  A dust cart has a fairly short and predictable circuit so the amount of energy used should be predictable.  The batteries can be charged at the depot, and overall pollution would be reduced.  Of course, a similar argument might be made for buses. 

Fantasy Shadow Cabinet

That YouGov poll that showed Keir Starmer with a clear lead in the leadership election, also had an interesting take on who Labour Party members might like to see as shadow Cabinet members:

Commenting on the Morland Gardens Development

Subsequent to my post on Friday, there have been further comments on the Morland Gardens redevelopment proposal.  Philip Grant, a local historian, has written on the history of the building.

The assessment accompanying the application is that during the building's long life the historical features were all stripped out and only the shell remained.  As an aside, I don't recognise his various descriptions of the debate around Willesden Library which was subject to a number of misconceptions.  Essentially, he wants to turn down the current proposal for 65 housing units, some workspace and a further education college in order to retain the Victorian shell and have half the number of housing units.  Which choice one would make depends on a value judgement.

UPDATE 09.03.20

Mr Grant has commented below.  Just to unpack my comment on misconceptions.  I was commenting on misconceptions in general, which I summarised at the time.  I believe that Mr Grant suggested that the only publicity given to the proposed redevelopment was a small focus group, and nothing else.  This was not so as a number of reports and Council meetings had described the options as they were developed (all in the public domain), the Willesden Area Consultative Forum had been informed as referenced in the 2012 post I have just linked to, the Willesden and Brent Times had covered the story (as referenced in the article I just linked to, and I personally had had a number of conversations on the subject with various parties to the library litigation.

Shadow Cabinet Speculation

Keir Starmer's lead in the Labour leadership election now seems so compelling that people are speculating as to the identity of various front bench posts.  More important than who is ultimately getting a new critique of the government's strategy.  The Tories have deftly abandoned their austerity narrative which tacitly concedes that the last decade of suffering was a pointless, self inflicted disaster.  Labour are so preoccupied with internal arguments that the Conservatives have been allowed to do this pretty scotfree. 

Hopefully Oliver Kamm's piece on import substitution will help give some pointers. 

Fair Trade in Brent Civic Centre

I learn via the Cooperative Party that:

On 4th March the Mayor of Brent will be officially opening the exhibition of Fairtrade themed artwork by Brent schools at Brent Civic Centre.  Start time 4.30pm. At the rear of the ground floor. 

Brent first became a Fairtrade Borough in 2012.  

Scrutiny and Thames Water

Camden Council has been quizzing Thames Water about why their pipes burst, according to the Camden New Journal, and the answer is they don't know.  That is disappointing as Brent suffers from this problem routinely and a real answer would be reassuring.

This was done via one of Camden's scrutiny committees.  I have never understood why Brent does not use its Scrutiny system in a similar way to the one that Camden use theirs, as my understanding is that it has powers to question about the use of public money anywhere in the Borough. 

However, I can't help but notice that the Camden meeting struggled to get a quorum so things are not perfect there either.

Keir Starmer Now Leading in Survation Poll

Keir Starmer is now leading in a Survation Poll published by Labourlist.  I am not as confident in their methodology as I am in Yougov's but both appear to be good indicators of a Starmer win

Labour Party Distractions

One thing that those who call for mandatory reselection of MPs might reflect on is that during the period of the Leadership election, Labour has been doing virtually nothing to scrutinise the government.  This has allowed it build a big poll lead despite wilful errors such as the Prime Minister refusing to visit flood hit parts of the UK.

Naval contemplation has its price.

Morland Gardens Redevelopment

There is a proposal on the table to redevelop 1 Morland Gardens on the edge of Stonebridge and Harlesden.  The planning application summary is:

"Demolition of existing buildings and erection of a new mixed use building ranging in height from two to nine storeys, to provide 65 dwellings (Use Class C3), affordable workspace (Use Class B1), new further education college (Use Class D1), with associated amenity areas, public realm improvements, car and cycle parking and refuse/recycling store."

All the properties in the building are proposed as "affordable".  There is also 750 square metres of affordable workspace and space for a college (which is the current use).

The housing is proposed as 40% one bedroom, 18% two bedroom, 10% three bedroom, 7% four bedroom and 4% five bedroom.  This adds up to just under 80% of the space.  All the units will be "social renting". 

Keep Talking

Hope Not Hate and the Community Security Trust (CST) have issued an important report on conspiracy theories and the increasing dialogue between the Far Right and the Far Left (including in the Labour Party).  The number of people involved in these may be small, but they have a disproportionate; the more so when they hide in "moderate" clothing.

Passover Reviews

Passover at the Kiln Theatre has been receiving rhapsodic reviews.  They are thoroughly deserved.

Reasons People Did Not Vote Labour in 2019

Some one has rather usefully actually asked the voters what they think about reasons not to vote Labour, rather than making assumptions.  It should be minded by every Labour Party member voting in our Leadership election. 

UPDATE 25/02/20

I see Angela Rayner's has acknowledged that part of the reasons for the defeat were to do with the Leadership.  I wish others were as frank.  

Passport to Where?

I can't say that this image really consoles me for losing freedom of movement across the European Union, but why does it show Boris Johnson a plane when he is officially in Chevening?

Police Action Going Too Far?

Weird to see the below photograph circulating on the Internet, so much so that I suspect is is "fake news".  If it is not I imagine the government will be going ballistic since it seems like the Police going way too far for their remit.

Brent Council Poverty Commission

I see Brent council is sponsoring a poverty commission.  This is a good idea, but it does seem to replicate the Social Mobility Commission chaired by Lord Knight that was set up round about 2012.  That did not see any of its conclusions pursued because of a lack of political support.  I hope it works out differently this time.

Barnhill Election Petition

Remarkably the Barnhill election has been subjected to an election petition.  This is an extremely unusual proceeding.  The last time it happened in Brent was in 2006 in following a result in Dudden Hill where an employee of the Council was elected as a councillor (representing the Liberal Democrats).  

The Barnhill case is brought by the losing Conservative candidates.  It alleges a miscounting of the votes, but does not say whether they mentioned this to the Returning Officer or examined the ballot papers, as they had a right to do.

Misguided Reforms in the Labour Party

A plea here for more realism on local government governance will hopefully be heard by the winners for the Labour Leadership battle.  Separating the appointment of the Leader from the councillors s/he is supposed to work with is indeed disastrous for reasons I have described.  The new Leader will have the perfect opportunity to look again. 

One Sided Endorsements

More on Graham Durham, the now apparently suspended candidate for the Labour Party NEC.  He appears to be endorsing Jo Bird, but it is not clear whether she is endorsing him. 

I first came across this tactic with Ken Livingstone's runs for London Mayor.  A number of anti-Labour candidates would endorse him even though he was asking people to vote Labour in the Assembly. 

Brent Council Budget 2020

What with the Labour leadership and all, I have not had the opportunity to fully review the Brent Council budget which will be going forward at the full Council today, but I have noticed:

• A property review to maximise income, which I take it calls into question any promises of peppercorn rents.
• A general commitment to large savings from future budgets without a clear pathway to achieving them, which strikes me as a worrying sign of a Council kicking potential problems down the line.  For example there is a commitment to as extra £245k in environmental services through unidentified "efficiencies".
• A general commitment to "robust challenge" in terms of the cost of Council services i.e. gatekeeping on people accessing services combined with with refusing to pay beyond a certain level.

Labour's NEC Nominations

Those who follow the internal workings of the Labour Party, a select breed I imagine, may be interested in progress on the two by elections to Labour's National Executive.  Labour's official list of nominations is available.

The only Brent resident I am aware of going for this is a person called Graham Durham who recently achieved notoriety over his opposition to Rebecca Long-Bailey at one of her own rallies.  Sienna Rogers, the editor of Labourlist has commented:

Andrew Sabisky and Boris Johnson

I have argued before that Boris Johnson may through either ineptitude or sheer hubris start chipping away at his own authority, but I am surprised at how quickly this is happening.

According to the Huffington Post, he is refused to distance himself from Andrew Sabisky's offensive comments on race, eugenics and so on.  Given his own record of comments on black people, this amazes me.  He is wide open to the accusation that he agrees with his aide.  Mashing up vaccination programmes with compulsory sterilisation is the kind of thing that delayed the eradication of polio.  It is profoundly dangerous coming from some one in Downing Street.  Mr Sabisky' views also mean that he has such a skewed view of the world that his advice on policy will be useless.

Any sensible Prime Minister would have got rid of him immediately. Instead Johnson waited until the press had cottoned on, and only did it last night, making himself look both weak and stupid.

Passover in the Kiln Theatre

I saw Passover at the Kiln theatre recently.  Billed as a mash up of the Moses story and Waiting for Godet, it is as powerful a piece of drama as I have seen for a long time.  It seems to be one of a number of such plays taking long established classics and giving them a different modern twist (as in Wife and When the Crows Visit earlier in the season).  It is also the first production to be put on in the round.  Thus it takes advantage of the enhanced flexibility which was one of the points of the refurbishment. 

Spread of Coronavirus

The spread of the coronavirus, which now appears to be inevitable, reminds me of Amartya Sen's work on famine.  He pointed out that famine had only occurred in non-democratic countries, and that a key reason was the absence of a free press.  This meant the authrities themselves don't realise how widespread the problems are until it is late in the cycle, and I suspect something like this may have happened in China.

Council Carbon Footprint

Many English Councils don't know the extent of their carbon footprint, according to the Guardian.  That is truly worrying.  Without knowing that how can they say they are seriously committed to reducing it?  I am glad to say that Brent Council is a lot more advanced, thanks to the Civic Centre and other projects.

Johnson's Buses Oversold

It should come as no surprise that the £5 billion for local transport in the regions of England is overblown.  Firstly, it is over years i.e. £1 billion capital spend year split between England's eight non-London regions.  That is £125 million per region for five years.

It sounds as if it is mostly capital spend, and I am not sure if it is even new money or a recycled announcement.  Given repaving one kilometre of pavement costs about £150,000 and resurfacing one kilometre of carriageway about £100,000; that kind of sum will not go far with say, the whole of East Anglia.

It certainly does not begin to make up for the last decade of cuts.

Cabinet Shuffle

The Cabinet shuffle appears to be much more consequential than expected.  It is currently reported that Javid is going as he will not accept all his advisers being sacked.  This kind of thing, so early in his tenure, suggests that Johnson's Prime Ministership could be a lot shorter than expected despite his huge majority.

Passover at the Kiln Theatre

Tonight will be the first performance at the Kiln Theatre of Passover, which is billed as a mash up of Waiting for Godet and the Moses story and looking at the Black American experience.  Goodness knows what it will be like.

Momentum, Burgon and Angela Rayner

I don't often comment on internal Labour Party matters here, but it is striking that Momentum appears to be backing two different candidates for Deputy Leader. 

Officially, they had a ballot, but it was a yes/no ballot for or against a pre-picked Rebecca Long-Bailey and a pre-picked Angela Rayner.  In my view that is a travesty, but as Momentum is a privately owned company similar to Farage's Brexit Party rather than a democratic movement, the only person's opinion who really counts is its owner's, Jon Lansmann.

There is also apparently a break away faction, backed by John McDonnell MP, is supporting the controversial Richard Burgon MP.  Dawn Butler MP appears to be reaching out for similar territory. 

A similar level of disorganisation is reported for the NEC by elections.  

If this is the level of disunity they manage among themselves, how are they going to unite the Labour Party?

Mayoral Candidate in the West Midlands

As the Labour Party continues being distracted by its internal elections, it has finally selected its metro mayor candidate in the West Midlands, Liam Byrne MP.  This is a tough fight coming up for May, and will be one of the first electoral tests of the new Leader.  It really is a pity that a candidate is in place there so late and that the Party is still focused on internal stuff. 

Alan Simpson on the General Election Campaign

Alan Simpson has spoken out explosively about Labour mismanagement of the General Election campaign.  Perhaps the most significant thing here is that he is very much associated with Jermey Corbyn's own wing of the Labour Party. 

Community Organising and Brent Local History

The people who controlled the Labour Party during the tenure of the now outgoing Leader set up what they called a "community organising unit".  I think the unit was actually duplicating the work already done by good local Labour Parties and Labour Councils up and down the land and in an area where Brent Council was a pioneer.

The story starts more than twenty years ago when the Blair government was first elected.  Back then the new Labour government wanted to change both the Party and the Councils by making them more outward facing and in touch with the public.  There are some shocking instances of Councils that were completely divorced from their communities.  For example, I recall meeting a councillor (Not a Brent one) who told me that he literally never knocked on a door during his more than twnety years as a councillor.  Whereas he was an extreme case, he was not the only one.

The Labour Party first set about reforming itself to discourage this.  It was hoped that the large new membership in 1997/1998, which back was over 400,000 would become more active in this regard, and to support that the Party started to streamlining its activities to reduce the number of dull and routine meetings by having more all member meetings, fewer acronyms and confusing committees and so on.  It is fair to see that this was not always successful, but the effort was a genuine one.

In parallel, the Blair government put forward the crucial 2000 Local Government Act which abolished the old committee system which tied councillors up in seemingly endless town hall meetings, and sought to get councillors more involved in "frontline" activities, engaging their communities.  There were a lot of successes in this.  I listed some of the ones I was involved in on my Kensal Green page, and there are many more recent examples.  Councillors were also encouraged to meet local people in events such as Local Democracy Week and in community groups.  Naturally this can also involve a certain amount of protesting against unresponsive public authorities, although this should be just a subsidiary part of the whole. 

An active local councillor, such Cllr Janice Long in Dudden Hill can clock up a lot of this provided she/he doggedly pursues it over time.

Brent became a pioneer on this setting up training and structures such as the ward working scheme to make it happen.  Unfortunately ward working was abolished and replaced with councillors merely arguing for grants of CIL money to particular groups without really understanding what they are spent on or why.  This replicates the potential dangers of things like ward working, of making it a vehicle for favouritism and patronage without getting the advantage in promoting the community aspect.

The Community Organising Unit was essentially replicating all this, presumably because its proponents didn't really understand how local government or good local Labour Parties worked.

A second aspect coming out of the recent General Election is that the Community Organisers got diverted from this into old fashioned transactional campaigning of the kind that community organising was supposed to replace.  This is an understandable situation where political parties are struggling for funding, but destroys the whole idea of community organising which is more about longer term relationships.  Of course, the Labour Party's internal review has also suggested that the organisers were sent to the wrong places either because the senior figures in the Party had a seriously misjudged optimism about the result or in some case a personal dislike for certain candidates.

Islington North Leadership Nomination

I don't know if it is true, but I have just read a tweet by a reputable journalist (Gabriel Pogrund) that Islington North CLP has nominated Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.

Stepless Access at Willesden Green

A long term project worth keeping an eye for is stepless access at Willesden Green Tube.  This has already been considered for some time, and a feasibility study is promised in the next few months.  However, the big obstacle will be paying for it as the re-elected Tory government is choosing to reapply austerity measures that prior to the General Election they said were gone. 

New Wards Have Passed the Final Legal Hurdle

The new ward arrangements are now in force, meaning that organisations can be reconfigured around them.  This may be important for the Police, as the Safer Neighbourhood Teams were designed to work on the ward boundaries.  It will also be important for the political parties, certainly for the Labour Party, and possibly Brent Council. 

Poets at Willesden Junction

There will be shortly a poets in residence group formed around Willesden Junction as part of Brent's Borough of Culture. This follows other Artists in residence schemes at Wembley Library and elsewhere.

Continuing Confusion Over Street Trees

Judging by social media, there is continuing confusion over street trees in Brent with people make perverse demands.

Firstly, there is a confusion of scale.  Each year, Brent loses 400 or so trees to causes such as storm damage, disease, old age, building works and road accidents.  This sounds like a lot until you realise that Brent has about 27,000 trees, so the loss is about one or two per cent a year.

The second is an idea that appears to have arisen that the Council should only use CIL money to replace them.  This makes no sense to me.  The Council has a regular budgets for repairing and maintaining pavements and carriageways, so why not other standard elements of the street infrastructure such as trees?

Greens Endorsing Labour Candidates

I see that Martin Frnacis of the Green Party is advocating a candidate in the Labour Party's internal selection for a candidate for the GLA seat in Brent and Harrow.  It is interesting that he is doing so despite not being a Labour Party member and indeed standing against us as recently as the Barnhill Council by election. 

Labour members should take the hint that he does not wish the Labour Party well.  Indeed he is eager to wreck it, despite Labour providing the only alternative to a hard right Tory government. 

That might also cause Labour members who are still denying the reasons behind the recent 2019 election defeat to reflect further. 

Dawn Butler MP on Deputy Leadership Ballot

Dawn Butler, MP for Brent Central, now reportedly has enough support from constituency parties (CLPs) to make it on to the Deputy Leadership ballot paper.

Denial in the Labour Party

Reports such as this show that the Labour Party is still riddled by people in straightforward denial over what led to the General Election defeat and how to rebuild.  The blaming of staff, the cherry picking of data and so on.  Frankly, too many people in the outgoing Leader's office are obsessed by Labour's internal politics at the expense of talking with the voters.

UK Break Up

Labour leadership contenders seem to be keen on more constitutional upheaval, although I would have thought the Brexit process has completely exhausted public tolerance for that.

The contenders also seem a bit confused as to what it means.  Rebecca Long Bailey has spoken of a need to bring Holyrood and Cardiff on a level" with the UK Parliament, which makes no sense.  The Parliament in London is not English; it is a UK Parliament, which is why Scots and Welsh MPs are elected to go there.  To bring the Welsh and Scots Assemblies "parity" would mean giving them full national sovereignty, but the Scots rejected this in 2014, and the Welsh have never asked for it.

It also begs the question of what you would do with Northern Ireland.  Given the peculiar and dysfunctional state of that polity and the history of how it used to exercise such powers 1920-1972, I hardly think it would be a good idea.

Talk of a codified constitution, aside from leading to all sorts of further wrangles about what would be in it, would actually lead to greater judicial activism and a decline in legitimacy as more examples of popular support would come into conflict with whatever special majority you needed to change your written constitution.

It worries me that these days senior political figures don't seem to understand the implications of what they are saying.  That is quite before you get to the kind of wilful obfuscation being employed by the SNP and the Tories over visas and what is a reserved power and what is not. 

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Investigation into The Labour Party

I have noticed that there is still a lot of speculation about what the EHRC investigation into the Labour Party will do.  It is worth referring back to what the EHRC said about this itself.  This was:

Summary

We have launched an investigation into allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party.

About the investigation

We contacted the Labour Party after receiving a number of complaints about allegations of antisemitism in the party.

We have carefully considered the response we have received from the Party and have opened a formal investigation.

We are using our powers under the Equality Act to open an investigation, which will look at:

    whether unlawful acts have been committed by the Party or its employees or agents

    the steps taken by the Party to implement the recommendations made in the reports on antisemitism by Baroness Royall, the Home Affairs Select Committee and in the Chakrabarti Report

    whether the Rule Book and the Party’s investigatory and disciplinary processes have enabled or could enable it to deal efficiently and effectively with complaints of race or religion or belief discrimination and racial harassment or victimisation, including whether appropriate sanctions have been or could be applied

    whether the Party has responded to complaints of unlawful acts in a lawful, efficient and effective manner

Any communications about the investigation may be sent to LPI@equalityhumanrights.com

Information or evidence received from individuals will be considered as part of the investigation. We cannot confirm that we will act on every email received.

The deadline for submitting information or evidence was 31 July 2019. Any information or evidence submitted after this date will not automatically be considered as part of the investigation; however, we may consider it if we think it necessary and appropriate.

Please redirect any media queries to media@equalityhumanrights.com