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Thursday, 9 April 2009
Why do so many Barnet Tories agree with me?
When I started my blogging career, I had no idea of the response I'd get. I suspected that there were a few fellow travellers out there who'd agree with some of what I said and a few who wouldn't. I naively expected that most Barnet Tories would strongly disagree with 99% of what I wrote. Strange as it may seem, this isn't how it's turned out. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who disagree with most of what I write, but apart from a few rather well known characters (most of whom seem to share an IP address), most people Left, Right or Centre seem to agree with most of what I say. Just from comments in unsoliceted emails, shoppers in M&S in Mill Hill, people on the train, etc, I have gathered that there are a few issues where I've caught the mood of Mill Hill, if not the whole of the Borough of Barnet.
I'm going to be running a few polls on issues close to my heart, just to try and give a clearer idea of what the real feeling in Barnet is. Please take the time to click on the polls, all sorts of people read the blog and it may just send them a message. Let me just recap on a few issues I've covered and see if you agree with my view.
* I'd like to see Barnet Council cut back on waste - buying plasma tellies for senior officers desks would be a good place to start.
* I don't think Council officers should be spending £5,000 of taxpayers money attending property development conferences in the South of France.
* I think most Barnet Council Taxpayers would agree that 25p a week is not too high a price to pay to keep wardens for the borough's old and vulnerable.
* I think that the Barnet First magazine is a luxury we can't afford in these austere times. The money should be spent on front line services.
* I think that the suggestion that one council officer is to blame for losing £27.4 million pounds in Iceland is absurd. Council auditors could not possibly allow such poor maagement procedures to be used.
* I think that the plans to concrete over much of the green space in the Borough to build rabbit hutch flats, whilst not addressing the council waiting list is disgusting. It will ruin the leafy suburban feel of the borough and overwhelm our schools, hospitals and services.
* I think that the plans to rush headlong into privatising the entire council, when they couldn't even privatise the meals on wheels service without it grinding to halt are dangerous and foolish. Given the experiences with Fremantle, you would think they'd learn.
* I think that the leader listens blog is a complete waste of public money. He'd be better off having a free Blogspot blog. If he did he could run a poll asking whether Barnet residents thought sacking the Sheltered Housing Wardens was a good idea.
* I think that it is scandalous that Barnet Council "big up" vandals by saying people caught by the Police spraying tags at Montrose Park are "Banksy Wannabees" (see picture of New Barnet fire Station)
* I think it is appalling that Barnet Council have increased the cost to parents of burial of dead babies by 9% this year. The funds raised won't even pay for the council officers jolly to the South of France.
So are you a Barnet Tory? If so, feel free to leave a comment here saying whether you agree with me or Mike Freer's Council. If you are not a Tory feel just as free to have your say. Unlike other blogs, so long as it's legal and decent I'll not delete it.
why do you want to buy them plasma tellies, rog?
ReplyDeleteSome good points Rog, but New Barnet fire station is long gone, and there are retirement flats on the site now.
ReplyDeleteVal,
ReplyDeleteHa Ha Ha, nice one
Michael,
Many nice old buildings are becoming flats. This is one of my worries regarding overdevelopment. This is one of the reasons that people living less than a mile from Mill Hill County are not getting in on catchment (overdevelopment generally - not retirement flats at New Barnet, before anyone picks me up on it).