No Vote means you will not be told of HS2 plans in Belsize

No VOTE No SAY!

I am shocked and appalled to have canvassed many local Belsize residents, especially if they are not on the voting register, simply appear to have been ignored by Camden and all the political parties in relation to HS2 consultation.  To further evidence my concerns I have only on Tuesday 16th May discovered that the recently announced HS2 Belsize Workshop with Camden Officers of 19th May 2pm to 8pm at Swiss Cottage Library was actually as reported to me by a Camden officer at the request of a Belsize councillor which smacks of political opportunism just 2 days before the local elections and only three days to the deadline for petition submission on the 23rd May. 

What is so scary that many of our local residents still do not know of the highly disruptive tunnelling and air ventilator shaft plans that will unless the HS2 route changes will go ahead through Belsize in 2019 with massive “utility” preparation works from 2016 – 2018 in Fellows Road, Eton Avenue and other surrounding streets, it is not yet known the full extent of the collateral disruption to our iconic leafy area. I call this the community party political disconnect. No Vote No Consult. How often have local politicians seen every day asking at the doors to find out if the electorate lives at an address, when told they don't have voting rights for what ever reason, the politician hastily makes a retreat. Is this a "true" sign of democracy. NO. When I have canvassed a non voter, I still capture their local concerns and inform, especially on matters such as HS2, which most certainly effects them on Eton Avenue. This is the BIG advantage of being Independent.

The disruptions to Eton Avenue will adversely affect the local school run to the large number of private schools there. Also Fellows Road together with parts of Adelaide Road will see the bulk of the disruptive preparation GAS and water mains replacement works ahead of the tunnelling operations currently scheduled to start anytime around 2019. The disruption to Belsize could last a decade,

Those that have been notified by local political party communications have been told that HS1-HS2 Link through Camden (Camden Town) has been cancelled, which it has, But many have been therefore by use of clever wording been falsely given wrong impression that Belsize HS2 route has been changed or cancelled, which it has not.

I am also surprised by the large number of people asking me about the phoney Tory referendum and the official HS2 petition. It is clear to many that the former is nothing more than a shrewd ruse to gather email, phone number, voter intentions intel-op, as for the later which is being promoted by Camden council is a “real” petition direct to Government Select committee, which must be delivered to Portcullis House together with a payment of £20. Many of the economically challenged families most likely to be hit along the council estates route from Euston all the way past Kilburn simply do not have spare money or access to legal advice on making the highly legalised worded formatted petitions. This is a very divisive and undemocratic process.

The concept of first Independent candidate resonates in Belsize

Photo of me as photographer doing a shoot of Recall of House of Commons for vote on Syria

Nearly all the Belsize residents and business owners that I have so far met really love the idea that a "true" Independent who actually lives and works in the ward that he wishes to represent.

When I tell people that the Rumble family has lived several generations in Camden and that here in Belsize has been my family home for more than 45 years, I can sense how this really resonates with people.

Many of the older Belsize residents would have known my Family well back in the day, especially as my Mother Denise Rumble was a very long standing member of staff working for Camden Libraries, although she was based principally at Kentish Town Library, she worked on rotation at both Swiss Cottage and Belsize Libraries often for nearly 40 years of service. In fact she was awarded a long service medal from the Camden Mayor of the day. We were all very proud of her amazing achievements and dedication.

I love Belsize and always have and always will, since owning my own home here I have helped many other leaseholders and residents in general as I am a co-opted member of a large successful TRA in trying to get a "fair" deal from there landlords, which at times is not always very easy!

I am particularly proud of my work with the Belsize SNT Police panel which I first made attendance back in 2007/8. I never realised that after all those years that first that I would still be making regular attendance and that second that I would be elected vice chair of the panel, a position I still hold today.

Served as School Governor for a full term at Primrose Hill where I had many very gratifying involvements there. I am especially proud that was selected to be on the recruitment board for finding, interviewing making selection of the new head for the school. It was a full time commitment spanning several weeks at the school and was very gratifying to have the honour of selecting an outstanding head teacher. My term of appointment which was as a LA school Governor sadly came to and end in 2013 following my resignation from the Conservative Party, since I was an Conservative appointed LA Governor. But I leave Primrose Hill school in the sound knowledge that I had made a real difference there.

Back in 2009 I started my No 2 HS2 campaign that I still do today. Back then I was a Conservative and actually I am not afraid to admit was proud to have been associated with the local Hampstead and Kilburn Conservatives back then when the Conservatives actually campaigned against HS2!, having been personally head hunted by Chris Philp where we got to know each other very well at the Housing and Adult Scrutiny Committee were Chris was Committee Chair and I had made several high level deputations representing all residents of the Chalcots here in Belsize.

I will always be pleased of working together with Chris and allowed him to convince me of joining the Conservatives and actually stand as a Candidate for Belsize in 2010, where I very nearly made it only losing out by a mere 52 votes.

I was also honoured to be selected to stand in the Camden Town and Primrose Hill By-election in 2012, where I was allowed to campaign independently in regards to my No 2 HS2 campaign, which was why I was selected especially in Primrose Hill area of CTPH.

However, not all was peaches and roses. Although I run my own campaign, for example all electronic social media, such as website, blogs and Twitter, the party wrote most of my paper electoral works, which I had no or very little editorial control.

I became highly compromised and made to feel humiliated at residents doorsteps when people explained to me that they could not understand how I appear such a pleasant and polite candidate would write such negative and slanting comments against the Labour candidate, but yet offer no alternative reasons to vote for me.

I had to agree with them and gave personal apologies for this situation. Towards the end of this campaign I had to carefully judge which leaflets to actually use, unknown to my party I had thrown most of the offensive material in the rubbish recycle bins where it belonged and substituted my own "Independent" version linked exclusively to one of my blogs which I had full editorial control.

The decision worked and paid-off. I got the highest share of the vote that any Conservative had ever achieved for CTPH ward in recent years! Since I was exclusively doing all the canvassing, campaigning and delivery I was able to circumvent an utmost certain poor result at the Poll. In the end despite all the difficulties I managed a highly credible 2nd place.

The most gratifying thing to me personally was that after the postal count was completed when the Conservative group knew that I was doing much better than they had expected I started to get some volunteers "feet on the ground" to help canvass in the last days to election day!

I remember telling more residents back in 2012 I would consider standing probably as an Independent for the 2014 Local Elections next time round.

Never in the field of all campaigns will I ever be managed, told what to say and have no editorial control with campaign leaflets again.

The Conservative party had its chance with me and lost it badly. I will never to this day understand exactly why the Camden Group leadership decided to write such utter contemptuous and potentially damaging leaflets allegedly supposed to bolster the best chances of securing victory in Camden Town with Primrose Hill By-election 2012. It was as if the Tory Camden party only had a hate campaign with Labour. I rather suspect that if H&K CA leadership did same in fighting the Brent (Labour held) wards back in 2010 that almost certainly would explain why sadly Chris Philp lost there by 42 votes, he was a good chap and he may not have known of the "nasty" hate tactics when fighting Labour!

As a matter of principle I later made a stand alongside with Labour on the BIG rally through London on No to the CUTS protests as a way of atonement for the very poor level of respect and dishonourable manner in which "they" were treated in the CTPH By-election. They rightfully deserved to win that election. The Labour leadership personally acknowledged me at the count for all the hard "positive" work that "they" knew had put into my campaign.

So I hope if you managed to get through this diatribe that you understand better why and what motivates me to stand again as your longstanding local active campaigner for Belsize as your prospective councillor for 22 May 2014 elections.

If you have any thoughts or ideas that you wish to share with me don't hesitate to contact me on my publicly advertised email address.

Attempted Robbery in Belsize

Last night around 8pm whilst out on the Belsize campaign. My agent fell victim to an attempted iPhone "snatch" robbery by a would be thief riding a Barclays "Boris" bike, fortunately she being a New Yorker and well aware of her surroundings she prevented the robbery. The would be assailant made off at high peddling speed on the Barclays "Boris" bike in the direction along Belsize Park towards Swiss Cottage. I come down steps of a large Victorian style house to see what turned out to be the iPhone "snatch" thief peddling passed.

The Police was called and we had a very excellent turn out response from the Kentish Town team, who went initially on pursuit with such a good description to go on. Details exchanged and we discussed briefly about this situation which sadly is very common in London.

I my self have heard multiple times about the high incidence of iPhone theft whilst attending Belsize SNT panel meetings over the many years where I am the vice chair.

The principle advice that the Belsize SNT team have made is always be well aware of your surroundings whilst out on your own and especially when using mobile phones or getting money from ATM's. Especially off the Haverstock Hill Road at night. This advice which clearly my agent knew from living in a large city like New York paid off.

Naturally, we called it an evening after that experience and went for a relaxing Earl Grey!