Stop Press : The Barnet Eye has uncovered even more free dinners, hidden from the main GLA list and uncovered by the Tireless Tory Troll. I've added the new entries in in italics. These were in a FOI request sent to the London Fire Authority(LFEPA).*******************************************
To MISQUOTE BOB DYLAN
"How many dinners can a man gobble down,
before he gets the sack,
The answer my friend, is ask Boris Johnson,
The answer is ask Boris Johnson"
*******************************************
Since the inception of this blog, the most popular entry has been The Brian Coleman Free Dinner register - This was published on the 15th November 2008. The MINIMUM weekly visits to this blog page has been 61, most weeks it's far higher, especially when our much loved GLA representative is in the news. I suspect that if I deleted every blog other page I've written and just left this one, I would still have one of Londons favourite BLOGS !
It has been much copied, often without a hat tip (you naughty old sausages). Anyway, today, the day Brian Coleman bows to public pressure, I thought I'd give an update to your favourite story. So here it is - all Mr Coleman's hospitality since the 15th November blog.
Just remember though, Brian Coleman has said that the more you sponge, the harder you work. I remember Norman Tebbit telling benefit "spongers" - "get on your bike and find work" - Mr Coleman has transformed and rewritten the paradigm for the 21st Century "Get in your Taxi and find Dinner!" - Please note that not all of his taxi journeys are listed here. He claimed the £496 fare to the Lord Mayors dinner from his London Fire Brigade account, although the dinner is listed as GLA hospitality.
For your enjoyment, I've put in his taxi expenses for these engagements where he's claimed them back from the GLA.
By the way, please note :- The Barnet Eye in no way criticises Mr Coleman for receiving lots of hospitality. I'm told it's all scrupulously declared and well within the rules, as they stand. This list is purely provided to give bloggers, such as myself, who Mr Coleman quite righly describes as Mad, Bad and Sad a good chuckle, and the voters of Barnet and Camden the opportunity to see how hard Mr Coleman is prepared to work to further their interests. If eating dinner is the secret of hard work as he claims, Mr Coleman is still London's hardest working GLA member by a Country Mile !
Brian Coleman 18-JUN-09 Conservative Friends of Israel Annual
Business Lunch at the Dorchester
Lord Steinberg Andrew Heller Conservative Friends of Israel
Brian Coleman 13-MAY-09 Board of Deputies of British Jews
President's Dinner at the Park Lane Hotel
Mr Henry Grunwald QC President,
Board of Deputies of British Jews
Brian Coleman 02-MAY-09 Ticket for Barnet Football Club match against
Port Vale, lunch and refreshments
Mr Robert Shutler Metropolitan Development Consultancy
Brian Coleman 15-APR-09 Two tickets for Spring Remembrance Concert at the
Wigmore Hall in Memory of Armenian Victims of 1915
Mr Vahe Gabrielyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia
Brian Coleman 31-MAR-09 Heron International Annual Luncheon at the
Dorchester Hotel
Mr Gerald Ronson Heron International
Brian Coleman 19-MAR-09 dinner at the Adjournment, Portcullis House,
House of Commons SW1 Mr Ross Lydall The Scotsman
Brian Coleman 12-MAR-09 Lunch for myself and my mother at Italian Restaurant in
High Cross Shopping Centre, Leicester
Mr Tom Nathan, General Manager,
Brent Cross Shopping Centre
Brian Coleman 02-MAR-09 Community Security Trust Annual Dinner at
Grosvenor House Hotel
Mr Gerald Ronson, Chairman, Community Security Trust
Brian Coleman 24-FEB-09 Dinner at the Bulgarian Embassy Dr Lachezar Matev,
Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria
Taxi 32.83 24/02/09 N3 to Hyde Park Gate, SW7
18.13 24/02/09 Hyde Park Gate, SW7 to N3
Dinner on 19/1/09 provided by John Shannon (LFEPA)
Brian Coleman 14-JAN-09 Lunch at Strada, More London Tim Donovan, BBC London
Brian Coleman 13-JAN-09 Dinner at the Toby Carvery Motel, Borehamwood
Mill Hill Rotary Club in return for speaking engagement
Brian Coleman 09-JAN-09 Lunch at the Haven Restaurant in Whetstone N20
Ms Emer Coleman
Brian Coleman 08-JAN-09 London Government Dinner at the Mansion House
The Lord Mayor of London
Brian Coleman 27-DEC-08 Bottle of Kosher Wine
Tzivos Hashem Organisation
Harvey Nichols hamper provided by John Shannon Asset Co on 24/12/08 (LFEPA)
Brian Coleman 23-DEC-08 Bottle of Bushmills Malt Whisky
Mr and Mrs Rico Andreopoulos
Brian Coleman 22-DEC-08 Bottle of Glenlivet Whisky
Mr Mark Styles, Managing Director, Thomann-Hanry
Brian Coleman 22-DEC-08 Bottle of Armenian Brandy
Mr Vahe Gabrielyan Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia
Brian Coleman 18-DEC-08 Lunch in Restaurant at Brent Cross Shopping Centre
Mr Tom Nathan General Manager,
Brent Cross Shopping Centre
Dinner on 1/12/08 provided by Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser (LFEPA)
Brian Coleman 22-NOV-08 Dinner in honour of the Mayor and Councillors of Morphou
at the Greek Cypriot Community Centre,
Brittania Road, N12 9RU
Mr Chris Ioannou, Chairman, Morphou Area Organisation
Brian Coleman 21-NOV-08 Sikh Forum International Annual Dinner and
Sikh of the Year Award at Lincoln's Inn
Mr Ranjit Singh OBE Chairman, Sikh Forum International
Brian Coleman 12-NOV-08 Middlesex University Civic Dinner
Professor Michael Driscoll,
Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University
Brian Coleman 11-NOV-08 Two tickets for Music for Youth Concert at the
Royal Albert Hall and refreshments
Michael C Doughty, Music for Youth
Taxi 58.57 11/11/08 Taxi Royal Albert hall to N2 & N3
96.03 11/11/08 Taxi N2 & City Hall
to Royal Albert Hall Sw7
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The following gifts/hospitality were in the period covered by the previous blog but not included on it
- Lunch on 27/9/07 provided by Deputy Fire Commissioner
- Dinner on 23/10/07 provided by Sir Ken Knight
- Lunch on 30/10/07 provided by Asset Co
- Lunch on 26/11/07 provided by James Flynn, LFEPA Head of Communications
- Dinner on 21/4/08 provided by Licensing Committee of the City of London Corporation
- Lunch on 28/5/08 provided by Mr David Cartwright
- Lunch on 2/7/08 provided by 4Ps
- Dinner on 2/7/08 provided by T-Systems (sister company of T-Mobile)
- Dinner on 17/7/08 provided by Sir Ken Knight
- Dinner on 23/7/08 provided by Mr John Shannon
- Lunch on 26/8/08 provided by Mr John Smith
Reading this made me think of that Monty Python sketch, Mr. Creosote. I would share a link with you but it's so disgusting I couldn't stand more than a minute. The best bit is the fish at the start.
ReplyDeleteI can't see Brian standing as a councillor again, can you, because I think he would have so many candidates standing against him all wanting to have a pop that it might penetrate even his thick hide.
I predict a gracious (early) retirement from councilloring in May; he's had what he wants from it now: some nice pics of his mayoralty for the mantlepiece.
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteUnless he's deselected he'll go on and on and on. He really doesn't care what we think of him one little bit
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteUnless he's deselected he'll go on and on and on. He really doesn't care what we think of him one little bit
Tory Troll reports that a £12m contract was awarded to a company which had provided gifts and hospitality to Brian Coleman.
ReplyDeleteAll just a happy coincidence I'm sure.
Coleman receives so many free lunches he can't possibly be expected to remember who paid the bill.
When is selection, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post Rog. It has inspired this post of my own:
ReplyDeleteColeman's Bottom