So here it is, the weekend round up, but first the Friday Joke. We rather like this one!
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. 'Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!'
A smart-ass student in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, 'What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?' The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, 'Well, I guess you'd just have to write the exam with your other hand.'
And here is the weekend round up.
Got that #FridayFeeling ! Just 24hrs until:
2 Home Games!
1stXV vs. Old Millhillians KO 2:30pm
2ndXV vs. Tring 4's KO 2:15pm
Then the #6Nations2018 !
Ireland v Scotland 2:15pm
France v England 4:45pm
"THE BEGINNING, there was boredom. The seventies had dawned with rock's Old Masters of the '60's plagued with a fatal disease virtually unique in post James-Dean youth culture- They hadn't died while they were still young."
(Tony Parsons - The NME October 29th, 1977).
— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) March 8, 2018
The Fall, Wire, The Yachts, Joy Division, The Monochrome Set, Alternative TV. These are part of the debt I owe the New Musical Express, as it was then known. Without the NME, I'd have seen none of these bands in my golden years of gig going in 1977 and 1978. Don't get me wrong, I've seen glorious gigs since then. Rather strangely, last year (2017) was perhaps the best year for several decades for live music, but 77/78 was the golden age. The first gig of this era was the Ramones at The Roundhouse on June 6th 1977 at The Roundhouse, with the Talking Heads and The Saints. I'd woken up that morning, with no interest in music at all. I'd seen those strange beasts, the Sex Pistols on The Bill Grundy show and thought it hilarious, as 14 year old boys do, when Uncle Jack farts at a family gathering. I'd heard murmerings about punk, but it wasn't on the telly, and there was none on the daytime radio that I listened to. My favourite shows were things like the Kenny Everett show, who was anarchic, but from another era. I wasn't interested. I was probably what would be described these days as depressed. When I was thirteen, I'd been put on Valium by a paedatrician, to calm me down. I hated myself and thought myself a freak, although I'd never shared these feelings with anyone. As the youngest of six siblings, I knew any sign of weakness would result in merciless teasing, humiliation and a lifetime of misery. I was at Finchley Catholic High School, at the time 90% Irish, mostly from Kilburn and Cricklewood. As someone who identified themselves as English and one of the smallest children in the class (I was an August baby, born two months premature, so really I should have been in the year lower), from middle class Mill Hill, I was not part of any gang. I felt like a total outsider. My Dad had kindly built me "The Hut", a den at the bottom of the garden. I'd lock myself away and fantasise that I'd be kidnapped by sex mad, nubile, nymphomaniac aliens in a UFO. That was about as good as it got.
At lunch, my sister Caroline asked if I would like to come to see The Ramones, as her friend had a spare ticket. I'd never heard of them. She played me the 12" version of "Sheena is a Punk Rocker". Caroline was 19 at the time and into music. I thought they sounded like the Beach Boys. I have always got on well with Caroline, so I thought it was fun. My Mum told her "He's only 14, if he turns out a wrong 'un, we'll blame you!". So it was we went along. I've written about what happened before, The Roundhouse put my reminiscences on their 50th anniversary website.
In short, on that night I found a meaning in life. Wheras I'd found the mainstream music scene dull beyond belief (that's why I started the blog with a quote from the era from Tony Parsons in the NME), Punk was a revelation. I couldn't get enough. At FCHS, punk was despised by many. I got into a few scraps as a result. One of my best friends at FCHS was Pete Conway. Pete was another Mill Hill boy. Pete had been ostracised by many, as someone in his class had started a false and vicious rumour that he was gay. At the time being gay was perhaps the most dangerous lifestyle at all at FCHS and homophobia was endemic and institutionalised. I'd not believed the rumours about Pete, but it was physically dangerous to be too matey with him in school. I mentioned to Pete that I'd seen the Ramones and they were great. He said that he'd been listening to Punk rock because his elder sister Mel had gotten into it. We decided to form a band more or less on the spot. The thing about the 77/78 music scene was that you wanted to be the first one on your block to find new bands. As a Catholic, I found the Punk Holy Trinity. There were three main sources of input. The Holy Ghost was the Record shop in Mill Hill Broadway. This was run by Neil. Neil was a soulboy who hated punk, but was a sound bloke. The rep would come in to see him with a carload of records every Tuesday. He knew my tastes and so he'd take all of the new punk releases (there really weren't many at that time, one or two a month). Neil introduced me to The Heartbreakers and The Dickies, most notably. He'd say "if you don't buy this, I'll get into trouble for ordering it". Pete Conway was banned from the shop for starting a fight with Neil, when Neil had said he hated the Clash and that Junior Mervins version of Police and Thieves was better. In the heirarchy, next was The John Peel show on BBC Radio 1. Peel did the slot between 10pm and Midnight. Peel got me into the Buzzcocks and the Clash. I listened to the show almost every night for years. The top of the tree was The NME. Wheras Neil played music was released, Peel played bands that had either released music or were able to get on his show, The NME reviewed a dozen or so gigs a week, so with support bands, you got to hear of 20-30 bands. There was also the gig listings. For us, it was The Marquee, The Roundhouse and The Music Machine as the main venues.
The NME championed Punk. Older hacks like Charles Shaar Murray jumped on the bandwagon, revitalised by the energy. The NME then employed the "young Turks" Danny Baker, Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill. They were the vanguard of punk. When I left FCHS for pastures new at Orange Hill Senior High School, it was like getting out of prison and waking up in Heaven. Wheras Punk was viewed with suspicion by the mainstream of the FCHS pupils (not my group of mates, I hasten to add, but we were like a secret society), it was fully embraced at Orange Hill. Not only that, but there were girls at the school. It seemed like everyone was in a band. I soon got chatting to Boz and Phil, who were in The Cult Heroes, a punk/Rockabilly mashup that soon morphed into chart band The Polecats. Then there was John, Nick and Nick who had Cardiac Arrest, a Dr Feelgood style R&B band. Craig and Mark had a bubblegum punk band called "The Heretics" and Phil had some designs on an Electro Punk band on the lines of Tubeway Army. As I mentioned above, Pete and I had formed the False Dots, but we hadn't got any instruments and couldn't play. We spent most of 1977/78 trying to sort that out. Pete's Dad disapproved of music. Pete dropped out of school, got a job as an apprentice butcher at Dewhurst and bought a bass. At first, he'd leave it at my house as he was worried his Dad would smash it up. I borrowed my sisters Columbus Les Paul copy. I then bought a FAL amp. One of my old mates from St Vincents Primary, Joe turned up at Orange Hill after being expelled from Bishop Douglas for punching a teacher. Joe was a fiery character from an Irish family, but was in many ways a genius. He and his twin brother Chris, who hadn't been expelled got a band together. They had managed to secure enough equipment to actually have a band! My Dad, sick of myself and Pete making a racket, offered us the use of the derelict caretakers cottage at Bunns Lane works for rehearsals, in exchange for £2 a week in cash. I agreed with Joe that if he gave us £1 a week and we could all use his gear, we'd set up a studio and they could use it twice a week. That is how Mill Hill Music Complex was born.
Joe and myself were best mates at Orange Hill for a year. We were both outsiders. We'd both read the NME avidly. We'd do the NME crossword. Joe was really into Punk/Art combo Wire. Joe showed me a review of Pink Flag in NME and suggested that this was the way to go. As a result, I found myself at The Marquee, as they previewed Chairs Missing. I realised immediately that Wire had moved punk on by about a million years. They never sold many albums, but I think they pretty much invented the "Indie music" sound. I had a weekly subscription to NME and I still have them all in a tea chest.
My love affair with The NME finished when I was 18. When I finished my A-Levels, I moved to Stockholm for six months. I'd been to see Johnny Thunders at Dingwalls and met a beautiful Swedish girl. I'd invited myself to stay with her. I was smitten (she was distinctly less so, but put up with me for the duration). I took a guitar, some clothes, my lyric book and a few key copies of the NME. It may sound bizarre, but my plan was to do what Bowie had done with Heroes. I knew I needed massive lifestyle changes and I needed to get my head together. I though that if I was in a foreign city, out of my comfort zone, I could write a "Punk Concept Album". This all ended when my then girlfriend saw the lyrics and wrongly concluded that she was the subject of the album and that I hadn't asked her permission. Ironically the song that really irked her was "Not All She Seems", which I'd written with Pete Conway three years earlier and was the tale of a drug addicted, transvestite prostitute who killed herself due to a society that doesn't accept different people. We'd written the song as we wanted to make the most extreme statement we could. We thought that a song sympathetic to someone who was marginal in every way would gain us notoriety. It certainly inflamed one person I used to know. It was whilst in Stockholm that I realised the music world had again tilted on its access. My girlfriend asked if I wanted to see this amazing new band from London at The Underground club. We found ourselves at a Duran Duran gig. I managed to blag us backstage and wangled a guest pass for the following show at The Ritz. I got chatting to Simon Le Bon and Andy Taylor, who were absolutely brilliant fun. Simon told me he used to live in Hendon and we had a long chat about the pubs and Brent Cross. I asked about music and Simon told me "The world has moved on from Punk, New Romantic is the thing now". Duran Duran were awesome, I still love the band, but it most certainly wasn't punk.
When I got back, it was like the NME had been taken over by aliens. Punk was old hat. I couldn't even read it, I couldn't do the cross word. No one wanted to go to punk gigs with me. Pete Conway had long departed the band. My new partner in crime was Paul Hircombe. Paul suggested we move with the times. He suggested that we get a female singer and try and do the new Romantic thing.
The band recorded a song and had a deal with 101 Records, but the line up imploded before anything was released. One track made it on to a compilation called Directions. For years, I absolutely hated this track, but in hindsight I think it is not too bad. I wrote it when my Sister Val had a terrible bike accident. We were told she was having brain surgery and would most probably not last the night. As it was she made a full recovery. In the circumstances I thought that it's probably the most appropriate song to mark the end of the NME. Of course the NME will continue in an online form. It won't be the same. It hasn't been the same for a long time in truth. For me it died around the time that we made this piece of music.
Are you happy? Are you satisfied with your lot? How much time every day do you spend on your social media feeds, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? Do you get anxious when you can't check your mobile? Do you worry if you haven't had an email for ten minutes, your daughter hasn't texted or your husband/wife hasn't checked in for an hour? When you go for a meal with friends, do you find yourself gripped by a compulsive need to check your Twitter/Facebook feed and unable to concentrate on the conversation with friends? Do you get more pleasure photographing your dinner and putting the picture on Instagram than you do from actually eating it? If this is you, then you need a social media Detox.
Viva La Revolution - Social Media is Dead!
I was there on the day when the citadel fell
I breathed in the smoke from the gates of Hell
I was there when they opened the door of my cell
We lost the war but the tale is here to tell
I was there when the scales fell from my eyes
I heard the screams of terror and the cries
When children stopped believing all the lies
We lost the war but defeat was no surprise
I was there at the end of the thread
My mind was spinning as nothing more was said
I made some tea and went straight back to bed
Viva La Revolution - Social Media is Dead!
Copyright 2018 - Roger Tichborne
I had a very interesting experience last night. I walked down the Broadway and as I walked past BAW and Kiyoto, I noticed several groups of young people all in animated conversation with each other, not a mobile phone in sight. It was quiet strange. Only last week, I did the same walk and was truck by the fact that in the same restaurants, all of the young people were staring at their phones and ignoring each other. Through facebook and social media,we've shared Love and Hate, we've seen wars and we've seen charity. We've found all manner of facts about friend that we had no interest in knowing. And yet suddenly so many of us are finding that what is being posted on Twitter and Facebook is actually rather banal and uninteresting most of the time. Social media platforms are finding it harder to make money as less people tune in.
When we look at Facebook and Twiiter, we are bombarded with adverts for products we don't want and it seems ever harder to actually find the posts from friends that we actually might be interested in seeing. I don't really know what Facebook have done, but three times in the last two weeks, friends have said "I'm surprised that you didn't comment on what Ted wrote" type comments. The truth was that I hadn't seen the comments. Have I just lost interest in it or have Facebook simply changed it so I only see comments from people paying them to flog stuff. The Mill Hill Jazz Club Facebook page administrator called me last night. He was in a Panic. Usually his posts get 2-300 page views, but for the last couple of weeks this has slumped to 50-60. He wanted to know if I had any idea why. I said that I believed that Facebook favoured showing posts from paying customers. I suggested a couple of ways he could improve the response rate. It was only when I was walking down the Broadway and I noticed the lack of mobile phone action, I realised that I'd maybe been to hasty. Maybe we've all just become bored with Facebook and Twitter. There is a lovely restaurant in Mill Hill. I have a friend who I'd see in there all the time. I bumped into him recently, and realised I'd not seen him in the restaurant for a couple of months. I asked him why. He looked puzzled and said "I hadn't really thought about it, I guess we just got a bit bored with it so we haven't been for a while". I rather suspect that this is what is happening with Facebook and Twitter.
My band, the False Dots wrote a song about alienation and social media, called "Please Myself". It is a full on Rock and Roll number. This video ends with the word "Catch us in the Midland, making shows up of our own". As a band with a 39 year old career and hundreds of live shows under our belt. we've noticed a real upsurge in people attending live gigs and we've had an awesome response to the music. People are getting up and boogieing to original material, in a way we've not seen for maybe 20 years. As Pat Mills (perhaps one of the most noted soothsayers of modern social trends in his work) noted in his ABC warriors story this week in the seminal 2000AD magazine, "People are ignoring their social media and actually talking to each other", Viva La Revolution, Social media is dead (long live social media).
If you were making a short film to show what a marvellous service Barnet's libraries were providing, what sort of stories and images would you use? I'd probably show a mum with a young child turning up at the library, being greeted by a helpful librarian and then see the youngster selecting books and leaving with a big smile on their face. I think that is the image we all want to imagine for our local library service.
As you may know, the council has spent £14 million on "reconfiguring" our library service. How are these changes working out in the real world? Today I was having lunch with one of our most esteemed Barnet Residents, Gerrard Roots, the highly respected former curator of Church Farmhouse Museum. Gerrard is always great company, regaling me with tales of the "Hendon Nudist Riots at the Welsh Harp" in the 1930's and how Bram Stoker set Dracula in St Mary's Churchyard.
However, Gerrard then recounted a terrible tale concerning Hendon library, one which left me speechless. I was so shocked that I asked him if he'd be so kind as to repeat the story whilst I filmed, as I think this is something that Barnet Residents need to be aware of. Here is the film and I strongly suggest that you watch this and share this clip with your friends.
Libraries in Barnet used to be one of the jewels in the civic crown. Hendon Library was a large space, with a beautiful space for a childrens library, loved by residents and popular with young people needing quiet space to work and revise. The Council used to pay trained librarians to welcome young mums with small children. They would guide them to the section with the best books for the age group and provide a safe and welcoming environment for all.
In an act of complete cultural vandalism, Librarians have been sacked and as Gerrard recounts, now Barnet employ security guards to keep out the young mums and small children. They are paid to warn and scare off esteemed public servants. As Gerrard was formerly a council officer for decades, with a special responsibility as custodian of culture in Hendon, he is completely dumbstruck that Barnet Council now employs guards to keep people out of libraries rather than librarians to welcome them in.
"Though we have changed the number of staffed hours our libaries are open, we will be increasing the number of hours our residents can access our libraries each week. There has been a very positive uptake for self-service opening hours, with more than 17,000 people already signed up."
As you can see from Gerrards tale, whilst the Library may technically be open, it is no longer the welcoming, friendly library of the past. We no longer have librarians to help. If you find you have forgotten your access card, you get turned away, even though there is someone on site who could let you in. As Gerrard points out, what will the small child think of the Library? Will they think it is a nice place to go? Or will it be one of those experiences that you recall later in life where a "nasty man in a uniform was mean to mummy and a nice old man who was trying to help". I remember a park keeper being rude to my mother when I was a child. She wanted to use the loo in the park, just as he was locking it. It is an image that lingered to this day and I still feel angry at the thought.
What has Barnet Council come to? What sort of madness is it that means we pay security guards to keep people out of libraries, when all they want to do is return their books and use the facilities that the council has apparently spent £14 million doing up?
The only logical explanation of this "reconfiguration" that I can think of is that it makes the libraries so unpopular that the Council can then sell them off without a whiff of public protest. What other reason can there possibly be for a council wanting people to turn people away from the library who simply want to read and learn?
Councillor Reuben Thompstone - Education Supremo in Barnet
The Barnet Eye is not surprised to learn that nearly one third of pupils applying for a secondary school place in the Borough have been denied their first choice. One of the reasons for this is the huge amount of overdevelopment in certain wards in Barnet. Councillor Reuben Thompstone, Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee, said: “As Barnet’s population continues to grow, the demand for secondary places is increasing each year as the bulge in primary school pupil numbers feeds through to secondary level" Around 14% of pupils did not get any of their top three choices. This year, the council received 7,887 applications; 4,094 from Barnet residents and 3,793 from residents in other boroughs.
The statistics reveal that nearly as many applications are made from outside the Borough as within the Borough. The reasons for this is that Barnet schools have an excellent academic record. Some of these applications from outside the Borough will be from people living near the borders of Barnet, where this is there nearest school, some will be from people seeking a place at one of the Boroughs religious schools and some will be from people seeking places at our Grammar schools, which have excellent academic records.
One of the effects of this pattern of allocation is that many pupils seeking a place at their local school, which is within walking distance, are denied a place by people driving miles, clogging up the roads and creating air pollution, to secure a place at a better school. These pupils, denied a place, then have to make a journey themeselves. My family have had personal experience of this situation. Our eldest daughter was denied a place at Mill Hill County High School, a mere 0.98 mils from our house, as we were not in the catchment area. The reason is that Mill Hill County had all manner of criteria for entry, allocating places for all manner of criteria as well as an entrance exam. At the time my daughter was the best swimmer in the country in her age group and won six gold medals at the National Swimming championships. As she didn't have time for the private lessons that most have to "pass the test", she was denied a place. We appealed on the grounds that it was our nearest school and that as she had to attend eleven training sessions a week, it would be impractical to go elsewhere. Sadly the school weren't interested. It seemed that excellence in sport wasn't recognised as a genuine mitigating criteria. My daughter became one of the thousands of pupils who require a car/bus journey to school, in her case, in Finchley.
I have long thought that a primary criteria for admission at schools should be to give preference to those who can walk to school. This would massively reduce congestion on our roads. At present, Mill Hill is in the process of seeing a highly contentious planning application for Hasmonean School in Page Street. A quick look at the map for objectors and supporters reveals that most objectors were in Mill Hill in the locality of the school and most supporters were from outside Mill Hill. With the growing population in Mill Hill, secondary school places are clearly required, however one of the main concerns of protesters is the traffic generated by pupils getting to the school. It is clear that in the case of Grammar and religious schools, where wider catchment areas apply than local comprehensive schools, there should be proper travel plans. These should include contracts for parents to observe the plans and exclusions or expulsions for pupils/parents who sign up to travel plans then selfishly ignore the commitments that they've made.
It seems unlikely that we will ever see a situation where every parent and every pupil gets their first choice. It does however seem completely unfair that over 30% are being denied a place. We've been through the process three times and it is a highly stressful time. Parents are given little or no proper support and guidance in the process. I would be interested to see a heat map of the areas where the most applicants failed. Allocation for some schools is a postcode lottery, as we found out. In the year we applied, the area for catchment was 0.95 of a mile, so our friends living 25 doors up the road got a place. For selective schools, parents with cash, who can afford private tuition, clearly get a leg up the ladder. I have no issue with people wanting the best for their children, but this is clearly discriminating against the brighter children of poor families, who are not trained in the technique for passing the test for such schools. As for religious schools, this is a highly problematic issue. Any vicar or priest in Barnet will tell you that the pews are always filled by parents and children of a certain age. They show up for a two year period, then disappear without trace.
The council needs to get a grip on the issue of secondary education. With all of the development, we need new secondary schools, we need a fairer allocations system and we need to ensure that measures to get people off the school run and out of cars are enforced. For the two thirds of pupils who got their school of choice, I am pleased the stress is over. For those who haven't I have every sympathy, been their, done that and got the T-shirt. I just find it upsetting that in the eleven years since we went through the hassle, upset and aggrevation, there has clearly been no improvement at all. Last year, I attended a council meeting where Reuben Thompstone was presented a petition asking him to lobby the Secretary of State for more funding for education in Barnet. London Boroughs are having budget allocations cut, in favour of other parts of the country. Councillor Thompstone refused, on the grounds that he didn't want to indulge in "public grandstanding against the government". It was suggested that he didn't need to grandstand, just make a sane, coherent case for funding for our excellent schools. He refused. Bear this in mind, if you are in the one third who haven't got the school of your choice.
This morning, the Leader of the Barnet Labour group, Barry Rawlings addressed the regular meeting of the North London Branch of the Federation of Small Business at Cafe Buzz in Finchley. I've known Barry as long as I've been writing this blog. He is genuinely a very nice chap and I although we have strongly differing views as to what the Labour Party in Barnet should be doing and my vocal criticism, this has never affected his friendly manner when we meet. Barry has been leader of the group since the last election, taking over from long time group Leader Alison Moore. The Federation of Small Business have arranged three Q&A sessions with the local parties, this is the second, it's the Tories next time.
— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) March 5, 2018
Barry is what you may call old school Labour. His first comments addressed the point that Barnet Labour are odds on to win the council from the Tories in the May election. Barry said that TV and radio are keen to follow the fortunes of the party in Barnet and that he'd probably have to buy a tie!
He then went through what Labour are doing in relation to business. He stated that "we do not have all the answers". He detailed several changes in regards to policies that will affect business. The first of these was a scheme to allow free parking in High Streets for the first half hour. This would involve registering with a parking app and requesting it. The scheme would only be open to registered Barnet residents. He suggested that this would go some way towards helping hard pressed traders. He said that the scheme would also offer opportunities for using the scheme to promote High Streets and possibly to work with loyalty schemes.
Barry then went on to say that Labour was planning to ensure that 50% of contracts let by Barnet Council went with businesses based in the Borough. He said that this would help the local economy. He added that the Council would develop a strategy to promote creative industries in Barnet. He mentioned the bid for "London Borough of Culture" and stated that he hoped Barnet could win this.
He mentioned that creative industries were a young sector and also hoped that this could help give work to our young people. He spoke about housing and the need for new council housing and Labours aim to build 800 homes a year.
Then we had a Q&A session. Local Estate agent Jeremy Leaf had concerns about businesses having to pick up the tab for Labour's initiatives. Barry explained that Labours budget was the same as the Tories and that all of the pledges were fully costed by Barnets finance team. He mentioned that Councillors Allowances would be cut, freeing up £100,000 per annum. He also stated that other savings had been identified. Jeremy also mentioned the Momentum takeover of Harringey and was worried that such things could happen in Barnet. Barry seemed rather amused by the idea. He noted that Barnet Momentum had called for the expulsion of Ken Livingstone for anti semitism and that most Momentum activists in Barnet were new to activism and didn't have any influence over the Barnet Labour party. He pointed out that no Barnet Labour councillor is a member of Momentum.
I asked about creative industries and stated that as the owner of a large local music facility, I'd not been contacted for feedback and that many such initiatives in Barnet fail because they do not consult with people on the ground working in the sectors. Barry stated that it was in its early stage and that such consultations would come.
Local businessman Paul Shea was also keen to press Barry about how the London Living wage could be afforded by small business, after the subject was raised by another chap who's name I didn't catch. It is fair to say that Barry's answer did not really satisfy many of the audience. Many small business owners often work for far less than the London Living wage whilst setting the business up. Many feel they are held back by having to pay salaries set by others with no regards to their business sector. Often small businesses want to take on staff on a fairly casual, loose arrangement when they are getting set up. Business owners find such rules difficult to accommodate. Barry stated that the Conservative government also liked the minimum wage as it meant that people in work were less likely to need top up benefits.
And that was more or less that. I thought Barry did pretty well, in an audience that wasn't entirely receptive to many of the ideas he had made. It was perhaps a shame that none of the younger or female members of the audience got to ask questions. Following a recent blog on the subject of sexism and misogyny in Barnet politics, Councillor Devra Kay suggested that when women put their hands up at public meetings, men are far more inclined to ignore them. I am not being critical of the chair Michael Lassman, who does a grand job, but I do think we need to make a conscious effort to ensure everyone gets a say. Devra suggested that next time I went to a public meeting, I keep a tally of the number of men vs women who get picked to answer a question. I have taken this on board and will be noting this as part of my election coverage, so be warned. Barry brought Burnt Oak Labour candidate Sara Conway to the meeting to assist him. I suspect that Sara will make an excellent councillor and will be a great asset to Barnet Council.
One criticism I have of Barry's presentation is that he didn't point out the equal gender balance of the current Labour group, compared to the Tories. Labour have a pretty equal split of sexes ,races and age groups. I personally think that having a good balance is vital to ensure proper representation. One of my biggest concerns for businesses is that lack of women in senior positions in the boardroom. The FSB group has a good number of female attendees, it would be good to hear more from them in such Q&A sessions.
I look forward to the Conservative presentation next month.
2. This tweet reminds me of that famous Led Zeppelin track "One hole lot of love" (groans!)
Wise Lane at the junction of Milespit Hill. If these pot holes get any deeper you’ll need special equipment to explore them! pic.twitter.com/Oxpyl4Y17K
— A Better Mill Hill (@ABetterMillHill) March 4, 2018
3. We couldn't agree more. It would be a massively popular route
Nice walk along trackbed from Highgate to Crouch End this morning: but I still think it was insane not to complete the Finsbury Park to Edgware upgrade after the war. pic.twitter.com/hDRDtP9ioZ
— RailwayHeritageTrust (@RailwayHeritage) March 3, 2018
4. If you like quality folk music and are in Colindale, this is a must
— Colindale Folk Club (@ColindaleFolk) March 4, 2018
5.The Borough's finest Rugby club are doing there bit for the community
**URGENT HELP NEEDED**
Colindale Foodbank is running out of necessities for those in need!
Please donate if you can:
Washing powder, toilet paper, oil, tinned fruit, jam etc!!!
Take donations directly or drop them off here @MillHillRFC & we will deliver them!
Plz Share & RT ! pic.twitter.com/qFQHAe10GQ
Introducing Phoenix Cinema's film discussion group, led by East Finchley resident and veteran film journalist David Gritten. For enquiries email: info@phoenixcinema.co.uk. 📽️ pic.twitter.com/ScvnK9Muia
For most, Mill Hill is a sleepy North West London Suburb. New residents may be unaware of the ways that Mill Hill has shaped the world! They may be unaware of the rich legacy that Mill Hill has bequeathed on them. I am going to be starting a campaign to have this legacy commemorated. I would love to see photos commemorating this installed on Mill Hill Broadway Station and murals painted on the drab concrete wall of the bus station. Do you agree? We need to shout about our achievements.
1. Science.
Mill Hill has been a centre of excellence in the world of science and scientific research for decades. Although this has diminished with the closure of the National Institute for Medical Research. Here is an interview that I urge everyone to watch. It outlines the importance of the institute and the way that the work done there has made an immense contribution to the wellbeing of the human race. A legacy we should be truly proud of.
We still have a world class facility with the University of London Observatory on the Watford Way. I'd love to see information detailing this legacy at our station.
2. Music.
Mill Hill has become a hub of the British Music industry. Mill Hill Music Complex on Bunns Lane has helped launch the careers of both Amy Winehouse (early footage of Amy rehearsing in Studio 9 featured in the documentary film about her life) and Kate Nash, both winners of BRIT awards. The studios see over 1,200 artists and musicians a week pass through (which is why you see so many people walking around Mill Hill with Guitars. Musicians travel from all around the world to record at the studios. One of the most listened to tracks on the planet is Africa Moto by Congolese Artist Mose Fan Fan, which was used as a theme tune for the world cup in South Africa. I wonder how many people listening realise it was recorded in a North West London Suburb.
Billy Fury's grave
There are other musical links to be proud of.
The Mill Hill Musical Festival has featured a whole host of legendary artists on our doorstep, including John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttleton, Stacey Kent, Paul Young to name but a few.
We also have legendary Rock and Roller Billy Fury buried in Mill Hill .
3. Sport.
Most Mill Hillians know we have Saracens on our doorstep, although technically in Hendon, we Mill Hillians claim them as our own. Saracens have been a great addition to our community. Maybe some don't realise that they are not the only prestigious sports club in Mill Hill. Shaftesbury Harriers, also located at Allianz Park have decades of long association with elite athletics sport. They have a long list of Olympian competitors, perhaps the most famous being world record beating David Bedford. Also at the Copthall complex, we have Barnet Copthall Swimming Club . The club was established in 1978. The club's swimmers have represented and won medals for Great Britain and England at European and World Championships, Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Since 1980 the club has achieved representation at every Olympic and Paralympics Games. We must not forget our fantastic local rugby clubs, cricket clubs and football clubs, all of which make an outstanding contribution to our local life.
4. Abolition of Slavery.
Wliberforce blue plaque
William Wilberforce, the man who managed to force the abolition of slavery through Parliament was a local. In many ways, this is the proudest acheivement of all for our community. Wilberforce founded St Pauls Church on the Ridgeway and there is a memorial to his work there. Wiberforce moved to Mill Hill on leaving Parliament, he purchased an estate of some 140 acres at Highwood Hill. Realising that the community needed a chapel, Wilberforce set about establishing the Church.
5. Non conformism and free thinkers.
Mill Hill - A long tradition of tolerance and community
Mill Hill has a long, rich history of welcoming non conformists, free thinkers and religious groups. In the 1830s when the laws outlawing the Roman Catholic religion were overturned, many Catholic institutions moved to Mill Hill. This is why we have the amazing buildings and grounds of St Joseph's, now a luxury apartment complex. The religious order still carries the name "The Mill Hill Missionaries" doing charitable work in third world areas. We also have The Daughters of Charity on the Ridgeway. More recently, we've had the Jehovah's witnesses at Watchtower house at the top of Bittacy Hill. Rosebank Cottage on The Ridgeway has a blue plaque detailing it's former use as a Quaker meeting house. Mill Hill School on the Ridgeway was founded by non conformists. Many famous scientists also have associations with Mill Hill, including Francis Crick and Sir Henry Dale. One of the most interesting former resident is Jasper Maskelyne, a stage magician who devised many optical illusions used by the Allies to deceive German bomber crews during the second world war. Maskelyne realised that bomber crews flying at 12,000' could be tricked into thinking model tanks etc were the real thing and saved many lives as the bombs were dropped harmlessly on decoys. One of the reasons Mill Hill was so popular with groups seen by some as marginal is that being well away from the centre of London, it was unlikely that angry mobs and rioters would turn their ire on minorities. That our community has a long tradition of tolerance is surely something to be proud of. Today we have a great ethnic and religious mix and the recent memorial service for Vijay Patel demonstrated that we have carried on this tradition of community and tolerance into the 21st century.
It would be great to commission a mural commemorating these great things at Mill Hill Broadway Station. I'd like to see a huge map, detailing blue plaques, sites of interest and other local features, to greet people emerging from the station. It would also be great to have some infographics detailing some of this on the station, so bored commuters have something interesting to look at. What do you think?
The Friday Joke has become a popular feature. It has been suggested that we have a little round up of the weekends events as well, so that no one has any excuse to miss anything, being lazy, I'm not going to add anything so make sure the tweet is clear. If you want something to appear, simply tweet it to us on a Thursday. A picture is nice on the Tweet. The Friday Joke Two women came before wise King Solomon, dragging between them a young man in a three-piece suit. "This young lawyer agreed to marry my daughter," said one.
"No! He agreed to marry MY daughter," said the other. And so they argued before the King until he called for silence. "Bring me my biggest sword," said Solomon, "and I shall cut the young attorney in half. Each of you shall receive a half.""Sounds good to me," said the first lady.
But the other woman said, "Oh Sire, do not spill innocent blood. Let the other woman's daughter marry him."
The wise king did not hesitate a moment. "The attorney must marry the first lady's daughter," he proclaimed.
"But she was willing to cut him in two!" exclaimed the king's advisor.
"Indeed," said wise King Solomon. "That shows she is the TRUE mother-in-law." The Weekend Round up.
And finally, thanks to everyone who came down to the Midland Hotel in Hendon for the False Dots live at The Save London Music 3rd Birthday bash. Here is one of the highlights.
Making the case for real savings, not slash and burn cuts
I've been talking to rather a lot of Mill Hill Residents of late. It is surprising how many have read the blog. Some love it, some don't, some agree with me, some don't. It is interesting that those who read it want to pick up on all manner of issues which I've raised and many have been coming up with some amazing and very sensible suggestions. I was chatting with one man today, he collared me over a cup of tea in Mill Hill Broadway. He had recognised me from a leaflet he'd received and confessed he was an avid reader of the blog. The chap introduced himself as an "Out and out Tory" with a big smile. He then said "I'm gonna vote for you though, because it will put the cat among the pigeons and they need a kick up the a..e" (family blog here). I was intrigued. If anyone tells me that they are a Tory and they are going to vote for me, I'll always give them a listen.
Any particular reason? His response couldn't have been more clear "I'm a big fan of Thatcher, I hate Unions and I'm all for saving money, but I've been reading Mr Reasonable and you about Capita and they council are being taken to the cleaners". He then told me he'd worked as a senior executive in a large multinational company. He explained that his company would always make sure that they'd have a whole range of suppliers. They could then play them off against each other and get the best deal possible. He said "You've got to keep them hungry and on their toes, this Capita deal does the opposite and I am paying through the nose for it". He told me that he'd expect the council to be able to save 15-20% on services etc if they had a real market and competition. He felt that Capita were just a corporate version of a unionised in house system.
He then got onto the subject of Gainshare. This is the system whereby Barnet Council pay a percentage of any savings identified to Capita. This can be up to 30%, so if Barnet Council identify savings of three million quid, they give nearly a million quid to Capita. He felt that this was completely bonkers. He said "Our company had a staff suggestion scheme. If a member of staff suggested a saving, they got 5% of the savings back, up to a million pounds. He said that it was massively successful and several people had got payments of hundreds of thousands of pounds, saving the company a small fortune. He asked whether Barnet Council have such a scheme for staff. I have no idea. He then said "why don't they offer the same scheme for residents?" He said that many residents see all manner of silly things that the council are doing. He pointed out that there is absolutely no incentive for residents to make suggestions. I asked him for an example. He said "Years ago, you made the case for Solar panels at Barnet Council libraries. If they'd put them in when you said, then they'd have paid for themselves, all of the Libraries would have free electricity and they'd be paying for three or four librarians with the generous feed in tariffs that got paid back then". He said "By my reckoning, you'd have earned at least £20,000 if they'd given you 5% of the savings and income". He went on "Because you had no incentive to actually develop a plan, you suggested it and left it there. If you'd have had the chance to earn twenty grand, you'd have pushed it, got a few quotes and made damn sure they did it". At a conservative (small "c") estimate, if the council had fitted Solar panels at all the Boroughs libraries the savings and feedback tarrifs would have raised in the region of a million pounds, after the installation costs were deducted over eight years.
I thought about it. I had made the suggestion in 2010 as I was looking at ways to guarantee the long term future of Barnets libraries. It was dismissed out of hand. I did all of the sums at the time and it seemed like a no brainer. Sadly the Councillor in charge of libraries back then had no brains!
I thought about it long and hard. Capita get 30% of savings, even if it is stuff like closing libraries. Residents get diddley squat. Now I am not someone who writes a blog for money or to boost my retirement plan. Although a £20,000 cheque from the council would be nice, it wouldn't change my life. There are plenty of local sports clubs, scout groups and other charities who it would make a huge difference to. Just suppose that the council said "Well you can have 5% of all savings you can identify into your own account or we'll double it if you specify a local charity". So had they taken my suggestion and had a million quid in the coffers, then I could have raised £40,000 for a local organisation such as Mill Hill Rugby club. They have recently launched a Ladies Rugby club and a Special team in association with Barnet Mencap. I am convinced that if local people knew they could support such oranisations by making the council more efficient they would pile in big time.
WOMEN'S RUGBY AT MILL HILL RFC!
Don't forget we're launching a Ladies XV and need your help!!!
Please spread the word!
All Abilities Welcome 17+ - Fun,Fitness,Friends!
Contact ladies.millhillrfc@gmail.com for details!
Training will begin when we've 6-10 committed!
PLZ RT! pic.twitter.com/t8cyLbcHPz
When we talk about cost savings and efficiency, I am not talking about the Slash and Burn style savings that Barnet Council and Capita seem intent on imposing on the Borough. I believe that things like the closure of Mill Hill childrens library are acts of social vandalism. I am referring to win/win schemes such as solar enegy in libraries. Another huge saving that the Barnet bloggers won for the council occurred when we exposed the Metpro scandal. Barnet Council were paying 30% over the top for security services from an unlicensed security company. After the audit which we persuaded the council to perform, they even found that many of these services were unnecessary. The resulting changes have saved the council millions. Barnet Council has refused to disclose the terms of the agreement with Capita on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. To me this is ridiculous. There is no transparency. I firmly believe that all commercial contracts in the public sector should be published in full. There is absolutely no reason for a council to hide the details of a contract once it has been signed. If the supplier knows that this will happen before they sign, then they have absolutely no grounds for complaint. The only reason to keep it secret is because they know that they are not giving Barnet council the best price. I fully understand why a negotiations are confidential, however once contracts are signed, they should be fully available for scrutiny.
I believe that if the One Barnet Contracts were available for all to see, then there would be real pressure on Capita to reduce costs. I have no doubt that Armchair auditors such as John Dix, AKA Mr Reasonable, would identify millions of pounds worth of savings, especially when contracts came up for renewal. If Barnet had a culture where residents are listened to, then costs would soon start to be chopped. I am also sure that local firms would
Many residents who use council services can see all sorts of flaws. Many years ago I can recall discussing the provision of services for disabled people in Barnet. The father of a disabled adult told me that the way the council was organising many aspects was hugely inefficient. He explained a whole series of minor tweaks that would have saved money in his daughters care package. Not only would these have saved cash, they'd have meant that his life and his daughters life were far more pleasant. Minor tweaks to transport arrangements, timings of visits to discuss care packages etc. He explained how the council didn't seem to plan visits in a logical manner and there was huge bureaucracy around them. He explained that every letter from the council cost a pound to post, as well as the time spent writing it. There are thousands of disabled people in Barnet and all are swamped with all manner of pointless communications from the Council. He stated that he'd filled in countless surveys, each which cost the council tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. All he'd ever seen was a letter telling him of the results. Nothing was ever changed, no comments ever listened to. All that happened was that the survey concluded Barnet Council was doing a good job. He told me that if the parents of disabled people were actually listened to, the council would save millions, but that was never going to happen. He said that in his opinion surveys were pointless and he'd given up answering them. It would be interesting to know how much the council spent on surveys and how much they could identify as a net saving as a result. The council would no doubt say that it's not all about savings, and the results have helped them make the services better, but I am not aware of a single service that anyone has told me has improved over the last eight years.
One of the reasons why many on the left are resistant to such a culture is a fear that this will bring in privatisation by the back door. If residents could propose changes and get a cut of the savings, then might they organise their own rubbish collections and street cleaning and put council workers out of jobs? If they did, would this mean that the remaining council services would become more costly as the economies of scale diminished? This is a genuine concern and a holistic view must be taken. If, for arguments sake, Hampstead Garden Suburb organised its own bin collection service, because it was cheaper than the council service, but this then meant a net increase in the rest of the Borough, then clearly this must be factored into the equation. I know some single people who work in the city, claim they use hardly any services and claim they should pay far less council tax as a result. Often they fail to realise that they use roads, street lighting and street cleaning services. They don't realise that if they have a stroke and need social care, the equation can change in a second. They may not use the schools, parks and open spaces, but the proximity to them adds to the value of their property. There are many aspects of what the council provides that have a massive impact on our finances, but we simply don't associate this with our council tax bill.
Next weekend, there is a community litter pick being organised by local residents, meeting at Mill Hill park at 11am. I don't think any of the residents would want a kickback from the council for doing this. The payback is that we have a nicer, cleaner park and that hopefully our community is a better place to live in. That should always be the primary motivation for getting involved in civic life. I do however believe thatmy Tory neighbour is 100% correct in stating that if we offered a financial incentive for people to get involved and provide sensible and practical cost savings using their professional expertise (in the way John Dix does), we'd see a better, more engaged residents, a better council and spirit of co-operation. I am sure some won't want the cash and won't want to give it to charities either, they will just want it to be used for local services, this of course should be an option. The one stipulation is that any money to residents/charities, should be paid after the savings have been audited and verified. So only if they are real savings and not just accounting tricks, as I believe many of the savings we see quoted by the administration appear to be. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
