Bad weather - hilarious grilling of the met office chief

Here's something to warm you up. A hilarious clip of the Met office chief getting grilled as to why he got a huge bonus, when they've consistently got the forecast wrong

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/8443687.stm

Enjoy !

Freezing in Finchley

There is a truly shocking story on the BBC website. An 89 year old man nearly froze to death in East Finchley and was taken to hospital with dehyration and hypothermia. Luckily he was found by a kindly PCSO.I hope that Council Leader Lynne Hillan or Deputy Council Leader Andrew Harper take urgent action to ensure that our elderly and vulnerable are safe and warm. I trust that just as soon as the pair of them get back from their holidays, this will be their top priority. I have to agree with Mayor of Barnet Brian Coleman that Barnets Conservative Leadership should show a bit of responsibility and commitment to the Borough and arrange their holiday times so that someone is left running the show and they are not away at the same time. This is just another sign of management drift since Lynne Hillan took over.

Unfinished London - A fantastic Youtube documentary

If you are interested in local history, check this out. It's superb. Thanks to Caroline Gold for the heads up

Where is the big story at the Barnet Tory Bugle?

The bad weather has been a massive story in Barnet. The council is running out of grit and now only 60 roads are being gritted. Key roads such as Cricklewood Broadway are no longer on the list of those deemed "priority". I note that even roads such as Hartley Avenue, where the fire and ambulance stations are and where there is a large doctors surgery are being neglected.

How could the situation get to such an appalling state? The answer to this is simple. Because there is no firm management and no sensible planning to sort it out. You see the Leader of the Council, Lynne Hillan and her Deputy Andrew Harper have been on holiday all week. All major organisations have a degree of contingency planning and if the chief is on holiday, the Deputy steps up. In Barnet, it seems that they just don't care. As a result we've had a fiasco. Within hours of Mayor Brian Coleman telling BBC London that Barnet had plenty of grit, novice roads supermo, Daniel Thomas was telling the Ham & High that Barnet was running out of grit.

In most normal organisations, when things go wrong a "crisis management centre" is set up. Everything goes through this. All decisions are made and all information is collated. The Coleman/Thomas contradiction couldn't happen because all key players would know the situation. The fact that Coleman made such a fool of himself is proof that Barnet just is not managing the situation.

Which brings us to the key point. With such awful management, how come our local papers haven't been exposing the fiasco. Surely they should be pointing out that Lynne Hillan hasn't even been in the job a month and she's completely cocked up her first major crisis. Her Deputy, Andrew Harper is just as bad, why didn't he step up to the table? I actually feel a bit sorry for Mayor Brian Coleman. He knows that the new leadership has completely blown it. He knows that any claims of credibility Hillan might have had as a leader have gone, by swanning off and allowing her deputy to do the same. That is just plain bad management, as Coleman has told anyone who will listen.

Why have we seen nothing in the Barnet Times about the lack of leadership? Why have they not highlighted the management drift? What possible reason can there be for ignoring such a fundamental lack of crisis management in the Borough. Lets look at what the Council does. Schools have shut, bins haven't been collected, roads haven't been gritted, potholes have appeared, social services have operated a skeleton service. I could go on. Last year I called the Barnet Times the Barnet Tory Bugle for its tame coverage of the Tory cock ups in Barnet. It seems to me that this title is still more than justified.

Picture at top : Lynne Hillan and Andrew Harper enjoying their holiday (only joking - it seems that action is something these two are incapable of)

A welcome edition to the blogs of Barnet

Gordon Kerr has started blogging on the Hendon Times website under the title "Save Claremont Road".

In his first Blog, Gordon states the following :-

If you are concerned about developing and enhancing sports facilities in Barnet then please comment on the LDF by January 11th. Recreation and sports facilities are summarised in just three short paragraphs out of a document over 100 pages long. Sadly, most people would recognise that the current provision of sports facilities is simply not adequate for a borough of over 330,000 residents. Please comment by emailing the following address:

forward.planning@barnet.gov.uk

Make sure to include your name and address, and state that you are commenting on the LDF. Then ask that the word “adequate” should be added to Policy CS9 first line. It should then read: “The Council will work with our partners to ensure that adequate community facilities including schools, libraries, sports centres and pools, community meeting places and facilities for younger and older people, are provided for Barnet’s communities.” and ask Barnet Council to include some specific targets for developing new sports and recreation facilities so that the Council and its partners can be held accountable. 

 I hope Gordon doesn't mind me nicking the best bit of his blog wholesale, but it is important that everyone is aware of this. If you care about our children and our future, then you really should say something. If you don't the Council can quite honestly say "The parents of Barnet couldn't be bothered about their kids" if questioned in years down the line.

Far be it from me to try and swing the debate, but here are a few things that could be done to massively improve sports provision in Barnet. I believe these should be written in stone in the LDF.

a) Restore Pavillion Road playing fields as a proper sports facility
b) Protect by law all playing fields in the Borough of Barnet
c) Upgrade Copthall Swimming pool to have an Olympic standard 50 meter pool, to allow our young swimmers to compete on an even footing with other clubs. Barnet is the 9th Largest authority in teh Country and there is not a single 50m pool.
d) Install an Olympic specification diving board at Copthall Pool. It is ridiculous that our atheletes have to travel to Crystal Palace to train.
e) Place a legal requirement on the council to maintain all spors pitches to the highest standard. Many youngsters are missing vital exercise due to poorly maintained Council Facilities.
f) Renovate Copthall Stadium so that our athletes have suitable training facilities
g) Fix all Council rents for non profit making sports clubs for the next 100 years.


Nice one Gordon and I look forward to future posts.

Brian Coleman agrees with me !

Whenever I get a leak from one of my friends in the Barnet Conservative Party, I'm never really too sure what the subtext is. I had the most intriguing little snippet today. Brian Coleman agrees with me and thinks I've hit the nail on the head. I criticised Council Leader Lynne Hillan and Deputy Leader Andrew Harper for going on holiday at the same time, when bad weather was predicted. Apparently Colemans mini Pr blitz on BBC Radio London 94.9 was prompted by a need to feel that "someone was in charge" and "someone at the council was doing something". Sadly for Coleman, it seems that he neglected to coordinate with Councillor Daniel Thomas, the Barnet Roads (or should the be Ice rink) supremo.

As a result he was left looking rather stupid with his "Barnet is full of grit" statement. Brian is less than pleased with how this has all panned out and quite rightly makes the point that "if someone was in charge coordinating this" then these banana skins would have been avoided.

Brian Coleman wasn't keen on Hillan becoming Leader and he's smugly telling everyone that events have proven him right. As Brian Coleman is a former roads supremo, I'm happy to offer him a guest blog at the Barnet Eye to tell his under performing colleagues in no uncertain terms, how things should have been done.

Barnet Council and the big Pork Pie

There is a council election in May, so despite  the fact that in the last year, Barnet Council have lost untold millions in dodgy investments in Icelandic Banks, overspent £11 Million on the Aerodrome Road bridge project, wasted millions on consultants for smoke and mirrors Future shape projects and having one of the worst rates of collection of Council Tax in the country, the Barnet Tories are trying to con us that they are doing a good job, by freezing Council tax this year. Are you taken in by this ruse? Well consider this. Just suppose you drive a new BMW 7 series car. Suppose you bought this last year on Hire Purchase and you are happy with it. If a bloke from the hire purchase company turned up on your doorstep and said "Hello, I'm from the Hire Purchase company. As we lost all our money in Iceland and by mismanagement, we've had to take your BMW away. Never mind though, we're giving you a 10 year old Ford Mondeo with 6 months MOT as a replacement and you won't have to spend a single penny more on your HP agreement." Would you think "What a marvellous company, they've done a great job, I'm so lucky to have a beaten up banger, I can still drive".

You see that is what is happening. Barnet Council cannot provide the same services that they did before for the same money, they are making huge cuts to the budget for childrens services, the elderly and the vulnerable. They are cutting corners wherever they can. Visible signs of this are things like running out of grit during a cold snap. The truth is that it is only a price freeze if you get the same thing for the same money. Marks and Spencers wouldn't claim they've frozen the price of eggs because you can buy 3 eggs for a £1, wheras 10 years ago you could buy 6 eggs for the same price. Sure you've still got a eggs, but it isn't a freeze, because you get less for your money.

The reason Barnet Council have run out of grit is the same as the reason they lost millions in Icelandic Banks. They gambled. They thought that because we've had a few mild winters, they could cut back on supplies of Grit. They are gambling that no one will care that our children, our elderly and our vulnerable will suffer because of these cuts. Many London Boroughs are cutting council taxes and not slashing services. This is because they have managed their money with competence. This claim of a "Tax Freeze" should be taken to trading standards. It is misleading in the extreme, because you are getting less for the same money. Real tax cuts will only happen when competent people start running the council. Let's be sure of one thing, if Lynne Hillan, Brian Coleman and the rest of them are re-elected, the mismanagement will continue and next year and for years to come. When there is no election in the offing, you'll get this years tax rise, next years tax rise and the kitchen sink thrown at you. Don't be fooled

Brian Coleman is full of GRIT *** Updated ***

************ Urgent Update ******************
Oh Dear - Since this blog was originally posted, the Barnet Roads (or should that be Ice rink) supremo Councillor Daniel Thomas has told the Ham & High that the London Borough of Barnet is RUNNING OUT OF GRIT !!!!! Now if you click on the conversation between Paul Ross & his worshipful Highness Mayor Brian Coleman below on Radio London 94.9 this morning, you will hear Coleman categorically state that there's plenty of GRIT. If you go on the radio, giving large about what a marvellous job you are doing, and less than 8 hours later you are shot down in flames, let's just say you are made to look a tad foolish.

I am writing a new song to commemorate the bad weather. Can you complete the Chorus? If I can ever actually get out of the house and to the studio, I may record it and post it here :-

The Borough of Barnet is out of Grit, out of Grit, out of Grit,

The Mayor of Barnet looks a Total ___, Total ___, Total ____,

The Borough of Barnet is out of Grit, out of Grit, out of Grit,

cos Brian Coleman is full of ____, Full of ____, Full of ____,

Yup, childish I know, but as I lose another days money, the kids have another day off school at home and the  roads and pavements become ever more like Queens Ice Rink, I've got to pass the time of day somehow.

Seems like I'm not the only one unimpressed with Brian Coleman and Barnet - The following was in the Ham & High article.

Richard Madeley publicised his frustrations with Barnet Council on his Twitter page.

The star wrote: "Grrr:still no sign of any gritters here. Looks like our council's f***** up again." to his 10,000 followers.

******************** End of Update ******************* Original Post >>>>>>

For those of you that missed it, Don't Call Me Dave has very kindly produced a clip of the Mayor of Barnet making a plonker of himself whilst being interviewed by Paul Ross on BBC London 94.9 this morning - well worth a listen.



As to the title of this blog. Have I ever mentioned my dyslexia?

Losing touch with reality

I've spent most of the last two days looning around in the snow with my children. No school for them. It has been great. Bumped into all sorts of friends, old and new as our kids hurtled down the various slopes of Mill Hill on a variety of sledges, toboggans, trays, inflatables, estate agents signs .....

Each evening I've gone home and put on the news. There are only two stories. The weather and a couple of MP's saying Gordon Brown should go. As I watched I realised that the current story about these MP's sums up all that is wrong with politics in the UK. As I chatted to friends today, did anyone at all mention Gordon Browns problems with his MP's? Not a sausage. Did they mention the travel chaos caused by lack of planning for bad weather? You bet, that's all they wanted to talk about. Which story did David Camerons Conservative Party think warranted rushing out a billboard poster for? My guess is that every Tory politico in the land looked at the poster and went "Marvellous, we're on to a winner here". It is also my guess that every normal voter in the country hadn't got a clue what it was all about. I suspect that if you showed the poster to most people in my local, they'd probably think it was a bad picture of Dierdre Barlow and that she was hooking up with a new husband - Is  Geoff Hoon the new Ken Barlow? Doubtless millions of Corrie fans will be tuning in tonight to be disappointed that this plot line isn't happening.

It was summed up for me during a conversation with a friend, Gary the Cabbie, who told me of when he had John Prescott in his cab. Prescott asked what he thought of the then new bus & taxi lane on the M4. Gary replied that it didn't make much difference to him. He said that Prescott should concentrate on things like banning large lorries delivering during rush hour and listed a whole lot of other enhancements around London which would make a huge difference. John Prescotts reply? "What do you know about transport?". Gary retorted "We'll I've only spent the last 30 years driving around London". Prescott replied "People like you never see the big picture".

The trouble is that the big picture is really a montage of small pictures. The likes of Prescott want a simplistic broad brush, but in reality it's attention to detail which makes all of the difference. David Cameron had the choice yesterday on how to spend his advertising budget. Should he impress all his mates with a poster which they'd find rather clever, or should he vow to fix the effects of bad weather on the economy under a Tory Government?

He chose the easy option. The one his mates thought was clever. You may well ask, how on earth do you fix transport disruption caused by snow? Here's my suggestion. You find out which local authority dealt with it best. You then get all of the other authorities to learn the lessons which that authority has taken on board. Train companies. You institute massive fines for disruption caused by bad weather. In this day and age, the Council must know where it's teams have gritted. Put this information on-line. Let's see in real time how Barnet is doing compared to Harrow and Brent? They must have the information, so why not share it with the public. The Council spent £100,000 on putting you tube videos on the Internet. Why can't they put useful info, like when your road will be gritted next up?

I'll tell you why, because they've lost touch with reality.

More Brian Coleman Hypocrisy exposed

Did you hear Paul Ross interviewing Mayor of Barnet, Brian Coleman on BBC radio London 94.9 this morning. Brian Coleman has been rather busy of late on this radio channel, clearly trying to improve his tarnished image. Brian Coleman said "what happened to the good old days when people used to get a shovel and clear the pavement outside their house?" Paul Ross, spotting a classic piece of Coleman "do as I say, not as I do" hyperbole asked "So Brian, have you cleared the pavement outside your house?" The response  - "Er, no" was Mr Bumble's answer

Game set and match to Mr Ross. Vanessa Feltz has been gleefully rerunning the clip all morning. Why do these politicians think we should do things which they clearly think are beneath them?