When Lynne Had Nick for Lunch

Lynne Featherstone (MP for Hornsey & Wood Green) hosted a buffet lunch for her parliamentary colleague Nick Clegg at her Highgate home today, attracting a sizeable throng from across London, including a gaggle of potential GLA candidates, who will have noted how over the years Lynne successfully propelled herself from a seat on Haringey Council through the GLA to the House of Commons, making an impact wherever she went. At one stage, Nick referred to her as ‘ruthless’ — but it was meant in the very best sense of the word: determined, unswerving, single-minded. Nick wisely rejected the brief he had been given for his remarks (‘Crime’ — so last season!) and instead shared his thoughts on where the party is and where it should be going. The former is open to question, given the wildly fluctuating opinion polls: a measly 15% in today’s  Sunday Times, yet 23% the other day, and 26% in the real local elections last week. So take your pick. Where we are going is even more problematical. As Nick said, it’s all very well having lots of lovely policies, but where is the convincing narrative? With Brown and Cameron both blazing with all guns, the party desperately needs to be putting over a strong and clear message that grabs the interest and support of ordinary people.

As I was in the area, I went on from the lunch to the private view of a new exhibition at the Catto Gallery in Hampstead, by Italian artist Manuela Carrano. She works in mixed media, with at least three distinct styles included in the show — the most striking involving the use of thousands of tiny pins (such as would be used in dressmaking), to represent falling leaves or a woman’s long hair, producing fascinating waves of reflected light as well as undulating surfaces.

Link: www.catto.co.uk