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Responses to our questions are now in from Harriet Harman (Labour, and our current MP) and Andy Stranack (Tory). 

Harriet Harman

1. Tell us about your connection with Camberwell.

I have had the priviledge of representing Camberwell in Parliament since I was first elected in 1982.

2. What do you think is so good about Camberwell? 

It's diversity - a great mix of people from all walks of life.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell?

Improving public transport links, better housing, more community facilties for local people. 

4. How are you going to achieve these?  

By continuing to work alongside local councillors and orgainsations such as yourselves, the Camberwell Community Council, Southwark Council, and the tenants and residents associations. By pressing the Government, like I did to:
* Ensure that there will be a "super inquest" into the tragic deaths in the fire at Lakanal House.
* Keep the Camberwell Jobcentreplus open.
* Help campaigners secure £1.4 million of government money to keep the Camberwell Baths open.
* Ensure the Secretary of State for Transport agree to an early start date for the East London Line.
And I will continue to demand that Tory Mayor Boris Johnson, the chair of TfL, invests in better transport links for Camberwell and Peckham, and reverse his decision to cut the South London Line.

5. How will your party promote gay rights?  

The Labour Party has done more for Gay and Lesbian rights than any other party, and I am proud of our record. We have:
· Introduced civil partnerships in 2004 which has to date benefited nearly 35,000 same sex couples;
· Brought in a consistent age of consent (16) for both Lesbian, Gay and bisexual people and for heterosexual people.
· Repealed Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.
· Lifted the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces;
· Outlawed discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the workplace in 2003 and banned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in goods, facilities, services and public functions in 2007;
· Created a new offence making it unlawful to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation through the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
· Strengthened the law to protect transsexual people from discrimination The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 which made it easier for lesbian couples to access IVF and ensure that same sex couples can be both recognised as the legal parents of their children in the same way as heterosexual people.
· Introduced the Equality Act which will make life fairer for lesbian, gay and bisexual people by putting a new duty on public bodies which will mean public bodies need to think about the needs of everyone who uses their services or works for them.
· In the Equality Act Lord Waheed Alli amendment removes the prohibition on Civil Partnerships taking place in religious premises. 

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?

Being treated equally and fairly and being safe and not subject to prejudice

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 

When a constituent contacts me for my help I always reply to them within 10 working days. I always do what I can to help. I am committed to fighting for equality and fairness and if I am re-elected, as I hope, I promise my ongoing commitment to equality which I will carry through in the next Parliament, ensuring that the Equality Act is enforced. 

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   

I am working to ensure that the church and the local community work together so that the building, which is now owned by the church, can be used by all the community.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?

I love Lucas Gardens, and was pleased that we forced Southwark Council to do a u-turn on their plans to sell of part of the gardens to developers.

And from Andrew Stranack:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  

My Mum's first teaching job after she left University in 1960 was at Charles Edward Brook School, she remembers walking the children down to Camberwell Baths once a week. So you could say that my connection with the area goes back to before I was born !!!!

2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 

You have the whole world on your doorstep, with people from many different nations and background coming together to form a vibrant community.  

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 

Protecting the Environment - We want to boost recycling.Southwark currently has one of the worst rates in the country.
Freezing Council Tax - If elected local Conservatives will work with a Conservative Government to freeze Council Tax rises for the next two years.
Decentralising Power to the Community - When I look around the area it is often local groups and charities that are doing the best community work. Charities like Kids Company who are doing amazing work with young people. 

4. How are you going to achieve these?  

Boost recycling by rewarding people for the amount they recycle with vouchers they can use in local businesses.
We need to run our public services efficiently and work in partnership with the voluntary and private sectors to ensure we provide the best service and good value for money.
We need to give more power to community organisations and charities and cut out red tape, bureaucrats and quangos.

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 

The modern Conservative Party is committed to promoting equality and tackling discrimination, whether it is on the grounds of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, disability or background. We have a range of policies to promote equality including recognising civil partnerships in the tax system. For more information please see http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Women_and_Equality.aspx

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?

I think the key issues are much the same as the rest of the community:-
Strong economy
Good housing
Feeling safe in the community 
Not being discriminated against

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 

Having been a person with a disability since birth, I know all to well what it is like to be part of a minority in society that is discriminated against. Where I see unjust discrimination taking place against any individual or group I will stand up and fight it.  

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   

I think we need more community venues and spaces in Camberwell. In many cases Churches are very good at providing spaces that are welcoming to community groups and indeed facilitating community activity. The Church must make sure that it creates a welcoming environment for all groups and individuals in the local area. 

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?

Probably the Castle Pub, I enjoy having a beer with friends, we held a great pub quiz at the venue last year. 

Analysis will follow anon – but do let us know your views!

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by Layla

With 2 weeks to go until the election, it seems to be all anyone talks about, and Gay Camberwell has also given in to election fever (well I have - Roz, as a civil servant, is required to be a little more temperate).  

We emailed all the main candidates with a few questions once the election was called.  Two responses are in - from Jenny Jones, the Green candidate, and Columba Blango, the Lib Dem candidate.  Nothing from Harriet Harman (the current Labour MP) nor from Andy Stranack (the Tory candidate) yet, though Harriet's office have emailed to say she will be responding...

So here's what Jenny Jones had to say:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  
I've lived in Camberwell for 17 years. I use the shops, cafes and pubs, especially in the evenings, as I love being able to walk home from a night out. 

2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 
Camberwell has huge energy and vibrancy. There are still lots of little shops that provide special products, and there's new ideas being generated all the time, in art, in gardening, in culture.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 
First, it needs some traffic calming to make it less disrupted by noise and pollution. I want it very safe for pedestrians and cyclists - we've had too many deaths and injuries already this year. We must give some road space back to pedestrians by making pavements wider and more pleasant. Secondly, we should entice small businesses that offer specialist food or services to set up here to make the shopping even more varied. Thirdly, it's fairly scruffy in places, so some money has to be spent on decluttering the pavements and helping businesses to tidy up and repaint.

4. How are you going to achieve these?   
All of the above need money obviously, but my experience is that when the political will exists, the money can be found, either through organisations like Transport for London, or through grants from other bodies. Some businesses will be able to fund some improvements themselves, when they see how much it improves the area and is more attractive to shoppers.

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 
The Green Party promotes gay rights in the same way that we promote women's, children's, or any other section of society's rights, by embedding them in all our work. The Green Party has superb equalities policies which can be found here, under Responsibilities and Rights: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/mfss/mfssrr.html

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?
Security is a big issue. In 1979 I visited San Francisco and saw gay men holding hands in public for the first time. Camberwell still isn't free enough or safe enough to see much of that, for men or women, and sometimes there is still a stigma around homosexuality, in clinics, or churches, or - dangerously - gangs.

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 
Challenging out of date stereotypes is a forte of most Greens, me included, so I'm open to good ideas for action on this. I commit to helping make Camberwell better for gay people.
 
8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   
I'm hoping to be reelected and sit on the planning committee that looks into this, so I can only say that I feel strongly that some sort of community use, open to people of all types, is desirable for a building in such a central place.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?
My really favourite place is in my own bed, looking into the garden, but my favourite public place is the children's play area at Camberwell Green, because it's the one that my grandchildren prefer above all others. I sit on a bench, look at the trees, birds, wildlife, ooh and aah at my grandchildren's superb athletic ability and cross my fingers they won't fall any great distance and hurt themselves. 

And here are Columba Blango's answers:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  
I live in the camberwell, my children attended (one still attends) secondary schools in the constituency, I am a member of the Camberwell of The Camberwell Society, I helped establish the Burgess Park Tennis Club, my family attend church in Camberwell and I established the Southwark Community Games from which a good number of Camberwell children benefit. I also do most a lot of shopping in the area.
 
2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 
Camberwell is a wonderful place to live. It is a central hub where many people love to visit. I like the diversity of the area in terms of its population, shops, history, and location. The area presents a hugh potential for regeneration and economic prosperity.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 
My top priorities, not in any order of importance, are:
A. Economic, Environmental and Social transformation through regeneration,
B. Education and Health facilities,
C. Leisure, Parks and Sports,
E. Transport,
H. Tackling crime and the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour,

4. How are you going to achieve these?  
As MP for the constituency, I shall work very closely with the residents of Camberwell to lobby government and council for the transformation of the area. I will be a hard advocate for the development of the Camberwell and Peckham. I will do my very best to ensure Camberwell and Peckham is a constituency that embraces civil liberty, social justice; a constituency where the residents will be proud of celebrating its diversity and fully appreciate cohesion and integration.   

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 
As Liberal Democrats MP, I shall ensure through our polices and by my personal attitude and effort that residents fully understand and adhere to the principles of equality and fairness. I will continue to support Southwark LGBT and ensure more support gay rights the gay festival.

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?
I want to believe the biggest issues facing the gay community in Camberwell are:
A. The lack of or absence of sufficient information in the public about the gay community,
B. Hate (homophobic) crime

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 
I will engage with the gay community and work closely with them to discuss the issues with a view to establishing an action plan to address the issues.

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   
I have always considered churches as a part of the community in which they are located. In that respect, they should integrate, work with and serve that particular community irrespective.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?
Camberwell as a whole is unique in its diversity and presents challenges and opportunities. I like the whole of Camberwell and i try to use the facilities in the area as often as possible; such as shops, leisure and sports facilities. 

More election fever anon...
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