Less talk, more action- Speaker’s Corner leaves it mark on local businesses

The proximity of Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner to London’s Queensway is endangering local businesses.

Speakers Corner is home to many heated debates, and one of the few places where people can speak openly on a public platform. Whilst police are normally present to ensure order, the crowds drawn to the area are increasingly rowdy.

Local businesses insist that these crowds are deterring customers, “they all seem to know each other and hang around together. As a group, they make others feel intimidated” said local café owner Mr. Benewin.

Standby policemen have also noted the less democratic aspects of the talks themselves. “For the most part, the people hanging around after the Sunday platform are followers of those who have spoken, they’re only there to egg on their friends and often unwilling to listen to what the other speakers have to say” said PC Clint Mendy.

Hyde Park has attracted many radical voices over the years including the likes of Karl Marx and Lenin. Whilst the speeches are controlled so as to not incite hatred or offence and abide by the 1998 Human Rights Act, the crowds who attend are having a negative effect on surrounding areas, particularly in Queensway.

Nevertheless, Speakers Corner is important to the UK’s democratic system. The role it plays in upholding citizens’ right to freedom of speech can not be overlooked.

“Increased supervision at speakers corner is the way forward. The police have a responsibility to ensure that the crowds attending move along. In this recession, we can’t afford to have anything driving away business,” said Mr. Kingston.

The £97 million lift set to help the disabled – But will they use it?

The £97 million being spent on step free access at Green Park underground station is an “expensive gesture” and is unlikely to really benefit the disabled, according to the London assembly member Gareth Bacon at the Mayor’s question time.

The project, part of the Olympic Delivery Authority Transfer Plan, is already under way and will provide two new lifts at Green Park station to take passengers from the street to the Piccadilly and Jubilee line platforms.

“Huge bill”

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, today estimated that £34 million out of the £97 million budget for the works had already been spent on the project that was instigated by previous mayor Ken Livingstone. Although the Mayor agreed that this was a “huge bill”, he opposed Mr Bacon’s suggestion that the £63 million outstanding should be spent elsewhere.

“Lift may not be used by the disabled”

Gareth Bacon expressed concern as to how many disabled people would actually benefit from the station improvements and pointed out that a disabled person would still have the problem of crossing the platform gap to get on and off a train. Gareth Bacon said “I’ve never seen anyone in a wheelchair at a London Underground station. Will people use it (the lift)? I don’t see any evidence that they do”.

Gareth Bacon believes that the £63 million could be put to better use. He suggests improving Dial a Ride, a Transport for London scheme that provides Monday to Friday transport for the people with permanent or long-term disabilities.

A member of the public, Mr Hales from Essex, who had been listening in the Greater London Assembly audience said “I would like to know how such a figure was arrived at” and agreed that a scheme such as Dial a Ride might be more useful than the improvements to Green Park station.

Wealdstone exit FA Cup with their heads held high

Dorota Faron reporting from the terraces

Non-league Wealdstone FC exited the FA Cup after the first round despite putting up a brave fight in their 3-2 home defeat to Rotherham United.

The Stones who ply their trade in the Ryman League were the obvious underdogs against the full-time Millers of League Two but the difference in class was barely visible, as the two teams locked horns at the Grosvenor Vale on Sunday.

Roared on by the vociferous near-capacity crowd, the hosts made a confident start to the game, showing composure in defence and intent to push forward.

Mark E’Beyer had a good chance to fire the home team ahead early on when he burst into the Millers penalty area but instead of taking a shot he went down under a challenge, futilely hoping to earn a spot kick.

Charlie Mpi also carved an opening for himself but he saw his effort easily collected by the onrushing Andy Warrington.   

E’beyer should have done better when he sent a drive straight at the keeper after a neat two-one with Gray and an impressive turn-in in the build up.

Rotherham push forward

Rotherham too went in search of an opening goal but the Wealdstone defenders did well to repel their attacks. Adam Le Fondre was The Millers’ most threatening player and his long-range drives forced two fine saves from Thomas, the Stones keeper, around the half hour mark.

The Le Fondre did get on to the scoresheet at the third attempt as Thomas’s miscued goal kick rebounded off his back and rolled into the net in the 33^rd minute.

Conceding an opener put the Stones on the backfoot and allowed Rotherham more freedom to roam forward in a bid to extend their lead.

The hosts’ could have gone further down when Pablo Mills’s strike took a deflection off Kevin Ellison on the edge of the box with the ball going narrowly wide.

Thomas presented the visitors with a golden goalscoring opportunity when he collected a backpass form his own defender and gave away an indirect free kick from eight yards out. The resulting cross was however scrambled away by Alan Massey.

Rotherham turned their domination into a second goal on the stroke of half time thanks to Ellison, who unleashed a rocket of a shot that soared past the helpless Thomas into the bottom corner.

Wealdstone’s response

But a two goal deficit taken into the dressing room did not dampen the hosts’ ambitions. After the break the Stones showed the desire to change the course of the tie and keep their dream cup run alive, as they laid siege to the visitors’ goal.  

Their efforts paid dividends in the 63rd minute when Ryan Ashe pulled a goal back with a powerful drive from the edge of the penalty area.

The hosts could have been level minutes later. Second-half substitute Danny Spendlove showed exquisite technique when he controlled a pitch-length pass from his goalkeeper and shrugged off the marking defender but his fierce strike flew inches wide.

Wealdstone continued to press ahead but it was the Rotherham side who scored, against the run of play. The home team conceded an innocuous free-kick 20 yards out and a cross sent from the set piece was met by Drewe Broughton who headed the ball in with eight minutes left to play.

The Stones responded with a fresh wave of attacks for which they were duly rewarded in the last minute of normal time, as Ashe netted his and his team’s second setting up a thrilling finale to the game.

Wealdstone committed all their men forward, as they pushed for a late equaliser but Rotherham withstood the surge and managed to protect their slender goal advantage till the final whistle.

Jubilee line closures continue to cut off locals

By Yvette Martyn

Weekend closures on the Jubilee line are leaving local residents relying on rail replacement services as the line faces no break from the maintenance work.

Many stations along the route such as Kingsbury station are set to be closed every weekend until the maintenance work is complete. Even though stations on other lines are opening on select weekends.

It emerged recently that the work will not be completed by the deadline of 31st December which will leave residents facing long delays in their travel time into the new year.

A local resident Shazma Roshan, 20, has first hand experience of the delay the work is causing, whilst waiting for a rail replacement service bus she said, “I’m very, very annoyed, because I didn’t know it would be closed.”

When asked about her journey she said it would take, “probably about an hour and a half when it should have taken 50 minutes.”

Passengers are not the only people facing difficulty with the closures. Owner of Kingsbury Discount Store, Mohammad Mirwais has seen a drop in profits. He said, “When the train station is closed the people are not coming in and buying from the shop.”

Work will increase capacity by 30%

Lines across the tube network have been closed for essential maintenance work at weekends for months. London Underground says the work will increase the capacity by 30%.

Transport for London (TFL) has laid on rail replacement bus services but with the buses travelling along London’s busy streets passengers are facing long delays.

A TFL employee at Kingsbury station declined to comment.

Four men wanted in connection with armed robbery

Mugged at gunpoint

By Gurdeep Hundal

A pub owner appeals for witnesses after being raided by armed robbers just before closing time.

Just after 2am on 31^st October, four men forced their way into the Duke of Edinburgh pub, Ferndale Road, Brixton, armed with firearms and a knife.

One member of staff was threatened with a kitchen knife, while three of the other men, threatened customers with their guns, and forced them to hand over their personal belongings.

Police officers were called to the scene

“Luckily no-one was injured,” says the Pub Manager, Paul Wilkinson.

“I was petrified. One minute I’m serving pints and the next a man is pointing a knife at me…I was frightened for my customers, so I gave them what they wanted,” he said.

He also added: “I could see the fear in my customers eyes. They were all shocked and they remained silent…As soon as they left, I locked the doors and called the police.”

Around 2.30am, the police were immediately called to the scene, as the culprits fled. Officers from the Barnes Flying Squad are now dealing with the incident.

Customers were terrified

“These men left the customers terrified after being threatened with armed guns,” said a detective of Brixton police who wishes not be named.

“I would appeal to anyone who may have seen the robbers running from the scene, please get in touch.”

Wearing masks

The four men were last seen wearing black masks, dark tracksuit bottoms and dark jackets – heading towards Nursery Road.

One suspect was wearing a red jumper with a shark logo and another was wearing Nike trainers.

Anyone with information should call police on 0208 247 4804 or AskLambethBoroughCommander@met.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Bell calls on MPs to accept expenses reform

By Dorota Faron

Former BBC correspondent Martin Bell claimed last night that the Kelly recommendations on MPs’ expenses must be implemented in full, if the health of British democracy is to be restored.

Bell , an independent MP in the 1997-2001 Parliament, voiced his concerns about the state of British public life in his latest book ‘A Very British Revolution: The Expenses Scandal and How to Save Our Democracy.’ He also used the publication to lay down a six-point plan for the reform of national politics.

Speaking at a promotional event at Foyles bookstore on Charing Cross Road, Bell said a radical overhaul of parliamentary expenses should be the first step on the road to the recovery of UK’s politics.

He stressed that the House of Commons needs to be cleared of all ‘swindlers’ abusing the claims system and funding their privileged lifestyles from the public purse.   

Martin Bell's new book dissects the expenses scandal and offers remedies.

‘We need to find a way to raise the calibre of our MPs because we are not necessarily represented by the best of Britain,’ Bell said.

‘Like Somalis we too have our own pirates, the Palace of Westminster is their ship,’ he added.

Unjustified demands

Bell claimed many MPs display a certain sense of entitlement to a high standard of living which, in his opinion, has led to mass exploitation of the expenses system.

‘MPs have been unsuccessful in winning a significant increase in salaries they clamoured for, so they found a backdoor way to improve their financial standing,’ he said.

‘MPs complain that  £60.000 a year is modest compensation for their work but many of them aren’t even qualified to do their job. They go into politics straight out of school and if they lose their seat they’re unemployable bacause they have no real skills or life experience.’

Bell’s speech at Foyles received a warm welcome, as the audience applauded every point he made.

John Pilner, a retired teacher who turned out for the event said: ‘I agree with Mr Bell that radical measures need to be taken to improve the state of British political life. There is a widening gap between MPs and the rest of us and something has to be done now if the public trust is to be restored.’

A number of MPs have however publicly criticised the changes proposed by Sir Christopher Kelly. 

Sir Nicholas Winterton, the Tory MP for Macclesfield, told the Times that “the way MPs are being treated is quite despicable”.

“Mr Kelly is a senior civil servant on a generous index pension link who is trying to reduce MPs to abject poverty and I don’t know why,’ he added.

Old stigmas die-hard

“The day when anyone with a mental illness can leave free of stigma is coming,” were the words of Gordon Brown earlier this year, as quoted by “Shift”. However, recent surveys carried out by the Public Department of Health, point to the opposite.

For those diagnosed, job opportunities are scarce whilst being socially accepted is an equal struggle. NHS programme “Shift” aims to reduce such stereotypes.  Whilst help to tackle the problem is clearly underway with more than £77 billion put into the organisation (double the defence budget), improvements remain to be seen.

These shocking surveys reveal that fewer than four in ten employers would consider employing someone with a history of mental illness. The reason being, many forget to recognise the term “illness”. Yet as many as one in four people are diagnosed with a mental illness each year.

Being diagnosed as mentally unwell has in effect become a label, a stigma since the term was first created. Although society is evolving and becoming more accepting of the so to say “different”, where mental illness is concerned, few things have changed.

The term has come to be associated with violence and danger. It remains the “the most discriminated of all disabilities” claims health writer Laura Deeley. Little is being done to change such opinions.

As regards violent and dangerous behaviour, it is alcohol and drugs that pose the real threat, with 60% of all attacks linked to the substances.  In spite of that, surveys reveal that people are far more likely to want to live next door to someone who drinks rather than someone who has been diagnosed with a mental illness.

As ex sufferer Marian Moore refers to it, it remains the “diagnosis of despair.”

Facebook loves to Expose

Facebook allows the freedom of speech act to go too far and many teenage girls are becoming small time celebrities due to their sexual promiscuity.

LTwn Hoes Exposed is a Facebook group where females in Luton with a reputation for sleeping around are being framed, shamed and named by an anonymous account holder.

Caught on camera

Since the group appeared on Monday it has gained over 2000 members who check the page everyday to discover who has been outed.

So far, the names, photos and some phone numbers of the alleged ‘hoes‘ have been submitted every morning.

One Northampton undergrad and follower, Tramaine Ocarlay says one reason she joined the group is “Because it’s my age group, I know I would know them. If it was people my mum’s age, I wouldn’t care.”

Easy Access

More than a million people use social networking sites on a daily basis, this page could be known worldwide in minutes. The repercussions on the girls being exposed is unmeasurable especially if it includes information on their sex lives.

The majority of members are male university students who have migrated to the town from London. One anonymous female explained, “My phone number and photo were added and I was forced to turn my phone off. People look at me differently.”

The average number of comments per status is 4 but there have been up to 20 and mainly read “… shame…LOL…I never know she was like that.”

Celebrity Obsession

Facebook allows pages and comments like this to be published but Miss Ocarlay feels that the popularity of the group is fueled by celebrity obsession.

“This just goes to show, all the government schemes on sex are in vain. People have 20 sexual partners in one town and everyone knows because its online and I want to read it” Tramaine Ocarlay.

Average house price misleads buyers in Middlesex

An increase in smaller properties is misleading the average house buyer, who cannot currently buy a house with their £165,528 in Middlesex.

Townends Estate Agents Hounslow

As Halifax announces increase in the average house price, estate agents express joy. Peter F from Foxton Estate Agents in Richmond states  “… everyone is buying…The only problem is, there are not enough properties.”

The reality is the average house price will not buy you a house in Middlesex – Vicky from ‘Townend’ estate agents, Twickenham stated “In Whitton  you will only get… a flat or maisonette’ and ‘in central Twickenham a studio.”

She goes on to explain that the current economic climate restricts anyone that does not have large amounts of savings or a high paid profession from purchasing anything but ‘student accomidation’.

Vicky discusses the possibility of a trend which involves variables such as Age, Class and Marital Status.

According to the bank UK house prices rose by 1.2 % meaning over the last six months the average house price increased by £11,000. As the good news keeps coming  buyers of ‘Beautiful homes’ will be disapointed.

In reality…

A two bedroom house in the middlesex area can cost you anthing from £200,000- £275,000. This ia a far cry from the estmate made by Halifax who pointed out. ‘House prices are still 4.7% lower than they were – this time last year.’

Many estate agents have expressed their concerns regarding mortgage rate percentages being to high. They claim young couples and young professionals are deciding to rent properties instead because the deposit amounts are too high.

Peter F disagrees. “It is a ‘… busy time… We are excited.”

There is a real possibility that the average house may become a flat if things continue this way.

Post office closure angers elderly customers

By Gurdeep Hundal

A Post Office which has been closed for a week without any real notice being given, has angered the elderly who use it.

The Post Office in Northolt Road, South Harrow has been closed since Monday and no date has been given as to when it will reopen.

A Post Office Ltd spokesman said: “the owner has withdrawn its rights of the building to run as a Post Office.

“We can confirm that they will not be renewing their contract, however they’re looking for another location to re-run the company.”

The Post Office Group has removed all it items from the store and signs posted outside the branch say the move is short-term.

A petition has been signed.

Mohammed Iqbal, who uses the branch, said: “ I walked past today and noticed there were no envelopes, parcels and application forms on the shelves.”

“I think the most immediate concern for me is the lack of notice and deceit about what is happening.”

“At my age, I can hardly walk down the street these days…this Post Office was convenient for me.”

Meera Amin, a loyal customer said: “I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years. The workers are nice and friendly and they’ve always helped me carry my shopping.”

“But I want to know why the Post Office has decided to close down.”

Until a new store reopens, customers will have to visit Harrow Town Centre or Rayners Lane for their postal services.

Nikita Kapoor, a pensioner said: “the closure has made my life difficult.”

“I’m 74 years old, and I can hardly walk to the Post Office. Where am I supposed to go now?”

The South Harrow branch has around 4,000 customers a week, and 60 per cent are elderly.

The closure can be linked to the recent claims that Post Offices will no longer exist in the following years.

The branch is one of 2,500 shut this year by the Royal Mail.

In a bid to re-open the Post Office, a petition has been signed by 1,000 residents and has been forwarded to the local MP.