The Barnet Eye Weekly Roundup - Everyone is revolting !

What a week. Let me let you in on a little secret. In December, I helped Unison organise a Christmas rally and gig at the Claddagh Ring in Hendon (this followed a lobby at the Town Hall) (click here to see a few videos from that rally). At the end of the evening, a few of the Unison people, BAPS (Barnet Alliance for Public Services), a few stragglers and myself were having a beer and discussing our next big event. The idea of a march from Finchley Central to the Arts Depot had been mooted. As the beer flowed, a few ideas were mooted "We could get the Foundations to reform for the gig" suggested Al Warner (their guitarist who played the rally with his own band)", John Burgess (The Unison Rep) suggested "We could get a coffin and carry it on the march, to represent the death of public services", someone else piped up "We could get all of the local groups protesting against the cuts to have a stall in the foyer", another said "We could get Yvonne Hossacks who represents the sheltered housing victims of Barnet cuts". Someone asked how many people might turn up "Oh, if we do all that we'll get at least 500, maybe even 700". In the morning, I awoke with a hangover and remembered this bonkers pipe dream.

In my youth, I used to get really mashed and regale my mates with my plans to move to LA, start a band and run off with Kim Basenger and Pia Zadora. They'd all take the piss behind my back and call me a dreamer and when I'd sobered up, I'd realise how stupid I'd sounded. On that hungover morning, I looked back on the previous nights conversation and felt the same way. The Foundations, a march a Coffin with 700 people, all the local groups under one roof. Nope, like the threesome with Kim and Pia, it ain't gonna happen.........


Except it did, a few of the details were slightly different, we got 2,000 on the march rather than 700 and we had two coffins rather than one. The BBC and ITV reported it. The Foundations got everyone up on their feet and dancing, here's some of the coverage.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-england-london-12318150

http://www.itv.com/london/council-protests51114/ 

The Local press coverage has been substancial. The local Conservatives have gone into a panic. The sensible ones like Andrew Harper have acknowledged that people have a beef and even went as far as to suggest it's a good thing. Needless to say Harper is trying to spin his way out of the mess.  Councillors Old and Thomas have broken ranks and openly opposed Brian Colemans plans to hike parking charges. Perhaps even more amazing is the way Hendon Tory MP Matthew Offord has broken ranks with Coleman over parking.

The latest sign of cracks is the "begging letter" from Council Leader Lynne Hillan to Eric Pickles, secretary of state. The jist of it is "please save my ass".

Last year Councillor Brian Coleman claimed that the local left couldn't orgainse a piss up in a brewery. He has comprehensively been proven wrong. As the rally and the march proved, the opposition is up, running and very media savvy.  The whole opposition movement is energised and up for it. The local Tory Junta is wobbling. The challenge now is to build on it.

(P.S. Please don't get the idea that all of the planning was done that evening. Many people put hours of hard work in, added great ideas, gave their time to make it happen. That was just where a few seeds of ideas were planted. If I had to name all of the people who made it happen, it would be the longest blog I've written).