The depths to which Brian Coleman will sink to have his wicked way never cease to amaze me. Boris Johnson appointed Coleman as chair of the London Emergency Fire Planning Authority as one of his first acts as Mayor. Coleman is hellbent on imposing a whole new structure of penny pinching cuts on the brave men and women who keep us safe in our beds at night. Measures such as removing beds from Firestations, so officers on nightshift can't sleep are typical of this disgusting Tory attack on the bravest public servants of all (would you enter a building which was on fire and may collapse?).
There are 17 members of this panel. To push through the measures, Coleman needs a majority. There are currently 9 Tories on it. That means he has just enough. The only problem is that two of those members are currently serving bans from office as Councillors. Normally this would preclude their membership of such a panel, but we all know what Coleman thinks of the rules. It is truly amazing that Boris Johnson has picked a panel of Tories, who three out of 9 have been found guilty of breaches of the the stanndards code in the last couple of months. What does this tell you about the Clean Administration" Boris wanted to run.
It even appears that one of this motley crew tendered her resignation in shame, only for Brian Coleman to refuse it, because he needs her. Brian Coleman thinks the rules don't apply to him. He thinks the rules don't apply to his Tory mates on the committee. As to the rest of us? Well it appears that he thinks they apply to other Barnet Councillors, as he's the only Councillor to report a Councillor from another party.
Are there any decent Tories left in the Barnet Conservative party? Are there any decent Conservatives left in London? Surely, no one can think this sleazy crew are the right people to be running something as important as the Fire Service. I urge ALL Conservatives, for their own good and the good of all London, to contact Boris Johnson and David Cameron to get them to remove this bunch of chancers. This whole episode is a stain on Boris, a stain on Cameron and a stain on London. Our brave Firemen deserve better.
Click here to read the FULL STORY in the Evening Standard :-
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23758989-boris-banks-on-axed-councillors-in-bid-to-control-fire-authority.do
I think a reasonable question to ask is whether the management of the Fire Service should be left to any politician of any party? What experience of fire fighting do any members of LFEPA have?
ReplyDeleteDavid Cameron has announced a bonfire (no pun intended) of quangos if the Conservatives win the election. Hopefully, this will be close to the top of the list.