Catch ‘em Young

..and they are yours for life! So somebody once said, or words to that effect.

I was struck by this comment on another blog:

"What we have at the moment is a state that takes a very laissez faire approach to the markets and an increasingly authoritarian approach to the general public. This should be the other way round."

Kable reported before Christmas that the government will be offering young Londoners cut-price ID cards from early this year. But why would anyone want one? £30 is a lot of money for a student, who probably can’t afford to buy cigarettes and alcohol anyway. But the first young person to take up the offer has arrived – and is a 21 year old from Wanstead. Does he realise that once you’ve got one these you can’t NOT have one. And if you don’t inform the Stasi authorities of any changes you can get fined £1,000. If your Passport expires and you don’t need another one you just don’t renew it – period. But with these babies you are signed up for life – unless of course someone comes along and changes the rules or scraps them.

And why Oh why do the authorities take such a heavy handed, nanny state approach to the sale of cigarettes and alcohol in the first place. Sixteen year olds can leave school, get a job, pay tax, get married and have children. But they can’t buy the Champagne to toast their union – and they can’t vote. Maybe that’s it? They can’t vote so the politicians don’t care about what they want, and bow to the grumpies [who do vote] and who complain about youths hanging about on street corners [because they are not allowed in pubs] socialising with their peer group in exactly the same way that the grumpies do when queuing up for their pension outside the Post Office in Barkingside High Street and blocking the pavement.

Redbridge Council is about to get tough. But as Knowsie points out, it is completely the wrong approach. We should be teaching our young children about alcohol so that they learn how to use it responsibly as they grow up. They don’t just suddenly wake up one morning as an adult. It is a process not an event.

Tim Martin in the Morning Advertiser:

Furthermore, the imperial hypocrisy does not end there. All the participants with teenage children admitted, in turn, that they allowed their children to use pubs from 15 or 16, and preferred, as common sense would dictate, the relatively supervised atmosphere of pubs, combined with the mixed age groups found in pubs, to the unpredictable and relatively unsupervised teenage party circuit.

We need to get back to the situation of teenagers drinking with their parents and grandparents, which I first did along with many others, at the age of about 15, rather than in the teenage ghettos created by parties and the crackdown on pubs.

It’s the same old story. The government have to be seen to be doing something and anything will do, regardless of whether it works or not. As always the symptoms and not the cause are the target of those politicians whose primary concern is being re-elected. It doesn’t matter that the many have to suffer the consequences of their failure.

By the Left…Quick March

Next Saturday 13th February there will be a Military Two Step/ demonstration opposing the closure of Accident & Emergency facilities at King George Hospital. It starts by asembling at the Hospital entrance on Barley Lane at 1pm for a March setting off at 1:15pm and will be led by the two Ilford MPs, Lee Scott and Mike Gapes. The March terminates at a rally in front of Redbridge Town Hall.

Since our January Coffee Morning I have attended two more meetings where the proposals for Health in North East London have been discussed – Area Committee 3 and a LINk meeting at Fullwell Cross Library. There seems to be a perception that the proposals are all about saving money – our Local Trust does have just a teeny weeny financial problem and is unlikely to be bailed out by our equally bust government. But such tough times are exactly the sort to force organisations to be more efficient and cost effective.

As I pointed out earlier most of us only need the NHS when we are young, pregnant or old. The plain fact is that most of the NHS resources, money, is spent on age related conditions. The amount spent on A&E and Maternity [the proposal is to move this from KGH to Queens] is a very small fraction of the overall budget. So any cost savings on these two items will not make much difference. Which begs the question: where and how are those savings going to be made?

I have a feeling that we may be overlooking something here!

Tony Benn to Speak in Barkingside

Yes, it's the man himself, the doyen of the Left and Il Presidenté of the Stop the War Coalition. Interviewed on a TV programme about the life and times of the late Enoch Powell, he and his mate Michael Foot both expressed total bewilderment at Trade Unions marching in support of Enoch back in the 70s. Just goes to show how much they understand the "working man" whom they purport to represent. Still he was in Maidstone recently and was asked about the no-platform policy for "fascists". His view was clear that we should enter and win the debate. On that we can agree.

Sonia Klein invites you to
An Audience with Tony Benn

At 84 years young, Tony Benn is an astute, intelligent, and kind fellow who has re-imagined politics and policy for generations. As one of the tallest figures in British politics, this is surely an event not to be missed.

This is a public event and free to attend. We expect seats to go quickly, so please RSVP early to avoid disappointment.

Date: Friday, 5th March 2010
Time: 7:30pm (Doors open at 7:00)
Venue: Redbridge Institute, Gaysham Avenue, Gants Hill, Ilford IG2 6TD
Transport:
Tube: Gants Hill (Central Line)
Bus: 66, 296, 396, 150, 123, 167
Just off Cranbrook Road north of the Gants Hill roundabout.

For further information please contact: Heather on 020 8590 8552 or email.

You Choose

Unless somebody changes the date we are due to have local elections on May 6th. Here’s what two other sites are forecasting for Redbridge.


Indigo Public Affairs
Verdict: Increased Conservative majority
The Conservatives surprisingly lost votes in 2006, having suffered from internal disputes in their council leadership. Since then the Liberal Democrats have gained two seats from Labour after winning over the muslim vote, and two other councillors have defected the same way. An increased Conservative majority is likely as they are now able to present a united party.

Political Betting
Redbridge has been lost by the Conservatives to No Overall Control, following the defection of two councillors. I expect them to regain it next year.

A bit short on detail, so let’s try and fill in the spaces.

When local government was “modernised” in 2000 we had a hung council with a minority Labour administration. The Conservatives regained control in 2002 and held it in 2006. However, internal divisions were evident after the death of Keith Axon, barely a year into leading the council. They briefly lost control in 2004 to a Lab/LibDem coalition when several conservatives were absent from the crucual vote. A third leader was voted in and regained the Council but he stood down in 2006. Whence we got a fourth leader who was replaced in 2009. This has seemed to bring matters to a head with 4 conservatives leaving the party and sitting as Independents. We now have a minority Conservative administration with the agreement of the LibDems.

Since 2006 there have been 4 by elections. Bridge was retained by the Conservatives but the BNP did well fresh from the election of their only councillor in Hainault. Labour lost out to the LibDems in Clementswood and Valentines. The LibDems also did well in Wanstead but the Conservatives held on. There have also been 2 defections from Labour to LibDem and one from Labour to Conservative. If my maths are correct the LibDems are now one seat short of being the official opposition.

So, the local trend seems to be a swing from Labour to LibDem especially in the south of the borough and the national picture indicates that Labour are in for a hard time. However, in the north and west of the Borough it is difficult to see the Conservatives losing any of their strongholds. So, it’s a pretty safe bet that they will at least be the largest party if not having a small majority. And it is quite likely that the LibDems will be the official opposition.

The interesting bit will be how the smaller parties fare and what impact they have on the vote spread. The BNP could go either way. The lone councillor has had a low profile boroughwide but not necessarily locally. They will also be concentrating their resources next door in Barking and could end up with none or a couple more depending upon the mood of the electorate. Difficult one to predict that. UKIP are not strong here in Redbridge. Only one candidate last time out who came behind the Green. The Euros are their bag. So to the Greens. They did well in Wanstead in 2006 but not so well in the by election. Voters are more likely to chuck one vote to a smaller party when they’ve got 3 to use. Then we have an unpredictable Maverick down in Chadwell challenging the LibDems and possibly an ex-Labour councillor and local activist standing in Seven Kings. The Greens will no doubt be fielding candidates elsewhere but these are the ones to watch. Of course we don’t as yet know what other Mavericks will be standing and that could give the B21 swingometer a severe dose of the wobbles.

Anyway I have invited the leaders/spokesman of those six political parties to do a blog interview with each being asked the same set of questions. Only UKIP have not responded and I am looking to publish end of February. Do come back for a peek.

My Valentine

Has to be Mother Nature. She’s tough and unforgiving but fair. I like those qualities. She gives us the things we need to survive without charge. Take a look around you. It never ceases to amaze me, especially at this time of year when the bulbs are beginning to burst through the soil and the birds are snapping at my nuts and fat balls. She provides the web of life upon which we all depend. What we do to her we do to ourselves. We abuse her at our peril. For she will, without a second thought or shedding a single tear, discard us like those she has discarded before. A tough Mistress needs to be loved and managed, wisely.

Who is yours? Answers in the comments.

Barkingpride

Yesterday evening about 200 locals crammed into the Aldborough room at Fullwell Cross library to have their say on the proposals for the regeneration of Barkingside Town centre. These are people who care, and more to the point are proud of their High Street. They don’t want significant change, Hotels, or more high rise flats. They just want a High Street with a decent range of shops, that is clean and safe, and where they can socialise.

The council leader, Keith Prince, was there as was the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Nick Hayes, plus several other councillors and hopefuls. Our MP, Lee Scott, was tied up with a 3-line whip [don’t they have some wonderful phrases] at Parliament. They didn’t say much, but they were not there to speak. They were there to listen and they certainly did that. But listening is one thing and acting is another. So let’s try to put it into perspective and manage expectations.

The trouble is that the council can’t actually do much and they don’t have a great deal of money. They cannot control the market which dictates what is and what is not a viable business. They cannot control rents or Business rates. The latter are set by National government. But they can to a degree control the infrastructure and the general look and feel of a place. And it is that - smart, functional, attractive - which can generate interest from the sort of businesses and investors we would like to see.

To pick out a few general points.

The High Street is in competition with supermarkets who have free parking. But if we use the library or the swimming pool we get our parking fee refunded. The point of charging for parking is to deter commuter and all day parkers. So, a scheme whereby parking fees are refunded when you spend, say, a fiver in a local shop would not go amiss – Keith did take this suggestion on board.

Street clutter is a sore point. But the general feeling is that we want more places to sit and more trees and planting. So it’s more a question of what type of street “clutter” is offensive. Advertising seems to be the big offender. And what is that green box? Does anyone know?

The Piazza by the swimming pool has been a forgotten and ignored opportunity for many years. Farmers markets, street markets, antiques or Art fairs etc. could all be accommodated here, but there has been no drive to organise these things, nor the will to resurface the area such that it can support weighty vehicles or provide the services such events need.

The suggestion that, with the resurgence of the Cinema, Gala Bingo might like to consider reverting back to that function was met with some considerable approval. And d’you know it might just work. I’d go. And it might just give the yoof summink to do.

I’m not going into the specifics of each proposal. Suffice to say that we like our roundabout, it IS a “focal point” and with the Oak tree representing past times does identify the place. Developing part of the Craven Gardens car park may be an option but only to improve amenities. The Fairlop Polyclinic, should it go ahead, has to go somewhere and the existing clinic in Fencepiece Road does not seem big enough.

Generally the proposals to soften the landscape, provide trees, planting and community spaces were well received. “Development” was not.

The question now is, will it fly?

A Boy Named Sue

Earlier this month there was a report in The Times that political parties could be obliged by law to have women-only and BME-only [Black, Minority, Ethnic] lists when selecting candidates to stand for Parliament. Dizzy was spitting blood. The aim is to make Parliament more representative of the people it is there to serve. Harry Harperson says:

“We should take all the steps we can to increase diversity in Parliament, which must reflect the country in which we live and the public we serve.”

OK. I’ve been having a think about this and what I want to know is this. Do the political parties themselves, i.e. their membership, reflect the country they aspire to serve? And more to the point do they actually know if that is the case? I have some experience with membership databases and they are only as accurate as the information asked for, which is not necessarily the same as that supplied – often in illegible handwriting. I have had a peep at the on-line membership forms for a range of parties, from Left to Right as they appear on the B21 political axis.
Green, Labour, LibDem, BNP, Conservative and UKIP.

Only one of them has a field for the applicant’s sex [not Gender, Sex] and asks the ethnic question but not the specifics. Mysteriously the sex question disappears from the printable version but retains the question “are you a member of an ethnic minority”. This would be the Labour Party.

Most of the on-line versions also have a Title field that is mandatory. So this could give an indication – we can reasonably assume that a Mrs is female. But what about Doctors and Reverends? Can we have female Reverends now, I’ve lost track? But look, most people don’t bother to fill that bit in when they are using a piece of paper and a pen and even if they do it is not neccesarily clear as to what they have written. And they have a habit of shortening their First name to things like Chris, Pat or Sam! Even when first names have different spellings like Leslie for boys and Lesley for girls it is not necessarily a guide. Leslie Ash does look like a girl to me. And what’s Wikipedia doing describing her as an “actress”? Don’t they know that is sooo un-Politically Correct? They are now all “actors”, just as we now don’t have WPCs, Waitressess, Headmistresses etc. Then there are the historic records created before these issues and questions were even thought of.

So, having eliminated the literary devices by which we can tell if we are dealing with a male or a female, [because it is the person and not the sex that is important] our politicians have encountered a problem of their own making.

Of course when 25% of the electorate can elect a government with a whopping majority it does make me wonder if there is something much more fundamentally wrong with our “representative democracy” which needs addressing.

Title with thanks to Johnny Cash.

Obstruction

A strange green metal box, almost alien, has appeared on the pavement in Barkingside High Street, see photo below. It’s not a telephone or cable street cabinet, they are usually located discretely and parallel to the road; but this one is at right angles to the kerb. So, what could it be? We were discussing this in the council chamber New Fairlop Oak, and Knowsie reports another one just along the road from the Eva Hart while Freewheeler spotted one in Leyton High Road before Christmas. At first we thought it was a Chicane to slow down elderly pedestrians and stop wheelchairs, prams and mobility scooters from speeding and intimidating drivers of 4X4s who want to park on the pavement.

The consensus seems to be that the green metal box is a temporary structure prior to the installation of a pavement advertising board [like this] or a Bus shelter with an advertising board. There are clear visible pipes at pavement level to supply “services”.

And just when we thought we might be getting rid of these. The much loathed adverstising boards attached to our lamposts have been blank for months since the company went into liquidation. But Barkingside 21 has a constructive suggestion for these lampost peripherals. We put pictures of Christmas decorations in them, you know Stars, Santa, sleighs etc. and turn them on at Christmas time saving us taxpayers £10,000 per year. For the remainder of the year we put pictures of hanging baskets in them with a colourful display of horticultural extravagance supplemented by a nose level fan to deliver a delightful bouquet to the ocassional passing shopper, pickpocket, mugger or drug dealer. In our virtual world we could even project holographic images of trees, happy shoppers and open shops.

Surgical Strike

OK Judith, so to the report from last Thursday’s Coffee Morning where we had Rob Meaker and Adrienne Noone, from Redbridge NHS, as our guest speakers. They wanted feedback, and they got it, no mistake. We had the forthright Cllr Sladden and Bill Howe present. Adrienne did most of the talking and also took copious notes.

The reforms are driven by a study that showed that if you take the train from Westminster and travel East, the life expectancy of the local population is reduced by 1 year for every station. B21 is considering increasing its life expectency by 20 years by relocating as Westminster 21 subject to suitable hostelries being available. We were also told that the proposals are driven entirely by clinical needs and not finance, and that there will be a heavy emphasis to prevent people getting ill in the first place. Ummm!

On that last point cue me. The thing is that for most of us, the only time we get to see a hospital [barring visiting, assuming there is no outbreak of Norovirus] is when we are very young, pregnant or old. You can’t prevent people being born, getting pregnant or getting old. Most of the stuff the NHS deals with is related to these areas. We are all living longer [on average] and age related conditions and illness are a major drain on resources. Prostate conditions for men and Osteoarthritis for women means broken bones are common, especially when it snows.

We also learnt that the King George Accident & Emergency facility is not an A&E after all. It’s a walk in clinic. All Major Traumas go to the London Hospital and any heart conditions go straight to the Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green. Now I’m gonna be controversial here.

I’ve seen a major local trauma, a road traffic accident. The London Air ambulance touched down in the field opposite. I’ve also seen it in the car park by Gants Hill library, [I advised the pilot he needed to get a ticket from the machine] and in the middle of the crossroads at Angel Islington. I’m also aware of a local heart attack who was stabilised by the paramedics before being whisked off to Bethnal Green. If these things work, and they appear to, then I do not necessarily object to KGH A&E being downgraded.

The other thing here was a well placed comment from JW, who observed that “we” are not clinicians and don’t necessarily know the difference between an emergency or not, so are likely to err on the side of caution, which does rather stretch A&E resources. Take me. I’m bitten by a dog. Some people would immediately think Rabies and be off to A&E. I popped into the GP asked the receptionist what I should do, she looked me up on her computer, pronounced my last Tetanus jab was over 10 years ago and told me to sit down. Five minutes later the GP was giving me a Tatanus jab. Sorted. On this we were told that there is to be a concerted effort to educate and inform people on how to use the health services available to them. That would be really good, we don’t want people turning up at A&E because they’ve sneezed, do we?

Finally, almost, KGH is safe [sic!]. The plan is to develop it as a major planned procedure venue rather than an emergency venue.

And to round off, here is the Guardian - NHS to close hospitals across London to cope with spending squeeze. Sometimes the medicine can be rather unpleasant, but it is still medicine.

Note1: we didn’t really get round to discussing Polyclinics, but there may well be another opportunity.

Note2: London’s Air Ambulance [pictured above] is a registred charity and they run a Lottery to raise funds. Fancy a flutter? It's the only one I do.

Note3: For the technical among you the London Air Ambulance site has been built by a *osser by the name of David Carty who thinks he is being clever by designing the site completely using Javascript. This means I can't give you a direct link to the Lottery page. What a *anker. You'll just have to wade your way through the menu system, but you probably won't, will you!

Act Swiftly

Another day, another petition. Tajinder likes Swifts. She wrote a whole post on the subject last May. And now she wants you to sign a petition on the Number 10 website which calls for legislation “to make provision for bird and bat species mandatory within new and existing building developments.”

But do we really need Big Government to tell us to do this? Most people like birds, unlike Foxes and Pigeons. We put nuts and food out for them during the winter months. But builders are a bit more cautious. Not everybody will want Bats or Swifts nesting in their eaves. But we do have a choice. We can have bat boxes or Swift boxes fitted if we want them. So, really we should be saying to peeps, look, these things are quite cheap, easy to install, so why not stick a few up if you want them?

Also, there are Swift Towers [see here] that can be erected in public places like parks or a Town Square. So, maybe we should be asking the council, and the Nature Conservation Team, to be having a look at this? It doesn’t necessarily have to come out of the council budget – there are funding opportunities available. Back to you Tajinder!

Local Climate

Climate Change:

Can we make a difference at the local level?

Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (GMT)
Location: Redbridge Institute, Gaysham Avenue, Gants Hill, IG2 6TD

Sonia Klein investigates the implications of Copenhagen for citizens, communities and councils.

Speakers:
Jean Lambert MEP (Green)
Murad Qureshi, London Assembly Member (Labour)
Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham (Labour) TBC
Peter Durant (US Democrat)
Elizabeth Massey (Liberal Democrat)
Video link to Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Tom Riordon

Discussion Themes: Energy, Electric Vehicles, Green Education, Green Economy

To RSVP please go to http://soniaklein.eventbrite.com/ or Contact Heather Tel: 020 8590 8552 or email.

Chagos Islands

Petition here.

Or you could write direct to Mr Miliband - specimen letter here.

Reasons to visit Barkingside

Following on from the previous post on the Regeneration of Barkingside Town Centre we have a Guest Post from Ray Lloyd - Reasons to visit Barkingside.

1. Bank
2. Tube
3. Fullwell Autos
4. Tescos
5. Card Shops [usually unsuccessfully]
6. Plumbers Merchant
‘ Surface treatments’, tree planting and reduced traffic flow / access would deter me from going, not persuade me.

What would persuade me to go more?

1. Decent pub / restaurant
2. Music / events venue
3. Farmers type market / antique fair

The future of Barkingside is to a great extent linked to that of Fairlop Waters. The nettle must be grasped and Fairlop Waters must be developed in an appropriate way. A pond, a third rate golf course and a wildlife sanctuary do not attract the visitors and consumers that hold the key to the areas future.

The so called refurbishment of Fairlop Waters has given us a Greek restaurant and a marquee sited next to a crumbling fun house, a much needed boost, I think not. We all know the arguments voiced against developments such as the racecourse, hotel complex etc. But such an asset as the airfield site cannot be left unexploited if Barkingside is to become a vibrant thriving centre.

With good transport links, Barkingside could become a successful location for exhibitions, shows and musical or theatrical productions. Country fairs such as those held at Hog Hill would easily transfer and shows like the London Motorcycle Show held recently at the Wanstead Rugby Club could also be accommodated. I know the residents fear congestion and noise and, that bodies such as the residents of Aldborough Hatch had their objections to previous proposals but properly planned and managed, an exhibition centre with facilities for musical / theatrical productions, dining and outdoor events would attract the visitors and locals alike and would regenerate the whole area.

Playing about with the flare of roads approaching a roundabout and changing parallel parking to echelon parking will do nothing to secure the future of Barkingside.

Ray Lloyd

Editor's Note: The graphic of the New Fairlop Oak was chosen by me as Ray obviously does not think it is a "decent pub"?

Barkingslide

“I just think Barkingside has had it!” So says a well known and much loved Barkingside High Street trader who is currently closing down his store. We wish him well in whatever venture awaits him. Where am I going to buy my fat balls now?

Barkingside Home Hardware, Barnes Carpets, and Tootsies the childrens shoe shop are all closing down. The pound shop that recently took over from Harmony has been closed for at least a week. The old Halifax is still vacant and the Estate Agents just along the road has been abandoned. The Chequers pub owners have given up and it is being run temporarily by the Brewery pending a new landlord. Clinton Cards have a massive sale – is that normal? Or are they on the way out too? The advertising hoardings attached to our lampposts have been blank for months. We do though have a new Asian jewellers.

So, what better time to remind everybody that on Monday week, 1st February at 7pm in the Aldborough Room, Fullwell Cross Library, there will be consultation meeting on Barkingside Town Centre’s future.

Chaired by B21 this meeting will have on the panel Keith Prince, Leader of the Council, Mark Lucas and Matthew Maple [Planning Officers] and representatives from the consultants who have conducted a feasibility study. See the flyer here. 4,000 being delivered this weekend in this area.

Note: I nicked the post title from Flesh is Grass, but she used it for a much happier purpose.

Red Faced Fly Tipper

In the polite society of Barkingside, indeed even after a few beers in the New Fairlop Oak, it is simply not the done thing to laugh at another’s misfortune. But in this case we can make an exception.

On 15th December 2009 at Redbridge Magistrates Court, one Alan Chant of Potter Bar was found guilty of fly-tipping and Fined £150.00, £15.00 Court Costs, £44.00 Compensation to council and £80.00 Prosecution costs. TOTAL - £297.00.

The interesting part is the location where the offence took place. It was to the rear of a shop in Fencepiece Road. Unfortunately for Mr Chant he failed to spot that the shop was actually a Cop Shop, where our local Safer Neighbourhood Teams are based, and that Police Constable Towler was watching him from an upstairs window, after which he was duly nicked.

Haw, haw, chuckle, chuckle, snort!