There's just under four years until the next Council Elections. People have asked "Is there any point writing blogs about Barnet Council, if we can't do anything about who is running the show for four years?" It is quite clear that the Conservative administration can more or less do what the hell they like for the next couple of years and they'll still have two years for us to forget. "Why bother expending all of that energy if it can't change anything?".
Well I never expected anything other than a Tory victory at Barnet Council. I'd rather hoped that the Lib Dems would do better than they did, but I never doubted the Tories would still run the show. You see, it has been crystal clear to me for some time that the local Labour party has been in a state of disarray. Andrew Dismore would probably have won if he'd had the helpers on the ground to get out and campaign. He lost out by 105 votes. I honestly believe that if they'd have worked in council wards like Hale, they might have actually won a few more council seats as well as the Hendon constituency.
Which brings us to the main point. I don't believe that there will be any real opposition to the Tories in the Council chamber. Labour are clapped out and the Lib Dems are too depleted. Whilst some (rather silly) Tories think that the victories locally were down to their own brilliance, it is pretty clear to me and to the Tories with half a brain that factors such as holding a general election on the same day as the council election, and a national mood for change were massive factors. They may think that the results went the way they did because of their own personal brilliance, but should the national wind blow in a different direction in four years time, I suspect things will be rather different.
Given that none of us can see that far into the future, what point is there in writing blogs today? Well it is quite simple. For the next four years, blogs such as this will be the official opposition to the Barnet Tories. We can't vote in the council chamber, but we can co-ordinate the fight against unfair policies. We can highlight waste. We can expose councillors and other officials who are letting us down. We can be a mouthpiece for improvement in the council chamber. Now I'm sure the Tory Councillors will say "What right have you to tell elected officials what to do. What mandate have you got?". Well I have a right as a Council tax payer to expect my Council to be well run. If any Tory councillor wants to post a comment here to say otherwise, please go ahead or we'll take that as agreed. What mandate have I got? Well, far more people have read this blog than voted for all of our councillors and MP's put together. That counts for nothing in the council chamber, but only a fool would completely discount it. There is no earthly reason why any Councillor should listen to anything I say, that goes without saying, but on the other hand, if I have a point, shouldn't they at least consider it?
There are three groups of Conservative councillors. There are those who never listen to anyone apart from their own voices, there are those who do what they are told and there are those who you can have a rational conversation with and who want to do a good job. Now if you are a Tory Councillor, which of these groups do you consider yourself a member of ? As there won't be an election for four years, blogs such as this have a responsibility to construct arguments which the third group will take up and buy into. We can't expect the Conservative group to drop their own manifesto, but we can try and show why some of their policies are damaging. We can hope that the more sensible councillors start to earn their allowances and vote with their consciences.
The second thing we can do is organise effective community action. If something is wrong, we have to get together and try to put it right. We need to pool information and resources to fight bad policy. We need to ensure that we use every tool at our disposal to protect the weak and vulnerable. It would be the easiest thing in the world to bury our heads in the sand. If we say "It's not my problem, it's someone elses" then we can blame no one else if we find ourselves alone, exposed and in deep trouble. Most readers of this blog don't live in sheltered housing and don't need an on-site warden. By the time you do, it will be too late if Barnet Council abolish them. That is why you need to fight today. As to overdevelopment. When your children or grandchildren don't have any green space in their locality, no local school place and nowhere to play football, it will be too late. When all of our high streets are dominated by bookies, fried chicken shops and convenience stores, it will be too late.
So is there any point writing blogs about the Council when there is four years to the next election? There's more reason than ever. Until we start seeing some proper political opposition, it's the only way that we'll keep the wheels on the bus.
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