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Friday, February 25, 2005

Hansard Society Blogging Project

Here are a few points that came up at the conference today.

Should council officers and civil servants be encouraged to start blogs covering their areas of work? could this cause problems for them? I said I thought it was a good idea and the only problem would be if they strayed into the political policy area.

The two US visitors have a useful site: http://www.northfield.org and described how they felt it enabled the community to have a stronger voice.

I raised a question that has been in my mind for a while. Could politicians have time limited blogs on specific issues between elected representatives in the UK or overseas?

For example, an exchange between British and Indian MP's on problems affecting investment in India/Britain. There are very strong links as a result of our shared history but there are few formal links on specific issues of this type. Or between Britain and Malaysian MP's on illegal logging in Indonesia which ends up coming to Britain via Malaysia.

Could MP's and councilors have time limited blogs on specific issues, eg, the proposal for a tram down the Uxbridge Road which links several councils and constituencies?

There were several other issues that came up but I've just got home and my brain has come out on unofficial strike!

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Parliamentary question. Terrorism

Mr. Clive Soley (Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush) (Lab): It would be churlish not to recognise the very real steps that the Home Secretary has taken to bring in a judicial process at all levels and surround the power of derogation with strict controls. However, he seems to be arguing the importance of the Executive role as justification for not letting a judge take the decision. May I remind him that, under the old prevention of terrorism Acts, the exclusion orders, which in many respects were not dissimilar to what we are doing here, were profoundly unsatisfactory? If he can find a way of putting the matter before a judge, that would be helpful. Does he plan that the legislation will fall after a certain period, such as one Parliament, after which it will be renewed in another Parliament or envisage that it will be reviewed at some unspecified future date?

Mr. Clarke: We propose a series of reviews over time. On derogation, I said that there is an annual review and not simply a review at the end of a Parliament. Perhaps I am not being clear enough. The judicial powers that I suggest for the Home Secretary's decisions in relation to deprivation of liberty are very substantial indeed. They are for a full court, and it is for a High Court judge to go through the whole case and assess on the balance of probabilities whether the Home Secretary's judgment was right. They will then have the power set out in the Bill to quash or modify the order if necessary, and even to direct the Secretary of State if necessary. I think that that is a very powerful situation that does not bear comparison with the historically correct point that my hon. Friend makes about the way in which prevention of terrorism legislation worked in the past.

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I am optimistic that we will get movement on this but I can’t promise it. Andrew asked me for advance notice on broadcasts so I can tell him that I contributed to the discussion on ‘The Week in Westminster’ to be broadcast next Saturday, Radio 4 at 11am. It deals with this issue.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Responses

This is going to be brief as I'm under time pressure!

Information on part rent/part buy housing is available from most housing associations, the Housing Corporation and many councils. It suits people on a salary (joint or single) of over £18,000pa but it varies around the country.I can't give full details here but do pursue it.

The government is building many houses now (long overdue). About a million proposed in the Thames Gateway and other areas of the South East.

I would love to think that housing shortage is just a matter of finance but it is more then that and complicated by the fact that the real shortage is in the South East where some 21 million people live.

I can't usually give advance notice of my appearances on Newsnight or Today because I rarely get more then a few hours notice. I was talking about Ken Livingstone's remark about the Evening Standard reporter.

I said he should apologize but it was not in my view a racist remark and I thought all that was needed was a recognition that he went over the top. Most of us have done that at some time or another.

MP's are representatives but you can never truly represent everyone in the constituency. People vote largely on a Party ticket. I would love to think they only vote for me because they love me so much! Alas I know the awful truth!

In fact MP's try and represent the overall needs of the constituency and should try and see that an individual constituent gets their case looked at if its a problem or complaint of some type. When my views clash with the Party I argue the case in Party meetings or try to get policy changed.

Being an MP involves several tricky balancing acts between competing needs and views. You need a moral compass and principle is important but so is an ability to compromise.

I don't want tax cuts. I am all for any amendments that make things fairer but generally speaking I believe that people accept the tax burden as necessary to improve public investment.

Thanks for the views on blogs.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Labour Party Conference

The Local Government Conference in Gateshead seems to have been successful.

The issues at the coming election are important and the quality of public services is particularly important.

The question of choice often dominates this discussion and on some of the public service issues I would like to include offers of customised services.

Let me give two examples. In education there is always going to be a problem with providing sufficient alternative schools to give people very much choice. As a London MP I get constituents asking me to get their child into the school of their choice. That is often not possible. Perhaps because it is a Church school which has its own selection criteria or simply because the school is full.

I would like to see schools ask parents if they would like to have a full educational assessment of their child's strengths and weaknesses so that we could then offer additional classes or activities (at a different location if necessary) to build up their abilities. 

Housing is another area where greater choice is needed. In London I can suggest people go for the part rent part buy option or move right out of London and so on. But why can't we do what many of us do in the owner occupied sector? That is extend our existing property.

You don't have to move house to accommodate a growing family if it is possible to extend your current house.

The key to convincing the people that public services deserve their support is to have a culture that is seen to be offering personal solutions to family and individual problems. Major investment was the first part of the agenda. Quality provision is the new imperative.

Hansard Society Blogging Project

I have been asked to make the keynote speech at a Hansard workshop on Blogging. I am suitably honoured!

I note two other speakers are from Minnesota in the USA. Are public blogs in Minnesota special? Or is this just a chance factor of organization?

Any suggestions as to what I should say about blogging in the UK Parliament? Or blogging in general?

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Arab-Jewish Forum

The AJF conference held at the House of Commons last Tuesday was a great success. We had a full house of 70 people and I had to refuse many applicants through lack of space.

There is considerable long term potential for the AJF and I want to make sure it continues when I leave the House.

Responses

Iraq.

    If I get the UNA dates and times I will post them but I suspect it will be better to keep an eye on their web site.

Yes, I would love to work for the UN. Will they recruit me? Probably not!

Phil. Carrots and sticks for Israel. Yes but remember in these types of disputes getting a process going is often more productive. Northern Ireland was a case in point. It was very easy to blame Republicans or Unionists according to taste but it was the process that cracked it.

My PQ to the PM was the first time I have come up in the top of the draw for about two years! So it certainly wasn't a plant.

I ask the questions I want to ask and on the occasion that we have achieved 50 quarters of continuous economic growth seems to me to be something to shout about. And yes I do want to win the election even if I'm not standing because I have seen what Tory governments do.

Thanks to Jenny Eckersley - you are not the only one who has travelled the difficult road grappling with the problem of dictators.

To 'someone' (or Rumpelstiltskin) I had already seen one of the sites and I know brutal things happen on all sides in war. But looking at these or the beheadings or the car bombs doesn't solve anything and I am sufficiently old to have seen plenty of brutality in my time.

You still have to solve the underlying problems and I'm unsure what your position is on Saddam and on the Bathists and others who are doing the killing now. Could I have an answer please?

There is also a danger of always presenting the Arabs as helpless victims. The Arabs massively outnumber the Israelis and they have a very impressive history and culture behind them. Many of the great scientific advances came during those times. They more then the US or UK or Israel hold the key to their future. To break free they have to deal with the corrupt regimes. Other countries have done it so can they.

The Arabs in my area did not support the war although a significant minority did. That was not my point. They keep good contact with me because they know this problem is not easy and not just a creation of the West.

Perhaps you ought to come and see me at the House of Commons before I go to ask me whatever questions you like.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Kofi Annan and the UN

I listened to Kofi Annan's speech in Whitehall. Together with Tony Blair, Jack Straw and members of the High Level Panel he spoke about the need to reform the UN and of the challenges we face today. See www.un.org/News for reports on the speech.

The United Nations Association is going to arrange meetings in various parts of the country to try and increase interest in the future of the UN.

I went back to the House of Commons hoping to see it get first place on the news and what did I see? The Royal marriage! Have we no sense of priorities?

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Freedom of Information

Watching the news tonight I actually began to feel sorry for the Conservative Party! To have the details of Black Wednesday revealed under the Freedom of Information Act in the run up to a general election is brutal indeed!

So there is a God after all!

In the 1980's I remember how the Conservatives and the conservative press use to constantly recall the winter of discontent of 1978/9.

For younger visitors that was when the Labour government fell following strikes in public services throughout the winter.I managed to get myself elected in 1979 - big mistake!

Monday, February 07, 2005

Chris Smith

Respect to Chris Smith for his courageous announcement about his HIV positive status.

I have known Chris for many years and his courage and integrity are an example to us all.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Middle East

There are some hopeful signs emerging on the Middle East. The Iraqi elections led to some interesting comments.

King Abdullah of Jordan said “I think this is a thing that will set a good tone for the Middle East and I am optimistic. People are waking up and Arab leaders are understanding that they have to push reform forward”. (CNN).

Egypt and Saudi are feeling the pressure for reform as well as Syria.

There is a delicate balance between the speed of reform and the willingness of the people to wait. The women of Saudi have again been disappointed but sooner or later they will get the vote and use it.

The remarks by Condoleezza Rice and George Bush on Palestine suggest they are now prepared to get fully engaged and insist on a two state solution. (A lot of credit is owed here to Tony Blair).

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Colonel Despard

Some years ago my partner started researching my name and my mother’s name (Despard). My partners name is Brown so you can see why she thought mine would be easier!

She came up with a Colonel Despard who was the last person in Britain to be sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. The good news was that the drawing and quartering was commuted. The bad news was that the hanging went ahead in 1803.

The book of the trial (the first recorded in a type of shorthand) is in Hammersmith library. Nelson gave evidence on his behalf but he was still convicted.

The trial was heavily political. It was the time of the French Revolution and Despard along with others was supporting the United Irishmen. (There were other groups called the United Englishmen and the United Scotsmen – no United Welshmen don’t ask me why!)

I had no knowledge of this link despite my own involvement in developing the united Ireland by consent policy of the Labour Party in the 1980’s. Powerful genes!!

Neither did I know that he petitioned the House of Commons about his circumstances. His complaint however was that his cell in Cold Bath Fields prison was damp! I’m not sure that he got his priorities right here!

A new book about him has just been published called ‘The Unfortunate Colonel Despard – Hero and Traitor in Britain’s First War on Terror’ by Mike Jay.

I haven’t read it yet but the political connections are uncanny! It wasn’t the first war on terror though – I can think of many going back to Boadecia!

Despard apparently married a Caribbean woman while in the amy there. I also have some Scottish connections and I have often thought that if I wasn't a British athiest I would quite like to be a Scottish Rastafarian! If you believe things hard enough they come true - especially if I retire to the Caribbean!

There was also Charlotte Despard who was a suffragette. She opened the first pub for women only. It was in Hampstead I believe but it didn’t sell alcohol! Clearly I have a confused past!

Just thought you would like to know this!

Responses

There’s a lot happening! Thanks for the responses I’ll come to some of those in a minute.

Children’s Bill.

The new Children’s Bill was published a few days ago. I will probably be chair of the Committee. It is a joint Committee of Lords and Commons and will be taking evidence which is why it is a draft Bill.

While I’m on this I published the statistics for domestic murder on this site simply because there has been an assumption that women don’t kill their partners very often. As the figures show, about three women are killed to every man. The interesting arguments start when you try and explain the difference! I won’t try now but I do have views!

Terrorism.

Charles Clarke is right to encourage a debate on this difficult topic. I don’t like the ‘house arrest’ option.

I think it may be possible to come up with a group of options that may cover the cases concerned. A mix of: a) allowing intercepted communications as evidence; b) possibly a new law covering preparing or assisting terrorism; c) returning people to their country of origin subject to guarantees on treatment; d) Surveillance.

Some European countries detain for years or simply deport e.g. France. I don’t like that either. I don’t know what Italy does. I was told (without any supporting evidence) that it deals with these problems better then other European countries. Any views?

This is a hot topic and Charles is open to other opinions. Meanwhile as a member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee I will be looking at the Special Immigration Appeals Court which deals with these cases.

Iraq.

I have nothing but admiration for all the Iraqi’s who voted but I was not surprised. I have been an international observer at elections and the determination to vote puts us to shame and should remind everyone that liberty cannot be taken for granted.

Too many people in this country see voting as similar to shopping – if you don’t like what’s on display you walk away. That is a mistake. You can vote for smaller party’s, join a party and try and change it or start your own party (Bob Kilroy Silk will offer advice but DON’T take it!!)

Andrew:

I have looked at the pictures and other evidence about napalm or similar weapons I am not convinced there is enough evidence to justify me pursuing the allegations. We should and I believe do stay within the international agreements on chemical, biological and nuclear weapon treaty’s but the real problem is that we are not taking them forward and that is complicated by this issue of failing states.

The Iraqi’s do not see us as the same as Saddam when abuse takes place. Why? Because they see us put troops on trial.

I can’t add to what Dan and Andrew have said to ‘someone’ other then to say that my regular and continuing talks with Arabs and Iraqi’s in my constituency and elsewhere tell me that they understand the complex and difficult decision that were made (and not made) since 1991. If they can see many sides to the argument why can’t you? They are deeply involved. Be angry, there is a lot to be angry about but don’t ever think that you wouldn’t make (or avoid making) the difficult decisions that we all have to make at times.

And please come up with a better name then ‘someone’!!