ilawrence@napo.org.uk's blog

I have just covered a number of issues in my Napo news article so I wanted to sign this week off with a word or two about the news that Grayling has reportedly included a ‘sabotage clause’ into the intended CRC contracts, so that Labour, should they manage to form a government, can’t cancel them on day one.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/11/poison-pill-probation-contracts-moj-serco-g4s

Napo has had a really successful couple of days here in the maritime quarter of this great city. This morning our two motions seeking support to oppose the TR disaster and the sale of Children's Services were successfully moved by myself and Yvonne Pattison whose speech was especially well received.

We are at the end of a week in which, notwithstanding the continually dreadful distractions of regional conflict and the mindless carnage perpetrated on individuals and communities around the world, signalled the start of the run in to the next General Election. The famous political saying: ‘events, events’, (as in everything hinges on them) would appear never to have been more on the mark as it is today.

It’s a big week for Napo in Parliament with simultaneous meetings of the Family Court Unions Parliamentary Group where Cafcass Chief Executive Anthony Douglas will be attending and a ‘Speak up for Justice’ review session with Sadiq Khan in advance of the showpiece events that Napo will be covering at the TUC and party conferences.

The wall of secrecy from Noms and the MoJ gets higher by the day; and yesterday’s meeting of the TR Consultative Forum was about as exasperating as it gets in terms of us not receiving straight answers to reasonably straightforward questions such as:

 -Who is bidding for what CRC? (A): ‘Commercial and in confidence’

It’s been another useful week for Napo in terms of media coverage and a busier than usual one for me, as we have picked up substantial interest around the issue of Victim Impact Statements and Payment by Results (PbR).

Last weekend’s press coverage in the Independent on Sunday http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exjustice-minister-backs-opponents-of-probation-reform-9630880.html and the Sunday Mirror http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-murdered-ex-lover-after-cuts-3919622 is further evidence that at least some sections of the media reco

Those wishing for a double whammy of Chris Grayling and Jeremy Wright in the Cabinet reshuffle are obviously disappointed. Personally speaking, I have always thought that we got a bit more by way of understanding from Jeremy when it came to some acknowledgement of why we are so fundamentally opposed to the TR vision, and I am not convinced that he fully bought into the grand plan.  

Lots to catch up on today back at base, following another 'full on' week, including a positive NEC so more on that (and more besides) next week. Meanwhile, a quick blog posting to alert you to yet another extraordinary response to one of our Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, this time seeking information about the outcomes from the 'Testgate' process 1,2 and 3.

Aside from the obvious question of how many more of these can there be? It’s pretty rare for a Government Minister to have such a torrid time of it over the course of five days unless there are any of you old enough to remember the scandalous revelations of the ‘Profumo’ affair. If not, it revolved around the usual political ingredients of sex, power and money, a bit like most of those that have involved many other politicians since, only that one had the added drama of a bit of alleged KGB spying thrown in.