2022 Brent Ward Boundaries Announced

The LGCBE has reported back with its final report on the Borough of Brent.  As I expected, the final report largely follows the provisional one.  Although this could still technically be changed, it is very unlikely to be.

A lot of the debate in the final round of consultation appears to be around the ward names, with the provisional names being simplified.

The changes to the boundaries from the provisional map are slight.  The most consequential is the inclusion of more of the old Harlesden ward in to the new Harlesden and Kensal Green ward.  The LGCBE also now include the whole of Willesden High Road in the Willesden Green ward (which combines the northern part of the old Willesden Green with the southern part of Dudden Hill).  A summary of the report has been published.

It is worth noting that 12 of the wards actually contravene electoral balance limit of 10% on existing boundaries, but they are all expected to fall into line by 2024.  This might well be different if the franchise changes, as it well might, or the predicted population changes don't happen. The worst variance on current electorate figures is new Wembley Park ward which is currently  44% below what it should be.

On the submissions, only nine Brent councillors chose to make submissions on their opinions of what the boundaries should be, and only the Cooperative Party and the Conservative Party chose to make any comment.  I find that slightly odd as the Labour Party certainly agreed a response so I wonder why it was not sent in. The councillors who are listed as commenting are:

Councillor A. Aden

Councillor M. Butt

Councillor S. Choudhary

Councillor L. Colacicco

Councillor T Dar

Councillor L. Dixon

Councillor J. Long

Councillor M. McLennan

Councillor N. Nerva

UPDATE 03.07.19 (13.09 pm)

I have just heard that there was "confusion" as to who was supposed to send the submission in, and that some one has chosen to resign their officer post as a consequence.

 

Calls to Halt Housing Regeneration

I notice that there is a call to halt all new regeneration going ahead.  This is problematic for several reasons. 

Firstly, halting work on such projects creates a cash problem for whoever is funding the work.  Typically, private developers need the work to be completed as soon as possible since they don't get any funding until they can start selling the properties.  Halting regeneration is therefore a call for landbanking by another name.

Secondly a key part of dealing with the climate emergency that I suspect Brent Council is about to declare requires changes to housing stock since out of date housing stock is responsible for much of the UK's climate change emissions.  There is flat contradiction in declaring this an urgent problem and then refusing to try to reduce the emissions.   Admittedly new housing is only part of that solution, with retrofitting of huge importance as well, but anyone who just wants to block regeneration clearly doesn't believe reducing carbon emissions is urgent business.

Thirdly, the problem that seems to be complained about above is mould growing on some of the buildings.  That might quite easily be down to poor management of them rather than anything to do with construction, so the process of halting new build is unlikely to address the problem that has been identified.

Fourthly, anyone who knows Brent knows that we have (a) a massive, and I mean massive, shortage of housing supply in raw units or in types of housing (b) a crisis of affordability with many people totally unable to find remotely affordable housing.

Is this just another case of ill considered protest politics?

Brent Climate Emergency Petition

A new Climate Emergency petition has been started for Brent.  What I find odd about this is that it seems to take little notice of Brent's existing policies.  These have already seen Brent cut its carbon emissions by about 40%.  The authors sound as if they are unaware of Brent's numerous planning and transport policies to reduce emissions, or the move to reduce emissions through better street lighting, or Brent's Energy Plan, or the work in schools, or the work on waste processing.  An idea of the sheer range of things that Brent Council is simultaneously supporting can be found in the Brent Civic Centre project (at the time of opening said to be the greenest building in Europe). 

Have the people behind this petition only just woken up to the climate change issue?

The Perils of Outside Funding

The ongoing problems at the City Farm in Camden illustrate the problems that Councils are dealing with as they are seeking to balance their budgets.  It is not hard to see that the Farm is currently loss making and has received advance warning that Camden Council will cut funding in 2022, possibly altogether.

The Board are then left trying to get a plan that will be credible in the long term.  Staff have responded with a short term rescue plan which sounds as if it will tide the organisation over briefly but not for long. 

This follows a donor offering to plug the gap temporarily but at the cost of firing the Board.  Firing the Board in such circumstances would make it hard to recruit anyone else, and also difficult to implement a longer term survival package.   The latest plan to be accepted by the board also seems to include as yet unspecified changes to staff contracts, which sound as if they are likely to be changed in a fairly one sided way.

It also testifies to the extraordinary degree of control that some rich individuals feel they should have over public institutions.

Active Borrowers at Brent Libraries

Despite the travails at Willesden Library, Brent Council is still claiming that:

"Brent has the 9th highest number of active borrowers in London out of 29 reporting authorities,increasing to 6th highest in Outer London."

This is some comfort after the fall in borrowing in last year's figures.  Hopefully, the current efforts to improve the presentation of the stock will help make the performance better this year.

Improved Accessibility at the Kiln Theatre

The Kiln Theatre and cinema has a vastly improved accessibility offer since it reopened with its current season.  Something that those who have been critical of its refurbishment would perhaps like to think about.  Above is a recent performance by a group to a ESOL audience

The Momentum/JVL Split

To those of outside either of these groups, the split between them is hard to explain.  JVL in my view have repeatedly served as a body seeking to belittle complaints of antisemitism in the Labour Party that have led to the EHRC investigation. 

Challenge in Peterborough By-election

We have occasionally seen talk of challenges to election results in Brent elections.  They usually amount to nothing.  The apparent challenge in Peterborough at least goes through the proper process of an application to the High Court.  I must say it is somewhat ironic that one of the key figures behind the widely criticised 2016 EU referendum should be suggesting abuse of process.

Snowflake to Appear at the Kiln Theatre at Christmas

Indhu Rubasingham yesterday announced that Snowflake will appear at the Kiln Theatre at Christmas.  The original was created for the Old Fire Station in Oxford, but the play is being reset for Kilburn. 

Brent Momentum Bulletin

I am indebted to Martin Francis for publishing the latest Brent Momentum bulletin.  It is good to see that the group remains in touch with its natural fan base. 

What is most striking is the absence of any interest in the Brexit issue, which if it goes through in its "no deal" format will lead to both social and economic collapse in the UK.

The second thing to note is that all the areas mentioned are complaints about Brent Council.  Momentum generally bills itself as leading the charge against the Conservative government, but in this document the Conservatives and any other party that opposes the Labour Party get largely ignored.  There seems to be little attention to the problems of the NHS and social services for example. 

Taking Back Control

Random Thought.

I wonder how those who believe in "taking back control" and glory in the sacredness of the democratic mandate from the Brexit referendum square that with the fact that tiny proportion of the population that belong to the Conservative Party are able to select the next Prime Minister?

Queens Park Book Festival

The Queens Park book festival is set for 29 June to 30 June.  This has been going for some years, and has become well established. Whatever the LGCBE says, I doubt whether they will be changing its name to the "Kensal Green East" festival.

The Queensbury Planning Application Refused

The Queensbury application has been refused yet again.  I have no doubt this will please groups such as Save Our Queensbury, but at some stage a planning application for this site will be granted, because that is how the planning system works.  Sites cannot just be endlessly refused.  Each refusal comes with reasons, and eventually this will box the Planning Committee into what they can refuse and what they can't. 

This site will either be successfully appealed or there will be a new application at some point. 

Protest at Willesden Library Centre

I have now been to the Brent Journey to Justice exhibition in the Brent Museum.  This runs through a number of American, British and local protest campaigns.

One that startled me was Brent's own Libraries Transformation Project which presents Brent Council in an unfavourable light with no mention for instance of its successful defence of the policy in the 2011-2012 judicial review or the Secretary of State's decision not to order a review.  This one sided approach is particularly notable given that the very building that houses the exhibition, Willesden Library Centre, would not exist if the litigants had had their way (a fact unmentioned in the exhibition).

The second is a note of praise for the Stop the war group who are described as organising anti-war activities in Brent.   This is at best a half truth since the group only seems to object to campaigns where British troops are committed not to more numerous and more deadly conflicts such as Syria.

I wonder if Brent Council is actually following its own guidelines on this?

European Elections 2019

I have now seen a ward break down for the European elections earlier this year, and they show a mixed picture from the Labour point of view.

For instance in Kensal Green, the Liberal Democrats beat Labour by a modest margin and the Greens came third.  The Brexit Party were a very poor fourth and the Tories came behind even Change UK.  In a parliamentary election on those figures the Tories would have lost their deposit.  It is an indication that local voters are very much of a "remain" orientation but without the remain vote have a natural home.  I think it also shows that the Labour Party's mixed Brexit stance really isn't working and is leading to a draining away of support, something the party urgently needs to correct.

Other parts of the Borough also have a mixed picture.

What this doesn't tell you much about is future elections since, barring Council by elections, the current ward boundaries will never be contested again.

Overall, Labour still won in Brent, with the Liberal Democrats a fairly poor second.  The Brexit Party was third, just ahead of the Tories and the Greens came fifth.

How Many Council Houses Should Labour Plan to Build?

Red Brick blog asks how many Council houses should Labour plan to build?  In discussing the calls of a new campaign group, it asks the sensible question: "Do they really expect an incoming Labour chancellor to set a housing budget which is five times its current level and to be able to spend it from virtually a standing start?".

As we get closer to a General Election asking about the deliverability of Labour promises becomes more important.  If only because the electorate will need to believe the credibility of the promises that the Labour Party makes if it is going to vote for them.   That is not just about money.  It also involves trade offs around types of tenure, size of unit, availability of land and political resistance (sometimes from Labour's own councillors).

I am unsure how far the Party is prepared for these kind of questions. 

Apparent U-turn from Brent Green Party

I have been alerted to an apparent u-turn by Brent Greens, who have decided to change their policy to oppose the turning of libraries over to volunteers.  This follows years when they appeared to argue the complete opposite in respect of Cricklewood Library, Kensal Rise Library, Barham Library and Preston Library.  All these "libraries" are organisations operating in Brent and claim to be offering library services, although I am not sure how far they actually do so.  Indeed I am not sure that it is even possible to run a volunteer run library on a sustainable basis in all but a very particular set of circumstances.

The point was a major reason for the legal challenge to Brent Council over implementing the Libraries Transformation Project.

I wonder what caused this change of heart?

Second Screen at the Lexi?

The Lexi is planning to apply for a second cinema screen at its Chamberlayne Road site.  As far as I can work out from the sketch plans I have seen it would be towards the back of the current cinema.  Rather oddly they don't seem to include any description of the proposal on their web site.

As I understand it multi-screen cinemas are seen as the key to commercial viability in the industry.

The Cinema is hoping to show public support via a petition.  They are also hoping that Brent Council will support the scheme via a large grant of taxpayers money. 

Brent's Journey to Justice

Today Brent Museum should be hosting a history of political protests called "Brent's Journey to Justice."  It also features the work of contemporary artists.

Welsh Harp Education Centre

A reminder about sometimes "Council Cuts" can be turned to good account is the Welsh Harp Education Centre. This was proposed for closure in both 2011 and 2015, but is now operating without any Council funding, thanks to being transferred to Thames21.  Proof that a simple "just say no" approach is misguided.

The Queensbury is Back

The Queensbury development is coming back to Brent Planning Committee on 19 June.  The Queensbury has a long and bitter history of argument.  My own view is that the current application is a great improvement on previous ones.

Officers have recommended approval. 

The Absurdity of a No Deal Brexit

The ridiculousness of our national debate on Brexit never seems to hit rock bottom.  I wonder how many of those who demand a "no deal" Brexit on 31 October actually realise that if we crashed out without a deal, we would go back to the EU the next and say "now we would like to do a deal".  That is the problem with political suicide, you always wake up the next morning.

What has Happened to the Foreign Office?

There are reports of a growing confrontation between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland over fishing rights around Rockall, an island that the UK annexed in 1955.  This is currently being led by the administration in Holyrood, where Fiona Hyslop MSP, "minister for external affairs" no less,  is sending vessels to warn the Irish off.

Since foreign affairs are a reserved matter, why is this not the province of the Foreign Office?  Indeed why does Holyrood have a minister of external affairs?  Does the UK government not recognise the independence of the Republic, and shouldn't it be handling any disputes whilst the Irish/British relationship is so sensitive as a result of Brexit?

It does generally illustrate the general uselessness of the government at Westminster.

Brent Gambles on the Voluntary Sector

Brent Council is apparently considering staking its money on a community lottery.  The proceeds will supposedly go the voluntary sector, although if you look at the detail of the report only 50% of the proceeds are earmarked in that direction.  The Council's reports suggests that the contract for the new scheme should be passed without a normal tendering process, and that the favoured company should rake in no less than 40% of the proceeds.  The final 10% would be taken by the Council itself. 

I find all this frankly repugnant.  Gambling is inherently fraudulent because the organisation operating it has to fix the odds against the users disadvantage.  Brent itself has a huge gambling problem, with a heavy concentration of betting shops that are deeply unpopular with local residents.  Reducing gambling has been an aim of progressive campaigners for years, because it is known to ruin peoples lives.  For Brent Council to start promoting gambling is firstly a mockery of previous attempts to restrict gambling and secondly a moral abnegation.   

Cheating your residents out of their money is no way for a proper public authority to behave.

Something Fishy at The Queensbury

Brent Council is accused of missing various deadlines in the run up to a planning inquiry on the Queensbury pub in Willesden.  Together with the strange situation further along Willesden High Road, I get a sense of unease about what Brent is doing. 

The Planning Committee appears to have decided to oppose both applications.  The Council officers are now required to oppose them whatever their private opinions may be.  I pointed this out long ago relating to another case.  Of course, it is open to the Inspector to decide whether he agrees, but the Council officers have no choice but to defend the Committe's decision.

Brent Council Turns Cooperative

With little fanfare, Brent has become a Cooperative Council, that is part of the Co-operative Councils' Innovation Network, a group of Councils that seek to apply Cooperative principles to Council affairs.  The CCIN states these principles as:

Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.  In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

As Chair of the Brent & Harrow Cooperative Party, I obviously welcome the Councils' conversion, and I shall be fascinated to see how these principles are brought into practice.  

Low Take Up of European Votes in Brent

A sidelight in the Guardian relating to the shockingly low take up of votes in the recent European Parliament elections says that:

"In Brent in north-west London, which has the highest number of EU nationals in the country, only 20.74% of voters who were sent the forms by the council returned them on time."

Remember that Brent has around 15% of its registered voters as EU nationals, rising to 23% in Alperton.

Deserved Praise for Brent Libraries

Nice to see some unaffected praise for Brent libraries from  Joseph Coelho.  He he specifically visited Kilburn and Willesden libraries, both beneficiaries of the Libraries Transformation Project; one as a major refurbishment and the other as a completely new build.

Harlesden Area Action at the Royal Oak

The next meeting of the Harlesden Area Action group, which is behind the Neighbourhood Plan successfully voted through last week, is meeting next on Saturday 8 June at the Royal Oak in Harlesden High Street. 

The Fallacy of Community

Preston Community Library has illustrated a major fallacy with their previous campaign as a result of the planning process over what to do with that building next.  As with most such campaigns, it claimed to represent "the community" as having a single view.

In fact a community of any size will have various views on any subject.  We have seen during the Brexit process that seeking to drown out opposing views on the pretence that there is only one "will of the people" is a thoroughly divisive tactic.  Politics exists precisely to create compromises in such disputes. 

Incidentally, I see no reason to rescind the comments I made on Brent Council's position on this building or its status as a community asset. 

How Things Used to be

A short reminder of how race relations used to work can be found in the Brent Archives in an item covering the British Empire Exhibition.  Black people from Africa were actually imported and expected to act out "traditional African activities" so that the crowds of sightseers could gawp at them.

Labour Party Election Organisation

The coverage of the Labour Party's failure in the recent European elections (the lowest showing in a national poll since December 2010) has rightly concentrated on the incompetent triangulation policy on Brexit, but I also wonder about the organisational side of things.

I have heard accusations that there was an extreme, controlling element at the centre that frankly failed to do very basic things like proof read properly.  If so that is a damning indictment of the wholesale reorganisation that followed Iain McNicol's departure in early 2018.  Since then Labour has had a poor showing in the local elections and a worse showing in the European elections.  If the Party has been rendered incapable of the kind of campaign basics that in the 2017 General Election it just took in its stride, that bodes very ill for any future election prospects.

Yesterday's Times poll showing a Liberal Democrat surge may well only be temporary but unless Labour sorts itself out on the Brexit message and the organisational side, it could be in terminal trouble.

Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan Voting

Altogether 1,274 people voted on the Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan, which is not at all bad for such and abstruse subject.  Just over 89% of votes were in favour.

Pete Willsman Suspension

The suspension of Pete Willsman after a video of him blaming "Israeli agents" for the anti-semitism scandals in the Labour Party emerged underlines just how necessary the EHRC enquiry is.  A statutory enquiry by an independent body is now the only conceivable way to solve this problem.

Facts about the Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan

After I went to vote on the Neighbourhood Plan yesterday, I came across some one who made all sorts of frankly false assertions about it.  Anyone who wants to know the real facts can look them up on the online copy publicly available.

Anyone who asserts to you that there will be buildings of x many stories, or that there will be no affordable housing, or that all the parking spaces disappear is frankly just making up stories.  The reason is that, as with any planning document, the new plan is providing guidance to applicants.  It would be up to an applicant to put out the details of the plan, including say the number of units and the size of the units.

What strikes me as odd is why do people just make stuff up and go around asserting that it these are facts?  What is the point of inventing this misinformation?

UPDATE

I understand that the Neighbourhood Plan got the thumbs up from voters.

Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan Referendum

Today is the day of the Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan referendum.  The set up is exactly the same as any local election.  You can vote if you are on the electoral register. The polling stations are the usual ones, and the hours of opening are also 7am to 10pm.

EHRC Investigation Now Official

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has finally announced the formal start of its investigation into anti-Jewish racism in the Labour Party.  This has been on the cards for quite a while.  I suppose they were concerned about a formal announcement in the run up to the European Parliament elections.  The purpose of the investigation is to:

"The investigation will seek to determine whether unlawful acts have been committed by the party and/or its employees and/or its agents; and whether the Party has responded to complaints of unlawful acts in a lawful, efficient and effective manner.”

Dismal as it is that the Labour Party has sunk so low, it seems to me to be the only way forward for the Party to start cleaning up its act and come back to its traditions.

The Shawl in Harlesden High Street

The Neighbourhood Plan I mentioned yesterday also included a pub protection policy, which would include The Shawl in Harlesden High Street.  There is another reason to protect this building, which is its historical interest.  It is the original Harlesden Methodist Church, and also the oldest church building in Harlesden (older than All Souls Harlesden). The foundation stone is dated 1869. 

And Now for a Harlesden Neighbourhood Plan

Following the European Parliament vote on Thursday, those in the Harlesden/Kensal Green area have the right to vote on a Neighbourhood Plan for the area.  I intend to support it.  It has a number of ideas of long standing, such as: truncating the Town Centre to make it more compact;  increasing the supply of homes and reducing homelessness; getting a central community space.

Unstaffed Libraries in Barnet

A number of local authorities have gone down the road of having libraries unstaffed.  Thanks to the Save Barnet Libraries campaign we now have some sort of performance measurement (using figures they attribute to Barnet Council).

They say that:

"36,964 people have now registered for pin codes to access unstaffed libraries. This apparently represents over two thirds of active library users from 2017-18 (the year that the branches were closed to implement the cuts)."

They also suggest that a further 187,000 holders of library cards do not have pin numbers any more.  That suggests to me a big fall in usage.

Not Voting for the European Parliament

There has been considerable disgruntlement over the inability of many EU nationals to vote.  Many seem to have been turned away from polling stations because they did not sign a form promising not to vote in their home countries on the same day.

This is a long standing practice which I believe is in line with Home Office guidance, so it is not Brent Council's fault.  Critics have suggested a breach of equality principles since one group are being set a test that other groups are not.  There may well be a case for such argument, although I can't see what the remedy would be.  Certainly UK citizens with a second home don't seem to be given a similar hoop to jump through.

The unhappiness with which many people regard this denial of their right to vote is perhaps a reminder to those strong Brexiteer who never wanted to have these elections in the first place that not everyone thinks as they do.

Marina Hyde in Tomorrow's Guardian

Marina Hyde has exceeded herself in tomorrow's Guardian.  I easpecially like the Tory succession contest as a "summer camp for excluded adults."

Seven Fairtrade Myths

For the moment, Brent remains a Fairtrade Borough, despite some attempts to backtrack.  The Faritrade foundation has recently posted a blog demonstrating why some of the myths around Fairtrade are just untrue. 

A Contrast in Libraries

A contrast in libraries can be seen in this Guardian report.  Australian libraries are seeing increasing usage in Australia, just as they have in Brent.  In the UK in general though there is a picture of sharp decline.

I suspect the reason for this distinction is that libraries in Australia (and in Brent) have been effective in modernising, especially in embracing new technology and offering flexible hours.  Most libraries services in England, by contrast, have concentrating solely on reducing resources rather than repurposing them. 

Continuing Access to Cash

Access to cash was debated in Westminster Hall yesterday by MPs.  There is a real danger that access will be severely restricted by government fiat, and (as Seema Malhotra MP argues) this will impact marginal groups disproportionately.  There is a wealth of evidence to support this. 

Most Pointless Protest

I am still bemused by the phenomenon of what have called the "Protestival".  This is an ostensibly political protest where actually achieving the supposed objective is irrelevant.  It is the activity itself which is the point.  Politics as performance art, as it were.

Thus multiple supposed causes can be mashed up together.  The objectives such as zero carbon by 2025 can be unobtainable, and the behaviour of the protesters themselves can contradict their own campaign, as when Omar Barghouti attends an Israeli university, for example.  Or Emma Thompson flys in and flys out of a zero carbon protest that would seek to drastically cut anyone's ability to fly.  Even more strangely, people can apparently revel in being the "most pointless protest of 2018" award by The Stage Magazine. 

Truly we live in an age of limitless chutzpah.

Brent Cabinet Agenda

Brent Cabinet appears to be doing a first ever tonight, by holding a meeting where are literally no reports on the agenda.  I have never seen such a thing before.  Usually there are at least a few minor items.  It is followed by a General Purposes Committee with a similarly thin agenda.

Why hold the meetings at all?

Carbon Capture in the North Sea

I notice the Dutch are seeking to pioneer the largest carbon capture scheme in the world under the North Sea.  Given the size of the UK's oil and gas industry, and our long held marine engineering expertise, this is the kind of project we should be pioneering in order to develop a more "green" economy.

Kiln Theatre Community Play

Kiln Theatre is appealing for cast members from the local community for a new play.  The wording of their advert says:

Do you have a desire to act, dance, sing, sew, people manage or make stuff? Then get in touch with us and be part of the first community play to take place on our new stage, written by Chinonyerem Odimba, directed by Katie Posner and designed by Lily Arnold. The play celebrates the history of care and migration in Brent, and is based on local stories from different communities in the area. The performances are from 25 – 28 September.

No prior experience is needed, just the desire to take part and the ability to commit to Wednesday evenings and Saturday rehearsals from July. Recruitment workshops will take place 8 & 9 June (venue & times TBC).

Over 100 people from the north London community are needed to create our production. This is the culmination of our two-year project A Friendly Society, made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the generous support of the national lottery players.

To sign up go to KilnTheatre.com/AFS, or call us on 020 7372 6611. We’re looking forward to meeting you!

If you would like any more information please don’t hesitate to get in touch with nickgibson@KilnTheatre.com.

2019 Brent Library Figures on Visits and Loans

The new Brent library figures are out, and it appears that the long run of rising issues and visits is now over.  The 2018/2019 financial year showed a decline in visits from 2,547,168 last year to 2,505,502 (down 1.6%).  Loans went from 1,045,967 to 969,812 (down 7.3%).

These figures were clearly not helped by the interruption at Willesden Library in July.  Willesden accounts for almost one in five Brent loans.  However, the reduced activity appears to have been fairly broadly split across all six libraries.  There is a particular fall off in loans during the last quarter, which may have been related to the expected cut in library budgets that never in the event occurred.

It is also worth noting that the only Brent library where visits went up significantly during the year was Wembley Library (where they went up 3.6%).  This makes me more sceptical that there is miscounting based on the physical structure of the library.  Wembley Library has, after, had the same layout since in opened in June 2013. 

Planning Plebiscite

There seems to be some confusion about the Local Neighbourhood Forum's plan for Harlesden and Kensal Green.  This has been worked up by local people.  It builds on the Harlesden Town Charter scheme and visibly borrows from that document, which underlay all the Town Centre improvements of the last few years.  I think it is very positive, and if passed would create an officially recognised framework for the Planning Committee to refer to in its decisions.

The voting is quite straightforward.  If you are on the electoral register, you can vote.  I explained the area covered in my previous post.  The polling stations are as usual.  I know I have already been sent a polling card, but as with other elections, you don't need one in order to vote.

Farm in Brent

The Kilburn Times carries a story about a school farm in Wembley, which sounds a really excellent idea.  Perhaps Brent Council should look around the Borough and see it can find sites for a City Farm. 

Antisemitism and the Left

Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust (CST), has an interesting take on antisemitism on the "Left".  He suggests that the operations of high finance are for cultural reasons seen as inherently Jewish.  The lack of actual Jews is seen by antisemites as irrelevant.  I am not sure I buy that argument, but it is an interesting take.

Incidentally, the "Left" at the time he is talking about (1900s) encompassed not just the Labour Party, but also the Liberal Party (which was the governing Party at the time).

Intimidating Election Campaigners

The government appears to be strengthening the law regarding intimidating candidates and campaigners in elections, which is sadly necessary and overdue.  This has been a problem since at least the Scots independence referendum.

MP Expenses: MPs Return to their Folly.

Yesterday's Telegraph had a front page splash on how a few MPs are once again gaming the expenses system.  The sheer recklessness of this amazes me.  During the previous scandal MPs had built up obviously dubious claims that they probably never expected to be made public knowledge.  The Telegraph's report yesterday simply uses information that the MPs must have known would be in the public domain.  How can they not have had the common sense to see what such claims would do to their reputation?

A Sidelight on Brent Greens

A curious sidelight on Brent Greens is that when I was on the Brent Green website recently, I found the following as an opening paragraph:

"We may enjoy the perks of living in London, but face a burden of environmental hazards that cause us STRESS.

Some of this stress may be short term, like being stuck on an overcrowded bus with noise and pollution from a gridlocked road. 

Some stress might be chronic, such as living or working next to a busy road (perhaps the North Circular or Edgware Road). 

As humans we can adapt, but at the same time, we're only human and should question why its always us who needs to compromise? 

The quality of the air we breathe, the condition of housing, pavements, potholes, vandalism, crime and litter are all environmental issues   

These urban issues relating to traffic, noise, over-crowding, our streets, shoddy housing or poor neighbourhood infrastructure can be fixed. Perhaps not by any one approach, but we can learn from other countries that are making sensible long-term decisions. 

This means if anyone will solve these problems it will be us. It’s why we doubled our presence on London Councils in 2014 and represent you with Sian & Caroline on the London Assembly. We think the problems in Brent can be dealt with through intelligence, discipline and hard work - and that is why we need to lead. If you wish to be part of that, please get in touch. "

Absolutely no mention of climate change. Curious.

Volunteers in Merton Libraries

I have pointed out before that Merton has an interesting model of using volunteer extensively in Council libraries whilst retaining Council staff. They argue this is a great success.  Whether it is or not it is certainly different from the Volunteer Libraries model.  Incidentally their suggestion that they have widened opening hours is also true of Brent.

Harlesden Local Referendum on 30 May

Most people by now will have got their polling cards for the European Parliament elections on 23 May by now.  These elections are more important than people give them credit for since who knows how long we might remain in the European Union?  I certainly would not trust much to the various UK government pledges.

The next week there will be a Harlesden Referendum on the local Neighbourhood plan.  This is not dissimilar in content to the Harlesden Town Charter.  The area covered by the referendum runs from All Souls Avenue in the east to the furthest boundary of the current Harlesden ward in the West.  This is an area very similar to the proposed new Harlesden ward under the LGCBE and the Brent & Harrow Cooperative Party proposals.  It builds on and fleshes out many of the Town Charter ideas.

Half God of Rainfall Recommended

I went to the Half God of Rainfall on Monday, which strikes me as the Kiln's most ambitious production since Red Velvet.  By ambitious, I mean in its demands on the two performers who are required to do a very physical performance at the same time as declaiming in a kind of mythic language which is not easy to carry off.  Between the two of them they also need to play an impressive range of roles and maintain the energy of the drama, which mashes up Greek/Nigerian mythos and topical #MeToo and colonialist themes for a sustained period.  All very well worth seeing.

Working to Remove Food Banks

Over the past few years, an idea has taken hold that food banks are an essential and praiseworthy phenomenon.  Without devaluing the effort put in by volunteers, it is worth pointing out that the Labour Movement spent the first half of the twentieth century trying to get rid of similar arrangements through the introduction of an ever more comprehensive welfare state.

Now Councils boost of how much they are using them, often using them for photo opportunities.

Previous generations of politicians would have shunned them as stigmatizing people, reducing liberty and reinforcing class consciousness.

Fewer Litterbins as Council Stealth Cuts Bite

One of the ways in which Brent Council can cope with the diminishing resources available is steadily removing litterbins from the streets.  This is now happening.  Politically it has the advantage of being low profile to the point of new being noticed at all, but it does undoubtedly lead to dirtier streets.

Do the Scottish Greens and the SNP Believe in Fossil Fuel Divestment?

South of the border, fossil fuel divestment is being urgently promoted by people at demonstrations, although they seem to think it is a imposition to put on big businesses rather than something that any rational business should be thinking about anyway.

The reason I say that is that the cost of carbon is steadily rising as environmental (Pigouvian) taxes and charges mount up.  This seems a one way street as governments commit more and more to binding climate change targets.  Large scale extraction companies and energy users essentially rely at the moment on not having to cover their full costs in terms of ongoing pollution or long term clean up.

Until very recently however, the SNP and Scottish Green financial plans seemed to rely on North Sea Oil and Gas for tax revenues.  During the Indyref I frequently spoke to people who thought this was the solution to all Scotland's financial problems.  Quite aside from the structural issues around either the "Dutch Effect" or a massive drop in oil prices, there is the long term problem that that industry is ultimately doomed.  Countries such as Australia that are similarly extraction biased are open to the same problem.

At present the SNP and the Greens seem to talk about dealing with climate change without realising the effect it would have on a standalone Scottish economy. 

Marxism and Jeremy Corbyn

I have started coming across references to Jeremy Corbyn being a "Marxist" referred to as smears.  If he is a Marxist it is certainly not in the classical sense of someone believing that socio-economics forces based on historical materialism drive the forces of history.  Nor does he seem to accept the classic Marxist argument that modern society is a conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and that determines the pattern of society.  If he did he would regard many of his standard themes of racism and so on as being essentially irrelevant, or even as attempts by the embattled bourgeoisie to practice "divide and rule" tactics.

Instead he appears to believe in a world essentially with only one divide between a tiny wealthy minority (the 1%) and everyone else ("The People"), and "the People" who seem a curiously homogeneous group given their numbers and diversity who essentially agree with him.  The only thing stopping the triumph of the popular will is hinted at as some dark of conspiracy of state agencies and tiny unrepresentative groups.  A recent expression of this world view (from 2011) was uncovered by Danny Finkelstein in The Times.  

Back when he first stood for the leadership however, he certainly seemed to regard Marx as an important intellectual influence, and I don't think he would have recognised the term as a "smear" at all.

That makes him quite different to John McDonnell, who seems to be a possibly heterodox Marxist or indeed some of Jeremy's online supporters such as Ash Sarkar, who described herself as "literally a Communist". 

Brent's Journey to Justice

From mid June, the Brent Museum will be hosting an exhibition featuring the famous Nelson Mandela scroll from the early 1990s.

The exhibition will feature items on various campaigns for justice around the world.

Change UK off to a Stuttering Start

Change UK seems to be struggling to get itself together.  It doesn't seem to have anybody who has thought about the logistics of putting a party together.  First there was the uninspired name, which I imagine came simply out of the truism that voters always tend to be welcome the generic idea of "change".  Unfortunately in this case there appears to be no real idea of what the change is to be.  All sorts of better brands could have been put forward e.g. the National Party, the One Nation Party, Progressive Party and no doubt many others.

Then it seems not have been aware of how the European voting system works, a failing which is surprisingly common among politicians.

It also seems to have rejected the idea of a deal with the Liberal Democrats out of hand.  This seems especially odd as it appears to be the group's intention to particularly appeal to Liberal Democrat voters.

I haven't seen such a bumbling group since those people glued themselves to Jeremy Corbyn's fence. 

Indhu Rubasingham in the Evening Standard

Indhu Rubasingham has given an interview with the Evening Standard to promote the Half God of Rainfall.  It includes her views on the curious "Our Tricycle, Your Kiln" campaign. 

Labour Voters on the Buses

Picking up on some recent research in Britain Votes 2017, I notice that the best correlative with whether you voted Labour in 2017 was whether you had access to a car.  Here is the full table from that book:

It outranks even home ownership

Registering to Vote for the European Parliament

It is estimated that there are three million EU nationals living in the UK, all of whom will be entitled to vote in the forthcoming European Parliament elections, provided they register.  In Brent the registered electorate already has significant numbers of EU voters on it, ranging from about 10% in Kenton to 23% in Alperton (according to Brent Council estimates)

The Next Windrush Scandal

If the allegations in this Guardian report are substantiated it would be an even bigger scandal than the Windrush.  Could this finally be the end of Theresa May?

The Return of the Willesden Queens Parade

The development of the "Queens Parade" area of Willesden High Road has come back with (as far as I can see) little change.  This scheme did go to Committee in May 2018, when members were minded to oppose it.  I opposed it at the time, and I was told that the Committee voted it down rather than asked for it to be deferred.  Instead what appears to be the same application is being repeated.

The cut and paste consultation letter I have had from Brent Council informs me that the plans will be available by 17 March 2017, which does not fill me with confidence.

Altogether there is something very fishy about this application, and (given the reputation that Brent Council has acquired in recent years), the situation is far from ideal.

Funding Legal Challenges

From time to time I read comments about the amount of taxpayer money wasted by legally defending Council decisions.  A recent example was the decisions over the Bridge Park Centre.  I think that decision was really poorly handled and there really was no need to escalate it to a court case, but if you think of a valid decision, and it is legally challenged, what reaction do the complainants expect?  Is a local authority just supposed to fold instantly the moment some one takes them to Court.  If it did, it would become vulnerable to all sorts of actions just to stop the Council from working.

Of course some of these cases are also funded via legal aid so that they are actually subject to a double layer of tax payer funding, for both sides of the argument.

Another European Referendum

John Rentoul gives his take on a likely new referendum, which I find wholly convincing in both reasoning and likely outcome.  I hope that is not just bias confirmation. 

Stabbing in Harlesden High Street

A stabbing in High Street Harlesden has led to the area being blocked off while the police examine it.  The attack happened last night.  The victim died in the early hours of the morning.  I believe a number of people have been arrested in connection with the incident.  Any witnesses or those with information are asked to call 101 ref CAD 7897/23Apr.

Furness Pocket Park Mosaic Removed

Very sadly, the community mosaic in Furness Road Pocket Park has been removed, leaving just the brass plate commemorating the event.  It was the last of a number of ward working projects in that year, and almost failed to get through. 

What Politicians can get away with

I don't think we are going to get an improved, which is to say halfway competent, politics in this country until we start holding politicians to what they say, but this is routinely ignored.  Take these comments from Nigel Farage on his new Brexit Party. 

In quite a short article, he:

• Admits that he has spent 25 years in British politics, when he usually poses as not being a politician.
• Is allowed to say that he is not asking Aaron Banks for money whilst implying the Banks has refused to give him any (without any challenge in the report)
• Says that there is no difference in policy between his new party and the old one (Ukip) despite the latter having been taken over by the Far Right)

Sadiq Khan's Cultural Infrastructure Plan

Sadiq Khan has launched a Cultural Infrastructure Plan alongside a cultural infrastructure map, just as Brent gets closer to its time as a Borough of Culture.  The map is supposed to help the planning of activity.

Blue Badge Fraud in Brent

A local reminder of the importance of effective enforcement comes with the recent Blue Badge case in Kensal Green.  Fraudulent use of blue badges deprives disabled people of parking spaces, the exact opposite of what the scheme is supposed to achieve.  Fraudulent blue badge use is also practised on a massive scale across London.

I find it hard to understand why people can be relaxed about this, but angry about other forms of tax cheating.

Brexit's Moving Cliff Edge

Although I hate to return to the dreaded Brexit subject, it may well be that the current position have simply moved the cliff edge rather than ended it.  Meanwhile Tory MPs seem be waking up to what is going on, and realising that continued membership of the European Union is in fact the solution that suits the UK best.

At the time of the Good Friday Agreement, there was a wry comment that it was "Sunningdale for slow learners".  Perhaps the Brexit process has led to a remain outcome for slow learners.

Merle Court Recladding

Martin Francis has an interesting notice of further work needed at Merle Court, a new block in South Kilburn.  The block opened only seven years ago.

It seems that the block has fallen foul of the cladding issues that have followed the Grenfell fire.  A new investigation found that as well as the wrong type of cladding, the site had unspecified issues with the brick work.  It was not identified as a problem as recently as March last year. It does raise the question of whether Brent, or anyone else, is as effective in tracking these issues as it would like to think.

If so there may be a massive financial liability that landlords are sitting on top of without even being aware of it.

Sinn Fein on Brexit

The New Statesman has an interesting interview with the leader of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, whose comments on peace, the rule of law and the position of Irish institutions throw up a number of ironies.  I do wonder how long the public will tolerate Sinn Fein's continuing abstentionism (which does not extend to abstaining from taking the salary or expenses that MPs get). 

Pesach Message from Jeremy Hunt

It is a symbol of how Theresa May is being sidelined that a Passover message is being circulated by the Foreign Secretary instead of her.  Surely it would be more usual for a religious group within the UK to be addressed by the national leader?  Although there is also the question as to whether politicians should really send out these seasonal messages at all.

I also found the message itself rather odd.  As with other messages of this kind, he spends time telling his audience some Passover basics about Pharaohs and so on.  Doesn't an audience of Jewish people already know all that stuff?

Mark Gino Francois

One of the latecomers to the Brexit cavalcade is Mark Gino Francois, now MP for Rayleigh in Essex.  I imagine that even his fellow ERG members are embarrassed by him so silly are his various Second World War metaphors and appeals to military tropes.

I just thought I would mention that he actually has a Brent connection, having stood for Brent East back in 1997 against Ken Livingstone.  He lost massively of course.

Now he is prancing around trying out-hardman everyone else on the Brexit.

By the way, has middle name probably comes to him via his Italian side.  There are no doubt stereotypical jokes one could make about him not being bullied by the Germans on the basis of his ancestry, but I shall forbear from them. 

A Digression on Elections in Palestine

I am going to rather unkindly pick up on a recent tweet by Cllr Tom Miller during the last Israeli General Election, which Netanyahu seems to have won.  He points out that the people of the occupied territories were not voting on the day that all the Israelis did.

I have seen this idea repeated, and I am puzzled by what it is that is being implied.  Of course people who are not Israeli can't vote in Israeli elections as I (for example) cannot.  The only way for the people on the West Bank and Gaza to vote in an Israeli election would be if Israel annexed those territories, which would be illegal and (I imagine) completely against the wishes of the population.  It would also of course make a state of Palestine impossible.

Of course, both Gaza and the West Bank did have votes in their own elections many years ago, and these fell due for renewal a long time ago.  Neither area has had a new election, but that is the fault of the Palestinian authorities who have ignored peoples' right to vote.

Indeed both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are both so repressive that having a free election there would probably be impossible.

I wonder whether Tome and other people who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause have entirely thought through their position on this.

Essex Libraries Going Brent's Way

Essex libraries are currently consulting on their future strategy.  Predictably a lot of the publicity is on libraries ceasing to be part of the network, and possibly being taken over by volunteers.

Reading their library strategy document, I am struck at how it shares similarities with Brent's own Libraries Transformation.  The concentration on services, not buildings; the need for new technology; assessment based on need.  All seem familiar.

One big challenge will be whether a very large County can cope with the transport needs that a much smaller urban authority has successfully overcome.

Campaign Trickery

From time to time I am annoyed by campaigning tactics that some people use, which they must know to be dishonest.  An example, here, is from the Save the Queensbury pub campaign.  It states that the pub will be demolished, which it will if the application is successful.

Why then is that dishonest?

Because if the application goes ahead, the pub is due to be reprovided in a more modern building on the same site.

I take it that the Queensbury campaign are very attached to that building, and don't want to see a more modern one.  That is fair enough as a point of view, but to pretend that there will be no pub there is just tricking people into supporting their campaign on false grounds.  If they believe in the "heritage" value of the existing building, they should be clear that that is what they want.  To stir people up with threats to demolish a pub when there are no such plans is deceiving people, and any arguments presented in the planning process on that ground will ignored because the planners know that the pub is being reprovided.

It is highly reminiscent of the opposition to the new Willesden Library, which gathered objections against the project by giving people the false impression that the Library was being demolished and simply replaced by housing instead of by The Library at Willesden Green. 

Reconsidering Brexit

Peter Oborne does not fit into any box easily.  Here he is going through his reasons for becoming a reconsidering Brexiteer.  I wish more people had his honesty and courage.  Among other things, he observes that business, as well as poliicians, have been reluctant to say what they actually know.  That Brexit is in itself immensely and unecessarily damaging this country.

Out of Control Social Spending at Brent Council

More than a third of Brent's social workers are short term agency staff, according to the Guardian.  Having 36.9% of people working as short term employees sounds to me like an inherently unstable service which simply won't be able to deliver reliable services to clients.  The service appears to be locked into a vicious spiral of cuts, overload, rising demand and low morale.  The agency staff are generally paid more than permanent staff. 

What, I wonder, are councillors planning to do about it?

Alan Wylie and Community Libraries

Alan Wylie, a well known Libraries campaigner, has published some usage figures on independent and staffless libraries on his face book account.  He says:

“East Barnet Library lost 85 per cent of its visitors since becoming a volunteer “partnership” library and reducing its opening to 15 hours a week.
Meanwhile, Golders Green and North Finchley libraries, which have pin-code restricted access for under-15s and lost their children’s rooms, lost 66 per cent and 51 per cent of their visitors respectively.”
Library users and campaigners in Sheffield and Doncaster have also highlighted a huge decrease in usage in their volunteer-led ‘libraries’;
“FOI data re Doncaster & Sheffield Libraries:
- Huge fall in book loans and other use at Doncaster libraries transferred to volunteers.
- an increase of 50% in lost and stolen items in the year following the transfer of libraries to volunteers.
Book loan figures from Sheffield Libraries for 2014-2016 show a huge decrease in book loans and other usage since transfer to volunteers.
Book loan figures from Sheffield Libraries for 2017-2018 show a continuing decrease in book loans and other usage for 2017 and 2018.”
Also in Lewisham;
“Data obtained via FOI showing that stock issues have plummeted by nearly 50% in Lewisham Libraries between 2009/10 - 2015/16, point made that the Lewisham model isn’t sustainable.”
And in Warwickshire;
Library loans in Warwickshire down by 46% since 2011/12 https://www.bbc.co.uk/…/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-33…
“The number of loans has gone down at all 12 of Warwickshire's community libraries since they were formed following council cuts.
There were 112,832 loans in 2014/15 compared to 207,619 in 2011/12, a 46% fall.
Opening hours reduced at seven of the libraries after volunteers took over”
Also in Manchester;
Library visitor numbers plunge as cuts force drastic reduction in opening hours"

It frustrates me that the various routes outlined above have been subject to very little scrutiny.  Meanwhile Brent's excellent record on visits and loans and user satisfaction gets very little attention.  Indeed the figures for pin code libraries are the only ones I have ever seen for that kind of library anywhere. 

Independent Community Libraries

The report I quoted the other day is unusual in trying to assess the performance of libraries that fall outside the statutory framework (such as the volunteer libraries in Brent).  Unfortunately, such libraries are not directly covered by the CIFPA figures, although the commentary in the report is able to suggest that commissioned libraries and public libraries have an advantage in longer term budgeting, mutual support and probably more imaginative leadership.

By the way, Sadiq Khan features Willesden Library on a London centres of culture video here.  

Willesden Housing Block

A small block of flat is coming forward at the Planning Committee on Wednesday.  The six flat block will be developed in front of the former Spotted Dog on Willesden High Road in front of the Sainsburys car park.  Although the block will be located in the Willesden conservation area, there will be no effort to preserve the frontage in the manner of the Spotted Dog, or indeed Willesden library. 

Losing Parking Rights

There is an interesting planning case in Kensal Green coming forward at the next Committee.  It allows the small car park at the back of 124 Purves Road (just opposite Princess Frederica School) to be built on.  Not only will the residents in the flats lose their parking spaces, but a condition of the application is that their right to parking permits will be curtailed as a condition to the new development.  Thus people who had the right to park near by will no longer have that right.

Library Visit and Loan Decoupling

I have often posted on Brent libraries performance, where usage and book loans seem to have been decoupled.  Visits have gone up tremendously, and book loans have also gone up but to a lesser degree.  A Cambridge academic has noticed this as well with the national figures.  She mentions Brent as an improved service on page 21. 

The full rather useful report is available here.

The conclusions are not surprising, although the flawed nature of the statistics is interesting and certainly backs the suggestion that DCMS really does not carry out its monitoring duty properly.

Positive Cultural Appropriation

Thinking a bit more about cultural appropriation and the idea it is always colonialist and nasty (pace Edward Said), it is worth observing that there have been times when appropriated a culture has been a direct compliment to that culture. 

I am thinking especially of the Romans and the Greeks, who throughout European history found their cultural symbols/tropes/words and institutions interpreted to add dignity/legitimacy to existing rulers and institutions.  Some example in no particular order might include the barbarian kingdoms that succeeded the Romans adopting their words/institutions/religion.  The most famous being Charlemagne who created the Holy Roman Empire which was of course neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.  The use of many later cultures to add dignity to their architecture through the additional of classical styles.  The somewhat bizarre convention in certain eighteenth century paintings for modern English gentlemen to appear in togas.  The use of Latin and Greek for various inscriptions and dedications long after those languages were being used by anyone for anything practical. 

There are examples which I am quite surprised to find occurring given the link being son tenuous, but it is suggested that William the Conqueror built his enormous Colchester Castle in that location because it was on the remains of the Temple of Claudius, thus giving the Norman warlord a kind of ancestral link to the Roman Emperor who conquered Britain. 

In all these cases the "appropriation" is not to dominate a culture, but more to claim greater legitamcy from it. 

Knowles House Work Starts

The redevelopment work at Knowles House is now underway.  As far as I can see there has been no opposition despite the campaign against the similar development on Manor Park Road Which recently got planning permission after all).  It is hard to see any consistency here.

Athenian Democracy

It is a little unfair to single out Jonathan Freedland, who I think is a very good columnist, but one phrase he used in a recent piece annoys me.  It is "In an ideal world of Athenian democracy" and it uses it to describe a calm rational discussion.

Anyone who has read the Peloponnesian War knows that is the last way you should describe Fifth Century Athenian Democracy.  It did not include women, or slaves, or foreigners (i.e. most of the Athenian population.  It ruled over colonies and extracted taxes from them in the crudest of ways, and many of its its debates and decisions were cruel, arbitrary and incompetent.  Our own representative democracy with rule of law, checks and balances and a full franchise is a much better arrangement, albeit not one being shown at its best during this wretched Brexit process.

Brexit Innovations

Yvette Cooper appears to be genuinely innovating with her bill to prolong the Article 50 date.  Traditionally, bills have been forward by the Queen-in-Parliament so this really is quite new.  What the EU Commission are going to make of it I can't imagine.  We tend to find our own constitution very hard to understand so I imagine non-British people find it utterly bewildering.  I take it that it makes a fresh set of elections to the European Parliament inevitable if it gets through. 

Returning to the Manor Park Road Site in Harlesden Town Centre

Returning to the Manor Park Road site, it turns out that my instinct that the developer would win his appeal was correct.  I understand the case has now been decided by the national planning inspectorate in the applicant's favour.  This is unsurprising since Brent Council has approved a number of applications in the same area, including Park House, Willesden Social Club and the Green Man.  Alongside the lack of objection to the development of Knowles House, objecting to building on this one site just seemed very odd. 

OPDC Board and Cllr Muhammed Butt

I see that Cllr Muhammed Butt has got himself on to the OPDC Board.  His remuneration is listed in the accounts as £17k a year for this.  This would be on top of his allowance as Council Leader and Brent Councillor. 

I take it that the level of remuneration is decided by the OPDC's Appointments and Remuneration Committee, which has three members, one of whom is Cllr Muhammed Butt.  Brent Council and the Mayor of London send observers to the committee, although other Boroughs such as Ealing do not.

Given Cllr Muhammed Butt's record on planning matters in Wembley, this picture does not fill me with confidence. 

Revoke Article 50 Debate

The Revoke Article 50 petition is to be debated today.  I assume the April Fools date is purely coincidental.  So far the government response has been a stubborn refusal, but who knows with this lot?