Brian Paddick in the Line of Fire

Now the London elections are safely out of the way, I’ve at last had time to read Brian Paddick’s autobiography, Line of Fire. This was published during the late stages of the London Mayoral campaign, I suspect more with an eye to boosting sales than to boosting his electoral chances. Disappointingly for politicos, there is almost no political content to the book (although Brian did a PPE degree at Queen’s College, Oxford, on sabbatical from the Met). Apart from a passing reference to the late Harriet Smith, the Liberal Democrats don’t get a look-in until right at the end of he book — and then only cursorily, with no real explanation as to why he decided to run in a race which nobody seriously thought he could win.

His account of life inside the Metropolitan Police does contain revealing material, though the gist of his falling out with Sir Ian Blair over the Jean Charles de Menezes affair was already widely known. ‘Britain’s most controversial policeman’ has also outed himself sexually repeatedly, so there are few surprises about his private life, other than the rather touching portrait of his (now divorced wife) Mary as a real brick. Given his lifestyle, however, it did come as something of a revelation to learn of Brian’s Masonic and Baptist affiliations.

In his book, he gets as excited as any teenager when finding himself surrounded (thanks to David Funish) by Elton John, George Michael, Lulu, Sharon Osbourne et al. In fact, there is something Peter-Panish about him, despite his intelligence and the important policing roles he had over 20 years. I can’t think of many other men who have just turned 50 who list their hobbies as ‘the gym’ and ‘clubbing’. There’s a well-known saying that ‘Life Begins at Forty’, but maybe in Brian’s case, it will be ‘Life Begins at Fifty’: a political campaign under his belt, a civil partnership on the way, and maybe even a media career. Having successfully sued the Mail newspapers in the past, he’s now getting money out of them by writing for them instead — with a piece in yesterday’s Mail on Sunday that was infinitely more revealing and amusing than his (partly ghost-written) book, I have to say.

 

London LibDem Cartoon Characters

Considering how dire the London election results were for the LibDems, the atmosphere at the thank-you party at the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury last night was singularly upbeat. The place was packed for several hours, as the good ladies of Camden local party criculated with home made canapés. Brian Paddick, as well-pressed and pristine as ever, was positively bullish; could a peerage be on the cards for him, I wondered?

The lean but mean new team on the London Assembly — Mike Tuffrey, Dee Doocey and Caroline Pidgeon — can be guaranteed to keep Mayor Bojo on his toes. Meanwhile, under Denys Robinson’s chairmanship, London Region has to carry out a deep analysis of why the party’s vote share plunged in the capital when it held up so well in most other parts of the country. Though I don’t want to prejudge the outcome, I remain convinced that the core problem is that the LibDems haven’t yet got a winning strategy for list elections. This must now be an urgent priority, as there’s only a year to put it into place to deliver the results the party needs in the upcoming European elections.

 

Europe Day in Leyton

Across Britain, school children (and some grown-ups) have been taking part in a Euro-quiz, to mark Europe Day, which is an annual event held on 9 May. Britain has rarely taken this seriously (and indeed Mrs Thatcher even went so far as to tell people not to fly the European flag!), but that situation is improving. Other relevant events were also organised. I spent the morning at George Mitchell School in Leyton (London Borough of Waltham Forest), talking to 120 Year 8 pupils about the history and potential of the EU, the importance of learning languages and some of the opportunities available for young people now to study or work in other member states.

I was interested to see just how many questions there were about the euro and Britain’s relationship to it. As more and more EU member states adopt the euro, travellers — including young teenagers — are increasingly appreciating that Britain is out on a limb with its currency. There were strong reasons why the UK did not sign up for the euro when it was launched nearly a decade ago. But will we still be outside the Eurozone in ten years from now? 

Singapore’s Anti-Democracy

Singapore has many things going for it. It is prosperous, authentically multi-cultural (despite the large Chinese majority) and squeaky clean — in fact, they even banned chewing gum for many years, so as not to mess up the streets and the transport system. Singapore has an airport that regularly tops the ‘favourite airport in the world’ list (eat your heart out, Heathrow). And despite the high population density on the island, it is green and in large parts a model of urban planning.

However, Singapore has a dark secret. It is a democracy that isn’t. Firmly seen as ‘one of us’ by the West (including Washington and London), it is actually a one-party state. Any attempt to create a viable opposition, and for that to function properly, is thwarted at every turn. Take the latest developments. The Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Chee Soon Juan, and a senior fellow party member, Mrs Chee Siok Chin, will be in court on Monday to hear what damages may be awarded against them for ‘libeling’ former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew (still the power behind the throne), and the current Prime Minister, Lee Hsen Loong (his son, surprise surprise). If past experience is anything to go by, the damages will be so high that the defendants will face bankruptcy. At other times, people who have dared to disagree have ended up in prison. That’s how Singapore deals with its opposition.

It’s all so sad. What ought to be a beacon of modernity and openness in South East Asia is actually a blot on the landscape, because of its systematic suppression of free democratic activity. Liberal International has appealed for urgent action by parliamentarians, the media and ordinary concerned citizens around the world. We are always keen to stand up against nasty dictatorships. Let us be true to our principles and stand up to the superficially charming anti-democracies as well.

Link: www.liberal-international.org    

Europe Is Culture Too

If one relied mainly for one’s information on the Daily Mail and the Sun (as, alas, millions of people in Britain do), one might believe that the European Union is all about banana-straighteners and widget directives.  One of my main tasks, in articles and speeches, is dispelling such Euro-myths. But there is another, important side to Europe, too: its cultural diversity, which is something the EU actively champions. So it was particularly interesting and enjoyable to attend the opening of a new Slovenian exhibition ‘Saaneckh People from Elsewhere’ at the European Commission building in Storey’s Gate, Westminster, last night. Slovenia, of course, is holding the EU Presidency until the end of next month.

The exhibition was an installation by Miha Vipotnik, who was on hand to explain what it is all about. In his own words, ‘Disiciplined science presents history and the past as a belt, a straight line that explains the flow, causes and consequences of the events that took place in the past. However, the more undiciplined people there are dealing with the past, the more they mythologise it.’ Quite so! The centrepiece is a fascinating projection on the floor of an aerial view of one of Slovenia’s finest castles, which disintegrates before one’s eyes. Why not go along and try to work things out for yourself!

Link: www.vi.potnik.siol.com  

Keeping It in the Family

I’d always thought that political dynasties were a South Asian and Arab phenomenon — think Gandhis in India, Bhuttos in Pakistan or al-Assads in Syria. But apparently they are catching on in Britain too. Tamsin Dunwoody is hoping to replace her late mother Gwyneth in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election on 22 May. And now we learn that Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley, would like to step into his son’s shoes once Mayor BoJo finds time to resign his parliamentary seat in Henley.

This is not quite as grotesque as it seems. Stanley is a valid politician in his own right, having served one term in the European Parliament, 1979-1984. He was the Conservative candidate in Teignbridge at the 2005 general election, when he failed to oust the sitting LibDem MP Richard Younger-Ross. Stanley’s a decent and fun chap, with excellent green credentials, as well as bearing a startling physical resemblance to Boris. He would liven up the House of Commons, where there are an awful lot of faceless suits. But if he does get selected, I shall be forced to put an old friendship on one side for the duration of the campaign and work flat out for a traditional LibDem by-election win instead!

No Rest for the Weary

Many political activists around England and Wales have their feet up during this long Bank Holiday weekend, to recover from weeks or even months of delivering and canvassing. But in truth, there is no rest for the weary. Labour’s May Day Massacre and its body-count may be over, but two parliamentary by-elections loom, one in the north and one in the south, just to put enough guilty pressure on everyone to get involved. There aren’t as many parliamentary by-elections as there used to be — probably something to do with longer life expectancy, and a trend towards younger people getting into parliament – and the two imminent contests are both important.

Crewe and Nantwich was the seat of the indomitable Gwyneth Dunwoody, who was the longest-serving famle member of parliament and anything but a ‘yes woman’. But Labour will have a fight on its hands to keep the seat red, even though they have selected Gwyneth’s daughter Tamsin as their standard-bearer. The LibDems already have a candidate in place, Elizabeth Shenton, to ensure that the upcoming battle — scheduled for 22 May — is not a straight choice between Labour and the Tories.

The second by-election, in Henley, has not yet been called; it rather depends when Boris ‘Bojo’ Johnson gets round to it. The Times rather mischievously floated the rumour last week that Boris would not resign his Henley seat if he won the London Mayoralty, but Bojo has scotched that idea. So sometime later this year, we’ll see a fierce, predominantly Conservative-LibDem battle at Henley — or maybe a regatta would be more appropriate.

 

A London Post-Mortem

With so much attention focused on Boris Johnson’s win in the London mayoral election, what happened in the parallal GLA contests has been overshadowed. But for Liberal Democrats, those are the results that need to be studied closely. to try to work out what went wrong. First, the facts.

On the constituency seats, just one changed hands: a Labour gain in Brent and Harrow, in sharp contrast to what happened in the local elections in most of the rest of the country. The LibDems had targeted London South West and Lambeth & Southwark heavily, but got nowhere near winning either, despite having excellent candidates, as well as vigorous campaigns and putting out tons of literature. This is particularly hard on Stephen Knight, who hadn’t invested in the safety net of a position on the top-up list, unlike Caroline Pidgeon.

On the top-up list, the Tories gained three seats because their share of the vote was so high, Labour saw no change, the LibDems lost two as did UKIP (who were therefore wiped out, which is good news in the run-up to the 2009 Euro-elections). The Greens stayed where they were, but the BNP for the first time managed to climb over the 5 per cent threshold and thus have a seat in the Assembly for the first time.

In toto, this is an awful result for the LibDems and must prompt a radical rethink about how we fight London-wide elections. The tried-and-tested methods (including ruthless targeting) which reap rewards in local council wards just aren’t working on the larger playing field. There’ll be a post-mortem next week to try to analyse what went wrong. Doubtless some people will blame things on the media, which portrayed the London elections as a straight choice between the Conservatives and Labour. But if that was the case, why did the Greens do so well? The LibDems have to get a new strategy in place quickly and start using it as soon as possible if the party is to perform better next year in the Euros.

 

Crikey, It’s Boris

So the bookies were right: Boris Johnson is London’s new mayor, having beaten Ken Livingstone (after redistribution of second preferences) 1,168,738 to 1,028,966. God helps us! Brian Paddick deserved to do much better than he did, but it was a classic squeeze situation, in a contest promoted by the media as a two-horse race.

The First GLA Result

The first GLA constituency to declare is Bexley and Bromley, which has been comfortably held by the Tories, who fielded the personable black candidate James Cleverly (105,162), to replace Three Jobs Bob Neil. Labour’s Alex Heslop has moved into second place (29,925), with the LibDems’ excellent candidate (and recent Bromley Council by-election winner) Tom Papworth a respectable third (21,244). Fourth, alas, is the National Front (11,288), which is an ominous indicator of what might emerge from the BNP vote in the capital.