Last week, during a shameful episode of self-Googling, I discovered that a 2009 Blood and Property post had been revisited by Iain Sinclair in his 2011 book Ghost Milk. Here's a link to the excerpt in Google Books: http://bit.ly/1GeCbXe
The original posts he referred to were:
Is the supernatural significant (in Hackney politics)?
Survey responses in Do Hackney Politicians believe in ghosts?
This was interpreted by Chris French, Psychology professor at Goldsmiths.
And Iain provided a quote about it too at the time: Sinclair scorns councillor ghost stories.
With the General Election coming up, is it worth putting a question like this to Meg or Diane? Last time (2010) Meg said: 'To be brutally honest I've got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that' - but she did answer lots of other questions about what she hoped to do as an opposition MP.
Otherwise, to find out what policies you really like when the party labels are removed take this survey here: Voteforpolicies.org.uk.
Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Old horror in Hackney shop
As halloween approaches I remembered this 'incredible, eye popping, horror extravaganza'. It was for sale in the Dalston - either in the St Vincent second hand shop or Oxfam in 2010 - I didn't buy it, it may still be haunting the shelves.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Should you avoid ψηφισάτω (666) on Halloween?
Until this post was written Blood and Property had a symbolically significant number of posts in its archives.
It provides an excuse to revisit October 2009 when Blood and Property asked Hackney politicians if they had ever had a brush with the supernatural. Should the operation be repeated?
Back in 2009 several Hackney politicians replied but some have moved on, like the former leader of the Conservative group who had ghost troubles in a property in Stoke Newington.
Wikipedia gives some of the background on the source and meaning of 666. However none of it's that scary, at least not in a supernatural kind of way.
But with Halloween impending and Blood and Property sounding like the title of a horror movie it seemed sensible to push past the number of the beast.
Back in 2009 several Hackney politicians replied but some have moved on, like the former leader of the Conservative group who had ghost troubles in a property in Stoke Newington.
Now there are lots of new faces on the benches in Hackney Council and their supernatural views remain uncharted meanwhile older hands may have updates. (Today's Financial Times 'exposed' a potential Conservative MEP as a ghost hunter and expert on the paranormal).
So would it be in the borough's best interests to recalibrate the ghost index? Or did Meg Hillier have the right attitude to Blood and Property's idiotic questions?
Latest on Hackney occult
Otherwise Ancient Hackney is keen to address the devil's work in your area. The most recent post (a lengthy piece of research into an advertising campaign for New Age Games on Hackney Downs) contains this reassuring comment: "It never surprises us when we discover occult symbolism contained within government literature, so on seeing The Venus Map... our response amounted to nothing more than a raising of the eyebrows."
And something on Hackney UFOs too: http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2011/10/hackney-ufo-1970-source-material.html
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Hackney play area or evil vortex?
This week Hackney Bloggers have delivered...
Supernatural
Supernatural
Be afraid because, apparently: 'This (Hackney) playground is much more than a play area, its an energy vortex which was marked out and built by Hackney Council planners and construction contractors.... Why go to so much trouble to build a child safe play area with the newest technology in safety turfing to place a boulder on top of that MOUND. Even if you don't believe a word we say, its pretty odd don't you agree?' (Up there with that masonic pyramid on Canary Wharf and Hawksmoor's pentagon of East End churches.)
Natural
Returning to the real world Northern Rustic points out some exotic looking birds in Hackney (he now seems to have a site dedicated to the Birds of Stoke Newington Reservoirs). This week on Northern Rustic it is Waxwings (as it was at the end of Feb) possibly because: 'It could be a long time before our dark urban borough is graced by them again, so it seems only just to make the most of them'.
Ultra Orthodox
Hackney blogger 'If you tickle us' hit the headlines last week via an article in the Telegraph about Stamford Hill. This promted a flurry of activity and as Tickle said: 'The Hill is alive with the sound of comments.'
Free schools in Hackney?
This week's Hackney Gazette has a letter from lots of top Hackney folk complaining about the idea of a free school in Hackney. They say: 'While the public will be paying for them, we will have absolutely no say in how they are run or to hold them to account in the event of problems'. This sounds pretty much like academies which, it is rumoured, are slave-ships for teachers, and also steal each others teachers as if they were competing businesses, and which are not subject to freedom of information act.... but are otherwise loved - may be by some of Labour Party people on the list of objectors to free schools.
Well Street in the FT
This weekend's Financial Times had a piece about a charity set up to help poor people in the East End evicting Well Street shopkeepers. The FT reported: "They want to increase my annual rent from £5,000 to £9,000,” says Danny Rao, who runs the street’s post office. “If that happens, I’ll have to close down. And if I close down, half the street’s going to be dead." That will leave lots of room for more off licences and betting shops - the only money-making shops on Hackney highstreets these days - apart from Tescos, but there's one of them there already. Hopefully the FT's undercover economist and Hackney resident Tim Harford will shed light on whether a charity should be denied the right to ask shopkeepers to pay a market rate rent, and whether there is a cause to fight for here.
A colleague at work pointed out where the 'If you tickle us' might be from (I didn't know): Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice: 'Hath not a Jew eyes; hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer that a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?' (Meanwhile, if you are in need of more conspiracy theories, here's one about Shakespeare and Hackney)
Free schools in Hackney?
This week's Hackney Gazette has a letter from lots of top Hackney folk complaining about the idea of a free school in Hackney. They say: 'While the public will be paying for them, we will have absolutely no say in how they are run or to hold them to account in the event of problems'. This sounds pretty much like academies which, it is rumoured, are slave-ships for teachers, and also steal each others teachers as if they were competing businesses, and which are not subject to freedom of information act.... but are otherwise loved - may be by some of Labour Party people on the list of objectors to free schools.
Well Street in the FT
This weekend's Financial Times had a piece about a charity set up to help poor people in the East End evicting Well Street shopkeepers. The FT reported: "They want to increase my annual rent from £5,000 to £9,000,” says Danny Rao, who runs the street’s post office. “If that happens, I’ll have to close down. And if I close down, half the street’s going to be dead." That will leave lots of room for more off licences and betting shops - the only money-making shops on Hackney highstreets these days - apart from Tescos, but there's one of them there already. Hopefully the FT's undercover economist and Hackney resident Tim Harford will shed light on whether a charity should be denied the right to ask shopkeepers to pay a market rate rent, and whether there is a cause to fight for here.
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Hackney fox attacks babies
This story from the Telegraph says a fox attacked nine-month old twins in their own home: "Police were called to the three-storey Victorian terraced house in Hackney, on Saturday night after the toddlers' parents, Nick and Pauline Koupparis, raised the alarm at 10pm."
The Sun reports: "Last night Isabella remained in intensive care while Lola was being treated on a separate ward... Cops went round telling residents to keep their doors and ground-floor windows closed. Neighbour Fatma Pekcam, 22, said: "There have always been foxes around here but now they're so tame they're not afraid of anything."
The Sun reports: "Last night Isabella remained in intensive care while Lola was being treated on a separate ward... Cops went round telling residents to keep their doors and ground-floor windows closed. Neighbour Fatma Pekcam, 22, said: "There have always been foxes around here but now they're so tame they're not afraid of anything."
A couple of weeks ago my flatmate was confronted by the family of foxes living in a hole next to the bins in our communal garden. They didn't bother running away - just stared at him in a slightly unnerving fashion.
As an aside, the fox attack appears to have happened in MP Meg Hillier's constituency. Meg's predecessor, Brian Sedgemore, once had a spat with Clive Aslet, then editor of Country Life over fox-hunting.
Bloggers provide latest on Hackney gang violence:
Loving Dalston provides news of cover-up over knife fights on Kingsland Road
Thursday, 22 April 2010
God on her side?
Back in February Blood and Property posted a story called "Brain cancer will not halt Christian bid for Diane's seat". It came from the Scotsman which reported that the Reverend George Hargreaves - the leader of the Hackney-based Christian Party - had pulled out of an election because his wife, Maxine, had fallen ill with cancer.
The paper said that Maxine Hargreaves had already recovered once from the disease and had undergone brain surgery in 2007. It also said that she still aimed to take on Diane Abbott in Hackney South and Shoreditch.
Yesterday her candidacy for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was announced.
How serious a threat does she pose? In February Diane Abbott told Blood and Property: "A large proportion of my constituents go to church so understanding religion is important to me. Huge amounts of money are being poured into the Christian Party here in Hackney, as your blog has pointed out. This seems to suggest religion may be on the agenda of politicians in the future but it will only really make a difference if candidates can win the support of people outside of their churches as well as within them."
The Christian Party now has the backing of some rich and powerful figures: Hackney Christians: money, power, demonic possession.
It also came 7th in the 2009 European elections, behind the BNP, in the London Region winning 51,336 votes (2.9%). (These figures are from Wikipedia which is worth a look for an interesting set of policies ranging from music copyright law to "discouragement of the practice of addressing women as Ms")
The success of the party, or the damage it could inflict on Labour in Hackney, will depend on how large the borough's fundamentalist Christian population is. Many of these could come from the African community which Hargreaves has been targeting, at home and abroad: Hackney Christian politician in BNP 'mistake'
However Hargreaves and his party are not well regarded in some quarters. On April 2nd the Guardian described Rev Hargreaves as "The black man who could help the BNP win Barking"
On Tuesday April 20th, the BBC published a piece called "Will Christians swing the 2010 election?" It concentrated on marginals and quoted Rev Hargreaves saying his party could have a "king-maker" role in some constituencies.
The Christian Party was started by Rev Hargreaves in 2004 and took on its current name at the end of 2005 (according to Wikipedia) so it has not stood candidates in a General Election before.
The party is also fielding a candidate in Hackney South and Shoreditch and in the borough's Mayoral elections.
The paper said that Maxine Hargreaves had already recovered once from the disease and had undergone brain surgery in 2007. It also said that she still aimed to take on Diane Abbott in Hackney South and Shoreditch.
Yesterday her candidacy for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was announced.
How serious a threat does she pose? In February Diane Abbott told Blood and Property: "A large proportion of my constituents go to church so understanding religion is important to me. Huge amounts of money are being poured into the Christian Party here in Hackney, as your blog has pointed out. This seems to suggest religion may be on the agenda of politicians in the future but it will only really make a difference if candidates can win the support of people outside of their churches as well as within them."
The Christian Party now has the backing of some rich and powerful figures: Hackney Christians: money, power, demonic possession.
It also came 7th in the 2009 European elections, behind the BNP, in the London Region winning 51,336 votes (2.9%). (These figures are from Wikipedia which is worth a look for an interesting set of policies ranging from music copyright law to "discouragement of the practice of addressing women as Ms")
The success of the party, or the damage it could inflict on Labour in Hackney, will depend on how large the borough's fundamentalist Christian population is. Many of these could come from the African community which Hargreaves has been targeting, at home and abroad: Hackney Christian politician in BNP 'mistake'
However Hargreaves and his party are not well regarded in some quarters. On April 2nd the Guardian described Rev Hargreaves as "The black man who could help the BNP win Barking"
On Tuesday April 20th, the BBC published a piece called "Will Christians swing the 2010 election?" It concentrated on marginals and quoted Rev Hargreaves saying his party could have a "king-maker" role in some constituencies.
The Christian Party was started by Rev Hargreaves in 2004 and took on its current name at the end of 2005 (according to Wikipedia) so it has not stood candidates in a General Election before.
The party is also fielding a candidate in Hackney South and Shoreditch and in the borough's Mayoral elections.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Independent candidate Denny de la Haye answers Blood and Property questions
Hackney South and Shoreditch independent candidate Denny de la Haye answers Blood and Property questions. The questions assume some knowledge of Denny's manifesto. Details of his campaign to become an e-democracy MP can be found at getavote.org and in this Open Democracy piece. I'm hoping to ask him some more questions at a later date.
Blood and Property: What sort of issues that aren't directly related to voting in Parliament - and your system for canvassing your constituents - do you think you'd have to deal with? Will there be parts of the job that cannot be defined by your constituents?
Denny de la Haye: I'm worried about the short timescale on which some votes are called - I think these tend to be minor amendments rather than full bills, which have more forewarning although there's still room for improvement from what I understand of the way the Parliamentary timetable is set.
There are also some votes which are purely procedural as I understand it, along the lines of "I propose we break for lunch now", which I don't think anyone will mind me voting in however seems appropriate at the time.
In any situation where I find myself having to vote on something significant without a mandate from my constituents, then I'll either vote as I think they would want me to vote if I think that's clear, or abstain if it's not. In either case, I'll immediately post such votes (and how I voted) on the website for discussion. This has two aims - firstly, to give me a better chance of knowing how to vote on similar issues in future short-notice votes, and secondly, to call attention to how much Parliamentary business is done on a timetable too short for public participation. I believe the latter to be a significant problem which would be fairly easy to address if there was a will to do so - running the country shouldn't (usually) be done on a short-notice timetable, one would hope there's a lot of planning ahead being done, and that should carry through to allow the public time to participate if they wish.
Blood and Property: Does the job require an element of leadership? Or what other personal qualities do you think an MP should have?
Denny de la Haye: As far as 'qualities an MP should have' are concerned, I think an honest desire to represent the people of their area should be very high on the list. My manifesto not only offers but actually enforces that, in a very open and transparent way.
Blood and Property: Judging by what I've seen, the blogging or online community in Hackney is not very big - at least not in terms of showing an interest in Hackney politics. Does that mean that your system could be beholden to the same few people?
Denny de la Haye: It's a possibility, but I'm not sure it's a probability, and if it does work out that way, I'm not entirely sure it's a problem. Firstly, regarding 'Hackney politics' - most of the issues which people vote on in Parliament are national in scope. They will have local impact, but they're national issues, and nationally there's quite a lot of political blogging and single-issue campaigning. One challenge for the site will be to explain how and why each national issue relates to Hackney, and why people might want to vote on that issue.
Secondly, regarding participation levels... if people are given the right to actually change the way I will vote on issues, I think that will have more pull in terms of numbers than the chance to write a blog or take part in political campaigning which has no guarantee of causing
a response. This is further helped by the fact that clicking on a poll is pretty quick and easy, once you've gone through the initial pain of creating your account on the site and logging in. That ease of participation leads to far higher poll-vote totals than comment totals
on every site I've ever run, and I think it'll be the same in this case - a few contributed issues, more comments, and way way more votes.
Finally, regarding 'keen participants' biasing the polls... to steal a software joke, I'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature. If there's a group of people who feel really strongly about a particular issue, and they're organised enough to keep track of it and vote in polls about it, they're probably quite well informed about it and very entitled to their vote on that issue. If their position is contested, then presumably there will also be people voting against them in equally keen numbers.
If an issue doesn't arouse such interest on one or both sides, then does it matter if the only people who do vote are the people who really care about that issue? If nobody cares enough to vote at all, is the outcome actually important to the people of Hackney? Maybe not.
Blood and Property: Would you set up your system anyway and make it available to whoever does become MP - if it's not you?
Denny de la Haye: Yes, absolutely. I intend to continue setting up the system and make it available to every MP and PPC in the country. The difference is that I (and perhaps some other independents, over time) will agree to be bound by the polls - whereas any party MP is ultimately bound by their party whip.
Blood and Property: Have you ever had a supernatural experience?
Denny de La Haye: I've never had a supernatural experience. I tend to be sceptical about the supernatural, but not so sceptical that I wouldn't happily change my mind if I did have an experience myself. It would take some impressive evidence to change my mind without such an experience.
Other Blood and Property interviews:
Meg Hillier (22nd March 2010)
Jules Pipe (11th March 2010)
Diane Abbott (11th Feb 2010)
Blood and Property: What sort of issues that aren't directly related to voting in Parliament - and your system for canvassing your constituents - do you think you'd have to deal with? Will there be parts of the job that cannot be defined by your constituents?
Denny de la Haye: I'm worried about the short timescale on which some votes are called - I think these tend to be minor amendments rather than full bills, which have more forewarning although there's still room for improvement from what I understand of the way the Parliamentary timetable is set.
There are also some votes which are purely procedural as I understand it, along the lines of "I propose we break for lunch now", which I don't think anyone will mind me voting in however seems appropriate at the time.
In any situation where I find myself having to vote on something significant without a mandate from my constituents, then I'll either vote as I think they would want me to vote if I think that's clear, or abstain if it's not. In either case, I'll immediately post such votes (and how I voted) on the website for discussion. This has two aims - firstly, to give me a better chance of knowing how to vote on similar issues in future short-notice votes, and secondly, to call attention to how much Parliamentary business is done on a timetable too short for public participation. I believe the latter to be a significant problem which would be fairly easy to address if there was a will to do so - running the country shouldn't (usually) be done on a short-notice timetable, one would hope there's a lot of planning ahead being done, and that should carry through to allow the public time to participate if they wish.
Blood and Property: Does the job require an element of leadership? Or what other personal qualities do you think an MP should have?
Denny de la Haye: As far as 'qualities an MP should have' are concerned, I think an honest desire to represent the people of their area should be very high on the list. My manifesto not only offers but actually enforces that, in a very open and transparent way.
Blood and Property: Judging by what I've seen, the blogging or online community in Hackney is not very big - at least not in terms of showing an interest in Hackney politics. Does that mean that your system could be beholden to the same few people?
Denny de la Haye: It's a possibility, but I'm not sure it's a probability, and if it does work out that way, I'm not entirely sure it's a problem. Firstly, regarding 'Hackney politics' - most of the issues which people vote on in Parliament are national in scope. They will have local impact, but they're national issues, and nationally there's quite a lot of political blogging and single-issue campaigning. One challenge for the site will be to explain how and why each national issue relates to Hackney, and why people might want to vote on that issue.
Secondly, regarding participation levels... if people are given the right to actually change the way I will vote on issues, I think that will have more pull in terms of numbers than the chance to write a blog or take part in political campaigning which has no guarantee of causing
a response. This is further helped by the fact that clicking on a poll is pretty quick and easy, once you've gone through the initial pain of creating your account on the site and logging in. That ease of participation leads to far higher poll-vote totals than comment totals
on every site I've ever run, and I think it'll be the same in this case - a few contributed issues, more comments, and way way more votes.
Finally, regarding 'keen participants' biasing the polls... to steal a software joke, I'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature. If there's a group of people who feel really strongly about a particular issue, and they're organised enough to keep track of it and vote in polls about it, they're probably quite well informed about it and very entitled to their vote on that issue. If their position is contested, then presumably there will also be people voting against them in equally keen numbers.
If an issue doesn't arouse such interest on one or both sides, then does it matter if the only people who do vote are the people who really care about that issue? If nobody cares enough to vote at all, is the outcome actually important to the people of Hackney? Maybe not.
Blood and Property: Would you set up your system anyway and make it available to whoever does become MP - if it's not you?
Denny de la Haye: Yes, absolutely. I intend to continue setting up the system and make it available to every MP and PPC in the country. The difference is that I (and perhaps some other independents, over time) will agree to be bound by the polls - whereas any party MP is ultimately bound by their party whip.
Blood and Property: Have you ever had a supernatural experience?
Denny de La Haye: I've never had a supernatural experience. I tend to be sceptical about the supernatural, but not so sceptical that I wouldn't happily change my mind if I did have an experience myself. It would take some impressive evidence to change my mind without such an experience.
Other Blood and Property interviews:
Meg Hillier (22nd March 2010)
Jules Pipe (11th March 2010)
Diane Abbott (11th Feb 2010)
Monday, 22 March 2010
"To be brutally honest I've got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that" Meg Hillier
Blood and Property posted an interview with Meg Hillier on Monday morning. It is long. But is it dull?
Meg Hillier on Religion: "I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job."
Meg Hillier on Ghosts: "To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that."
So, did she answer any of the questions Blood and Property put to her in this interview?
Find out here: Meg Hillier answers Blood and Property questions.
Meg Hillier on Religion: "I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job."
Meg Hillier on Ghosts: "To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that."
So, did she answer any of the questions Blood and Property put to her in this interview?
Find out here: Meg Hillier answers Blood and Property questions.
Meg Hillier answers Blood and Property questions
Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch and Under-Secretary of State for Identity talks to Blood and Property.
Blood and Property: How does your job as a minister fit in with your job as a constituency MP?
Meg Hillier: There’s quite a lot of overlap with Home Office issues and concerns in Hackney and it’s helpful to have the experience of being a Hackney MP for my ministerial work and vice versa.
In terms of the time I spend in Hackney, it is much the same as it was when I wasn’t a minister; a lot of an MP’s time is spent in Parliament during the week.
The difference is that I can’t speak about issues in the chamber of the House of Commons that aren’t related to my ministerial portfolio or department.
So I can’t ask questions in the House on certain issues but that’s not necessarily a problem because there are other ways I can raise them. For example, on the Crown Estate proposals, which is a big issue in the constituency, threatening to sell off its property in Victoria Park, I’m working very closely with the other MPs involved who are not ministers. We’re working together but they’re speaking and I’m supporting.
Blood and Property: When I tried to get in touch with you about Brian Pead (Hackney child therapist caught in polic sting), the initial response was that I couldn’t talk to you about it without going through the Home Office press office.
Meg Hillier: In my Parliamentary office my staff are funded to deal with my Parliamentary work, not my Home Office work and don’t field any Home Office phone calls. The staff there deal with Hackney, not the Home Office.
Blood and Property: So you couldn’t talk to me about that stuff?
Meg Hillier: I couldn’t talk to you about an individual case.
Blood and Property: But if there’s an issue in your constituency that is brought up by a constituent, do you find out about it?
Meg Hillier: If any constituent raises an issue with me, I take it up. There’s nothing stopping me taking anything up.
Blood and Property: It just sounded, from your description of how you have to deal with the Crown Estate Issue, that you are limited in what you are allowed to do.
Meg Hillier: No, I can’t speak on another minister’s portfolio because I’m a member of the government. But I’m not silenced. There are many ways of raising issues. And realistically, you don’t always get to speak about the issues you want to speak about in Parliament. There are constraints on what is spoken about and you have to queue for your space.
So I’m still very active dealing with my constituents. I’ve dealt with 11,000 since I was elected (although that number includes some who have come back on other issues). I do all the things that I did in Hackney when I wasn’t a minister. Nothing has changed there at all.
Blood and Property: It’s just that that doesn’t sound realistic. Your ministerial job must involve a lot of time.
Meg Hillier: Yes, but as I say to my office, my main job is as a constituency MP. What I mean by that is that my time spent in the constituency and on Hackney issues is priority.
Blood and Property: How many people do you employ and, in the Home Office, how many people are specifically dedicated to you?
Meg Hillier: 2.8 - two full timers and one person working a four day a week, that’s for Hackney and Parliament. (In terms of the Home Office) there’s a private office and that has four people and those four people shadow the work that I do and part of that is about Home Office continuity.
Blood and Property: Do you think that you get enough scrutiny from your constituents? There seems to be an unhealthy level of disinterest.
Meg Hillier: Constituents contact me on a whole range of issues but one issue is the timing of that engagement. Influencing policy is better the earlier you get into that process. The earlier people get involved the more likely it is that any individual MP or group of MPs can influence policy. Part of the challenge is how people find out about what is going on. I try and write a report every month to say what is coming up in Parliament and what’s been going through (with the aim of getting feedback and having consultations) Essentially I welcome that earlier discussion.
Blood and Property: But do people come and speak to you about what’s going on in Hackney rather than what’s going on in Parliament?
Meg Hillier: It’s a fair mix of both. There is a level of misunderstanding still. People think that I work for the council. And although councillors in Hackney are very active, a lot of people don’t know what a councillor is. If you come across an issue that affects you or that you are passionately interested in, at that point you have to engage, and if you have never engaged before then the system probably is a bit confusing. We need to do more to explain what happens and how to engage and make it easy for people to find things on the website or in the literature.
Blood and Property: In comparison to Islington, is Hackney a lot less sophisticated?
Meg Hillier: People have stereotypes about places. I spent my first two years in Parliament taking every chance I got to speak about Hackney and to raise issues like poverty in the borough. But people have a negative impression and I felt that part of my job was to say some of the good things about Hackney too, to challenge the stereotypes.
Blood and Property: One issue that pops up every now and again is that some communities don’t seem to have any political representation. Like the Vietnamese community.
Meg Hillier: The Vietnamese community did have a representative, Than Vu who was a Hackney Councillor.
Blood and Property: How big is the community?
Meg Hillier: I don’t know off the top of my head but it is significant. We talked about having a Viet Town in Hackney. There is Bangla Town and China Town and Hackney has one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the capital.
Blood and Property: Any idea why they don’t have a representative?
Meg Hillier: Well he (Than Vu) was but the Chinese community as well has never been massively represented. It’s an issue I have discussed with the Chinese Association. It’s partly cultural, but certainly there’s a level of engagement.
I have to say diverse representation is not a big problem in Hackney. If you look at the diversity of Hackney council it is the most diverse council of anywhere, I would say in the country. So something is going right in Hackney.
It’s not a pick and mix, it’s not as if you have to have someone from every group, to make it representative. A council is elected for four years and if you look at it now I’d say it’s pretty genuinely mixed.
Blood and Property: Do you expect communities to be self-interested for a multicultural system to work?
Meg Hillier: We have a party system in this country and people will look at what policies work for them. People don’t necessarily vote down ethnic lines. They wouldn’t necessarily vote for a Vietnamese councillor because they are Vietnamese or for a Turkish councillor because they were Turkish or African councillor because they were African. People tend to vote more for the party of their choice and I think that’s healthy.
Blood and Property: And if they weren’t doing that, would you say it was unhealthy?
Meg Hillier: Lots of people vote for parties, but of course a lot of people don’t have parties, they float, and there are many factors in their decisions. There are lots of people who will vote for the same party, not necessarily mine, for years and years. Others vote for one party one year and another the next and they have different reasons for voting. Rarely is it a personality decision. My view is that there is very little personality voting and it is more on the big issues and wider concerns.
Blood and Property: Does it matter if you have large, politically active communities, that do act with a certain level of self interest – or promote issues that affect this community?
Meg Hillier: That’s what politics is about.
Blood and Property: But if that’s all happening in the North of the Borough, and you’re south, does it mean that the political attention of the council is drawn up there.
Meg Hillier: I have no indication or worry that the political attention of the council is being drawn away from my area on important issues.
I have no concerns there at all. The divide in the borough is artificial. One of the things about Hackney is that it’s multicultural, it’s diverse and that is very healthy. You don’t get the same divides that you get in other boroughs where perhaps you don’t get that level of diversity. Why is it that the BNP doesn’t get a grip in Hackney? Part of that is because it is so diverse.
Blood and Property: How important do you think religion is in terms of understanding Hackney? Is it a big issue or not really?
Meg Hillier: Well there are lots of people of different faiths, are you talking about the political influence of religion?
Blood and Property: It’s just that there seems to be a stark divide between Hackney politicians, a very atheist secular side and a very religious side.
Meg Hillier: But that’s what you get in society, a mix of different faiths and different views. Hackney council is no different to the rest of the world in that respect. There are certainly plenty of different faith communities that are very active in Hackney so it has a place as much as elsewhere. I engage with people of all faiths and none.
Blood and Property: Are you religious at all?
Meg Hillier: I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job.
Blood and Property: What about a question I asked other Hackney politicians – do you believe in ghosts? (Do Hackney Politicians believe in ghosts? )
Meg Hillier: I’m an MP and I talk about what I do in Hackney as a politician. To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that.
Blood and Property: There was an issue back in 2005 about child abuse, exorcism and witchcraft in Hackney which put this stuff on the political radar.
Meg Hillier: Diane and I put out a joint press statement at the time. The story came from one line in a metropolitan police report where one person who had been interviewed said something. That one line was played up. Diane Abbott and I were both annoyed that it had been played up that way. That’s why we put out a joint statement saying that we did not believe there was ritual sacrifice going on in Hackney.
Blood and Property: Diane said some quite strong things about some of the churches ( Ban these witchcraft churches).
Meg Hillier: That’s all pretty old stuff now.
Blood and Property: It’s just to show that issues about religion do come up.
Meg Hillier: I didn’t say I didn’t talk about religion, I said I engage with all groups on an equal basis. I visit mosques, churches of all denominations, faith groups and groups who I don’t know if they’ve got a faith commitment or not. I don’t question people on that basis. And if people want to lobby me on particular issues they need to know they can do that without fear of favour.
Blood and Property: Do you think that Hackney has seen the worst of the financial crisis?
Meg Hillier: I don’t think I could say one way or another at this stage. It depends what happens nationally, it looks like we’re coming slightly out of recession. One of Hackney’s challenges and one of the things I’m keen to pursue further is the issue about skilling up the population.
In Hackney you get hundreds of people applying for checkout jobs in places like Sainsburys. And that’s partly because the level of skills required in those jobs means that they are open to a lot of people.
Hackney’s got a very fast turnover of population. If you talk to the local bus company, they will tell you they take people on as bus drivers, skill them up and they move up to become managers then very often move out of Hackney.
That’s my biggest concern, that we are working with schools and colleges, and that we are skilling people up to take jobs in and around Hackney. And Hackney doesn’t have that many big employers at the moment other than the NHS and the council.
Blood and Property: Have things got much worse though, since the financial crisis?
Meg Hillier: I went to the Job Centre recently to ask them what they are doing and who they are seeing. Certainly there have been some changes. A slight increase in unemployment as you would expect although I’m not complacent about it.
And I go back to the skills thing. The best way to deal with this is to make sure that the people offering advice and training are doing their jobs properly. So that in bad times Hackney residents are in a good position to do well.
So the fact that Hackney schools are improving is a real welcome step because Hackney school children will be the workers of tomorrow and the better equipped they are to take on jobs available, the better equipped they are to compete.
Blood and Property: How seriously do you think Hackney would be affected if a Conservative government came into power?
Meg Hillier: If you look at the investment that’s gone into Hackney both from central government and from the council – the government has been pouring money in. We’ve got, five new secondary schools, 12 new Sure Start centres, other school improvement work, work at the Homerton Hospital and new GP surgeries. That investment is not an accident, that’s because Hackney has not had that investment for a very long time and the government prioritise that. For instance Decent Homes. When I started out in politics in the 90s I used to have to say to people I’m sorry, I have no idea when your window will get replaced. It was awful, people would have problems in their properties with no likelihood for improvement and now that work happens. But I don’t think it will be Conservative priority to focus on areas like Hackney.
Blood and Property: But is there much that can be done about that if the Conservatives do get into power?
Meg Hillier: Were the Conservatives to get in they would be bored of the word Hackney because I’d be bringing it up so often. I’d be looking endlessly at the Parliamentary end of things, looking at the detail of everything going through, every funding formula, any slight amendment or tweak that could benefit Hackney. Whether or not we could ever change it is another question but we would have to be ever vigilant.
Blood and Property: You and Diane seem to have very different views and styles, does that ever cause a problem? For example you seem to be on opposite sides on issues like the DNA database and Yarl’s Wood.
Meg Hillier: We actually get on very well. She’s been a great support as a fellow working mum. Her experience has been very helpful and she’s happy to share that with me. We are separate MPs representing different constituencies but sometimes there are issues that are Hackney-wide and we work together on those things. Even on the issue of children and detention there are areas of overlap, we actually share some views on that even though it might seem that we come from different positions. We work more together behind the scenes than people might appreciate.
Blood and Property: Do you think that in places like Hackney, or Tower Hamlets, that council departments and staff become politicised?
Meg Hillier: I deal with them on a very factual basis. If I’m dealing with a licensing issue then I’m dealing with them in relation to a licensing issue. But I think it’s right that council employees should follow the policy mission of the council. They should also be able to change course if the leadership changed. But I don’t think there’s any likelihood that the leadership will change.
Blood and Property: Do you think that concern over Hackney’s communications department, with Hackney Today for example, is fair? Do you think there are safeguards to prevent these becoming political tools?
Meg Hillier: There are safeguards because there have been councils in the past that have been taken to court when they’ve put something in the paper that’s been seen to be political. If anyone has an objection they should raise it and it should be investigated. But I don’t deal with Hackney Today at all beyond updating surgery details. I do publications from Parliament and I have to make it very balanced and not party political. There are very strict rules for all of us in public life.
Blood and Property: Back in 2005 when you were the parliamentary candidate for Hackney you were working in Tower Hamlets council press office which I think the Lib Dems had an issue with.
Meg Hillier: I wasn’t employed by Tower Hamlets council.
Blood and Property: No you were employed by an agency but you had a job in the press office.
Meg Hillier: I didn’t actually have a job in the press office. I was employed by my employer who then sent me on an appointment and they took me on because of the skills I had and my politics was really neither here nor there. If I hadn’t been able to do the job I wouldn’t have got the job.
Blood and Property: Yes, but its just an example of having people who are clearly political in roles that may be shouldn’t be political.
Meg Hillier: But there are rules about that. You can’t do that in jobs of a certain level.
Blood and Property: But you were able to do that job in Tower Hamlets because you worked for an agency instead of being a council employee.
Meg Hillier: I was employed by someone to do a job and I was not there to do any spin for any particular political party. In my job before I was very professional and you don’t last very long if you are partial. But equally, if you work in any local government environment you have to follow the policy that your political leadership sets. And that’s the job of a non-politically aligned administrative body.
Blood and Property: So if someone like Andrew Boff won and became Mayor you wouldn’t see a huge exodus of staff at a certain level?
Meg Hillier: Well. I don’t know. I don’t see it happening. But really there a lots of examples of people being councillors from one party or another and they wind up being chief executives of a council of a different political hue and it’s not an issue because they’re good at their jobs.
Blood and Property: What about crime?
Meg Hillier: Crime has definitely gone down massively in Hackney. When I speak to people on doorsteps they recognise that.
Blood and Property: Is that because of the number of policemen?
Meg Hillier: Well there are record numbers of police in London compared with what we’ve had. Neighbourhood policing has played a fantastic role in that, as well as building people’s trust in the system and reducing fear of crime because people are seeing bobbies on the beat. It’s an example of how the public can be right, they wanted more bobbies on the beat which has reassured people as well as making a difference.
Blood and Property: Do you think that these improvements are reversible?
Meg Hillier: Certainly, if there was a dramatic reduction in police officers across London that would be challenging. But normally, in a recession, we see crime increase and we haven’t. Although figures are all very well, if you’re a victim of crime you’re 100% a victim and you wouldn’t care about us saying that it’s all great. But you’re far less likely to be a victim now than you ever were – I think since the 50s. But if you are the victim it’s horrible for you. But that’s why we make sure that there’s victim support, that we catch the perpetrators and we let people know what’s happened to them. If someone’s done something wrong, you need to know, as a victim, that that person’s being held to account.
Links to Diane Abbott interview and Jules Pipe interview.
Blood and Property: How does your job as a minister fit in with your job as a constituency MP?
Meg Hillier: There’s quite a lot of overlap with Home Office issues and concerns in Hackney and it’s helpful to have the experience of being a Hackney MP for my ministerial work and vice versa.
In terms of the time I spend in Hackney, it is much the same as it was when I wasn’t a minister; a lot of an MP’s time is spent in Parliament during the week.
The difference is that I can’t speak about issues in the chamber of the House of Commons that aren’t related to my ministerial portfolio or department.
So I can’t ask questions in the House on certain issues but that’s not necessarily a problem because there are other ways I can raise them. For example, on the Crown Estate proposals, which is a big issue in the constituency, threatening to sell off its property in Victoria Park, I’m working very closely with the other MPs involved who are not ministers. We’re working together but they’re speaking and I’m supporting.
Blood and Property: When I tried to get in touch with you about Brian Pead (Hackney child therapist caught in polic sting), the initial response was that I couldn’t talk to you about it without going through the Home Office press office.
Meg Hillier: In my Parliamentary office my staff are funded to deal with my Parliamentary work, not my Home Office work and don’t field any Home Office phone calls. The staff there deal with Hackney, not the Home Office.
Blood and Property: So you couldn’t talk to me about that stuff?
Meg Hillier: I couldn’t talk to you about an individual case.
Blood and Property: But if there’s an issue in your constituency that is brought up by a constituent, do you find out about it?
Meg Hillier: If any constituent raises an issue with me, I take it up. There’s nothing stopping me taking anything up.
Blood and Property: It just sounded, from your description of how you have to deal with the Crown Estate Issue, that you are limited in what you are allowed to do.
Meg Hillier: No, I can’t speak on another minister’s portfolio because I’m a member of the government. But I’m not silenced. There are many ways of raising issues. And realistically, you don’t always get to speak about the issues you want to speak about in Parliament. There are constraints on what is spoken about and you have to queue for your space.
So I’m still very active dealing with my constituents. I’ve dealt with 11,000 since I was elected (although that number includes some who have come back on other issues). I do all the things that I did in Hackney when I wasn’t a minister. Nothing has changed there at all.
Blood and Property: It’s just that that doesn’t sound realistic. Your ministerial job must involve a lot of time.
Meg Hillier: Yes, but as I say to my office, my main job is as a constituency MP. What I mean by that is that my time spent in the constituency and on Hackney issues is priority.
Blood and Property: How many people do you employ and, in the Home Office, how many people are specifically dedicated to you?
Meg Hillier: 2.8 - two full timers and one person working a four day a week, that’s for Hackney and Parliament. (In terms of the Home Office) there’s a private office and that has four people and those four people shadow the work that I do and part of that is about Home Office continuity.
Blood and Property: Do you think that you get enough scrutiny from your constituents? There seems to be an unhealthy level of disinterest.
Meg Hillier: Constituents contact me on a whole range of issues but one issue is the timing of that engagement. Influencing policy is better the earlier you get into that process. The earlier people get involved the more likely it is that any individual MP or group of MPs can influence policy. Part of the challenge is how people find out about what is going on. I try and write a report every month to say what is coming up in Parliament and what’s been going through (with the aim of getting feedback and having consultations) Essentially I welcome that earlier discussion.
Blood and Property: But do people come and speak to you about what’s going on in Hackney rather than what’s going on in Parliament?
Meg Hillier: It’s a fair mix of both. There is a level of misunderstanding still. People think that I work for the council. And although councillors in Hackney are very active, a lot of people don’t know what a councillor is. If you come across an issue that affects you or that you are passionately interested in, at that point you have to engage, and if you have never engaged before then the system probably is a bit confusing. We need to do more to explain what happens and how to engage and make it easy for people to find things on the website or in the literature.
Blood and Property: In comparison to Islington, is Hackney a lot less sophisticated?
Meg Hillier: People have stereotypes about places. I spent my first two years in Parliament taking every chance I got to speak about Hackney and to raise issues like poverty in the borough. But people have a negative impression and I felt that part of my job was to say some of the good things about Hackney too, to challenge the stereotypes.
Blood and Property: One issue that pops up every now and again is that some communities don’t seem to have any political representation. Like the Vietnamese community.
Meg Hillier: The Vietnamese community did have a representative, Than Vu who was a Hackney Councillor.
Blood and Property: How big is the community?
Meg Hillier: I don’t know off the top of my head but it is significant. We talked about having a Viet Town in Hackney. There is Bangla Town and China Town and Hackney has one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the capital.
Blood and Property: Any idea why they don’t have a representative?
Meg Hillier: Well he (Than Vu) was but the Chinese community as well has never been massively represented. It’s an issue I have discussed with the Chinese Association. It’s partly cultural, but certainly there’s a level of engagement.
I have to say diverse representation is not a big problem in Hackney. If you look at the diversity of Hackney council it is the most diverse council of anywhere, I would say in the country. So something is going right in Hackney.
It’s not a pick and mix, it’s not as if you have to have someone from every group, to make it representative. A council is elected for four years and if you look at it now I’d say it’s pretty genuinely mixed.
Blood and Property: Do you expect communities to be self-interested for a multicultural system to work?
Meg Hillier: We have a party system in this country and people will look at what policies work for them. People don’t necessarily vote down ethnic lines. They wouldn’t necessarily vote for a Vietnamese councillor because they are Vietnamese or for a Turkish councillor because they were Turkish or African councillor because they were African. People tend to vote more for the party of their choice and I think that’s healthy.
Blood and Property: And if they weren’t doing that, would you say it was unhealthy?
Meg Hillier: Lots of people vote for parties, but of course a lot of people don’t have parties, they float, and there are many factors in their decisions. There are lots of people who will vote for the same party, not necessarily mine, for years and years. Others vote for one party one year and another the next and they have different reasons for voting. Rarely is it a personality decision. My view is that there is very little personality voting and it is more on the big issues and wider concerns.
Blood and Property: Does it matter if you have large, politically active communities, that do act with a certain level of self interest – or promote issues that affect this community?
Meg Hillier: That’s what politics is about.
Blood and Property: But if that’s all happening in the North of the Borough, and you’re south, does it mean that the political attention of the council is drawn up there.
Meg Hillier: I have no indication or worry that the political attention of the council is being drawn away from my area on important issues.
I have no concerns there at all. The divide in the borough is artificial. One of the things about Hackney is that it’s multicultural, it’s diverse and that is very healthy. You don’t get the same divides that you get in other boroughs where perhaps you don’t get that level of diversity. Why is it that the BNP doesn’t get a grip in Hackney? Part of that is because it is so diverse.
Blood and Property: How important do you think religion is in terms of understanding Hackney? Is it a big issue or not really?
Meg Hillier: Well there are lots of people of different faiths, are you talking about the political influence of religion?
Blood and Property: It’s just that there seems to be a stark divide between Hackney politicians, a very atheist secular side and a very religious side.
Meg Hillier: But that’s what you get in society, a mix of different faiths and different views. Hackney council is no different to the rest of the world in that respect. There are certainly plenty of different faith communities that are very active in Hackney so it has a place as much as elsewhere. I engage with people of all faiths and none.
Blood and Property: Are you religious at all?
Meg Hillier: I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job.
Blood and Property: What about a question I asked other Hackney politicians – do you believe in ghosts? (Do Hackney Politicians believe in ghosts? )
Meg Hillier: I’m an MP and I talk about what I do in Hackney as a politician. To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that.
Blood and Property: There was an issue back in 2005 about child abuse, exorcism and witchcraft in Hackney which put this stuff on the political radar.
Meg Hillier: Diane and I put out a joint press statement at the time. The story came from one line in a metropolitan police report where one person who had been interviewed said something. That one line was played up. Diane Abbott and I were both annoyed that it had been played up that way. That’s why we put out a joint statement saying that we did not believe there was ritual sacrifice going on in Hackney.
Blood and Property: Diane said some quite strong things about some of the churches ( Ban these witchcraft churches).
Meg Hillier: That’s all pretty old stuff now.
Blood and Property: It’s just to show that issues about religion do come up.
Meg Hillier: I didn’t say I didn’t talk about religion, I said I engage with all groups on an equal basis. I visit mosques, churches of all denominations, faith groups and groups who I don’t know if they’ve got a faith commitment or not. I don’t question people on that basis. And if people want to lobby me on particular issues they need to know they can do that without fear of favour.
Blood and Property: Do you think that Hackney has seen the worst of the financial crisis?
Meg Hillier: I don’t think I could say one way or another at this stage. It depends what happens nationally, it looks like we’re coming slightly out of recession. One of Hackney’s challenges and one of the things I’m keen to pursue further is the issue about skilling up the population.
In Hackney you get hundreds of people applying for checkout jobs in places like Sainsburys. And that’s partly because the level of skills required in those jobs means that they are open to a lot of people.
Hackney’s got a very fast turnover of population. If you talk to the local bus company, they will tell you they take people on as bus drivers, skill them up and they move up to become managers then very often move out of Hackney.
That’s my biggest concern, that we are working with schools and colleges, and that we are skilling people up to take jobs in and around Hackney. And Hackney doesn’t have that many big employers at the moment other than the NHS and the council.
Blood and Property: Have things got much worse though, since the financial crisis?
Meg Hillier: I went to the Job Centre recently to ask them what they are doing and who they are seeing. Certainly there have been some changes. A slight increase in unemployment as you would expect although I’m not complacent about it.
And I go back to the skills thing. The best way to deal with this is to make sure that the people offering advice and training are doing their jobs properly. So that in bad times Hackney residents are in a good position to do well.
So the fact that Hackney schools are improving is a real welcome step because Hackney school children will be the workers of tomorrow and the better equipped they are to take on jobs available, the better equipped they are to compete.
Blood and Property: How seriously do you think Hackney would be affected if a Conservative government came into power?
Meg Hillier: If you look at the investment that’s gone into Hackney both from central government and from the council – the government has been pouring money in. We’ve got, five new secondary schools, 12 new Sure Start centres, other school improvement work, work at the Homerton Hospital and new GP surgeries. That investment is not an accident, that’s because Hackney has not had that investment for a very long time and the government prioritise that. For instance Decent Homes. When I started out in politics in the 90s I used to have to say to people I’m sorry, I have no idea when your window will get replaced. It was awful, people would have problems in their properties with no likelihood for improvement and now that work happens. But I don’t think it will be Conservative priority to focus on areas like Hackney.
Blood and Property: But is there much that can be done about that if the Conservatives do get into power?
Meg Hillier: Were the Conservatives to get in they would be bored of the word Hackney because I’d be bringing it up so often. I’d be looking endlessly at the Parliamentary end of things, looking at the detail of everything going through, every funding formula, any slight amendment or tweak that could benefit Hackney. Whether or not we could ever change it is another question but we would have to be ever vigilant.
Blood and Property: You and Diane seem to have very different views and styles, does that ever cause a problem? For example you seem to be on opposite sides on issues like the DNA database and Yarl’s Wood.
Meg Hillier: We actually get on very well. She’s been a great support as a fellow working mum. Her experience has been very helpful and she’s happy to share that with me. We are separate MPs representing different constituencies but sometimes there are issues that are Hackney-wide and we work together on those things. Even on the issue of children and detention there are areas of overlap, we actually share some views on that even though it might seem that we come from different positions. We work more together behind the scenes than people might appreciate.
Blood and Property: Do you think that in places like Hackney, or Tower Hamlets, that council departments and staff become politicised?
Meg Hillier: I deal with them on a very factual basis. If I’m dealing with a licensing issue then I’m dealing with them in relation to a licensing issue. But I think it’s right that council employees should follow the policy mission of the council. They should also be able to change course if the leadership changed. But I don’t think there’s any likelihood that the leadership will change.
Blood and Property: Do you think that concern over Hackney’s communications department, with Hackney Today for example, is fair? Do you think there are safeguards to prevent these becoming political tools?
Meg Hillier: There are safeguards because there have been councils in the past that have been taken to court when they’ve put something in the paper that’s been seen to be political. If anyone has an objection they should raise it and it should be investigated. But I don’t deal with Hackney Today at all beyond updating surgery details. I do publications from Parliament and I have to make it very balanced and not party political. There are very strict rules for all of us in public life.
Blood and Property: Back in 2005 when you were the parliamentary candidate for Hackney you were working in Tower Hamlets council press office which I think the Lib Dems had an issue with.
Meg Hillier: I wasn’t employed by Tower Hamlets council.
Blood and Property: No you were employed by an agency but you had a job in the press office.
Meg Hillier: I didn’t actually have a job in the press office. I was employed by my employer who then sent me on an appointment and they took me on because of the skills I had and my politics was really neither here nor there. If I hadn’t been able to do the job I wouldn’t have got the job.
Blood and Property: Yes, but its just an example of having people who are clearly political in roles that may be shouldn’t be political.
Meg Hillier: But there are rules about that. You can’t do that in jobs of a certain level.
Blood and Property: But you were able to do that job in Tower Hamlets because you worked for an agency instead of being a council employee.
Meg Hillier: I was employed by someone to do a job and I was not there to do any spin for any particular political party. In my job before I was very professional and you don’t last very long if you are partial. But equally, if you work in any local government environment you have to follow the policy that your political leadership sets. And that’s the job of a non-politically aligned administrative body.
Blood and Property: So if someone like Andrew Boff won and became Mayor you wouldn’t see a huge exodus of staff at a certain level?
Meg Hillier: Well. I don’t know. I don’t see it happening. But really there a lots of examples of people being councillors from one party or another and they wind up being chief executives of a council of a different political hue and it’s not an issue because they’re good at their jobs.
Blood and Property: What about crime?
Meg Hillier: Crime has definitely gone down massively in Hackney. When I speak to people on doorsteps they recognise that.
Blood and Property: Is that because of the number of policemen?
Meg Hillier: Well there are record numbers of police in London compared with what we’ve had. Neighbourhood policing has played a fantastic role in that, as well as building people’s trust in the system and reducing fear of crime because people are seeing bobbies on the beat. It’s an example of how the public can be right, they wanted more bobbies on the beat which has reassured people as well as making a difference.
Blood and Property: Do you think that these improvements are reversible?
Meg Hillier: Certainly, if there was a dramatic reduction in police officers across London that would be challenging. But normally, in a recession, we see crime increase and we haven’t. Although figures are all very well, if you’re a victim of crime you’re 100% a victim and you wouldn’t care about us saying that it’s all great. But you’re far less likely to be a victim now than you ever were – I think since the 50s. But if you are the victim it’s horrible for you. But that’s why we make sure that there’s victim support, that we catch the perpetrators and we let people know what’s happened to them. If someone’s done something wrong, you need to know, as a victim, that that person’s being held to account.
Links to Diane Abbott interview and Jules Pipe interview.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
De Beauvoir UFOs/unsuccessful Hackney candidate/Asians don't vote for black candidates?
UFOs in Hackney? Apparently the skies over De Beauvoir are full of them. Albert, if you ever read this, what was it you saw?
UNRELATED:
A piece from Operation Black Vote mentions Hackney Cllr Patrick Vernon's short-lived attempt to become Labour candidate for Leyton and Wanstead. According to OBV, Cllr Vernon was a favourite but didn't make it onto the shortlist. Another Hackney councillor, Sophie Linden, did make it onto the shortlist but lost in the end to John Cryer.
According to the OBV report, the fate of another black candidate later in the selection process suggested that there may be a divide between black and Asian members of Labour Party's BAME (http://www.bamelabour.org.uk/) - which is supposed to fight for more black MPs. OBV claims that Asian Labour Party members supported a white candidate over a black candidate once their Asian colleague was ruled out of the contest.
Operation Black Vote reports that supporters of the Asian candidate, Ahmed Shahzad - who happens to be head of BAME - "proved decisive in sealing the win for (John) Cryer, provoking dismay among supporters of (Terry) Paul who had won substantial backing among a cross section of rank and file party members, but significantly failed to win the second preference vote of Shahzad’s supporters, who were mostly of Asian origin."
The OBV report quotes one anonymous Labour Party member: "It’s an absolute disgrace. Totally shameful. He [Shahzad] has got his position in the party as a result of representing Black members, and what does he do? He stops a good quality Black person becoming an MP. I think his position as head of BAME Labour is now untenable."
UNRELATED:
A piece from Operation Black Vote mentions Hackney Cllr Patrick Vernon's short-lived attempt to become Labour candidate for Leyton and Wanstead. According to OBV, Cllr Vernon was a favourite but didn't make it onto the shortlist. Another Hackney councillor, Sophie Linden, did make it onto the shortlist but lost in the end to John Cryer.
According to the OBV report, the fate of another black candidate later in the selection process suggested that there may be a divide between black and Asian members of Labour Party's BAME (http://www.bamelabour.org.uk/) - which is supposed to fight for more black MPs. OBV claims that Asian Labour Party members supported a white candidate over a black candidate once their Asian colleague was ruled out of the contest.
Operation Black Vote reports that supporters of the Asian candidate, Ahmed Shahzad - who happens to be head of BAME - "proved decisive in sealing the win for (John) Cryer, provoking dismay among supporters of (Terry) Paul who had won substantial backing among a cross section of rank and file party members, but significantly failed to win the second preference vote of Shahzad’s supporters, who were mostly of Asian origin."
The OBV report quotes one anonymous Labour Party member: "It’s an absolute disgrace. Totally shameful. He [Shahzad] has got his position in the party as a result of representing Black members, and what does he do? He stops a good quality Black person becoming an MP. I think his position as head of BAME Labour is now untenable."
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Pagan ritual in Springfield Park
Wassailing in Springfield Park, from Sousveillance (with picture):
"A pre-Christian traditional ceremony held on the old 12th night of 17 January and stemming from an Anglo-Saxon pagan ritual of visiting your apple trees and leaving them libations of cider and cider soaked toast to encourage their fertility next year."
Back in 2002 there were believed to be between 50,000 and 200,000 pagans in the UK - BBC
Pesky pagans at work on horse manes: police investigate and an update on pagan cops
"A pre-Christian traditional ceremony held on the old 12th night of 17 January and stemming from an Anglo-Saxon pagan ritual of visiting your apple trees and leaving them libations of cider and cider soaked toast to encourage their fertility next year."
Back in 2002 there were believed to be between 50,000 and 200,000 pagans in the UK - BBC
Pesky pagans at work on horse manes: police investigate and an update on pagan cops
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Glamorous, hedonistic... vampires squatting in Hackney?
In case you didn't believe that squatting in Hackney Wick was hedonistic, corrupt, glamorous:
"Only ever leaving the house at night, their lifestyles lie somewhere between True blood and The Young ones."
"Only ever leaving the house at night, their lifestyles lie somewhere between True blood and The Young ones."
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Headless bear corpses discovered in Hackney
This comment stream on the Fortean Times message board mentioned the Hackney bear story as if it was common knowledge. All I could find were these 1981 reports from US-based newspapers - none from UK papers which may not have uploaded their archives from that far back. But reports - like this one - describe a hoax that went worldwide.
According to these old cuttings, the bodies of two headless bears were found in a Hackney canal and then a real live bear scared kids playing on Hackney Marshes.
The cuttings say that the search for the bear was called off after a guy called Ron told the The Sun that he was the bear. He said that the discovery of bears' bodies (it was later suggested that these may have been dumped in the canal by a travelling circus) inspired him to dress up as bear and roam about on Hackney Marshes. The result was an invasion of police and army marksmen and a helicopter. No bear was found although tracks were allegedly discovered. Ron, it seems, was never caught. Is any of this true?
The myth lives on: The Bear of Hackney
According to these old cuttings, the bodies of two headless bears were found in a Hackney canal and then a real live bear scared kids playing on Hackney Marshes.
The cuttings say that the search for the bear was called off after a guy called Ron told the The Sun that he was the bear. He said that the discovery of bears' bodies (it was later suggested that these may have been dumped in the canal by a travelling circus) inspired him to dress up as bear and roam about on Hackney Marshes. The result was an invasion of police and army marksmen and a helicopter. No bear was found although tracks were allegedly discovered. Ron, it seems, was never caught. Is any of this true?
The myth lives on: The Bear of Hackney
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Psychology professor interprets Hackney politicians
Question 1: The introduction to your work on the Goldsmith's website says paranormal experience is mainly due to "imperfections in human information-processing". But does culture play a role in this too? Are some cultures are more superstitious than others?
Chris French: Culture is extremely important in terms of providing a belief system within which unusual experiences can be interpreted. A prime example of this is cross-cultural differences in the interpretation of sleep paralysis experiences: The Waking Nightmare of Sleep Paralysis (Guardian October 5 2009)
Although all cultures, both historically and geographically, show quite
Question 2: How easy is it to get people to talk about this stuff and how honest do you think they are when they do?
Chris French: As indicated by the responses you received from Hackney politicians, some people are very willing to talk about their experiences, others very reluctant. Typically, that will depend upon such factors as whether the respondent feels they are likely to be believed or ridiculed. Because of my research interest, I am very much aware of the fact that unusual experiences are much more common amongst the "normal" population than most people realise. I am also keen to reassure people that such experiences can be explained in non-paranormal terms - our minds are capable of playing all sorts of tricks on us!
Question 3 To what extent is a belief in the supernatural significant in a political way?
Chris French: Supernatural beliefs do have significance for a number of issues that politicians may be asked to act upon. Probably top of the list would be belief in life-after-death. If you believe that we all have an immortal soul, this is bound to affect your views upon such issues as abortion, euthanasia, etc. Another important area is healthcare generally, with many politicians actively supporting the use of unproven alternative therapies based upon supernatural ideas.
Question 4: Do you think politicians should understand the supernatural views of their constituents - particularly if there are a lot of them who believe in supernatural phenomena?
Chris French: I think that it is essential that politicians have a good understanding of all aspects of the cultural background of their constituents. It is in their own interests to do so in order to avoid inadvertently offending someone's beliefs but also to be aware of dangerous belief systems that should be actively opposed (e.g., in the Victoria Climbié case).
Friday, 23 October 2009
Do Hackney politicians believe in ghosts?
Hackney politicians were asked:
1. Have you ever had a supernatural experience? (Could you give a brief description? Include anything from ghosts to aliens or mediums - or whatever you consider to be supernatural.)
2. Whether or not you have had a supernatural experience, is it a subject that you would class as significant or insignificant? Do you think people should take any of it seriously?
Of 57 councillors, 1 Mayor, 2 London Assembly Members and 2 MPs who represent Hackney, 21 responded. Judging by the replies, many of them thought this was a waste of time, so thanks for replying and if there are any more to come, please send them in.
The replies:
Alan Laing, Labour: As per your comment on your own blog that these questions were "not meant to be a serious exercise", I didn't respond. However, looking at the rest of your blog, perhaps it might be of more help to point out that I am an atheist and believe in a secular society.
Jennette Arnold, Labour: From my background I am very familiar with the culture of belief in ghosts and spirits. As a youngster my grandfather would regularly take me with him on occasions where he told me he was exorcising ghosts!!
On the serious side of this though there is a culture, in some communities, of witch-craft which is incredibly dangerous and has already lead to the death and abuse of children. As a patron of the Victoria Climbié Foundation I have campaigned on this issue for years, however, a lot of work still needs to be done.
Sally Mulready, Labour: Sorry,I have no particular thoughts on this subject
Matthew Coggins, Conservative: I have lived in two houses where I believe there were ghosts present. There were smell and temperature changes but I never saw anything.
The first was in Blackburn, as a child, when my father got someone to come in and deal with it. And I had a similar problem in a house in Stoke Newington.
I'd say my experiences weren't of any significance to me really - I just treated them as a curiosity.
Julius Nkafu , Labour, I am a Christian-Catholic and believe in the HOLY ghost or the HOLY Spirit. I believe in the Power of God and know of the many instances of the Lord's divine interventions to our every day lives.
Michael Desmond, Labour: The only “supernatural” experience I’ve ever had was when I was 14, doing work experience for 3 weeks in Borough, South London at my father’s cousin’s accountancy practice. I turned on a tap, the old rickety piping caused water to gush out in such a way words were audible; those words were "Get away from here! …get away from here!" Whether it was a scientific or supernatural phenomenon, I rightly decided never to become an accountant! I think spirituality is very important, I believe each person has a soul which can continue after death. Spirituality is significant, the supernatural less so.
Luke Akehurst, Labour I haven't personally had a supernatural experience but have met a few people who say they have and are people I trust so I have an open mind.
Ian Sharer, Lib Dem: "I've not had supernatural experiences myself but a very good friend of mine did. He was an atheist. One day I saw him in the synagogue and he said he had had a heart attack and that he had died and been revived in hospital. He said he had had an out-of-body experience during which he had met his mother who said: "We're not ready here for you yet." He became religious for the last year of his life. He was a friend of my father's and what had happened to him was clear enough in his mind. I'm very religious. The truth is that your view will depend on what you call supernatural. But people do talk about things like the supernatural, evil spirits, and this does border on religion. If you believe in heaven and hell then all of this stuff is bound up. It does appear to be a religious thing. I certainly am open to views on these things. Jewish books that we study say things like "if you could see what was standing next to you, you would die with fright". There are countless things to do with this that we don't understand. For example it is strictly against my religion to use a Ouija board. Obviously there's a belief that there is something going on there.
Patrick Vernon, Labour: I have not had a supernatural experience but I would say that when I have been to Africa and visited the slave forts in Ghana, Gambia and Senegal and also in East Africa Zanzibar I have experienced or felt the unrest of souls of Africans that were captured as part of the transatlantic and Arabic slave trade.
I think we should not rule out any experience of a supernatural nature as we still are understanding interaction of the human spirit and the impact of exploitation and historical injustice.
Clayeon Mackenzie, Labour: I have no comments on this issue.
Jules Pipe, Labour: I am happy to confirm that I have never felt the need to attribute any event to ‘supernatural’ causes. Whilst I accept that people are entitled to hold whatever beliefs they like – as long as this causes no harm to others – this is not a subject to which I would ascribe any significance, nor which I would wish to see taken any more seriously than it already is.
Darren Parker, Labour: I have not had any experience of the supernatural myself. You may find it of interest that the 5th most haunted street is said to be Gloucester Drive in my ward:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oct/31/britishidentity.martinwainwright
http://www.roadsuk.com/roadepedia/haunted.html
Mischa Borris, Green: I've not had any supernatural experiences, and I have no particular view on its significance or otherwise. Everyone needs an interest in life, and so long as it doesn't take over someone's life, or lead to fraud (e.g. mediums) that's fine.
If there are "ghosts" then they might be some kind of blip in the time continuum, rather than unquiet spirits.
Linda Smith, Labour: I have never had a supernatural experience. It is not an issue that is at all significant in my work as a councillor or my life generally. If people wish to take it seriously it is up to them, indeed I believe people's right to believe and express their belief in religion which I would class as being supernatural is now enshrined in law.
Tom Price, Labour: (Any experience of the supernaturual?) No - happily not. (Is the supernatural significant?) I would class it as insignificant and not to be taken seriously.
Geoffrey Taylor, Labour: Yes, I have had experiences I could not explain. Sometimes they don’t really need explanation, for instance if a series of events seem to fit conveniently together, that’s really coincidence or chance, as is obvious when you think of all the very many occasions when events don’t fit together particularly conveniently. Some of the other cases I put down to my brain operating out of my conscious control or knowledge and then pushing some thought into my consciousness. And the rest I’m happy to say I don’t understand, though I think that in principle if not (yet) in practice they are susceptible to scientific explanation.
I think people should take life in general seriously. Getting hung up on the so-called supernatural can often mean that people cease to feel the awe they ought to feel in contemplating perfectly natural but wonderful things. You’d think that the natural world, including our loving human relationships and our quest for truth, would be quite enough to keep us thrilled and fascinated without having to reach out beyond for something called the ‘supernatural’.
Jonathan McShane: On ghosts, no I've never had any supernatural experiences and I've never taken a particular interest in the supernatural world. Sorry to give you such a boring answer.
Michael Levy (Conservative Chief Whip): Although I receive varied and interesting mail, your questions are a definitive first. I generally have quite enough on my plate dealing with the corporeal without having to delve into the unknown. Fortunately I have had no supernatural experiences - although listening to some debates in the Council Chamber might qualify and therefore its not a subject I would class as having any impact on my thoughts. Although I do believe in the supernatural.
Since we live in a Democracy people are free to make up their own minds on the matter.
Katie Hanson: "Rationalist - don't believe in anything supernatural."
Christine Boyd: I suppose the definition of “supernatural” is key here, if I take it as meaning something that I can’t explain then the answer would be yes (No comment on the details) – but then again that applies to lots of things. For example I can’t explain Tory policies either, but tend to class those as sinister or spooky rather than supernatural. I don’t think this is a significant subject, certainly does not compare with global warming, child poverty or many of the problems people face on a day to day basis.
Meg Hillier, Labour: Spokesperson: "Meg is still on maternity leave at the moment so I don’t think we can help on this occasion."
Diane Abbott, Labour: A researcher said that the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington had not had any supernatural experiences. When asked if the supernatural was a significant issue she said: "I’ve spoken to Diane but unfortunately she doesn’t have any other comments to make."
Andrew Boff, Conservative: I've experienced odd coincidences but not enough to make me believe in pixies. I don't think you can explain things by using myth rather than evidence. I enjoy the goings on at Hogworts but I do not think that is an explanation for what happens away from the pages of a book.
Did you want more?
Yes - I am an atheist - the only God is Dawkins.
This was not a serious exercise but it seems likely that the people of Hackney take this subject more seriously than their politicians. Back in 2005 the borough was caught up in a scandal surrounding African churches, exorcism and child abuse. At the time Diane Abbott wrote a piece for the Evening Standard called "Ban these witchcraft churches?"
The fact that a large number of Hackney charities are religious, 22% compared to 10% national average, could indicate the extent to which Hackney residents take supernatural issues seriously.
1. Have you ever had a supernatural experience? (Could you give a brief description? Include anything from ghosts to aliens or mediums - or whatever you consider to be supernatural.)
2. Whether or not you have had a supernatural experience, is it a subject that you would class as significant or insignificant? Do you think people should take any of it seriously?
Of 57 councillors, 1 Mayor, 2 London Assembly Members and 2 MPs who represent Hackney, 21 responded. Judging by the replies, many of them thought this was a waste of time, so thanks for replying and if there are any more to come, please send them in.
The replies:
Alan Laing, Labour: As per your comment on your own blog that these questions were "not meant to be a serious exercise", I didn't respond. However, looking at the rest of your blog, perhaps it might be of more help to point out that I am an atheist and believe in a secular society.
Jennette Arnold, Labour: From my background I am very familiar with the culture of belief in ghosts and spirits. As a youngster my grandfather would regularly take me with him on occasions where he told me he was exorcising ghosts!!
On the serious side of this though there is a culture, in some communities, of witch-craft which is incredibly dangerous and has already lead to the death and abuse of children. As a patron of the Victoria Climbié Foundation I have campaigned on this issue for years, however, a lot of work still needs to be done.
Sally Mulready, Labour: Sorry,I have no particular thoughts on this subject
Matthew Coggins, Conservative: I have lived in two houses where I believe there were ghosts present. There were smell and temperature changes but I never saw anything.
The first was in Blackburn, as a child, when my father got someone to come in and deal with it. And I had a similar problem in a house in Stoke Newington.
I'd say my experiences weren't of any significance to me really - I just treated them as a curiosity.
Julius Nkafu , Labour, I am a Christian-Catholic and believe in the HOLY ghost or the HOLY Spirit. I believe in the Power of God and know of the many instances of the Lord's divine interventions to our every day lives.
Michael Desmond, Labour: The only “supernatural” experience I’ve ever had was when I was 14, doing work experience for 3 weeks in Borough, South London at my father’s cousin’s accountancy practice. I turned on a tap, the old rickety piping caused water to gush out in such a way words were audible; those words were "Get away from here! …get away from here!" Whether it was a scientific or supernatural phenomenon, I rightly decided never to become an accountant! I think spirituality is very important, I believe each person has a soul which can continue after death. Spirituality is significant, the supernatural less so.
Luke Akehurst, Labour I haven't personally had a supernatural experience but have met a few people who say they have and are people I trust so I have an open mind.
Ian Sharer, Lib Dem: "I've not had supernatural experiences myself but a very good friend of mine did. He was an atheist. One day I saw him in the synagogue and he said he had had a heart attack and that he had died and been revived in hospital. He said he had had an out-of-body experience during which he had met his mother who said: "We're not ready here for you yet." He became religious for the last year of his life. He was a friend of my father's and what had happened to him was clear enough in his mind. I'm very religious. The truth is that your view will depend on what you call supernatural. But people do talk about things like the supernatural, evil spirits, and this does border on religion. If you believe in heaven and hell then all of this stuff is bound up. It does appear to be a religious thing. I certainly am open to views on these things. Jewish books that we study say things like "if you could see what was standing next to you, you would die with fright". There are countless things to do with this that we don't understand. For example it is strictly against my religion to use a Ouija board. Obviously there's a belief that there is something going on there.
Patrick Vernon, Labour: I have not had a supernatural experience but I would say that when I have been to Africa and visited the slave forts in Ghana, Gambia and Senegal and also in East Africa Zanzibar I have experienced or felt the unrest of souls of Africans that were captured as part of the transatlantic and Arabic slave trade.
I think we should not rule out any experience of a supernatural nature as we still are understanding interaction of the human spirit and the impact of exploitation and historical injustice.
Clayeon Mackenzie, Labour: I have no comments on this issue.
Jules Pipe, Labour: I am happy to confirm that I have never felt the need to attribute any event to ‘supernatural’ causes. Whilst I accept that people are entitled to hold whatever beliefs they like – as long as this causes no harm to others – this is not a subject to which I would ascribe any significance, nor which I would wish to see taken any more seriously than it already is.
Darren Parker, Labour: I have not had any experience of the supernatural myself. You may find it of interest that the 5th most haunted street is said to be Gloucester Drive in my ward:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oct/31/britishidentity.martinwainwright
http://www.roadsuk.com/roadepedia/haunted.html
Mischa Borris, Green: I've not had any supernatural experiences, and I have no particular view on its significance or otherwise. Everyone needs an interest in life, and so long as it doesn't take over someone's life, or lead to fraud (e.g. mediums) that's fine.
If there are "ghosts" then they might be some kind of blip in the time continuum, rather than unquiet spirits.
Linda Smith, Labour: I have never had a supernatural experience. It is not an issue that is at all significant in my work as a councillor or my life generally. If people wish to take it seriously it is up to them, indeed I believe people's right to believe and express their belief in religion which I would class as being supernatural is now enshrined in law.
Tom Price, Labour: (Any experience of the supernaturual?) No - happily not. (Is the supernatural significant?) I would class it as insignificant and not to be taken seriously.
Geoffrey Taylor, Labour: Yes, I have had experiences I could not explain. Sometimes they don’t really need explanation, for instance if a series of events seem to fit conveniently together, that’s really coincidence or chance, as is obvious when you think of all the very many occasions when events don’t fit together particularly conveniently. Some of the other cases I put down to my brain operating out of my conscious control or knowledge and then pushing some thought into my consciousness. And the rest I’m happy to say I don’t understand, though I think that in principle if not (yet) in practice they are susceptible to scientific explanation.
I think people should take life in general seriously. Getting hung up on the so-called supernatural can often mean that people cease to feel the awe they ought to feel in contemplating perfectly natural but wonderful things. You’d think that the natural world, including our loving human relationships and our quest for truth, would be quite enough to keep us thrilled and fascinated without having to reach out beyond for something called the ‘supernatural’.
Jonathan McShane: On ghosts, no I've never had any supernatural experiences and I've never taken a particular interest in the supernatural world. Sorry to give you such a boring answer.
Michael Levy (Conservative Chief Whip): Although I receive varied and interesting mail, your questions are a definitive first. I generally have quite enough on my plate dealing with the corporeal without having to delve into the unknown. Fortunately I have had no supernatural experiences - although listening to some debates in the Council Chamber might qualify and therefore its not a subject I would class as having any impact on my thoughts. Although I do believe in the supernatural.
Since we live in a Democracy people are free to make up their own minds on the matter.
Katie Hanson: "Rationalist - don't believe in anything supernatural."
Christine Boyd: I suppose the definition of “supernatural” is key here, if I take it as meaning something that I can’t explain then the answer would be yes (No comment on the details) – but then again that applies to lots of things. For example I can’t explain Tory policies either, but tend to class those as sinister or spooky rather than supernatural. I don’t think this is a significant subject, certainly does not compare with global warming, child poverty or many of the problems people face on a day to day basis.
Meg Hillier, Labour: Spokesperson: "Meg is still on maternity leave at the moment so I don’t think we can help on this occasion."
Diane Abbott, Labour: A researcher said that the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington had not had any supernatural experiences. When asked if the supernatural was a significant issue she said: "I’ve spoken to Diane but unfortunately she doesn’t have any other comments to make."
Andrew Boff, Conservative: I've experienced odd coincidences but not enough to make me believe in pixies. I don't think you can explain things by using myth rather than evidence. I enjoy the goings on at Hogworts but I do not think that is an explanation for what happens away from the pages of a book.
Did you want more?
Yes - I am an atheist - the only God is Dawkins.
This was not a serious exercise but it seems likely that the people of Hackney take this subject more seriously than their politicians. Back in 2005 the borough was caught up in a scandal surrounding African churches, exorcism and child abuse. At the time Diane Abbott wrote a piece for the Evening Standard called "Ban these witchcraft churches?"
The fact that a large number of Hackney charities are religious, 22% compared to 10% national average, could indicate the extent to which Hackney residents take supernatural issues seriously.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Is the supernatural significant?
Blood and Property asked Hackney politicians for their views on the supernatural and their answers will be on this blog sometime before Halloween.
This was not meant to be serious exercise. Those asked to respond included MPs Meg Hillier and Diane Abbott. A spokesperson for Meg Hillier said that she was on maternity leave while Diane Abbott was not able to give a full answer. Her reply, via a researcher, was that she had never had a supernatural experience and that she would not say if she thought the issue of the supernatural was significant.
Back in 2005 the supernatural - or what other people thought about it - was higher on her agenda. In an article in the Evening Standard: Ban these witchcraft churches (not the original) she said: "Multiculturalism is one thing, but I draw the line at being asked to respect the views of people who believe in demonic possession." She said that "fringe churches", specifically African ones, were "a serious problem" in some London Boroughs - most notably Hackney.
So her views on the significance of the supernatural would have been interesting to hear.
There was a backlash of sorts against the impulsive reaction of the media to 'possessed' African children allegedly being tortured in large numbers. The Independent investigated: "A blizzard of lurid newspaper stories which reached their high point in the London Evening Standard's front page splash: "Children Sacrificed in London Churches, Say Police"
It said: "On the back of all this commentators like the black MP Diane Abbott rushed to judgement with a call to "ban these witchcraft churches". Who could argue in the face of such facts?"
And apart from the "witchcraft churches" she has been supportive of religion. In 1999 she introduced a spiritualist to an audience at the House of Commons: Guardian story from 1999, The Heal Thing.
Diane Abbott MP held a welcome reception for the American spiritual counsellor, lecturer and bestselling author Iyanla Vanzant. Abbott heard about Vanzant through friends a year ago. "She's started an underground movement," she says, "almost like a religion. People feel very, very passionately about her."
And in June this year she said the church is sometimes the only bastion of order in places like Hackney
But the supernatural does seem to be pretty serious stuff for some of her constituents:
BBC court report: "Voodoo-cursed woman in jailed":
A woman who produced human fingers in court in a bid to explain her involvement in a £925,000 tax credit fraud has been jailed for five years.Remi Fakorede, 46, from Hackney, east London, told Snaresbrook Crown Court, she had been forced into crime by a voodoo curse on her and her family.
For my own reference: Haunted council house? (hoping its not my ex-council flat! )
This was not meant to be serious exercise. Those asked to respond included MPs Meg Hillier and Diane Abbott. A spokesperson for Meg Hillier said that she was on maternity leave while Diane Abbott was not able to give a full answer. Her reply, via a researcher, was that she had never had a supernatural experience and that she would not say if she thought the issue of the supernatural was significant.
Back in 2005 the supernatural - or what other people thought about it - was higher on her agenda. In an article in the Evening Standard: Ban these witchcraft churches (not the original) she said: "Multiculturalism is one thing, but I draw the line at being asked to respect the views of people who believe in demonic possession." She said that "fringe churches", specifically African ones, were "a serious problem" in some London Boroughs - most notably Hackney.
So her views on the significance of the supernatural would have been interesting to hear.
There was a backlash of sorts against the impulsive reaction of the media to 'possessed' African children allegedly being tortured in large numbers. The Independent investigated: "A blizzard of lurid newspaper stories which reached their high point in the London Evening Standard's front page splash: "Children Sacrificed in London Churches, Say Police"
It said: "On the back of all this commentators like the black MP Diane Abbott rushed to judgement with a call to "ban these witchcraft churches". Who could argue in the face of such facts?"
And apart from the "witchcraft churches" she has been supportive of religion. In 1999 she introduced a spiritualist to an audience at the House of Commons: Guardian story from 1999, The Heal Thing.
Diane Abbott MP held a welcome reception for the American spiritual counsellor, lecturer and bestselling author Iyanla Vanzant. Abbott heard about Vanzant through friends a year ago. "She's started an underground movement," she says, "almost like a religion. People feel very, very passionately about her."
And in June this year she said the church is sometimes the only bastion of order in places like Hackney
But the supernatural does seem to be pretty serious stuff for some of her constituents:
BBC court report: "Voodoo-cursed woman in jailed":
A woman who produced human fingers in court in a bid to explain her involvement in a £925,000 tax credit fraud has been jailed for five years.Remi Fakorede, 46, from Hackney, east London, told Snaresbrook Crown Court, she had been forced into crime by a voodoo curse on her and her family.
For my own reference: Haunted council house? (hoping its not my ex-council flat! )
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