Wednesday 1 September 2010

Lynne the Library lacerator Vs Richard Cornelius ???

On Saturday, The Barnet Eye revealed that Lynne "the Library Lacerator" Hillan planned to sell off all of the Borough's Libraries


http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2010/08/exclusive-barnet-council-planning-sell.html

Today the sleepy old Hendon Times caught up with the story


http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8362739.Libraries_in_firing_line_for_council_sell_off/

The sell off is a short term punt to try and get some cash in the coffers before the borough goes broke due to Tory mismanagement by Council Leader Lynne Hillan and her loving band of cadres. We can now add libraries and allotments to the things Lynne Hillan thinks are less important to the people of the Borough than her allowances.

There is one person who this policy puts in a bit of a pickle (assuming he has any principles left whatsoever). Richard Cornelius came to promenance and got selected as a councillor on the back of a campaign to save Totteridge library. He stressed just how important these were and what a vital public service performed. He vowed that he'd never support a leader who planned to scrap them and came out vociferously against the then Tory Leader Victor Lyon. Of course he didn't get fat allowance cheques then (neither did his wife). The question is, with a leadership election brewing, with the Mark Shooter challenging Lynne Hillan and her cadres, will Richard and Alison Cornelius follow their consciences and vote for the new kid who has stated that he will maintain the current library service or will he ditch any last vestige of trustworthyness and back Lynne the Library Lacerator?

Richard Cornelius has always amused me. In the Michael Moorcock novel "The English Assasin" a character called Jerry Cornelius gets his kicks from burning down libraries. I always thought that it was ironic that Richard Cornelius came to promenance fighting to save them. Maybe he has more in common with his namesake than we thought. On the subject of the the other characters in the book, Bishop Beesley has always reminded me of another character in Barnet politics. Does the wikipedia description remind you of anyone?

"Bishop Beesley, endlessly corrupt gluttonous villain. Thirsts for power, money, pleasure."

 Answers on a postcard please.

1 comment:

baarnett said...

Can't think who you mean, Roger. Can't think who you mean.