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.

Xmas Special : What is the point of organised religion?

I'm an engineer. I'm pretty practical about how I deal with problems and pretty scientific in how I analyse things. Regular readers will know that I'm a Roman Catholic (albeit a rather bad one at times). I often get emails asking me all manner of questions about what I believe and why I believe what I do. I am of the school of thought that faith is a private matter in many ways and as we are all on different journeys, I have no issue at all with whatever other people think. I don't believe any or no belief system should be forced down peoples throats and I respect all people who believe in peace, honesty decency, brotherhood (and sisterhood) of the human race. So I'm not going to give anyone a lecture today. I am just going to answer the question I posed in the title, for the simple reason that I got a very straightforward and practical answer to the question today.

One of our parish charities is "The Passage" - http://www.passage.org.uk/ - a charity that helps homeless people in London. If I hadn't have gone to mass this morning, I wouldn't have picked up the newsletter which told me that they need people to help in the kitchens with breakfast and lunch. I wouldn't have found out that I could email emma.long@passage.org.uk and offered my services to help. And if I didn't do that, someone who has had worse luck than me, might not have got a breakfast served this week as we run up to Christmas.

So if you can spare a few hours to help 7.30 - 10 am or 11.30 - 2pm In the next few weeks with Breakfast or Lunch, give it a thought. The number for the passage is 020 7592 1863 ext 231 for Emma who is the volunteering co-ordinator.

London has a homelessness crisis. This time of year, it is harsh and cold. My son's football was called off this morning, because of ice. Imagine what it is like to have to sleep in that.

Whether or not like me you attend some sort of religious service or not, we can all help. I'm glad I get the chance to get reminded that there are people in our city who need a bit of help. That is reason enough for me.

Brian Coleman - The Grinch who stole Christmas (for local shopkeepers)

Brent Cross Shopping Centre Capitalise on Brian Colemans Parking Policy

Do you live in the London Borough of Barnet? Do you celebrate Christmas? If the answer to the two questions are yes and yes, have you bought any presents in local shops on our High Streets? It seems that this year over 30% less people have. Why? Because Councillor Brian Coleman, Conservative candidate for the GLA chose the run up to Christmas to abolish Pay and Display parking. In this weeks Jewish News, Councillor Brian Gordon, a long term cronie of Coleman stated that all 38 Tory Councillors are equally to blame. I've spoken to a couple of Tory Councillors who are livid with Councillor Gordon, because they told me they opposed the move and their views were ignored by Brian Coleman, who has the authority to push it through as cabinet member. Sadly none have had the balls to go public and put on record their opposition.

Lodge Lane Car Park lies virtually empty on first Saturday in December

One local trader who I know yesterday described Coleman as "The grinch who stole Christmas". In the coming year, I predict many small shops will cease trading. The boarded up shops will be a testament to Coleman and his incompetence. Sadly as it's peoples livelyhoods which are being destroyed, this is
not just a "policy debate". I wonder how many will be wishing Councillor Coleman a merry Christmas.

If you support your local traders, please sign this now

http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/parkingcharges/

 And for those of you who are interested, I found this entry in Brian Colemans gifts and hospitality register, purely coincidental I'm Sure

04-JUL-11

Lunch at the Haven, High Street   Whetstone, N20

Mr Tom Nathan Managing Director - Brent Cross Shopping Centre

Full Details here :-
http://www.london.gov.uk/pls/apex/f?p=135:2:4491066235531024::::P2_MEMBER_FILTER:59

Rog T's Cancer blog - will my wife write stupid deluded twat on my gravestone?

This is the latest installment in my occasional series about how I'm adjusting to living with a big C in my life. For those of you who are regular readers and have read the previous posts, you can skip this first paragraph. For those of you who aren't, here's a quick summary. I'm 49 years old and I recently had a prostate biopsy following two "slightly high" PSA tests - 2.8 & 4.1. The biopsy took ten tissue samples and one of these showed a "low grade cancer" which gives me a 3+3 on the Gleason scale. I'm now on a program of active monitoring. I've no symptoms and sadly for a few people, if I'm gonna die soon, it won't be from Prostate cancer. Got the picture?

So it's five weeks since I got the good news. Now I guess my first reaction was to do what everyone does and say "I'm going to beat this". My guess is that most of us would say this on receipt of the news. What I'm less certain of is whether those of us who say this actually do anything positive to actually change the way the disease is progressing. In this day and age, it would surprise me if anyone didn't google their particular variety of cancer in the hope that there is a little known miracle cure out there. What we all want is a little pill that has no side effects and will make us live forever. So if I google "cure for prostate cancer" what do I get? I get over 100 million results. So far so good? erm nope. As I plough through the 101 million pages of information, suddenly a horrible truth emerges. That miracle extract, which Hopi Indians have been extracting from the trails of slugs (note : This is a random idiotic idea for a treatment I made up for the purposes of illustrating the point) for the last 10,000 years doesn't actually work. Even worse though, is the fact that people believe it does and so put their faith in it and so don't have conventional treatments which may help them.

Now in this game, I'm in the lucky position right now of having something which doesn't require urgent attention. For me, all of this is theoretical right now. As I'm an engineer by trade, it seems to me to be a basic problem that something is broken, so something needs mending. So how do I approach this? Well if you have a complex problem which really does need to be solved, the sensible thing to do is to get a plan. The first thing to do is to understand what I'm dealing with. That's one of the reasons I started to write this blog. I figure that if I can start a discussion, then I might actually change my chances. Why? because I may find something out which helps me. Now as fat 49 year olds go, I'm a pretty fit one. I play football twice a week and I go to the gym every day. I have been having personal training recently (unrelated to this) and I probably feel as healthy as I've felt for many years.

So I discuss the predicament with my excellent personal fitness instructor  and he tells me his girlfriend is in a similar (if far worse in some ways) predicament. She has breast cancer and has had operations. He suggests I read Anti Cancer:  A new way of life. It is written by a doctor and is a strategy for dealing with cancer holistically. More importantly, it takes a scientific and well explained approach to the treatment of the disease. The message of the book is that whatever stage you are at, however well or ill you are, you can improve your chances of living a bit longer and you can improve the quality of your life by making lifestyle changes.

Right now, I'm about half way through the book. What it makes clear is that as we stand right now, there is now magic pill. What there are though, are choices we can make which may improve our chances of successfully living with the disease. What sort of things can make a difference? Well there are conditions in which cancers thrive. So by definition if we want to effectively combat cancers, we minimise our exposure to these factors. Some of these are pretty obvious and we all know about. Smoking is something everyone recognises as cancer promoting. The less obvious things (to me at least) are things like exposure to pesticides and various forms of plastic packaging. Then there are the things in our diet which feed cancers. Various fats have been shown to promote cancer growth and others inhibit it. It seems that the western diet has got a massive imbalance between our omega 3 and 6 intake. It's not just what we eat, it's also what the things we eat eat. For example, modern farming techniques, where cows are fed on grain rather than grass, radically alters balance of the omega 3 and 6 in the meats. The message seems to be that if we want to eat red meats (or meats in general), we should seriously consider making sure it's organic and grass fed. Now I love steak and whilst red meats are not generally recommended, the odd steak as a treat is fine, especially if it is from a grass fed herd.

Then there are the foods which have been shown to combat the growth of tumours. Some of these I rather enjoy and eat a fair bit of anyway. Tomatoes (especially cooked ones), watercress, peppers, beans, mushrooms have been found to inhibit tumour growth. Then there are things which I would normally not eat much of such as brocolli, green tea are a couple that spring to mind. The third group are things which I'd never even tried such as Pomegranite juice. So lets look at the green tea as an example. I find it tastes like dishwater. I love a nice cup of normal(black) tea with milk. Studies have shown that drinking five cups of green tea a day can have a marked impact on tumour growth. So I have a choice. Do I adjust my drinking habits, swapping green for black or do I pass up a chance to statistically improve my chances? The big obstacle is that I really dislike the flavour of the green tea? So lets get creative. If I add some lemon juice (high in vitamin C), a little ginger (also a tumour suppressant) and some Manuka honey (anti inflammatory and generally a promoter of a healthy system), I find myself drinking a rather pleasant substitute.

As I read through, it seems there are plenty of small changes I can make all of which MAY statistically improve my chances. A teaspoon of tumeric into the foods I prepare can also help my odds. Since the 8th November, when I found out, I've been doing all of these things. As I find better ways to alter my diet and lifestyle, it gets easier. What is the downside to this diet? Let me give you an example. Last night I went out with the guys I play football with to have our Xmas meal. We went to the new branch of Prezzo in Mill Hill. So we start at the Bridge Tavern and have a couple of beers. I have guinness. Now if I was striclty following the regime, it would have been one or two glasses of red wine, with the meal. I have made the choice to live life and have fun, so Guinness it is. Then we go to Prezzo. I check the menu. I immediately discount anything with cheese or dairy as these are "promoters" for the cancer I have. That leaves me with the following choices for starters

Minestrone Soup
Tiger Prawns in Tomato Sauce with Chilli
Mushroom Bruschetta
(I discount the chicken wings, as I'm avoiding chicken skin).

I choose the mushroom Bruschetta, I would have probaly had the Tiger prawns, but I decide I'll have these with spaghetti as the main course as it's that or the Penne Arrabiata. I avoid pudding altogether.

What would I have had if I'd chosen in October? Probably the Grilled Goats cheese starter and the Pollo Siciliana as a main. In my previously blissfully ignorant mind set, I'd have thought I'd had reasonably healthy options. So if I'd made that choice last night, would I have increased my chances of the tumour developing aggresively? No of course not. A one off treat would most likely have no effect whatsoever. The trouble is that when we break rules, we get into a habit of breaking them. There is always a reason or excuse. Now the three bottles of wine and two beers I drunk, as well as what I smoked when I was pissed (yes when I get drunk I light up, if I'm in the company of smokers) would have a far more detrimental effect. But that is something I do very rarely and is one of life's little compromises.

So here's the interesting thing. I've been eating healthy for a month, piling in the antoxidant foods and green tea. My weight has dropped from 105kg to 101kg and I feel great. People who haven't seen me for a while keep saying "You're lookimng healthy". Odd really. Even odder is what happened when I woke up. Despite a copious amount of alcohol, I don't have the slightest hangover. I've always suffered rotten hangovers, but I haven't had one at all since I changed my diet. With Xmas, I've had a boozy couple of weeks. Could it be that the diet is making my general health and liver/kidneys function better?

Anyway, as a guy who takes everything I do pretty seriously, I've been reading and researching all manner of websites, blogs and other articles, trying to find the best balance to keep myself in harmony. I have found one thing which is shocking and disgusting. As I said at the start of this blog, we all want the magic pill. Of those 101 million pages, maybe 99.9% of them are promoting products which promise all manner of things, many of which imply "the miracle cure". Tablets, extracts, vitamins, minerals. If you google "Cancer what the doctor wont tell you", you'll get eleven million articles returned. This article comes top - http://www.drcutler.com/general-health/natural-alternatives-for-fighting-cancer-that-your-doctor-wont-tell-you-about/ - am I the only person who sees the irony in a website written by a Doctor called "cancer what the doctor wont tell you?  Now I'm sure that Doctor Cutler is a marvellous man, but I read the article with horror at his approach. Dr Cutler recommends taking "green tea extract". Whilst he is quite correct in what he says about this, but why does he promote the extract. Surely he should be promoting drinking green tea and only taking the extract if you can't stand the stuff. He mentions curcumin, the active ingredient in Tumeric. Why not promote addition of tumeric to food when you prepare it? By all means use the extract if you don't like the taste of tumeric, but for many people, the raw ingredient is just as good, if not better.  At the bottom we read that Dr Cutler is an adviser for a company which sells these products. Now that's his job, I have no gripe with him for earning a living and promoting products which may benefit people with cancer. What I do have a gripe with is the fact that many of the things he mentions such as the green tea and the cucumin can quite easily and cheaply be bought in their raw form, without expensive packaging or processing. By all means promote the products, but surely we have a responsibility to also promote the benefits of changing diet and not relying on pills.

Doctor Cutler is one of the better sites promoting products. He explains the actions of the products and why they have benefits. I'm reasonably sure that for someone who doesn't want to make massive changes, these product will be beneficial, so there is a place for such things. He draws attention to the necessity of building up your own immune system to fight the disease, which again is important, so don't take my comments as critical of his approach, beyond the fact that I believe he should stress that such products are alternatives to the source ingredients. What I will say though, is that many of the sites are highly misleading. they devise all sorts of ways of classifying additives which imply all sorts of things which cannot be backed up by hard statistics or research.

I think it is morally indefensible to market products as "healthy" when there is no hard evidence that they really are. The implication that Doctors are deliberately witholding information is actually quite a dangerous charge. When it is combined with marketing for products which haven't been tested or proven in a scientifically proven manner, it is dangerous.

I have no idea whether me drinking five cups of green tea, with honey, lemon and ginger, or putting a spoonful of tumeric in with my vegetables will stop my cancer, make me live a day longer or even do anything at all. What I do know is that it makes me feel that I'm positively taking charge of my life and my situation. If eventually cancer kills me, it is actually irrelevent. What matters to me is that I feel that I am doing something. A friend who has read this blog and doesn't have cancer asked me what I hoped to achieve by writing blogs about the disease at this stage? In truth, all I am trying to achieve is to use it as a tool to help me deal with my situation. I hope to God that a few other people out there get something useful from reading this. Whether that is a miracle cure from Doctor Cutler, a way of making their green tea taste better, or even a grim satisfaction from tucking into their bacon and egss and thinking "I'm not going down the route that twat has", then that's fine. I'm not promoting a lifestyle or a way of doing things, but I can say that I feel 100% comfortable with the approach I'm taking and I do feel healthier and happier than I did when I got my diagnosis. I hope to God that when I get my next PSA test or my next biopsy result that the cancer has been completely eradicated by the green tea, tumeric and pomegranate, but even if it hasn't, even if it has gone bonkers, I will still be pleased that I took this approach. In life nothing is guaranteed, but I'd rather try and fail than passively walk to my fate. What I find strange is that so many people say "I'm going to fight this desease" but actually do nothing to actually fight it, beyond take the pills, do the treatment and think about what a shite sandwich they've been given. If it eventually kills me despite all of this, should my wife put "Stupid deluded twat" on my gravestone for believing I can change things? Maybe, but I'd rather have that as a memorial than have her think "I just wish he'd drunk a bit more of that green tea".

Have a great weekend

The Friday Joke - 16/12/2011

I was told this joke by a Barnet Councillor. To spare their blushes, I won't name them.

What is the difference between a prostitute and the owners of small businesses in Barnet?

The owners of small businesses in Barnet still vote Tory after they've been screwed !

The shape of things to come ?

Barnet Council Parking Fiasco - Petition

Help force Barnet to change its barmy new policy of telephone only parking

Please forward to people who might be interested.

http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/parkingcharges/

The Conservative administration in Barnet got the entire implementation wrong.

-          They took all pay and display machines throughout the Borough offline overnight – without notifying residents properly.
-          They simply covered the old machines with black plastic bags with no sign or detail on them listing details of the new way to park.
-          Tiny sign posts were erected in different places to the parking meters explaining how to use telephone parking, however these were not sufficiently signposted.
-          Last minute, they realised that having only pay by phone parking was not going to work 100%. As a result they announced a new scratch card system for parking. These scratch cards can only be bought in packs of 4 - with one hour parking in each scratch card at a cost of £8 per pack.
-          These scratch cards were only available since the start of this week, and only available to order via the Barnet Council website.

The Policy itself discriminates.

-          The system discriminates against people without a mobile phone.
-          The system discriminates against people who are not technologically savy and find entering data into a mobile phone difficult.
-          The system discriminates against people who have been in financial difficulty and are therefore not able to own a debit or credit card to use the parking system. Sadly this affects more and more people in this current economic environment.

The Policy could result in an increase in Petty Crime.

-          To park you need to enter your credit or debit card details via the buttons on your mobile telephone.
-          You would normally enter these in the street, as you need to enter a location number for the parking to work, and this location number is located on a 7ft tall sign somewhere outside of the car, often hard to find.
-          It would be very easy for someone to commit a petty crime with debit cards out in the street.

The costs.

-          Barnet have recently raised the prices to £1 per 30 minutes to park throughout the Borough. With no short term free parking anywhere in the Borough.
-          Barnet then have the chutzpah to then add 10 Pence to the cost of your parking to pay the company administering the system. This administration fee is not even absorbed into the cost of the parking!

Your High Street.

-          Many shopkeepers in Mill Hill Broadway, Edgware’s Station Road and other areas have reported a drop in earnings of between 30%-50% since the new system has come into place.
-          Shoppers are choosing to do their shopping at Brent X or at a Supermarket superstore with free parking.
-          These same shopkeepers have said that unless business picks up before Christmas, they will be faced with a serious financial problem, as like most retail stores, they rely on the Christmas trade.

The Barnet Labour group have asked Barnet Council to suspend its parking regulations for three weeks and have an amnesty on parking to ensure the financial security of our High Street’s and to give the Council some time for reflection on better ways of implementation and a chance to cancel the entire policy.

For more details see:

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9418913.Call_for_urgent_council_meeting_to_discuss_parking_amnesty/

and

http://www.labour4barnet.org.uk/

Help us and let us take heart from the ruling today from the High Court that stopped Westminster from changing parking regulations. Please sign this petition.

http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/parkingcharges/

Nick Walkley - Barnet Council CEO and the Stepford Councillors

Last night, Barnet Council CEO Nick Walkley was in high spirits at the Barnet Council Cabinet Resources meeting. I don't blame him one little bit. The sheep on the council committee duly rubber stamped all of the reports, just like they were told to. Debate was kept to a bare minimum, for example the debate on the parking contract lasted less than three minutes (see video in previous blogs).

As I watched decision after decision being passed, after a perfunctory speel by one of the sheep, I was reminded of the film "The Stepford Wives" about a town where women are mysteriously transformed into compliant and subserviant automatons. How has Nick managed this trick with a bunch of people elected to serve the people of Barnet?

As I heard Brian Coleman extoll the marvellosity of his changes to the parking service, I watched Nick beaming like a cheshire cat. £200K a year in wages and a bunch of mugs like this who he  manipulate even more easily than Gerry Anderson controlled Dick Tracey. No wonder he was smiling.

As I watched the shambles unfold, I pondered just how thick are the cabinet? Earlier this year, they rejected a proposal to set up a system to formally film council meetings, in favour of just allowing the public to.Not only are their strings pulled by Non Stick Nick, but they have surrendered control of information about the council to the bloggers of Barnet. Because of their addiction to secrecy, we control the public debate. Every week the local papers are crammed with stories broken by bloggers. Videos and audio clips are elusively published on blogs, which the council have no control over.

They really couldn't be more useless if they tried.The Stepford Councillors of Barnet march on to oblivion

BarnetEye TV - Barnet Council Parking Fiasco - Brian Coleman wins cabinet approval

Tonight at Barnet Council Cabinet Resources committee, half the cabinet turned up and spent less than three minutes discussing changes to the way Barnet manages parking services. Councillor Coleman described it as "a good, old fashioned Conservative Privatisation". One cabinet member (Councillor Andrew Harper) asked a half hearted question and the committee chairman (Councillor Dan John Thomas) displayed a complete lack of knowledge on how parking appeals are managed (which earned a scornful rebuke from Coleman).

So next time you get a ticket from an over zealous employee of "Parking Fines-R-US", just remember "it's a "good old fashioned Conservative Policy" to screw as much out of you as possible. Enjoy

A chance for Barnet Councillors to hit the Barnet Eye where it hurts

Contrary to popular myth, the Barnet Eye actually quite likes some Barnet Tory councillors. One of our favourites is the current Mayor, Councillor Lisa Rutter.

The Mayor has been most supportive of many local charities that the Barnet Eye also supports and came down to the studios to see the SoundSkool project, which we were sponsors of. Christmas is a time of giving. The Mayor has an excellent Charity appeal raising cash for the following very worthwhile causes

Barnet Young Carers And Siblings 'BYCAS' provides services to support young carers aged 5-17 years living in the London Borough of Barnet

The Outward Bound Trust – To unlock the potential in young people through discovery and adventure in the wild.

The Alzheimer's Society – Leading the fight against dementia

The Barnet Eye has come up with a novel way of raising cash. There are 63 Barnet Councillors. The Barnet Eye is going to be sending an email survey to all Barnet Councillors shortly. For every response to this survey I receive, I will donate £5 to the Mayors Charity. If every councillor responds that will be over £300 of my hard earned wonga !

I believe that every councillor should make a positive contribution to Barnet. I am interested to know how Barnet Councillors perceive their contribution. Responses may be published in the Barnet Eye.

Here are the questions.

1. As a councillor, what has been your greatest contribution to the people of Barnet in the last 12 months?

2. Do you think you have delivered value for the allowances you have received in the last 12 months?

3. If you answered yes to q2, please explain how in no more than 3 sentences.

4. Do you think Bloggers in Barnet make a positive or negative contribution to life in Barnet? (Please explain your reasons for your answer)

5. Why do you think that the role of a councillor in Barnet is important?

6. How many hours a month do spend working on council business, in your role as a councillor?

7. What is the best thing about being a Barnet Councillor?

8. What is the worst thing about being a Barnet Councillor?

9. What is your message to the readers of the Barnet Eye for the Christmas season?

We will publish the details of the survey on or after the 21st December. All responses must be received by the 21st December, to qualify for the £5 donation.

Adult Social Care in Barnet - A guest blog by Linda Edwards

My adult daughter has a learning disability and autism.  Given the appropriate support and care, she is fun, funny and feisty!  With support that is oppressive, controlling, unstructured and lazy, she becomes withdrawn and unable to cope with her daily life.

Which type of support would you choose for your vulnerable, disabled child?  We all know the response…………..  Or do we? The people who commission service providers and provide support for vulnerable people should have the same good intention that we would have for our vulnerable family member.  Sadly, I will demonstrate here that this has not been the case within the London Borough of Barnet Adult Social Care and Health (adult social services).  From their past performance over many years, it is clear that they not only ignore the needs of vulnerable people, but doggedly refuse to listen to experts such as the National Autistic Society and carers.

In fact, not only has their behaviour been unlawful, but they have been the main contributor to my daughter’s lack of independence, limited emotional development, her repeated anxiety and me having to regularly campaign for my daughter’s needs, often having to bring in her solicitor and the cause of me becoming unwell on many occasions.

They can never give my daughter back the many years they confined her to an institutional regime where she was made to be compliant and regressed or give me back my good health!

My daughter has been a service user of LB Barnet adult social services for many years.  She has been living in a supported living-housing scheme, with support workers during the day and night.  They were supposed to enable her to be part of the community and become more independent.  In 2007, in spite of knowing my daughter needed 24 hour support, the Director of LBB adult social services offered her ‘no choice’ but a one bedroom flat with ‘no choice’ but for the staff to have to sleep in her lounge. 

Disregarding the National Autistic Assessment Recommendations for consistency, reliability and structure, and my pleas not to use agency staff, unreliable and inconsistent agency staff were commissioned for the next 8 months.  My daughter became depressed, frustrated and angry because the staff were unreliable, dismissive of her needs and often late in arriving, regularly leaving her waiting for over an hour and often not arriving to work with her resulting in her distress, me having to telephone the duty social worker and making me late for work, until someone eventually arrived.  For the past 4 years LBB adult social services commissioned a private agency.

Some relevant background about social care…Each government places great emphasis on ‘choice’ and ‘independence’ for and ‘respect’ and ‘dignity’ towards vulnerable people.  LBBarnet adult social services endorse this in their many glossy brochures and verbally.  However, in our experience, very little ‘choice’ has been intended or has been evident and thus they have prevented my daughter from gaining the ‘independence’ or having the ‘choice’ to which she was entitled.

Indeed, our experience has been far worse than LBB adult social services simply commissioning an inappropriate contract to a service provider that bullied, lied and was responsible for their client’s regression!  What is even more despicable is that despite the many, many occasions I alerted the Director of LBB adult social services, the Manager of the Social Work team and the Services Manager for learning disabilities that the service is unacceptable and gave substantial evidence, they continued to disregard all the facts and my pleas and allowed this private company to continue to receive high income for providing nothing more than an adult ‘sitting’ service for four years!

The conclusion from this disregard and what became evident after I made a formal complaint in March 2008 is that the culture and values of LBB Adult Social Care and Health (adult social services) are spiritually and morally corrupt.  This is because the culture demands collusion, is based on conspiracy and generates fear.

Some background about people on the autistic spectrum…“People with autism or Asperger syndrome may appear to behave unusually.  There will generally be a reason for this: it can be an attempt to communicate, or a way of coping with a particular situation.” National Autistic Society.
Sudden changes to the routine of anyone on the autistic spectrum can be detrimental to their emotional well-being, mental and physical health and ability to manage their daily life.  People on the autistic spectrum can make amazing life changes if given the appropriate support and encouragement before and during change.  Change has to be well planned and developed in partnership with everyone who is significant to the autistic person.  Consistency and cooperation is crucial and all decisions need to be made together with the person at the centre and with his/her family.  Anything less will undoubtedly be failure for the vulnerable person, affecting his confidence, mental health and doom them to live a life controlled by others.
Collusion and conspiracy are the ingredients of how abuse festers and becomes part of the malignant culture of the ‘care industry’.  Below is an example of a four month period (June – November 2011) of how this is endemic within LBBarnet adult social services, spiralling down from Director and senior management.

The new service provider refused to provide night sleep-in support for my daughter because it is “not good practice for staff to be sleeping in the lounge in a one bedroom flat!”  Whilst well-respected and reputable service providers consider this bad practice, why did the Director of Adult Social Services allow this practice to begin in 2007 and continue until 2011?

In June 2011, my daughter’s support worker informed me “when the new service provider takes over, LB Barnet adult social services would remove my daughter’s night support.”  My daughter has received this support since she has been living on her own and has never slept without staff support.   Making such a sudden change without preparation would very likely induce anxiety, distress and depression and without consulting the person and her family carer contradicts all the futile words from LBB Adult Social Care and Health about ‘choice’,  ‘independence’, ‘respect’ and ‘dignity’.

At a meeting held on 13^th June 2011 at the LBB Day Centre specialising in working with people on the autistic spectrum where my daughter attends, I asked my daughter’s social worker to confirm that night support would not be removed until my daughter had demonstrated that she was ready for this extreme change.  Again, the social worker had no hesitation confirming this and the minutes reiterate her promise.

This should have been the end of the story……………… Sadly, the behaviour of senior LBB managers, now led to yet another saga of victimisation, collusion, intimidation and disregarding the social worker who knows my daughter well and whom my daughter trusts.

• I passed this disturbing information that (“when the new service provider takes over, LBB adult social services would remove my daughter’s night support”) to my daughter’s solicitor, and following her intervention, on 11^th July (whilst she was abroad), my daughter’s social worker sent the following email to the solicitor: “I can confirm that only when (my daughter) is ready to be without support at night, will this be withdrawn and there is not any timed deadline on this.  The plan will indeed be to work pro-actively with (my daughter) to enable her to gain the skills to be safe in her flat…” So far so good until………..
• On Wednesday 3^rd August I was informed that my daughter had refused to leave her flat to attend the day centre that day and the previous day.  Throughout that week she continued to refuse to leave her hot flat and lay on the couch all day.  This was completely out of character for my fun-loving and very sociable daughter, who thrives when she is actively involved in her day centre’s routine of swimming, gym and being with people she knows.
• On the Friday afternoon of that week (5^th August), we visited her elderly grandparents (Grandpa 93 and Grandma 86).  They were disturbed to see how their beloved granddaughter’s behaviour was unusually disruptive, argumentative and rigid.  These are all symptoms of major sudden changes having been made to someone on the autistic spectrum.  For anyone who knows my daughter these are certainly clear indications that someone has mistreated her. At this stage, I had no idea what had caused my daughter to make her feel so irritable and be so argumentative.

However, on Monday 8^th August at 6pm, at a meeting with the manager of the LBB In-House supported living service, whose line manager is the LBB Services Manager, I was to find out what had caused my daughter so much distress:

·         He informed me that my daughter’s “night support service had been withdrawn the previous week beginning 1^st August” (at the precise time that my daughter refused to leave her flat!)  He also said that his manager (LBB Services Manager for learning disabilities) had not intended to authorise night support once the previous private agency had left.

·         I left this meeting in a state of shock!  Whilst the social worker had promised both my daughter’s solicitor and me that the night support would remain in place, my daughter had been traumatised the previous week because they had already removed the night support without the crucial preparation!

·         I returned home and telephoned my daughter’s solicitor.  Linking my daughter’s disturbed behaviour the previous week with the sudden withdrawal of night support and knowing the contempt of adult social services management towards me, I decided I would no longer play the game on their terms, as being reasonable had allowed LBB adult social services to ignore my daughter’s distress so many times in the past.  Without a difference in behaviour from me, they would continue to ignore her needs in the future!

·         I returned to the block of flats where my daughter lives and explained to her that I now understand why she had been so upset.  I told her that I spoke with her solicitor and that I would be sleeping downstairs in the common lounge/kitchen on the two seater settee.

·         I informed the LBB In-House Supported Living manager that I would be sleeping there EVERY night until they resumed my daughter’s night support.  I asked him to inform LBB adult social services management “If I have to continue sleeping there, I will invite my family and friends to spend the evening with me and will bring in my own meals.  I will also be inviting the local paper to see how LBB do not keep their promises to vulnerable clients (with such disregard and disrespect) and how they treat their family carers (with such disrespect and contempt).”

On Tuesday 9^th August, after an uncomfortable night’s sleep, I attended a meeting with the new service provider to discuss goals and aims for my daughter, only to learn when I arrived, that a new social worker had been sent by LBB adult social services management.  My ‘support friend’ and I were surprised that a social worker who had never met my daughter or me should be instructed to attend this meeting with the new service provider.  This clearly meant that the agenda for the meeting for my daughter had changed too but no one bothered to inform or consult with me beforehand!

What then happened was that the collusion and collaboration of the two LBB social services day centre manager and social worker unfolded in front of my eyes:

·         The social worker informed me that we are here to discuss the night support and informed me that my daughter didn’t need night support any more.  I replied that this meeting is with the new service provider and the agenda is to discuss my daughter’s goals.  I showed everyone at the meeting, including the LBB day centre manager the previous minutes and email from my daughter’s social worker confirming that LBB adult social services would continue to provide night support service to my daughter.  She and the day centre manager dismissed this as “that was then and this is now.”  I responded that the minutes of13^th June 2011 and the email sent to my daughter’s solicitor dated 11^th July 2011 stated that my daughter’s night support would not be withdrawn.  Also, that my daughter has not gained the skills she needs to feel confident and safe in less than three weeks since the commitment from her social worker, especially with staff who don’t understand her needs.

·         I then asked the social worker how she had come to this decision without discussing anything with me.  The LBB day service manager responded “We had an assessment.”  The social worker then added, “It was a re-assessment.” I wasn’t sure who was pressing whose buttons but it was clear they were both colluding with the LBB senior manager who had withdrawn this service.

·         I then asked who was a part of the re-assessment and the day centre manager replied that everyone had been involved in it including herself.  I replied that they could not have a re-assessment without me and without my daughter’s social worker.  The day centre manager replied, “it was felt it wasn’t necessary to include you” (me).

·         I then asked who had discussed the matter with my daughter and silence fell upon the room!  Discussing or considering the vulnerable person for whom decisions are made, is usually the ingredient that LBB adult social service management mostly disregard.

This LBB social worker had ignored my daughter’s social workers recommendations and agreement, which was based on her knowledge of my daughter.  The LBB autistic day centre manager ignored her four-year knowledge of my daughter and her autistic needs and the senior LBB manager had ignored common sense when she withdrew this service. 

When I suggested to the manager of the day centre that she was betraying my daughter and the people she is working for, she became defensive.  Why did she deny that my daughters’ out of character behaviour of locking herself away in her flat the previous week was due to the sudden withdrawal of night support?  Being an ‘expert’ in working with people on the autistic spectrum, she ignored the evidence so as to collude with her colleague and line manager.

The moral and spiritually corrupt culture that pervades LBB adult social care is fed by collusion and conspiracy cascading down from senior management.

·         After an hour and half of pleading with these two members of the ‘conspiracy club’, I telephoned my daughter’s solicitor.  She calmly informed the social worker that “LBB have behaved unlawfully in making a unilateral decision to change the service without a reassessment that included the family carer.”  The social workers response was “that’s your opinion.”  My ‘support friend’ and I looked at each other in disbelief and I commented to him “Since when does a social worker know more about the law than a specialist solicitor!”

·         The solicitor replied that unless (my daughter’s) night support was resumed immediately, she would not waste time on the usual complaints protocol but would be immediately preparing for an urgent Judicial Review!

·         The social worker left the room to discuss this with the manager who had withdrawn the night support service and in a short while she returned confirming that the LBB Services Manager for learning disabilities agreed that this service would be resumed immediately!

After many years of broken promises and evidence that LBB adult social services don’t care about the appropriate service for my daughter, they have demonstrated they cannot be trusted.  Over the next few weeks, I checked on them regularly by visiting my daughter’s flat at night to ensure the staff were indeed sleeping in her flat.

·         Observing my daughter carefully to see how she might heal from the damage they had caused, she continually asked for the previous support worker who slept in her flat for four nights in the week prior to the hand over.  My daughter was communicating clearly that whilst she needed the night support in her flat, she wanted to have the same support worker rather than a stranger in her flat each night.  She begun to share with a few people she trusted that she needed more continuity.  Together we enabled her to send a letter to her social worker.

At a meeting on Friday 9^th September with my daughter’s solicitor, the new Head of Learning Disabilities integrated Services apologised on behalf of LBB that this had happened. Thank you!

On Wednesday 12^th October, my daughter’s social worker met and asked her about the night support she felt she needed.  When asked if she would like to sleep on her own at night, my daughter responded “No, in case of emergencies.”  She also made it very clear to her social worker that she wanted her own staff (as before this ‘conspiracy’) and didn’t want strangers sleeping in her flat.

On Monday 14^th November 2011, my daughter’s social worker confirmed that LBB have now approved Direct Payments so that my daughter can recruit her own night support staff.  Thank you.

The behaviour of LBB adult social care management towards my daughter in this and in many previous situations has been vindictive, nasty and lacking in consistency and common-sense.

This ‘corrupt and collusive conspiracy’ should raise serious questions as to the suitability of senior management of London Borough of Barnet Adult Social Care and Health who are continually making major decisions on behalf of vulnerable people that destroy and damage theirs and their families lives.   Often these decisions are emotional irreversible and become costly  both financially and emotionally and to outside service such as GP’s.

What I would like to know from the London Borough of Barnet is:

1.       Why are so many vulnerable and disabled people disregarded, devalued, disrespected and treated with contempt by LBB Adult Social Care and Health management?

2.      Why are the commitments verbally and in writing to respect and value people, including carers, disregarded in practice by LBB Adult Social Care and Health management?

3.      How are family carers supposed to cope and manage in their caring role without a caring and expert solicitor; a caring and committed social worker and without the knowledge, tenacity and outside support that I have had to find?

4.      Why is there a charade of consultations when what is happening in reality is an autocratic and dictatorial regime?

5.      It seems that being forced to collude with the corrupt culture that the LBB Director and Services Manager instigate and preside over contaminates so many decent LBB staff.  Who is going to ensure these Directors and senior LBB managers are made to be accountable to the disabled and disadvantaged residents of LBB, their family carers, YOU, the rate payer of Barnet who contribute towards their salaries and the government whose legislation and good practice guidelines LBB Social Care and Health senior management blatantly disregard?

6.      Why is the current LBB adult social service culture and internal relationship between workers based on fear rather than respect, transparency, partnership and integrity?

7.      In service to the community, humility is one of the most essential values.  It needs to be introduced to the LB Barnet Adult Social Care and Health management.  Are they going to genuinely listen to carers and learn from them with humility in the new initiative, named “Experts by Experience?”  (For details 020 8359 4366 email: caroline.powls@barnet.gov.uk. Or, are they going to continue to pretend?

8.      The culture of Adult Social Care and Health demonstrates contempt, disregard and disrespect for the vulnerable people they are paid to work for. This must change so that the Directors and Senior Managers communicate truthfully, explore with integrity and act in partnership with vulnerable families.   When is LBB Council going to make them accountable instead of continuing to promote the very people who instigate this corrupt culture, based on fear which encourages senior managers to continue with their victimisation of anyone who challenges and confronts their ever changing rules?

Linda Edwards

December 2011.

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Linda Edwards is a carer in the London Borough of Barnet. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye. Send any articles via the email link in the sidebar