Yet again Barnet Council is mentioned in the Evening Standard today (on page 2 of the West End Final edition). The story says "Councils "could need Police to pass cuts". The text says "Police were called to Barnet town hall last week and in Labour controlled Islington protestors in the public gallery drowned out councillors agreeing £52 million of cuts".
On page one of the Standard there was a headline "LIBYA ABLAZE" with a picture of a building burning down, with reports of hundreds of people being shot. So in terms of riots, how did the Hendon Town Hall massacre shape up (given that it was only knocked off the front page by such a story).Well in the front row of the public gallery, there was a lady in a wheelchair and a couple of pensioners. I suspect (although I may well be wrong, that I was the third or fourth youngest of the 17 people who asked a question and I'm 48).
As to the Police being called. There were several Police around before the meeting began. These weren't TSG riot police, just the normal bobbies who you ask where the loo is if you don't know the place. One of these was summoned to the council chamber and had to speak to a couple of members of the audience. One of these was a pensioner and the other was a lady who was a Doctor. The Policeman rather politely asked them both to be quiet or he'd have to ask them to leave. The two people in question stated they had a democratic right to free speech. The policeman agreed but asked them to be quiet. This was repeated several times as both the pensioner and the lady who was a Doctor were rather upset.
Quite a few of the rest of us chipped in as well, but not with the persistence to actually get a telling off. I must confess that I must confess that the walk out by the cabinet was really rather a poor show. It just demonstrated what a spineless, cowardly bunch they were. At the point where they walked out a couple of extra bobbies were summoned from downstairs. They came, took one look at the crowd and walked off again. I've stood on Football terraces when trouble has kicked off, been to marches which have turned into riots. I've been in pubs where full scale brawls have taken place, with people losing eyes to broken glass & bottles. I'm a pacifist, so when I see the signs I leave. There was never the slightest chance of any violence whatsoever. The one thing that was patently clear was the "raging mob" was not out for violence. They were there to make a political point and have their say. I was probably identified by the bobby on duty as "a ringleader and potential troublemaker". What did it earn me? A smile and a joke when I went home.
Councillors such as Hillan, Harper and Coleman clearly know that they are in the wrong. There has been an unprecedented level of spin about the meeting. Harper has tried to pretend that there were "respectable residents trying to make their point, being drowned out by a raging mob". I don't know if he's telling Porkies, got lousy eyesight or he's just plain stupid, but the "raging mob" were a bunch of respectable local residents who were riled by the pisstaking of the individuals at the cabinet table. There was anger at the meeting, people were highly upset, but in a dignified and reasonable way.
I have a theory as to why Hillan, Harper and Coleman made so much of the whole thing. Because they despise the people of Barnet and they'd probably have enjoyed it if the Old Bill had piled in and duffed me, a pensioner and a lady who is a Doctor up, in the hope that we'd not come back.
On page one of the Standard there was a headline "LIBYA ABLAZE" with a picture of a building burning down, with reports of hundreds of people being shot. So in terms of riots, how did the Hendon Town Hall massacre shape up (given that it was only knocked off the front page by such a story).Well in the front row of the public gallery, there was a lady in a wheelchair and a couple of pensioners. I suspect (although I may well be wrong, that I was the third or fourth youngest of the 17 people who asked a question and I'm 48).
As to the Police being called. There were several Police around before the meeting began. These weren't TSG riot police, just the normal bobbies who you ask where the loo is if you don't know the place. One of these was summoned to the council chamber and had to speak to a couple of members of the audience. One of these was a pensioner and the other was a lady who was a Doctor. The Policeman rather politely asked them both to be quiet or he'd have to ask them to leave. The two people in question stated they had a democratic right to free speech. The policeman agreed but asked them to be quiet. This was repeated several times as both the pensioner and the lady who was a Doctor were rather upset.
Quite a few of the rest of us chipped in as well, but not with the persistence to actually get a telling off. I must confess that I must confess that the walk out by the cabinet was really rather a poor show. It just demonstrated what a spineless, cowardly bunch they were. At the point where they walked out a couple of extra bobbies were summoned from downstairs. They came, took one look at the crowd and walked off again. I've stood on Football terraces when trouble has kicked off, been to marches which have turned into riots. I've been in pubs where full scale brawls have taken place, with people losing eyes to broken glass & bottles. I'm a pacifist, so when I see the signs I leave. There was never the slightest chance of any violence whatsoever. The one thing that was patently clear was the "raging mob" was not out for violence. They were there to make a political point and have their say. I was probably identified by the bobby on duty as "a ringleader and potential troublemaker". What did it earn me? A smile and a joke when I went home.
Councillors such as Hillan, Harper and Coleman clearly know that they are in the wrong. There has been an unprecedented level of spin about the meeting. Harper has tried to pretend that there were "respectable residents trying to make their point, being drowned out by a raging mob". I don't know if he's telling Porkies, got lousy eyesight or he's just plain stupid, but the "raging mob" were a bunch of respectable local residents who were riled by the pisstaking of the individuals at the cabinet table. There was anger at the meeting, people were highly upset, but in a dignified and reasonable way.
I have a theory as to why Hillan, Harper and Coleman made so much of the whole thing. Because they despise the people of Barnet and they'd probably have enjoyed it if the Old Bill had piled in and duffed me, a pensioner and a lady who is a Doctor up, in the hope that we'd not come back.
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