Boris Johnson, Brian Coleman and good judgement

Only yesterday I discussed whether Mayor of Barnet Brian Coleman had shown good judgement in accepting over £500 worth of gifts and hospitality from a supplier of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. As chairman of this authority, one has to question whether this might lead to (clearly totally incorrect) charges of favouritism in awarding contracts in future.

Well it seems that Brian Coleman isn't the only Tory on LFEPA who's judgement looks, shall we say, a bit suspect. The Guardian reports that Boris Johnson has written to disgraced Bent Brent Tory Councillor Bertha Joseph to explain her actions in taking £900 worth of charity donations and spending them on Ballgowns. Personally I have fairly strong views on people who nick from the charity box, but Brian Coleman is quoted in the article as taking a different view. He says :-

"Boris has done what the lawyers have told him to do and that is fine."

Coleman who was appointed by Johnson to lead the fire authority, accused Labour of running a "nasty" and "toxic" campaign against Joseph, who defected to the Conservatives from Labour almost three years ago. Sadly for Coleman, the standards committee took a different view and have suspended Joseph as a Brent Councillor for an unprecidented period of six months. Why Boris ever gave her the job, knowing that this case was ongoing is totally beyond me.

This blog has been looking at various cases in Barnet of late where Barnet Tory Councillors seem to think that rules don't apply to them. Is it any surprise when leading figures such as the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson thinks people who behave like this should be given grace and favour jobs with huge allowances. At the very top of the Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft has, shall we say, interesting arrangements to minimise his tax. David Cameron dismissed this recently as "old news".

Have Brian Coleman and Boris Johnson displayed good judgement?