Firstly an announcement.
Following the general election on May 7th, I have decided to take a break from political blogging. This is not a retirement, simply a refocussing of my priorities. I put a huge amount of effort into writing this blog, usually spending 2 hours a day on writing and researching blogs and given the fact that the next council election will be in 3 years and the next general election will be in five years, there is little of value to add for a very long time.
This does not mean I will not be supporting campaigns that are required for the good of the London Borough of Barnet, but this will be on a more ad hoc basis than before. I will also be inviting the people of Barnet to submit guest blogs and I am trying to see if we can get a few regular guest bloggers from across the political spectrum to fill the gaps. If you are interested in becoming a regular guest blogger, please get in touch! We will be retaining a few regular features, such as the Friday Joke and the Tweets of the week.
None of this means that the Barnet Eye is going away. To the contrary, I will be focussing on a few other aspects of life. The most significant will be the #SaveLondonMusic campaign. This campaign is trying to preserve the musical heritage of London and get proper protection from developers for music venues and studios. I will be tirelessly lobbying our local MP's to support the campaign, as ultimately we need an act of parliament to resolve the issues. Over the next few days I will spelling out in more detail what is needed and how we can achieve the preservation of Londons Music scene.
I will also be looking at local life and places of local interest in more detail. We live in a great place, lets appreciate it.
Finally an invitation. If you have nothing to do on Saturday evening, please join me at the Midland Hotel, by Hendon train station on Saturday night, for my long delayed 50th Birthday party. It is free and is part of our campaign to save London music. There will be three bands, including my band, the False Dots, featuring the brilliant vocal talents of Allen Ashley on vocal, Fil Ross on bass and Gray Ramsey on drums. Here is a clip of one of my songs, Feelings from Fridays recent rehearsal. This was filmed on my iPAD hence the quality. If you think you might enjoy a bit more of this, please come down and say hello. The other bands are Hamptons and Misdemeanour
Hope to see you for a chat and a drink on Saturday.
Showing posts with label The Barnet Eye. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Barnet Eye. Show all posts
Monday, 18 May 2015
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Happy Birthday to Me !!!!!
Tonight I went out to celebrate my belated birthday ! In all the fun surrounding the Mill Hill Music Festival, I missed my third birthday. No, not of my entry into the maternity ward in Edgware General silly, the third anniversary of my becoming a blogger ! I started blogging at the Hendon Times - Read this from their website, it'll make you laugh - http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/picture_galleries/2008/06/24/Barnet+Blog+Blog+%28Imported+from+blog+module%29/3208773.Naming_and_shaming/
And this is the blog where I announced that Brian Coleman was my on-line Father. I was told he didn't think it was very funny - http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/picture_galleries/2008/06/30/Rog+T+Blog+%28Imported+from+blog+module%29/3208915.Dr_Coleman_I_presume/ -
On my first birthday I wrote this blog to celebrate (well again belatedly). So I'm now three years old. Whilst fellow bloggers such as Mrs Angry and Mr Mustard are still in nappies, I'm at the age where I can stick knitting needles in electric plug sockets and smash up my big sisters dolls house ! Deep joy.
One of the nice things at the Mill Hill Music festival was the sheer number of people who I'd never met who came up and said they read the blog. Some of the comments were interesting, some were funny and some were surreal. One lady said "You should do more stuff about local news" I said "but it's pretty much all about local news" She replied "yes, but if you wrote about things people were interested in like dog shows and childrens plays, you'd get far more readers". If anyone knows of any forthcoming dog shows, please let me know ASAP. One lady asked "Is it really you who does it all". I said "Well I try and feature guest blogs". She replied "no, the other stuff". I said "Yes, that's all me". She replied "Oh, your not how I imagined you'd be then". I didn't dare ask.
Anyway, in celebration of my birthday, I'm going to dig up a few old stories to see how they've progressed. Stories like how much money Future Shape/OneBarnet would save us, how much money we lost in Iceland and how much we've got back and most importantly of all ....... Wait for it ........ A stunning revelation about our favourite scoffer of free dinners. All that and some breaking news on the Metpro Scandal later in the week.
Oh yes, and to celebrate this auspicious anniversary, I took the missus out to see Lou Reed at the Hammersmith Apollo, using some of the cash I earned from the ads in the sidebar. Who says crime doesn't pay !!!!
And this is the blog where I announced that Brian Coleman was my on-line Father. I was told he didn't think it was very funny - http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/picture_galleries/2008/06/30/Rog+T+Blog+%28Imported+from+blog+module%29/3208915.Dr_Coleman_I_presume/ -
On my first birthday I wrote this blog to celebrate (well again belatedly). So I'm now three years old. Whilst fellow bloggers such as Mrs Angry and Mr Mustard are still in nappies, I'm at the age where I can stick knitting needles in electric plug sockets and smash up my big sisters dolls house ! Deep joy.
One of the nice things at the Mill Hill Music festival was the sheer number of people who I'd never met who came up and said they read the blog. Some of the comments were interesting, some were funny and some were surreal. One lady said "You should do more stuff about local news" I said "but it's pretty much all about local news" She replied "yes, but if you wrote about things people were interested in like dog shows and childrens plays, you'd get far more readers". If anyone knows of any forthcoming dog shows, please let me know ASAP. One lady asked "Is it really you who does it all". I said "Well I try and feature guest blogs". She replied "no, the other stuff". I said "Yes, that's all me". She replied "Oh, your not how I imagined you'd be then". I didn't dare ask.
Anyway, in celebration of my birthday, I'm going to dig up a few old stories to see how they've progressed. Stories like how much money Future Shape/OneBarnet would save us, how much money we lost in Iceland and how much we've got back and most importantly of all ....... Wait for it ........ A stunning revelation about our favourite scoffer of free dinners. All that and some breaking news on the Metpro Scandal later in the week.
Oh yes, and to celebrate this auspicious anniversary, I took the missus out to see Lou Reed at the Hammersmith Apollo, using some of the cash I earned from the ads in the sidebar. Who says crime doesn't pay !!!!
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Rog T's response to points raised in the "Brian Coleman open Letter"
Having digested the comments in the "Brian Coleman Open Letter", where someone who may or may not be Brian Coleman, Mayor of Barnet raised a few points regarding this blog, I thought it only fair to give my considered response. My reponse is in italics
This blog has undertaken a politically motivated campaign of character
assassination against me. Let me spell out some facts for the readers,
who may be under the misapprehension that Tichborne, who writes it, is an
innocent abroad.
The blog is not "politically motivated". I don't target people because they belong to a specific party, I criticise people when I feel that they have done a bad job. I've criticised Labour and Lib Dem members here, sometimes in terms as strident if not moreso than those used against Mr Coleman. The reason Mr Coleman is covered so frequently here and in such strident terms is because he is the most high profile politician in Barnet and he says far more things which I fundamentally deal with than anyone else.
Tichborne is an active member of the Labour party
So what? I have never discussed the content of a blog with anyone from any party before writing it. The statements are my honest and genuinely held views. I've never hid the fact and have mentioned the fact many times in the blog, so that people realised that I may have a political bias. I have criticised both Andrew Dismore and Rudi Vis, the two local Labour MP's in most strident terms when I've disagreed with them.
Tichborne would not write a word about me if I was a Labour Councillor
Not true. If a local Labour Party member behaved in the way Brian Coleman does, I would be on their case in a flash. I'm not aware of any "bad behaviour" by local Labour councillors.
Tichborne highlights my allowances and describes these as excessive. These
are set by independent panels. Anyone doing these jobs
would receive exactly the same figure as I do
The independent review panel criticised Coleman's stacking up of allowances - read this article on the Hendon Times -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4579962.Coleman_should_slash_salary__says_review_board/
Tichborne criticises my expenses. These are incurred through hard work.
They cover the costs I run up doing my job. They are not
a perk
Brian Coleman has run up cab bills of thousands of pounds, far more than any other member, nearly as much as the rest of them put together. He once left a cab outside with a meter running for 5 hours, running up a bill of £396 at the taxpayers expense. I stand by my criticism
Tichborne criticises the fact that I attend many functions in my work. I
don't ask to be invited to these events. I am invited because people
recognise that I do a good job
To me, accepting free tickets for charity events (whilst earning a large amount of money) is a horrible concept. The scale and sheer number of entries on the hospitality register, far more than any other member is something which I think is a fair subject for public scrutiny. I believe we should know who is entertaining our elected members. It may help us understand some decisions they make.
Tichborne draws attention to the fact that my mother is my consort as
Mayor. This is not a benign action, even though he was not abusive of her.
He is trying to use my mother as a means to get at me in a most underhand
manner
Coleman's mother has the same name as my mother (Gladys). My mother hated the name and used to prefer being called Celia. I happened to mention this in passing in a blog about family and names, on the day when Coleman was announced as Mayor and his mum as consort. It just gave a degree of topicality to a blog I was writing. Judge for yourself -
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/06/gladys-my-heart-to-see-you.html
Tichborne gives the impression that I am on the take.
I think that Coleman's allowances, which have been criticised by the relevant review panel are a fair topic of discussion. I'm sure he doesn't like this. Too bad.
He does this in a sly, poisonous and underhand manner.
All I can say is judge for yourself whether my criticisms are sly, underhand and poisonous.I'd describe them as fair comment.
He is a member of the Labour Party. I stand by everything I said
Nuff said
This blog has undertaken a politically motivated campaign of character
assassination against me. Let me spell out some facts for the readers,
who may be under the misapprehension that Tichborne, who writes it, is an
innocent abroad.
The blog is not "politically motivated". I don't target people because they belong to a specific party, I criticise people when I feel that they have done a bad job. I've criticised Labour and Lib Dem members here, sometimes in terms as strident if not moreso than those used against Mr Coleman. The reason Mr Coleman is covered so frequently here and in such strident terms is because he is the most high profile politician in Barnet and he says far more things which I fundamentally deal with than anyone else.
Tichborne is an active member of the Labour party
So what? I have never discussed the content of a blog with anyone from any party before writing it. The statements are my honest and genuinely held views. I've never hid the fact and have mentioned the fact many times in the blog, so that people realised that I may have a political bias. I have criticised both Andrew Dismore and Rudi Vis, the two local Labour MP's in most strident terms when I've disagreed with them.
Tichborne would not write a word about me if I was a Labour Councillor
Not true. If a local Labour Party member behaved in the way Brian Coleman does, I would be on their case in a flash. I'm not aware of any "bad behaviour" by local Labour councillors.
Tichborne highlights my allowances and describes these as excessive. These
are set by independent panels. Anyone doing these jobs
would receive exactly the same figure as I do
The independent review panel criticised Coleman's stacking up of allowances - read this article on the Hendon Times -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4579962.Coleman_should_slash_salary__says_review_board/
Tichborne criticises my expenses. These are incurred through hard work.
They cover the costs I run up doing my job. They are not
a perk
Brian Coleman has run up cab bills of thousands of pounds, far more than any other member, nearly as much as the rest of them put together. He once left a cab outside with a meter running for 5 hours, running up a bill of £396 at the taxpayers expense. I stand by my criticism
Tichborne criticises the fact that I attend many functions in my work. I
don't ask to be invited to these events. I am invited because people
recognise that I do a good job
To me, accepting free tickets for charity events (whilst earning a large amount of money) is a horrible concept. The scale and sheer number of entries on the hospitality register, far more than any other member is something which I think is a fair subject for public scrutiny. I believe we should know who is entertaining our elected members. It may help us understand some decisions they make.
Tichborne draws attention to the fact that my mother is my consort as
Mayor. This is not a benign action, even though he was not abusive of her.
He is trying to use my mother as a means to get at me in a most underhand
manner
Coleman's mother has the same name as my mother (Gladys). My mother hated the name and used to prefer being called Celia. I happened to mention this in passing in a blog about family and names, on the day when Coleman was announced as Mayor and his mum as consort. It just gave a degree of topicality to a blog I was writing. Judge for yourself -
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/06/gladys-my-heart-to-see-you.html
Tichborne gives the impression that I am on the take.
I think that Coleman's allowances, which have been criticised by the relevant review panel are a fair topic of discussion. I'm sure he doesn't like this. Too bad.
He does this in a sly, poisonous and underhand manner.
All I can say is judge for yourself whether my criticisms are sly, underhand and poisonous.I'd describe them as fair comment.
He is a member of the Labour Party. I stand by everything I said
Nuff said
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