You just can't keep Robert Rams out of the news. Ok, now try and follow this. Barnet Council spent squillions building the finest music auditorium outside the West End. It's called the Arts Depot. I know what a great place it is to play and to watch a band, because I did a gig there recently as part of the Rock Against the Cuts aevent on 31st January, the one where 2,000 people turned up to express their dismay at Barnet Council Cuts.
Now the man responsible for destroying art and culture in Barnet, Councillor Robert Rams clearly knows a thing or two about great venues. He's decided to organise a gig, with a local Band - Fallen Millie. Having got one of Barnets brightest up and coming bands and having the best venue outside central London to put them on at, guess what Rams did next? Yup, he's staging the gig at, wait for it, Chipping Barnet Library. Rams says
Even more bizarre is his latest jolly jape. He's started a petition to put pressure on Boris Johnson and TFL to run more 384 buses to serve the JCoSS school. There are two aspects of this which are rather odd. Robert Rams is part of the Tory team at City Hall. He's a Tory GLA bag carrier. He has been telling anyone who'll listen for the last couple of years, that he has "the ear of Boris" and that he's one of the most influential Londonders. If this was true, surely he wouldn't need a petition, he'd just say "Hey Boss, can you get TFL to lay on a couple more 384 buses" and Boris would say "Sure thing Robin". Another thing Rams has done is he's inadvertently exposed the fact that his administration told a stack of porkies about the whole JCoSS project. I supported JCoSS. One of the reasons was because the Council told us that there was "a cast iron transport plan" to ensure that the pupils would have good access to public transport. Clearly this was a complete fabrication. Rams petition states
In Robert Rams world things work like this, you shut the gig venues, and make bands play at libraries, you put libraries in Tescos or on buses, you blame Boris for lack of buses, because your mate Brian Coleman is too inept to sort out a transport plan for a school with 1,500 kids at it. Because Brian and Boris don't listen to you, you start a petition, having totally ignored the petitions signed by thousands of members of the public to Save Barnets Libaries and to Save the Arts Depot, which is really clever because you have now undermined the argument that the petitions have no value. Robert Rams is now publicly exposed for what he is. Twatman incarnate.
For the record, I have signed the petition - I believe in good public transport provision - http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43072.html - my signature is no 103 on the list. You can also leave a comment for Robert Rams on the petition, up to you of course.
Now the man responsible for destroying art and culture in Barnet, Councillor Robert Rams clearly knows a thing or two about great venues. He's decided to organise a gig, with a local Band - Fallen Millie. Having got one of Barnets brightest up and coming bands and having the best venue outside central London to put them on at, guess what Rams did next? Yup, he's staging the gig at, wait for it, Chipping Barnet Library. Rams says
“It’s important we continue to encourage our younger residents to explore what libraries have to offer and allow them to see that there is a lot more to them than just books.”Which is all very well, but as we've got a great music venue, shouldn't we be putting bands on in music venues and literary events in libraries. Rams has bought into the idea of the "Get it Loud in Libraries" campaign, which started in Lancashire. Now I've no problem with the concept of opening up new music venues, it's a great idea, but lets save the ones we've got first.
Even more bizarre is his latest jolly jape. He's started a petition to put pressure on Boris Johnson and TFL to run more 384 buses to serve the JCoSS school. There are two aspects of this which are rather odd. Robert Rams is part of the Tory team at City Hall. He's a Tory GLA bag carrier. He has been telling anyone who'll listen for the last couple of years, that he has "the ear of Boris" and that he's one of the most influential Londonders. If this was true, surely he wouldn't need a petition, he'd just say "Hey Boss, can you get TFL to lay on a couple more 384 buses" and Boris would say "Sure thing Robin". Another thing Rams has done is he's inadvertently exposed the fact that his administration told a stack of porkies about the whole JCoSS project. I supported JCoSS. One of the reasons was because the Council told us that there was "a cast iron transport plan" to ensure that the pupils would have good access to public transport. Clearly this was a complete fabrication. Rams petition states
"We the undersigned, call on Transport for London and the Mayor of London to increase the frequency of the 384 Bus, which runs between Cockfosters Station and High Barnet Station, in the hour before and after school. This would mean more pupils from across London would be encouraged to use public transport to get to school and would mean fewer cars on the roads of East, New and High Barnet."So much for the cast iron transport plan. At present there are only 180 of the 1,500 pupils which will occupy the school when it is fully running. According to Rams petition, the transport infrastructure is already creaking and there is inadequate bus provision. A further question also springs to mind. Councillor Brian Coleman is the Barnet Transport supremo and also a close confidant of Boris. Has Rams spoken to Coleman about this? Barnet has stumped up cash elsewhere for buses to be provided. Most notably to divert the 186 bus to Graham Park. If Boris doesn't listen to Rams and Coleman doesn't listen to Rams either, hasn't he just exposed himself as a completely ineffectual waste of space.
In Robert Rams world things work like this, you shut the gig venues, and make bands play at libraries, you put libraries in Tescos or on buses, you blame Boris for lack of buses, because your mate Brian Coleman is too inept to sort out a transport plan for a school with 1,500 kids at it. Because Brian and Boris don't listen to you, you start a petition, having totally ignored the petitions signed by thousands of members of the public to Save Barnets Libaries and to Save the Arts Depot, which is really clever because you have now undermined the argument that the petitions have no value. Robert Rams is now publicly exposed for what he is. Twatman incarnate.
For the record, I have signed the petition - I believe in good public transport provision - http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43072.html - my signature is no 103 on the list. You can also leave a comment for Robert Rams on the petition, up to you of course.
4 comments:
This is why residents get upset by the development plans for schools -councillors who support the applications for political reasons ignore the genuine concerns by residents about the impact of so many attending the new development. All such developments promise the earth when they want the plans approved, and if it is a school, a transport plan will have been one of them. I don't know the details of this one, but presumably there should have been such a plan at least in brief at a an early stage. If the school is finding significant transport difficulties, perhaps it should consider running a school bus system, as so many other schools do.
As for the library gig: funny how Ramsbottom seems keen to promote a non traditional use of a library rather than for the function most people want them for. On the plus side, at least such plans indicate Chipping Barnet library is here to stay!
Presumably that is why residents get upset by development plans at other places like Colindale and Brent Cross as well. As Mrs A says, "All such developments promise the earth when they want the plans approved."
So libraries should only be used for literary events? This is a stunningly narrow-minded view of the world. You don't appear to have given any consideration to the benefits that putting on this event in a library will bring - the opening up of an event to kids who might not otherwise have been able to get down into Finchley, the drawing in of young people to an educational environment and yes, the establishment of another venue for live music. God forbid that there should be any more of those, eh, Tichborne? Musicians usually rejoice when another venue becomes available and let's face it, was the Arts Depot empty on Thursday night because of this heinous, sneaking gig that you seem to think was arranged in another part of the borough in a deliberate attempt to undermine the Arts Depot? If no then why the hell are you so bothered? If yes, then consider why such a wonderful, valuable venue was not in use for another event and why the public didn't flock there in their hundreds. Whatever, I suggest you curb your blind anger before railing against an event for children. Do you know the Fallen Millie event was shifted out of the library at the last moment? I wonder why. Hooray for Tichborne the Fun Policeman.
Musoman,
What a complete load of bollocks and you know it. If the gig was cancelled it was most likely because Barnet Council were involved and they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.
It is quite clear from the stilted language you use that you are anything but a "musoman". Musicians generally appreciate art and culture and would also be intelligent enough to understand the point I was making.
What part of the statement "I've no problem with the concept of opening up new music venues, it's a great idea, but lets save the ones we've got first." don't you understand.
If you want to organise a gig properly for children, I suggest you get in touch. I've been doing that succesfully for the last 30 odd years. The email is in the sidebar. I suspect if it's properly planned you won't have to cancel it next time Robert.
P.S - I bet you can't guess where the IP address for Musomans comment originated from. My stats give me so much fun !
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