#Gooshays2013 - Christine McGeary, Labour Party

Christine McGeary, Labour
candidate for Gooshays

It’s been all hands on deck for Labour these past couple of weeks as they’ve been fighting to regain Gooshays ward after losing all three councillors in 2006, and regaining just one in 2010.

Christine Anne McGeary – the only woman to be standing in this by-election – is hoping to repaint the town red and increase the number of her party's councillors from 5 to 6.

Her campaign is based on opposing the parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre, the closure of the police front desk on Straight Road, and also highlighting the closure of King George Hospital's maternity ward and the fact Queen’s Hospital in Romford will be overstretched:

I was at the last council meeting where the ruling Conservative party refused to let Labour, the principle minority opposition, raise the issue of opposing parking charges at Hilldene, despite a petition with thousands of signatures.

This is why - ironically - council democracy contains within it an undemocratic streak when the majority can ignore and dismiss the minority, even though all councillors are as democratically elected by the people as each other.

On the other hand, Labour have been opposing cuts since the ConDem Coalition government came to power 3 years ago, and 3 years later their arguments are still as unconvincing. People have not forgotten how Labour mishandled our finances, including how Gordon Brown sold our country's gold reserves at a knock-down price.

Labour leader Ed Miliband speaks at anti-cuts rally last year,
despite not ruling out austerity himself

It’s all very well opposing the Boris’s cuts to the police, but I do wonder what Labour would do differently when it comes to cuts. “Too far, too fast” is their all-too-familiar slogan describing George Osborne’s policy, but it’s cynical and dishonest when Ed Miliband marches alongside anti-cuts demonstrators knowing full-well he would have to make cuts himself if he was Prime Minister.

Let’s also not forget Labour’s dismal mishandling of our borders. As it stands, the Home Office doesn’t know how many people are coming in and going out, and we’ve learnt this week that a quarter of a million extra school places will be needed by 2014 to meet the rising demand. And Havering council had grossly underestimated the population figures when 4 years ago it closed and merged local primary schools – including Manor school.

When you vote on Thursday, just remember our legacy of 13 years of Labour government.

It’s not all bad though...

When it comes to publicity and public relations, Labour wins hands down, and all the other parties (including the Residents’ Association) could learn something from the following postcard:

This is how election literature should be! Her name is in big letters, she has a nice smile (if you're another candidate reading this, take note!), and her pledges are short, snappy and effective, especially for an audience which is probably turned off by politics.

All other campaign leaflets I’ve seen from the other candidates (including Labour’s other piece of literature above) read like a party manifesto for War and Peace. Unless you’re a die-hard political anorak (like me), I very much doubt you have either the time or the will in your busy life to read through that amount of detail!

Labour has an effective social media strategy

Social media has also played a big part in Labour’s campaign, where the other candidates have fallen behind.

Cllr Keith Darvill, leader of the Labour group on the council, has used Twitter along with the official Romford Labour Party and other local activists to promote Christine’s campaign.

In contrast, I know of at least 3 Conservative councillors who use Twitter, yet none have even mentioned their candidate Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild or this by-election on their accounts. Maybe they’ve just given up?

The only Residents' Association councillor I know who tweets is the leader of the RA group, Cllr Clarence Barrett (@clarence39533), and our Gooshays candidate Darren Wise (@darrenwiseRA) has also set one up (please follow both!).

Like in so many other by-elections since the ConDems came to power, Labour have missed numerous opportunities to make political capital out of being in opposition.

Christine’s reputation and hopes for Gooshays will be set back by her party's national record on the economy and immigration. In people's minds, she will be associated with this terrible record, and if voted in will join the relatively weak minority opposition on the council.

A vote for Darren Wise, however, will strengthen the council's main opposition leading to a more effective scrutiny and challenge to the Conservatives.

And whereas Christine will have to answer to a Labour party whip, the only people Darren Wise will have to answer to are the residents who elected him.

Next on the list is Lawrence James Webb standing for UKIP Local Residents…

#Gooshays2013 - Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild, Conservative Party

Marcus Llewellyn-Rothschild,
Conservative candidate for
Gooshays

Almost six weeks ago today, Conservative Councillor Dennis Bull of Gooshays ward died at the age of 75 after suffering a stroke, and as a result today’s by-election was called.

Today Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild is hoping to maintain the Tory legacy keeping the blue flame alight against fierce competition from the Residents’ Association (the main opposition group on the council) and Labour (who came second losing only by 52 votes in 2010).

Marcus’s campaign is based on attacking Labour’s “Horizons” project in Harold Hill and bigging up what the Conservatives have brought to the area through their project “Ambitions”:

In 2006, the Conservatives gained their first majority victory on Havering council for 20 years, winning 34 councillors against 19 from all the other parties. In practice, this means motions being pushed through with little consideration for the views of other groups.

When Tony Blair did this in our national Parliament, some people termed this sort of system as “electoral dictatorship”. Of course, democracy is the best flawed system out there, but despite being democratically elected by the people of our borough, Residents’, Labour and Independent Residents’ councillors have very little influence.

Harold Hill has unfairly had a bad reputation in the media. It was built at the end of World War 2 to move large sections of the population from the poor conditions in the East End to the more pleasant surroundings of outer London. With that migration also followed some of London’s criminal underworld, and the area has since been dismissed and ignored by successive council administrations.

The Queen visiting Drapers' Academy in October last year

In recent times though, schemes have been introduced such as “Horizons” and “Ambitions” to improve the area, and as a result it is officially the fastest improving ward in the borough. So much so that last year Her Majesty paid a visit to Drapers’ Academy, and a new youth centre MyPlace has given young people greater opportunities.

However it is worth noting that both MyPlace and the Swimming Pool in Central Park were paid for – not by the administration – but by a Lottery grant.

Also as someone who regularly visits friends on the Hill, the reality is the state of the roads and parks is visibly much worse than other areas in our borough, so unfortunately the legacy of neglect continues to this day, despite the odd token improvement here and there.

Let’s not forget those parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre which were voted in by the local Conservatives and which have had fierce resistance from local traders:

The Conservatives have introduced unpopular
parking charges at Hilldene shopping centre

“Nobody will pay 20p to park while they buy a 40p newspaper” - Ronak Patel who runs Roseland News in Hilldene Avenue.

“What the council proposes is too restrictive. All it’s going to do is push local customers to Tesco, which has its own car park” - Michael O’Meara who runs The Diner on Farnham Road.

“It’s not a positive thing to be doing with the economic climate” - Duncan de Wyche who manages Iceland on Hilldene Avenue. “I think taxing people to come and do their shopping isn’t a good idea”

When it comes to saving money for council tax payers, we’ve learnt this week that in the last 3 years our administration has splashed out £40,000 on refreshments for councillors. We pay the third highest council tax in London. And just last month all 29 Conservative councillors who were present voted down a proposal to cut their allowances which would have saved us £134k in council tax.

When the late councillor Bull was elected in 2006, the people of Gooshays were fed up of almost a decade of Labour government.

Today, the Conservatives have run our country for almost 3 years, and there are only so many times David Cameron can blame Labour for the economic crisis our country is in.

If we want economic growth, if we want better value for money and to pay lower council tax, and if we want a councillor who answers to residents and not to a party whip or central office, I would not recommend sending another Conservative councillor into our Town Hall.

Next on the list is Christine Anne McGeary standing for the Labour Party...

#Gooshays2013 - Malvin Paul Brown, Residents' Association of London

I haven’t seen or heard anything from the Residents’ Association of London for this by-election, so if anyone has anything do send it over as I’m keen to give every candidate the opportunity to have their literature published.


Malvin Brown

Failing that, follow the link to Malvin Brown’s online manifesto when he stood for the 2012 Greater London Authority (GLA) elections.

Malvin used to be part of the main Residents Association (RA) group which currently includes the majority of RAs in Havering, including Hornchurch RA, Upminster and Cranham RA, and Harold Wood, Hill and Park RA.

The RA group is currently the main opposition on the council with 12 members. The other groups include the Conservatives with 32, Labour with 5 and the Independent Residents Group with 4 councillors.

I like some of Malvin’s 2012 policies.

He believes that “the constant attempts by developers to nibble away at the Green Belt must be firmly resisted”. Too right! We have over 112 hectares of brownfield – why don’t the local Tories build much needed new homes in our borough on those sites instead of destroying our green and pleasant land?

Cranham Marsh Nature Reserve
(part of Havering's Green Belt)

It was the final nail in the coffin for the maternity ward just this week, but back in 2012 Malvin was also “strongly opposed to the closure of King George's hospital” in Goodmayes.

And he stated “High street regeneration must be a priority”. In this country where we have no growth, and where as a result we’ve recently lost our triple A credit rating, it might not be such a bad idea to have an independent local alternative to a Conservative national government.

In the 2012 GLA election for Havering and Redbridge constituency, Malvin came 4th beating the Lib-Dems and Green Party. This was a real achievement for localism and the idea that residents can determine their own lives free from the diktats of a political party!

Malvin stood for Havering and Redbridge constituency in the
2012 Greater London Authority elections (click to enlarge)

The main Havering RA group supported Malvin all the way in their publication ‘The Bulletin’. However in today’s by-election, Malvin has decided to run against Darren Wise, the main RA’s candidate.

I’m sure everyone will be aware that splitting the vote like this is counter-productive to both candidates and will quite likely – and unfortunately – let one of the other parties in.

At the count on Thursday 21st where I will be tweeting the result live from Havering Council (follow me: @HaveringMeh), I will be paying close attention to the number of votes picked up by both candidates – Wise and Brown – standing under separate ‘residents’ banners, and questioning whether or not two residents are better than one (?).

In the meantime, I wish Malvin all the best for Gooshays, and would hope in the future we can resolve whatever differences we have so that ordinary Havering residents can benefit from a strong and influential residents' voice representing them at Town Hall.

Next on the list is Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild standing for the Conservative Party...

#Gooshays2013 - Mick Braun, British National Party

The British National Party (BNP) is a white-supremacist group masquerading as a mainstream political party. It’s leader Nick Griffin has called the Holocaust a “Holohoax”, has described homosexuality as “creepy”, and has stated his belief that black, Asian and mixed-race Britons “do not exist”.

At Harold Wood train station (near Gooshays) last Sunday, a gang of local skin-heads ambushed a group of anti-racist campaigners who came to leaflet the area. Below is one of the videos which have gone viral and have been viewed by over 42,000 people:

The BNP candidate for Gooshays is one Mick Braun. His views on ethnic minorities and gay people surpass even your typical skin head.

Gooshays candidate Mick Braun (right), with BNP leader
Nick Griffin

On Facebook he advocated spraying Asians and gay people with hydrochloric acid, and here is his solution for a friend who had a Pakistani neighbour move in next door:

“A molotov cocktail through the letterbox comes to mind lol.” (see link)

He has also stated what he would do to his children if he found out they were gay:

"If I found out any of my 2 boys were playing daddy and daddy then I would dishome them , end of story,sorry hun ive been brought up with Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve lol x"

In the 2008 Gooshays by-election, the BNP won their first seat on Havering council with just under 23% voter turnout. The candidate Mark Logan later renounced his involvement with the party describing them as “a bunch of racists”. He has since been re-elected as an independent joining the Independent Residents Group on the council.

In the 2010 local elections, voter turnout in the ward significantly increased to almost 55% and as a result the BNP were wiped out of Gooshays, coming sixth. In today’s by-election, the party has produced two leaflets. Here is one of them (click to enlarge):

I will not be publishing the other one because a) I personally find it disgusting, and b) I've heard whisperings of legal advice being sought.

Basically, it links homosexuality to paedophilia, and tarnishes the whole Labour Party with being linked to child abuse. It uses highly emotive pictures of children and lists a minority of ex-Labour activists who have been convicted for child sex offences.

This slur against a whole political party seems to have been the motivation behind another attack in the area caught on camera and uploaded 5 days ago (5205 hits at the time of writing). It appears to show local thugs intimidating and threatening a man and a woman, and causing distress to ordinary members of the public standing at the bus stop:

Anyone with half a brain cell can tell you that paedophiles come from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, and all political parties have been no stranger to them. But that’s the BNP – they love to generalise, stereotype and play off people's fears.

So in order to bring some balance to their high-brow intellectual campaign, here is a list of criminal offences committed by their activists, including terrorism, assault, and – yes – even paedophilia:

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/hate-groups/bnp/convictions

We all want a sensible immigration policy. We all have our own views about same-sex marriage. And we all want to protect children from predators.

However the BNP’s ‘final solution’ is not the answer, and the issues they raise have nothing to do with the roles and responsibilities of a borough councillor.



Hilldene shopping centre where Havering
council is introducing parking charges

If I were a Gooshays resident I would be more concerned about the state of the roads, the increased parking charges being introduced at Hilldene shopping centre, and the CCTV smart car which unfairly targets residents parked outside their own homes.

To solve these problems, we need someone who can stand up for everyone in the local area whatever their skin colour, religion or sexuality. We need someone who will put the wishes of local people before the those of a party central office. And we need someone who has allies and influence in the council chamber to challenge the decisions of the Conservative majority.

The BNP – whether or not you support their views – would not be able to do any of these things.

Next on the list of candidates is Malvin Paul Brown standing for the Residents Association of London...

Gooshays by-election 2013

As Harold Hill-ians go to the polls to vote for a new ward councillor, I will be covering the entire by-election from now until the result is announced.


Gooshays ward

I will be blogging and tweeting the latest developments on this site, including information and publications from ALL the candidates standing to give you a better understanding of who they are and what their parties stand for.

You will also get to read my own political take on each one.

On election night itself (Thursday 21st March), make sure you’re following @HaveringMeh on Twitter from 9.30pm where you will get live updates from the official count at Havering Town Hall.




Havering Town Hall, where I will tweet you the very latest

To get your electoral gonads geared up for a riveting couple of weeks, here is the full list of candidates standing in the 2013 Gooshays ward by-election in alphabetical order:
 

• Mick Braun - British National Party
• Malvin Paul Brown - Residents' Association of London
• Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild - Conservative Party
• Christine Anne McGeary - Labour Party
• Lawrence James Webb - UKIP Local Residents
• Darren Christopher Wise - Harold Wood Hill Park Residents' Association

Ask me any questions or leave your comments either in the sections below or over Twitter.

BTW - I do have my own favourite candidate to win, and although I'm not going to tell you who that is (I wouldn't want you to think I'm biased or anything), please feel free to use the following Twitter hashtag:

#DarrenWise4Gooshays

So first on the list, Mick Braun who is standing for the British National Party...

Updates

1. Entertainment
2. Young Residents speak out
3. Harold Hill election appeal

1. Entertainment

It's been over a month since I posted as I've been dedicating my time to rehearsing for and performing in Havering Music Makers' production of The Mikado (check out the photos here). It was a huge success, and even the Mayor of Havering popped backstage to say well done!

HMM's next production is no other than Oliver! which will be performed at the Queen's Theatre from 11th to 13th July. Get in touch with HMM if you want to be involved!


2. Young Residents speak out

I organised the first meeting of Havering Young Residents and a good handful of people turned up. We had a vibrant and intelligent discussion about the challenges faced by young people, ranging from the reasons why the 2011 Romford riots happened, youth unemployment, building new homes, and protecting the Green Belt.

 

I learned that the idea young people are apathetic (...Meh) about politics is a complete myth. The challenges we face going forward include bridging the gap between the authorities and young residents and creating more opportunities so we can be part of society, as opposed to being on the margins.

3. Harold Hill election appeal

On Thursday 21st March the people of Gooshays ward in Harold Hill will be going to polls to vote in a local by-election. I'm supporting our candidate Darren Wise who will be representing the Harold Wood, Hill, Park Residents Association.

If you believe politicians should reflect the will of the residents as opposed to their individual party ideologies, then let me know if you want to help with the campaign: info@youngresidents.org.uk

Crime in Havering

This month, the 2012 Community Safety Public Survey was released by Havering Community and Police Consultative Group. This survey gaged people's perceptions of crime in Havering.

 

Perceptions of crime

 

Some of the things which stood out: 79.7% had never been a victim of crime in Havering. In the last 12 months, 11.3% had been a victim in their local area while 5.1% had been a victim of crime somewhere in the borough.

 

Residential burglary concerned most people, with street muggings being the largest secondary concern.

 

Regarding perceptions of how 'safe' Havering is, 66.2% felt our borough was just as safe as 1 year ago, with 19.9% feeling we're safer, and 13.9% feeling we're less safe.

 

Survey demographics

 

The largest age group to respond was the 45-55 range. Unfortunately, the survey admits that "those under 25 account for just over 12% which is better than we usually secure but disappointing."

 

Engaging young residents with the police is important for everyone. If our interests aren't represented, we'll become marginalised. If our voices are heard, we'll have a greater role to play in our community.

 

This is why one of my aims for next month's first Havering Young Residents (HYR)'s meeting "Being young in 21st century Havering" (3pm on Saturday 23rd February at Hornchurch Library) is to get together a handful of my generation, listen to their concerns as young residents in our borough, and create a lasting domino effect that will get young people engaged in politics and our community.

 

 

 

Sign up to HYR's event: https://www.facebook.com/events/390668587681594/