As the job of MP for Hendon passed from Andrew Dismore to Matthew Offord. I suppose it's a bit rich for a failed council candidate such as me to offer anyone any advice, but it is genuine and well meant.
Dear Andrew Dismore,
I have read with abject horror your comments about the election. I was at the count and heard your speech. I am quite frankly appalled. I am one of the thousands of people who worked for your election in 1997 and voted for you in all the elections which you won. I am sorry to say that the reason you lost on Thursday was because you let us all down. I acknoweldge and appreciate your hard work in the constituency and had it not been for this I would have been a far more vitriolic and constant critic. Your loss on Thursday was down to one thing. You. It was because of your ridiculous attitude to expenses. You may or may not recall that we met in 2002 when I was still a Labour member. You may recall that I advised you then to stop abusing the expenses system. I told you this as a concerned friend . My advice then - "stop it or it will come back to haunt you". I am sorry to say it has.
This is for two reasons. You have turned off many voters who otherwise would have been more than happy to vote for you. Secondly your actions have severely demotivated activist (and former activists such as myself). Had it not been for this, I would have remained a member of the Labour Party and campaigned through this blog on your behalf. You would have won handsomely. As it is, your actions forced me to re-evaluate my political allegiance. Having broken the bond with Labour, but not wishing to see a Tory victory, I am more than happy to be a Lib Dem. You have disgraced yourself. If you had stood up and apologised for the expenses scandal when you lost and behaved with grace and dignity, I would have probably felt sorry for you and guilty for not voting Labour in a general election for the first time. As it was, I felt your behaviour has completely vindicated my decision.
Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the ordinary people of Hendon. I wish you luck in future with your career and hope that in the fullness of time, when you have reflected on what happens, you realise that it is nobodies fault but your own. Please learn from this and stop looking like a bad loser. It is hard to take, believe me I know. Take it on the chin.
Regards
Roger Tichborne
---------------------------------------------------------
Dear Matthew Offord,
Firstly congratulations on winning Hendon. As you know, I have been one of your harshest critics. You now have the chance to prove me wrong. I urge you to not take the people of Hendon for granted and to work as hard for them as Andrew Dismore has. Given your majority, you have one of the tightest marginal seats in the country and will be under severe pressure to hold it. Once Gordon Brown goes and David Cameron calls a snap election, you will be under severe pressure to keep it. The best way to do this is hard work for the people you represent.
One bit of advice I can offer you for free. If and when you eventually lose an election, take a look at how Mr Dismore has behaved. This will be how he is remembered - as a bad loser. Whenever that day comes, behave with dignity and grace. I genuinely hope you do a good job until that day comes.
regards
Roger Tichborne
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Mill Hill Election special - The aftermath - Tonge is Wrong !
Seriously, what is wrong with these people? What has happened to good manners and good grace? Win or lose, act with dignity. I must congratulate John Hart, Sury Khatri and Brian Schama on their victory in Mill Hill. I must also commend their good manners in how they dealt with it. Don't get me wrong, I'm bitterly disappointed. There were many issues with the way the election was staged in Barnet which were awful and need to be sorted out. I will be writing to Nick Walkley - CEO of Barnet to demand a meeting to discuss these. Not because they affected my result in any way at all, I accept that with good grace, but because they were wrong and they need to be sorted out. This isn't a throw my toys out of the pram rant. I will leave that to others.I just want to make sure that next time, the good people of Mill Hill, who want to vote can do so in a timely and efficient manner. Even more importantly, the way the count was conducted was a disgrace. This was done in a marquee with no effective heating. The staff, many of whom had only light clothing, as they expected to work in an office environment, were absolutely frozen. They would have been well within their rights to have walked off the job. I congratulate them for sticking with it and I would suggest that Barnet pay them a bonus for the harsh conditions. When people work in extreme conditions, they make mistakes. As I say, I don't believe this affected my vote, but it doesn't make for a good election. Nick Walkley, the CEO seems like a reasonable chap, so I am sure he'll be keen to ensure that next time things are better. We are likely to face another general election soon, so it cannot wait.
On to the vote in Mill Hill. I personally take full responsibility for my defeat in Mill Hill. I was a new boy to the process and as such I took a back seat in the campaign planning and acted as a foot soldier. I believe that we had a good team in Jeremy, Kim and myself, with Wayne as our agent. I believe we had the best proposition for the people of Mill Hill and if they didn't buy it, that was because I didn't sell it properly. I finished bottom out of the three Lib Dems in Mill Hill, by a hundred or so votes. Someone said to me that I actually had a personal vote of 4-500. Thanks guys for that. I do appreciate it (please note that this is a personal view. My running mate Kim has asked me to state that she believes that it was not an issue with the campaign. She is of the opinion that the huge turnout for the election, with people voting on national issues was the reason for the result. I in no way imply any criticism of the team or the campaign in my comments).
One issue which can't and shouldn't be skirted around was the issue that many people in Mill Hill told me completely put them off voting for the Lib Dems. I was told time and time on the doorstep that people would definately have voted for me, but they couldn't possibly vote for a party which had Baroness Tonge as a member. I believe that she is the reason the Lib Dems lost this election in Mill Hill. I'd never even heard of her when I joined the Lib Dems last year. I know all about her now. I knew we needed to clearly and plainly state our position (ie the Mill Hill Lib Dems) on her rantings and blatherings. I believe we should have put out at least three leaflets during the course of the election to voters likely to be put off by her, completely disassociating ourselves from her comments. Until such time as we do, we will suffer. I don't believe that anyone in a position of seniority should be allowed to remain a member of the party if they make such inflammatory and ill judged statements. We would throw out someone who said such things about any other ethnic minority, so why do we tolerate it? What would I have said "I completely disassociate myself from this woman and If I am elected I will have a platform within the party from which to get firm action taken to remove the party whip". I will still seek to persue this outcome, but as I was rejected at the elections, I have no platform at all within the organisation. I am merely a failed candidate.
I went out for a beer then a curry in Mill Hill last night. People were devastated that Jeremy Davies lost. He has been an excellent local councillor. One woman said "Tell Jeremy I am so sad he lost" I said "Thanks, I'll tell him, did you vote for us?" She replied, rather shamefacedly "Oh no, I usually do but this time I voted for the Conservatives, because I wanted to get rid of Gordon Brown". I asked "Did you vote for us at the local elections?" She replied "No I voted Conservative there as well". I asked "Oh have we done something?". She replied "No, I just did, I thought you'd all get in anyway, I'm really sorry". You can't really draw too many conclusions from a single conversation, but I felt deeply sad at this.
One final word. When the result was announced (for those of you who've never been to the count, the candidates are told before they are publicly announced) the Mayor of Barnet, Brian Coleman made his way to the front. As the result was announced he cheered and gesticulated wildly and announced "I've beaten Tichborne again". As ever this statement was complete B*ll*cks. Coleman didn't stand in Mill Hill. He didn't campaign there. I never mentioned him once in the campaign leaflets or on this blog. The guys who beat me are the opposite of Coleman. They have a bit of class. John Hart gave me his opinion of Coleman a few weeks ago and asked me not to put it in the blog. I won't but it made me smile. Oh and dearest Mayorykins, just remember not only did you not beat me in Mill Hill (you had nothing to do with the result), you lost at the Standards board as well. You will get your chance one day and you will lose again, but as to when and where? That's a secret for now
On to the vote in Mill Hill. I personally take full responsibility for my defeat in Mill Hill. I was a new boy to the process and as such I took a back seat in the campaign planning and acted as a foot soldier. I believe that we had a good team in Jeremy, Kim and myself, with Wayne as our agent. I believe we had the best proposition for the people of Mill Hill and if they didn't buy it, that was because I didn't sell it properly. I finished bottom out of the three Lib Dems in Mill Hill, by a hundred or so votes. Someone said to me that I actually had a personal vote of 4-500. Thanks guys for that. I do appreciate it (please note that this is a personal view. My running mate Kim has asked me to state that she believes that it was not an issue with the campaign. She is of the opinion that the huge turnout for the election, with people voting on national issues was the reason for the result. I in no way imply any criticism of the team or the campaign in my comments).
One issue which can't and shouldn't be skirted around was the issue that many people in Mill Hill told me completely put them off voting for the Lib Dems. I was told time and time on the doorstep that people would definately have voted for me, but they couldn't possibly vote for a party which had Baroness Tonge as a member. I believe that she is the reason the Lib Dems lost this election in Mill Hill. I'd never even heard of her when I joined the Lib Dems last year. I know all about her now. I knew we needed to clearly and plainly state our position (ie the Mill Hill Lib Dems) on her rantings and blatherings. I believe we should have put out at least three leaflets during the course of the election to voters likely to be put off by her, completely disassociating ourselves from her comments. Until such time as we do, we will suffer. I don't believe that anyone in a position of seniority should be allowed to remain a member of the party if they make such inflammatory and ill judged statements. We would throw out someone who said such things about any other ethnic minority, so why do we tolerate it? What would I have said "I completely disassociate myself from this woman and If I am elected I will have a platform within the party from which to get firm action taken to remove the party whip". I will still seek to persue this outcome, but as I was rejected at the elections, I have no platform at all within the organisation. I am merely a failed candidate.
I went out for a beer then a curry in Mill Hill last night. People were devastated that Jeremy Davies lost. He has been an excellent local councillor. One woman said "Tell Jeremy I am so sad he lost" I said "Thanks, I'll tell him, did you vote for us?" She replied, rather shamefacedly "Oh no, I usually do but this time I voted for the Conservatives, because I wanted to get rid of Gordon Brown". I asked "Did you vote for us at the local elections?" She replied "No I voted Conservative there as well". I asked "Oh have we done something?". She replied "No, I just did, I thought you'd all get in anyway, I'm really sorry". You can't really draw too many conclusions from a single conversation, but I felt deeply sad at this.
One final word. When the result was announced (for those of you who've never been to the count, the candidates are told before they are publicly announced) the Mayor of Barnet, Brian Coleman made his way to the front. As the result was announced he cheered and gesticulated wildly and announced "I've beaten Tichborne again". As ever this statement was complete B*ll*cks. Coleman didn't stand in Mill Hill. He didn't campaign there. I never mentioned him once in the campaign leaflets or on this blog. The guys who beat me are the opposite of Coleman. They have a bit of class. John Hart gave me his opinion of Coleman a few weeks ago and asked me not to put it in the blog. I won't but it made me smile. Oh and dearest Mayorykins, just remember not only did you not beat me in Mill Hill (you had nothing to do with the result), you lost at the Standards board as well. You will get your chance one day and you will lose again, but as to when and where? That's a secret for now
Friday, 7 May 2010
Barnet Council Elections - Mill Hill Ward
It seems like I'm a better blogger than I am Council candidate. I've had more hits than I got votes over the last two days. Congratulations to John Hart, Suri Khatri and Brian Schama who won for the Tories.
They are all nice guys who won with humour and dignity. They are probably the finest of the current Barnet Tory crop. I spent much of the day sharing jokes with them as the vote progressed. I've always believed that Mill Hill was a great place and even our Tories are a cut above the run of the mill bunch.
I must say a special word about John Hart. He lost in 1994 and contested every election till he got back in at the 2006 Council elections. Respect. A fine example to Kim, Jeremy and myself. I think we'd have done a better job, otherwise I wouldn't have stood, but if you have to vote for Tories in Mill Hill, you have the best of the bunch in Barnet.
They are all nice guys who won with humour and dignity. They are probably the finest of the current Barnet Tory crop. I spent much of the day sharing jokes with them as the vote progressed. I've always believed that Mill Hill was a great place and even our Tories are a cut above the run of the mill bunch.
I must say a special word about John Hart. He lost in 1994 and contested every election till he got back in at the 2006 Council elections. Respect. A fine example to Kim, Jeremy and myself. I think we'd have done a better job, otherwise I wouldn't have stood, but if you have to vote for Tories in Mill Hill, you have the best of the bunch in Barnet.
Great Britain will join the euro within five years - update
I wrote this blog in July last year - I didn't realise I was a mystic meg in disguise :-
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/07/great-britain-will-join-euro-within-5.html
Fellow Barnet blogger "Don't call me Dave" left this comment in response :-
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/07/great-britain-will-join-euro-within-5.html
Fellow Barnet blogger "Don't call me Dave" left this comment in response :-
- Blimey Rog, I thought you'd stopped smoking that wacky backy?
January 2010 - Britian starts a borrowing lead recovery from recession, Labour poll ratings improve, but not enoughSound a bit familiar. Still think I'm on the Wacky Baccy Dave?
May 2010 - General election - Tories form a minority government propped up by Unionists
June 2010 - Brown resign's, Mandelson anoints Gordon Brown's replacement. Tories pass vicious austerity budget.
Barnet Election Special - 10am News - Chaos at Colemanville
Well in my last update at 7pm last night I predicted it would be close. I wasn't wrong. Andrew Dismore lost out in Hendon ward by 150 votes. In the first count it was only 90 votes. Earlier in the evening a friendly Tory activist had told me "Matthew Offord will romp home".
As to the council elections, you may wonder what is happening there. They have not been counted, that will start at around 11am. There was a large turnout inspired by the general election. I genuinely don't know what the result will be.
A word must be said about the organisation of the count. Barnet Council erected 3 marquees to house the three constituency counts. These were absolutely freezing cold. Many of the staff drafted in had no winter clothes. They were there from 9pm, till the count was declared. I felt extremely sorry for them. The whole operation seemed shambolic at times. We were told that Hendon would declare at around 3am. At 7am, they had the first recount. I spoke to a Tory activist who had stood previously in Brent. He said that Brent are extremely efficient and he said that the way Barnet handled the election was poor. It is customary to thank the returning officer - in this case Mayor Brian Coleman as the man responsible. Lets just say he didn't spend too much time in the freezing cold tent.
I'm off in a minute for the council count. If I win my council seat, then the first thing I will do is try and ensure that for future elections a suitable venue is found. If I lose, the world is my Lobster. Unlike some of the career politicians, it isn't the end of the world for me. I was chatting to one of the Mill Hill Tory candidates, Brian Schama. Like me it was his first time standing for council. He said that whatever happened he was glad he took part as he has got to know Mill Hill a lot better. He said that observing the election close up is fascinating and it's worth it for the experience. I have to agree.
A last word on the general election in Hendon. Congratulations to Matthew Offord. It's fair to say I don't see eye to eye with him, but I hope he does a good job for the people of Hendon. I also hope he enjoyed his night. It was a long one and there were some tired and emotional people at the end. As to Andrew Dismore. Commiseration and thank you for all of your hard work in Hendon. Whatever people may say about Andrew, he has worked hard for the constituents. Finally to our candidate Matthew Harris. He worked hard in a seat he was never likely to win (apart from for 48 hours after the first leaders debate). I am sure we'll see more of Matthew. Thanks for your work on the campaign
As to the council elections, you may wonder what is happening there. They have not been counted, that will start at around 11am. There was a large turnout inspired by the general election. I genuinely don't know what the result will be.
A word must be said about the organisation of the count. Barnet Council erected 3 marquees to house the three constituency counts. These were absolutely freezing cold. Many of the staff drafted in had no winter clothes. They were there from 9pm, till the count was declared. I felt extremely sorry for them. The whole operation seemed shambolic at times. We were told that Hendon would declare at around 3am. At 7am, they had the first recount. I spoke to a Tory activist who had stood previously in Brent. He said that Brent are extremely efficient and he said that the way Barnet handled the election was poor. It is customary to thank the returning officer - in this case Mayor Brian Coleman as the man responsible. Lets just say he didn't spend too much time in the freezing cold tent.
I'm off in a minute for the council count. If I win my council seat, then the first thing I will do is try and ensure that for future elections a suitable venue is found. If I lose, the world is my Lobster. Unlike some of the career politicians, it isn't the end of the world for me. I was chatting to one of the Mill Hill Tory candidates, Brian Schama. Like me it was his first time standing for council. He said that whatever happened he was glad he took part as he has got to know Mill Hill a lot better. He said that observing the election close up is fascinating and it's worth it for the experience. I have to agree.
A last word on the general election in Hendon. Congratulations to Matthew Offord. It's fair to say I don't see eye to eye with him, but I hope he does a good job for the people of Hendon. I also hope he enjoyed his night. It was a long one and there were some tired and emotional people at the end. As to Andrew Dismore. Commiseration and thank you for all of your hard work in Hendon. Whatever people may say about Andrew, he has worked hard for the constituents. Finally to our candidate Matthew Harris. He worked hard in a seat he was never likely to win (apart from for 48 hours after the first leaders debate). I am sure we'll see more of Matthew. Thanks for your work on the campaign
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Mill Hill Election Special - 7pm update
So we're nearly there. 3 hours to go. How's it going? It seems to be going well, but it will be tight. There has been a huge turnout, especially among new voters, who we have no idea how they'll vote. If you haven't voted, get out and do it. In 1994 the Lib Dems won the a seat in Mill Hill by 12 votes. If those voters had decided to watch Eastenders and not vote, the whole history of Mill Hill ward would be different. Will it be that close again? Who can tell.
What is the feeling on the ground? We've had a good response. Polling is especially brisk in some districts. We saw our first Labour canvassers of the campaign this evening in Mill Hill half an hour ago. I bumped into one of the Tory candidates from the last council election, Matt Dreisin.Had an interesting chat about the dynamics of the ward. His advice "You can't take Mill Hill for granted". I certainly don't think we've done that. Will all of the work be enough? Well it certainly will be if the people who've said they will vote for us do. Whatever your views, if you want someone to get in, either at Council or at National level, then vote for them. You have three hours. Time is tight and so will the result be.
What is the feeling on the ground? We've had a good response. Polling is especially brisk in some districts. We saw our first Labour canvassers of the campaign this evening in Mill Hill half an hour ago. I bumped into one of the Tory candidates from the last council election, Matt Dreisin.Had an interesting chat about the dynamics of the ward. His advice "You can't take Mill Hill for granted". I certainly don't think we've done that. Will all of the work be enough? Well it certainly will be if the people who've said they will vote for us do. Whatever your views, if you want someone to get in, either at Council or at National level, then vote for them. You have three hours. Time is tight and so will the result be.
Mill Hill Election Special - 11am update
I just thought I'd knock out a quick blog to give you a flavour of what has been going on in the Mill Hill ward of Barnet Council for the election.
8am - Went down to my local polling station to cast my vote in Flower Lane. Had a little joke with the lady on the polling desk for the council. She said "You won't need any instructions will you". I replied "You don't know me very well then." I then said that at least I now knew I had one vote, so if they counted zero I'd have a word with her. Despite the early hour, voters seemed in a jovial mood. A couple gave me the thumbs up. Had a chat with our teller, Maggie outside. We shared a couple of jokes. Suri Khatri, one of the Conservative Candidates was also telling - strangely no Labour teller? He looked rather fed up. As I left one of the voters said to me "That conservative bloke looked miserable".
I then went off for a cup of tea at our campaign headquarters. Suitably refreshed, I headed off for a spell telling at Daws Lane. Again, no Labour teller. Another of the Conservative Candidates,Brian Schama was there. Unlike Mr Khatri, he was quite cheerful, if freezing cold. He was complaining that his replacement was late and he was cold. I said "Suri looked rather miserable, are you expecting bad news?". He laughed "Oh, he always looks like that". He went on to say that he's a lovely chap. Telling is a funny business. After Brian left, a rather nice Tory lady from Cambridge turned up. As we went about our business, an unfortunate lady fell over and badly twisted her ankle. We both rushed to her assistance and made sure she was ok. She seemed to be, if rather badly shaken. The business of politics is very civilised in Mill Hill. For five minutes the election went out of the window and concern for someone who had hurt themselves became the main concern. I rather hope that everyone who is involved from all parties is doing it because they want to help people. I was pleased to see that this is the main concern in Mill Hill.
It is clear that there is a massive turnout. Make sure you are part of it.
8am - Went down to my local polling station to cast my vote in Flower Lane. Had a little joke with the lady on the polling desk for the council. She said "You won't need any instructions will you". I replied "You don't know me very well then." I then said that at least I now knew I had one vote, so if they counted zero I'd have a word with her. Despite the early hour, voters seemed in a jovial mood. A couple gave me the thumbs up. Had a chat with our teller, Maggie outside. We shared a couple of jokes. Suri Khatri, one of the Conservative Candidates was also telling - strangely no Labour teller? He looked rather fed up. As I left one of the voters said to me "That conservative bloke looked miserable".
I then went off for a cup of tea at our campaign headquarters. Suitably refreshed, I headed off for a spell telling at Daws Lane. Again, no Labour teller. Another of the Conservative Candidates,Brian Schama was there. Unlike Mr Khatri, he was quite cheerful, if freezing cold. He was complaining that his replacement was late and he was cold. I said "Suri looked rather miserable, are you expecting bad news?". He laughed "Oh, he always looks like that". He went on to say that he's a lovely chap. Telling is a funny business. After Brian left, a rather nice Tory lady from Cambridge turned up. As we went about our business, an unfortunate lady fell over and badly twisted her ankle. We both rushed to her assistance and made sure she was ok. She seemed to be, if rather badly shaken. The business of politics is very civilised in Mill Hill. For five minutes the election went out of the window and concern for someone who had hurt themselves became the main concern. I rather hope that everyone who is involved from all parties is doing it because they want to help people. I was pleased to see that this is the main concern in Mill Hill.
It is clear that there is a massive turnout. Make sure you are part of it.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Canvassing in Mill Hill - Concerns for the elderly Jewish residents
On Saturday I was on the Lib Dem stall in Mill Hill Broadway. One conversation has stuck in my memory. One guy came up and introduced himself as a reader of the Barnet Eye. Like many people who read the blog and enjoy it, he doesn't agree with my political outlook. I asked him "Will you be voting for me?". He replied "I've always voted Conservative. I will be voting for David Cameron, but locally I will be voting for you". I enquired why. He said "It is simple, you wrote a blog eleven months ago highlighting the risk that the warden cuts pose to the elderly Jewish residents of sheltered housing". In this blog I raised the issue that Barnet has the highest number of Jewish residents in sheltered housing of any London Borough. He fully agreed that the removal of wardens left the frail and elderly in a position of vulnerability. Many of these elderly tenants suffered at the hands of the Nazis. They lost family and friends. Sadly there are plenty of people who see them as "fair game". An on site warden can keep an eye out and will see if there are undesirables lurking. They are on hand if a resident has a concern. The gentleman I spoke to said "I think all elderly residents deserve safety and security. As Jewish residents are particularly threatened, it makes the issue even more important". He went on to remind me that people who defile gravestones clearly have no morals.
He told me that whatever reservations he had about the Lib Dems were insignificant when it came to protecting the old and frail members of his family. He also told me that he'd drawn the attention of his friends and family to the blog on many occasions. I was intrigued. I checked my stats and sure enough, this particular page has had a massive number of hits.
If this issue concerns you, please read the blog I posted eleven months ago
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/06/time-for-barnets-jewish-community-to.html
Now let me just make one point about this blog. When this was posted, I wasn't a member of the Liberal Democrat party. I had no intention whatsoever of standing for council. I was just campaigning against the cuts. I joined the party and have stood, only because I was asked to, by people such as the guy I spoke to on Saturday. People who want a council that stands up for it's vulnerable.
He told me that whatever reservations he had about the Lib Dems were insignificant when it came to protecting the old and frail members of his family. He also told me that he'd drawn the attention of his friends and family to the blog on many occasions. I was intrigued. I checked my stats and sure enough, this particular page has had a massive number of hits.
If this issue concerns you, please read the blog I posted eleven months ago
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/06/time-for-barnets-jewish-community-to.html
Now let me just make one point about this blog. When this was posted, I wasn't a member of the Liberal Democrat party. I had no intention whatsoever of standing for council. I was just campaigning against the cuts. I joined the party and have stood, only because I was asked to, by people such as the guy I spoke to on Saturday. People who want a council that stands up for it's vulnerable.
Barnet Council Elections - Lets go viral and save the Wardens
This is the first real internet election. We all have email now. If you live in Barnet and want to stop Barnet Council terrorising elderly and vulnerable people, please email this message to everyone you know. The Barnet Conservatives in the Town hall plan to scrap all onsite wardens. The only way they can be stopped is to vote for candidates who oppose this policy. Regardless of how you vote in the general election, please vote for a candidate committed to preserving wardens for our sheltered housing tenants.
Election Night Special
For those voters familiar with Mill Hill. Does the Sensible party candidate for Luton look familiar?
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