Everyone I've spoken today, from Tory Councillors to Trades Union Activists, who attended the Council Meeting last night, were absolutely appalled at what happened. A Jewish Conservative Councillor told me that he hung his head in shame as "Black shirted quasi paramiltary security forces bullied local residents". Many questions regarding public safety and public order have been raised, which I will not address here. It is now time to step back and look at the real issues. We must formulate a plan as to how we move forward and address the most important issues. This is my view.
1) Private Security Forces in Barnet. There have been many issues raised regarding their behaviour and conduct last night. There have also been questions raised as to the contract with MetPro (the company), their SIA registration (a legal requirement) and the fact their accounts have not been filed. Barnet Unions have asked to see a risk assessment.
Actions for Concerned residents : Contact your councillors, the CEO of Barnet and the Metropolitan Police expressing any concerns you may have.
2) Filming of Council Meetings : It appears that the Council do not know whether they can ban this or not. They clearly have no idea.
Actions for Concerned residents : I suggest that we arrange a "mass filming" of regular committee meetings until such time as the Council sees sense and outlines proper arrangements and protocols. I would suggest that the existing rules cover it already. If people are discreet then it is not a problem. If they unduly disrupt the meeting in a DISORDELY OR THREATENING fashion they can be asked to leave.
3) The Council Cuts. The two issues above are really a sideshow. Anyone who thought the Tories would change their mind regarding their slash and burn program last night was deluded. We can get them to change it and see sense, but only by hard work.
Actions for the people of Barnet :
Bloggers - Notify each other of issues you are investigating. That way we won't duplicate effort. If we all read the same papers, we are not being efficient. If you start looking at something which will take a few days to get to the bottom of, let the other bloggers know. Other bloggers, please respect this and don't try and "get there first" when you see what someone is investigating. Find something else to look at.
Residents - Sign petitions, attend rallys and marches. Write to your councillors if they are Tories and say you will not vote for them.
Sensible Tory Councillors - Stand up for yourselves. They can only enforce the whip if they pick you off one at a time. Refuse to be intimidated. Threaten them back. Tell them you will "go public for the sake of the Conservative Party". Whatever you do, end this failed regime in May when you have the chance. I am not a Conservative, but they are leading you to ruin. An example of Lynne Hillans lack of Leadership qualities is demonstrated here where she blames the fiasco last night on the Mayor - Councillor Tony Finn -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8884511.Security__nothing_to_do_with_me__says_council_leader/
Trades Unions, Opposition Parties & local Campaign Groups - Get off your backsides and campaign against this. Make sure everyone in Barnet knows how the cuts will affect them and their loved ones. Leader Lynne Hillan claimed (backed up by Brian Coleman) that "most people won't be affected". This is the maths they've done. Whilst this may be true, it only requires 7% of their vote to be affected and switch for them to lose the council. We have to work to get that 7% to realise they have been let down. That is our challenge. I believe the Tories are helping us achieve this with every day they keep persisiting with Hillan, Harper, Coleman and Future Shape/Easycouncil/OneBarnet.
1) Private Security Forces in Barnet. There have been many issues raised regarding their behaviour and conduct last night. There have also been questions raised as to the contract with MetPro (the company), their SIA registration (a legal requirement) and the fact their accounts have not been filed. Barnet Unions have asked to see a risk assessment.
Actions for Concerned residents : Contact your councillors, the CEO of Barnet and the Metropolitan Police expressing any concerns you may have.
2) Filming of Council Meetings : It appears that the Council do not know whether they can ban this or not. They clearly have no idea.
Actions for Concerned residents : I suggest that we arrange a "mass filming" of regular committee meetings until such time as the Council sees sense and outlines proper arrangements and protocols. I would suggest that the existing rules cover it already. If people are discreet then it is not a problem. If they unduly disrupt the meeting in a DISORDELY OR THREATENING fashion they can be asked to leave.
3) The Council Cuts. The two issues above are really a sideshow. Anyone who thought the Tories would change their mind regarding their slash and burn program last night was deluded. We can get them to change it and see sense, but only by hard work.
Actions for the people of Barnet :
Bloggers - Notify each other of issues you are investigating. That way we won't duplicate effort. If we all read the same papers, we are not being efficient. If you start looking at something which will take a few days to get to the bottom of, let the other bloggers know. Other bloggers, please respect this and don't try and "get there first" when you see what someone is investigating. Find something else to look at.
Residents - Sign petitions, attend rallys and marches. Write to your councillors if they are Tories and say you will not vote for them.
Sensible Tory Councillors - Stand up for yourselves. They can only enforce the whip if they pick you off one at a time. Refuse to be intimidated. Threaten them back. Tell them you will "go public for the sake of the Conservative Party". Whatever you do, end this failed regime in May when you have the chance. I am not a Conservative, but they are leading you to ruin. An example of Lynne Hillans lack of Leadership qualities is demonstrated here where she blames the fiasco last night on the Mayor - Councillor Tony Finn -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8884511.Security__nothing_to_do_with_me__says_council_leader/
Trades Unions, Opposition Parties & local Campaign Groups - Get off your backsides and campaign against this. Make sure everyone in Barnet knows how the cuts will affect them and their loved ones. Leader Lynne Hillan claimed (backed up by Brian Coleman) that "most people won't be affected". This is the maths they've done. Whilst this may be true, it only requires 7% of their vote to be affected and switch for them to lose the council. We have to work to get that 7% to realise they have been let down. That is our challenge. I believe the Tories are helping us achieve this with every day they keep persisiting with Hillan, Harper, Coleman and Future Shape/Easycouncil/OneBarnet.
2 comments:
"The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, has expressed "surprise" that the public is not more angry with the bankers who caused the recession." - Daily Telegraph
Let us not forget - there is nothing inevitable about these cuts.
First of all, although PM 'Pa Broon' may have had his disasters in government, it was the bankers that have caused this, not the last government, as Mervyn King points out here.
Secondly, Britain has never been a financial basket case - that was just the spin put on matters by people who have always lived rather privileged lives, perhaps because they went to a well-known secondary school near Slough.
British debt is mostly long-term, and mostly to British Institutions - which largely do things with the money that is then taxed by the goverment.
It is a great pity that the Labour Party managed to stare up its own a*** for the crucial six months after the election, instead of countering the "we have to cut the debt, and quickly" mantra from OSBO.
Sure, the last government, with others, threw money at the banks, but they saved capitalism in the process. I do not suggest we take as long to pay off the debts as with the second world war, but Atlee and so on went for growth after 1945, and we only stopped paying the US our WW2 debts a few years ago.
The Treasury officials are now so politicised that they said "our debts are costing us more that the NHS." But that shows what an enormous (hopefully one-off) disaster the financial collapse was.
Pa Broon was only responsible in the sense he believed the wretched bankers over many years.
well said Rog
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