Allowancegate : Now Hillan must go

The Leader of Barnet Council, Lynne Hillan deserves an award. One for bare faced cheek. Having completely destroyed the reputation of herself, her colleagues (except Kate Salinger), her party in Barnet and Barnet Council generally, she has the gall to claim it shows she's a good leader. In the Times, she bleats that she has shown she listens.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8334142.Leader_claims_retreat_on_allowances_scheme_shows_they_are_listening/

She seems to think that she can spin the debacle into a glorious victory. Now whilst this blog is never one to underestimate the stupidity of some of our Barnet Councillors, surely even they can't possibly have missed the fact that they look like a bunch of prize plums. Can anyone think Lynne Hillan is the Conservative Councillor best suited to run the council after this? Lets review what happened. She sprung the allowance rise on the Tory group, bullied them against vocal opposition, even from cabinet members (I believe Helena Hart argued against the rise), publicly humiliated Kate Salinger for her principled abstention, waited four weeks to do anything, in the face of an absolute torrent of public opposition, unprecedented in both of our local paper groups.

She has allowed blogs like this one to set the agenda and lead the debate. She has revitalised the political career of Andrew Dismore in Hendon, who has collected a massive petition, hugely damaging her colleague Matthew Offord. She has driven a huge wedge between herself and Mike Freer, who has the political savvy to see it's just plain wrong. With her U-turn she's destroyed the public credibilty of Councillors such as Richard Cornelius and Hugh Rayner who put out press releases praising the rise and claiming it was vital. She has destroyed the reputation of new councillors such as Graham Old who ended up looking a complete idiot at the residents forum claiming Kate Salinger was "my hero".

She's also destroyed the reputation of Councillor Barry Evangeli who jumped into Kate Salingers seat at the Chipping Barnet residents forum and was publicly exposed as a toady. Surely she's finally exposed Brian Coleman for what he is. He lead the humiliation of Kate Salinger, who today stands vindicated, the only Tory to emerge unscathed. Colemans vindictiveness against such a principled colleague surely cannot be forgiven by the Tories, can it. Then there's Councillor Andrew Harper. he'd previously been seen as a safe pair of hands, a steady Eddie. Now he's been exposed as Lynne Hillans gimp and a coward with his "No comment" whilst being deputy leader. Prior to Allowancegate, I saw Harper as a potential leader. Now I see him merely as a failed teaboy for Hillan and Coleman. He either agreed with them, in which case he's tainted or he didn't in which case he's too big a coward to ever be trusted again.

We must give some credit to Hendon Conservative Councillor Mark Shooter who brought the whole house of cards down. Apart from Kate Salinger, he's the only one who has shown any guts at all. His intervention has caused the panic and the U-Turn. Whilst Hillan claims she performed a couragious U-Turn, it was nothing of the sort. It is a last ditch effort to keep her job and retain a fig leaf of credibility. If the Tories want to regain any credibility at all, they need a top team who have public trust. This means that it will be one which contains Mark Shooter and Kate Salinger. They at least have shown some backbone and moral fibre. It is telling that Hillan made no mention of an apology or reinstatement for Salinger, who events have shown to have been right.

Lynne Hillan has got to go ASAP and she's got to take her motley cronies with her. This must be sooner rather than later, preferably before the next council meeting on the 14th September. It is time for decent Conservatives to find their backbones and make their voices heard. I invite any Tory Councillor who believes Lynne Hillan to be the right leader to email me ASAP. They can write a guest blog and explain to my readers exactly what I've missed. Come on Brian, you know you want.