Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002 Contact: http://www.scotsman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 Author: Jason Beattie DUNCAN SMITH FAILS TO SCORE ON ANTI-DRUGS MESSAGE WITH the specific aim of scoring some class A political points, Iain Duncan Smith, the leader of the Conservative crew, went to Brixton in South London yesterday. Mr Duncan Smith, whose Smith Square posse is currently midway through its "Help the Vulnerable" tour of Britain (yesterday Brixton, tomorrow bucolic Dorset), arrived at the Baptist Church on Solon Road to hear for himself the opinions of the local community. "I have come to listen. This is not a party political issue," he said repeatedly, though it may be coincidental David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is expected to announced today that cannabis should be downgraded from a class B to class C drug. Waiting for the Tory leader were ten of Brixton's finest citizens. They included the priest, the Rev Chris Andre-Watson, Hughie Rose, a youth worker, the Rev Jeanette Mclaren, Pauline Cummings, a foster mother from Birmingham, and seven elderly members of the ladies' prayer fellowship, a charming organisation which meets every Tuesday afternoon for prayers, songs and Bible readings. But the good people of Brixton were at best bemused by the presence of the excruciatingly posh Tory leader. As Yvonne Cadette, 65, admitted, it was not entirely clear why this strange man in a suit and his sidekick, Oliver Letwin, had agreed to join their weekly meeting. "We sing, we pray, we are here every Tuesday," said Mrs Cadette, originally from Jamaica who has lived in Brixton for more than 30 years. "As a matter of fact, we have this ladies' meeting every Tuesday from 2:30pm till quarter to four and I wasn't even aware this press meeting was going to take place," she said with disarming candour. Mr Rose, the youth activist, was equally honest in his conversation with the Tory leader, saying he thought it would be better to reserve judgment until the Paddick experiment had finished. "Why have you turned up now? Why have you come to gloat?" he asked Mr Duncan Smith. Mr Duncan Smith looked affronted by the accusation he had turned up simply for a tremendous photo opportunity. "Oliver has been here and it is my intention to come back again," he said. Had Mr Letwin, who admitted smoking cannabis when a student, come to buy some skunk, a particularly potent form of cannabis, for his pipe? Three months ago the local police commander, Brian Paddick, began a "softly, softly" experiment whereby local officers would turn a blind eye to those dealing or using soft drugs in order to concentrate on the growing problem of crack cocaine use. But it has also caused consternation among certain members of the local community. The pilot, according to a recent Mori poll, has the support of 83 per cent of Lambeth's citizens and has seen a 19 per cent increase in the arrest of crack dealers. Ms Mclaren also suggested that the experiment should be continued "to see how successful it has been". Clearly, this was not what Mr Duncan Smith was craving to hear. Repeatedly, he pressed his audience on how the change in policy had affected the community. Thankfully, a local Tory councillor, Bernard Gentry, dressed in an ill-fitting jacket a threadbare party tie, came to his rescue. He picked up on quotes by Labour MP Kate Hoey, who claimed drug dealing has become so rife it is nigh impossible to walk down the local high streets without being offered the opportunity to buy cannabis. "I have been offered not just cannabis but hard drugs just 50 yards from Brixton town hall," he said. Ms Mclaren admitted she had been offered skunk only the previous day while returning from a hospital visit. Both Ms Mclaren and Mr Gentry insisted they had politely turned down the offers. After the meeting, the Tory leader called on Mr Blunkett, to abandon the Lambeth pilot. "It is quite wrong surely to hand over drug policy to criminals on the street. We are saying to the Home Secretary stop and think again because this is not the right way to go about it," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens