The Telegraph is reporting that Fr David Waller of St Saviour’s, Walthamstow, discovered the graffiti on Sunday morning as he prepared for Mass but didn't think it was very important. How exactly the news and photo of the paint-smeared notice board then made its way into the pages of the Telegraph is not clear to me, but it seems they picked up the story from a blogsite called the Saint Barnabas' Blog. Anyway, the hoo-hah is that attention is being drawn in dauby paint-work to the possibility that someone is miffed at the idea of some Anglo-Catholics turning to Rome. The vicar has allegedly also received a threatening phone call. This is warning him of 'violence if his parish goes over to Rome'.
Who the violence is specifically directed at isn't clear from the reports, but for those of you who don't know about the grittier aspects of some bits of Walthamstow, I can say that violence is not unknown hereabouts. I doubt very much if the vicar would not be aware of the chances of something untoward happening in the normal course of drunken idiocy, or of local gang culture as he travels the parish here or hereabouts. I presume what is implied is that someone, maybe even a parishioner, has it in for the vicar personally. “The message was distorted – it sounded drunken and I don’t want to make too much of it,” he is quoted, not now making too much of it in a national newspaper.
It is the opinion of the Telegraph that Fr David Waller is a terrific priest who would be welcome in the Roman Catholic church. He may or may not be. Having spent the past few years fighting back the arch of time in the C of E, the people of his parish may be in for a shock. Many parishes of the Roman Catholic Church in England these days are far more liberal than he or his flock may be prepared for, with Catholic clergy less than happy with the current conservative Pope. Many of them have been operating a 'don't ask don't tell' policy on birth control for years and spend much of their time adapting their message and theology towards modern life. They have been grateful to the Church of England as a haven for the out of touch. Many Roman Catholics look with bemusement at rarified Anglo-Catholic pursuits. Not many English Roman Catholics see any point in calling King Charles I a saint, for a start.
I am interested therefore to read that Fr Waller has Polish Roman Catholics attending his Church of England Parish. Are they there to find something a bit more conservative and ritualistic like back at home? Or are they blissfully unaware that what is on offer is not actually the Real Roman McKoy? It's an interesting thought that they could be there by mistake. As brilliant as many Poles are at learning English I can't imagine too many have the felicity to grapple in our language with such important sixteenth century theological deal-breakers as transsubstantiation and the nuanced variations on the Book of Common Prayer. I suspect that quite a few may not even know their Thees from their Thous.
Anyway, whatever the beef is, the parish of St Saviour's does not deserve to have its notice board spoiled and a vicar should not have to listen to beery threats. If the parish of St Saviour's wants to worship under the Vatican brand instead of that on offer from Canterbury or York, then I think that's ultimately what they should be allowed to do. What becomes of the Church's property, though is an altogether different and more difficult debate.
]]>As well as publically protesting, Mr Taylor sued and today is reported to have been given his money back. Citywatch, however, in returning his funds have refused to accept culpability, preferring to pay up while ducking out of a show-down in a civil court. In Scotland, they could have prosecuted under the Theft Act, but not here in England.
Legislation dealing with car clampers is one of the pledges which the government included in the recent Queen's speech. Pathetically though, the Home Office is not proposing to put these people in front of juries where they should be, but instead there are proposals within the Bill will make it "mandatory for all wheel clamping businesses to be licensed under the terms of a strict code of conduct. The code will include a cap on fines, time limits on towing cars unreasonably quickly after being clamped and set out clear instructions for putting up signs warning drivers that clamping takes place.” So the government, in other words, is after its cut from licensing fees rather than intent on bringing an end to the misery these firms bring so many law abiding people.
Codes of Practice, as many people know to their cost, are often meaningless when drivers are faced with the kinds of yobs who are employed by these firms to rake in their incomes. A judge recently ruled in favour of another Walthamstow man in a court case against CES Services Ltd. They had clamped his car and charged £395 for parking on what he believed to be council property (which he had a parking voucher for). CES Services Ltd had failed to put adequate signs up showing it was a private car park, ignoring the British Parking Associations Code of Practice.
]]>Most of those missing are vulnerable, including lone child asylum seekers, who it is feared could have been trafficked. One in ten were under the age of 14.
It is thought the numbers of missing children could be much higher than 145. This is because six councils including our own local authority Waltham Forest failed to provide sufficient responses said the CLA.
As ever when a public authority does not answer reasonable questions lawfully put to it, one has to wonder if they are incompetent and/or have something to hide.
Victoria Hull, national development worker for the CLA said 'It is imperative that every local authority keeps a central record of all missing looked after children and their current status and this is still not happening,' she said.
'As the corporate parent, local authorities have a particular responsibility towards these young people. Any parent who had an untraced child would be frantic with worry – our view is that local authorities should feel the same way.
'Unaccompanied asylum seeking young people are obviously particularly vulnerable and should be appointed a guardian on arrival who can advocate on their behalf. They should be safely housed away from known trafficking routes’.
The 'keep away from known trafficking routes' point is actually a pretty silly one in a place like Waltham Forest, given our excellent communications just about anywhere you would like to go to, as well as a large, barely-policed, transient and very diverse population such children can disappear into, but I do understand Ms Hull's concerns. There are lots of dodgy places, including, apparently, several brothels in the borough, these kids could turn up in.
Given the vast amount of money spent on corporate communications and the army of people whose job it is to communicate on the local authority's behalf, one also does have to wonder why the council has failed to fulfil its obligations to provide the information requested of it.
]]>Domestic violence, by the way, is not something which only women are subjected to. There was a very interesting piece in the local paper some months back about men being the victims of abuse by women and finding they had virtually no-where they could turn to, even if they were inclined to break one of the last great taboos of a modern culture which many people wrongly believe no longer has any. The issues for both men and women are very complex and sensitive. According to Home Office statistics (I shall assume these are correct, though for reasons explained below, one can't always be too sure), one in five men have experienced domestic abuse since they were 16. The figure for women is one in three, but the figures also show nearly half of all victims are men.
Whether the victim is male or female, domestic violence is sadly not uncommon locally, and a local charity Ashiana has been based in Waltham Forest since 1989. The local press says that they help both women and men here, though their website does not mention the men much. The home page says instead they are here to help women from the Asian, Turkish & Iranian community. These women could be locals as well as from around London and the UK.
It would be wonderful to be able to leave the topic at that at this stage, hoping that those who are victims get all the help they can, which they should. Honesty does require me to say something more, as sadly, there is another side to the coin. Some allegations of domestic violence can be untrue. The status of 'victim' can in some situations be seen as a passport to all sorts of help and assistance, from charities, the local authority and central government. I am aware of a successful defense in court by a Walthamstow man accused of domestic violence by his former partner of many years. In an unreported case, the man who I shall not name was able with the help of his lawyer to convince magistrates that the "alleged victim's evidence" against him was not credible. Her incentive for accusing him was explained to be the existence of a Home Office office policy which gives victims of domestic violence permission to remain in the UK legally, apparently even if they have been living here illegally for some years without any prospect of regularising their stay.
How well thought-out that policy is is a matter for legitimate debate. I can see the merits in giving a spouse who came with a visa only to be battered the right to remain. This would prevent the perpetrator using the threat of having their spouse deported as a further lever to perpetuate the abuse. Nevertheless, it seems to leave the door open to false allegations against former partners. Such cases are no doubt very rare, but how rare is probably impossible to know because I doubt if anyone has studied this area properly, or, if they have, the full facts are unavailable.
A phenomenum which may be more widely known is the issue of violence in what are also sometimes immigration-related cases of 'forced marriage'. Being forced into a marriage against your will must be dreadful. The most recently openned refuge by Ashiana, funded by the council, is called Saranaya Refuge and is focussing on protecting women fleeing forced marriages. It will be interesting to see how much use this hostel is put to.
Providing hostels is not the only method being used by the government to tackle this issue. I am aware that teams at British Embassies and High Commissions abroad in the Indian Sub-continent have done some valuable work in this regard. The Home Office here in the UK has also decided the issue is something they want to look like they are striving to deal with.
(For people interested in knowing more in depth, 'Freemovement' has a good blog site which anyone who seriously wants to have an informed oppinion on immigration-related matters should look at.)
Freemovement has recently discussed an article in the academic journal 'Feminist Legal Studies' 'on age as a risk factor in forced marriages'. The authors are two researchers who had previously been commissioned by the Home Office for a report on the same topic. They produced the report. The government then supressed the report. This seems to have been in order to push through a policy in this area which goes against the evidence base which underlies it. (No, they don't only ignore the facts when the topic is drugs). The policy, sold to the public as a measure to tackle forced marriages was the idea that visas for non-EU spouses to come to the UK should only be available when any partner coming, willing or not, is over 21, not 18, as the law used to be.
The conclusions the researchers came to, and their discussion of the Home Office's policy have been summarised thus:
1. Forced marriage should be seen as a species of domestic violence. Age would never usually be said to be a risk factor in other types of domestic violence cases as it is accepted that women of all ages can be victims. Why is this reasoning not applied to forced marriage cases, where there is evidence to suggest that applies equally?
2. The increase in the spouse visa age is based on the ‘common sense’ presumption that with age comes ‘maturity’ and independence. However, maturity is a cultural concept. For example, in many Asian families moving away from parents is not considered to be a sign of maturity but of something dysfunctional.
3. One perceived benefit of the visa age increase was allowing young people to complete their education. This ignores several considerations, including that marriage and education are not mutually exclusive, lots of people do not pursue higher education but will still not be able to live with their spouses in the UK.
4. The change has a disproportionate effect on minority communities and reinforces racist stereotypes. In short, it is discriminatory.
As I say, having been told that age is not the factor it wanted it to be, the Home Office went ahead and used the suppression of forced marriages as an excuse to raise the spouse visa age by three years for non-Eu nationals. These days, if I understand this correctly, the American, Pakistani or Indian spouse of a British Citizen or Non-EU national settled in the UK has to be 21, as does the persons they want to live with here. It seems being an adult at 18 is not good enough where hitching up with foreigners is concerned. The marriage of an EU national, who could be a French expat or even a Romanian apparently exercising rights under EU law to be here as a card-sharp, seems not to be subject to such an age limit however.
The rule change is currently subject to a major legal challenge in the courts, so as with Tulay's murder I think I should not say too much more pending the outcome, but I did yesterday hear one further odd piece of 'gossip' about this matter which I shall share. It gives a sad insight into the state of our government.
It seems that the Home Office's Orwellian supression of their own piece of research was too effective. When asked by a committee of MPs about the evidence to support their policy, the Home Office are said to have 'failed to mention' the extensive research they had commissioned which did not support it. Instead they had cobbled together some other figures with minimal statistical validity. These were yesterday publically described at the AGM of the Immigration Law Practictioner's Association (in front of a number of leading Immigration Judges as well as lawyers and members of NGOs) as so misleading as to be 'bogus'. Followers of the debate on asylum over the years may like to know that to immigration lawyers, there are few words more insulting than the word 'bogus'. The polite form of words is something on the lines of Parliament having had the wool deliberately pulled over its eyes by a part of the civil service.
More funny, following the suppression of the true research, the lawyers for the many people affected by the policy found out and, being resourceful souls, got hold of copies of it. But the civil servants in charge of re-looking at the 'forced marriage' policy in the light of the litigation that inevitably resulted (at vast public expense no doubt), have since either pretended not to be able, or genuinely have been unable, to identify their own commisioned research. (Perhaps it had been lost on a train on the way to the House of Commons).
They therefore recently had to write to ask some leading lawyers at the Immigration Law Practitioner's Association (many of whose members are bringing these court cases) if they can please be sent a copy of their own research.
This farce may be of some slight amusement, but no great comfort I suspect, to those people in Walthamstow who live with the results of this government department's handling of immigration matters. Having immigration policies based on half-truths and an immigration control system which is a national joke does not help create an atmosphere where an informed and reasoned debate about these matters can take place. I have previously put some of my 10 pence worth into that debate here:
[Updated 15.40pm 22 November 2009]
]]>Since the closure of Somaliland though, I should perhaps not be so polite as to assume that just because there is a shutter down in front of the place or the windows are covered over to hide prying eyes, that there isn't a business going on in there.
Thus my interest was raised today by the sight of the shutters at Animal Magic being up. This place has been refurbished some time ago now, the chinese work crews have moved on, and yet there is no visible means of economic activity sustaining the place. Maybe, I have been known to speculate, it is is owned by an eccentric millionaire who does not have a mortage to pay for. Imagine my suprise therefore to see that the occupants today were some over-chained hoodies with a rather large dog of the kind we are told are fashionable with posturing street gangs at the moment.
Interestingly, although they had the shutter up, they did not like people looking in at the place, and one of the surly crew even came out into the street with a fuck on his lips and a swagger in his stride. This he used, no doubt with an eye for future custom planned for the venue once it opens, as a means of dispelling as much interest as possible a passing young lady had shown in the establishment's future prospects. The metaphorical scent marking complete, the feral looking group soon set about ensuring that the public couldn't see what they are up to in there, covering the no doubt expensively refurbished plate glass display window and door with newspaper from the inside. Why would they do that I wonder?
They may just be shy at people seeing them in a shop with no stock yet. Or perhaps they are a self-help group for chronic agrophobics who want to meet in the High Street opposite Lidl without having to see the world passing by outside. Squatters? Magicians practicing a routine perhaps? I love a good magic show, the hand is quicker than the eye and all that. They surely couldn't be a proto-version of the Somaliland which the council recently and euphemistically shut down for allegedly 'anti-social behaviour' a couple of days ago. Who knows what they are up to?
So, nothing to see here, move along please. I have no evidence for any of these speculations, and am not pretending I have a clue what these chaps are up to. I am interested, though, that they would shoo someone away from their premises, and that these seem to be owned by someone who may be in no apparent hurry to make them pay their way.
]]>Maybe they are staying out of sight and sound for other good reasons. Redbridge Council seems not to have the in-tray problems I recently described in Waltham Forest. They have been able to decide what to do about neighbouring Newham's allegedly dodgy and unilateral decision to allow more flights over this end of London.
Thus Redbridge Council last night unanimously decided to oppose the expansion of London City Airport. The Redbridge councillors agreed to support a motion against increases in flights from the Docklands airport, as well as opposing the rise in 'stacking' large numbers of planes waiting to land at Heathrow.
Redbridge councillors are reported to have criticised neighbouring Newham Council's lack of consultation on the process. Here in Walthamstow the Council are still not sure if they were consulted or not, because apparently they ignore their post and lose things so regularly that the former leader of the Council's word that he was never consulted by Newham is not considered good enough. Such is the confidence of our coucillors in the system of local government they run. If it is any help I can confirm that the important people who matter were not asked. Meanwhile, we wait.
In 1999 there were 10,000 flights using London City Airport every year. By 2008 there were some 95,000.
As in Waltham Forest, it seems that Redbridge council did nothing about the increase in flights until we all woke up like boiling frogs to the noisy reality over our heads.
London City Airport – Fight The Flights are saying they will now take Newham Council to judicial review.
]]>Publically available information about this building is surpisingly scarce for an institution which has been in operating for some time, if only judging by the grotty exterior paintwork. (It also seems to be known as Centre 124 and is possible to confuse with the William Morris Community Centre, which is on nearby Greenleaf Road).
There is a ramp which less mobile users can stroll up cheerily to gain access. This is via an entrance on Rosebank Grove, taking them past the ugly council rubbish bins which dominate this side of the building. The peeling handrails are livoried in the green corporate colours of the council, which may give some clue as to the reasons for the neglected, low public profile of the establishment.
The information that is provided, by means of a sign on Erskine Road, is in English, Turkish and Greek, hence maybe the word 'multicultural' in the title. This sign, like the freight-container-ike cladding of part of the place, is also a shoddy addition to the neighbourhood. It has been in need of a lick of paint for some years. The faded sign tells people that services are in some way related to an acronym which I take to be an embarrassed reference to social services. These services, which appear to involve lunch, are available to people from the age of 50 onwards. This seems quite young in some ways.
Tel 0208 521 3433
]]>I do not know whether the ancestors of CD Kar Electrics would have fitted out our top and bowler-hatted ancestors with the latest in saddlewares, but the people of this part of Walthamstow at least are able to get automobile electric services, repairs, starters, immobalizers, clutches and all the other kit and kebang required to pass MOTs and keep their automotive steeds on the road. They are opposite the William Morris Muliticultural Day Care Centre near the junction with Melville Road.
Tel 0208 521 7855
]]>Nor did I endure a nervous flight on some airplane waiting for the computer bug to strike the guidance systems. There were not even any religious raptures. Nor, come to think of it, do I have any reminiscences at all to recount, of the last time there was an 'end of the world as we know it'.
For some people, I suppose, it was probably something to look forward to, a bit like for the people now getting excited about a load of hockum based on the Mayan calendar. Funny, though, how those people didn't mention the Mayans in 1999 when they should have been telling us to stock up on Koolade and plan where the nearest killing zone would be when the ballooon went up.
There seems so much to wonder at about the whole millennium thing, it may seem odd to concern myself with what the owner of Millennium Food and Wine was looking forward to when naming the off licence at the corner of Erskine Road and Melville Road. It is conveniently situated in a residential district of Walthamstow. This includes not just the kind of 'hard working families' Gordon Brown bangs on about but an awful lot of people who annually churn through the flimsy plywood-divided bedsits which are also a feature of the area. I expect he was looking forward to making quite a bit of money. Maybe he does.
The shop sells fags, sweets and stocks a wide range of booze. There are a few skanty vegetables outside the front of the store (low value items like charcoal and onions that people tend not to nick), and the sign over the door also says they sell greetings cards and even news, but mainly this is a place that sells a great deal of booze as an 'impluse' item. They are open seven days a week, so you don't even need to know what day it is to get served. Over the road from the William Morris Multicultural Day Care Centre.
Tel 0208 503 7846 if you believe the sign on the shop, or 0208 503 7400 if you believe the internet.
]]>The group whose building this is have their own website, where people can find out about their religious (generally at 11.00am and 6.00pm on Sundays)and other activities . These include running a day nursery, which does not seem to be used exclusively by Christians. They also run classes for people for whom money may be a bit tight, running a series of classes teaching people how to budget and organise their finances, and operate a high energy activity evening called 'Champions' on Thursdays to help wear out 10-13 year olds.
The Emmanuel Christians also have premises on nearby Greenleaf Road, and in keeping with their presence in a borough of small shopkeepers, promote themselves with the apostrophic slogan "One Church, Two Venue's". The Senior Pastor is Doug Williams.
Tel 0208 509 3128.
]]>This wonderous internet cafe, which did not seem to need to cover the oosts of its shop front floor space or deploy any computers there to function, is today shuttered. There is a notice on the door letting any potential surfers who might have wandered in there at random that the place was shut yesterday due to 'anti-social behaviour'. Readers of this blog will have seen comment that this establishment may or may not have involved the supply of drugs on the premices. I have heard well-informed rumours that the place was also a brothel, but I was not inclined to confirm this from personal experience before its demise.
]]>Erskine Road itself has Nationwide and Hundreds Sweet Shop on the two High Street corners, with a bag shop which wishes to remain anonymous tucked in beside the sweeties. From then on the street passes though a phase of white vans and lock-ups before becoming mainly residential. Many of the houses are still intact and occupied by families. Some of them are quite magnificant, with many original Edwardian and late Victorian features, facades towering to three stories and presumably giving what must have once been fine views West down the hill towards the Lea Valley. The sunsets must still be wonderful. Many of these terraces however have been turned into grotty 'houses of multiple occupation', apparently a reflection of a time in the not too distant past when the area was allegedly under the thrall of organised criminals who had a rackmanist sideline in property 'development'. Symptoms of these criminals' infectious influence possibly remain to this day in the high crime rates in the area.
Away from the High Street there are not many commercial ventures on Erskine Road - an off-licence called Millennium Food and Wine, a car workshop called CD Kar Electrics and a couple of day centres, either for children (run by the Emmanuel Christian Centre) or the elderly (by Social Services).
]]>They are also organising an event, at the Quaker Centre, in Jewel Road, Walthamstow, on November 28 to raise money for the charity. There but for the grace of God, [and the complexities of the Employment Rights Act 1996 as amended and the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992], go they.
Still, the local world as we know it has not entirely collapsed this year, which we must all be thankful for, even if IKON (shut for as long as I have been blogging) still has Strettons claiming they are trying to rent it out with 'flexible terms available'. A refurbished Animal Magic has not re-openned. Tradicia remains shut and businesses which had previously over-expanded, such as Madina Supermarket, have returned to their basic cores. Up at the top of the High Street, no work is in progress at the Arcade site, which has a boutique ice rink on it, performing the second half of the 'bread and circus' act our government is putting on during the current 'unfortunate' economic down turn.
Who if anyone is doing well at the moment other than the usual oligopolistic chains like Sainsbury's? Well, take-aways selling the cheap food the council tried to shut down last year (no more has been heard of that policy as of late) seem to be surviving as far as I can tell, and the staff at Oakam have a cheerful demeanour. They can be seen some days, balloons in hand, going up to likely marks in the street to lend them money. This suggests that they are finding it even easier to find desperate members of the local poor to grind down to nothing than before. Their supposedly 'market' rate of 442% interest has been a constant since they opened their doors. And of course, anyone who has their fingers in the public pie should be happy for a few months while Gordon Brown prints money at a rate of over a billion pounds every working day. The inflation will kick in after Christmas, I expect.
]]>The actual report this hoo-hah is based upon has some interesting things in it for locals, including the depressing information that our old mates Keir (famous for dodgy contract bids, partners to our awful social housing organisation Ascham Homes and responsible for street cleaning in Walthamstiow) are deeply mired in the future fate of car parking arrangments at Walthamstow Central.
In this post, however, I shall just run through where St. James's Street stands. This serves the Western part of Walthamstow, linking us with the City through Liverpool Street. St James's Street is classed as a class 'D' station, one which in the parliance of Sir Peter Hall and Chris Green is a medium-sized station with "a core inter-urban business or a particularly high volume of urban commuting". Trips from stations in this category of station will be typically between 250,000 and 500,000 per annum and ticket revenue £1 to £2 million. Despite this, the station is actually staffed only part-time.
Among the proposals are that there should be clear minimum standards for what passengers can expect of their station, depending on its category. Thus, station priorities should be focused on improving Access, Information, Facilities and Environment in future franchises. It should be "progressively brought up to minimum standards" through franchise tenders. Additional catch-up should be provided beyond the current five year funding by extending both the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) and Access for All funding beyond 2014.
Disabled access is required for all train fleets by 2020, and Britain should match this EU directive by also making all ‘A’ to ‘D’ stations accessible by the same date. There should also be one telephone number for ‘Assisted Travellers’ to ring. Travellors at St James's Street will have noticed that there are no lifts at St James's Street, and access to the platforms can only be gained by climbing very steep stairs. There should be a well-signed taxi rank outside station if possible, street direction signs from main road(s) and pedestrian/cyclist routes and cycle parking space for up to 5% of joining passengers. At present I doubt there is anything like that level of bike parking available, let alone enough people stupid enough to park their bikes unsecurely in this local crime hot spot.
As a 'medium station' it should evolve into something called a 'community hub', providing local services such as small supermarkets, collection points for undelivered mail, sub postoffices and community services (whatever they are).
As with all stations, signage should be standardized in Brunel alphabet and pictograms (to make it cheaper to change the signs if and when franchises change hands).
Facilities should include a staffing presence most of day with opening hours published for ticketing; assisted travel wheelchair and boarding ramps if DDA accessible; ticket gates supervised where installed and operational; staff to give advice/help; toilets appropriate for demand, smart & regularly cleaned to high standard (at present there are none); catering vending machines for hot/cold drinks and cold snacks; a clock on each platform with a scheduled service; ticket machine (Unless derogation); lighting adequate to give security on approaches/platform; shelter or canopy on each platform with a scheduled service; seating on each platform with a scheduled service minimum 12 seats; staff accommodation smart and well cared for. As commuters on this line well know, there are no loos at the station at present, nor are there usually any on the trains.
With regard to the overall environment, the report recommends CCTV security at the station approaches and car / cycle parking areas, with something called 'Secure Stations Accreditation'; the station should be cleaned throughout the day & graffiti free: with litter bins; it should be subject to maintenance, prompt repairs & kept well painted and the station approaches & buildings in use look smart.
It seems therefore that if the report is implemented as opposed to gathering headlines followed by dust, there are going to have to be a few improvements at St James's Street, and more generally, at National Express East Anglia, which runs the line. They will have to raise their overall customer satisfaction rating from the current 61% to an overall 80%.
]]>Valeria Bateson's work was partially displayed facing out to the street from the bay window. Her art was already familiar to me from some work Valeria had exhibited at Oxfam the previous year in support of the local orchestra, but these were very different, being abstract depictions of geometric physical forms, such as local buildings. I liked them very much and even more, very much enjoyed the kindness which Valeria showed me by inviting me inside her home to view a number of her other works, which were not part of the exhibition. We had a very nice conversation and I found her most charming and generous.
I am very shocked therefore to see in the paper that on 23 October Valeria has been knocked down and injured by a hit and run cyclist when walking across Selborne Road tpwards the station. Mrs Bateson suffered a multiple fracture of her elbow in the collision, as well as bruising to her arm, neck and legs.
She said: “ The cyclist was looking for traffic coming around the roundabout to his left, and not ahead to the pedestrian crossing.
“I think pedestrians are unaware that cyclists not looking straight ahead where they are going may approach that pedestrian crossing at speed whatever the lights may say, and the design of the junction is therefore dangerous.” The cyclist callously rode away and their identity is unknown.
A report in the paper suggests that despite medical attention, including the insertion of a metal plate in her arm, the injury may seriously affect her ability to paint in future. If that is true it would be very sad indeed, as Valeria is a truly talented artist.
]]>Nevertheless, here is Bootleg Blondie, who will be playing there tomorrow night. As these things go, they seem pretty good.
]]>Tottenham is one of the large clubs in this area of London which, along with Arsenal and Orient, vie for the loyalties of people in Walthamstow, or at least those who like the game enough to pay to watch it and don't see themselves turning out to support Walthamstow Red Star, Walthamstow Avenue or even mighty Walthamstow Village.
Nevertheless, supporting Spurs is often something of a secret vice. There seem to be more people willing to sport the red of Aresenal at Blackhorse Road for the trip down the Victoria line for a mid-week home game than there are willing to make their way to White Heart Lane, even though that ground is somewhat nearer. Don't ask me why. It is probably tribal and complicated.
But Spurs fans there are, and I expect there will be a few who are interested to know that Martin Chivers will be in Waterstones in the Mall at Walthamstow on Saturday 14 November at 12.30pm. He's going to be there to sign copies of his autobiography, "Big Chiv: My Goals in Life". Here are a couple he scored in a losing game against Man City:
]]>Speaking at his current show at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London, Grayson Perry discusses his Walthamstow Tapestry and the techniques and theories behind some of his pots in the exhibition including one depicting the wedding of himself and his ever present teddy bear, Alan Measles
I like it because although Grayson Perry is dressed in one of his trademark outfits, (which usually distracts from the subject at hand) he is actually speaking intelligently about his work, the ideas behind it and the techniques employed. I had a good chuckle at his cheeky line that 'oil paintings are second class tapestries'.
]]>Neil Gerrard MP, who was due to attend the event at the Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ didn't seem phased by this acrimony when he was first invited to speak, but has now pulled out in a row over the other people he would be sharing a platform with.
Mr Gerrard has told the anti-fascist group Nothing British About the BNP that he would not attend the event because of “substantial evidence” s that far-right Hungarian MP Kristina Morvai would be attending. Morvai does not feature on the lists so far in the public domain of confirmed speakers that I have found on the internet. Baroness Tonge, who will be attending, says Kristina Morvai is not on the list of speakers but that does not mean she is not intending to attend.
Morvai's party, for those of us in Walthamstow who have no idea who they are, is in the Alliance of European National Movements, an alliance of neo-fascist political parties which I understand is being launched in the European parliament today. The alliance is headed by Nick Griffin’s BNP, Morvai’s Jobbik and Le Pen’s Front National. Pleasant company.
I have some sympathy with Mr Gerrard. It must be frustrating to have to pull out. He is a man who has a long-standing and genuine interest in the rights of refugees as well as the plight of the Palestinian people. Indeed, only last Saturday I heard him give a well-informed talk on the history of UK immigration controls at the STAR Conference in Bethnal Green. As a genuine expert in the field he gave a very balanced, non-polemical and reasoned discourse on the portrayal of refugee issues in the media and how that has informed political debate in the UK. I don't entirely agree with him, but believe him to be a knowledgeable and sincerely principled man on these issues, someone whose views are worth a public hearing.
He has however been presented with difficulties previously by 'over-enthusiastic' organisers of conferences to discuss Palestinian issues, for instance when some idiot from Waltham Forest Palestinian Solidarity Campaign booked Harmony Hall with Daud Abdullah and Neil Gerrard advertised to speak on the same platform. Interestingly, Dr Daud Abdullah was also on the bill for the conference in December.
]]>Carl Brown in the Waltham Forest Guardian has a good report on the final inevitable showdown, which included a 'dignified' moment as a man whose management team told lies to the public to unlawfully demand money from them finally agreed to 'leave the building':
"Matters are understood to have come to a head after a government inspection to determine whether the company would secure vital funding to improve housing, was postponed for fear of failure.
The council is said to have ‘no confidence’ in the chief executive to deliver necessary changes to ensure the funds are secured.
A source on the Ascham Homes board said Mr Auguste made a ‘dignified speech’ at a board meeting on Monday, during which he announced his decision to leave the company."
Sadly for the taxpayer it seems that being incompetant is not seen as enough reason to dismiss him on the spot without any pay-off and the board has "agreed to start negotiations over chief executive Hasset Auguste’s future", while he is expected to announce his departure imminently.
In other words, he seems to expect to be paid to go, maybe with a fat pension, despite failing to bring his organisation's properties up to the government's minimum 'decent' standards as he was employed to do. The council taxpayer is having to bail the organisation out to the tune of 5 million pounds from its contingency reserve. There are still many unanswered questions about Ascham Homes. It shall be interesting to see if the council seeks answers to those and corrects the deep-sated problems or if it will be content to pretend that with a new boss all will now be well.
]]>It was not these voluntary Londoners, though, who Boris Johnson was trying the taunt the other day, when he was telling the French to eat cake. Cake from Walthamstow. Gü to be precise.
Citing the Walthamstow commercial bakery that annually exports £5million worth of chocolate cake to France as an example of "the intellect, resilience and genius of Londoners", he challenged French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stop pushing Paris as a financial capital of Europe to rival London and instead, "Look to your cake."
Opening the 30th World Travel Market at London's ExCel exhibition centre, Boris joked, "I say, let them eat cake...made in Walthamstow."
Actually, Gü is all very nice and gooey - I have built up a good collection of little glass dessert dishes in my time, but some of the best cakes don't go very far out of the borough as they are to be found in cafes like Le Fraisier on Palmerston Road, which, despite the French moniker, is Algerian-run.
]]>The pathetic evidence of this non-entity's activities is to be found on the official DFID website, where the children are alleged to have "learned how their eco-friendly actions in Walthamstow can have an impact on the rest of the world" by turning off a light, walking to school or interacting with a complete political no-body before he flies off with Miliband to Copenhagen, no doubt polluting the skies above the borough in the process and drowning out their enjoyment of play-time with aircraft noise.
I have discussed astroturfing and the abuse of children by politicians before.
The bowl of fruit was a nice touch.
[Updated 12 November 2009]
]]>Here they are on something which they call a London Street Piano Crawl:
]]>It seems that the police's efforts last year in Walthamstow to smash an evil tortoise smuggling gang had not allayed concern among the quaking populace in this part of London and Essex that the problem of tortoise crime was being prioritised or dealt with harshly enough. Essex Police mounted a daring swoop.
Whether this was co-ordinated with the crack force which was formed to solve the testudine problem once and for all last year in Walthamstow is not clear from reports in the Epping Forest Guardian. Nevertheless, I am sure that tortoises will be hibernating soundly in airing cupboards all over East London knowing that maximum priority has been given to raiding an accredited animal sanctuary on everyone's behalf.
The woman who runs the sanctuary has for some reason spoken of her shock after her home was raided by police following allegations that she was selling rare tortoises illegally. Tracy Cooper runs the Small Animals Boarding and Rescue Centre at her house in Hobbs Cross Road, Theydon Garnon, Epping. She looks after 23 tortoises (8 of which are from rare species) as well as a number of ferrets and parrots. This is an activity she says she pays for from her own pocket or donations from the public.
She says she was left shaken after six officers clad in bullet-proof vests turned up saying they had a warrant for her arrest last month. Ms Cooper, who has been bailed by police until December, has protested her innocence, saying that while she has given away some of the reptiles to other families, she has only ever received donations for her centre in return.
She said: “The whole thing is just bizarre. When I realised it wasn't a wind-up or a mistake I just went into shock.
“I run this place completely voluntarily, I don't make a penny from it and it costs me around £40,000 a year to run.
“The police spent three hours turning my house upside down at taxpayers' expense and they treated me like a dangerous criminal."
A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We can confirm that a woman from Theydon Garnon is currently on police bail until early December while an investigation continues into a possible breach of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species regulations.”
The local MP, Eleanor Laing, has described the police action as "heavy handed". Meanwhile, in neighbouring Walthamstow, residents and the council are still trying to pursuade anyone who will listen (Boris Johnson, the Home Office and Scotland Yard) that the borough, with crime at well above national average rates, is short of 120 officers.
[Updated 11 November 2009]
]]>Lucy Russell and Jonathan Sparey on violin, Alan George on viola and Heather Tuach on cello make up the Fitzwilliam String Quartet who will be entertaining everyone interested. The exact programme has not yet been announced.
]]>On it are the poems of Robert Auton, who lives in Walthamstow. Here is one he performed earlier.
]]>The sight of a new neighbour to bring footfall seems to have cheered up some of the other businesses - Style Overdose, directly opposite was having its own signage washed and polished yesterday as well. Style Overdose, by the way is a shop I once royally slated for stocking gangster clothes, but I do notice that they have weathered the recession. They seem to have done this by having a much more thoughtful, fashionable and also softer edge to their offerings. These have been very carefully and as a result attractively displayed.
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