Did you attend the march and rally yesterday? As someone who helped put the day together, I was bowled over by the support. The press coverage has been fantastic. Planning such an event was not without its tears and fraught moments. It is fair to say that it was a rocky ride, but I think we got it just about right (though I'm sure many of my friends who helped organise may have a different view!).
The one thing which became clear to me is that the people of Barnet can win this battle if we stick together. Why? because we can mobilise thousands of people to support what we are fighting for. Just look at the petitions doing the rounds. Many of the people signing these are naturally Conservative voters, who have woken up to the fact that they are being shafted. I wish it was as simple as just getting all the people who were left of centre to agree with me. That won't work in Barnet. We also have to win the arguement. I believe we are doing this. The responses from the Tory Council are tired and lacklustre. They don't believe a word of what they're saying (apart from Brian Coleman and the rest of them are realising he's a liability).
Sadly though, any victory we win will come at a price, as it is clear that the sheer incompetence of the Barnet Tories will leave a legacy of debt for a generation. When the Tories took over Barnet, the Corporate debt was £38 million. Now it is approaching £250 million. That means that millions of pounds a year of tax just goes straight into the pockets of bankers, in the form of interest repayments. Mismanagement has cost millions of pounds in losses.
Yesterday I addressed the rally at the arts depot. I explained why I thought Barnets Tories had got it wrong. I'm not a great public speaker and I hadn't really planned to say much, but afterwards it was clear people agreed with what I had to say. One person asked if the losses I'd quoted were real. Sadly they are. Iceland £27.4 million. Aerodrome Road Bridge £11 million. Catalsyt £6 million - £43 million quid down the bog. Enough to save all of the chopped services. Staggering.
Whilst I don't expect everyone to agree with my view of the world, no one can possibly suggest that such losses are anything other than gross incompetence and that is what will ultimately destroy the Conservatives in Barnet. The only caveat is that we have to get the message over that the cuts are because of mismanagement in this Borough. I have no doubt that had they not mismanaged the finances, they would still be trying it on. The only difference is that then it would be to cut taxes rather than to just keep them where they are. In most spheres of life, a team that fails gets the sack. In the world of Barnets Tories, they get a pay rise. Why? because they are able to award it to themselves. Not only that, but the leader - Lynne Hillan then went on to claim "We're all in it together". This sums up the arrogance and political ineptitude of the Tories.
The one thing which became clear to me is that the people of Barnet can win this battle if we stick together. Why? because we can mobilise thousands of people to support what we are fighting for. Just look at the petitions doing the rounds. Many of the people signing these are naturally Conservative voters, who have woken up to the fact that they are being shafted. I wish it was as simple as just getting all the people who were left of centre to agree with me. That won't work in Barnet. We also have to win the arguement. I believe we are doing this. The responses from the Tory Council are tired and lacklustre. They don't believe a word of what they're saying (apart from Brian Coleman and the rest of them are realising he's a liability).
Sadly though, any victory we win will come at a price, as it is clear that the sheer incompetence of the Barnet Tories will leave a legacy of debt for a generation. When the Tories took over Barnet, the Corporate debt was £38 million. Now it is approaching £250 million. That means that millions of pounds a year of tax just goes straight into the pockets of bankers, in the form of interest repayments. Mismanagement has cost millions of pounds in losses.
Yesterday I addressed the rally at the arts depot. I explained why I thought Barnets Tories had got it wrong. I'm not a great public speaker and I hadn't really planned to say much, but afterwards it was clear people agreed with what I had to say. One person asked if the losses I'd quoted were real. Sadly they are. Iceland £27.4 million. Aerodrome Road Bridge £11 million. Catalsyt £6 million - £43 million quid down the bog. Enough to save all of the chopped services. Staggering.
Whilst I don't expect everyone to agree with my view of the world, no one can possibly suggest that such losses are anything other than gross incompetence and that is what will ultimately destroy the Conservatives in Barnet. The only caveat is that we have to get the message over that the cuts are because of mismanagement in this Borough. I have no doubt that had they not mismanaged the finances, they would still be trying it on. The only difference is that then it would be to cut taxes rather than to just keep them where they are. In most spheres of life, a team that fails gets the sack. In the world of Barnets Tories, they get a pay rise. Why? because they are able to award it to themselves. Not only that, but the leader - Lynne Hillan then went on to claim "We're all in it together". This sums up the arrogance and political ineptitude of the Tories.
No comments:
Post a Comment