Interview with A.M. Poppy, Green Party candidate for Barnet and Camden.
Editorial comment :
This video is the edited highlights of the interview with Poppy. A section was removed containing footage of a Barnet Council official delivering a letter to the proprietor of the Cafe Helen Michael. This was removed because we felt it would detract from the interview with Poppy who kindly agreed to give up her time to appear.
We will point this out. If you watch carefully, you will notice that there are far more people in the Cafe than the 2 people Councillor Barry Evangeli claimed in his letter to the Leader of the Council, Richard Cornelius. Helen Michael also wishes to categorically state that she does not keep a cat at the cafe as alleged by Councillor Evangeli.
The Barnet Eye was highly impressed with the views of Poppy and believe she would make a great councillor or GLA candidate. We do however urge all Green voters to cast their GLA vote for Andrew Dismore as we believe that it is vital that everyone who wants to see Brian Coleman replaced votes for the candidate most likely to unseat him. I would strongly urge every Green Party voter to make sure they vote come hell or high water. The best way to ensure Green representation is to vote green on the orange top up list. The Greens have a real chance of increasing their representation by this means. If you want to make real change in Barnet, vote Dismore for Camden and Barnet and Green in the Top up list.
Any other candidate wishing to be interviewed by the Barnet Eye is welcome to get in touch.
Showing posts with label GLA Elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GLA Elections. Show all posts
Monday, 30 April 2012
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Are UKIP U-sluss ?
Let me let you in on a little secret, nobody knows this, but the Barnet and Camden UKIP candidate is a chap called Michael Corby. I have started to suspect that he is the invisible man. Whilst everyone seems to know Tory candidate Brian Coleman, for his multitude of sins and his "all publicity is good publicity" mantra and everyone knows former Hendon MP Andrew Dismore, who is a hard working and diligent candidate, where is MR Corby. Ex Hendon Tory bigwig, who defected to UKIP, Adrian Murray-Leonard assured me last year that UKIP would beat the Lib Dems into fourth place in Barnet and Camden at the GLA elections. He stated that Coleman was so unpopular that they may even win the seat.
My assumption was that UKIP would target the seat and go in all guns blazing. Whilst I doubt they could beat Dismore, my assumption was that they would see Barnet as a place where they could get their vote high enough on the PR list vote, on the back of an anti Coleman campaign, to get a rep in the GLA.
Sadly (for them), it seems they have no organisation, no strategy and no effective organisation in Barnet. In short they are missing an open goal. What is shocking is that no one I've spoken to seems to understand how the GLA voting system works. Even a supposed "political party" like UKIP are seemingly unaware of how to exploit a weak "candidate from hell" like Tory Coleman to boost their chances on the PR list top up system.
In short, I think that UKIP should rename themselves U-Sluss. If they can't get their act together to even get a leafllet out in Barnet, they clearly don't deserve any representation. My advice to disaffected Tories, who hate Coleman and would vote UKIP in protest. Abstain for Coleman and vote Tory on the top up list. Voting for a party or candidate who is invisible and a party with no election strategy, is sending out completely the wrong message. If you want to send a strong signal to the Conservative Party that Brian Coleman is not an appropriate candidate, following his parking policy fiasco and his general boorish demeanour, then you can do this by voting for Boris in the Mayoral election, Conservative on the top up list and abstaining on the Coleman vote (you will get three voting slips). The Conservatives are a well organised and professional party and analyse the results in minute detail. They will see this and will then make sure that the local Tory party get the message that such basket case behaviour is unacceptable.
My assumption was that UKIP would target the seat and go in all guns blazing. Whilst I doubt they could beat Dismore, my assumption was that they would see Barnet as a place where they could get their vote high enough on the PR list vote, on the back of an anti Coleman campaign, to get a rep in the GLA.
Sadly (for them), it seems they have no organisation, no strategy and no effective organisation in Barnet. In short they are missing an open goal. What is shocking is that no one I've spoken to seems to understand how the GLA voting system works. Even a supposed "political party" like UKIP are seemingly unaware of how to exploit a weak "candidate from hell" like Tory Coleman to boost their chances on the PR list top up system.
In short, I think that UKIP should rename themselves U-Sluss. If they can't get their act together to even get a leafllet out in Barnet, they clearly don't deserve any representation. My advice to disaffected Tories, who hate Coleman and would vote UKIP in protest. Abstain for Coleman and vote Tory on the top up list. Voting for a party or candidate who is invisible and a party with no election strategy, is sending out completely the wrong message. If you want to send a strong signal to the Conservative Party that Brian Coleman is not an appropriate candidate, following his parking policy fiasco and his general boorish demeanour, then you can do this by voting for Boris in the Mayoral election, Conservative on the top up list and abstaining on the Coleman vote (you will get three voting slips). The Conservatives are a well organised and professional party and analyse the results in minute detail. They will see this and will then make sure that the local Tory party get the message that such basket case behaviour is unacceptable.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Does Brian Coleman dream of Electric Sheep?
Last night, I dug out my battered old video, got my takeaway from the Mill Hill Tandoori and watched it. Having quaffed a couple of beers, I fell asleep in the chair halfway through and had a terrible nightmare. I had been engaged by none other than Brian Coleman, to try and expose replicants in Barnet via the Barnet Eye. However as the dream went on, I became more worried that it was a bizarre scheme by Councillor Coleman to expose the Barnet Eye as the work of a lunatic.
I awoke suddenly, when the dog jumped on me, halfway through the dream. I was quite disturbed by the whole thing, until I rationalised that it was the product of too much blogging, too much beer, too much curry and watching too many sci fi films. Then I got to thinking. How would Brian Coleman fair if he had to take the Voight-Kampff test. How much empathy does he have for his fellow citizens.
In the film, it took Dekker over 100 questions to establish that Rachel "lacked empathy". I think we could establish this for Brian Coleman with three.
Brian, you live in a flat with a subsidised rent, owned by the Methodist Church and supposedly retained for families with financial hardship. You earn £120,000 a year. What would you say to a single mother on benefits, having difficulties paying her rent? (His answer - http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/120000ayear-tory-tells-desperate-mother-to-live-in-real-world-6359070.html)
Brian, you get a free parking permit, which enables you to park anywhere for free in the London Borough of Barnet. What would you say to traders who are losing their livelyhood because of the car parking charges you have hiked in the High Streets of Barnet?
Brian, you have used your allowances from the GLA and LFEPA to ferry yourself around the country, racking up charges of thousands of pounds a year, when you get a free travelcard as part of the GLA entitlement. What would you say to disabled people who you wanted to remove travel assistance from?
Now I don't actually think Brian Coleman is an android. Let's face it, if you were going to build a robot, I doubt you'd produce poor old Bwian. It is clear from his many comments that he lacks empathy, so I really wonder what Blade Runner Rick decker would make of him. The twist in the plot of Blade Runner is that Rick Decker is himself and android and doesn't realise it. Perhaps the twist in the Brian Coleman story is that he's a human being and doesn't realise it. I sincerely hope that after the GLA elections in May Brian Coleman has time to reconnect with his innate humanity. If he needs a new job, we will be looking for a Bog cleaner in May for our new venture.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Politicalbetting.com website backs Brian Coleman to lose
The first cracks are starting to appear. the influential website - http://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2012/03/27/sean-fear-takes-a-look-at-the-london-assembly-elections/ - has said it expects Brian Coleman to lose his seat in the GLA elections. They state :-
It's not as if any of them really think he's popular. They all seem to have adopted the Ostritch position to his impending demise, burying their heads in the sand and saying "Of course Brian will win". Even the quite sensible ones seem to have caught the bug. What they forget is that listening to the views of Lynton Crosby is far less likely to give you the real picture than listening to ordinary instinctive Conservatives in Barnet saying how heartily sick of the man they are.
"In my view, Barnet and Camden is very likely to fall, as it requires a swing of only 5.5% to Labour, and incumbent Brian Coleman is unpopular among London Conservatives."Whilst this is not exactly a surprise for anyone in Barnet, it is certainly the first concrete sign that the cracks are appearing in the Brian Coleman campaign strategy. The pundits I trust above all others are those who are involved in gambling. If and when Coleman loses his seat, it will be interesting to see how the Barnet Tories react to what was such an obvious cliff edge to drive off.
It's not as if any of them really think he's popular. They all seem to have adopted the Ostritch position to his impending demise, burying their heads in the sand and saying "Of course Brian will win". Even the quite sensible ones seem to have caught the bug. What they forget is that listening to the views of Lynton Crosby is far less likely to give you the real picture than listening to ordinary instinctive Conservatives in Barnet saying how heartily sick of the man they are.
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Why every Jewish voter in Barnet must vote for Andrew Dismore
The Jewish community in Barnet is sleepwalking towards a disaster. Sadly, it seems to me that through cowardice on the left and misguided loyalty on the right, they are failing the community on a grand scale. What am I talking about? The forthcoming GLA elections. The two credible candidates are Brian Coleman for the Conservative Party and Andrew Dismore for the Labour party. Both of these politicians have a long history of excellent relations with the mainstream Jewish community. In a normal election, party preferences would mean that a Jewish voter would cast their vote purely on the party preference as they would be comfortable that both men would support the community.
This however is not a normal election. It is for the role of GLA rep for Barnet and Camden. Most Barnet voters have no clue of the role of the GLA. It was created to "oversee" the Mayor. This is where the issue becomes relevant to the Jewish community. Who is going to be the next Mayor of London? The vast majority of Jewish people in London hope that it is Boris Johnson. They do not trust Ken Livingstone and many perceive him as anti Israeli and anti semitic. I've spoken privately to many local Jewish Labour activists who are horrified at the way Ken Livingstone has seemingly gone out of his way to insult the community. Sadly, any who have spoken out have been given a ritual stoning by the wider Labour movement. In normal circumstances, this would alienate the community from the whole Labour movement (with ample justification).
The issue is that sometimes, you have to consider the wider picture. The budget has been a disaster for the Tories. George Osborne's attack on pensioners could well be the magic bullet for the Labour party that brings down Boris. The Jewish community has to face up to the very real prospect of a Ken Livingstone mayoralty. This is where the identity of the GLA rep becomes important. If Barnet swings behind Brian Coleman, it will clearly be down to the Jewish community. Coleman is highly disliked and distrusted by virtually everyone else. How will Livingstone react? Lets just be charitable and say that looking after a section of the community which hates his guts will not be top of his agenda. He cant stand Coleman, his Union backers can't stand Coleman and it will give him every reason to stick the boot in where it hurts. The more Coleman will bleat, the more Ken will enjoy it.
But what about if Andrew Dismore is the GLA rep? He will have a slender majority and Livingstone will be obliged to listen to his colleague and not antagonise his supporters. Labour want to win back the marginal seats of Hendon and Finchley. They believe that the Lib Dem vote will collapse at the general election and that they have a fantastic chance. Livingstone is a party man and he have no choice but to give Andrew Dismore every chance of helping this revival. However you look at it, with Livingstone as Mayor, there is no way at all that the Barnet Jewish community will get anything from the London authorities unless Dismore is elected. Livingstone hates free schools and academies. With Coleman as rep, these will be under massive threat. There are huge areas of policy the Mayor controls and an impotent Coleman would just look on, no doubt screaming in high pitched anger, as measure after measure is passed attacking his closest supporters.
So what, I hear you ask, would happen if Boris gets in and Dismore is elected? Well first, Boris is never going to attack the Jewish community. The Tory strategists would put the loss down to Colemans own problems caused by parking. They would say that Colemans anti motorist policies caused his downfall. They would actually take note. This would be good for all small businesses and shop owners in Barnet. Dismore has shown himself to be an effective operator for all sections of the community. Rumour has it that Boris would be none to upset to see the back of Colemans buffoonary and excess. Coleman is a ticking time bomb. A Dismore victory would diffuse it and the reasons would be clear. Boris would be viewed as blameless for Colemans downfall. If Coleman loses and Boris wins, it would clearly be attributable to the parking policies, which Boris has no truck with.
It is high time that the leaders of the community pulled their heads out of the sand. If anyone believes Ken would do anything other than punish Barnet and make Coleman look impotent, they are deluded. Even if you think Boris has it sown up, just remember that Osbornes granny tax has even been denounced by the Tory supporting Daily Mail. Whilst the Jewish community in Barnet is large, in London as a whole it isn't, which is why Ken Livingstone is quite happy to upset it. The only protection will be an Andrew Dismore victory.
If Coleman gets elected alongside Ken Livingstone as mayor, I think it's inevitable that a chill wind will blow through Barnet for the Jewish community. Being a community leader means sometimes telling people things they don't want to hear. It is time for the local community leaders in Barnet to spell out to those they lead, exactly what the likely out comes of this election will bring.
This however is not a normal election. It is for the role of GLA rep for Barnet and Camden. Most Barnet voters have no clue of the role of the GLA. It was created to "oversee" the Mayor. This is where the issue becomes relevant to the Jewish community. Who is going to be the next Mayor of London? The vast majority of Jewish people in London hope that it is Boris Johnson. They do not trust Ken Livingstone and many perceive him as anti Israeli and anti semitic. I've spoken privately to many local Jewish Labour activists who are horrified at the way Ken Livingstone has seemingly gone out of his way to insult the community. Sadly, any who have spoken out have been given a ritual stoning by the wider Labour movement. In normal circumstances, this would alienate the community from the whole Labour movement (with ample justification).
The issue is that sometimes, you have to consider the wider picture. The budget has been a disaster for the Tories. George Osborne's attack on pensioners could well be the magic bullet for the Labour party that brings down Boris. The Jewish community has to face up to the very real prospect of a Ken Livingstone mayoralty. This is where the identity of the GLA rep becomes important. If Barnet swings behind Brian Coleman, it will clearly be down to the Jewish community. Coleman is highly disliked and distrusted by virtually everyone else. How will Livingstone react? Lets just be charitable and say that looking after a section of the community which hates his guts will not be top of his agenda. He cant stand Coleman, his Union backers can't stand Coleman and it will give him every reason to stick the boot in where it hurts. The more Coleman will bleat, the more Ken will enjoy it.
But what about if Andrew Dismore is the GLA rep? He will have a slender majority and Livingstone will be obliged to listen to his colleague and not antagonise his supporters. Labour want to win back the marginal seats of Hendon and Finchley. They believe that the Lib Dem vote will collapse at the general election and that they have a fantastic chance. Livingstone is a party man and he have no choice but to give Andrew Dismore every chance of helping this revival. However you look at it, with Livingstone as Mayor, there is no way at all that the Barnet Jewish community will get anything from the London authorities unless Dismore is elected. Livingstone hates free schools and academies. With Coleman as rep, these will be under massive threat. There are huge areas of policy the Mayor controls and an impotent Coleman would just look on, no doubt screaming in high pitched anger, as measure after measure is passed attacking his closest supporters.
So what, I hear you ask, would happen if Boris gets in and Dismore is elected? Well first, Boris is never going to attack the Jewish community. The Tory strategists would put the loss down to Colemans own problems caused by parking. They would say that Colemans anti motorist policies caused his downfall. They would actually take note. This would be good for all small businesses and shop owners in Barnet. Dismore has shown himself to be an effective operator for all sections of the community. Rumour has it that Boris would be none to upset to see the back of Colemans buffoonary and excess. Coleman is a ticking time bomb. A Dismore victory would diffuse it and the reasons would be clear. Boris would be viewed as blameless for Colemans downfall. If Coleman loses and Boris wins, it would clearly be attributable to the parking policies, which Boris has no truck with.
It is high time that the leaders of the community pulled their heads out of the sand. If anyone believes Ken would do anything other than punish Barnet and make Coleman look impotent, they are deluded. Even if you think Boris has it sown up, just remember that Osbornes granny tax has even been denounced by the Tory supporting Daily Mail. Whilst the Jewish community in Barnet is large, in London as a whole it isn't, which is why Ken Livingstone is quite happy to upset it. The only protection will be an Andrew Dismore victory.
If Coleman gets elected alongside Ken Livingstone as mayor, I think it's inevitable that a chill wind will blow through Barnet for the Jewish community. Being a community leader means sometimes telling people things they don't want to hear. It is time for the local community leaders in Barnet to spell out to those they lead, exactly what the likely out comes of this election will bring.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
James Cleverly and the Cancer affecting British Politics
Cancer. I've got cancer, so I've studied what causes it, how it affects the body and why it kills you. There is a cancer in the British political scene and last night I saw one of the most depressing examples of it. As a blogger I'm pretty thorough. I have a file on everyone who has been mentioned in my blog. I have a list of the good guys and a list of the bad guys. Occasionally someone gets moved from one file to the other.
When I write a blog about a particular individual, I always spend five minutes checking their history, updating their file and seeing if they have changed their position. It may surprise you to know that I have an almost equal number of politicians on the right and left in each file. I don't think someone is bad because they are a Tory or good because they are on the left. I look to see how effective and honest they are. The ultimate test I apply is as to whether I could tolerate an imaginary night on the beer with them. For example, whilst I'd not hesitate to have a few beers with Tory councillor John Hart and get highly entertained, the thought of an evening stuck with Robert Rams would fill me with dread.
The leader of the London GLA Tories is someone who I've always had firmly in the good guy folder. He's ex army, plain speaking and generally allies himself with sensible causes and the more sensible Tory policies. I've no doubt whatsoever that he'd pass the beer test with flying colours. I have a couple of friends who are senior Tories in his neck of the woods who confirm that he's aon OK guy.
That is why I was shocked to see James tweeting playground level jibes at Ken Livingstone on Twitter. Last night he posted the following :-
----------------------------------------
James Cleverly @JamesCleverly
What on earth was he thinking? Does he really think that senior politicians yelling "Kens more lazy than Boris, ner ner ne ner ner" across the playground endears them to anyone? All it does is alienate ordinary people from the politicians who are meant to serve us. I don't care whether Boris lies in bed till 10 am and drinks three bottles of Bollinger a night or whether Ken spends all day tending to his newts, so long as they deliver an adminsitration which is effective. I have my views on who is better, and it won't surprise any regular reader, but I'm not going to go into that here. What I wills ay is that I despair at this type of behaviour.
Anyone who follows London Politics will see the hand of the Tory Campaign Director Lynton Crosby in all of this. He is the master of negative attack politics. He's not the only such shady character. I believe that Peter Mandleson was the archetype malign influence. What disturbs me is the fact that a hitherto sensible and reasonable guy like James has bought into this. I don't expect him to read this and think "I must email Rog T to tell him I've seen the error of my ways". What I will ask him is this. Assuming he's got a normal set of friends, both Labour and Tory (he's keen on sports so it is a reasonable assumption), would he start going on like this at 10pm in the pub to them. I sincerely hope for their sake he doesn't. That is the thing with voters. They are like the friends up the pub, they really find all of this rather puerile.
My advice to James. Stick to telling your story. If Ken Livingstone comes up with a poor policy or says something stupid, by all means point it out. Nobody minds that, but as far as I'm concerned, this Crosby?Mandlesonesque style of campaigning is repulsive and a cancer infecting the whole British Political system. I can speak with a degree of knowledge on this subject. I ask James to consider what happens if you find you have Cancer and you pretend you are fine and don't seek treatment?
When I write a blog about a particular individual, I always spend five minutes checking their history, updating their file and seeing if they have changed their position. It may surprise you to know that I have an almost equal number of politicians on the right and left in each file. I don't think someone is bad because they are a Tory or good because they are on the left. I look to see how effective and honest they are. The ultimate test I apply is as to whether I could tolerate an imaginary night on the beer with them. For example, whilst I'd not hesitate to have a few beers with Tory councillor John Hart and get highly entertained, the thought of an evening stuck with Robert Rams would fill me with dread.
The leader of the London GLA Tories is someone who I've always had firmly in the good guy folder. He's ex army, plain speaking and generally allies himself with sensible causes and the more sensible Tory policies. I've no doubt whatsoever that he'd pass the beer test with flying colours. I have a couple of friends who are senior Tories in his neck of the woods who confirm that he's aon OK guy.
That is why I was shocked to see James tweeting playground level jibes at Ken Livingstone on Twitter. Last night he posted the following :-
----------------------------------------
James Cleverly
Boris works much harder for London than Livingstone did: #LazyLivingstone Official figures show that Boris had ... http://bit.ly/FOgTlD
----------------------------------------What on earth was he thinking? Does he really think that senior politicians yelling "Kens more lazy than Boris, ner ner ne ner ner" across the playground endears them to anyone? All it does is alienate ordinary people from the politicians who are meant to serve us. I don't care whether Boris lies in bed till 10 am and drinks three bottles of Bollinger a night or whether Ken spends all day tending to his newts, so long as they deliver an adminsitration which is effective. I have my views on who is better, and it won't surprise any regular reader, but I'm not going to go into that here. What I wills ay is that I despair at this type of behaviour.
Anyone who follows London Politics will see the hand of the Tory Campaign Director Lynton Crosby in all of this. He is the master of negative attack politics. He's not the only such shady character. I believe that Peter Mandleson was the archetype malign influence. What disturbs me is the fact that a hitherto sensible and reasonable guy like James has bought into this. I don't expect him to read this and think "I must email Rog T to tell him I've seen the error of my ways". What I will ask him is this. Assuming he's got a normal set of friends, both Labour and Tory (he's keen on sports so it is a reasonable assumption), would he start going on like this at 10pm in the pub to them. I sincerely hope for their sake he doesn't. That is the thing with voters. They are like the friends up the pub, they really find all of this rather puerile.
My advice to James. Stick to telling your story. If Ken Livingstone comes up with a poor policy or says something stupid, by all means point it out. Nobody minds that, but as far as I'm concerned, this Crosby?Mandlesonesque style of campaigning is repulsive and a cancer infecting the whole British Political system. I can speak with a degree of knowledge on this subject. I ask James to consider what happens if you find you have Cancer and you pretend you are fine and don't seek treatment?
Friday, 24 February 2012
The Friday Joke - 24/2/2012
 |
| A rather old picture of Brian Coleman |
Brian (Coleman) is a well-respected figure with a high media profile. His wide-ranging experience within London Government includes his Vice Chairmanship of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (2005/2008) and his chairmanship of the North London Waste Authority (NLWA).
Brian is also a councillor for Totteridge in the London Borough of Barnet where he is currently Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Community Safety (Borough Safety Officer). He deals with a heavy casework load on behalf of his constituents, resolving their problems with commitment and tenacity. He campaigns ceaselessly on issues such as transport, planning, health and policing which affect all Londoners.
A regular interviewee on television and radio, Vanessa Feltz describes him as "One of the few politicians worth talking to"!
It must be true, it says so on the Conservative Party website (the bits in the brackets are my additions for clarity) -
They also list his private email, so you can email him to thank him for all the hard work he's done, raising your parking charges or if you have any issues with safety in the London Borough of Barnet - Email: coleman_b@btinternet.com
I wonder if the people who write this crap get out much in Barnet?
Monday, 23 January 2012
Boris launches the Brian Coleman charm offensive
This weekend the Barnet Tories launched the Brian Coleman charm offensive. We got a leaflet showing just how hard Brian Coleman has been working on our behalf. Strangely it makes no mention of the way Coleman has hiked up parking charges. Apparently the fact that certain types of crime are down is completely down to all the hard work Boris and Brian have been doing. Strangely, the leaflet doesn't mention that theft of mobile phones is up by 10%. What is the police advice for residents? Don't make lengthy mobile phone calls on the street or have your valuables handy. What does Brian Colemans policy for pay by phone require? Lengthy calls on the street, with your credit card in your hand. Due to the document being bigger than the scanner. I've sent an FOI request to the police to find out exactly how hard Brian Coleman has been working with the Police. Should be interesting
It is nice to see that Boris completely associates himself with Brian Coleman and his policies. Next time you get a parking ticket, or if your business is suffering, ask yourself this. Do I really want Brian Coleman to be rewarded with £50,000 a year for the next four years at the GLA elections in May for these policies? Hear is a rather crappily scanned version of the leaflet.
In response to the taxpayer funded pro Boris rally at the Peel Centre last week, I received this letter from the Labour candidate Andrew Dismore. He clearly is rather upset at the taxpayer funding such a rally. I was under the impression that in the run up to an election, public funds should not be used to exclusively promote one side. I'm not taking sides in this, I don't belong to the Conservative or Labour party. You may think I'm a secret Dismore fan. In actual fact the Labour party expelled me in 2010 (even though I'd quit the party in 2009) and told me I was banned from membership for five years. What amuses me is that Brian Coleman could join the Labour party tomorrow if he wanted to, but I can't. Anyway, here's what Andrew has to say
It is nice to see that Boris completely associates himself with Brian Coleman and his policies. Next time you get a parking ticket, or if your business is suffering, ask yourself this. Do I really want Brian Coleman to be rewarded with £50,000 a year for the next four years at the GLA elections in May for these policies? Hear is a rather crappily scanned version of the leaflet.
In response to the taxpayer funded pro Boris rally at the Peel Centre last week, I received this letter from the Labour candidate Andrew Dismore. He clearly is rather upset at the taxpayer funding such a rally. I was under the impression that in the run up to an election, public funds should not be used to exclusively promote one side. I'm not taking sides in this, I don't belong to the Conservative or Labour party. You may think I'm a secret Dismore fan. In actual fact the Labour party expelled me in 2010 (even though I'd quit the party in 2009) and told me I was banned from membership for five years. What amuses me is that Brian Coleman could join the Labour party tomorrow if he wanted to, but I can't. Anyway, here's what Andrew has to say
Dear Editor,
The Press (19th January) gave extensive coverage
to the London Mayor’s meeting at the Peel Centre. However, chaired by the
Conservative GLA member Brian Coleman, also facing the ballot box in May, one
could be forgiven for thinking it was nothing more than a Conservative election
rally.
Most of the time was taken up by the Mayor extolling his own
virtues, supported by the rest of his “ backing group” panel. Ostensibly to
discuss local economic issues, the GLA member was very careful to avoid calling
any questioners who wished to raise the parking charges issue- the biggest
elephant in the room and for which he is personally responsible - and indeed to
avoid calling anyone likely to ask challenging and difficult questions in the
short time they left for questions. Criticism was confined to outside the
formal meeting.
Of course, if the meeting had been paid for by the
Conservatives, one could hardly object to the holding an election rally: but it
wasn’t. It was paid for by London’s council taxpayers.
Personally, I think the money could and should have been
better spent on ameliorating the Mayor’s police cuts or fares rises, but clearly
the Mayor and GLA member have other things on their mind as the May elections
approach.
Andrew Dismore
Labour London Assembly candidate for Barnet and
Camden
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Westminster has listened, why can't Barnet? Updated
 | |
| Boris listens to Barnet residents deride Brian Colemans parking | scheme |
In Barnet we have a slightly different situation. The man who introduced the charges is Boris's trusted wing man, Brian Coleman. Whilst the Westminster Tories who snuck in the charges were at arms length, Coleman is a key member of the Boris Team. Sadly for Boris, everyone in Barnet knows that Brian isn't a team player. At Tuesdays BorisBash, Brian Coleman did everything in his power to prevent local residents raising the issue of parking. It appears from conversations that this policy came unstuck. At the end of the meeting, Boris had a chat with the "Save Barnets High Streets" protestors.They gave him a t-shirt. Boris isn't stupid, so he will have realised that the protestors were largely core Conservatives. These are the people who fill the party coffers, do the donkey work campaigning and turn up without fail to vote. If there is anyone Boris should represent it is them.
Now he has a dilemma. Does he turn his ire on Barnet and risk undermining Brian Colemans GLA campaign, or does he back his wingman and say "Barnet is a special case, they need the cash, Westminster doesn't". I suspect that Boris is shrewd enough to know that whatever he does, he haas to do it now. If the parking mess can be sorted out now, then Coleman has three months to rebuild his reputation and re-engage with local business.
What Boris (and Brian) must realise is that however much the local business owners may be natural Conservatives, if local business decide that local Conservatives don't support them, they will vote with their feet. Westminster Conservatives have woken up to this fact, the only question in Barnet is whether the local Conservatives will wake up now, or will it be when Brian Coleman loses in the GLA elections in May? One way or another, they will.
Update : 15/11/2012 -
It seems that the W. anchor effect of Brian Coleman is starting to weigh down on the Boris Campaign. Time to dump him - http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-24029304-ken-takes-lead-over-boris-in-race-for-mayor.do - Ken Livingstone has unexpectedly overtaken Boris in the polls
Monday, 2 January 2012
Monday, 19 December 2011
Brian Coleman's magic bullet to kill Andrew Dismore in the GLA Elections
I had a very interesting conversation with a Jewish friend yesterday. The subject of Brian Coleman's run for the GLA in May came up. He told me about a rather interesting conversation he'd had regarding Colemans campaign. As he has previously supported the Conservative party financially, it was suggested that he may like to help out. Now my friend is no friend of Brian Coleman. He replied that there is no way he could possibly support Brian Coleman. The response came back "Brian is a staunch supporter of our community. If his campaign is not successful, it may have serious consequences for Boris in the mayoral election. We all know what a Livingstone mayoralty means, so it is vital that we support Brian to the hilt".
My friend responded that he would open his wallet on the day they deselect Brian Coleman. He also suggested that if it is so important for the community to keep Ken out (which he heartily agrees with), that Coleman should fall on his sword for the "good of the community". Andrew Dismore knows that Brian Coleman is his biggest assett. Both Andrew and Ken are praying that the Tories keep him as he's a liability. Private conversations with local Labour activists tell me that they think the Coleman factor is worth at least 10% to their campaign. As to the financial side, I doubt it will hurt the Tory campaign too much. Some of their supporters have very deep pockets. They will make up any shortfall. When I stood against the Conservatives in Mill Hill last May, certain wealthy locals gave huge donations for my rivals campaign. They did this despite the cast iron knowledge that I would stand up for the green belt far more strongly than my Tory Candidates, I was promoting a pro small business parking policy for Barnet, that I work tirelessly to try and ensure that Barnet Council is run openly and transparently and that I was born and raised in Mill Hill and care passionately about the area. Of course it's their cash, so they can do what they like with it, but I have taken a grim satisfaction in hearing how fed up they are with the policies their cash ensured could be implemented.
The one thing I learned last May is that cash talks. Whilst we campaigned tirelessly on the doorstep, spent hours ensuring we got our message out that we cared about Mill Hill, the Tories had cash, printed thousands of glossy leaflets, paid for them to be delivered. These leaflets were full of porkies, such as the one that the Lib Dems were planning a huge football stadium for Kentish Town FC (average crowd 30), for Copthall Stadium. They also said they were bringing in business friendly parking charges.
That is Brian Colemans magic bullet. He has the big money in Barnet behind him and his cronies. As the mayoral and GLA election draws closer, we'll see more glossy brochures and more people will get telephone calls from people they don't know telling them all manner of old crap, which they will bitterly regret listening to, if they fall for it.
In the run up to last May's council elections, we campaigned tirelessly for a better parking policy for Barnet High Streets. This was supported by the Federation of Small Business. In light of what the Tories have done, you probably wouldn't be surprised how many people have told me they bitterly regret their decision to vote Tory. Brian Coleman may have the expensive silver bullet to kill Dismore's GLA campaign. He still has to make sure that they hit Dismore's campaign in the heart to kill it.
My friend responded that he would open his wallet on the day they deselect Brian Coleman. He also suggested that if it is so important for the community to keep Ken out (which he heartily agrees with), that Coleman should fall on his sword for the "good of the community". Andrew Dismore knows that Brian Coleman is his biggest assett. Both Andrew and Ken are praying that the Tories keep him as he's a liability. Private conversations with local Labour activists tell me that they think the Coleman factor is worth at least 10% to their campaign. As to the financial side, I doubt it will hurt the Tory campaign too much. Some of their supporters have very deep pockets. They will make up any shortfall. When I stood against the Conservatives in Mill Hill last May, certain wealthy locals gave huge donations for my rivals campaign. They did this despite the cast iron knowledge that I would stand up for the green belt far more strongly than my Tory Candidates, I was promoting a pro small business parking policy for Barnet, that I work tirelessly to try and ensure that Barnet Council is run openly and transparently and that I was born and raised in Mill Hill and care passionately about the area. Of course it's their cash, so they can do what they like with it, but I have taken a grim satisfaction in hearing how fed up they are with the policies their cash ensured could be implemented.
The one thing I learned last May is that cash talks. Whilst we campaigned tirelessly on the doorstep, spent hours ensuring we got our message out that we cared about Mill Hill, the Tories had cash, printed thousands of glossy leaflets, paid for them to be delivered. These leaflets were full of porkies, such as the one that the Lib Dems were planning a huge football stadium for Kentish Town FC (average crowd 30), for Copthall Stadium. They also said they were bringing in business friendly parking charges.
That is Brian Colemans magic bullet. He has the big money in Barnet behind him and his cronies. As the mayoral and GLA election draws closer, we'll see more glossy brochures and more people will get telephone calls from people they don't know telling them all manner of old crap, which they will bitterly regret listening to, if they fall for it.
In the run up to last May's council elections, we campaigned tirelessly for a better parking policy for Barnet High Streets. This was supported by the Federation of Small Business. In light of what the Tories have done, you probably wouldn't be surprised how many people have told me they bitterly regret their decision to vote Tory. Brian Coleman may have the expensive silver bullet to kill Dismore's GLA campaign. He still has to make sure that they hit Dismore's campaign in the heart to kill it.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Barnet Tory Blogger Dan Hope attacks the Barnet Eye and praises Brian Coleman
I got an email today from a reader of this blog asking if I was fed up with Barnet Tory blogger Dan Hope AKA TheBarnetBugle making snide comments about me and my blog. My response? Mr Hope has banned me from viewing his twitter feed so he can say what he likes and I'd never be any the wiser. Anyway, as I do have a way of checking what he is saying, I thought I'd have a peek and sure enough, Mr Hope is chipping away with snide comments, safe in the knoweldge that I don't see them. So having reviewed them, I can now answer the question. Nope, I'm not fed up. If Mr Hope wants to make bitchy comments, it's a free country and good luck to him, I suppose it makes him happy. What was far more interesting was the fact that Mr Hope seems to have decided that it is a good time to jump on the BackBrianColeman bandwagon for the GLA Elections and has posted a stream of Twitter posts praising the good Councillor Coleman. Again it's a free country and one shouldn't be too surprised that a Tory activist and former Councillor supports their GLA candidate, but it is rather a volte face for Mr Hope given some of his previous comments. Like many Barnet Tories, Hope is rather too concerned with Town Hall politics to give a stuff how this may affect residents and businesses in Barnet. Here is one typical Tweet from Hope, praising Coleman for his effectiveness in the Town Hall.
Got to give #BrianColeman credit. He is running rings around Cornelius and the Cons Group over scratchcards. Killing them with detail.
Clearly Hope thinks that a BIG FISH like Coleman shafting "lesser" colleagues and local traders is creditworthy.
Here's another praising Coleman for his stance at County Hall calling for action against brothels
#BrianColeman urges the Met to rid Suburbs of brothels. @mayoroflondon agrees and condemns papers who take their adverts #mqt
Hope is clearly keen to show that the Tory Mayor fully backs Colemans populist initiative.
Now all of this doesn't really matter at all apart from one thing. It illustrates that despite the many Barnet Conservative misgivings about Brian Coleman, when it comes down to it, they all secretly admire him and back him to the hilt. He just says the the things they think, but are too scared to actually say most of the time
Got to give #BrianColeman credit. He is running rings around Cornelius and the Cons Group over scratchcards. Killing them with detail.
Clearly Hope thinks that a BIG FISH like Coleman shafting "lesser" colleagues and local traders is creditworthy.
Here's another praising Coleman for his stance at County Hall calling for action against brothels
#BrianColeman urges the Met to rid Suburbs of brothels. @mayoroflondon agrees and condemns papers who take their adverts #mqt
Hope is clearly keen to show that the Tory Mayor fully backs Colemans populist initiative.
Now all of this doesn't really matter at all apart from one thing. It illustrates that despite the many Barnet Conservative misgivings about Brian Coleman, when it comes down to it, they all secretly admire him and back him to the hilt. He just says the the things they think, but are too scared to actually say most of the time
Monday, 19 September 2011
Andrew Dismore Press release - BRIAN COLEMAN FAILS TO ACT ON HOUSING
PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have confirmed officially in their response to a Freedom of Information request from Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly candidate for Barnet and Camden, that the current Conservative member for the GLA has not written to them even once about any housing policy issues in either Barnet or Camden
Andrew Dismore said:
“It is shocking that GLA member Brian Coleman has not written to the Government at all on housing issues, despite the serious problems in both boroughs. There are acute social and affordable housing shortages in Camden and Barnet has one of the worst waiting list records in the country. The delayed regeneration schemes in Barnet have left residents in limbo and thousands of tenants are in temporary accommodation, some for years on end.
And above all we are about to witness the effect of the Coalition’s cruel housing benefit cuts, which will see hundreds of families unable to afford their rent, people up to 35 years old made to share homes, and families forced to move, taking their kids out of school, losing their jobs and their friends in the process.
Whilst Mr Coleman has sent a few official letters to DCLG in his capacity as chair of London’s Fire Authority about fire service matters (no doubt written by the officers) , the whole issue of the local housing crisis appears to have passed him by. I am sure the electorate of Barnet and Camden are not so heartless and expect more from their GLA member. Either through ignorance or indolence, it is not acceptable for someone in his position to sit on his hands whilst his government is causing so much worry and suffering. It is time for him to go.”
For further comment call Andrew Dismore 07957 625813
Monday, 5 September 2011
Ex Mill Hill Lib Dem Councillor backs Andrew Dismore against Brian Coleman in GLA Election
"Andrew's reputation for hands-on hard work, leadership and tireless commitment to the community is well-deserved. He is appreciated for his sound common sense, his deeply personal involvement with the issues that matter and for the respect he always shows to others. Whatever the battle - defending the health service, protecting the greenbelt or fighting for the local Post Office Andrew is always an asset to any campaign. He was a first class constituency MP and a parliamentarian of distinction. He will be an excellent member of the GLA."
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