By John Sullivan,
First of all, thank you Roger & Charles, the Barnet Trades Council
Barnet Alliance for Public Services and all others that made the Premier
screening of A Tale of 2 Barnet's
possible last evening at the Phoenix in East Finchley.
It was brilliant
to see the theatre so packed with concerned residents of Barnet, contrary to
the complacency no doubt hoped for and anticipated by Barnet councillors who all refused an invitation to attend the
place was packed.
A lady sitting next to me was brought to tears at the
devastation that is being inflicted upon the disabled and the elderly with a
disability in Barnet, coupled with the complacency and the blindness to reality
being displayed by Cllr Cornelius &
CEO Wakeley who insists that everything in the garden is rosy and appear to be
completely unaware or in denial of what is happening to the disabled and the
elderly with a disability in Barnet. She
asked "how can they do this to disabled
people ", I said tragically the answer is simple " they don't care
", they have only one concern and one direction in life which is profit
before people a mantra driven by right wing ideology and dogma encouraged by the spirit of
Lady Porter who is still alive and well in the hearts and minds of Barnet
councillors.
Apart from the deliberate anti disabled campaign being run
by Barnet councillors at the altar of profit, whilst they dishonestly claim
they have engaged in meaningful consultation and offered alternatives and
choice, which is completely and absolutely untrue. I was surprised to realise
the impact on the elderly and infirm stuck at home and unable to get out very
often, the huge rises in parking fees has added to their isolation from their
community their loved ones friends and family along with the closure of and
struggle to survive of the shops on our high streets coupled with the complete
indifference to the impact from Barnet council.
A Tale of 2 Barnet's was an eye opener and perhaps in this
year of a diamond jubilee and the Olympics , where once again local and central
governments will pretend to the world that all in the garden is rosy. A Tale
of 2 Barnet's should be distributed more
widely because it tells a story for the whole country as well, including a copy
to Buck house. So that the reality of what is happening in Barnet and across
the UK is not deliberately covered up to portray a false image of Great Britain, a Britain that was great because it was once
a caring society a Britain that has become in just 2 years a completely
uncaring society.
The question A Tale of 2 Barnet's raised for me is, when did
right become wrong and when did wrong become right, when did it become right to
denigrate disabled children and adults as did Cllr Coleman at a recent
transport meeting and still be
considered fit for office. When did it become right to ignore the plight of the
seriously ill, the disabled and those with a disability and deny them succour, and
right to devastate their lives to make a profit from their misfortune.
A Tale of 2 Barnet's
truly opens the eyes to what is really happening in Barnet, I look
forward to the sequel in the hope this film will encourage Barnet councillors
to represent all the people of Barnet for a change and not just those that vote
for them, and cease to be driven by blind right wing ideology and dogma, but I
will not hold my breath. My main problem is , how do we now differentiate
between right and wrong & wrong a right.
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John Sullivan is a parent Carer in Barnet and a supporter of disabled rights. He is also a regular guest blogger at the Barnet Eye. Guest blogs are always welcome
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