Burst water main in Mill Hill means no water this morning

There is a burst water main in Mill Hill today. Many people are without water. If you are affected you can get more details here

https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/where-we-are-working.aspx?wID=2651

Latest detail 10am

https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/barnet.aspx

My tip for next PM

So where has Theresa May gone? Whilst Boris and Dave and co kick lumps out of each other, Ms May has been keeping a very low profile. Boris has been criticised for using the referendum as a chance to further his career, could it be that Ms May has made exactly the same decision, but is choosing to play her hand in a more sensible fashion. The Tory party will be in tatters by the time the referendum is done. They will need someone who hasn't upset either side. My money is on Theresa May. Either that or they'll find themselves a Corbynite style igure of the hard right, to indulge in a bit of scorched earth politics. I always thought the saving grace of the Tories was they kept the fratricide behind closed doors. It seems like this has gone out of the window.

Mill Hill Residents Association EU Referendum debate

The Mill Hill Residents Association are holding an EU Referendum hustings on Wednesday 15th June, 7:30pm at Hartley Hall. Christopher Howarth will be speaking on behalf of the Vote Leave campaign and Richard Logue will be speaking on behalf of the Remain Stronger In campaign. ( Please note : Richard will be speaking in a personal capacity and will not be representing the MHRA who are non political and do not endorse either side). The moderator will be Kris Jiwa, the MHRA secretary who as an American citizen does not have a vote here. Everyone is welcome so please come along for what promises to be a lively debate!

Monetisation of our parks

Posters have gone up all over Mill Hill announcing the Mill Hill Town and Country show. I have been informed that the plans for this involve turning the Beautiful Flower Lane section of the park into a car park for the event. Organisers expect 2000 visitors. The main area of the park will be cordoned off and apparently an entrance fee of £15 will be charged.

The Barnet Eye has no objections to commercial interests making money, but parks are public land and we have strong reservations about charging for access of our park and using grassed areas as a car park. 

It has also been suggested that caravans for staff of the show may be parked on the site. It appears that the shows organisers were dismissive of suggestions from residents groups and friends of Mill Hill park, especially with regards to parking arrangements.

It seems that Barnet council overruled local people and sided with organisers, who are paying a fee to use the park. I couldn't help but wonder if Capita will be getting a kickback from the council under gainshare arrangements. 

I for one am extremely worried about the precedent of turning Flower Lane park into a car park, even as a temporary feature.

The London Air Quality scandal

It is being reported on BBC London news  that 10,000 Londoners a year are dying due to air pollution. That is approx twice the number of people killed in the 9/11 outrage. We have had 8 years of a Tory mayor who did nothing. Can you imagine if terrorists were killing that number of people?  Nothing is done due to 'commercial interests' and if 10,000 are dying how much are we paying to treat the chronically sick?

Boris not only ignored the issue, he positively attacked measures designed to improve air quality. These include

* Cancelling Cross River Tram

* Delaying London Emission zone implementation

* Deregulation of private hire via Uber

* Scrapping clean air legislation for cabs

* Ignoring Brent Cross light rail proposals

* Scrapping Western congestion charge

We are paying a terrible price. With modern technology, the issue could be eliminated completely an London could be the cleanest city in the world. Did you know theat Mill Hill Broadway bus station has the highest measured pollution level in the UK?Hundreds of schoolchildren use this to get buses every day. The Mayor of London has failed every single one of them and yet takes no responsibility. This is the man who leads the Brexit Campaign and has pretensions to be Prime Minister. 

The Tweets of the Week in the London Borough of Barnet - 05/06/2016

Here is our most popular reguar feature again. Some pretty goood ones for your delectation

1. A truly sad sight in our neighbourhood

Mark Amies ‏@Superfast72

@ProtectPubs @HistoricEngland The Railway Arms in Edgware. Listed?

 2. But there is better news in Finchley....

The Archer ‏@TheArcherN2

The Finchley Literary Festival, now in its fifth year, will be held from 24 to 26 June. Eleven events will take... http://fb.me/84EfiGiRm 

 3. Fancy some live Jazz tonight?

Just East of Jazz ‏@justeastofjazz

This Sun 5 June feat. guitar star John Parricelli @chandosarmsjazz Colindale N London early gig 6—8.30 https://goo.gl/tLSCsb  #jazz

4. A sweet tweet, tinged with sadness

Constable XL ‏@ConstableXL

Next week it's Hendon's last ever parade. I'm honoured to be marching with the new recruits #UkPolGuard #NewBlueLine

 5. This one made me laugh, cleary Grahame Mack isn't  a fan of Apple watches

Graham Mack ‏@GrahamMack

Like all Apple Stores around the world, Brent Cross is busy and there's no one anywhere near the Apple Watch table.

6. A fundraising appeal for Jewish Vegetarians in Golders Green

Jewish Renaissance ‏@JewishRen May 31

Help the @JewishVegSoc raise funds for a new Jewish vegetarian centre in Golders Green http://www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk/blog/help-raise-funds-for-a-new-jewish-vegetarian-centre/ …

  7. Must say I rather like this one!

Sarah Hoyle ‏@sarahcreates

'Wood looks good in #Cricklewood" @alistairlambert

8. With all this flooding about, Barnet Rebel is getting worried about all of the blocked gulleys

Donald Lyven ‏@barnet_rebel

Lot of world-wide serious rain events; why so many London gullies blocked? #LocalFlooding. @LDN_prepared @LondonFire

 

9. Mrs Angry is, erm, angry. And who can blame her.....

Mrs Angry ‏@BrokenBarnet Jun 2

Exclusive: is it true 2,000 disabled residents have lost their travel passes? Barnet Tory leader's reply ... http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/the-price-of-freedom-still-under.html …

10. If only everyone did!

MillHillMusicComplex ‏@MillHillMusicCo

It's only rock and roll and I wipe it !

A little wisdom for Friday ahead of the EU referendum

Back in 1975 when I was 13, being a Manchester City fan and at the time aspiring to be a goalkeeper, my all time football hero was the great Joe Corrigan. Imagine how excited I was to bump into him at an England game at the bar. Knowing I couldn't let the moment pass, I went up to him and said "Hello Joe". He replied "Do I know you?" to which I replied "No". He then said "Well f@ck off and leave me alone". If Joe is out there anywhere, I really want to thank him, because it was a really important lesson. Just because someone is a hero of yours, you have no right to annoy them when they are off duty. We need more Joe Corrigans who tell it like it is.

 No Friday joke today. I think a bit of shared wisdom is a far better idea with the EU referendum coming up. I can assure any stranger who bugs me on the subject in the next few days that they will get a Joe Corrigan response, because I am well and truly sick of all the b@ll@cks being spouted. I really don't want dickhe@ds thrusting leaflets into my hand and asking my opinions when all I want to do is get my lunch or have a quiet pint.

Time for legislation on drones?

It is only a matter of time before there is a major terrorist incident in the UK involving the use of drones. The potential for doing bad things is really quite alarming. I hadn't really given it much thought until earlier this week, when I was walking my dog. A bunch of idiots with a drone thought it would be amusing to terrorise my dog with the drone. This, in hindsight was a rather silly move, as an angry dog is a fair match for a drone. Sadly for the men in question they now have a rather chewed up drone. It was quite amusing to see them getting a good telling off from a lady who had seen the incident.

When I reflected on what happened, I thought through some of the implications and it really is quite disturbing. We've already seen incidents with planes being buzzed by drones on takeoff/landing. Now there is always the argument that terrorists and criminals will simply avoid laws, but if drones are being flown, then if there is legislation, then at least people can alert the police and some action can be taken.

Personally I'd like to see drones confined to private land, unless a license has been applied for. There are uses for drones in archetectural surveys etc, but in public places, their use should be regulated. If people understood this, and there were "no fly zones" in areas where there were public safety issues. I don't beleive this to be unreasonable.

Brexit - key questions that #Leave won't answer

If anyone from the leave campaign knocks you up, ask them these questions.

1. Will removal of right of work for EU nationals in UK damage the UK GDP?

2. How much will it cost to enforce immigration rules for EU nationals wishing to work in UK?

3. How many civil servants will need to be hired to replace those functions carried out by EU?

4. What will be the cost of rewriting all of the Laws/Rules currently covered by EU legislation? How many lawyers will be employed writing these new laws/rules?

5. What tariffs will the UK pay when trading with countries which currently have treaties with EU when we withdraw?

6. How many civil servants and lawyers will be required to draw up new trade agreements with countries currently covered by EU trade agreements? How much will this cost?

7. What will happen to all projects etc currently supported by EU grants in Uk? How much will it cost to set up quangos to manage this?

8. What will be the status of UK citizens living in the EU.

9. What will be the Visa requirements for UK nationals travelling to EU countries to work and study?

10. What will be the future for UK collaboration in projects such as ESA?

11. Will lack of free access to EU markets and labour influence the decisions of non EU companies when making decisions about investment in UK?

12. How many non EU companies that currently have large UK operations and work forces are pro Brexit.

All of these are reasonable questions and for the #Leave campaign to have any credibility, they all need sensible answers supported by evidence. I do not believe that asking for that is unreasonable.

We shoot gorillas, don't we?

I was appalled at the shooting of a gorilla in a zoo in the US at the weekend. The real issue is that gorillas are close relatives of us. They can be taught to communicate in sign language and in natural habitats live in well ordered social groupings. They simply should not be locked up in Zoo. We do not lock people up and charge people to gawp at them. The UN should ban this and allocate resources to protect their natural habitats. Then this crap wouldn't happen.

If you want to admire animals buy a David Attenborough video. In Victorian times, we paid to visit asylums to laugh at the lunatics. It was claimed that the cash raised helped pay for the care of the poor unfortunates. The truth is that this needs global action by the UN to protect endangered species and habitats. Those causing damage should face the same sanctions as terrorists, with jail, property seizure and blacklisting. I consider destruction of our environment as dangerous, if not more so than terrorist activities. Zoos are a symptom of our lack of respect for our planet.