I've had all sorts of media ringing me up and emailing me today for my views on the Barnet Council Strategic Library review. I thought that as I started the petition and you, the public of Barnet have given it magnificent support, I'd share my thoughts with you. I passionately believe that a decent Library service is the sign of a civilised society. I believe that it is no coincidence that the areas in Barnet with worst access to Libraries are the areas with most deprivation. I thought that the campaign would force the local Conservative rulers to look again at the issue. I made a point of targetting wards with Conservative Councillors and popular libraries for stalls. This was a deliberate tactic. I believed that ordinary Conservative voters would desert the party in droves if their library was shut. I didn't start the campaign and stand on street corners week after week to lose the argument or the battle. Whilst collecting signatures was important, even more important was talking to people.
It became clear after the first week, that we'd win the argument. I doubted that we'd win the fight. When we got our first thousand signatures, I knew we had a chance. As they piled up, I realised that the Conservatives would be insane to ignore us. The tone of comments from Robert Rams changed. We started to hear that the changes wouldn't "be the doomsday campaigners were predicting". At this point, I scented victory, but I was nervous. When I read the report on Monday, I was stunned. This was for two reasons. Firstly, the report was excellent. It was well written, balanced and informative. Why should this shock me? I've read hundreds of One Barnet and Future Shape papers. They are all full of crap. This was different. They had actually done the job properly. The only reason can be because they knew it would be in the public eye. The second reason was because it stated clearly that the review recommended retaining the number of libraries. This was far more than I hoped for. There are changes and closures, which clearly are not desirable, but if we take the report at face value, these are mitigated by new, modern libraries being built. Clearly the loss of 9 staff is a huge issue. This has issues for elderly and disabled people who need help. Hardly inclusive. Having said that, in the current climate, every aspect of public service is being chopped. I don't support the cuts, but at least we still have a service to build on.
It is vital that we continue to monitor the situation and hold them to their promises. It is vital that as a community, we work to make sure that the libraries are successful. I don't mean that we should adopt a Cameronite big society attitude and sack staff and replace them with unpaid volunteers. I mean that we should use the service, help our elderly neighbours to use the service and take our young children to instill a love of books. I was asked what my feelings are. If a maniac enters your house and wants to chop your head off, do you feel victorious if you avoid it. Nope, you just feel relieved. If he tries to chop your next door neighbours head off and you grab a few neighbours, and persuade him to stop, how would you feel? You'd feel relieved, but you'd rather the lunatic had never been let loose in the first place.
This is a victory for the wider community in Barnet. Everyone who signed the petition played a part, all of the people who collected signatures. The Barnet Alliance for Public Services, who did most of the work and everyone else who helped. Thank you. It was all of our victory. If I win the lottery tonight, I'll hire the Arts Depot and buy you all a beer, cup of tea or bottle of water. Let's make saving that, the Childrens centres, the support for vulnerable adults and the Sheltered Housing wardens our next campaigns. I am off out to celebrate tonight. We'll have many setbacks, but having spent six months stressing over the campaign, writing endless blogs, sending & answering emails, etc, I really feel like a beer and a nice evening out. Tomorrow the next campaign starts.
Oh yes, I will be asking a question at the Cabinet meeting on the 29th.
It became clear after the first week, that we'd win the argument. I doubted that we'd win the fight. When we got our first thousand signatures, I knew we had a chance. As they piled up, I realised that the Conservatives would be insane to ignore us. The tone of comments from Robert Rams changed. We started to hear that the changes wouldn't "be the doomsday campaigners were predicting". At this point, I scented victory, but I was nervous. When I read the report on Monday, I was stunned. This was for two reasons. Firstly, the report was excellent. It was well written, balanced and informative. Why should this shock me? I've read hundreds of One Barnet and Future Shape papers. They are all full of crap. This was different. They had actually done the job properly. The only reason can be because they knew it would be in the public eye. The second reason was because it stated clearly that the review recommended retaining the number of libraries. This was far more than I hoped for. There are changes and closures, which clearly are not desirable, but if we take the report at face value, these are mitigated by new, modern libraries being built. Clearly the loss of 9 staff is a huge issue. This has issues for elderly and disabled people who need help. Hardly inclusive. Having said that, in the current climate, every aspect of public service is being chopped. I don't support the cuts, but at least we still have a service to build on.
It is vital that we continue to monitor the situation and hold them to their promises. It is vital that as a community, we work to make sure that the libraries are successful. I don't mean that we should adopt a Cameronite big society attitude and sack staff and replace them with unpaid volunteers. I mean that we should use the service, help our elderly neighbours to use the service and take our young children to instill a love of books. I was asked what my feelings are. If a maniac enters your house and wants to chop your head off, do you feel victorious if you avoid it. Nope, you just feel relieved. If he tries to chop your next door neighbours head off and you grab a few neighbours, and persuade him to stop, how would you feel? You'd feel relieved, but you'd rather the lunatic had never been let loose in the first place.
This is a victory for the wider community in Barnet. Everyone who signed the petition played a part, all of the people who collected signatures. The Barnet Alliance for Public Services, who did most of the work and everyone else who helped. Thank you. It was all of our victory. If I win the lottery tonight, I'll hire the Arts Depot and buy you all a beer, cup of tea or bottle of water. Let's make saving that, the Childrens centres, the support for vulnerable adults and the Sheltered Housing wardens our next campaigns. I am off out to celebrate tonight. We'll have many setbacks, but having spent six months stressing over the campaign, writing endless blogs, sending & answering emails, etc, I really feel like a beer and a nice evening out. Tomorrow the next campaign starts.
Oh yes, I will be asking a question at the Cabinet meeting on the 29th.
5 comments:
Have you not, perhaps, considered an alternative possibility? Have you not, perhaps, considered that it's just possible that Cllr Rams and his officers always intended to do their utmost to ensure that the library service was retained in as strong a form as possible, and that your efforts over the last few months have been entirely irrelevant? Do you not wonder whether you've in fact wasted a lot of your life for the last few months?
JasonDB,
Having read the comments Robert Ramsbottom made when the review was launched, no I don't. It was quite clear that his agenda was to close libraries. Statements about people ordering books on-line and collecting them from Tesco's gave the game away.
I've actually really enjoyed the last few months. It has been great meeting people, discussing the issues, explaining why we launched the campaign.
Unlike many people involved in Barnet Politics, I'm not lazy or just in it for the expenses. I'd go as far as to say that the whole experience has been extremely enriching. I wonder if many of "whipped to death" Tory Councillors could say the same thing?
I said all along that the main purpose was to save the Tories from themselves. We've done that.
well done to you Rog, and all involved in the campaign: JasonDB is wrong - this was not a foregone conclusion and without the focus that the campaign brought, I personally have no doubt that the Tories would have tried to force through a much more radical agenda.
You are a first rate reporter. Have tweeted this link around.
I agree that that the position has moved and I am very pleased that the Council listened to people about how they want to be governed.
I'm not surprised that the report is well written. A lot of council reports which I have read are well written and well thought through.
The problem with the One Barnet reports are that they are not evidence based and are drafted to meet a foregone political conclusion. If you have to try and draft in facts to support your theories and you do not have any facts, with the best will in the world it will look thin and risky.
But many congratulations Rog. Good work, well done. And congratulations Barnet for really entering into a spirit of dialogue.
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