Thursday 5 June 2014

Why do the Barnet Conservatives need to tell porkies to win arguments

Exposing the porkies of the Barneconservatives.com website - my attention was drawn to this article today. In all the excitement, I'd completely missed it. Anyway here is what they say and here is the truth. As I made the video and the Conservatives are calling me a liar, I suppose I am honour bound to respond

http://www.barnetconservatives.com/blog/2014/5/13/fact-check-how-true-are-claims-in-recent-anti-tory-election.html

Here's what they say, with my comments in red italics

Fact check: How true are claims in recent 'anti-Tory' election video?
Yesterday twitter was saturated with spam tweets from Barnet's 'anti-Tory' alliance activists promoting the video they clearly hope will encourage people not to vote Conservative on May 22nd. Using hashtags #May22 #VoteABC (Abbreviation of BAPS' 'vote Anyone but Conservative' election slogan they repeatedly and robotically reproduced parts of the lyrics of the Roger Tichborne produced and published 'movie'.
Below is a sample of the twitter storm stirred up by the 'anti-Tory' alliance including BAPS, Barnet TUC, Mr John James Sullivan, Mrs Barbara Jacobson (BAPS' supremo) and Mr Ron Cohen (BAPS' publicity Officer)

(As the video does not contain a non party campaigner election imprint we have been advised not to place a link or promote it on our website by legal advisors)
The movie claims that the Council has lied but how true are the claims made in their election video? Fact check set too tast. Let's go through the lyrics.
Claim one - 00:04 Richard Cornelius, "The man who signed the contract"
Fact check: No, he didn't…
 
This is a blatent lie. Barnet Council released a picture of him signing the contract, which we had some fun with in this blog http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/richard-cornelius-signs-one-barnet.html 
 
Why do they now deny it? This is a whopper (apologies to burger king)
 
 
Claim two - 00:10 'In Barnet Capita have taken control…'
Fact check - The Council is run by Councillors. One venture is pure outsourcing but the second is a joint venture. Many services are still run directly by the Council.
 
This is pure spin by the Barnet Conservatives. Huge swathes of council services and the decisions to how they are run are made by Capita. Even planning is now under the control of Capita. Several Tory councillors have told me that they are disturbed by the removal of democratic control.
 
Claim three - 00:13 Pictures of a coffin 'Death of Democracy'
Fact check - We're in the middle of a lively election where Labour are keen to win. Why would they bother if there was no point? What is the obsession with coffins, death and death imagery btw?
 
Labour were keen to win because they believed they could do a better job than the Tories. They believed they could make a difference. 
 
Claim four - 01:16 'The contract was hidden'
Fact check - The huge contract was published, with some redactions, by the Council. This was welcomed by the 'anti-Tory' bloggers who regard is as very useful.
 
This again is spin. The contract was only published after it was signed. When the decisions were being made it was well and truly hidden, even councillors were only allowed to see it under strict supervision and for a very limited time. This is completely anti democratic.
 
Claim five - 01.21 The contracts were 'unread by the Council before they chose to sign'
Fact check - On one hand the Council is lambasted for spending so much on lawyers to go through the contracts with a fine tooth comb now the same people accuse them of not reading it. Many Councillors including prominent Labour ones, didn't read the whole legalese document.
 
Again the BarnetConservatives are spinning. We expect our councillors to read important documents before they sign them. They did not read the contract. 
 
 
Claim six - 01:54 OneBarnet 'has lead to widespread discontent'
Fact check - The 'anti-Tory' alliance of Barnet Alliance for Public Services backed by the Trades Unions can scarcely pull together a protest of more than 100 people out of 300,000 in Barnet on this matter. Not even the Labour Party are committed to scrapping OneBarnet or not delivering more outsourcing.
 
This is yet another sad bit of spin by the Barnet Conservatives. Over 500 people in Barnet watched screenings of Barnet - The Billion Pound Gamble. Over 400 attended a march in the snow against the protest on a bitterly cold day in 2013 from Finchley Central to Friern Barnet. There have been many large demonstrations, a fact overlooked by this rather dodgy website.
 
Claim seven - 02:01 'No questions are allowed in Capitaville'
Fact check - Pure doublespeak? BAPS activists and bloggers regularly ask hundreds of public questions at Council meetings and get detailed responses. They then get to ask further supplementary questions taking up 30 minutes at Committee meetings.
 
Again this is spin. The Tory administration specifically banned discussion of One Barnet at local Neighbourhood forum meetings, In a democracy, discussion should not be banned. 
 
Claim eight - 02:27 The disabled are a 'market place commodity' seen as a source of profit
Fact check - Pretty distasteful claim of hard working carers. So where do the millions and millions of pounds spent supporting the vulnerable go?
 
FACT -  Barnet Council set up Your Choice Barnet as a private company to run care for the disabled. I may be a fool but I thought the reason for setting up a company was to make a profit. Your Choice Barnet has no "not for profit" covenants in it. I suppose the Barnetonservatives could claim that it makes a loss, but this is purely down to their incompetence when they set it up.





9 comments:

Mr S Freud said...

Fatuous nonsense from a fatuous fountain of nonsense.

You are so blinded by your out of control emotions that you could not say a positive word about the Barnet Conservatives even if your very life depended upon it.

disgruntled capita/barnet worker said...

dear mr s freud

please try working under capita, and see exactly how you feel when you are faced with imminent redundancy (at a much reduced rate thanks to a tory run council) or the prospect of having your wages slashed by 10%, your hours increased, your holiday entitlement decreased, etc etc etc.

It's so boring to continue with the negative publicity of this tory led shambles,but is hard to stop, as so many revelations appear continuously.

there is no democracy working for the council, none, nothing, zilch.

take a step into the shoes of a barnet worker (a proper worker) not a contractor, or adviser, and then see how and why for yourself why people here are so completely against the administration, its policies (or lack of), the lack of transparency, the lack of truth, and the effect this has on public.

if it wasn't for the vastly under educated and non caring people in certain affluent wards, the tory administration would be none. but these people in these areas voted tory, because tories help tories, and no one else. the rich get richer, the poorer get poorer, fact.

in london as a whole, labour gained almost 280% more votes than the conservatives, bring on 2015, and stop lying!

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Tory , if lies are Being Told , then prove them ! It is a Fact that a High Court Judge , said that Barnet Broke the Law in Regards Not !!!! Having public consultations ! With us the paying public ! It is a Fact that free speech & our right to ask Questions was taken away at area forums !!!! It is a Fact that the Tory councillors Did not Even Read the One Barnet Contract before signing !!! Let me ask you a question have you yourself sighned any contract for any service For Ten Years !!! Would you be stupid Enough to Do That !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really

Anonymous said...

Usual Tory Behavior , Make A Comment & then Not answer it when you Don't Get An Answer you Want !!! Or in the case of the Barnet Bugle Edit it !!! Why do the Torys persist in seeing the World through Blue Tinted Glasses !! In a Land of Plenty for Some ! & ignoring the Rest Like The Poor , The Disabled ( Mapledown ) Lies , Lies , & More Lies !!!

Anonymous said...

Still waiting Mr Freud . Is this the Start of the Tory campaign for the General Election , Leave posts on Local Blogging sites , To try & Rubbish the Truth & ignore all Else !!!!!!!

disgruntled capita/barnet worker said...

still no noise - its deafening

Rog T said...

Dear Mr Tor Exactly which aspect of the failed ycb experiment do you think is so marvellous? Why not write a guest blog explaining why a company which cant function at market rates and has a failed business plan is so good

Anonymous said...

Well Done Roger , you see still no Responce !! The Torys have & are Doing things that I Never thought I would see in my Life Time !!! & That is the Destruction of Democracy in this country !!! We are living witnesses to it Locally & in central Government as we Have Seen with Secret courts that the Press are not Even allowed to Report on ! !! This week is The D Day anniversary were our Brave Men & Women fought for Freedom !!! Have they Found that in Barnet ???

Anonymous said...

And here we are still waiting . No Discussion ! No comment ! No opinion ! Accept a Distorted view of a class of people from another Age !!! You know Looking Back to the millennium , I was Looking to the start of a Brave New World a Better World !!! A new time were people would Act with Dignity toward there Fellows !! Be More Aware of the Environment Around them !! & what Do we get !!! The Relics dragging us all Back to an age where the Poor should know there place ! The sick & old Left to Fend for themselves !! Shame on you !!