Local pre-school centre in Broadley St Gardens telling us its closed for till further notice.

Child-care is going to be a huge issue when Londoners finally return to work and in fact, it has been a huge issue during lockdown as women have taken on the bulk of caring duties.

The IFS & UCL Report ” How mothers and fathers balancing work and family under lockdown?” confirmed this as it revealed mothers taking the majority of the additional childcare as a result from COVID19 and women losing their jobs to a greater extent than men – so gender inequalities should also not be forgotten.  

Up to a 34 per cent of early years providers are facing closure due to COVID19 according to another report from the Sutton Trust

I suspect the TUC call for a four day week, will become popular for those in meaningful employment now.  

Robert Clive known by his admirers as “Clive of India” was responsible for the mass invasion and brutalisation of millions across Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and the rest of the Indian sub-continent.

As the first governor of the East India Company’s Bengal Presidency, Robert Clive looted massive wealth from Bengal ( his first loot is said to have been worth £250 million in today’s money for his company ) and was responsible for profit driven policies that provoked a four-year long famine, killing a minimum of one million people and reducing the population by a third. The East India Company continued to collect taxes as these people died, unable to cultivate their crops, while Robert Clive amassed his fortune.

The East India Company’s activities particularly the behaviour of the company servants roused much public indignation in England including the father of modern Conservatism Edward Burke. He become their most outspoken critic in parliament against the company abuse and immorality in India by suggesting “ Tomorrow these delinquents of India maybe the commons of Great Britain” As Clive used the massive wealth he had amassed to buy “rotten boroughs’, corrupting England’s own democratic processes. Horace Walpole Whig Politician and author, said of him “ They starved millions in India by monopolies and plunder, and almost raised a famine at home by the luxury occasioned by their opulence raising the price of everything, till the poor could not purchase bread” Furthermore, the establishment of this market monopoly by the East India Company in India offended and angered thinkers, including Adam Smith.

There is also a blue plaque at 45 Berkeley Square,W1 his last home in London stating he is a soldier and administrator when this is patently not true. It states he was a soldier but it does not tell you he was one for a private army for hire to the East India Company. Maybe a mercenary would be a better description. And as for an administrator, the plaque does not tell you that he was vilified by his contemporaries in Britain & put on trial before Parliament for looting Bengal; committing mass atrocities & policies which led to famine in Bengal.

As for his death, while Clive left no suicide note, Samuel Johnson wrote that he “had acquired his fortune by such crimes that his consciousness of them impelled him to cut his own throat”.

There are three main reasons to remove the statue. First the glorification of a mass murderer and looter in the heart of the national capital is profoundly insulting, especially those from a South Asian background. Secondly, the location of the statue at the entrance of the FCO tells visitors that the British state today condones the murderous activities of the East India Company. It tells our civil servants, MPs and Whitehall staff that they are furthering his work. Why are we, as a country asking our public servants to work in such an environment? And finally It is time to improve and increase the education that we receive about the British Empire. If the purpose of the statue is to remember history, this statue does not do the job. Let us teach people about Clive’s legacy in an archive or museum, accompanied by fresh historical work.

The Council can consult on where to move and preserve the statue and the reliefs where separate proposals can be made. The goal of this petition is to stop the glorification of Robert Clive, as one of the greatest Corporate rogus continues to have pride of place at the heart of government.

As a result, if you live, work or study in Westminster, please sign this petition below to remove the statue of Robert Clive

https://petitions.westminster.gov.uk/RemoveClive/

This piece was published in the Westminster Extra in their addition for the week beginning the 26th of June. 

Whilst the rage goes on about which other statues should be take down including “Clive of India” statue in Whitehall otherwise known to us as Robert Clive don’t forget his blue plaques as well in London.   

His blue plaque is the one for “Clive of India”, 1725-1774, soldier and Administrator at 45 Berkeley Square, SW1 after being briefly being discussed on Radio this morning. 

I am not keen on it at all. Firstly “Clive of India” refers to his fictional character of his admirers rather than Robert Clive the man himself. For example, it state he was a soldier but it does not tell you he was one for a private army for hire to the East India Company. Maybe a mercenary would be a better description. 

And as for an administrator, the plaque does not tell you that he was vilified by his contemporaries in Britain & put on trial before Parliament for looting Bengal; committing mass atrocities & policies which led to famine in Bengal reducing pop by a third in 1770.

So when English Heritage review all the blue plaques in London for their colonial connections, l trust all this be borne in mind. As the blue plaque put up for “Clive of India”, should really read; 

Robert Clive 1725-1774

Mercenary & looter 

lived here 

Park lane suffered from traffic congestion since the mid 19th century. Various road improvement schemes have taken place since then, including a major reconstruction programme in the early 1960s that transformed the road into a three-lane dual carriageway by removing a 20-acre (8.1 ha) section of Hyde Park. More recently we had improved crossings for cyclists appeared in the early 21st century.

Now we have had a transformation with cycle lanes added along the westside of Park lane for cyclists during the pandemic lockdown, offering another option to travel North to South in City of Westminster other than the two routes within Hyde Park. 

It would also helps reclaim the 20 acres lost to roads from Hyde Park in the 1960’s if we had some trees in the pavement between the bus stops along Park lane. This would add to the environmental value of the cycle lanes. The space is there to have a line of trees along Park lane, so its hope the TfL and the Mayor take this on board, adding to the success of the lanes. It may even provide some shade for cyclists!  

Thank you Rick Sanchez for giving the best explanation and update on what is happening up in the Himalaya’s between China and India.  Just remember when watching the exchange of punches that both countries are nuclear powers!  So we certainly do not want it to escalate to a full military confrontation at all. 

Historically both the Indian & Chinese civilisation have not had military conflicts, largely due to the geography of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. And long may that continue. 

https://www.facebook.com/MuradQureshiLDN/videos/2332088597093855/

I am glad to see that Nickie Aiken MP is tabling her first private member’s Bill when Parliament returns on 21st April by calling for pedicabs to be properly regulated in central London.

It was something l myself undertook a report on when l first joined the London Assembly at City Hall  London’s Rickshaws – Scrutiny into the future of London’s pedicabs and recommended their regulation via licensing way back in 2005 and is now long overdue. It is a very specific West End problem, so it right and proper the Private Members bill should be pursued by its local MP. So the best of luck to her. 

After watching the above Channel 4 clip a few nights ago, l was alarmed at the prospect of #coronavirus reaching Bangladesh. Particularly in a year when the Asian Development Bank anticipated that Bangladesh would grow its GDP by 8 per cent during 2020, there was high expectation that the country would be moving on from the days of the 1974 famine in the newly liberated country. 

But its transpires that the UN source of this concern, was based on the worst case scenario of the Bangladesh government not doing anything to stern the spread. Indeed if you look at the press release below, the UN are supportive of the measures being taken by the government in Dhaka. So it does make you wonder what the whole of the document actually said. 

So can l urge Channel 4 News not to be so alarmists with their stories. It is difficult enough with coronavirus issue dominating the headlines to have stories that do not quite give the whole picture.  

As of this week, l am back at City Hall as an Assembly Member (AM) in the London Assembly again for a year, till the end of this extended term. During this coronavirus pandemic, l just hope l can be of some use to Londoners!

As someone who up and till recently was themselves self-employed, l will be making sure those Londoners who are similarly self-employed are well represented in the government financial support packages. It is a critical part of the London economy and they should not have to choose between getting going out and getting a wage or staying in for their health and ours. The self-employed deserve support like the rest of the economy during these very difficult times.

It is noticeable that rough sleepers in my neighbourhood are getting support through the initiative of the Mayor with hoteliers during the pandemic emergency. In the long run we need to also accommodate rough sleepers in empty public buildings like Paddington Green Police Station for the many rough sleepers on the Gateway to the West End along the Edgware Rd.

And of course as a regular pub, gym, theatre goer in the West End l would like to see them back on their feet as soon as possible. Mixed messages from the PM have not helped the shut down during this emergency and they should be able to claim fully under their insurance cover. Also they should be special consideration of these small businesses when abolishing business rates with the threshold set higher, as there is a severe downturn in footfall with the lack of tourists in London.

Finally we need to take a firm stand against the raise of prejudice and attacks aimed at East Asians like the Chinese. So we need to say no to sinophobia during this pandemic as their businesses and community get socially isolated by this tide of prejudice coming from across the pond.

So get in touch with myself on London matters for our London. We live in momentous times, so let us shape them.

After watching the very polished performance of the South Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha on how the Koreans are dealing with coronavirus yesterday morning on the BBC Marr Show, it made me investigate what was being done differently there from the rest of the World. 

It is clear that the Koreans have more experience of dealing with pandemics like this, hence the emphasis on the testing and with their laboratory. capacity already in place from the experience with other pandemics in East Asia. As nearly 20,000 people are being tested every day for coronavirus in South Korea, more people per capita than anywhere else in the world. 

The South Korean’s have a pyramid system of mass testing 20,000 tests a day, then isolating the new cases and then tracking and test people who have been in contact with the new cases.  All you need to do is look at South Korea’s mortality rate in comparison to other countries particularly from Europe and you’ll see the benefits, as below. If you look at the UK trajectory on the graph is shows clearly how far behind we are, if nothing else. 

In the meantime, we have lockdown’s in Europe, taking various forms as the graph below illustrates. The key elements are the closure of schools, sporting events and travel restrictions with the Italians leading the way for a complete lockdown. Interesting in the UK, the closure of sporting events has occurred as a result of various sporting federations closing their games down rather than the government of the day telling them to do so.

Uniquely in Europe, the UK is pursuing an alternative path with its herd immunity. It is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune. So its more of a long run strategy being undertaken by the UK. Whilst those rejecting the ‘herd immunity’ theory that coronavirus can simply be left to rip through society until enough people develop immunity state there is no proof this will happen and thus the most deadly approach the government could take. All this while the World Health Organisation (WHO) tells us to “test, test & test” to fight coronavirus. 

So the question for is how quickly can we set up the tests & lab set-up behind South Korean #coronavirus effort where their ‘trace, test and treat’ may well now be saving lives? It certainly bets all the various forms of shut down in Europe and herd immunity in the UK. 

Making such national comparisons is very handy but lets also not forget we need also a global approach to this pandemic threat and maybe the next G20. But that is in November and it needs dealing with now across the world when the epicentre of it is in Europe as confirmed by WHO.  

In my neighbourhood in Central London, early in the morning, you can often see many fancy cars going into the underground parking of office developments.  Their movements are unlikely to be regulated by the parking regime in the City of Westminster which solely focuses on street parking. So maybe its time this parking was better regulated as l am sure a lot of the movement of vehicles going into the congestion zone know at least they will not be paying for parking and it will of course at least help improve the air pollution levels along the boundaries of the congestion zone like the Marylebone Road.

Having done some research on the matter, it is quite clear Hounslow Council are a leading authority on work place charging, with their proposal along the Great West Corridor (Golden Mile) to help fund a passenger rail link from Brentford to Southall.  Clearly Hounslow are the leading London Council on Work Place Charging matters in Greater London now and the success of their scheme will encourage other proposals. 

So it is interesting to see a suburban London borough investigating the possibilities while yet no Central London council has done so yet where its likely to be more financially viable. For councils like Westminster, it would presumably be a golden egg to fund further environmental and transport initiatives in the borough as the revenues will be ring fenced for environment and transport expenditure. The possibilities should at least be investigated for the City of Westminster.