Abdullah Ibrahim at the Barbican

Had a welcome evening of music at the Barbican last night with my best friend Mickey and my son, to watch the great South African Jazz pianist and composer, Abdullah Ibrahim.
He played with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Big Band, who were hugely impressive.
Mickey who is herself from Cape Town remembers Ibrahim visiting her house as a child, and was as uplifted by the centrepiece of the concert, as were the many South Africans in the audience, with his famous piece - the Mountain, and with Mandela.
The Voices + Abdullah Ibrahim Trio, were awesome, with great vocals, and stunning saxophone, drums and flute.
My son, who plays the saxophone, and is a real jazz fan, was blown away.

Cherie Blair: 'I am a socialist'

Interviewed by the Guardian, Cherie Blair, who we know more about than we ever wanted to, tells us she is still a socialist.
Obvious to all really - isn't it?

Women prisoners - the scandel continues

I was very saddened to read that Pauline Campbell mother of 18 year old Sarah, who died in Styal prison in 2003 from an overdose, was found dead by her daughter's grave in Cheshire a few days ago. Pauline became a strong campaigner for better treatment of women prisoners, after her own daughter became a casualty in the rising number of young women who committed suicide or died from neglect, in women's prisons.
The number of women prisoners has doubled since 1997, although crime committed by women has not risen accordingly. 70% of women in our jails have mental health problems, 37% have attempted suicide.
Last year, Baroness Corston was commissioned by the government to conduct a review of women in the criminal justice system. The report, triggered by the deaths of six female inmates at Styal jail in Cheshire over a 12-month period, was expected to lead to significant changes in the way women prisoners are treated.
In March last year, the Corston Review reported its 43 recommendations, the most far-reaching of which was the proposal to close all 15 women's jails in the next 10 years, replacing them with a network of small custodial units that will allow female prisoners to be held closer to home.
The review also suggested that only women sentenced to more than two years would be held in custody. All other female criminals would receive community punishments.
The Government responded by setting up another working group to review the review - in other words, kicking the report into the long grass. It was meant to report back in April.
We need to take a long hard look at the way our prisons have become, literally, the dustbins of our society, where the most vulnerable end up as there is nowhere else for them to go, and in a growing number of cases, end up losing their lives, whilst in 'state care'

Boris sets out to reflect London's diversity

Much as it pains me to say it, 2 weeks into the job, and Boris has made some inspirational appointments. The first was Ray Lewis, as Deputy Mayor in charge of Young People. Lewis has successfully set up a series of academies across London to provide support to troubled black teenagers. He is drawn from outside the Tory partys inner ranks, and someone who has actually done some real work. Today Boris has appointed Kulveer Ranger, as his Transport Advisor. Ranger was previously Cameron's vice chairman for the inner cities, and is the most senior Sikh within the Tories ranks. He set up the Oyster card when it was introduced in 2003.
BJ did pledge that he would use his Mayoral appointments to ensure that his top team reflects the ethnic diversity of London. Compare this with Livingstone's nearly all white male cabal, where Lee Jasper was the only ethnic minority appointee.

Labour's Death Wish

Since taking time out to get my life back after the gruelling London elections, (yes I know how Brian Paddick feels) as a news junkie, I have followed the predictable infighting of the Labour Party's fortunes with fascination. It really has become a train crash.
The Labour Party go through this once every 10 years or so, but even I who have witnessed at close quarters just how bad it can be, have been struck by the vitriol and abuse being hurled at Gordon Brown- not just from David Cameron, whose idea of PMQs is to....well, hurl abuse, and then toy with Brown, rather like my cat does when it's cornered a mouse, but the poison pouring forth from his own MPs. The spleen venting continues mercilessly. I have even begun to feel sorry for Gordon, a man who we all came to know as this Colossus amongst men -or as Diane Abbott weirdly still proclaims - a' god amongst men': someone true to his Labour roots who was going to take to the helm of the Labour government and get back to what he proclaimed at the last Party conference as 'real Labour'
Well we're all still waiting. Its not enough that he has to endure insults and taunts from the seriously scary Frank Field, and even Andrew Marr. Just when you think it couldn't get worse - up pops Cherie Blair, Prezza, and Lord Levy, laying bare more revelations - though in Cherie's case, I think she should have spared us the detail of how and where she conceived little Leo: while at Balmoral visiting the Queen! I mean how could you contemplate having sex under the Queens roof? Surely its a treasonable offence? Apparently she deliberately didn't pack her contraceptives, and 'equpiment' (?) for fear of them being seen by the Queen's flunkies. I thought as a Catholic she was only allowed to use the rhythm method? -shows how much I know!
No, the Labour party have a serious death wish. I've seen it over the last 20 years. In 1980 they elected Michael Foot leader, only to face terrible defeat by Thatcher in the 1983 Tory landslide general election. Now Gordon Brown faces a similar fate.
Lord Levy is out to settle old scores, feeling wronged by the Party he supported and raised millions for. Prezza tells us of Gordon's 'volcanic rages and sulks' and Cherie referred to his 'rattling the keys to number 10 above her husbands head'
I remember a phrase that was always used by the Labour party faithful - 'The Party is bigger than all of us'
Seems to me that the 'Party' has shrunk, stripped of all its principles and core values, and what matters is the rush to grab as much cash from memoirs (in the Blair's case cashing in to unprecedented heights) and settle old and new scores.
With the Labour Party, it has always been personal. The rush to stick the knife in rivals is always paramount.
Meanwhile just who is governing the country? As Brown seems to be lurching from one disaster to another, the poor and vulnerable are having a hard time, with rising prices and house repossessions. People are genuinely worried about their future, and yet another teenager is killed in London.
It looks like the Labour Party may be forced to ditch Brown well before the next General Election.
Unfortunately, this 'god amongst men' could well go down as a tragic figure in modern politics.

Boris is now the most powerful Tory in the country

Scary though it may seem, its really the case. Boris has now been sworn in as Mayor of London, and promises to work with everyone, and in particular to build bridges across London's ethnic minority communities. Of course we have all been told ad nausea of his Turkish background (his grandfather changed his name from Osman Ali to Wilfred Johnson) so he should blend in quite well in Green Lanes, close to his Highbury home.
On the surface he seems genuine, but its the Tory advisers around him that will take care of the details and policies that we will need to watch.
With the Lib Dems down to an all time low of only 3 Assembly Members, and the Tories up to an all time high on 11, this is not going to be an easy task.
I'd like to thank all the people who supported me, voted for me, and the many people who campaigned and joined the Liberal Democrats during the election campaign.
I've been really touched by the many messages of support, from people across Hackney & Islington who voted for me- a large number from the Turkish speaking communities, who voted for the first time. Suddenly, elections were relevant to them.
I hope that they will continue to exercise their right to vote in coming elections.
Its now clear that the significant increase in votes for Labour in London was due to many people turning out to support Ken Livingstone, just as the majority of Tory voters turned out across London to vote for Boris and against Ken. In coming elections across London there will be no Ken factor to bolster the Labour vote. It seems Ken Livingstone, the man who fought New Labour, Tony Blair, and won, in a final act of generosity helped Labour GLA candidates hang onto and win their seats, even though ironically, he lost his in the process.
The large number of spoilt ballot papers is a real concern.
Thousands of people lost their vote because they did not understand how to cast their votes.
I found that hundreds of people were completely unaware of the 3 ballot papers, and as to how to cast their vote.
This needs to be urgently reviewed to ensure the system is simplified, and people understand are given the correct information, well before any election.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London!

Who'd have thought this would be the case 6 months ago?
I've now had a few hours sleep, and Boris is still Mayor of London!
Yes, congratulations to BJ for a convincing result in London. As indicated in my earlier posts, I gave my second preference to Ken. Londoners have woken up to a Tory run London. These were an extraordinary set of elections. Trouble was his growing unpopularity: many Londoners voted Boris just to get rid of Ken. The Labour party's unpopularity helped the Tories win control of London.
The Liberal Democrats had a disappointing result in London, with the classic squeeze between Labour and the Conservatives. I came third in London North East as a result.
The 'Tory Chingford factor' helped push the Tories into second place, where I was told that the polling stations there had prepared for a 70% turnout, but in fact ran out of ballot papers.

I've congratulated Assembly member Jennette Arnold for her success, greatly helped by the large numbers who turned out to vote for Ken, a pattern we saw across parts of London.
We also saw a record turnout for the London elections of around 44%, which is a good thing for politics.
Despite a disastrous result nationally and in London, bizarrely one NuLabour pygmy is gloating and hailing the London results as a great success. He just doesn't get it! -A Tory Mayor of London, 331 fewer Labour councillors nationally, and a BNP London Assembly Member, is not a good result -its a disaster.
The Tories will use this as a springboard to win the next general election.
I'm disappointed, but have been in politics long enough to know that politics is about winning and losing. Nationally the Liberal Democrats led by Nick Clegg, Leader for only 4 months, did very well, despite the BBC and other pundits predicting otherwise.
We live in interesting times.