No 2 in the charts !

It seems like the readers of the Edgware and Mill Hill Times are interested to read about the Lib Dems choice for candidates in Mill Hill. Click here to read the Story.

The blog has also been inundated with hits. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the story is the second comment left, which was left by "AmandaB" ( a name used by Barnet Tories to leave comments when they aren't brave enough to use their real name).

Haaaaaaaa what next Don't Call Me Dave standing too? Seriously though Rog will have plenty of time to brush up on his geography of the Borough given recent ramblings!As for the Lib Dems - well erm... where are they? Not even a glowing comment from Jack Cohen welcoming him - charming!

 It seems strange that the Tories are attacking a member of their own party ("Don't Call Me Dave" Miller) on a story announcing the Lib Dem candidates, where he hadn't even left a comment. If the highest priority for Barnets Tories is to rubbish members of their own clan, for the heinious crime of campaigning for Conservative policies in Barnet, then I suggest that they'll have plenty of time to brush up their own geography in May.

******************* Update  *******************************************************

Well I said I wanted a number 1 and it looks like we've got it. There's either lots of people interested to see what Kim, Jeremy and myself have to say, or there's a lot of gnashing of teeth and rather worried people in the Barnet ruling Tory party. Those of you who follow my blog will know I keep a close eye on the stats and I've had more hits today than any other day apart from when the Coleman case was on the news.

Thanks to all of you who've sent me private emails of congratulations on my selection. I really hope I can repay your faith in me.

I must say something about my two fellow candidates. Kim is an excellent candidate who has a depth of knowledge about Child protection issues. She's got a proven track record in business and she will make a fantastic councillor. She brings many talents to the Lib Dem group and I sincerely hope she's given the opportunity to bring them to the Council. I have no doubt that anyone who is a parent in the Borough of Barnet will reap great benefits if shes elected. As for Jeremy Davies. He's been a councillor for 16 years. He's got a proven track record and is universally respected by colleagues and adversaries. I'm humbled to be able to join them as a candidate.

Ahoy Matey's - Pirates to the Starboard, Captain Useless to the rescue !

One of my favourite tasks at the Barnet Eye is keeping an eye on what the competition is up to. Until quite recently, I was under the impression that to become a Tory Councillor, you had to have a lobotomy which made writing interesting blogs impossible. I suspected that Mike Freer and Richard Cornelius had a little room at the back of North London Business Park where the surgery was performed (I must admit that in the days of the sadly missed BARNETSTHIRDEYE blog, written by one of our young whippersnapper Tories, I thought they'd missed with the black and decker and sent the poor young man into overdrive).

Anyway, since he was liberated from the shackles of Deputy Leadership, Councillor Matthew Offord has actually been writing a rather good blog on sailing. The latest entry about pirates is actually well worth the effort. I'd not given any thought to the issues and challenges of actually paying these Somalian pirates a ransome till I read Matthews blog. Anyway, if you have a spare 5 minutes, check it out. If he keeps this up, I'll have to give him a new nickname as Captain Useless seems to be a tad tired (any suggestions - leave a comment).

Also blogging in the Times is a new face - Kim Chechetto - Kim seems to have a keen interest in Childrens issues. I'm glad that the Times have reprised the "community bloggers". I find Kim's postings to be quite interesting. I've no idea at allwho she is or what her background is because unlike my old blog, they haven't bothered to put up a byline, but hopefully they'll rectify that.

An interesting development at Not The Barnet Times. It seems that Don't call me Dave has an apprentice. A couple of blogs have been posted there by Hijacker.

One other interesting blog that has sprung up is Colemansgottago. This is a fan website dedicated to the life and times of the effusive Mayor of Barnet, Brian Coleman. Unlike the Barneteye, which is always fair and objective, this hagiographic site is dedicated solely to telling us all about Mr Coleman, how hard working he is, what books he reads and what a good job he's doing. Anyway, it's good to see some balance.

Probably the most bizarre local blog is Tory Harrow PPC Rachel Joyce. She complains that someone in Stanmore has written to the press compaining that she's running a campaign against the sitting MP. Note to bloke in Stanmore. It's her job to run a campaign against the Labour MP. Note to Rachel. If you get upset about this, you are probably in the wrong job.