The Saturday List #441 - The seven deadly sins and am I on the express train to hell?

Twice this week, I've had quite deep conversations with people I don't know that well, where they have admitted to being Roman Catholics and being heavily encumbered with the burden that is Catholic guilt. As I was raised a Roman Catholic, I sympathise. The primary school I went to was constructed along the lines of Gulag, sepcifically designed to brainwash kids. I don't actually think the nuns instilled good Christian ethical morality. Instead they gave us a heay rucksack to carry through life, containing rocks of heavy burden. These rocks are various irrational guilts. Let me give one example. One day, the headmistress Sister Gabrielle told us that we were using too much loopaper to wipe our bums. She said, and I kid you not, that the caretaker would be keeping an eye on us and if he caught us using more than two sheets, we'd be in trouble. She added that Jesus saw everything and even if the caretaker didn't catch us, on judgement day, Jesus would hold us to account. To make matters worse, the loopaper was the horrible, hard Izal paper that was rather poor at doing the job. Now I will add that the caretaker never watched us in the loo. The implication was that he'd be counting the sheets on a daily basis and any kids who were spotted entering and leaving the loo and taking too long were in trouble.

I was so disturbed by this that when I got home, I asked my mum how much loo paper you should use. She replied "As much as you need to make your bottom clean". I then asked if I'd go to hell if I used too much. She told me not to be stupid and that whoever told me that was winding me up. The nuns would tell us of the seven deadly sins and gave examples of them, such as the man who was vain and got his wife to pluck every white hair from his head. One day, he looked in the mirror and to his horror, he was bald. I don't know what they made of grecian 2000 hair dye for men?

The Seven deadly sins were first defined by Pope Gregry the Great. They were sins that were not banned by the Ten Commandments, but would land you in Hell anyway. To my horror, I've come to realised that I am enslaved by all of them to a certain extent. So what are they and why do they cause me such problems.

(1) Pride.

I have to say that I really struggle with this. I've always tried to take pride in everything I do. Last night the False Dots did a gig for our friends at Mill Hill Music Complex. Everyone had a great time, I was proud of of the band and myself. Now I understand that being too proud to ask for help has been the downfall of many when troubles afflict them, but I still struggle to see how this is a sin. Of course there is the sort of proud person, who looks down their nose at everyone they perceive as lesser people and who always want to sit at the top table and show off the fact that they are in some way better than the rest of us. Sadly the celebrity culture of these times seems to be especially fruitful for such behaviour. I've always felt more comfortable standing on the terraces having a beer with the lads, than hobbing with the knobs in the corporate boxes, eating prawn sarnies. 

(2) Greed.

Often confused with Gluttony, which is also a sin, in this context, greed refers to wanting more than your share. When you are out with your mates, you are all sharing the bill and splitting it equally. You know this, so you drink Stella Artois, as it is the most expensive pint, knowing that all your mates will be subsidising you. That is the worst type of greed. I was brought up to disavow such behavoiur, but given that I have fourteen guitars, I can't really lecture anyone of having too many of anything. 

(3) Lust.

This one nearly did kill me. When I was about eighteen years old, I was cycling home from work along Bunns Lane. Two very attractive young ladies got off the bus. I was totally distracted. I didn't realise that a Triumph Herald convertable in front of me had stopped to let the bus out. I didn't see at all and ended up in the back seat, with a written off bike. Fortunately the bloke driving saw the funny side. The two ladies pointed and laughed. I felt like a complete idiot. I wish that was the only time I'd made a poor decision for such reasons.

(4) Envy.

Keeping up with the Jones's. I think we all do this sometimes. With me, I am not envious of my mates, but if someone I dislike gets something good, it annoys the hell out of me. When I was at Orange Hill School, I distinctly recall someone who I thought was a complete plonker started to go out with someone I really fancied. Not only did it make me cross with myself for not getting in first, every time I saw them holding hands, it made me feel sick. Fortunately she soon saw through him. Sadly though, I couldn't bear the thought of being the second choice to him, so I never did ask her out (I guess that is pride as well). 

(5) Gluttony (which is usually understood to include drunkenness).

I'm done up like a kipper for this one. I love my food and I love my drink. I am someone who the term "eat as much as you like buffet" is a challenge. I've lost count of the niumber of times my missus has said "How many beers did you have last night?". I've replied "Only six or seven" to which she's rolled her eyes and called me a greedy guts (that's the polite version). 

(6) Anger,

I can joke about the others here. This I can't really. This used to be such a problem for me, that I went for counselling for it when I was about 33 years old. I used to feel consumed by anger all the time. So much so that I felt that if I wasn't angry I'd cease to exist. I was angry about politics, angry about injustice, angry about music and angry about life. When I had counselling, I realised that until my Mum had cancer in 1970, I had a sunny disposition. I think that seeing her in hospital, on drips, hardly able to talk. I've come to realise that I had a dose of PTSD from the experience. On top of that, I am dyslexic and chronically underperformed at school. Teachers would humiliate me. It was horrible. When my wife became pregnant, I realised that I needed to address this. Such demons can never be truly conquered, but you can mitigate the worst of it, which I think I do pretty well most of the time. 

 

(7) Sloth.

Now this is an interesting one. My wife tells me I am the laziest person she knows. This is partially because she equates things such as blogging, playing in a band, going to work at the studio, networking with people to generate business with anything but real work. In fact she generally equates it with lying in bed or sitting in the pub boozing. In her mind, my total lack of interest in housework makes me the worlds worst partner. I don't think I'm lazy and slothful, but she knows me far better than I do, and she totally believes I am a slob,

So am on the express train to Hell? If God is the God that the nuns used to scare us with, I am doomed. I have a slightly different view. I guess I'll only find out when it's too late, but I am glad I've gone through life using as much loo roll as I like.

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The seven deadly sins of the Barnet Conservatives

In May 2010, the people of the London Borough of Barnet elected a Conservative administration. Many things have happened since then. I was recently asked whether I thought they deserved reelection. I said no and when asked why, I said "They have committed seven deadly sins which should convince any sensible person that they were unelectable".

The Barnet Eye believes that this administration is guilty of all these sins, in a way that is detrimental to every citizen of Barnet.

Gluttony - Allowance hike
Wrath - Pay and display parking fiasco
Lust - Metpro fiasco
Envy - Cuts to disabled services
Pride - CPZ Parking hike cock up
Greed - 20p Tax cut paid for with stealth tax & huge council debt
Sloth - Outsourcing and ruining services

To elaborate

1. Allowance hike. The first action of the Conservative cabinet on regaining the council in 2010 was to vote through a huge payrise for themselves. This was completely immoral and unjustified. It blew a hole in the idea that we are all in it together. The one Tory who opposed the policy, Kate Salinger was ritually stripped of all responsibility in a public humiliation. This is a prime example of the sin of gluttony and the need of the administration to trouser as much dosh as possible.

2. Pay and Display parking fiasco. Barnet Tories abolished pay and display parking overnight, with no consultation. This wrought havoc on local high streets forcing many small businesses (ironically many owned by Tory voting small businessmen) out of business. Pay by phone was imposed with scant regards to the needs of local people. There was a huge backlash in 2012 with the electorate kicking out Brian Coleman, the Tory GLA rep and architect of the policy. As a result there has been a limited amount of back tracking, with credit card operated machines being brought back for pay and display. The cock up is estimated as costing the council £1.5 million. Wrath - This wrathful policy of Brian Coleman, laid waste to the High Streets which he seemingly despised.

3. The Metpro fiasco. Local bloggers uncovered the Metpro scandal, where a firm with the council contract for security did not have proper licences and were charged with looking after vulnerable people in council care. The council revealed that it had paid invoices that illegally didn't have proper VAT details. Bloggers called for an independent inquiry. We got a cover up. It did however emerge that Metpro had been paid 30% over the going rate. The Metpro Scandal was caused by the lustful desires of senior councillors to have a "Sexy" security service. Metpro staff used intimidating black unifroms, complete with pepper sprays, High powered vehicles, dressed up to look like pseudo police cars and large men with snarling attitudes to deal with members of the public. Councillors looked on with smug satisfaction as Metpro barked orders at members of the public.

4. Cuts to disabled services. Whilst the Tories had no problem putting up their own allowances, they have taken a different view with savage cuts to the adult social care budget. Disabled people have lost transport services, access to day centres and in some cases brutal cuts to their care packages. Sadly those without voice are the first to be targetted in uncaring Barnet. The cuts to disabled services were born in the politics of envy of the Barnet Tory party. There is a disgusting view that the disabled get "something for nothing" because they are not in a position to pay in.  They are viewed by ruling Tories as a privileged class, to be attacked and forced to the margins. When Brian Coleman was part of the Tory Cabinet, he referred to "These People" and asked why they were entitled to "special treatment" with regards to travel.

5.CPZ Parking hike cock up. The council imposed a huge increase in pay and display charges in 2011. The CPZ campaign lead by David Attfield launched a judicial challenge and had the policy struck out as illegal. All residents of CPZ areas are entitled to a full refund. This has blown a huge hole in the council budget. Despite acting illegally, the council required people to apply for the money they'd illegally asked for. Thousands of residents still haven't got their own cash back. The CPZ case was a prime example of the dangers of Pride in local politicians. It was clear to everyone that David Attfield was right and the Tories were wrong. Rather than simply backing down, they went to court and lost. This cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of legal fees.


6. The Tories flagship policy is to cut average council tax bills by 3p a day. At the same time they have run up huge debts, as shown by the councils own accounts. They have imposed stealth taxes such as the parking charge hike and burial charges to fund the insignificant cut in tax. They are also launching further assaults on the care packages of local disabled people. Is it a moral policy to rob the well off to kick the most vulnerable? This 3p a day is an absurd attempt to bribe the electorate into re--electing them. I hope this greedy ploy will fail.

7. The council has handed over huge swathes of service provision to companies such as Capita. They now run everything from Cemetaries to Call Centres, with a brief to maximise profits. Earlier this week, we showed how the councils own papers show that services such as provision of services to underperforming school age children have been thrown into chaos by these ideolgical outsourcing schemes. Sloth - Barnet Council Leader, Richard Cornelius admitted he hadn't even read the huge One Barnet contracts prior to signing them. None of the cabinet did (or said they did). They are guilty of SLOTH on a grand scale.

These are the seven deadly sins of the Barnet Tories. I have yet to meet anyone who can justify any of these policies. Some Tories say "We need to outsource to save money and improve services. The Your Choice Barnet experience shows that services are ruined and then extra charges, not in the business case are heaped on the taxpayer. Barnet Council have a track record of failing to manage contractors. All of the savings they claim in business cases are pie in the sky. They've never allowed an independent audit of their figures and all inconvenient costs are simply ignored (such as the tens of millions spent on consultants). The Tories attack dog supporters claim all opposition is run by Trades Unionists simply seeking to protect their pay packets.They ignore the fact that I have never belonged to a Trades Union and I run my own business. Unlike many Barnet Tories, I can read a balance sheet, I know how to run a company and I understand the need to manage contractors effectively. My opposition is purely based on being a Barnet resident who cares about our Borough and doesn't want to see it ruined by incompetent buffoons.  The Leader of the Council signed contracts for hundreds of millions of pounds worth of business, without even reading them. Perhaps the most perverse thing Barnet did, was at a time when they needed a strong legal department, to manage contracts, they outsourced legal to Harrow Council, who use Capita for service provision. There are many reasons why the Barnet Tories need to be replaced in the Town Hall. If any knock on your door ask them about there seven deadly sins and ask how they can claim to be competent, when they've made so many cock ups.