Jeremy Corbyn's nemesis is a Mill Hill Lad!

I was quite surprised to see the name of a good old Mill Hill lad on the front page of The Times as I ate my bowl of porridge this morning. I know a few rather famous people, mostly from the world of music (as I was saying to Sir Elton last night, I simply hate name droppers), but I wasn't expecting to see this particular acquaintance on the front page of the Times. Ok, I'll put you out of your misery, who is this person and why are they famous?

Well the answer is that it is none other than Richard Millett! Who you may ask? Well Richard is has the inauspicious title of being the last Conservative to be beaten by a Lib Dem in Mill Hill. Back in 2006, the Lib Dems were the main party in Mill Hill

Mill Hill Ward - 2006 results

Mill Hill (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Democrat	Wayne Casey	2,108
	Liberal Democrat	Jeremy Davies	2,082
	Conservative	John Hart	1,964
	Conservative	Matthew Dreisin	1,923
	Conservative	Richard Millett	1,909
	Liberal Democrat	Sean Hooker	1,749
	Labour	Will Parnaby	600
	Labour	Agnes Macauley	587
	Labour	Daniel Mbala-Appoh	487
	Green	David Williams	472

I got to know Richard during the campaign. You may wonder what he's famous for? Jeremy Corbyn described him as not understanding history and having no sense of irony. The experience of local politics seemed to put Richard off. Being a rather sensible chap, he decided that blogging was far more fun. I am sure that he sees the irony that he gave up on local politics in Mill Hill, just as it got good for the Tories. I've got to confess that I rarely read Richards blog, I'm not overly fascinated by the issues he covers. I have a look from time to time, if there is a current issue and I want a local perspective and it is a useful resourse. It is mainly about Israel and issues associated with the London Jewish community. I suppose given the serious nature of the topic Richard has chosen, there may not be much scope for ironic wit, but I'd have to argue with Jeremy Corbyn's assertion that Richard doesn't understand history. I believe he's got acedemic qualifications in the subject. I would say that anyone who objectively has followed Richards blog would conclude that he is familiar with the historical issues. He may have formed a different conclusion than Jeremy Corbyn, but Richard is on top of his brief.

I am rather puzzled by Jeremy Corbyns comments about "Zionists lacking a sense of irony". Whilst I have never attended the "Zionist open mic comedy night" at the Dog and Duck so I can't really say whether it's full of ironic gems, I know plenty of people who identify themselves as Zionists or sympathetic to Zionism. I've never noticed a particular lack of ironic humour. What I will say is that I'd really expect better from Jeremy Corbyn than to use such broad brush descriptions. Richard Millett and his family have been in the UK for decades. Richard was born here and is part of our community. I find it quite objectionable to try and separate him off from the rest of us "Britishers". As the son of immigrant families, I would resist any labelling of UK born children of immigrant families as anything other than valued members of our society. I may not agree with everything Richard writes, but I will defend his right to be considered as British as the rest of us to the death. If Jeremy Corbyn aspires to be Prime Minister, he has to realise that such statements are divisive and irresponsible. This is demostrated by tweets from the BNP and the KKK in support.

Whether you think Richard Millett is right or wrong, a genius or a plonker, he's one of us, a local. He may have stood on the opposite side of the ballot box to me in the past, but I'm jolly glad he's there. As a fellow blogger who has been insulted by ignorant politicians, all I can say to Richard is "Well done mate, if you are winding them up this much, you must be doing something right". Richard confesses that he is worried about the situation in regards to his personal safety. The one thing I would say is that we'd all be far less safe without tireless bloggers with our "poisonous obsessions" (that was how Brian Coleman described me whilst Mayor).

One final observation. Richard is a Leeds United fan. I suspect that a good sense of irony is the only thing that has sustained him.

You can follow Richard Millett on Twitter buy clicking here.