I'm really not that interested in national politics. I buy into the "Act local, think global" philosophy.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Yes Councillor Hart, it's very funny indeed
A few weeks ago my good lady wife attended the funeral of a friends mum. Also there was Councillor John Hart. Councillor Hart told the missus that he thought it was absolutely hilarious that the Tories had told a stack of porkies about a new football stadium at Copthall during the election and this had helped them defeat the LibDems in Mill Hill. You may recall that they said that the LibDems were planning a Football stadium for Kentish Town FC at Copthall. This was a complete fabrication, but it did the trick.
I wonder what all of those people scared into voting Tory by Mr Hart and his team of porkiemeisters think now that it has been announced that a 10,000 seat Rugby Stadium is planned for the site. Oh and before you deluge me with comments about the Lib Dems and tuition fees, I take the same view of these as Ken Livingstone and Robin Cook took of Labours illegal war on Iraq, which resulted in 100,000 deaths. Whilst the student loan reversal is a rotten policy, hopefully it won't kill anyone. I lost count of the commitments Labour broke, the porkies they told and the crap they spouted before I finally quit the party last year. I don't think they are in any position to lecture anyone on anything.
I'm really not that interested in national politics. I buy into the "Act local, think global" philosophy.
I'm really not that interested in national politics. I buy into the "Act local, think global" philosophy.
I think you're missing the point Rog: people are really pissed off with the Libdems because they genuinely thought - as you did, presumably - that they were offering a real alternative to the jaded, cynical politics of the Tory/Labour eternal tango.For so long the Libdems have sat on the moral high ground looking all pure and virginal: now we all see them for the - and I apologise in advance - for the shameless tarts they really are. You can't excuse what they are doing, propping up the Tory party's reign of terror, by the sins of the Labour Government: that was then and this is now, and if Libdem supporters are really not in support of what is going on re tuition fees, the cuts in essential services etc, they should be screaming and shouting at their party to make them stop.
ReplyDeleteSorry to disagree with you but I think you've missed the point. I thnk we've had a Tory Government since 1979. I stayed up and celebrated when Labour won in 1997, but despite a huge majority, they did nothing to reverse Thatcherism and even entrenched it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe anything would have been significantly better if labour had won. I do beleive things would be far, far worse if the Tories had got the majority everyone thought they would even six weeks before the election. I don't like the coalition, but i far prefer it to a Tory majority.
Labour supporters think that Lib Dems should never, under any circumstances deal with the Tories. Whilst I personally agree with this, it would be pointless being a seperate party if they didn't. If Labour had actually done what it should have in power, they would have repealed much of the anti Union law and the coalition wouldn't be able to steamroller all this crap through so easily.
As for your comments about screaming against the cuts. What do you think I've been doing every Saturday morning for the last two months. How many people have joined us from the local Labour party? How many councillors?
One of the main reasons I left was because I think Jack Cohen of the Lib Dems has been one of the few effective opposition figures in Barnet. You've been to the meetings, you know how useless Labour have been locally. It pains me to say it, but with Iceland, Aerodrome Road, etc Labour should have won in Barnet and the only reason they didn't is because they were too useless to take advantage and bang the ball into an open goal.
When I was a member I tried time and again to get them to use blogs, to contribute to mine, to pick up the themes I'd raised, to coordinate with the blog on issues with the Council and they didn't want to know. If there had been some grand master plan I could take it but they did nothing.
I helped organise the march for sheltered housing in Finchley. Labour did nothing but Dismore and Moore turned up and acted like they were in charge on the day. I could forgive them that if they'd then actually built on the campaign but again they did nothing.
You should become a Labour Councillor because your not thick and your not lazy and they need a few people like that. Sadly I can't see any circumstances where I'd ever rejoin. I will remain a member of the Lib Dems to give me a team to campaign on local issues.
Picking on Mrs Tichborne at an event where she came to pay her respects and gloating about the lies on that particular political issue when the lady was neither a LibDem candidate nor possibly voted LibDem, only serves to show that Cllr Hart is more than a despicable character.
ReplyDeletebut Rog, you can't excuse what the Libdems are doing just because Labour did bad things, which they most certainly did,a s well as good things: it's like me stealing a loaf of bread from Tescos and saying it's ok because, look, Roger Tichborne stole two yesterday ... Lol, me become a Labour councillor: no , I am not thick - (I am lazy though) - yes they could do with all the help they can get, and I know exactly what you are saying about not picking up issues, unfortunately - but actually I am not a member of any party, I won't join any because I don't want to pretend to believe in things I can't support just because that is the party line. As for the Libdems in Barnet: I like Jack Cohen: he is bright and on the ball but I cringe in meetings watching the Libdems uncomfortably supporting some of the Barnet Tory measures. No one could possibly doubt your committment to the library issue, and everything else you care about, but I feel the offical Libdem position is more ambiguous: I was present at the last meeting where the library issue was discussed and was confused as to what they were up to.
ReplyDeleteThe dilemma is in preserving personal integrity and following an individual course of conscience or compromising and, as you say, joining a party to have the benefit of a team to campaign with. It's a matter of personal choice: I prefer the freedom of being able to do and say what I really want to. I think it's time we saw more independent councillors in local government, and maybe that is omething you should consider.
It's 10 years since I got the point of "Blue Labour Business Party " and never renewed my membership. It was followed by "Local Action" leafletting on my own, writing to the local papers and later, joined by a few like minded individuals against the inaction of local Labour and their leader at that time (including their LibDem partner Palmer), to support us and oppose some of their Governments' policy that, resulted in the Conservatives being elected to the Town Hall in 2002. You reiterate similar sentiments on Barnet's Labour group since 2002
ReplyDeleteHowever, while today's LibDems may have some things in common with "Blue" Labour and, significantly more with "New Left" Conservative,(can Tories be Left?) I can understand why tasting the champagne is one better than being the waiter to Callaghan's Labour in 1978 that resulted in 1979, it's also boring to blame Blue Labour solely, rather than the Tory and LibDem voting bankers and financiers whom colluded for the shite the nation is in today, including investing Barnet taxpayers money in dodgy banks.
Rog, the Save the Library campaign was started by yourself, not by a team. Personally, I hope Mrs Angry does not become a Labour Councillor because, her sharp mind and critical analysis of the Town Hall would be compromised by party considerations.
Moaney
ReplyDeleteIf Barnets Tories were just an averagely useless bunch of Tories I might tend to agree with you. As they contain people like Coleman and Ramsbottom and are intent on destroying Barnet with Futureshape, we cannot sit back in our ivory towers and say "A plague on all your houses" unless we want to see the Borough completely destroyed.
...which is why, Rog, being a Libdem in Barnet is a road to nowhere, whatever your own honourable intentions and your desire to work for your own local community in Mill Hill. Remember that the Libdems are nationally in coaltion with the Tories and locally are also supporting the idiotic Barnet Tories in many council votes - I've seen them do it,several times. Locally, I am afraid that the antics of the parliamentary Libdems in coalition is going to have a huge negative impact on the Libdem vote in future elections and there is nom chance of newcomers getting elected in a non Libdem seat, especially if it didn't happen when everything seemed to be going so well for the party pre election.
ReplyDeleteYour part in obstructing the war of attrition that the Tory administration has launched on this borough is simple: keep on blogging. Wars these days - eventually- are arguably won by journalism and media coverage rather than by bullets.
Rog,
ReplyDeleteBarnet's Tories are an average useless bunch which is why the likes of the Portly Toad with the Ramsbottom and their like are intent on destroying community in Barnet.
The vast majority of us and, across all political affiliations are in the same team with you, in the fight against a destruction of Barnet communities by a Tory dogma peculiar to Barnet and much of it adopted by the Conservative Government.
Unless I've missed something, I've not seen much agreement with your views from the Childs Hill trio.