Letters to the editor: The dilemma facing London MPs

 
'More Left-wing than Labour': Simon Hughes (Picture: Daniel Hambury)
5 March 2015
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For better or worse, Sir Malcolm Rifkind’s successor as MP for Kensington is unlikely to prioritise national politics to quite the extent that he has.

Being a London MP doesn’t necessarily fit easily with an ambition for national government, with policies aimed at improving life for Londoners open to accusations of favouritism towards a broadly wealthy and prosperous city — despite the metropolitan basis of its support, Labour hasn’t had a London MP as leader since Clement Attlee. That perception is unlikely to change while the central structures of government remain in London.

A mood of localism and decentralisation is growing both in London and across the country and, ironically, if the seat of political power were moved away, London MPs might stand a better chance of climbing the national ranks, thereby allowing their communities a more influential voice.
Ben Rogers, director, Centre for London

How dispiriting to read Simon Jenkins’s piece on Kensington as he divides the borough into two halves, the south being one of comfortable affluence and the north a place of “gang warfare” and “asylum permits”.

At Mr Jenkins’s local church there are many residents of South Kensington who very nobly donate into the Dalgarno food bank box for the North Kensington poor. However, I doubt that many of them have ever dared to travel north of Notting Hill.

Far from arriving in “here-be-dragons country”, they will find a happy and diverse community where the rich (we will get the mansion tax too) and poor live and work side-by-side and represent what is best about London.

I agree that we need a proper representative for Kensington but we also need residents in both north and south who love the whole borough and not just their small patch.
James Egert

You seem to suggest that the voters of Bermondsey and Old Southwark have a choice between the Left, the far Left, and the extreme Left only. Andrew Neather’s article, “Swinging London”, states that the Greens could tip thebalance in Bermondsey and Old Southwark. In fact, the Greens are likely to come fifth.

It is the Conservatives, who polled 17.1 per cent in 2010, who will tip the balance. That is certainly the impression when we go out canvassing. We find virtually no Greens and very few admit to voting Lib-Dem.

By only mentioning Labour, the Lib-Dems and the Greens, you reduce the voters’ choice. Both Simon Hughes and the Greens are more Left-wing than Labour. With Ukip increasingly leaning Left, I am the choice for many in Bermondsey and Old Southwark, who must pick between Ed Miliband and David Cameron.
JP Floru, Conservative PPC for Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Spare us this mess at London Bridge

This week’s chaos at London Bridge was an unwelcome return to the disastrous days we experienced earlier this year. We were promised such scenes of total disorder were a thing of the past but it’s clear from last night’s meltdown that serious problems remain with the station’s redevelopment.

It is not acceptable for the Government to sit idly by while commuters, some paying thousands of pounds each year for tickets, are left stranded on dangerously crowded platforms, unable to get home. Surely it’s time the Transport Secretary visited London Bridge to talk to the rail bosses and understand the chaos facing passengers and staff.

As a first step we desperately need some support in place for Network Rail and Southern Rail, which are quite clearly failing to cope.

Then there needs to be a very frank discussion with rail bosses about the impact of the station redevelopment and how things could possibly be improved.

What Londoners will not stomach is two more years of chaos, particularly as fares continue to rise despite the poor service.
Tom Copley AM (Lab)

Legal highs: a clear and present danger

The case of Charles Mann, 21, who under the influence of meow meow stabbed his mother 11 times then cut off his own penis, highlights the dangers and the unknown impact of so-called “legal highs” and that they are a national problem.

There is now, more than ever, a desperate need for more effective, preventative intervention work in schools and local communities. We have set up strangemolecules.org.uk, a specialist website aimed at young people, and trained more than 1,000 people in local communities on how to identify and treat different psychoactive substances. We would welcome the opportunity to work with the Government and other experts in the field to keep the public informed.
Michael Lawrence, CRI

Don’t ever blame the victims of rape

As Yvette Cooper hit out at the “shocking” fall in arrests over rape claims, Detective Superintendent Steve Chandler justified the decrease by shifting the blame on to the victims. He argued: “We do not make an arrest if the victim does not want it. Many people do not want a criminal justice outcome, they want to report it as a cathartic process.”

In my work locally I have also heard this excuse in relation to domestic violence prosecutions. In Newham we fund a fabulous service which provides that “cathartic process” by supporting victims of domestic violence. We will continue to do our job but the police must do theirs by prosecuting perpetrators of rape and domestic violence.
Cllr Ellie Robinson (Lab)

Kew Gardens needs your help, Boris

Given the financial situation at the world-famous Kew Gardens, here is a suggestion for Boris Johnson: why doesn’t he give the £30 million of public money he has donated to the vanity project that is the Garden Bridge to Kew Gardens for the benefit of all Londoners? If he is any doubt about the respective merits of both institutions, he should just ask Londoners to choose!
Paul Wheeler

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