I met up with and interviewed Councillor Althea Smith last week. It’s a government commitment to increase the number of black and Asian women councillors. The Labour group in the London Borough of Southwark has the highest percentage of black women councillors in the UK….I think! I’m doing a report on the importance to the community in Southwark of our black labour women councillors and Althea was the first to be interviewed. I’ve known Althea for years and knew what a struggle it was for her to finally become a councillor, but it was great to sit down with her and ask her about her background and how she sees the way she approaches politics. Three things really struck me about what she said * that her political inspiration came not from Labour politics here but from her up brining in a highly political family in Jamaica * that having lived locally for many years, having been a school governor, chair of the local Labour party ward, tenants leader and chair of the Southwark Police Consultative Group, she had far more experience before she became a councillor compared to many other councillors and * she doesn’t rely on things getting done just because she has asked for them to be done, she chases up and chases up till it’s sorted. Next I’m interviewing Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle who, as a child, came here from Sierra Leone with her family.
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January 14th, 2008
In the High Street in Durham on Friday with my friend and fellow MP Roberta Blackman-Wood, chatting to people. Everyone one was very friendly and happy to stop and tell me their views and concerns. People were positive about schools and health services. No-one said they were worried that they were going to lose their job or couldn’t find work. People favourable to Gordon Brown - but saying “It’s early days yet”. Concerns about immigration. Recognising the hard-work of the newly arrived Europeans but worried about housing and the effect on other local services. And very adamant that all newly arrived immigrants should “play by the rules” - work rather than claim benefits and stay on the right side of the law. Our Migration Impact Forum is important on this issues. We need to explain more about its work.
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October 29th, 2007
As Leader of the House of Commons I published the calendar for the Parliamentary year yesterday. Today the newspapers are full of reports of MPs holidays. But MPs work in two places - so it does not mean they are on holiday when they are not in Westminster. MPs work some of the time in the House of Commons and some of the time in their constituency. National journalists don’t see the hard work MPs do in their constituencies but it is vital to local people. Many MPs even harder in their consitituency than they do in the House of Commons! Nowadays constituents expect to see their MP. Residents of Carlisle, Newcastle and towns and cities far from London are entitled to know that their MP is in the place they represent - as well as speaking up in Parliament.
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October 19th, 2007
Congratulations to Clare and Ali for the organising and everyone who attended the dinner last night at Mozarella and Pomodoro in Camberwell. David Lammy MP was the guest of Honour and everyone was delighted to meet him. There were about 100 people at the dinner including our team of Southwark Labour Councillors and Val Shawcross, our member of the Greater London Assembly. The money raised is to make sure that we continue our campaigning for May’s GLC and Mayoral elections. A great night after a busy week in Parliament.
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October 19th, 2007
Very upbeat feeling at conference. Good debates on equal pay, Remploy, how we make policy and a whole range of issues. Just back from a packed event hosted by Stonewall and the new Equality and Human Rights Commission. Last night Gala dinner attended by trade unions, business and the voluntary sector. Huge admiration for Gordon’s speech. Attended receptions for Northern night, Scots night, Yorkshire night, London reception, North West reception, South East reception and West Midlands reception. Today had Pizza Express lunch with 20 members from Camberwell and Peckham. Tomorrow off to visit a school with Gordon.
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September 25th, 2007
Bournemouth….Calm before the storm. ….. First conference with Gordon as PM! First conference for me as his deputy!
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September 22nd, 2007
Interesting afternoon with Andy King talking to shoppers in Rugby High Street. One woman complained that her 14 year old son is too young to get a job, too old to hang round the house all day and that there’s nothing for him to do. Bianca, Kelly and Caty, all 16 years old, said they can’t get into the clubs in Coventry as they are under 18 and that there’s nothing for them to do. So the roll-out of the planned youth services better hurry up. The 3 girls also asked me to tell Gordon Brown that “there should be no unnecessary violence either by going to war like in Iraq or by criminals here at home.” Lots of concern about the pavements from wheelchair-using shoppers. And a big local focus about whether the PCT will agree for 3 liver cancer patients to have some new drugs. The PCT are reviewing the cases next week. One mother of a young daughter said that tax credits are a huge help for her but she’d had problems with reclaimed overpayments and that now she’s ok but some of her friends are still having problems. She said it’s a good scheme but asked for it to be better sorted out. Then a packed private meeting with Rugby Labour Party members and Labour local councillors.
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September 13th, 2007
Very upbeat conference of London Borough of Southwark Labour councillors on Saturday in St Peter’s church. Determination next time to win back the council for Labour. 10,000 more people voted Labour than Lib/Dem last time but they squeezed in with an alliance with the Tories. It’s a travesty that they gave the important role of responsiblity for council housing to one of the Tory councillors. The Tories got hardly any votes and virtually none on the housing estates!
On Sunday knocking on doors on the Glebe estate in Camberwell with party members and local councillors to get more party members. Then on to the TUC to meet up with women delegates and speak at their eve of conference reception. Strong feeling that we need to tackle unequal pay and that we need strong new equality laws.
Tuesday down to TUC again for General Council dinner. Good discussion with Goria Mills of Unison about how we can encourage women Unison members (there are 1 million) to join the Labour party and campaign for change. There were 17 cabinet ministers there and Prescott.
Today, with Phil Hope MP in Corby. Joined party members in campaigning in an important council by-election where the BNP are standing for the first time. Party members and shoppers raised problem of housing. We will need to ensure that as well as ensuring more new homes, that we ensure that people recognise that it’s Labour who is responsible for them. Social housing is mixed in with homes for sale at market rates so we must make sure that we do something to ensure that people can see the progress that is being made as the new housing is built, completed and occupied.
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September 12th, 2007
I am so sad tonight to hear of the death of Anita Roddick. She was a great champion of women. She was exceptionally generous in her support of women’s groups and an inspirational leader of campaigns against domestic violence. And she will be sorely missed. I am sure that half of the work that she did will be known only by those who she supported. There was nothing grand about her. She just got on with it. Generously supporting numerous groups doing good work - like Body and Soul which helps children who’s families have been affected by HIV/AIDS. It was a great honour to have worked with her. My sympathy to her family. They must be very proud of the work she did.
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September 10th, 2007
Eight women leaders, representing eight different countries, five of whom are african went to Chad to listen to the women who have fled from Darfur to hear what had happened to them and to hear their demands. Today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and I met 3 of those women leaders in no10 Downing Street to hear the awful stories that women were prepared to tell them as other women. The principle concern was security and the ceasefire, we were told by Mary Robinson of Ireland, Musimbi Kanyoro of the World YMCA, and Asha Amin Member of the Transitional Parliament of Somalia. The Government is deeply involved in building the international pressure which will bring a ceasefire.
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September 7th, 2007
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