Controversy over Council, Police, UKBA action in Cricklewood: the bad side of localism?

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Controversy over Council, Police, UKBA action in Cricklewood

Combined action by the UK Border Agency, the police and Brent Council on migrant workers
has created controversy in Cricklewood which has spilled over intolively debate on the
Streetlife forum of the Kilburn Times LINK

The local streets have long been a traditional picking up point for casual building labour in the
early morning. It used to be mainly Irish workers but is now generally more recent migrants.

Mapesbury Safer Neighbourhood Team have cuiculated this notice via email, letters and the
NW2 Residents' Association:

Some see this crackdown as partly a result of media hostility towards Eastern Europeans and point
out that it was not raised as an issue in the past. It appears to reinforce prejudice and increase
 division when Brent Council was critical of the way UKBA raids on stations and the 'racist van'
campaign did just that. Nevertheless the Council are cooperating with UKBA in this case seeing it
merely in terms of 'anti-social behaviour'.

A further point made is that while migrants are being attacked for living off  benefits they are also
attacked when trying to get work.

Asking the public to note down vehicle registration numbers and pass them on to the police is
likely to cause considerable controversy. 

NHS/Care Bill/Clause 118 demo.(16/12/2013)

Video of yesterday's demo by Dave Plummer, newly elected London Fed
Campaigns Officer

This is the film from yesterday's NHS/Care Bill/Clause 118 demo.(16/12/2013)

http://youtu.be/abritFBRs-0

acknowledgements to Noel Lynch

Greens condemn Dawn Butler's wrong and muddled record

Dawn Butler and Shahrar Ali Foe Hustings 2010

Reacting to today's news that Brent Labour Party had selected Dawn Butler to fight Brent Central in 2015, Shahrar Ali, The Green's candidate in  2010, said:

Labour's selection of Dawn Butler to fight the Brent Central seat is as if they are proposing a blast from Blair's New Labour past. Let voters be reminded where Butler stood on a whole raft of hugely consequential issues.

In 2007, Butler voted against a motion calling for a new sense of urgency on climate change, and, in 2009, against our becoming a signatory to the 10:10 climate change campaign. On Nuclear deterrence, Butler voted ambiguously on the renewal of a Trident system (2007). On anti-terror legislation, Butler voted reliably with her Government throughout, and, in 2009, voted to keep the maximum period of detention without charge for terrorist suspects at 28 days (instead of a lower period).

On such fundamental political issues of the day, Butler's priorities were wrong or muddled. Labour Party members may be prepared to forgive her past mistakes but I doubt if the electorate will be quite as tolerant. Greens stand for a radical break from the barely distinguishable politics of the three main parties and we shall fight the General Election on that basis.