Mimi Harker

Aujourdhui C’est moi!

Oui, aujourdhui c’est mon anniversaire! Oui je sais bien que c’etait une annee qui se passe et les reves, ils ont disparu mais la vie continue!

C’est une question de choisir quelque chose d’autre. C’est une question de choix et de choisir une autre route.  Et si vous et en train de lire mon blog, et le francais est horrible, il faut m’excuser et me pardoner s’il vous plait.

Quand j’arrive a c’est temps une annee plus, je voudrais dire que j’ai fait quel que chose important pour moi.  Il faut travailler tout les jours por exactement ce la!

au revoir xxx

The Gap Project, Sandwell

Victoria Derbyshire is reporting from Sandwell on Radio 5 Live about the Gap Project - a form of sheltered accommodation for teenage mums and dads.

It is one way of breaking the cycle of dependency on welfare and benefits and I presented a similar scheme to party conference some four years ago now.

The difference with my presentation is that I wanted to encourage the girls to go back to school or into training in order for them to gain qualifications, to help them improve their lives and stop their children from falling into the same trap.  There is 24 hour qualified personnel who would be able to care for the children enabling the girls the freedom to go and get qualified and improve their lives.  And more importanty, the lives of their children and to set them the example of work ethics rather than repeating the whole cycle.

People are expressing their disgust at such a project but a lot of the girls who become pregnant are from similar backgrounds, i.e. are the children of children who have had children - have had little hope and aspiration given to them, and have self esteem issues and generally come from poorer backgrounds.  This is a brilliant project and at least the children are in a better place with supported parents and they stand a chance of avoiding making the same mistakes.

Asian Voice Awards for Political Achievements

It was great to attend this event at the House of Commons last evening at the invitation of Keith Vaz MP and the winners all deserved their awards for what they achieved.

But the star of the evening was the great, the charismatic, the amazing Reverend Jesse Jackson.  His words mesmerised me and I could not take my eyes of his face as he spoke on societies getting on better and living without being at war.  He talked about war creating revenue for some, which is why the difficult choice was always peace as it didn’t generate revenue for anyone. Peace was the right choice and the most difficult choice. Living in harmony with your neighbour no matter who they are, what they are or where they come from is the road to peace.

His passion drew in his audience and I was honoured (and totally overawed) when at the end of his speech, he reached out and offered me his hand to shake.  I stepped forward and shook his hand.  I cannot believe I shook the hand of one of the most charismatic and famous activists for human rights and dignity.  I am honoured to have had the opportunity to listen to him up close and personal, but even more honoured to be one of the few whose hand he shook.  I hope some of his amazing charisma and desire to put things right was transferred to me via that handshake and boy, has it strengthened my resolve to achieve something more for the people I represent!

ICoCo Launch Network Toolkit

There I was yesterday morning, at 7am on the gloomy,  damp, grey, platform at Amersham station, waiting for a train to whisk me towards the great metropolis, whose streets are paved in gold (yellow lines is what they really mean to stop people driving in).

I was invited to the BT Tower for the launch of the ICoCo web based tool kit to encourage cohesion and good practice in businesses across the UK.

There were examples of good practice from across the  whole country and it was a great pleasure to discover that the reason for my invitation, apart from being an ABC judge, was because Chiltern District Council is considered a living breathing of example of delivery at the front line, despite the financial constraints put upon us - ie no money!

The speakers included Professor Ted Cantle, the chairman of ICoCo, Caroline Waters, a director of BT and Board member, Shahid Malik MP and a director of a sandwich production company in Leicester, who told us all about good practice in his firm.

The speakers were all motivational but the highlight?  The totally incredible view 34 storeys above London and despite the fog, the amazing sight of all the landmarks your heart could desire!

Then the floor  moved - literally and we were all taken for a spin, which in itself was an experience!

Thank you for inviting me - it was educational, inspiring and motivational.  Congratulations to ICoCo, whose work towards a more cohesive society is awesome.

Amersham Parking Update - Please Continue to Lobby!

A quick comment, if I may on the status of this campaign:
I have received comments from people as to why they should continue to write in as the response they are now receiving says no more comments will be taken into account.

That is the point - this process closed before Christmas - very very few people knew the consultation was going on, which is why that statement has been included in many communications.

Your efforts are not lost or wasted as they shows the portfolio holder the strength of feeling and she has received over 150 various communications since the closure of the so-called consultation. She needs to know that people are not happy and she is trying to stop people writing in by now telling everybody that no more comments will be taken into account.

If people stop lobbying, then they will get away with not advertising the consultation to the people who matter - the people of Amersham. It is unacceptable that a consultation should happen without those concerned being notified - the residents, the businesses and those who use Amersham regularly were all unaware of this. As a local councillor, I was unaware this was being consulted on. It was kept very very quiet for a reason - to make it happen.

I hope you will continue to support this and encourage a deluge of letters otherwise they will say nobody objected.

Many thanks for all your letters thus far and please continue to encourage friends and family to object.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!!!

My gorgeous little princess is 17 today - I cannot beleive it and I am so proud of the person she is and the person she is blossoming into.

I love you Darling and Happy Happy Birthday xxxxx

Bullying. Stop it. Full Stop.

I’m no fan of Gordon Brown, everybody kows that,  however, all this media coverage about him being a bully is really irritating.  If he is a bully, then put the real facts out there with the people who are affected telling their stories but don’t just print allegations and give somebody their 5 minutes of fame without any foundation.  I believe in being just and fair and if he has done something wrong then tell the real story because being bullied is a horrendous thing to go through, whether its physical or mental.  All this nudge nudge wink wink stuff is really childish and unprofessional.

There is a real reason to vote for the Conservatives at the next election and that is to try and fix this country from the economy right down to grass root communities.  We do not need to participate in this ridiculous mud slinging game that Labour specialise in to win.  Our desire to do whats best for the country will win the next election.  So come on people, let’s get out there and win votes on real issues and real and practical policies!

Ali Dizaei Jailed

Having listened to the interview on BBC Radio 4 between the Black Police Officers and the ACPO rep, I shake my head sadly - do they honestly believe that racism is endemic in the police force only?  The only difference between the racism of yesteryear and that of today is that once you knew where you stood with intolerant people - they called a spade a spade as it were.  Apparently, I can say this because I have a permanent suntan!  Now, racism is hidden under the smooth, silky exterior of politeness and political correctness and is as dangerous and destructive as a cobra hiding in the long grass.

Beware! Cobras are prolific in the monsoon season and we live in a very wet climate.

Re-Opening of Chalfont St Peter Leisure Centre

Yesterday, I attended the opening of Chalfont St. Peter Leisure Centre after an extensive refurbishment over the Christmas period.

The guest of honour, was Adrian Moorhouse, Olympic Gold medalist at the Seoul Olympics, and Bucks Ambassador for 2012 Olympics.

I first heard Adrian speak at an Olympics conference at Green Park some 18 months ago and listening to Adrian speaking at that event, his passion, his enthusiasm and his commitment to Bucks being part of this once in a lifetime opportunity was infectious - I was hooked and became the Chiltern 2012 Champion.

Rick Durrant, MD for Nexus, kicked off the event with a short speech thanking partners and describing the successful working relationships that make it easier to run an organisation as efficiently as Nexus does.

I followed this expressing my thanks to all those teams of people who work so hard to deliver the excellent services our residents experience at the centres across the District.  Nothing and nobody is perfect, but because of the services we offer, the leisure centres are well populated, busy and thriving and the staff will do everything they can to ensure your visit is up to your expectations.  The feedback I get is usually excellent and where there are problems, they are dealt with efficiently and effectively and as quickly as possible.

Adrian Moorhouse is an absolute gem.  No airs, no graces, a decent human being who really believes in the power of sport.  He’s a fantastic ambassador for the 2012 Olympics and so ‘normal’ he persuades and convinces everybody to his way of thinking - his ‘normality’ is his charm.  Down to earth and genuine, he spoke of the importance of the Olympics and us, in Bucks, making the best of the opportunities we are being offered, and he spoke of the talent we are nurturing and support for our athletes. He praised the leisure centre, Nexus, Sport England and Chiltern District Council for maintaining the constant support for health and fitness throughout the District and the fact that every resident could benefit from our dedication to ensuring that we always had good facilities to offer.

The speeches were followed by a race between partner organisations followed by a family swim, which Adrian participated in with his two young children.  Other visitors to the centre were thrilled to enjoy family swimming time with Adrian and his family and were delighted at the added bonus to their day!

All in all, a fab day and event!  Thank you to all who worked so hard to ensure its success.

EVENTS!

Wow!  These last two weeks have been frantic with not one single day ending before 1am and up again at 6am.  And what a variety of different things each day has brought.

Theres been the cast and crew screening of my sons’ latest film;  the 60th Anniversary of the Republic of India; the best Cabinet meeting ever with every space in the room packed to the gills; speaker at LGC conference on Member Engagement;  Speaker at the National Cohesion Forum on what we deliver locally to fulfill the cohesion agenda on a shoestring budget; meetings at Westminster; meetings at Chiltern; and earlier this evening, a meeting with PCSO Tony Churchill at Amersham police station, and residents and young people from Dane Close, in a further step to resolve inter-generational conflict.  It has been busy and fulfilling with lots of outcomes - just the way I like it, aha aha!