Paul Scriven is the former leader of Sheffield City Council. Born in Huddersfield, the son of a bin man, and a Labour party member until his early 20's, he is now Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords.

In 2010 he stood as a candidate in the general election losing by just 165 votes to Labours Paul Blomfield. Today I asked him what he thought made the difference in securing the victory for Labour. He said that he thought to a large extent it was the Manor Castle ward in the city that had helped get Blomfield over the line. He also acknowledged that Labour had a bigger machine behind them going out on the doorsteps in areas of the city like Manor Castle which have traditionally been Labour households for decades.

Mr Scriven (who incidentally asked me to call him Paul rather than Lord Scriven) has recently been selected as the candidate in Ecclesall, in Sheffield, to stand as a local councillor again. I asked him what made him want to do it again. He told me that his heart is and has always been in local government and local community politics. He wants to help individuals in personal issues as well as helping develop the local area’s policy on highways, housing and fiscal concerns. I asked if this would interfere or hamper his role in the House of Lords. His response was that his experiences in local politics and local issues give him an invaluable insight into what happens in real life. When Lords and politicians are making policy that does not benefit the larger community, he is able to draw on his years of experience as a local councillor and leader of the council to have input that represents the people of his area.

I first spoke to Paul Scriven some years ago while he was leader of the council and recalled him talking about the lib-Dems being the party of fairness. With the disastrous 1015 election result in mind, which left only a handful of Lib-Dem MPs left, I asked Paul if he thought going into government with the Tories was a bad idea or a God send.

He says it quickly becoming clear, and the public are already acknowledging, that Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems contribution in Government was to put the breaks on the Tory ideologies that are now unfolding. He says they had many successes, not least the pupil premium, which has been a huge boost to some schools budgets in poorer areas. He said that Labour and the media had demonised Clegg and the party, blaming them for many of the difficult decisions that had to be made, resulting eventually in the part being given a bloody nose in the election. He thinks the country is now realising that perhaps they should have had a slap on the wrists instead of the brutal beating they took.

The media portrayal of former leader Clegg is that he was somewhat of an absent representative in Sheffield and I put it to Mr Scriven that Clegg’s popularity in the city was still low. I asked if in 2020, should Clegg decide not to stand if Paul Scriven will again stand to MP for Sheffield. He said that he had no idea as to whether Mr Clegg would stand down and had given it no thought, as he is a Lord why would he? He said that as a councillor, if elected, the city has many challenges which he intends to be involved in. From HS2’s station in Sheffield, to the devolution debate currently taking place, he will do whatever he needs to do to best serve his city in whichever role allows him to best do that.

On the issue of devolution I asked if he thought it was a good deal for the city. He was clear that in his mind what’s on the table is not full devolution but decentralisation. That said, he thinks much of decentralisation is a good thing if it gives power to the people of Sheffield rather than decisions being made in Westminster. He does wonder though how much input people of the region will have, considering the deal has been done before the consultation. He said the deals gained by the emerging West Yorkshire and the north East were better, stronger deals as they were able to push back more to gain real powers to make a difference for the people in those areas. He questioned the openness and transparency of deal done by just four people that will be affecting the whole are area.

 I suggested his experience and position in the area makes him an obvious candidate the role of Mayor.  While not ruling it out, he said humbly, that he will take one election at a time and is concentrating on being a councillor again at the moment.

I tried to frame a question for Paul around the debate he was involved in in the House of Lords yesterday about investigatory powers. I told Paul I had tried but the argument is so complicated I failed to understand it sufficiently. Was the, I asked the case also in the Lords. He said on the subject of internet porn many of those in the House were unable to grasp how technology worked and that simply putting blocks in place were not the answer but parental influence and education about the use of pornography was the key. When talking about the proposals to allow access to browser history and emails Paul became most passionate and animated.

He likened the idea to our letters being opened in the delivery office and read by the postmen and then photocopied and saved for twelve months. He said if this was the proposal then the public would be rightly outraged. The threat to our privacy and liberty is wrong. In this country, he said we are proud to assume that one is innocent until proven guilty but if these powers are given to the home secretary that this assumption will be in jeopardy.

I asked if the lack of understanding issues is generally an accurate description of modern politicians. He said many politician seem to leave school, go to university, leave there for a job as an advisor, and then go on to be an MP. He elaborated if you ask the public what many politicians actually stand for few would know.

Paul Scriven had agreed to meet me for half an hour, as he is undoubtedly a very busy man. He is a politician, a public figure, and a business man (although he doesn’t like to label himself as any of those things exclusively) and yet he was good enough to spare over an hour talking to me in coffee shop on Ecclesall Road. I think whether he wins the seat on the council next year or decides to stand as an MP or Mayor , we will be seeing Paul Scriven for some time to come. 

I am very clear that I am elected by the people of Rotherham

This week I had the opportunity to congratulate Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham on her appointment to Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet in roll of Shadow minister for preventing domestic violence and abuse. I asked her if she now saw herself as a Westminster politician or as a local politician. She said “I still struggle to see myself as a politician. I am very clear that I am elected by the people of Rotherham to represent them and campaign for them local and national issues. While I have Labour values, and I am proud to be a Labour MP, the people of Rotherham are my bosses and its them I feel responsible to”. She went on to add “I guess that’s a long winded way of saying that I see myself as a local politician who has to travel to Westminster to serve Rotherham the best I can”.

In July last year after the shocking revelations of sexual grooming in Rotherham, Ms Champion helped secure a change in the law that meant Police can act sooner in child grooming cases, meaning that someone arranging to meet a child with the intention of carrying out a sexual offence can now be convicted immediately, rather than having to be caught twice. I asked Sarah if getting the law changed was her biggest achievement so far. “Legislatively, undoubtedly”, she said. “It is virtually impossible for a backbencher in opposition to change the law so I’m delighted I could do so as it will protect children for generations. However, I am most proud at being able to lobby on behalf of the victims of child sexual exploitation, to get them support and more importantly, listened to both locally and nationally”.

Sarah was one of the 36 MP’s who nominated Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership race. I asked her if she thought he could lead the party into the next election. “Looking at the major climb-down the government has had to do over tax credits, yes, if we keep going in this vein, I believe Jeremy can lead us into the next election and to victory”. She told me. With this in mind I asked if she thought that regaining power should be secondary to sticking to principles, or should the party be looking for power at any cost.

“Personally, I believe that our principles and values are the thing that will get us re-elected”.  She stressed that losing them would be a disaster but added “However I do fully understand that principles and values without power are simply hollow words!”

Before entering into politics in 2012, Sarah Champion was Chief executive of charity Bluebell Wood children’s hospice. Prior to that she ran the Rotherham Arts Centre and volunteered for St Luke’s hospice. I put it to her that in contrast to many other MPs she had started her career in a proper job.  I asked if working in an environment like St Luke’s had better equipped her to understand the issues facing normal people.

She began her answer by saying she didn’t make a distinction between herself and normal people. She added that would like see politicians fully representing the diversity of our country in both their life and work experiences. That is the way that we will get the best legislation and the best democracy she insisted.
When standing successfully for election as deputy leader of the Labour party, Tom Watson said that he wanted to see a much more digital approach from politicians. Pointing out to Sarah that her personal twitter account boasts more than 12,000 followers, I asked if she agreed with Tom Watson that politicians need to connect more digitally to engage with young people.

“I am a huge fan of Twitter (not least because without it she and I wouldn’t have connected, she said kindly), I think it is vital that politicians use as many forms of communication as possible so that we can reach the broadest number of people. I get very frustrated when I hear that young people aren’t interested in politics, as that is not my experience at all. Young people don’t engage in politics through the old channels so it is our duty to reach out to them and make ourselves accessible. Social media really helps me hugely with that”.

Sarah Champion followed me on twitter after I posted a tweet saying; “oh! How I wish Sarah champion would follow me”. She did, showing she has a sense of humour as well being good to her word.

 

Last August comedy actor Robin Williams shockingly took his own life by hanging himself after years of suffering mental health and depression issues. His battles with addiction were well documented but few knew that he was still troubled by demons that led him to take his own life at the age of 63.

3 days before Christmas last year, former footballer Clarke Carlisle threw himself in front of a moving lorry in a suicide bid. It later emerged that Carlisle had been charged with drink driving a couple of days earlier. In 2013 he presented a TV documentary where he spoke about his own and other footballers battles with depression.

Last week performer Professor Green appeared in television programme where he spoke about his Fathers suicide after a long battle with mental health issues.

Mental health does not only affect the rich, famous and successful. It has no prejudice. Old, young, rich, poor, males and females are all susceptible to the crippling effects of it.

Today over 200 high profile celebrities started a campaign for parity between mental health issues and physical health issues. Former mental health minister Norman Lamb, Conservative MP and former whip Andrew Mitchell and ex Blair advisor Alastair Campbell launched the campaign.

The Government increased its spending  on mental health to over £11b recently, but Mr Lamb said that people with mental health problems don’t get the same right to access  treatment on a timely basis that everyone else gets.
The campaign which has been backed by politicians, musicians, sportsmen and women  as well as famous names from stage and screen highlights the lack of access to treatment, particularly for children. It says that 3 out of 4 children with mental health problems are receiving no treatment at all. These figures are shocking and cannot be ignored.
In recent years there has been an increase in public figures openly admitting to such problems but there is still huge stigma attached to the illness with many ashamed, afraid or simply unable to admit it. This can’t go on.

Comedienne, Ruby Wax who has struggled for years with depression said that depression was like the Devil has Tourette’s inside your head. She told ITV news that mental health leads to physical health issues. She said there would be less of a burden on the NHS if there was earlier intervention as many mental health issues cause other chronic health issues such as heart disease, dementia and some cancers. .  

Many employers have poor or no knowledge of the illness and many feel awkward or out of their depth when dealing with such issues in the workplace despite disciplinary action due to mental health related time off being on the increase and I believe trade unions can play a part in this trend being reversed.  
There needs to be open and honest debate publicly, in the workplace, in the houses of parliament, on TV and in living rooms, and even in class rooms up and down the country. By making it acceptable we can make it easier to gain access to help.

It is ludicrous that people are reluctant to talk about what is simply an illness. Men and women would have no hesitation in talking about their arthritis or gout but will not admit to their closest friends that they are depressed. This can change. This must change.