by Simon Birkett, Founder of the cross-party Campaign for Clean Air in London (CCAL)

I emphasised two points at the Progressive London conference.

First, air pollution in London is much worse than most of us have realised.  It averages over twice the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organisation near our busiest roads.  Why has the government therefore failed to use the readily understood international metric of ‘premature deaths’ to warn people about the impact of poor air quality when it saw updated health assessments in 2001, 2006 and 2009?  Why has it been so slow generally in updating air quality statistics?

This Saturday, 20 February, Ken Livingstone is to join a host of speakers from across the progressive poltical sphere, trade unions, academia, the media, sports, culture, business and the Irish commuity at a conference "Putting Irish Unity on the Agenda".

Following the positive steps made through the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement the British government are signed up for the first time ever to a commitment for a united Ireland, should the majority of Irish people want it. The conference which takes place at Congress House, comes at a crucuial time, just this week the Hillsborough agreement is paving the way for policing and justice to be devolved to the Stormont Assembly.

This conference is a fantastic oppurtunity to participate in this important debate.

In the run-up to the conference Ken Livingstone writes:

"The recent agreement at Hillsborough was the latest step forward in what has been an incredible positive advance, which many thought could never happen. Unparalleled opportunities for peace and reconciliation have been created, and the basis for addressing the deep rooted discrimination and exclusion in the north of Ireland, and for a new, inclusive arrangement. Despite the current economic crisis, affecting all of us and hitting Ireland particularly hard, there still exists immense good will and the prospect of economic prosperity in place of conflict and division.

A clear lesson of Ireland’s peace process is that dialogue and inclusivity, to address the heart of any problem, is the key to resolving conflict. During the time of the 1981-86 Greater London Council and many subsequent occasions, I was attacked for advocating this approach in relation to Ireland. Later governments came to accept that developing a political process and solution through dialogue was indeed the way forward."

He continues:

"Through inclusive dialogue, based on democratic mandates, the Good Friday Agreement laid out a clear basis forward. The principle of self-determination and the recognition of the political legitimacy of those who want a united Ireland are also clearly enshrined. For those of us in Britain who have long supported this, there is a clear opportunity now to develop the discussion and to support and assist the process – and to affect what the government here does.

One of Labour’s great achievements in government has been the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. This carefully negotiated document works in many aspects, but in particular because it ensures power sharing and an end to any notion that there can be one-party rule, or reducing anyone in the community to second class citizens."

"I am particularly pleased to be participating on 20 February to join the discussion on Ireland’s future and how we, here, can support what continues to be a hugely positive progression in the relationship between our two islands."

Read the full article on Left Foot Forward here.

To register for the conference in advance and for more information click here or go to http://www.londonirishunityconference.org

by Mike Barnard - Uprise

I’m delighted to be here today to talk in the very building Europe’s largest anti-racism festival – Rise – was conceived.

Rise Festival was a landmark event. The annual, free, one-day music festival was a display of London’s cultural diversity.

Every year people young and old from across the social spectrum were brought together for a day that transcended race to educate as much as entertain.

The event shined as a beacon in the fight against racism.

The Rise festival was part of a series of measures by London government to challenge racism and celebrate diversity, which saw racist attacks in London reduced by two thirds, despite a national increase.

Rise Festival helped create a climate where 82 percent of Londoners thought diversity was one of the best things about the capital.

Brian Coleman - Boris Johnson's appointee as head of London's fire authority - today refused to rule out closures of fire stations in the capital.

Coleman was on the London Politics Show today (unlike the mayor, who nearly two years into his term has still failed to appear on the programme). Coleman was debating the future of the fire service with the Fire Brigades Union. The mayor's appointee was pressed by BBC London's political editor Tim Donovan to clarify if there were likely to be any fire station closures. He flatly refused to give a guarantee.

Coleman has been at the forefront of the cuts and 'outsourcing' agenda as a Barnet Tory councillor, a borough whose plans for public services have been likened to the approach of a budget airline and where local residents have fought proposals to end residential care for the elderly.

In the interests of transparency Brian Coleman and Boris Johnson should tell Londoners which stations might close if it is the case that no guarantee can be given - which ones are most under threat?

UPDATE: Labour’s Val Shawcross AM, said:
 
"The Chair of the fire authority ought to be able to reassure Londoners that there is no question-mark over the future of any of our fire stationsand the fact that he has refused to do so is surprising and a cause forreal concern. We need a cast-iron guarantee from Brian Coleman and the mayor that fire stations, including in outer-London, are safe. At the very least Boris Johnson and Brian Coleman must be transparent about which stations may be most vulnerable."