Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Learning new things...
The most difficult thing about Parliament is how shut off you are from the real world. I am trying desperately hard to avoid using the corridors, restaurants and bars that can only be used by members. There is a huge temptation to become institutionalised and cut off from the constituents who elected you in the first place.
The highlights for me have been my swearing in and my maiden speech. I really am excited about the opportunity that is available to members of Parliament who want to improve the quality of lives for the better for our community.
I am still without an office and without a full complement of staff. You’d have thought that they would have sorted out a better system for new MPs by now. As soon as I have a properly established office I shall publish my new contact details here.
Sadiq
Thursday, May 19, 2005
My First week in Parliament
The first week in Parliament has been extremely exciting and humbling stuff. Despite having practised welcoming new members of parliament for centuries, Parliament does not seem to have perfected how to allow them to hit the ground running! Unfortunately, it may be anything between 4-6 weeks before us new members are given our office. This makes the task of employing staff and dealing with the numerous phone calls, e-mails and letters received from constituents and others an unenviable task.
At the moment many of us are having to hunch in the central lobby with a mobile phone in one hand and a pen in the other hand writing letters to constituents. There are desks and computers available for us to "hot desk" on but I'm afraid that I've not been able to master this effectively. Other teething problems include having to liaise with the appropriate department to organise stationery stock and booking surgeries. I think that I may have cracked this and will be able to post details of my surgeries on my website in the very, very near future. The last week has seen us new Labour MPs have a meeting with our Whips (all very, very nice and charming!), and our first Parliamentary Labour Party meeting (not at all as reported in the press) and I witnessed the Speaker being elected for the third time, Michael Martin MP.
The highlight of the week for me was on the afternoon of Thursday 12th May when I swore in. My friend, Keith Hill, Member of Parliament for Streatham, was there with me and swore in just before me. The Speaker was incredibly kind and stopped for some time to say a few encouraging words. Hopefully he will remember how nice I was in return whenever I have to speak in the Chamber.
On Thursday night, I was invited to what I thought would be a small dinner organised by members of the Tooting local community to celebrate a local boy being returned as Member of Parliament. In fact, more than 125 locals packed into a restaurant in Tooting High Street to celebrate our success on May 5th. The evening was fantastic as it encompassed all strands of the Tooting community coming together to celebrate the results of May 5th in Tooting. The former head of Ernest Bevin school, my former head of my secondary school, was the master of ceremonies. I am grateful to all who organised and all who came to enjoy a brilliant evening that I will never forget
Sadiq
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Sadness on the death of Bishop Hugh Montefiore
Sadiq
Monday, May 09, 2005
Thank you
I feel truly humbled by the warmth and best wishes conveyed to me and I hope to repay this by serving as a conscientious Member of Parliament for Tooting.
I am setting out below an extract of what I said in the early hours of Friday morning at the town hall, after the count.
"I'd like to thank the returning officer Mr Jones and the hundreds of council staff and police officers who have made today pass so effortlessly. I particularly want to say thank you to the tons of staff who have returned the result for Tooting so quickly.
I'd also like to thank my 6 opponents who deserve credit for the contest in Tooting being to a large extent clean and honest.
I particularly want to mention James Bethell and the Tooting Conservatives and Stephanie Dearden and the Tooting Liberal Democrats. Both James and Stephanie were selected to be candidates more than a year ago and the three of us have got on remarkably well. I am sure James and Stephanie are responsible for the contest in Tooting being so positive.
I stand here with feelings of humility, pride and a sense of resonsibility.
My father passed away quite recently. He came to Tooting 40 years ago and stayed here. He would have been really proud that his friends, neighbours and community have elected one of his children to be the Labour Member of Parliament for Tooting and it is an honour to be elected by my community as the Labour Member of Parliament.
Tooting is a fantastic place and it has got even better over the last 8 years due to this Labour government. During the campaign we met families on doorsteps and visited pensioners and saw for ourselves what a real positive difference this Labour government had made. However I'll be the first to accept that there are pockets in our community where progress has not been as fast. My pledge is to ensure that a third term Labour government builds on the progress already made to ensure that all parts of Tooting see the benefits of a Labour government.
Finally I am going to ask your indulgence to say a few "thank you"s.
First to my wife Saadiya. I've been a candidate now for 14 months and the fact that we are still talking is a tribute mainly to her.
People often don't realise that we are a voluntary party. People give up their time and make huge sacrifices due to shared values. It simply is not possible to thank everyone who has helped but I do want to single out a few.
I want to say thank you to my agent Nigel Bolt who has been a huge source of strength and as cool as a cucumber. He has been helped by three stars - Cathy Harvey, David Bellamy and Alex - who were the brains behind our local campaign.
Team Tooting have become dear friends over the last few months. They have had to endure dog bites, trouble with their bosses, domestic strife, cancelled holidays, taking leave without pay and much more. They have stuffed envelopes, delivered door to door, canvassed face to face and on the telephone. I am grateful to all of them as I am sure are the residents of Tooting. They will all go to socialist heaven!
Finally, politicians often get a bad press. This is terribly unfair. In fact the only people who get a worse press are lawyers - I should know! Most politicians are motivated by a desire to serve their community, to make our society and our country a better place. This hall is full of councillors, MPs and candidates who are motivated by a wish to serve their community. I am proud and privileged at the prospect of being the Labour Member of Parliament for Tooting. I cannot promise that I'll be perfect. I am promising that I will do my best. Tooting deserves no less."
Sadiq
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Tories propose to abolish Mayoral system in London
system in London.
It says formally "In 1998, Londoners voted in a referendum to establish an elected Mayor and Assembly for London. We respect the wish of Londoners to structure their local governance in such a manner." However it goes on to say it would give to the London Assembly the right to
overturn the Mayor's budget by a simple majority and to change Mayoral strategies by a simple majority.
This would in fact replace the Mayor by a system of council government returning London to the ineffectualness, delay and indecision of the past and make very much harder the increase in the number of police on the streets, the improvements in the bus service, improvements in environmental protection and other steps forward that have been taken in the last five years. Londoners should be aware that by voting for the Tories on 5 May they are in fact voting to replace the Mayoral system that has delivered results for London.
Sadiq
London and Labour - a good combination
Thanks to Labour, Londoners have a Mayor and Assembly that are working closely with the Labour Government to deliver record numbers of police, better transport services and affordable housing.
Along with Stephen Twigg, Keith Hill, Ken Livingstone and Margaret Hodge, amongst others, I was proud to draw attention to Labour's achievements in London.
Record numbers of police are helping to cut crime in London. Tory cuts would mean fewer police on the streets and Michael Howard cut police numbers in London by 1,132 when he was Home Secretary.
London’s economy is working - unemployment has fallen by 43% in London since 1997 and 138,600 people in London have found work through the New Deal. In stark contrast the Tories opposed the New Deal and the Minimum Wage.
London’s school standards are up and rising faster than anywhere else in the UK. Labour investment in more teachers is really making a difference with 825 more primary school teachers, 3,441 more secondary school teachers and 11,597 more teaching assistants in London since 1997.
Remember, here in Tooting, as well as across London, this election is a straight choice between Labour and the Tories.
Sadiq
