Cats and MICE

I thought I had seen everything in local political campaigning. However even I was shocked by a press spat from this years Leeds Elections. Subsequently defeated Conservative Councillor, Mark Philips ( Garforth and Swillington ) donated £500 from his MICE allowance to a local Cats protection charity. You may not like that particular choice buts that's the strength and weakness of the MICE system. Despite plenty of Labour Councillors touting for city wide donations for there favourite causes the local Labour Party had planted letters in the local rag from outraged residents demanding why the money hadn't been spent locally. Of course it had but the organisation was a local branch of a national charity and they used the fact they had a London office to make it look as if that's where the money was going.

One of the things that always amazes me about being a Elected Representative is the amount of letters I get re Animal Welfare. Far out of proportion to the effort the political class puts into the issue. Its a token gesture in the light of all of those letters over the years and as two fingers to misrepresentation in politics but I have given £150 of my MICE allowance this year to the local cats Charity. Its the least I can do.

People of the Book

Last Sunday I attended two farewell services. Ray Gaston, Vicar of All Hallows, Hyde Park is leaving to do a MPhil on Christian / Muslim relations. Cllr Mohammed Iqbal ( Lab, City and Hunslett ) the out going Lord Mayor of Leeds had his Civic service at Makkah Mosque in Headingley which is in my ward.

Its worth observing that the Leeds 6 area saw the lowest BNP votes in the city in this Mays elections. Although we were the site of the "Bomb Factory" of the 7/7 bombing with all the soul searching that caused the area has been one of the least effected by those seeking to stir up Islamophobia and most galvanised to open dialogue with those of other faiths.

Rays leaving service was moving. A slightly less than traditional Anglican Communion service with a strong healing element ( anointing with oils and laying on of hands). What struck me most was that it was standing room only and packed out with people like me - who don't go to All Hallows normally. ray has clearly touched a wider community. It was lovely to see strong representation from the local Mosques and that they felt able to take part in the prayers.

The good bye buffet afterwards in the community kitchen testifies to the quality of the nutrition and health work going on there. £500 of this years MICE money is going to the Community Project.

The Makkah Mosque service was more formal as you might expect from a Civic service. I don't usually attend these sort of things but as it was in the ward and I had never been inside this mosque I thought it important to go. The building is simply stunning. Only about 5 years old and by far the best bit of inward investment the area has had for years. Inside didn't disappoint with bright open plan breezy rooms melding nicely with the most stunning dome. The Imam gave a good lecture on Muslim responsibility to there neighbours and about interfaith dialogue. We observed afternoon prayers and a Priest from Leeds RC cathedral was invited to give a few remarks. It was accurately pointed out in the retrospectives the amount of Inter Faith work the Lord Mayor has done. I love libraries of all shades and wasn't disappointed by the Mosque's. Some of the calligraphy was stunning.

I'm not a serious scholar of Islam but the people of faith I saw that day are a lot closer to Christianity than some of its Neo Fascist alleged defenders. We should keep talking.

The Leeds 6 Coffee Challenge

In response to my regular commentator Merrick, I have been thinking again about coffee ( and check out today's Observer article on the subject as well). I have previously blogged a local contextual defence of Starbucks. Rightly or wrongly no one sells decent coffee in Headingley, Starbucks sells fair trade and in our alcohol saturated town centre which lacks "family space" Starbucks provides for a niche un met market. They have been tarnished with a generalised anti franchise prejudice.

So I set myself the Challenge of having a cup of coffee in every available outlet in Leeds 6 ( I have cheated and defined this as Headingley and Hyde Park Corners S2 centres) The questions for each one are 1. Do you sell fair trade coffee? 2. How good is it? 3. Are you locally owned or managed? 4. How nice are the facilities? 5. Any other community benefits?

From my initial experiences I may have to rip up my Starbucks card. As I don't wish to get sued I'm going to share the best experiences not the worst and hopefully provoke some debate about whether "Ethical Consumerism" is meaningful.

An hour with the "Drinkers"

We have had renewed complaints about the behaviour of some of the "Street Drinkers" in Headingley "Town" centre. I don't blame anyone for complaining if they have been verbally abused or aggressively door stepped for cash. And lets be clear both of these things do happen. What depresses me though is the assumption by everyone that a Criminal Justice response is always the best.

I spent about 45 minutes on Thursday afternoon sitting on a bench talking to who we'll call "Andy" and "Chris". They were both knocking back substantial amounts of Fosters lager. The stories which they were eager to tell were familiar. Marital break down, school failure, prison after petty offending leading to prison after more petty offending.... Accommodation failure and Alcoholism. The answer? Don't ask me. They didn't particularly want help as they were quite happy drinking. Leave them alone? Although they were fine with me you could see how close some behaviour came with passers by to being threatening.

Perhaps respect is part of the answer. It was clear from how welcoming they were that they were desperate for some social contact and from the excessive hand shaking some physical contact as well. I'm always reminded of the old line in the perennial debate on Post Office closures that for some elderly people its the only social contact they get all week. If some people only see one person a week then we have wider problems than Post Office closures.

And if some people want to drink them selves to death on a Public Bench then we have rather wider problems than a lack of CCTV.

The Mayor Making Part 2

My punishment for being 10 minutes late for the Lord Mayors Dinner was the only remaining space being on a Tory table. Now obviously Conservatives are Gods Children to and to show that prejudice is never right I had a really good conversation with Cllr Valerie Kendall (Con, Roundhay) . Planning policy, Durham University and and the decline of deference passed the time. To be serious for a moment its always good at social occasions be reminded that most people who go into politics are decent hard working sorts who want to make life a bit better.

When conversation flagged slightly after the main course I picked an argument with Tories about congestion charging and I think I held my own. The dinner was in the Town Hall which makes for a stunning back drop but I pitied the inaudible speakers who were trying to command a venue designed for 1500 capacity Choral Concerts.

The political class isn't improved by an evening of free alcohol and as is often the case the rows, which will remain secret, were within Political Parties rather than between them. While I rather suspect attendees at these sort of functions should be made to folk out a token donation to the Lord Mayor's Charity the purpose they do serve is this. When you see people outside the political combat zone they often a lot nice than some of the people fighting on your own side. If we all thought about that a bit more then we would be better governed.

The Mrs Merton Question

News of my impending departure from Leeds City Council has led to a sudden surge of interest. I have had quite a flurry of calls and email from people in the party taking ( often quite a sudden) interest in the good governance of Headingley.

" So Joe and Josephine Bloggs, what first attracted you to Headingley, the safest Lib Dem Council seat in Leeds? "

At least we'll have plenty of help with the "Thank You" leaflet !

Plug

As featured in this weeks Lib Dem News do have a look at www.1909.org.uk

As far as I can see the links are more substantial than the site its self at the moment but its just being launched. I know the Elect the Lords Campaign has made much of the Centenary of the 1911 Parliament Act so its good to see that the "peoples budget" will get a much deserved celebration as well. ( and why do we allow people to say Gordon Brown has been the best Chancellor since Gladstone?!)

I've often thought a higher priority for Cowley Street would be an even half time web master for allied organisations. As some of the affiliate groups to 1909 show keeping a website up to date is time consuming but they add so much to internal debate. I would have though a central resource that all groups could use would add more to policy making and discussion than so much of the internal bureaucracy does.

The Mayor Making

Thursday evening saw the annual " Mayor Making" ceremony which is actually the Council's AGM. First off congratulations to Cllr Brian Cleasby ( Lib Dem, Horsforth) who is the new Lord Mayor. The person with the best title in Leeds, The Revd Cannon Cllr Alan Taylor ( Lib Dem, Gipton and Harehills ) adds Deputy Lord Mayor to that letter head. Wow.

The AGM saw the "new" Lib Dem/Conservative minority administration installed with what is in effect a "Confidence and Supply" arrangement with the Independent and Green Groups. I suspect its going to be a bumpy ride on occasions buts that's multi party politics for you.When I was first elected I would have been in favour of abolishing the Lord Mayoralty. In fact in Michael Meadowcrofts' day we were. One of the reasons we waited Fifty Years after 1948 for another shot at Mayor was ( I'm told) his reluctance to accept an office he wanted to abolish. I have mellowed/sold out on the issue. I still find many aspects of the post over blown but in a country still dominated with hereditary divisions its refreshing to have a First Citizen who is both elected and changes every year. As a Lord Mayor in incumbent out ranks everyone in the City unless the Queen is in Town.

The ceremony its self was to long. There is lots of processing and and out, oaths of office, proposition speeches from every political groups, painfully "funny" personal anecdotes and the taking on and off of Chains. I don't mind a bit of Pageantry but after 45 minutes it begins to look like the Masons. Ironically the actual business of the meeting - appointing dozens of Councillors to hundreds of positions- for the following year takes about 5 minutes as everything is nodded through.

Still congratulations to out going Lord Mayor Mohammad Iqbal who has raised £110000 for his Charity, a near record total.

In Defence of Ming

I have avoided to much national political stuff on this blog. Partly because its not what I set it up for but mainly because my Journalism isn't up to it. However speaking as someone who gave Ming Campbell a very reluctant third preference choice in a three horse race last year, its time to say the following.

Be very careful what you wish for.

One of the reasons I was so angry about the manner of the Kennedy Assassination was that these things never stop there. Once you accept that anonymous media briefings are an acceptable weapon against a leader then the Rubicon is crossed and the threshold for future criticism is lowered. Any casual observer of the national party can see that the stables are being cleaned at Cowley street under Ming - vital work which will take time to have its impact. Ming has lead from the front on policy ( what ever you may think of Trident and Green Switch). All Lib Dem leaders struggle to find a profile in there first 18 months. I remember how derided Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy were at the time.


The last 5 years have seen some of the most benign political weather for the party since the launch of the SDP. What ever Ming's failings it wasn't he who was responsible for failing to capitalise fully on it. It was inevitable as things begin to tighten nationally - Blair Goes and Project Turquoise continues
- that we would feel a bit of turbulence. The idea that we can publicly execute leaders once every 18 months as a distraction from the more painful process of party reform is a fools errand and one that the Conservative Party has only just recovered from. Finally about PMQ's. Hague was brilliant but look where it got him.

Ming was never my choice for Leader but he is a gut liberal doing necessary work and deserves to be allowed to get on with what he was overwhelmingly elected do. Lead without constant sniper fire.

Phil Willis MP. A Tribute

My abiding memory of Phil Willis, who is to stand down at the next Election is of it being 2130 on the day of the Leeds Central By Election in June 1999. These were the Prelapsarian days of New Labour. No War, ID Cards or Tuition Fees. As was made very clear by the national party's attitude to the campaign many in the the Lib Dems still saw Labour as a progressive ally ( Ashdown was still Leader). The idea of fighting them at all let alone in there heart land didn't really fit well with the "Project".

And yet there was Phil with only 30 minutes to go on one of the roughest estates in Leeds in derelict Constituency knocking up and ferrying Voters to the end. Lots of MP's came for the afternoon to that Campaign because they had to. A few came lots because they could see even then how illiberal the New Labour project was. None worked as hard as Phil to try and help the Leeds party develop and Build. No one is knocking up on that estate at 2130 unless they believe in something.

Phil will be particularly missed by me because he has repaid the Yorkshire and Humber region in spades for the Investment it made in him. He has never just bunkered down in fortress Harrogate and for that and his vision I salute him.

How do you spend £3000 ?

One of the more pleasant tasks (or more ego affirming perhaps) of being a Leeds City Councillor is the annual MICE allowance (Members Improvements in the Community and Environment). Please don't ask me to provide a Philosophical justification in allowing Politicians to directly dish out tax payers cash. However like all 99 Councillors I have just received a pot of £3000 to spend in my ward or on City Wide projects. It does give you a bit of a "tool kit" to aid local groups, be proactive and perhaps make a statement or two. As this is my last allowance I have tried to carve out a coherent theme in this years allocations - and probably failed.

This is the real weakness of the scheme, for all of its uber devolution to the local elected Representatives, the difficulty is that they can do more or less what they want with it. Give it to pet projects, let it build up in the account over the years, attempt to buy votes etc etc.

My first theme for this years grants is "Supporting Community Groups." I have allocated £750 to local Headingley groups to do with as they please. This extends the principle of devolution further and recognises the contribution that neighbourhood level associations make to a democracy. I say this with a rye smile as all my bitterest of clashes over the last 7 years have been with - local Community Groups. While I'm often annoyed with some groups insularity we would all be worse off if they weren't around to speak truth to power. I have blogged before about the Headingley Development Trust so on this occasion can I give an honourable mention to the Leeds Girls High School Action Group. They have sprung up to ensure community input into the disposal of the Girls High School site. A proper campaign on an issue like this can cost several thousand pounds. Although residents can put there hands in there own pockets if ever there was a case for something like MICE money then it is being able to part Bank Roll causes like this.

Term Limits

I'm off. I will not seek Re Selection or Re Election to the Council next May when my term ends. I will have served 8 years.

Being a Councillor is the most interesting thing I have ever done and cliche ridden though it sounds its been a genuine privilege to serve. However I need a rest and have all sorts of personal projects I want to pursue which just don't fit well with representing a ward of this size on a Big Unitary like Leeds. The advantage of deciding now is I can have a well structured final year finishing off all sorts of local projects and with a definite end day - 1st of May 2008 - so no Tony Blair style long good by. I'm going to keep blogging and narrate my final year. I hope it sheds some light on how the process works. Because informed Citizens getting off their back sides and getting involved is the only way anything ever changes I'm sure I will come back to Local Government.

The Sucession is a matter for the party. But this years elections say Headingley has the biggest Lib Dem majority in the city (in percentage terms) so I hope we attract some talent. My only public comment on the issue will be these.

1. Our Council Group does not reflect the diversity of the population it serves. I hope some excellent female and ethnic candidates feel able to apply.

2. I'm the only elected representative for the area to actually live in or anywhere near the ward. (though our MP lives in his Constituency in Otley ) If any great percentage of senior decision makers in the City actually lived in Inner City wards then I rather suspect that they would be different places. I hope some local people will apply as well.

I shan't say good by yet because I'm going to be working till the last day. I hope people will keep reading along the way.

Musical Chairs

Work is continuing on try to construct a new Administration on Leeds City Council with traffic going in both directions. The Green group of 3 councillors has walked out of the "Coalition" over the issue of the proposed Incinerator. Some people would ask what took them so long? Meanwhile Cllr Brian Jennings, who was elected as a Lib Dem, has sat for a year as an Independent, has joined the Tories and thus the Administration.

Where does this leave Leeds? In all probability with a Liberal Democrat (24 seats)/Conservative (23 seats) minority administration with 47 of the 99 seats. This will require the good will of and issue by issue deals with the Green group and the Morley Independent Group (5 seats). Of course no one will touch the single BNP councillor with a barge pole.

Is this ideal? No. Is it better than the alternative? I think so. A minority Labour administration with only 43 seats would be even less stable particularly as the Greens and Independents have said they wouldn't back them returning to power. There is now a clearer policy agenda that it would be a shame not to be able to follow through. the Air Port sale, the extra road repairs spending and the 5 PCSO's for every ward.

I hope the new arrangement if it all comes off will lead to a more consensual approach. It would be interesting if the Green and MBI's used the new position to push much, much harder on re localising the economy, recycling and asking if we really need to base our waste strategy on Incineration. I also notice with interest that Robert Finnigan the Morley leader is the only politician in the city to (publicly) question the dash for a Super Casino. Perhaps now we can have a proper Social Impact assessment on poorer communities in South Leeds of this proposal rather than the panglossian pronouncements of our Development Department.

Interesting Times. Perhaps.

The Assessment Day

Yesterday I attended an Assessment Day seeking approval to be a Parliamentary Candidate. Like all big parties the Liberal Democrats have a formal process for approving people who want to stand for parliament and hold a central list of those qualified. If your names not down you aren't getting in.

I had a crack in 2005 and did well enough to be encouraged to apply again but not well enough to be approved. Its a sophisticated assessment process including a detailed application form, interviews, Group Exercises, a policy exam and quite a bit role playing. It takes a full day and is nerve racking because you are under constant observation by the assessors. Being the Philadelphia Lawyers that we are you get a score out of 4000 but there is no direct pass/fail score. You need to get minimum standards in a certain number of competencies to get through.

As I'm often melancholy about politics on this blog can I just point out what the best thing was about the day was. My fellow Candidates. A party that can attract three such bright, compassionate and liberal individuals obviously has a future. I won't name them here for confidentiality but lets just say Calderdale should be very proud.

Its also a very realistic process. The role playing is deeply rooted in the party's campaigning experience and the life of an MP. I had to do a difficult radio interview, contrabute to a campaign meeting and hold a surgery with a distressed constituent. I couldn't help but smile as all sorts of quirks in the day reminded me why I love the party despite it infuriating me at the same time. Its difficult to put into words but "Localism" is the best one. Because we have such a small core vote and no safe seats we always have to work to win. The attention to the most obscure local details of a area is what drives opponents round the bend but also what gets us elected in the first place.

In terms of anyone thinking of applying for parliamentary approval then having been through the thing twice I would offer a couple of tips.

1. Do the Party's " Get, Set, Go!" training days they are excellent.

2. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation is the key. Its a long exhausting day and i suspect its the kind of exercises that you can just wing.

3. talk to as many people as possible who have been through it.

4. Don't assume that because you have been a member for ages or a Councillor that that's enough. They are looking for specific skills and status/experience doesn't count in its self.

5. Give it a go. the Party needs more candidates particular those not like me ( Middle Class , White, Males )

Oh and I suppose I should mention in passing the result.

I passed at Grade 1. Disturbing thought though it is someone some where thinks I could be an MP. Is Democracy safe?

Power Corrupts

I caught an hour of the BBC Parliament Channel rerun of the 1997 General Election night before going to work today. While having to leave for the train just minutes before the "Portillo Moment" I did catch two classic political moments. The first was David Mellor suggesting James Goldsmith go back to mexico and the second was Neil Hamilton making a concession speech with his head sandwiched between two red plastic breasts. Well at least that what it looked like. I also caught Jeremy Paxman's caustic question to Ceil Parkinson about who the next Tory leader would be " assuming of course you don't have to look to the House of Lords." Such was the cull of Ministers going on.

What struck me through was the beaming lazer sharp good intentions of all those winning Labour Candidates. All though the messanic zeal is clearly in Blair from the begining I can't imagine any of them thought it would all end in the blooded sands of Iraq and Investigation by Scotland Yard. However this isn't really an Anti Labour Post. I suspect that the Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely motif applies to everybody. Lets just hope that as liberals we are slightly better equiped than others to handle it when it comes our way though that hasn't always been my experience.

A Mixed Bag

While this is the cliche of the Hour about the party's Local Election results it seems apt for the Leeds results as well. Indeed the Leeds results I would argue reflect the strengths and weakness of the national position. Let us start with the good news and work along the spectrum to the warning signs that are there if we are brave enough to read them.

In 6 of the 9 seats we were defending our majorities went up particularly in the Council wards in the Leeds North West Constituency which we now hold. ( we "won" the constituency by 10%) in a further 2 seats our majorities were clipped and these are now highly marginal and we lost a further 1 seat ( Gipton and Harehills of Sunday Times fame - more of which later). Despite our city wide vote share declining by 1.3%, more than any other party, after three years of shared Control of the Council it seems we can concentrate our vote where it is need to maximise our Councillors tally and defend our new MP. What ever the niceties of winning more votes this is all that matters in a First Past the Post system.

The Cloud on the Horizon is when you look past successful defences to areas of potential Growth. With the exception of Kirkstall Ward where we shaved the Labour majority from 13% to 9.5% we fell back everywhere else. In some of the inner city seats we had hoped to progress in against an unpopular Labour government we have fallen back into the teens percent indeed pushed into third place in one.

The Lib Dem/Cons/Green Coalition will continue as a Minority Administration (total tally 49 seats - 3) and given the leanings of the 6 Independents should be very stable. What then do I conclude from this picture?

1. Doom Mongers should look carefully at the precise results in Lib Dem held/target parliamentary constituencies. In Leeds it look optimistic.

2. If the party is in power locally then voters will quite rightly judge it on its own merits. Expecting national anti Labour feeling to deliver miracles doesn't seem to be working.

3. Liberalism in general and Community Politics in particular require more than the famous "Tony and George" picture of so many Focus leaflets. Its not that Iraq isn't the Crime of the Century merely that just perhaps the party has had as much milage out of the issue as its going to get. As Cameron converges on the centre ground we might actually have to start talking about liberalism.

Good Practice

Any Councillor will tell you that he/she is deluged with direct appeals for cash from community groups or at the very least help raising it. This is a perfectly reasonable demand on a local politic an but as ever demand outstrips supply. Following the principles of devolution and empowerment the local Lib Dem Councillors in our neck of the woods 5 years ago set up the Inner Northwest Fundraising Project. We use a chunk of our Area Committee Funds not to give directly to local Groups but to help them to help themselves. The project has an office and 1 FTE specialist Fundraising Worker who advises local groups. As it has grown as well as one to one consultancy it offers access to the Fundafinder Software in its offices a Quarterly advice mailing to local Groups, a drop in and a full training programme. Put at its crudest for the last full financial year Groups who it assisted received £159,383 in grants from external funders which is just shy of 4 times the projects total annual cost. More difficult to quantify is the "capacity building" benefit to organisations as they learn skills that they will keep. An example might be a fundraising strategy which would last for several years.

Ultimately a well funded Voluntary Sector is a crucial part of Democracy over and above the social benefits that many of these local projects bring. If you have a project in the Headingley, Weetwood, Kirkstall and Hyde Park and Woodhouse Wards in the inner North West Leeds then the contact details are as follows.

Tel 0113 230 7608 or 07867 858049

Mail. Grove Villa, 80 to 82 Cardigan Road, Leeds, LS 6 3BJ

email shaorn@inwfundraising.org.uk

Local Links 2

Firstly can I plug the excellent Bargain Hunt/Hyde Park Highlights event on Woodhouse Moor next Saturday May 12th between 12 noon and 4pm. Bargain Hunt is a free table top sale ( email j.mcnee@leedsmet.ac.uk to book) run by student volunteers to try and shift some of the crap that is thrown out of shared tenancies at this time of year. Hyde Park Highlights is a community festival designed to promote adult learning opportunities in the area. Although I can't go this year previous years events have had a Carnival Atmosphere and are very well worth a browse. Bargain Hunt will be in All Hallows Church hall if its raining.

Secondly can I alert local readers to www.myspace.com/hydeparkheat Its not entirely to my tastes but is a lively and entertaining news letter about local goings on and available as a local free sheet as well.