#SaveLondonMusic - Please join us on Friday at 8pm at the Mildand Hotel in Hendon

Are you doing anything on Friday evening? If not, why not come down to The Midland Hotel, next to Hendon Rail Station for an evening of great music. We are running a campaign called #SaveLondonMusic to promote Live Music in London and raise awareness of the issues facing venues, studios and other spaces for creative people. Creative industries contribute £8 Million per hour to the UK economy. We lead the world in music and creative art and design, yet the government gives no protection to key sites associated with such industries. Small venues, where talent is honed are being lost at an alarming rate. Hundreds of pubs and clubs in London have been lost. Key reasons are

* Developers forcing out established and successful venues and studios to develop and transform into luxury flats.
* Noise complaints from new tenants forcing closure or massive costs on established venues
* Zero support from council planning departments for studios and other creative spaces
* Zero financial support and investment for industries that promote creativity from Councils and government

Surely the we should be nurturing such an important part of our economic and social heritage?

If you want to find out more, come down, enjoy some great music and have a chat. This is just one of a series of events we are promoting.

My band, The False Dots, featuring well known poet, author and singer Allen Ashely will be playing, also featured are Hamptons an up and coming London band who are building a  solid following and are destined for great things and Misdemeanour, a great 60's & 70's covers band.

It should be a good night!

Barnets Blairite Labour bigwigs fail the people of Barnet on Libraries.

Rog T addressing the Childrens March for Libraries (Pic Don Lyven)

An earthquake has hit British politics. An earthquake that has destroyed New Labour and the legacy of Tony Blair. In what was either the biggest shock ever or the most foregone conclusion in history (depending on when you were putting your money on the contest at Ladbrokes), Jeremy Corbyn has become leader of the Labour party. I was on the Childrens march for Libraries when the news broke. A few of the local Labour party looked disconsolate. Most are fairly hard core Blairites. I have seen more smiles at funerals than the local Labour bigwigs. Locally the party backed Yvette Cooper, who got 17% of the popular vote. I suspect that this is an accurate reflection as to how in touch with local party members they really are. I was slightly disappointed that more Labour councillors weren't marching. None bothered to make a speech in support of the campaign. Given that there were hundreds of people on the march, all of whom are looking for leadership from the Labour group and are looking for some idea of the group strategy in relation to the Tory library proposals. I can write blogs and I can walk on marches, but I have no power in the council chamber. I don't get to see top secret "blue paper" briefings on the subject (except when naughty councillors pop them through the letterbox in unmarked envelopes).

The Conservative group have a strategy and policy towards libraries. Presumably the local Labour group do. Presumably they know whether they support or oppose the Tories proposals. Presumably if they oppose the proposals, they should be telling the hundreds of people who were on the march why and how they will fight it. The Conservatives have a majority of one on the Council. Labour only need to persuade one Tory that the proposals are a bad idea and the policy will fall. Plenty of Tory Councillors seats could become vulnerable if their local libraries are closed down. It is a golden opportunity for Labour. To do this, they should have stood up on the podium and spelled this out. They should have demanded that people lobby their Tory Councillors. They should be leading the fight, but they won't. Why not? Was it because they were too shellshocked by the huge mandate given to Corbyn? Who could possibly say, but it is clear to all and sundry that they are not in the least bit interested in putting themself at the heart of the fight to defend our community.

John Burgess Leading the March

Contrast that with local Unison convenor John Burgess, who is currently standing for the post of General Secretary of Unison. John walked at the front of the march from start to finish and addressed the crowd passionately. We need people like John who can stand up for our community. If the Barnet Blairites, who are clearly happy to take the allowances, but are not prepared to stand up and be counted do not step up to the plate in short order, then surely the reselection committes should give some thought to finding a few councillors who actually reflect the views of the people in the party and the wider community. This lack of empathy with the ordinary man in the street has gone on for far too long.

Save Barnets Libraries Childrens March

What a fantastic day, I am elated and exhausted. They say the sun shines on the righteous and the sun certainly shone on the hundreds of people who turned up for the Save Barnet Libraries Childrens March. I took a few video clips on my iPhone just to give a taste of what a wonderful day it was. The highlight was the fabulous Durham Miners marching band, who turned up at Chuch End library to lead the last leg


The March started at 10.15 at East Finchley Library. It soon became clear that a huge number of people had turned up. Here is a clip I took as the march was leaving. At one stage it was over half a mile long and as we went we gathered more people.



A large number of people joined when the march arrived at Church End. This was the scene which greeted us. A decked out double decker bus.



As a long time supporter of the Save Barnet Library campaign, I was absolutely chuffed at such a large turnout. I bumped into many friends, old and new on the march. One was a friend I used to work with and hadn't seen for 30 years. Since I last saw him, he's gained a lovely wife and daughter and they are stalwarts of the Save Finchley Library campaign. I also had a good old chinwag with Mrs Angry, the Queen of Barnet blogging. I expect that we shall soon have one of her marvellous takes on the day.

At Church End Library we had an empassioned speech by the Leader of the Durham Miners. He spoke of how imprtant communities are, how libraries are a key element and how the whole notion of community is under attack. He also spoke about his pride in taking part in a march in Margaret Thatchers old constituency. For the miners, the wounds of the decimation of the the whole fabric of colliery towns by Thatcher is clearly still raw. I was invited to say a few words, I just said I was so proud of the hundreds of children who marched, one group carried the banner for the whole march. I said that it was criminal and an act of theft to steal their future. Another speaker gave us some facts and figures detailing how young people who attend libraries are twice as literate as those who don't on average. Why would a civilised nation choose to throw such a public asset away?

I am at a loss as to why the Conservative council regime are so set against libraries. They are a tiny item in the Boroughs budget. Not only that, but the Tories lost their GLA Rep Brian Coleman in part due to their previous war on libraries. They lost four councillors in wards affected by the Friern Barnet library fiasco. This nearly lost them the council.

As we marched, literally hundreds of cars passing honked horns. People asked for leaflets and waved. Unbelievably, I noticed that local Tories had started to dishonestly tweet that the march was poorly attended and the organisers were disappointed.

 

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 4h4 hours ago

Reports of thin turnout for #savebarnetlibraries organisers said to be "disappointed "

It is a sure sign that you know you've won the argument, when those you disagree with start lying. The organisers of the march were elated. Do these pictures look like a "badly attended march"?

Dishonest or what? Don't believe me, then just have a look at the tweets everyone left and the lovely pictures and comments

https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=Barnet%20Libraries&src=typd

It was brilliant. I was there and I am so proud to be associated with this campaign.

The Friday Joke - 10/9/2015 - Will I live until I'm 80?

This week I had to see my GP. I had some tests recently and so I asked her will I live to see 80? 

She said I was doing fairly well all things considered. A little concerned about that comment,'She asked, 'Do you smoke tobacco, or regularly get drunk' ''No, I only have the occasional drink' I replied. And I'm not doing drugs either!'Then she asked, 'Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?''I said, 'No red meat is to be avoided' ''Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?' 'No, I don't,' I said. She asked, 'Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex with different women? ''No,' I said.  She looked at me and said, 'Then, why do you even give a shit?'

Have a lovely Friday

Save Barnet Libraries

The children’s march for libraries will see supporters, including BAFTA award-winning actress Rebecca Front, take to the streets on Saturday, September 12 to protest about Barnet Council’s £2.85m worth of cuts to the library service.

Starting at East Finchley Library at 10.15am, the marchers will head to Church End Library, where they will be joined by a brass band, before ending at North Finchley Library.

The march comes ahead of a meeting on Monday, September 21 at Hendon Town Hall, where councillors will discuss proposals that could see libraries shrunk, axed or run by volunteers.

Barnet Council - if you had one job

I was rather disgusted to see how some of my fellow Barnet citizens leave our beautiful Mill Hill park. There is no excuse for the lazyness and lack of consideration of our fellow citizens who simply can't be bothered to take their rubbish home with themselves. There are lots of reasons why this sort of slovenly behaviour is repulsive, not least because it costs the rest of us money. The more litter slobs leave around themselves, the more the council has to pay for contractors to clean it up. It is also bead for wildlife and for me ruins what should be pleasant experience, ie a walk in the park.

Sadly though it seems Barnet council (or their contractors) are complicit in encouraging this mess. A few yards from the site of this mess, O came across this waste bin. As you can see, it is of a design where you can't put rubbish in. A few dog walkers had tried to tuck "poo bags" in, but it is really not very nice, is it? It is hardly surprising that the parks are in such as state is it?

Does anyone from Barnet Council actually care anymore? I am starting to wonder.

If attacks on Syria are the right thing to do, why can't Cameron convince Parliament

The papers are full of the news this morning that David Cameron has authorised drone strikes on IS members in Syria. The Daily Express tells us that this particular bunch were making plans to kill the Queen.  I am deeply troubled by what Cameron has done. If there is a clear and present threat against the UK or the Queen, then why has Cameron been unable to secure Parliamentary approval to support action? I am deeply cynical about the claims by The Express that this ragtag mob in Syria were seriously planning to attack the Queen. Let's think about this logically. If you wanted to stage such an attack, how on earth could you do it whilst being based in Syria. If this mob were simply speaking to people in the UK and encouraging them, it is also pretty clear that the security services had a handle on the plot and were monitoring it. Surely this announcement has compromised this intelligence work and alerted every UK Jihadi, scheming with friends in Syria, that they need more secure communications paths. 

It is claimed that the attacks were based on intelligence briefings, that convinced the Prime Minister that these Jihadis were a threat. Some of us recall the intelligence briefings that were used as an excuse to launch the Iraq war. Do you remember the claims that Saddam Hussein could attack the UK within 45 minutes, or that he had a huge arsenal of chemical and biological weapons? Of course it was all a load of old cobblers. The basis for this attack sounds equally dodgy. The Guardian reports that the men had admitted to undercover reporters that they had advised other UK Jihadis on how to attack the armed forces day celebrations. However you look at it, these guys were not professional terrorists. Think back to the days of the IRA. They were a well organised group. Their active cells didn't go around boasting to journalists how they operated. Security operations against them spanned decades. Despite the carnage they wrought, the UK did not wage a campaign of targeted assassinations against them. There were two reasons, firstly because that would be illegal and secondly it is ineffective. If you kill the people you know, then it is far harder to find those you don't know.

Cameron knows this, which is why he isn't going down the route of getting legal sanction from Parliament. Given the Tories have an absolute majority, surely this indicates just how dodgy this action is. David Davis, not a lefty pacifist by any stretch of the imagination, called yesterday for a proper system of judicial oversight for such attacks. I am a big admirer of Davis when it comes to such matters. What he is saying is that if the UK wants to conduct such attacks, let's make sure they are done legally. We are not a barbaric rabble like IS. We have the rule of law and no one, not even the Prime Minister is allowed to kill anyone without legal sanction. I won't be mourning anyone who is a terrorist who gets blown up by a drone, however I do believe in the rule of law, therefore Cameron has to behave within it. The subtext from what David Davis is saying is that Camron hasn't and that is deeply worrying. Tony Blair will forvever be tainted by his behaviour over the Iraq war. He clearly mislead parliament, which I happen to believe is a crime. I sincerely hope Cameron chooses a different route. He must get Parliamentary sanction for any action, there must be judicial oversight and he must be honest with Parliament. If he can't do these three things, then not only is his chosen course wrong, it is also illegal. If he can't get approval when the Tories have a majority, doesn't that give some indication that a lot of people smell a very large rat?

An urgent message for all Labour Party Members and Supporters

Summer is dying, roll on the Autumn colours.

The seasons are changing, as the evenings draw in, we detect a chill in the air. I am blessed to have a house with a beautiful garden. I claim none of the credit for this. My good friend Pat looks after the garden for me. I think he does a rather good job! I think it is a tragedy that our planners no longer see a garden as essential for families with children. Anyway I thought I'd share a few of the highlights of my garden with you. I spend many hours here chilling out and enjoying the sound of the M1 and the Thameslink railway at the bottom of the garden.

There is so much beauty on our doorstep, make sure you don't miss it, walking past with your eyes fixed firmly on your latest tweets and texts. I was a tad disappointed that some local curmudgeons objected to a story in the local paper about a beautiful rainbow spied over Mill Hill last week. I happen to believe that if God is good enough to put all this natural beauty before our eyes, then it is downright rude and bad manners not to appreciate it. I've spent my life appreciating beauty and the fine things on our wonderful planet. I believe these are gifts to be shared and I truly feel very sad for anyone who doesn't understand that. So here is a little tour of my back garden!

As you emerge from our patio doors, you are met by this beautiful fuschia bush. This time of year, it attracks all manner of wasps and bees. My wife would happily chop it down for this reason, but I love the colours.

We also have a fine show of colour in this pot!  I've always loved snapdragons and carnations. I'm not quite sure where the love of carnations came from, maybe just the gloopy tinned cream we used to have on our pears!

Our copper beach tree is looking rather magnificent. The hawthorn is covered in berries. Does this mean a hrsh winter?

Our runner beans are still doing pretty well. Had some in the soup I made for lunch. Very yummie!

We have a fine crop of pears. Anyone got any good recepies for pears?

But the plums are long gone!

And our wildlife pond needs a bit of TLC. Lots of frogs, newts tadpoles and sticklebacks though!














Hope you enjoyed that. If you didn't, you really need to lift the cloud from your mind.

10 things I never thought I'd see in 1999

It'll never happen! How many times have we said those with absolute certainty? How many times have we been proved horribly wrong. So join me in my Tardis for a trip back to dear old 1999. It was a happy time for me. My dear old mum was not only alive, but she was in good health, we went on a rather nice cruise with her and her then partner Mike to Norway. We took my dearly departed mother in law and he best friend (also dearly departerd). My daughters were four and two and it was a pretty blissful familiy time. Nationally Tony Blair was in the first wave of his rule. Gordon Brown was building a reputation as a "the iron chancellor". Barnet Council was being run by a Lib/Lab coalition. In football Manchester United were rampant, winning the Premiership and the European Cup. Manchester City were in the third tier, playing in a playoff final at Wembley.  Pope John Paul II was in the twighlight of his life, on a sad, painful decline. Saddam Hussien was in charge of Iraq and Bill Clinton was President of the USA.

The world has changed. If you'd asked me to get out the crystal ball, so many things have happened that we couldn't possibly have predicted.

1. Manchester City winning the Premiership. Back in 1999, such a concept  seemed unbelievable. But then again, I never expected a bunch of Arab Oil zillionaires to buy the club.

2. Gordon Brown to become Prime Minister and be a complete disaster at it. At the time, Blair seemed to be sweeping all in his path and Brown seemed to be the brians behind the organisation. Just about everyone assumed that when Blair eventually went, Brown would step up and do an even better job. Sadly the pair of them are more or less completely discredited. Far from destroying the Tories, which seemed likely in 1999, their legacy may actually be to destroy The Labour party.

3. The Pope to be speaking common sense about matter of sex and morality and my non Catholic Friends to be liking his pronouncements on Facebook. John Paul II was anything but a Liberal. Pope Francis seems to have an uncanny knack for saying the right thig at the right time.

4. Michael Portillo to be regarded as an all round good egg. On the day of the 1997 election, the defining moment was the downfall of Portillo. He was widely disliked. Unlike many politicians (no names here), a good kick in the balls from the voters did him a power of good.

5. Ireland to vote for same sex marriage. The Catholic church lost the love of the Irish people. I suspect the vote was as much to send the church a message as anything. I suspect the message was much needed.

6.  People to say that Colonel Gaddafi may been a stabilising influence in the Middle East. Gaddafi was a bogeyman. Rightly so. It is however starting to look as if he was the best of some bad alternatives.

7. Barnet Council putting making profits for large corporations before giving old ladies dinner at home. Back in 1999, Barnet Council was run with compassion for the people who lived here. Services were good and the Council seemed to want to make the Borough safe and pleasant. That ethos has been well and truly buried. The defining moment was the Palace Coup that replaced Brian Salinger with hard right Mike Freer.

8. Pubs to be smoke free places. In 1999, pubs were smoke filled and vibrant. The smell of smoke has largely been replaced with the smell of stale beer and wee wee. Personally I preferred the smoke.

9. German football clubs to have campaigns to welcome refugees. The recent pro refugee displays by German football clubs has restored my faith in humanity. The world has become very odd when we look to German footie teams for moral leadership. Sadly our own clubs seem to be stuffed full of selfish, over paid brats.

10. Donald Trump to the favourite to win the Republican nomination for Presidency. At the time Trump was mostly known for his overblown Towers and his over inflated ex wives. Whatever he was seen as, with Clinton in charge, he wasn't exactly seen as presidential material.


How times change. So if I am writing this in 2020, what will the list have expanded to include? Maybe Jeremy Corbyn PM? Maybe Barnet FC winning the FA cup? Maybe the Leaders of Israel & Hamas  being jointly nominated for a nobel peace prize? Or maybe I won't be writing it at all as Presidents Trump and Putin will have destroyed us all in a nuclear apocalypse. Lets hope that whatever happens, the last one is way off the mark.