Celebrating Putney

As you'll know if you're a regular visitor to my blog, one of my main criticisms of the local Conservatives is that they take little pride in Putney: as the neglect of our town centre and Putney Bridge, the weak and damaging (lack of) planning policies, the never-ending service cuts and closures, the huge amount of fly-tipping and the woeful state of our roads and pavements exemplify.

It's time for local leadership that celebrates this wonderful area. That's why I've produced ten different sets of Oystercard wallets that exhibit the very best of Putney, Roehampton and Southfields. We have versions for Putney Bridge, St Mary's Church, the Alton Estate, Queen Mary's House, Dover House Road, Southfields tube, East Putney station, the Royal Hospital, Roehampton village and the London Mosque in Gressenhall Road.

If you'd like to show your pride in Putney by carrying one of these Oystercard wallets get in touch and I'll gladly send you one. For free. No catch. 10,000 to give away! Just tell me which version you'd like.

Fundraising WITHOUT a Belize Billionaire

Unlike my Conservative opponent Justine Greening, neither I nor my campaign have ever been the recipient of thousands of pounds in political donations from a non dom billionaire. And I wouldn't want to, either.

Every penny I spend is raised locally - through donations from local Labour Party members and supporters, and through the type of fundraising events that voluntary organisations across the Putney will be familiar with: raffles, quiz nights, social events and - the highlight of the fundraising year - our annual dinner.

On Tuesday evening we again took our annual dinner to the fantastic Telegraph Pub on Putney Heath. The food and service was excellent and the company and conversation even better. Our after dinner speaker was the witty and hugely entertaining political editor of The Mirror, Kevin Maguire. Kevin entertained us with tales from Westminster and - in the most noble of dinner guest speaker traditions, declined the raffle prize when his ticket was pulled from the hat (three times no less!).

It was a welcome (albeit brief) break from the campaign trail and I was particularly pleased to see so many members who have been working so hard on behalf of both me and Putney Labour party. As the recipient of that hard work, effort and endeavour (as well as their financial donations), I can tell you it is a richer reward than all of Ashcroft's billions.

When we say "campaigning all year round" we mean it!

Yesterday I was out and about in Roehampton with my campaign team, and despite the bitter weather we got a warm reception.

I was concerned about the council's neglect of the paths and roads on the estate, especially as the Alton was built on some pretty steep slopes. And even if you think it's understandable that not every path on the estate has been cleared of ice - as I do - it isn't acceptable that steps haven't, which ought to be a much more achievable aim for the housing department.

Plenty of new year casework to take up including the case of a council tenant whose window was smashed in a burglary last October and which the council still hasn't repaired.

I'm pictured discussing some of those issues with Sean Lawless who grew up on the Alton estate. Sean's been an important part of my campaign team since last spring and is an example of how my campaign is getting the local community involved - not just dumping outsiders on Roehampton as the Conservatives have a track record of doing.

Introducing Labour's Thamesfield team

I'm pictured above with (from left) Bibi Qureshi, Chris Locke and Janet Grimshaw: Labour's three council candidates for Thamesfield - Putney town centre and riverside. All three are excellent local candidates with years clocked up living in the area, contributing to Putney.

Janet Grimshaw lives in Kenilworth Court on Lower Richmond Road with her teenage daughter who went to All Saint?s School. She is a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and works closely with the Police team. She was a Civil Servant for over 22 years working at the Department for International Development. Janet has lived in Putney for over 20 years

She's leading Labour's plan to tackle Thamesfield's high crime rate that the Conservatives have ignored. Town centre patrollers, which - when we had them in Clapham Junction and Tooting town centres - cut street crime by a third; and a larger Safer Neighbourhood Police team for Thamesfield are two of her suggestions.

Chris Locke lives in Norroy Road, off Putney High Street in the heart of Thamesfield. He's lived her for 25 years. Chris's commitment to Thamesfield shows in the fact that he's standing to be our councillor for the fifth time next May. An editor for a major newspaper, Chris organises the Bricklayers' Arms cricket team and has an interest in the regeneration of London's urban rivers like the Wandle, the mouth of which forms the eastern boundary of the ward.

Chris's political priorities are transport and planning: pushing for better facilities at Putney Station and East Putney, and fighting the Conservative council-backed tower block overdevelopment threats to Putney.

Bibi Qureshi lives in Fawe Park Road with her husband - and like Chris and Janet, she's lived here for decades. Because she's retired, Bibi's got the time and commitment to really devote to Thamesfield issues - like improving Wandsworth Park near her home. Formerly her area's neighbourhood watch co-ordinator, Bibi is heavily involved with Wandsworth's NHS, chairing one of the user groups that hold our health service to the high standards we expect.

Bibi's been campaigning on the quality of the local environment: the dreadful state of Putney Bridge, the cluttered, congested, polluted and run-down Putney High Street, and the basic quality of life issues like potholes, dangerous pavements and overgrown bushes and trees that should be the first priority of good councillors but which go neglected in Thamesfield.

This is a really strong team for Thamesfield and I'm delighted to endorse Janet, Chris and Bibi.

Yesterday's International Development meeting

The public meeting I held last night with International Development Minister Gareth Thomas MP was a big success. Despite the blustery weather dozens of Putney residents ventured out to listen and contribute on this issue which means a lot to me.

A cross section of the Putney community turned up to hear Gareth field a series of questions spanning the globe - from the piracy problems in Somalia; the Israel/Palestine conflict; Kosovo; resolving the Doha trade round in order to bring greater prosperity to developing nations - and, as Gareth freely admitted, the first ever question he has been asked about the Turks & Caicos islands!

In closing the meeting, I thanked Gareth for attending, Revd. Jim McKinney - the vicar of Holy Trinity church Roehampton for chairing and Mo Smith and Regenerate RISE for the kind use of their premises at The Platt Christian Centre in Felsham Road. It was also nice to see some of our Liberal Democrat friends in the audience - this was a public meeting open to all; they were most welcome, and they contributed to the discussion.

Here are some of the pictures from the meeting:

TONIGHT: Our duty to the developing world

A final reminder that International Development Minister Gareth Thomas is coming to Putney later today to contribute to a public meeting on how the government needs to continue committing resources to the developing world.

The meeting takes place at the Platt Christian Centre, 22 Felsham Road, across the road from Putney Labour Party HQ from 7.30pm. This is a free event but there are only a handful of places remaining, so please arrive on time.

The meeting's being chaired by Revd. Jim McKinney, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Roehampton.

Public meeting next week

One week to go
This event is open to all members of the public and is free to attend. There are, however, only fifty places, so please reserve your place by phoning my office on 020 8788 8961 or emailing agent@putneylabour.org.uk.

Getting the Points

Last week my campaign team (some of them pictured above) and I were out and about calling on residents in the Alton estate's Point blocks: the eleven high rises in Norley Vale, Dilton Gardens and Wanborough Drive.

We called on residents during the day on Thursday and got as good a response as we do during our regular weekend visits across the constituency - and our Roehampton councillor candidates - Ben Smith, Peter Carpenter and Donald Roy got lots of support for my Alcohol Exclusion Zone campaign, and found lots of relief that the Conservatives' disastrous demolition of Danebury Avenue plan had bitten the dust.

The choice for the Points and the rest of the Alton is simple: local Labour leadership on the issues that matter to residents or the same old Conservatives who neglect the estate, sell off so many council homes that there's no room left for the sons and daughters of local people, pour hundreds of thousands of pounds down the drain on a botched demolition plan for the centre of the area and simply don't care about Roehampton.

Public meeting: our duty to the developing world

This event is open to all members of the public and is free to attend. There are, however, only fifty places, so please reserve your place by phoning my office on 020 8788 8961 or emailing agent@putneylabour.org.uk.

What I got up to at Labour Party conference

Before heading off to Brighton last week to attend Labour Party conference I said I would report back on the events that I was invited to that could be argued to have been sought in order for the organisers to lobby me on a particular issue on interest.

Most of these invitations are a sensible and reasonable way for pressure groups, charities and representative organisations to put their case before politicians - that is the essence of democracy. The important issue is that of transparency - and when it is lacking; when the financial clout of major lobbyists gets confused with free speech - that is when problems, or the perception of problems emerge.

So, as promised, here are the invitations I received and details of whether I accepted them or not.

Breakfast briefings (where breakfast was provided by the organiser):

• Fabian Society debate on social housing & life chances (accepted)
• London Councils discussion on a Manifesto for London (accepted)
• All Party Group on Anti Semitism briefing on anti semitism (declined due to diary clash)
• Reform think tank event on ambulance services (declined)

Dinner briefings (where dinner would be paid for by the organiser):

• British Beer & Pub Association/CAMRA (declined due to diary clash)

Receptions (where drinks were provided by the host)

• Labour Party reception for parliamentary candidates (accepted)
• Dods reception for parliamentary candidates (accepted)
• Unite reception for its members attending conference, of which I am one (accepted)
• National Federation of Retail Newsagents (declined due to clash)

Lobby meetings

• Royal British Legion - I met representatives of the British Legion who lobbied me to sign up to their Manifesto for the next election, which I was happy to do - for more see here
• Vote Cruelty Free - I met representatives of Vote Cruelty Free who lobbied me to sign up to their Manifesto for the next election, which I was happy to do - for more see here
• In addition I attended and spoke at a number of open fringe meetings, including ones organised by Google, The Guardian, Progress, Age Concern and the British Legion.

I paid my own travel to and from conference, as well as my own hotel bill. Maybe that is obvious but given the way quite a few MPs of all parties have behaved recently I feel the need to spell it out.

Labour Conference

I'm going to be at the Labour Conference for much of the coming week, which this year, for Labour, is in Brighton.

The impression most people get of conference season is of what goes on in the conference hall: endless debates that can seem of little relevance to the outside world culminating in the party's leader making a set-piece speech that make it onto the news.

But the vast majority of conference goes on outside the conference hall: in "fringe" events organised by think tanks, unions, business and lobbyists all trying to convince decision-makers and party activists that their cause should be pushed in parliament. It's also a chance for me to raise the issues I'm campaigning on in Putney face to face with ministers.

Because this is the last conference before the general election, I've been invited to a huge array of events. I think it's really important that you know who's been trying to lobby me to support their cause, so after I'm back I'll publish a list of every invitation I accepted at conference and what hospitality I was offered. It's important that you have confidence that the only interests I serve are those of Putney, Roehampton and Southfields.

What I can tell you right now is that I'm paying my own travel to and from conference, and my own hotel bill while I'm there. You may not expect anything else of me but given the way quite a few MPs have behaved recently I'm going to declare everything up front and openly so that there can be not even the slightest question.

Incidentally, a group of parliamentary candidates, including me, will be contributing to a conference blog on what we get up to in Brighton for the progressive thinktank Progress - you'll be able to read it here.

Stephen Twigg comes to Putney

The scene at Enfield Town Hall in the early hours of Friday 2nd May 1997, when Michael Portillo was ousted from parliament in the Labour landslide, has been voted the third most popular TV clip of all time.

The man who beat Portillo, Stephen Twigg, came to Putney last week to talk to local members. During his eight years in parliament, Stephen was an education minister and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. Since 2005 he has been Director of the Foreign Policy Centre and Chair of Progress, the progressive thinktank and pressure group of which I'm also a member.

Stephen talked to members and answered questions on the path to an historic fourth term of office for Labour for over an hour and it was really kind of him to visit; especially as he's now our parliamentary candidate for the Liverpool constituency of West Derby.

More from our Ed Miliband annual dinner

Cabinet Minister Ed Miliband visits Putney

Last night I was delighted to welcome Ed Miliband MP, the Secretary of State responsible for Energy and the UK's global leadership on Climate Change, to Putney. Ed was guest speaker and star turn at Putney Labour Party's annual dinner, which was held in the private dining room upstairs at The Telegraph pub on Putney Heath.

Ed was an engaging and impressive speaker and, following a wide ranging speech, fielded questions for over half an hour. It was a pleasure to introduce him to the Labour party members and others from the local community who came along to the dinner, which is the major fundraising event in our calendar. As I have explained elsewhere on my website, every penny I spend on my campaign is raised in events like this from local members and supporters.

Ed was kind enough to include in his speech some positive things about me and my campaign (it is great to know our work locally is reaching an audience wider than Putney!), and that was despite the fact that I bent his ear over Heathrow expansion!

I also want to thank all the staff at The Telegraph who provided us with a fantastic menu for the evening, and who looked after us so well. I thoroughly recommend their upstairs dining room to you if you are looking to hold a fundraising or social event of your own.

The Hains

Former Cabinet member Peter Hain has a long association with Putney: he was Labour's General Election candidate for Putney in 1983 and 1987. But Peter's parents, Adelaine (Ad) and Walter have an even longer association.

They have been stalwart members of Putney Labour Party since the 1970s; they supported Peter as his political career took off; they've seen their grandchildren grow up and go to school here; and if you're a resident of Fawe Park Road, Skelgill Road or Brandlehow Road, the reason you get the Putney Paper through your door is because they've delivered it.

Ad and Walter have now decided they've earned a long-overdue retirement, and are moving to the constituency in Wales; Neath, near Swansea, that Peter Hain represents to be closer to their son.

I was therefore honoured and delighted last night to be able, along with Putney Labour Party Chairman Peter Carpenter, to present them with a big bouquet of flowers and a long service award for all their help and support during the time I've been parliamentary candidate and very much longer than that.

Nick Raynsford visits Putney

I had great pleasure in welcoming Nick Raynsford, the Labour MP for Greenwich, to Putney earlier tonight. Some of you who have lived in this area for quite a while may remember Nick as MP for neighbouring Fulham from 1986 - he won the seat in a by-election from the Conservatives. He has also served as Housing Minister and Minister for London, and before that was a councillor for Fulham's Sands End area.

Nick had just come straight from the parliamentary vote on the Ghurkas - where he had voted against the Government's misguided and unfair rules to stop them gaining UK citizenship. I was the first to congratulate him on that vote: I would have voted as he did had I been Putney's Member of Parliament because when the Government gets it wrong, my duty is to stand up and say so.

He spoke to and took questions from a packed meeting of Putney Labour members and supporters, talking in particular about the importance of mixed and integrated communities.

He now lives in what has been called the Millennium Village - the area around the O2 Arena in Greenwich - which is a classic example of how to properly plan communities. Those who own their homes, housing association tenants and shared ownership occupants live side by side and you can't tell which is which.



What a completely different approach to the Conservative Wandsworth way, which is to force more and more people in need of housing into fewer and fewer homes which the Tories try as far as possible to keep separate from everyone else. An example of this is the Whitelands Park debacle - where the Conservatives are responsible for sparking unnecessary and unpleasant battles between key workers and the rest of the residents over parking - something I've written about but which was played out at last night's West Hill ward report-back meeting.

Why we're Labour

Labour MP Nick Palmer represents Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, and today wrote an article for the Political Betting website explaining why he - and so many others around the country - remain passionate about getting Labour re-elected at the next General Election.

Although I don't agree with every single point he makes below, I thought this was an excellent piece and so I'm reproducing it. If you're a Labour supporter I hope it inspires you; and if you're not, well, I hope the way he sets out the case gives you some pause for thought:


What do we expect of governments? We expect that they give us protection at time of crisis (military, economic or social) and pursue a coherent long-term agenda to make the country better.

First, then, is the Government offering protection at time of crisis? We certainly have an economic crisis on our hands, and I?d contend that it?s being dealt with more competently and with more attention to protection of the vulnerable than people originally expected when it first blew up.

We?ve seen predictions here that companies would fall like ninepins, unemployment would head straight for four million, the FTSE would plunge to 2500, the recession would last for years, mass repossessions would devastate the housing market, full recovery could take a generation. All those predictions are starting to look exaggerated.

Can we be sure? No. But it?s noticeable that the main Conservative critique has not been ?Why are you doing X and not Y?? but ?You shouldn?t have got us here in the first place?. And as for that, I wouldn?t try to maintain the claim that we?re uniquely well-placed to withstand the crisis, but it?s also obviously not true that it?s peculiar to us. Internationally, we?re all very much in the same boat.

That brings us to the second aspect: internationalism. Labour has usually been an internationalist party (with atavistic exceptions such as our anti-EEC stance in 1983, which I supported at the time and was wrong to support), and it comes naturally to a Labour government to seek international agreements without obsessing about national sovereignty: global problems need global solutions.

Gordon Brown has surprised his critics on this: after an apparently frustrating series of visits to the US, the EU and developing countries, he was able to get the G20 agreement which even the harshest critics struggled to call a flop. We are actively keen on international financial regulation, to an extent that makes the nationalist and City-linked wings of the Tories queasy. A Brown-led Labour government is clearly going to pursue this agenda, making life harder for tax havens (which many Tories half-think should be left alone as healthy competition) and limiting the wild speculation which triggered the current crisis. If we had an inward-looking government, preoccupied with tinkering with the domestic levers and arguing peevishly with the EU, we would be part of the global problem and not the solution.

Third, we are midway through five projects that are central to most Labour supporters? hearts:

? reducing both absolute and relative child poverty
? increasing overseas aid to the UN target of 0.7% of GDP
? tackling climate change seriously
? making the education system competitive with the private sector
? making the NHS genuinely comparable to best European practice

All have made considerable headway under this government. The Child Poverty Action Group acknowledges the rapid progress until the current crisis on poverty; third world charities are enthusiastic about the progress on overseas aid (including the quiet delinking from trade conditions like the Pergau-arms linkage that disgraced the Tory government), we are the first country in the world to impose binding carbon reduction targets on ourselves, and although there?s no shortage of Daily Mail readers who?ll claim that we have a Third World school and hospital system, you won?t find many head teachers or consultants who don?t acknowledge the progress. There?s a reasonable argument about whether the extra money could have been used even more effectively, but there isn?t one state school or medical facility in my area which hasn?t improved very noticeably.

Would a Tory government abandon all these efforts? No ? they?re obviously desirable (pace the fringe of climate change sceptics), and any conceivable government would think them a jolly good thing to pursue. But they are Labour priorities and they don?t seem to be the Tory priorities. Mr Cameron hastens to reassure us that he?d work towards the aid target, that he wants the best for the NHS (albeit without specific targets), and so on, but what was it that really got the Conservative backbenches restless? The suggestion by Ken Clarke that reducing inheritance tax for estates worth £2 million might not be a top priority.

I want a government that sees the five objectives above as the central long-term priorities, not a government harried by its backbenchers into being preoccupied with reducing Inheritance Tax, reshaping the group within which Conservative Euro-MPs affiliate at Stasbourg and other things that seem to me at best peripheral and at worst undesirable. It may well be that the Tories will in due course unveil a more compelling agenda, and I absolutely accept that there are plenty of decent Tories who want the best for Britain. As a party, though, they are so far relying very heavily on the ?time for change? argument, and if Mr Cameron has any particular priorities of his own, he?s kept them under wraps so far.

But what about freedom ? the libertarian-Conservative/David Davis agenda? Well, leaving aside the puzzling worry about CCTV (if I go into a public place I may be observed by real humans, never mind just cameras), I do think that all governments tend to lean on the side of authority, and it?s an ever-present danger that needs to be watched whoever is in power.

But the strongest defence against an encroaching state is legally-entrenched powers for the individual, and Labour has introduced two of them, the Freedom of Information Act and the Human Rights Act. Both have repeatedly been a nuisance to ministers, but despite wriggling on specific issues, there?s been no move to water down either of them. What would the freedom-loving Conservatives do with the Human Rights Act? Abolish it, and replace it by a British Rights Act which would say?er?what? We don?t know, as it?s seemingly not a priority for them to tell us.

Finally, what about specific things that go wrong? The McBride/Draper disgrace, the various resigning Ministers over the years, the slowness to tighten MPs? allowances? Sure. I?m not arguing that the Government is perfect. But party loyalty comes down to a shared sense of priorities.

I want a government that is internationalist, handles the current crisis competently, and sets poverty (at home and abroad) and public services as its priorities. I?m horrified when a Labour MP or party official does something disgraceful, but at root I think the party is the same noble cause that I joined 38 years ago. I?m proud to be part of it, and I?ll work to get it re-elected with the same energy and enthusiasm that I had in 1997.

Dr Nick Palmer MP

Out and about on the Lennox estate and Woking Close

I've spent the past week talking to residents of the Lennox estate and Woking Close, with the help of a large - and growing - campaign team of volunteers.

These are two estates at the top of Priory Lane by Upper Richmond Road, right on the edge of Barnes Common and East Sheen.

A huge range of issues were raised including the visibility of the Roehampton Safer Neighbourhood Police team; problems with public transport and traffic congestion in the area; homelessness and unacceptable overcrowding caused by the council selling off half the affordable rented homes locally without replacing hardly any of them; and the usual, valid complaints about the poor quality of estate cleaning by the Conservative Council's bargain-basement contractor.

Curiously enough, the moment word got round that I was about to spend a week talking to people in the area the Conservatives showed up - a coincidence no doubt. If my visiting an area is what it takes to get the Tories to take an interest in it too all well and good - it's the residents that will hopefully benefit. But yet again we see the stark contrast between my local leadership and the Conservatives following along behind.

Justice Minister visits Putney

Earlier this evening, I had the pleasure of hosting Bridget Prentice MP, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, who came to address a meeting of Putney Labour members at Putney Library.

Bridget, as well as being a long-serving Minister, has been East Lewisham's MP since 1992 and was a councillor in Hammersmith & Fulham before her election to Parliament, so knows our patch pretty well.

Dozens of local members turned up to listen to Bridget talk about her ministerial duties, which include getting young people more involved in their community and engaged with politics, which is an issue close to my heart in Putney. Bridget also talked about national politics, and the importance of areas like Putney for Labour - she is just the latest senior Labour figure who I'll be bringing to our constituency to raise local issues with.

Today's Lord Jenkins plaque unveiling

Me and some of the Putney Labour Party members who knew Lord Jenkins




Bruce Kent, the former CND Chairman, speaks before the unveiling of the plaque.




The plaque, which can be seen on the entrance to Kenilworth Court beside the 22 bus stop.

Plaque for Lord Jenkins

This weekend some long-standing Putney Labour Party members and I will be joining members of the Putney Society to unveil a commemorative plaque for Lord Jenkins of Putney at Kenilworth Court, where he lived for a long part of his life.

Hugh Jenkins was Labour MP for Putney between 1964 and 1979; he was the first-ever Labour MP for the constituency, defeating Conservative Sir Hugh Linstead. His wife Marie also served as a local councillor in Southfields. In parliament, during which time he was returned five times as MP for Putney, he rose to become Arts Minister.

Outside parliament, Hugh was a committed peace campaigner and after he was defeated in Putney in 1979 he became chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He was elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Jenkins of Putney, in 1981. Before becoming MP for Putney, Hugh was Deputy General Secretary of Equity and after his service he served on the Board of the Royal National Theatre.

Hugh did a huge amount for Putney and was a great supporter of the local Labour Party until his death almost exactly five years ago. He even wrote a book profiling the work of grassroots Labour Party members in Putney: Rank and File: Portrait of a Constituency Labour Party. Many of those who are referred to in the book will be attending the plaque unveiling on Saturday.

You can read more about Hugh Jenkins' life in The Guardian obituary here.

Are we winning the High Street improvement battle?

As someone who has been campaigning to improve the state of Putney High Street for almost three years, I welcome the Council's new announcement of further improvements to the pavements.

Slowly - too slowly, grudgingly and ungraciously, the Council is (without admitting there's any problem at all) starting to take the first tentative steps to improve our town centre.

Of course, this work isn't being funded by them - it's money provided by Transport for London and approved when Ken Livingstone was London Mayor - but new paving will have a big impact. That is, if the Council keeps them cleaner than the current greasy, grimy paving.

Likewise, if the Council is now serious about clearing away the clutter than congests the High Street's pavements for pedestrians, then that could actually be a second item ticked off from my ten point plan to save our high street. But are they just going to tinker, or are they serious about taking out the control boxes, the pedestrian barriers, the signposts, the rubbish bags and the bike racks (that should be relocated around the side street corners) that clog our pavements?

It's a shame it's taken the Conservatives three years to catch up with the Putney Society, the hundreds of Putney residents who've filled in my High Street surveys and my Labour campaign team. I wonder if the Tories are yet willing to admit there's a problem and that there is a role for local government in rectifying it? And will Putney's Conservative MP break her vow of silence on this issue to help us wield more influence with her Tory friends in the Town Hall?

If not then we're not going to make any progress on the remaining problems: high levels of street crime, flyposting, grotty shopfronts, getting a better mix and quality of shops and improving traffic flow. But whether the Tories admit it or not, keep dragging their feet or not, these problems will not disappear and nor will my campaign to Save Putney High Street.
You can have your say on the state of the High Street by taking my online survey here.

Out and about in Carlton Drive

On Saturday my campaign team and I were out talking to residents in the Carlton Drive area between Putney Hill and East Putney station.

This area is one of the most at threat from the monstrous plans to build two 25 and 19 storey tower blocks on the Putney Place site opposite East Putney tube, and the "Carlton Towers" plan for the Capsticks building on the corner of Carlton Drive and Upper Richmond Road.

I've written a lot about my opposition to these plans both in this news section and the current edition of The Putney Paper, but too often planners get overly absorbed with the - important - minutaie of such proposals and forget the real people who will have to live in the shadow of such monstrosities for decades to come. That's why I chose to spend my time on Saturday talking to residents in this part of Putney.

We have to turn back these high-rise applications or else Putney will become a free-for-all for developers competing to build the biggest tower block since the last one.

The Politics of God

...That's the title of a lecture being given by Revd. Giles Fraser on Friday 6th June at St Mary's Church, Putney Bridge (click on the image for a larger version of the invitation).

The lecture's being organised by Wandsworth Labour Parties and while the audience will consist of mostly Labour Party members locally, we're extending an invitation to anyone in the community interested in hearing about the relationship between religion and politics, and contributing to the debate.

As I wrote a few days ago, last week I attended a lecture by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac O'Connor, on a related theme.

Given that today and tomorrow MPs are debating very substantial ethical issues regarding the Embryology Bill this will be a timely debate on a very topical issue.

If you'd like to come you'd be very welcome, but please let us know as we need to plan for numbers. Please email us to do so.

Out and about in Putney

The main reason I've been posting a little less frequently in recent days is because of the London election campaigning my team and I are up to.

We've been out all over the constituency, and I've just today finished adding all the places we've been too in the past month to my constituency map page.

We've been talking to you about your concerns and priorities for London in the next four years and the clear choice between the experience, tested leadership and delivered improvements to the capital over the last eight years with Ken Livingstone; and the bluster, blunder, lack of substance, lack of vision, and lack of any credibly-costed plans of his Tory opponent.

So far this campaign we've been to the Longstaff Estate, Galveston Road, Lebanon Road, Sutherland Grove, Skeena Hill, Combemartin Road, Girdwood Road, Whitefield Close, Arcadian Place, Wimbledon Park Road, Albert Drive, Hayward Gardens, Pullman Gardens, Beaumont Road, Whitlock Drive, Kersfield Road, Lytton Grove, Littlecombe Close, Arlesey Close, Chepstow Close, Whitnell Way, Gay Street, Crown Court, Waterman Street, Kingsmere Close, Felsham Road, Glenthorpe, Hanover House, William Gardens, Minstead Gardens, Aubyn Square, Toland Square and Vanneck Square - apologies if we've visited you but aren't listed above.

We've a lot more campaign stops all around Putney, Roehampton and Southfields before polling day on Thursday 01 May so look out for us!

Out and about on the Portinscale Estate

This weekend my campaign team and I were talking to residents of the Portinscale estate: Askill Drive, Buttermere Drive, Portinscale Road and part of Keswick Road, just behind East Putney Station.

We got a really good response, although residents had lots of transport concerns - especially about accessibility to local stations. We'd already delivered The Putney Paper to this estate so residents were aware of the planned improvements to Putney Station, which will include a passenger lift; and similar renovations to Southfields tube station because it's one of the 2012 Olympics Stations.

Unfortunately East Putney Station, which had been scheduled for the same sort of accessibilty improvements, appears to have been a victim of the collapse of Metronet: the private company with the contract to overhaul much of the tube network that went bust last year. It's still too early to say when East Putney will now get the work, but obviously I'm pushing Transport for London hard.

Inner Park Road

After our campaign session in Horne Way, we went off to do some work in Inner Park Road, in the Wimbledon Parkside part of the constituency.

This was a photo we took just as the sun was setting from the top of one of the blocks in Chobham Gardens, which is part of the Argyle estate at the south end of Inner Park Road.



You can see the green spire of St Paul's church to the top of the picture on the right, the blocks of Tilford Gardens and Limpsfield Avenue in the middle, the curved form of Roundacre below it and, at the foot of the picture, some of the grand houses at the southern end of Inner Park Road, opposite Chobham Gardens.

Out and about in Horne Way

My campaign team and I, along with local London Assembly candidate Councillor Leonie Cooper, were in Horne Way - also known as the Ranelagh Estate - just beside Putney Common earlier today. This is a pleasant estate of nine 1930s blocks, nestled alongside Beverley Brook at the end of Sefton Street.

But it could be even better with a little more care and attention from the Council. We spoke to almost 100 residents in just a couple of hours. Several residents had complaints about outstanding repairs, problems with rats (given the proximity to the Brook), and no-one had ever seen their Conservative councillors - who include the Leader of the Council - on the estate.

Some residents were also really concerned about the plans by Richmond's Liberal Democrat-run Council to sell off a huge chunk of next-door Barn Elms playing fields when we told them about it. And some residents were also very keen to get the ball rolling on the redevelopment of Putney Hospital, so that they can benefit from excellent NHS healthcare on their doorstep once again.

I have recently been in touch with the office of the Minister responsible for sorting out the legal technicalities that have been delaying the work to the Hospital, and hope to be able to report progress soon. I want work to be able to commence later this year so we get these new health facilities we all deserve.

Downing Street reception

Last month I was invited by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to 10 Downing Street along with 16 year old Southfields resident Xavier Attwell.

The reception was for the Prime Minister to meet teenagers from around the country to find out their priorities as they approach A-levels, apprenticeships or the world of work.

It's a well-documented problem that younger people are much less likely to vote and feel engaged by our political process than older people. And the problem has become much worse in recent years. While very few teenagers like Xavier get to meet the Prime Minister personally and tell him what they think, these events do at least keep the government listening to the concerns and aspirations of the next generation of citizens.

Locally, I also take the views of younger constituents seriously. I send all 18 year olds in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields a congratulatory card on their birthday, along with a survey seeking their views, which they can also fill out online. Last Autumn I took the chance of talking to sixth formers at Putney High School about local political issues and how I got involved in politics - and I'm hoping to set up similar visits with the other secondary schools in the constituency shortly.

Interns

This Spring my campaign is fortunate to have the help of two interns from the United States. Corinna Byrum and Lauren Kuhl, both aged 20 are based at my campaign centre in the heart of Putney.

Corinna who's from California and Lauren, from Connecticut, are both studying politics and, although they've only been with us a few days, have helped take my campaign up a notch or two.

When they're not working hard on the campaign both are taking courses in British politics, government and key policy issues facing the country.

And they also get time to see a lot of England: between them they've already been to Stone Henge, Bath, Salisbury, Camden Town, Spitalfields, BBC Television Centre, Notting Hill and Kensington Gardens - Corinna's even had the pleasure of watching Fulham take on Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Saturday!

Alas, their time in Britain ends in mid April - so they won't get to experience the London elections in May for which they'll be working so hard for. But at least both have signed up to take part in the US elections primary for overseas voters (which happens Tuesday) so they won't miss out on that.

Out and about in Upper Richmond Road

My campaign team and I spent some of yesterday campaigning in the area around Upper Richmond Road. I thought I'd share a couple of the photos we took of Putney: both are from the top of Ormonde Court, one of the apartment blocks on Upper Richmond Road.



In the foreground are the backs of houses in Norroy Road - in the very bottom right is the railway line. In the background, centre-right, is Putney Wharf Tower. You can't see it on the low resolution picture above, but if you click on it you'll get a higher resolution version in which the London Eye is visible almost in the centre.



...And this one is of Putney looking west - again, the back of Norroy Road in the foreground, the trees of Putney Common on the far left. And if you click on the photo above, you should be able to make out the arch of the new Wembley Stadium in the distance.

As you can see from the sky, and will know if you were out yesterday too, while it was a bit nippy it was an otherwise lovely day, and good to be busy in the constituency.

Oh, and if you're someone who we contacted yesterday - or even if you aren't - do please take five minutes to complete my online residents' survey.

Another example of housing neglect

On Sunday my campaign team and I were out in Southfields ward talking to residents of Brathway Road and Avening Terrace, as well as Merton Road and Morris Gardens.

Just as we found in our earlier visit to Longstaff Road and Longstaff Crescent, we found the state of repairs to the council properties in Brathway and Avening truly shocking - especially the neglect of windows. There was real anger at the refusal of the council to pay any attention to the needs of tenants in this area.

As a result, I asked Councillor Leonie Cooper, Labour's Housing spokesman and London Assembly candidate for our area, to get onto the Housing Department and find out why the Conservative-run council was being so neglectful of this area. And through our efforts, Avening and Brathway are on a list for repairs that could start next April, provided council tenants approve the schedule at a forthcoming meeting.

This is great news for the residents locally, even though it does mean another winter of draughts and higher-than-necessary heating bills, but the question must be asked: two areas of council property, two areas seriously neglected by the council - how many more examples exist around the constituency in similar urgent need of repair?

Channel 4 News

Last Saturday I was interviewed by Channel 4 News about my campaign's readiness for a General Election which, at the time, was thought likely to be called the following Monday.

Of course, events have overtaken us and there now isn't going to be an election for the foreseeable future. But I was able to report perfectly honestly that, thanks to some hectic work since I was selected in June, Putney, Roehampton and Southfields Labour Party is ready to fight a general election whenever it's called.

Alas, my interview never got aired - though shots of my campaign team and me delivering the Putney Paper in the streets around Felsham Road were used - and showed what a young, dynamic and energetic team of local members and supporters we're building locally.

Selected!

Well, the selection hustings is over, the speeches made, the questions asked and the votes cast and counted. And I'm really delighted to have been selected as Labour's candidate for Putney with an overwhelming mandate.

In a packed meeting at Lady North Hall in Ravenna Road, just behind Upper Richmond Road, I won over 70% of the votes cast so was elected in the first round of voting. This is the end of the selection campaign, but the start of the election campaign and I relish the opportunity to make the case for why Putney, Roehampton and Southfields need a Labour MP. My family has come down to help celebrate my win, so off to enjoy a (small) glass of champagne!

Countdown to hustings

I've just finished putting the finishing touches to my selection speech for Sunday's hustings meeting and am now busy trying to commit it to memory.

There have been a couple of developments in this last week. Dan Lodge, who was one of the original 24 applicants for Putney was selected as Labour's general election candidate for Wimbledon last Saturday. I worked with Dan during last year's council elections - he was candidate for the Battersea ward of Queenstown, and only narrowly missed out on getting elected there after fighting a fierce campaign. He'll make an excellent candidate there.

And Eleanor Tunnicliffe, one of my fellow shortlistees for Putney and a local member, was selected to stand as our candidate in next-door Richmond Park the following day. Richmond Park's a much more difficult constituency for Labour than either Putney or Wimbledon - it's a marginal battleground between the Lib Dems (who narrowly hold it) and the Conservatives, who've picked Zac Goldsmith as their candidate.

I know Eleanor will continue to build the strong links that exist between Putney and Richmond Park Labour Parties: Richmond Park members often come over and help get out our vote on the Lennox Estate which is right on the boundary of our two constituencies - it's really appreciated and makes all the difference in close elections. Zac's dad famously stood in Putney for his Referendum Party in 1997 - one of the landmark events of that great election night when Labour's Tony Colman ousted David Mellor and began his eight years' service as MP for this lovely constituency.

Selection manifesto

Over the past couple of months I've been working my way around the constituency and have now managed to speak with over half of the membership: more than all the other candidates put together.

Selecting your parliamentary candidate is one of the biggest responsibilities local members have and it's important you have as much information about where your candidate - and eventually, hopefully, MP - stands, what he'll do and what his priorities will be.

That's why I today sent out to all members my selection manifesto. I hope it answers any outstanding questions members have and enables them to back me to make Putney Labour again.

Short-listing

On Thursday Putney General Committee met to draw up the final short-list members will get to vote on at the hustings on 10th June.

As I won 100% of branch nominations I was automatically short-listed, but was still given the opportunity to talk to the committee in a bit more detail about my general election campaign strategy, should I ultimately be selected.

I focussed on the election campaign rather than my political priorities at Westminster because everything else matters very little if we can't make Putney Labour again. We can win. Many doubt it, some believe it - I know it. Please back me and let me prove it.

Out and about in West Putney

Today, Sunday, instead of running the marathon ( a difficult choice to make!) I continued my own marathon of contacting as many Putney Labour members as possible before the hustings on 10th June.

This time most of my time was spent in West Putney ward - the area roughly bordered by Upper Richmond Road, Roehampton Lane, Putney Heath and Putney Hill.

And I was delighted to recruit my first new member to the Labour Party of the campaign while I was calling on her partner, an existing Labour member. It just goes to show that it really isn't that hard to get people to join Labour: all it needs is for us to actually ask them, personally.

There are dozens - possibly hundreds - of people exactly like this throughout the constituency who are Labour through and through but who have just never thought - or never been asked - to join Labour.

If I'm selected on 10th June one of the things I pledge to do is ask, ask and ask again until we have an even more vibrant, active and representative group of members in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields.

Labour Party Deputy Leadership

Even before its merger with the Transport & General Workers' Union (T&G), Amicus was the largest union affiliated to the Labour Party.

I am a long-standing member of the union and a member of its National Political Committee. As one of my duties for this body, I spent yesterday morning listening to and questioning all six candidates for the deputy leadership as they presented themselves in the hope of winning our official endorsement.

All six of the candidates offer their own individual strengths to the new leadership team and it is clear that the race is wide open to succeed John Prescott. Indeed, at last night's Putney dinner all six candidates had members there who had decided to give them their support. Whoever gets the job we're going to have a formidable team leading us.

Putney Labour Party Annual Dinner

Tonight I attended Putney Labour Party's Annual Dinner.

I've been a regular attendee at these dinners for some years now as they are always expertly organised and are a great way to catch up with old friends, as well as raise some vital money for local party coffers.

This year the dinner was held at Ole restaurant in Upper Richmond Road. The meal was excellent and Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for International Development delivered a great after-dinner speech. He reminded us how powerful politics is as a force for good in our society, both at home and abroad. Congratulations to Marcy Carpenter and Pauline Brueseke for the organisation and Peter Carpenter for his expert (if rather over-) use of the gavel!

Roehampton and West Putney branch nominations

Roehampton and West Putney members met tonight to nominate their choices for the final shortlist: the second set of branches to make this important decision.

I am pleased and grateful that both wards chose to nominate me: again, thank you so much for your support - it's really appreciated.

The final two Putney wards: Southfields and West Hill, meet next week. If you're a member there, please turn out and, if you feel able, support me.

East Putney and Thamesfield branch nominations

The first two ward branches met tonight to nominate the candidates they'd like to appear on the final shortlist for the 10th June hustings: East Putney and Thamesfield.

The selection process has three stages - first, branch members meet to decide who they'd like to shortlist. Each branch (and a branch is a council ward, of which there are six in the constituency) has three nominations: for a man, a woman and a candidate of either gender from a black or minority ethnic community. Only those of us who applied last month for consideration can be nominated. Those nominations go forward to a shortlisting meeting next month, and finally the shortlisted candidates go on to a hustings meeting on 10th June.

Members make their decisions on the basis of the formal application CVs we each submitted at the beginning of the process, plus any extra information candidates may have sent out themselves in the meantime, and of course whether or not they've met or heard of us.

For me it was a great start to the process: I received the nominations of both branches. Thank you to both wards for giving me your nominations: I really appreciate it.

Meeting the members...officially (part 2)

On Thursday all the prospective candidates for Putney were invited to address the local Labour Party's General Committee meeting at Putney Library. About twelve or so of those who applied a couple of weeks ago joined me at the meeting. I talked about why my local roots, my experience as a councillor and lifelong borough resident and my commitment as a tried and tested campaigner against Wandsworth's brand of right-wing Tories. No votes were cast at that meeting: it was just an extra chance to meet members, but I have received some good feedback about my presentation.

On now to the ward nomination meetings, which begin next week...

Meeting the members...officially!

Saturday was the first 'official' opportunity for prospective candidates like me to meet members and discuss our candidacies and your ideas for making Putney Labour again.

Of course, I've been doing precisely this for over three weeks as part of my selection campaign, as well as counting many members as good friends going back years.

The event at Putney Labour Party headquarters in Felsham Road was attended by nine of the 20 or so applicants and many of the most active members of the constituency. It was both good and bad to see so many familiar faces among the members: good because I've already had a chance to talk to them but bad because it reminds me how much larger a constituency party we need to build in the next two years in order to compete effectively at the general election.

After the meeting we all had lunch and then delivered some editions of Putney Labour News featuring the Conservative Council's shameful efforts to close Wandsworth Museum, before I went back to calling personally on local members - this time in Thamesfield ward (which for those of you who don't think in terms of council ward names is Putney riverside - central Putney broadly north of Upper Richmond Road from Putney Common in the west to the River Wandle in the east.

Back to Roehampton!

After playing my Sunday league football game today in Putney Vale (alas, we lost!) I went up the Hill to call on a few more of the Roehampton members who weren't in a fortnight ago when I was last out and about here.

Again, I was delighted that even with the wonderful weather a lot of members were home, and with the friendly reception I got.

I know how much more impressed I am when a candidate seeking my support calls round personally to see me - and it's the least you should be able to expect from anyone aspiring to represent you at Westminster, so I'll continue working my way around the constituency, talking directly to as many of you as possible between now and the selection hustings.

Out and about in East Putney

Today on a beautiful warm Saturday I've been visiting members in East Putney: the photos below are of Keswick Road, Askill Drive and Lytton Grove - just some of the areas I was out and about in today.

East Putney is a ward that goes all over the place - as well as the area immediately surrounding East Putney tube station, it also runs up the V-shape formed by West Hill and Putney Hill, over into areas many people regard as Southfields or Wandsworth town in the east, and across Putney Hill to include the Lower Ashburton estate and some of the leafy streets further down the hill.

One of my key messages during this campaign is that even in areas that vote so heavily Tory in council elections like East Putney there are loads of Labour supporters too, especially in general elections - tucked away in small estates like the Portinscale, Lower Ashburton and Strathan Close, but also in the streets. In General Elections, East Putney is a very competitive ward: in fact the Conservatives' share of the vote actually FELL here at the last general election.

I'm pledging to seek support across the whole constituency, not just the estates - and a key reason I'm asking for backing is because, due to my mix of local roots, local knowledge and life experience I can communicate well with the whole constituency, not just one particular section of it.


The Portinscale Estate centred on Askill Drive is one of many smaller council estates scattered around the constituency.

Keswick Road has over 300 East Putney residents, and several Labour Party members.

Lytton Grove - another important road in East Putney, with another of Putney's smaller council estates off it: the Kersfield Road estate.