Emma Dent Coad IS our MP for Kensington constituency – A victory for the people!!!

It gives THINK great pleasure to announce that after a few recounts, Emma Dent Coad has been elected as our Labour MP for Kensington!

THINK is a big supporter of Emma and the Labour Party, we believe they offer positive social change for the area as well as for London as a whole.

Now some have questioned the authenticity of our campaign and how Labour won, so let’s just explain a few things: as well as the “bread-and-butter” issues (economy, NHS etc) Emma won because of these factors:

1. Social and affordable housing – many social housing tenants, leaseholders and freeholders face a program of social cleansing that will leave most unable to live in the area. Others also face moving out of Kensington as they cannot afford to live here. The Tories and Victoria Borwick did not show any concern towards all affected by this and as we reported previously,  completely ignored the question of provision of social housing altogether. Labour instead promised to oppose so called “regeneration” plans, which was very popular, particularly in North Kensington,  and this got a lot of votes for Emma (including from many who didn’t vote before due to sometimes justifiable disallusionment with politics). The polling stations in our area were packed with people voting Labour because they were given real reasons to.

2. Victoria Borwick: Many local residents were dissatisfied with Lady Borwick, both as an MP and in the policies she supported. For example, she spent more time in the Commons talking about pedicabs for example, rather than health, education etc. which did show a rather warped sense of priorities. Also several constituents found her rather uncommunicative with regards to responding to letters, emails and appointments. When she snubbed the Earls Court hustings, numerous residents took that as someone who holds her constituents in contempt. She also had a  poor attendance record in the Commons. Plus she showed a poor understanding of our multicultural community by suggesting ticketing for Notting Hill Carnival.  Also her Brexit stance and the ivory trade ban lift did not do her any favours. (THINK will say one thing in her favour and that is she is not a bitter or petty-minded individual – unlike some we won’t mention! and doesn’t take criticism too personally, but that is only from our experience.

3. Other local issues:The closure of Maxilla and  impending closure of North  Kensington Library among many things. Yes these are largely council matters, but Victoria Borwick sat as an RBKC Tory councillor before being elected and some voters weren’t about to forget it.

4. Last but certainly not least: Emma Dent Coad herself: Emma is a well known and popular local Labour councillor. She has campaigned for years on social housing and the welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable in our community. Her ward, Golborne,  also has some of the highest levels of social deprivation in London and Emma has a positive rapport with many of her ward constituents which also lended itself to a big personal vote of approval.

So, this is a real “Peoples’ Victory” ! THINK believes strongly in Emma Dent Coad and the Labour Party and so it appears do a lot of people in our area!

We’ll leave you with footage of the demonstration outside Kensington Town Hall yesterday,  which was packed with her supporters – enjoy!

 

Life under the Tories: Hard Brexit, hard breakfast

If you haven’t voted already, THINK urge you to do so and use your vote wisely. We are voting Labour for many reasons: A properly funded NHS, real investment in education, and a fairer taxation system for example. The gap between the richest and poorest in our country is getting wider and we in our part of London where you can see a £30million home and homeless people on  the same street, know this all too well.

Also we worry about a hard Brexit, leaving the single market  and that EU nationals (of which there are many in Kensington) will not be allowed to stay (see Lady Borwick’s voting record about this in our “Victoria Borwick and the half baked truth” post.)

We do not trust the Tories  – their cuts have been savage, they have a callous attitude towards the poor, the sick and the elderly, and in our opinion,  purely look their own vested interests and privileges.

People in the north of RBKC  have a life expectancy of around 12 years less than those in the wealthier south. We know that Lady Borwick is very ignorant of the poor and disadvantaged in our community and has spent more time speaking about pedicabs that about the real serious issues that many of her more disadvantaged constituents face.

So we urge all who wish to see a fairer Kensington to vote for Emma Dent Coad and the Labour Party. According to some, this could be the last  and best chance that Labour has of winning this constituency – it might be merged with Chelsea (and the safe Tory wards there)  next time and impossible to prise from Conservative control. You have been warned…….

 

Hustings: Victoria does a “Theresa May” and so do most of her colleagues!

On our last post, we reported from hustings at St Johns, Notting Hill and the not very warm response that Victoria Borwick received. Now the next (final) round of hustings was yesterday at St Cuthbert’s in Earls Court. We might not live there, but it also is part of our borough and the unfortunate story of redevelopment of the famous exhibition centre is well known, so is the anger of a lot of the local residents there towards RBKC. Further information here:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2016/oct/03/earls-court-regeneration-reviews-and-uncertainties

And on : saveearlscourt.com

We expected more fireworks, but so did Lady Borwick  and so she did not even bother to turn up to answer relevant questions from her constituents. Her excuse? A “school meeting” apparently. This must have been one major event of a school meeting for her to go to during an election! We noticed other absences; RBKC Tory councillors and couldn’t help wondering if they all conveniently had a school meeting to go to as well? Did it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she was heckled, booed, jeered and laughed at last time? Surely not. Anyway, one RBKC Tory decided to stand in for her – Cllr Malcolm Spalding (we bet he later regretted that!)

The crowd was not a large one, but lots were concerned about Earls Court and only 14% affordable housing. All the other candidates (Lib Dem, Green, Green Socialist, two Independent candidates and our very own favourite Labour candidate Emma Dent Coad, all expressed similar views, with regards to providing adequate and genuinely affordable housing and the developers being in financial trouble But all Cllr Spalding, who in fact represents Earls Court, could do was pass the blame on to Hammersmith & Fulham – RBKC Earls  Court residents were not about to let him forget about his council and responsibilities and he was roundly booed and jeered.

Another point that came up was lobbying and the scandal that caused the resignation of Lady Borwick’s predecessor Sir Malcolm Rifkind. All the other candidates gave their guarantees that constituents come first. Then, the hapless Cllr Spalding scored a spectacular own goal by mentioning her (unpaid) role as president of the Antique Dealers’ Association – cue shouting from the audience of “ivory”!!

Later a desperate and floundering Spalding topped it all off by just trying to lay into the other parties. The most ridiculous smear he made was on Labour and the Iraq War – well Emma Dent Coad has never been in Parliament to vote on it and Jeremy Corbyn, as everyone well knows, has always opposed it – whoops! Also let it be for THINK to point out that Lady Borwick voted against an inquiry into the Iraq War – staggering!

We at THINK at least got some comedy value out of Cllr Spalding and his desperate attempts to make points culminating in him slipping on one banana skin too many.! THINK cannot decide whether the Tories just chickened out, sensing angry Earls Court residents and a hostile audience  or whether they are just so smug and complacent from having been in power too long, that they  completely disregard ordinary voters and the issues they wish to raise; it doesn’t paint a decent picture of them  either way  however you look at it!

 

 

 

 

Kensington Constituency sees red!

THINKers were delighted to watch husttings at St John’s church, Notting Hill last Wednesday and watch our parliamentary candidates put their case. Of course, we at THINK back our Labour candidate, Emma Dent Coad (pictured above).

We expected a large turnout and also for Emma to speak well (as always). What we didn’t expect was such a strong backlash from the audience against the Tories! We on virtually all political points, disagree with Victoria Borwick, but also recognise her as a  personable individual who could normally talk her way out of a paper bag. Imagine our surprise to find that she struggled to defend her position on many issues that matter to our community!

On the subject of air pollution, which is a very serious matter to us all, she tried to dodge the facts that she has voted against pollution control measures in the Commons and that her party, unlike Labour, the Lib Dems and Greens, will not commit to a new clean air act, by trying to say that her commitment to pollution control was that her husband (Lord Borwick) carries an air quality control monitor about his person all the time!!! And yes that was met by derisory laughter by the audience. Then there was the issue of social and affordable housing , that she completely dodged by saying “we need to get more people on to the property ladder”. Just how do you do that Lady Borwick, when you need to be earning approximately £90,000 per year to afford so- called affordable housing in our area?  Also, she completely (like our not-so beloved council) neglected the issue of social housing. We just want to point out that many low income and vulnerable and sick people will never be able to get on the “property ladder”! We know what that means; social cleansing – deportation to deprived areas far away for the poor and destruction of our community, that’s what. She rounded off by claiming to have a record of standing up for our community on the council – but as all RBKC residents know, they just asset strip everything away and sell for cut price to vested interests – cue lots of heckling and we did hear  “no you don’t” , “Maxilla” and other things that as a family blog we will not repeat, being shouted out from the audience.

As for the other speakers, the Lib Dem Annabel Mullin the Green and the two independent candidates were all very impressive. But it was Emma Dent Coad, who spoke passionately about her record as a Labour councillor campaining against social cleansing, standing up for the most disadvantaged in our community and also attacked Lady Borwick over her role to do with the ban lifted on the ivory trade (see our “Because voters never forget” post) who really stood out. We will also point out that she is the only North Kensington local candidate and that as we have mey her on several occasions, is the real definition of honest, genuine,  non stage-managed politics!

Tonight there are further hustings at St Cuthbert’s church in Earls Court; THINK will be fastening our seatbelts, as no doubt will Victoria Borwick!!!

 

Over 1000 visitors to our blog: Are you sitting comfortably?

THINK is very pleased to report that in less than 3 weeks, we have had over 1000 visitors, most local, but also all over the UK and the world – welcome all!!

We have decided to pay an extra special tribute to the RBKC Tories – by publishing a full list of their councillors that have majorities of less than our viewing figures – enjoy!

Cllr Eve Allison (St Helens ward)  : 1

Cllr Gerald Hargreaves (Chelsea Riverside ward) : 428

Cllr David Campion (Pembridge ward) : 455

Cllr Barbara Campbell (Pembridge ward) : 510

Cllr Maighread Condon-Simmonds (Chelsea Riverside ward) : 521

Cllr Adrian Berrill-Cox (Chelsea Riverside ward) : 532

Cllr Malcolm Spalding (Earls Court ward) : 601

Cllr Fenella Aouane (Earls Court ward) : 602

Cllr Rock Feilding-Mellen (Holland ward) : 613

Cllr Warwick Lightfoot (Holland ward) : 621

Cllr David Lindsay (Norland ward) :  668

Cllr Julie Mills (Norland ward) : 682

Cllr Deborah Collinson (Holland ward : 702

 

 

The KPH: End of an era

Sad news for North Kensington; Our beloved local pub the KPH, that has been going for longer than    we have been alive, has now closed for good.

It will be apparently replaced with so-called “luxury flats” that we believe are not even a fraction of a substitution for this fantastic pub, live music venue and vital hub of our community.

Closing night was on Saturday and THINKers were happily in attendance! We met many  local friends and also several other campaigmers there.

We would like to thank all the staff, management and regulars at the KPH for making this such a fun place!

Also, having being brought drinks all night, we partied on until the early hours with the great and the good, but felt our respective ages later on Sunday morning and took all day to get over. Sadly, we believe it will take our community a whole lot longer to recover from the loss of our beloved KPH pub.

Funny goings on Nextdoor………

THINK has been alerted to the goings on at the Nextdoor site. For those not in the know, Nextdoor is a localised  private social media site that acts as a sort of noticeboard on which locals place posts. Normally these are things such as buying or selling, recommendations or local events. Recently however, some members of our community have been getting very topical on there. THINK is a local community blog and we wouldn’t like to be semi detached from reality, so we decided to have a peek behind the net curtains.

Fellow blog From The Hornets Nest covered an incident between Tory Cllr Matthew Palmer and North Kensington residents – we have uncovered more  dissatisfaction among ordinary locals.

Residents have made their feelings loud and clear about how they feel about both national and local issues. Most were annoyed about Brexit and Victoria Borwick’s position on it (one member put a post up entitled “Kensington Constituency, RBKC and Brexit – Time to take a stand” for which she was bizarrely thanked by Conservative Cllr Julie Mills!).

Most were outraged about North Kensington Library and RBKC giving it to Notting Hill Prep School at cut price – which was the beginning of Cllr Palmer throwing his toys out of the pram.

Others were upset about RBKC’s “regeneration” plans, particularly the Silchester Estate and expressed their concerns with regards to what happens to the residents affected and the wider implications for our community.

Other issues that came up were the loss of the Maxilla Centre and RBKC’s attitude with regards to a “consultation” being in fact an announcement of closure.

Also, the Notting Hill Carnival came up for discussion a few times. The responses were mixed, but THINK was very pleased to see some residents defending it, suggesting minor changes such as more live music and better transport and giving their own personal accounts of how special the Carnival is to them.

And many expressed their dissatisfaction with our MP Victoria Borwick with not just her policies, but also her communications (or lack of) with them. It got to the point of Cllr Robert Freeman posting a lengthy and exhaustive  defence of her that filled an entire page and would normally be more appropriate for the council chamber. Then surprise surprise,  Lady Borwick herself made a special guest appearance – but even that didn’t stop residents from putting the boot in!

So, RBKC Tories and MPs’ – If you pop Nextdoor to look for a builder or a cleaner; many in the area will suggest that you give your unpopular policies a good refurbishment  and give you a good verbal dusting down!!!

Because voters never forget………,

Here at THINK we are not just passionate about North Kensington but also deeply care about our wider world and the wildlife that exists in it. Imagine our horror then to find out that not only have the Conservatives dropped the ban on the ivory trade, but also our local MP Victoria Borwick, in her role as president of the Antique Dealers’ Association was instrumental in getting the ban dropped.

See this article by the Born Free Foundation here: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/african-elephants/projects/ivory-trade/

THINK deplore this cruel trade and believe that any politician who supports it should be shown the door. We ask all Tory voters and those who have yet to decide to really consider the serious consequences of your vote.

Victoria Borwick MP and the half-baked truth……….

THINK have finally got our hands on a copy of the Conservatives’ campaign leaflet (ridiculously titled “in touch”!) which purports to lay out some of Victoria Borwick’s “local campaigns”. Well we decided to examine these rather closely alongside Lady Borwick’s voting record in the Commons – the actual results do not quite match the claims made in the leaflet and there are many other further relevant issues with regards to her voting to point out.  (Warning to moderate, pro-remain and “One Nation” Conservatives: you may need a stiff drink or a lie down after reading this!)

One claim states one of her local campaigns as “Protecting EU citizens- Championing reciprocal rights for EU nationals living in Kensington.” and goes on to say that “Many EU nationals have made Kensington their home and are a vital part of our community ”  Excuse us at THINK if we lose ourselves in a state of bewilderment here,  but not only did she campaign and vote for Brexit against the majority of her constituents, but also has voted against the right to remain for EU citizens living in the UK – what a nerve!

Here’s another one: “Air Quality – Campaigning to reduce diesel pollution in our streets” Well we weren’t choking on filthy Westway fumes when we read that! As you can see from our previous “Let’s clear some air” post – the Conservatives have not followed Labour and the Lib Dems by committing  to a new clean air act. Not only that but Lady Borwick has always voted against measures to prevent climate change – if these issues weren’t so serious, we’d be laughing.

And here’s the hat trick: “Improving housing provision – Supporting better social housing for the most vulnerable and providing more homes for families locally” Really? We heard she had been to North Kensington recently – clearly she didn’t bother to visit any social housing there or speak to locals who live in it then.  And here’s her voting record in the Commons : Voted against local authorities retaining the funds from council home sales to re-invest in social housing, voted for cuts in housing benefit for recipients in supported housing, voted against more funds for social care, voted against paying higher benefits to the sick and disabled, voted to phase out secure lifetime tenancies and voted against the provision of discounted starter homes. Not exactly living up to the billing on her leaflet, then.

Here’s further information on her voting patterns that may be of some local interest:

For those in our area who care about the Middle East: She voted for air strikes in Syria and against an inquiry into the Iraq war. She has also continuously voted against refugees’ rights in the UK.

For those who are under 18 and for others who wish to lower the voting age to 16. She voted against this.

For those who care about the future of pubs in our area:  She voted against making the demolition of pubs subject to planning permission.

For those in our area who care about human rights and civil liberties: She has voted to repeal the human rights act and also voted for mass surveillance.

And for those in our area who care about taxation and the fairness of it: She has voted against higher taxes on banks.

Also when she comments on the Notting Hill Carnival, she only focuses on the crime and problems element  rather than what a generally positive, fun and multicultural celebration of our community it is.

So at THINK we believe  that Victoria Borwick is a right wing Tory whose views are closer to those of say, Norman Tebbit than to the vast majority of her constituents and makes her predecessor Sir Malcolm Rifkind, appear almost left wing in comparison!

We also believe that any claims that she and her Conservative party colleagues make ought to be taken with a good pinch of baking powder!

Let’s Clear Some Air – Rap 23 meeting (part 2)

Now back to Friday and the Rap 23 meeting. This is a very serious matter for all and THINK won’t let a few Tories distract us.

After Prof Maksmovic’s talk on the serious statistics & possible ways using infrastructure to help combat it, the next speaker was Simon Birkett of Clean Air in London. As well as pointing  out that of course the problem is more serious than we realise. As well as the obvious greenhouse gases, there is local air pollution two main tupes of  – split between particles and gases – Nitric Oxide is   mainly formed when  fuels are burned , mostly traffic fumes – diesel particularly which produces about 90% of harmful exhaust emissions,  combines with Oxygen in our atmosphere to form Nitrogen Dioxide.

Both types of NO2 are a serious threat to our health and are regularly monitored by scientists. The World Health Organisation legal limit for NO2 levels were in place in 1999 and to be complied with by 2010. Many busy roads in London, including the Westway, are in continuous breach of this (the legal limit of NO2 gases is 18). Also the old road network in London and tall buildings help to trap these harmful gases.

Mr Birkett also pointed out that the existing clean air act is 60 years out of date. So far, Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens have all committed to a new clean air act – but the Conservatives haven’t.

Seeing Victoria Borwick and Cllr Robert Freeman in the audience, THINK had hoped that the Conservatives would be making a positive announcement – alas not.

The final speaker was Leonie Cooper, London assembly member and chair of the cross-party environment committee, who pointed out that we have “asks” of our politicians – encourage better road safety for cyclists, higher charges for those from outside our area parking here  and “no idling” zones.

Well, one of our THINKers has seen a few of these in RBKC and we will take the highly unusual step of thanking our council for this. Ms Cooper also said one “ask” was to  our candidates to commit to a new clean air act.

Well Lady Borwick, THINK asks will you? We wouldn’t like to imagine that yourself and Cllr Freeman just turned up as a PR stunt. Plus many voters in Kensington Constituency are,  thanks to Rap 23 and all the speakers at the meeting, now much more informed as to the severity of the issue – it might just count against you at the election if you don’t…….,