Barnet Bloggers Bank Holiday Special.David Miller, who writes the "Not the Barnet Times" blog, has been following a very simple agenda since he started his blog last July. It is quite simple. People in public office, be it Councillors or Officials should do their job professionally and with honour. He believes that collection of
taxes should be kept to a minimum, funding what is necessary, not extravagent lifestyles for those in the pay of taxpayers. His criticism of local officials and councillors has upset those in office. Talk has reached the Barnet Eye that certain highly placed people in the Chipping Barnet Conservatives have called for his head (well actually his ejection from the Party) following his strident criticism of the Queen of the Court at Barnet, Lynn Hillan.
The story is like a modern day reworking of the tale of John the Baptist. What did John say about Taxes? "collect no more than you are required to" (Lk. 3.13) Strangely enough this message didn't go down too well with the ruling elite. His criticism of the shenanigans at the court of King Herod lead to his imprisonment. Herodias, Herods wife bore a grudge against John for criticising her. She conspired with her daughter, Salome, and persuaded the King to behead John. How did John describe himself? Was he a prophet or a messiah? No he said he was "a voice in the wilderness".
Did it do them any good? Well if you believe the accounts, the population ascribed the defeat of Herods army in 36 AD to the wrath of God for killing John The Baptist. Now although I'm a good Catholic boy and I'm sure God was none to pleased with Herod, I'd suggest that there might be a more straightforward explanation. You see I think Herod had got so lazy, out of touch and complacent, as witnessed by the accounts of his court, that he let his army get to a state that they were not up to the job. Had Herod listened to John and cut taxes, made his soldiers behave professionally and cleaned up his court, he would still have had a lifestyle far better than his subjects. He would also have been seen as a popular and fair leader. Maybe his army would have done a little bit better.
Which brings us back to Chipping Barnet & David Miller. Whatever anyone may think of David, there is no doubt that he is a Conservative. There is no doubt that his views are in tune with the majority of grassroots activists. There is no doubt that his family is well respected within the wider party. There is also no doubt whatsoever that if the Barnet Tories listened to him, they would be far more popular and not just with ardent Tories. If the policies he advocates were implimented, this blog would have nothing to say most of the time, as the obvious cock ups would disappear. As to the Tory army - the activists who go out canvassing, delivering leaflets etc? Will Davids treatement inspire them? I don't think so.
David may not live in the desert on locusts, he's probably not lead the chaste lifestyle of John, I doubt that too many churches will be named after him, but when it comes to the Barnet Tories & common sense, he certainly is a voice in the wilderness ! One they'd be well advised to take heed of.
Rog
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly there are some who would wish me to suffer the same fate as John the Baptist, but they tend to be councillors and possibly a few chief officers! Amongst ordinary party members I have plenty of support. There were some, I concede, who were previously uncomfortable with my decision to go public over the worst excesses of Mike Freer’s administration, but with the events now unravelling at Westminster, I feel totally vindicated.
The political system in this country is rotten to the core and the general public are sickened by it. David Cameron has told Conservative Party members to deselect their MPs if they have been caught troughing. Such a statement is unprecedented in political history.
Instead of trying to throw me out of the party, Barnet’s councillors should be asking themselves “why on earth would anyone now want to join?”
I believe passionately that if councillors had been doing their job properly, instead of finding new ways to stuff their pockets with taxpayers cash, the Icelandic banking scandal would never have occurred, Aerodrome Road bridge would not be £11m over budget, and public money would not have been frittered away on wide screen TVs, business class air travel, lap top computers and fancy room booking systems.
I may be biased, but I don’t think it should be me who is expelled from the party!
(p.s. I can’t eat locusts - they are not kosher!)