The worst recent example of this uncritical press coverage is this justification of the cuts by Councillor Daniel Thomas.
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8783837.Fees_increase__in_line__with_other_boroughs_says_councillor/
Surely the press should contact an opposition councillor for balance? Here is one porkie which he spouted which was completely unchallenged :-
Councillor Daniel Thomas, cabinet member for resources, said the increases will help plug the £43m hole.He added: “The enormous financial challenges we are facing at the moment mean we are having to look in detail at every aspect of the services we provide to residents.So you may ask, what is wrong with this. Well, I couldn't let it go unchallenged so here's the comment I left
Please can the Hendon Times stop slavishly stop spouting Tory propoganda and tell the truth. The financial mess was caused by the failed Icelandic investments which lost £27.4 million, the Aerodrome Road overspend which cost £11 million and the freemantle court case which cost £6 million. If you add all of these up, you will see that it's exactly the amount Daniel Thomas claims has been withdrawn - £43 million. The Times is meant to investigate and inform. It is not meant to repeat propoganda for lazy, useless and incompetent Tory Councillors who have mismanaged the Boroughs finances.Given that all of these issues are widely known and have been reported many times, why didn't the Times pull up Thomas for his blatent porkmeistering?
Here's a few links to prove that unlike Thomas, I'm not bulls***ing.
Icelandic Investments
http://www.times-series.co.uk/your_local_areas/4169656.Council_may_lose___27_4m_of_Icelandic_deposits__says_minister/
Aerodrome Road
http://www.times-series.co.uk/your_local_areas/4346831.Aerodrome_Road_runs___11m_over_budget/
Fremantle/Catalyst (I got this wrong, the claim is £8 million, not £6)
http://www.times-series.co.uk/your_local_areas/3685068.Care_home_firm_demands___8m_from_council/
That is why we wrote the newspaper. That is why it is vital that the residents of Barnet read it. I believe that if people know the truth about these cuts and the councils incompetence, they will take a very different view of what is going on. Once we realise that the £43 million of cuts is directly down to Barnet Tory Incompetence, maybe we'll ALL do something about it
This is a really important issue. There are several questions: have the opposition (or trade unions) been approached for a comment? If so, have they responded? If they have, where is the story? If not, why are the Labour and Libdem councillors not taking taking their responsibilities properly and using the media to communicate an alternative point of view to the propaganda spewing out of NLBP?Are the press really refusing to cover alternative points of view: I just can't believe that, but something is wrong, somewhere. Whatever the reason, the effect is that at the moment, the oppostion parties appear to be complacent and uninterested, and this is hugely to the disadvantage of the people of this borough. It's no wonder that people are giving up on traditional politics and taking to online activism instead.
ReplyDeleteAnd did'nt some of us discover the feelings of Labour and LibDems led by Monroe Palmer (Lord nowadays), when discussion began about creating that Private Arms Length Management Organisation Barnet Homes and all the Regeneration on the west side of Barnet. Who could sitting in the Town Hall forget the remarks of Palmer on the survey process of West Hendon, not making any difference to the final result?
ReplyDeleteSadly,they were the days when Joseph Lee and his editor of the Barnet Press, Hendon Times's Tom Spender reported on concerns over the lack of transparency and democratic deficit.
Well you have two days to tell the Government about housing reforms in their Localisation Bill 2010-11that will affect Barnet future.
One of those proposals is to, give councils the RIGHT to change Allocation policies. TOO LATE!, Barnet Council have aleady done that. So let's hope future generations subject to a Graduate Tax earn £25k in their first job and if no job, homeless, you better get on your bike, where did we hear that before?
Just can't wait for the likes of intellectual 'Real Conservatives' D Hope and DCMD defending David Cameron's pre -election promise, " we support social housing, we will protect it and we respect social tenants rights." The Conservatives said, they had no policy to change the current or future security of tenure of tenants in social housing "(Inside Housing, 30th April 2010)
Hmm: an interesting subject, Moaneybat. Do you remember when the local Times had the Bill Montgomery column? He wrote about local politics, investigated political issues, and actually had an opinion, which he wasn't afraid to express. Time maybe for a return of something similar, in the interests of er 'balance' and 'transparency' - public interest, in other words. As for our chums DCMD and Mr Hope: not sure what sort of Tory Dan Hope is, or whether Mr Miller is a Cameroon ....
ReplyDeleteOur Chums! The two visionary Alphas for whom "Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine" A copy of Brave New World, 1984, A Social History of the English Working Classes, 1815-1945 (E Hopkins) and a set of cacerolazo for "Change"
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Myk Tucker thinks about all of this?
ReplyDeleteIs it available on the Broadway ? We can plug it on our site. Thanks.
ReplyDelete