Shadows on the Sark

I've just returned from Greenwich where I joined the Shadow Minister for culture, Ed Vaizey MP (left of picture), for a viewing of the damage to the Cutty Sark. The Trust's chief executive Richard Doughty (on the right) showed us round, and the good news is that the ship is rather charred but otherwise looking quite good. Contrary to reports, the insurance will cover the majority of the fire's effects, but the new surveys and designs that will be needed, and the delay to the timescale are what will add to the costs. Whilst I'm sure the Trust appreciate Ed and me visiting, I was all too aware that as Conservatives in opposition locally and nationally there was little we could offer to do except keep up the pressure on those who are in a position to be of more practical help.

About time too

After my rant about the heat on public transport the other week, it's typical that this headline should appear today when it's actually quite cold for the time of year! Anyway, on closer inspection the cooling is only to be for the stations, and the trains will have to wait. I'm sticking with my bike.

All hands on deck!

The Mayor-making ceremony at the Painted Hall last night, and it was (blissfully) much shorter than last year's epic 3 hour marathon, although the Leader of the Council still managed well over 20 minutes for his 'brief' remarks on the election of the Mayor. He has turned this speech into a kind of annual 'state of the union' speech, puffing up his administration's achievements and ambitions for the year ahead. Very worthy I'm sure, but imagine sitting through a very long Labour party political broadcast and you see why it's not exactly thrilling for all of us.

One thing I was pleased to hear Cllr Roberts say was that the Council will play its 'full part' in supporting the Cutty Sark Trust as they struggle to cope with the dreadful setback of the fire. Taking him at his word, I used the reception afterwards to lobby the Cabinet Member for Olympics, Cllr Fahy, about the fact that the Council's website had no link on the front page to the Cutty Sark donations site - the least we could have done. He assured me he would get onto it, and credit where it's due, after an exchange of emails today the Greenwich Council website does now have a prominent link.

I also sounded him and senior officers out about other fundraising ideas, and their initial response was enthusiastic. As I told Cllr Fahy, I will continue putting pressure on them in public and in private to be as supportive as possible, and hopefully we can maintain a cross-party consensus on this issue, if not others. Meanwhile my facebook group in support of the fund has hit 500 members - a great result in four days.

She Shall Rise Again!
The level of support being expressed for the Cutty Sark at her time of need is truly humbling, and very touching for those of us who love her and love Greenwich. I started a support group on facebook which has already reached over 400 members, and offers of help and support are coming in from all over the world.

I hope to have some useful discussions with people at the Mayor-Making ceremony tonight, and ensure that the Council really are doing all they can to help out. I think a more prominent link from the Council website to the donations site (such as the one above) would be a good start. Hopefully I'll be able to report back with some concrete plans shortly, but an idea I am currently discussing is a fundraising concert. Watch this space.

Cutty Sark - On a wave of goodwill

It is quite touching to see the outpouring of goodwill and support from so many quarters after this morning's disaster. From local residents to The Duke of Edinburgh, who as Patron of the Cutty Sark Trust will be visiting the site tomorrow, there is genuine shock and sadness at the news. The Secretary of State and Minister for Culture are also both due there this afternoon, so the omens for potential government support look promising, and Ken Livingstone has also given his support.

I spoke to my opposite number on the Council, the Labour Cabinet Member for Culture & Olympics John Fahy, and expressed my support for any fundraising activities the Council now undertakes, which I urged him to push for. Leader of the Council Chris Roberts has now made a statement commiting the council to continue to assist the Trust, which I naturally welcome.

My press release locally is here, and I have also been quoted in the local paper here. I am urging as many people as possible to show their support, and, if they are able, to donate at the Cutty Sark Trust's website.

On site

From speaking to the Cutty Sark Trust representatives the good news is the damage could have been worse. A lot of the timbers had been removed for the conservation project and the iron structure has not been as badly warped as it could have been. The police seem to think the fire may have been started deliberately. Words fail me.

Cutty Sark disaster

These are the heartbreaking pictures we woke up to this morning after news that fire has all but destroyed the Cutty Sark during renovation. I'm heading down there now to see the damage for myself.

How democracy works in Greenwichgrad

The electorate (Mr C. Roberts) votes.

Mayor-making or Mickey-taking?

Once again, the intolerance of Greenwich's Labour administration of any hint of opposition has been laid bare. This year, the formal Council AGM meeting to elect the Mayor and appoint the Council's leadership and committees has been seperated from the more ceremonial Mayor-making (or 'Inauguration' as they are calling it) event. Last night we had the AGM in the Council chamber and, as we do every year, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats expressed our disappointment that the Labour Group insist on making the Mayor (a supposedly non-partisan post) a political appointment from within their group, voted through by their majority without consultation with the other parties.

It is a simple argument- as the First Citizen of the Borough, the Mayor represents all those who live in it, and is required to act impartially and fairly whilst holding their office. Given the balance of power in the Council (36 Labour, 13 Conservative and 2 Lib Dems) it is right for the Mayoralty to go more often to Labour - but by rights there should be a Mayor from the opposition parties at least every four years. This has never happened- in fact, several Labour members have donned the robes and chain for more than one year in office. Excluding the Opposition from any attempt to reach a consensus on this ceremonial role is petty and wrong, and I think it is extremely unfortunate that we have to start every civic year with this point of disagreement, which is not a personal criticism of the person becoming Mayor.

But anyway, that's all history for another year. Cllr Sajid Jawaid was elected as Mayor for 2007-08, and many congratulation to him. He will be sworn in at a ceremony in the magnificent Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College next Wednesday. But even there, the one-party state, control-freak mentality of the Labour Leadership has intervened. In previous years, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats were invited to make short remarks following the Leader of the Council's speech. Not this year. No, the powers-that-be have notified my colleague Cllr Spencer Drury and the Lib Dem leader Cllr. Woodcraft that these speeches will be cut 'to maximise the time available to partners/guests at the event for networking'.

This is a complete joke, given that last year these same guests were subjected to a ceremony lasting nearly three hours- including a mind (and bottom)-numbingly boring address from Comrade Roberts on the state of the People's Republic of Greenwich. We have of course complained about the decision, but I hold out little hope of a change of mind. Opposition silenced once more in our great democracy.

Dunrulin'

So, Tony Blair begins his 'Farewell tour' with a frantic helicopter dash around the UK trumpeting his record on education. And he began it right here in our own Greenwich, where he visited the Millenium school in North Greenwich this morning. As I wasn't cycling in today, I must have gone right past him on the bus on the way to the station, but didn't notice anything.

Gordon Brown was in my patch on Saturday, too - visiting the Shooters Hill post-16 campus with the MP Clive Efford and councillors Chris Roberts and Danny Thorpe. I also spotted Cllr John Fahy, my opposite number as Cabinet Member for Culture, on TV coverage of Brown's campaign launch on Friday. Seems that Greenwich has taken over from Camden as Labour's favourite borough for photo-ops.

On the subject of life post-Downing Street, I've just come across this pilot episode for a gentle satire about Margaret Thatcher's life in retirement with Denis, shown just after she resigned in 1990. It's hardly BAFTA-winning (and a series was not commissioned) but some great performances.

Eurovision- Blair's legacy

Halfway through the scoring, and it's nil points for the UK. Pah.

Life After Number Ten- Rejoice!

As Tony Blair prepares to leave Downing Street, I spent this morning with his predecessor-but-one. Margaret Thatcher was in Fareham, near Portsmouth, for the first of many events marking the 25th anniversary of the Falklands campaign. She looked fit and well as I shook her hand during an impromptu walkabout, during which she was cheered and applauded by the crowds. After taking the salute at a march-past of veterans, she got back in her car, waving cheerfully to acknowledge the renewed applause. 17 years after her tearful departure from office, it was a triumphant occasion. Can you imagine a similar scene for Mr Blair in 2024? Thought not.

And now, the end is near...

So, 27th June is the day the removal van arrives in Downing Street. Blair's departure speech at the Trimdon Labour Club was predictably emotional and lip-quivering, as we have come to expect. Meanwhile in the Commons, Gordon Brown was answering Treasury questions and faced the tantilising vision of things to come when the Speaker mistakenly referred to him as the Prime Minister at one point.

Outside Parliament, College Green has turned into an old-style media circus of the sort we used to see for Tory Leadership elections. Strange feeling for the boot to be on the other foot now.

Oy - what about us?

A surprising remark from the Prime Minister at PMQs this afternoon, in response to a question about the casino licence decision, which was overturned by the Lords earlier this year. Mr Blair stated that '‘Personally I have never seen the reason why we should have Blackpool and Manchester pitted against each other…If the investment is there and able to be done let’s do both of them’.

I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but if that's the case, surely Greenwich should also be reconsidered alongside Blackpool, as one of the two clear frontrunners? As I've said before, the extra investment that would flow from having a regional casino sited in the 02 in Greenwich would be a huge boost to this part of South East London, sparking much-needed regeneration. The Casino Advisory Panel’s contention that much of this regeneration is going ahead already is simply not true.

Given the decision Mr Blair took ten years ago to continue the commitment to the first stage of the regeneration of the Peninsula - the Dome - I am sure he of all people will see the value of using his last few weeks in office to help provide a lasting legacy for the people of Greenwich.

A very British Barbeque

I spent the weekend in Wales, where the beautiful weather on Saturday made perfect conditions for a barbeque by the river. So perfect in fact that we repeated it on Sunday night, with less successful results...

In the Name of Gord, Go!

Well, the warm glow of satisfaction from the local election results last week has yet to fade, and I'm sure there were many Conservatives who enjoyed a particularly good bank holiday weekend following the results. I felt a bit left out, having been re-elected last year! A great night for us, with gains well over what we had predicted, and enough to give a sense that we're really on the march. Labour's night was predictably terrible, with Ministers reduced to bleating that it wasn't as bad as it could have been (oh dear), whilst the Lib Dems also had a dismal time, losing hundreds of seats, seemingly to their own surprise. They really are going nowhere.

So the week of high political drama dawns, with all Westminster on the edge of its seat to see what the Prime Minister might say about his future on Thursday. Or not. This has to be the longest goodbye in political history, perhaps only beaten by Churchill's years of wavering over handing over to Anthony Eden (but at least there was still some uncertainty there). The risk for Mr Blair is that what should be an announcement of the utmost political gravity will instead be met with a collective "about time too.", or even "so what?".

The truth is, the real drama has now switched to the succession, and with John Reid, the last remaining credible opponent to Gordon Brown, announcing his surprise departure, everyone is waiting for Gordo and speculating about what his Government will look like. Events in Northern Ireland provide the sort of end-of term success story the PM will have been looking for, so now all is left is for him to face the final curtain and exit stage left (sorry, stage centre-left).

Local election night

A long night stretches ahead, with all three parties anxious at the results across the UK. We Conservatives and are looking to make gains, as are the Lib Dems, whilst Labour just sit waiting to see how bad things really are, and crucially if they lose control in Scotland and Wales. In any case, it's going to be a bad last election for Tony Blair. It feels strange sitting here in London where no elections have taken place, but I know plenty of friends and colleagues are feeling the same as I was a year ago, so fingers crossed for good news all round.

You CANNOT be serious!

I know Labour think we live in a one-party state in Greenwich, but sometimes their lack of consideration for the Opposition parties gets me very annoyed indeed. Over the last couple of years myself and my ward colleagues in Eltham North have lobbied and pressed the Council over the state of the sports facilities in Eltham Park South, including the tennis courts there. In recent months Cllr Spencer Drury and I have both asked questions in Council about the promised improvements, and when they were due to take place.

So you would have thought the Council would have been only too keen to shout about the opening of the improved facilities and held an event to mark the occasion, with those of us who had pushed for them in attendance? Well, nearly. An event took place all right, attended by the Leader of the Council, but neither I nor my fellow ward councillors were informed, letalone invited to attend. Instead the occasion was turned into a helpful photo opportunity for the increasingly desperate local Labour MP Clive Efford, who modestly takes credit for the work on his website.

We're used to being sidelined by Labour, but seeing them trying to make electoral capital out of the belated mending of sports facilities which they allowed to fall into disrepair in the first place really does take the mick. Some limited consolation can be found in the fact the photo looks as though Clive Efford is trying to club Chris Roberts round the head with his racket. We understand the urge, Clive...