Barnet Council have published the draft Masterplan for the Copthall Sports Hub and Open spaces. It is a very interesting document and there is much to commend about it.
We have not studied it in detail therefore we do not wish to comment in too much detail at this stage. Clearly there are concerns about aspects of the masterplan, with Green belt issues and cycleways being two areas that aroused most interest and comment. It is good that the issue of a shared cycleway/walkway between Copthall and Mill Hill East has been explored. We would like to see a more ambitious use of the available space, with the cyclewalkway route following the old railway all the way up to Mill Hill East station and to the Broadwalk Shopping Centre in the other direction (where possible).
The wetlands proposal is interesting and adds a new dimension to the space.
Clearly there is a need for far better sports provision. It is good to see the BMX provision in the scheme, although I am not so convinced that a "public square" is a step in the right direction.
The section on Mill Hill Park is interesting. I am rather averse to the term "hub". In building terms, to me this says "Jack of all trades". What Mill Hill needs is specific proposals to address specific weaknesses in local community offering. I am not saying the Hub is a bad scheme, but I am not a believer in "open a building and they will come". I've made that mistake myself in the past in my own businesses. We need specific offerings for specific needs.
But this is a draft and so have a read and feed back your comments.
You can read it by clicking here or using the version we've embedded below.
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Thursday, 17 May 2018
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
The Wednesday Poem #44 - Memories of a Free Festival (in honour of the North Finchley Festival this weekend!)
We are pleased to welcome a brand new venue to the Festival family. Asoos Indian restaurant are joining in the fun. Why not drop in for a tasty Bhaji, a chicken tikka and a vindaloo before heading on down to the Bohemia and the Elephant in to dance the night away. What better sort of festival could there be!
As I was sitting, poring over the schedules, Bowie's "Memory of a Free Festival" popped up on my Spotify playlist. This song is a real inspiration for me. I love the concept of Free music festivals. I've played a few over the years. The Montrose Festival in Burnt Oak Park, The Grahame Park Festival, Jesterfest in Fortune Green, The Mill Hill Music Festival and of course last years North Finchley Festival (as well as a few rather less formal festivals that we've played over the years).
This is a beautiful song. I absolutely love the Coda of the song (the bit at the end for you non muso's). What other poem could we possible choose for this weeks Wednesday poem. I was tempted to make a "found poem" using this and a few others, but decided that I really couldn't better the work of the master.
I'd love a few of our readers to submit some poetry about local events (past, present and future). I really love the concept
Memory Of A Free Festival
The Children of the summer's end
Gathered in the dampened grass
We played Our songs and felt the London sky
Resting on our hands
It was God's land
It was ragged and naive
It was Heaven
Touch, We touched the very soul
Of holding each and every life
We claimed the very source of joy ran through
It didn't, but it seemed that way
I kissed a lot of people that day
We scanned the skies with rainbow eyes
and saw machines of every shape and size
We talked with tall Venusians passing through
And Peter tried to climb aboard
but the Captain shook his head
And away they soared Climbing
through the ivory vibrant cloud
Someone passed some bliss among the crowd
And We walked back to the road, unchained
The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party
The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party
The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party
The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party
The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party.
Come on down at the weekend and join in the fun!
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
North Finchley Festival Highlights - The False Dots live at The Bohemia - Sunday 9pm
If you are around North Finchley on Sunday night at around 9pm, you have the choice of two awesome bands to watch. At the Elephants head, there is the amazing Kado. They are an amazing Jazz funk band and I am gutted to be missing them.
Unfortunately for me, I've got another appointment just down the road. I will be playing with my own band, the False Dots, at the Bohemia. We will be the main support to the awesome Silencerz, who feature Lee Thompson from Madness on Saxophone. Normally you'd have to shell out big wonga to see Lee play, so to see him for free is a real treat!
Music has always been my number one passion in life. I founded the band in 1979 and we performed our first gig in 1980. It was a hastily arranged gig for Rock Against Racism. A chaotic affair, we borrowed Dav, the drummer from Alan Warner of the Foundations and our singer didn't bother to turn up! Despite all of that it was a brilliant night and it gave me the bug.
As a sixteen year old, the concept that I'd still be playing 38 years later would have seemed a little strange, but here we are. The lineup we play with now was our 1985 lineup, augmented by Fil Ross on bass guitar. Last Saturday, we performed at our singer, Allen Ashley's 60th birthday party at the Kings Head in Enfield. When Allen isn't singing with the False Dots, he is an author and poet and he runs various writing groups across Barnet and Enfield. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that quite a few stalwarts of various Barnet campaigns I've supported and many Barnet Eye readers are also members of the various writing groups Allen runs. Allen hadn't told them that the Dots were performing (in fact many didn't know he was our singer, as they simply knew him from the writing group). It was an excellent night. Perhaps the most touching moment was when Allen's wife Sarah presented a book she'd put together with contributions from his writing group.
Of course The False Dots are a completely different beast from Allens literary and poetic activities. Although our songs are finely crafted, we are a full on Rock and Roll band with a long pedigree. I daresay a few of Allens writing group would have been surprised to see a completely different side to Allens personality. The False Dots have put the finishing touches recently to our forthcoming album "Songs of Love and War" and will be previewing these, along with some newer material at the show on Sunday.
As well as Allen we have Fil Ross on Bass. Fil has played bass with the band since 1998 and is also wicked lead guitarist. His other band, The Rock and Roll Sons will be headlining at The Elephants Head on Saturday at 10pm. Fil is always value for money. A brilliant live performer. Anyone who has seen the False Dots or the Rock and Roll sons will testify that there is no shoegazings at our gigs!
I must also say a word about Graham Ramsey, our long time drummer. Graham is a force of nature. He has probably played with more bands in the London Borough of Barnet than any person alive. At our last public gig at The Midland Hotel, he played with the support KatManDo and then jumped up for an impromptu set with The Hamptons, as they were short of a drummer. When I first met Graham, he was one of the Mill Hill East mods. Paul Marvin, son of the legendary Hank introduced me to him in early 1980, in awed tones "Graham is the best drummer in North London".
I immediately wanted Graham to join the band, but he was with a very successful band called the B'zukas, wheras we had yet to play a gig. Eventually I persuaded Graham to join in 1985, at the same time as Allen. Graham immediately showed what he brought to the band in terms of musical creativity. He isn't someone to just tap along in the background. His drumming is all about dynamics and creativity. Unlike 99% of drummers he plays an active role in arrangements, adding dynamism and beats that on one else on the planet would play. As well as the creative input, I also quickly found out that Graham was also ambitious. He managed to blag The False Dots onto a trip to Belgium at the end of 1985 (see picture above). Graham to this day continues to blag the Dots and all of the other bands he's involved with onto gigs all over the place.
The False Dots are in some ways almost unique. All of us are involved in other musical/creative projects. All of us are outspoken, opinionated, all from very different backgrounds. Whilst you may think this would cause musical differences, in fact it has built a huge mutual respect. Musically we all push each other onwards and upwards. I think the material we've written in the last few years is the best of our career. If you come down on Sunday night and you enjoy live music, you will not be disappointed. Here is a little sample of what you will be missing if you decide to stop in and listen to The Archers on iPlayer! This is a very live video!
Check out the bass on that! #Kado are back with their soul jazz funk this year and headlining @The Elephant Inn – 9pm, Sunday May 20. Dancing shoes will be necessary! #NorthFinchleyFestival #NorthFinchley #souljazz #Londonmusic pic.twitter.com/Y49S8UXIab— North Finchley Fest (@NorthFinchFest) May 1, 2018
Unfortunately for me, I've got another appointment just down the road. I will be playing with my own band, the False Dots, at the Bohemia. We will be the main support to the awesome Silencerz, who feature Lee Thompson from Madness on Saxophone. Normally you'd have to shell out big wonga to see Lee play, so to see him for free is a real treat!
More from @TheSilencerz from last year – they're headlining this Sunday at the @Bohemia_N12 at 10pm. Perfect way to wind up the festival. Come down and have a dance!#NorthFinchleyFestival #NorthFinchley pic.twitter.com/PPpld6rG1A— North Finchley Fest (@NorthFinchFest) May 14, 2018
Music has always been my number one passion in life. I founded the band in 1979 and we performed our first gig in 1980. It was a hastily arranged gig for Rock Against Racism. A chaotic affair, we borrowed Dav, the drummer from Alan Warner of the Foundations and our singer didn't bother to turn up! Despite all of that it was a brilliant night and it gave me the bug.
On 13th December 1980, I organised and promoted a gig for Rock against Racism at Hartley Hall, Mill Hill, featuring The False Dots and local Reggae band Stylo. The Hall was packed, one of the proudest nights of my life pic.twitter.com/VBAv6OFjOH— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) April 26, 2018
As a sixteen year old, the concept that I'd still be playing 38 years later would have seemed a little strange, but here we are. The lineup we play with now was our 1985 lineup, augmented by Fil Ross on bass guitar. Last Saturday, we performed at our singer, Allen Ashley's 60th birthday party at the Kings Head in Enfield. When Allen isn't singing with the False Dots, he is an author and poet and he runs various writing groups across Barnet and Enfield. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that quite a few stalwarts of various Barnet campaigns I've supported and many Barnet Eye readers are also members of the various writing groups Allen runs. Allen hadn't told them that the Dots were performing (in fact many didn't know he was our singer, as they simply knew him from the writing group). It was an excellent night. Perhaps the most touching moment was when Allen's wife Sarah presented a book she'd put together with contributions from his writing group.
To mark @AllenAshleyUK’s “special” birthday, I secretly invited his writing pals & writing groups to contribute Allen-inspired stories, poems & tributes to this: the Allenthology, inc fab cover by David Rix & pic by Peter Coleborn. Presented to Allen at his party; he was amazed! pic.twitter.com/f20Q8DZR7b— Sarah Doyle (@PoetSarahDoyle) May 13, 2018
Of course The False Dots are a completely different beast from Allens literary and poetic activities. Although our songs are finely crafted, we are a full on Rock and Roll band with a long pedigree. I daresay a few of Allens writing group would have been surprised to see a completely different side to Allens personality. The False Dots have put the finishing touches recently to our forthcoming album "Songs of Love and War" and will be previewing these, along with some newer material at the show on Sunday.
As well as Allen we have Fil Ross on Bass. Fil has played bass with the band since 1998 and is also wicked lead guitarist. His other band, The Rock and Roll Sons will be headlining at The Elephants Head on Saturday at 10pm. Fil is always value for money. A brilliant live performer. Anyone who has seen the False Dots or the Rock and Roll sons will testify that there is no shoegazings at our gigs!
Get ready to rock with the @RockAndRollSons – headlining #NorthFinchleyFestival on Saturday May 19th at @TheElephantInn – 10pm! ⚡️https://t.co/Vc3Omwnxrk#NorthFinchley#Londonmusic #Londonfestival— North Finchley Fest (@NorthFinchFest) May 8, 2018
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| The False Dots in Belgium 1985 |
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| The False Dots 2018 |
The False Dots are in some ways almost unique. All of us are involved in other musical/creative projects. All of us are outspoken, opinionated, all from very different backgrounds. Whilst you may think this would cause musical differences, in fact it has built a huge mutual respect. Musically we all push each other onwards and upwards. I think the material we've written in the last few years is the best of our career. If you come down on Sunday night and you enjoy live music, you will not be disappointed. Here is a little sample of what you will be missing if you decide to stop in and listen to The Archers on iPlayer! This is a very live video!
Monday, 14 May 2018
The full Line up for the North Finchley Festival!
This weekend we see the 2nd annual North Finchley Festival. There are some absolutely amazing acts playing (I know, I put the program together and listened to every single one of them). Here is the full schedule. Make sure you make it down! Over the next week we will be featuring details of each venue and previewing some of the amazing acts who will be appearing so watch this space.
Make sure you come down and join in the fun. Many thanks to our sponsors for their generosity.
Special thanks to Mill Hill Music Complex for PA and Logistics support.
Make sure you come down and join in the fun. Many thanks to our sponsors for their generosity.
Special thanks to Mill Hill Music Complex for PA and Logistics support.
Sunday, 13 May 2018
The Tweets of the Week in the London Borough of Barnet - 13/5/2017
Here are this weeks selection, don't forget to follow any tweeters who tickle your fancy
1. Great post from the Mill Hill Historical Society
2. Lovely pic of one of Mill Hill's landmark
3. Nioe post from one of our regulars
4.
5. And a great pic of a Finchley Landmark
6. A date (ow two) for your diary!
7. Looking for some great live music tonight?
8. And another date for the diary for all plant lovers!
9. Congratulations to Helen Michael at Cafe Buzz for a truly amazing achievement!
10. And Mill Hill is seeing some amazing music being made!
That's all folks!
1. Great post from the Mill Hill Historical Society
Very interesting post on Hendon Work House which was in Burnt Oak on the Edgware Road.https://t.co/JrukuA4uJX pic.twitter.com/EK4kPCaiAB— Mill Hill Hist Soc (@MHHistSoc) May 4, 2018
2. Lovely pic of one of Mill Hill's landmark
Took pictures of the old 'K' Showrooms and Garage in Mill Hill today. Now home to @westwaynissan #concrete #brutalism #brutalist - and here's a piece I wrote about it a few years back https://t.co/EfbGvEN26g pic.twitter.com/wv84mprxfO— Mark Amies (@Superfast72) May 12, 2018
3. Nioe post from one of our regulars
Drove past Abbey Grounds in Lawrence Street, Mill Hill; the horses enjoying lush grass in a field of buttercups... @ABetterMillHill @MillHillMusicCo @LoveMillHill @NW7Residents @JoClarke7 @millhillnw7 @FinchleyHort @Nico1a_ @JoMarie357 @__Revel pic.twitter.com/k9gIoCGUfl— Donald Lyven (@barnet_rebel) May 11, 2018
4.
Need a Sausage for your barbecue? These guys do the best Choriso sausages in town! pic.twitter.com/SjHEM1J3lO— A Better Mill Hill (@ABetterMillHill) May 8, 2018
5. And a great pic of a Finchley Landmark
Another day, another interview! This time for @TheArcherN2 paper. Which means a visit to the lovely East Finchley station by Charles Holden & LH Bucknall #tube #EastFinchley #barnet #charlesholden pic.twitter.com/UsIMmAT267— Modernism in Metroland (@mod_in_metro) May 10, 2018
6. A date (ow two) for your diary!
The amazing North Finchley Festival is back again!! Local bands playing at local venues in #northfinchley and it's FREE!!! Check them out at: M's Place @Bohemia_N12 @BuzzingHelen @asoosrestaurant @TheElephantInn @ToolansBar #NorthFinchleyFestival @NorthFinchFest @BarnetCouncil pic.twitter.com/6dWxCtjok6— CommUNITY Barnet (@CommUNITYBarnet) May 13, 2018
7. Looking for some great live music tonight?
That's right, you heard right— Pete Feenstra (@feenstrablues) May 13, 2018
TONIGHT: DEL BROMHAM BLUES DEVILS + STORM WARNING @OldFinchleianCC N12 https://t.co/yMtHCGbnsk https://t.co/aJ2V8mXyIA DBhttps://t.co/32mHpZN9rL SW@gr8musicvenues @RTBMusicAgency @BluesMattersMag @musicUwant2hear #delbromham #stormwarning 7.45pm pic.twitter.com/ZIw6oOCMEq
8. And another date for the diary for all plant lovers!
The FHS Plant Sale is getting closer. Come along on Sunday 20th May, but come early - doors open at 10.30am. See you there! 🐝💐🥦🥒🍆🥕🍅🥀🌷🌼😀— Finchley Hort Soc (@FinchleyHort) May 11, 2018
Plenty of plants but also teas and home made cakes 🍰☕️ how can you resist? pic.twitter.com/Asrx17uIo9
9. Congratulations to Helen Michael at Cafe Buzz for a truly amazing achievement!
@RichardPetersOp @luxmi_ramtohul @BuzzingHelen @linabourdon @FSBwomen @FSBNorthLondon @northfinchley Such a proud moment to see my local café who is run by a woman of steel win this endorsement. We love qhat you do for us & lead by example. You are such an inspiration to us all. https://t.co/oI3jrTUwaO— Luxmi Ramtohul (@luxmi_ramtohul) May 12, 2018
10. And Mill Hill is seeing some amazing music being made!
Amazing orchestral rehearsals @MillHillMusicCo in the lead up to my new cinematic recording ! Thank you to all involved for your dedication and passion...look forward to seeing you @RAK_Studios later this month ! Joe x pic.twitter.com/pBVUUHO00Y— Joe Leader (@Joeleader) May 8, 2018
That's all folks!
Saturday, 12 May 2018
The Saturday List #174 - My Top Ten Mill Hill Memories!
Here's my top ten (whilst I can still remember them).
1. There are many fantastic musical memories I have of Mill Hill, through the music festival and other gigs I've seen/performed/organised etc, but without this memory none of it would have happened.
On 13th December 1980, I organised and promoted a gig for Rock against Racism at Hartley Hall, Mill Hill, featuring The False Dots and local Reggae band Stylo. The Hall was packed, one of the proudest nights of my life pic.twitter.com/VBAv6OFjOH— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) April 26, 2018
2. I've also been involved in many community events, but the first one was the annual St Josephs College Garden fete's at St Jospephs college on Lawrence St. This was usually held on the second Saturday in May. Local people from around Mill Hill would volunteer to run stalls etc. The money was used to help pay for the upkeep of the grounds and buildings. It was an amazing chance to see the beautiful settings. The college also had a working farm, so you see the pigs and cows close up and some years there were tractor rides etc, until the health and safety police banned them. The Fete's ran from around 1966 to the mid 1970's as I recall. Like many old Millhillians, I have a great affection for the College tower and the fields.
For many years in Mill Hill, the second Saturday of May was the day of St Joseph’s College garden fete. It was a chance to explore the amazing grounds & participate in the fun Stalls were run by people from across the community to help pay for the upkeep of the fields & building pic.twitter.com/dvdJba7D6L— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) May 12, 2018
3. I don't have a picture of this, but in 1973, there was huge excitement locally when Radio 2 DJ Terry Wogan turned up to open Budgens Supermarket (where M&S now resides). There was much excitement, long queues and many an autograph given.My missus still has hers. Lots of old ladies were heard to mutter 'He's a very nice man' after meeting him.
4. Another event etched in my mind, but I can't find any pictures of was when Adam Faith, who was a superstar in the 1960's and 70's turned up to film an episode of Budgie. I saw this episode on UK Gold a few years ago, there are some lovely shots of the "New China Garden" chinese restaurant (recently Hee's takeaway) and the Laundrette. There was also some filming on the M1 footbridge linking Millway with Maxwelton Ave. If anyone can point me at the episode, I'll add it.
5. When I was very small, a highlight of the year was the Hendon Aerodrome Air display. I can still recall the Red Arrows flying Mill Hill trailing red, white and blue over for the last ever show. As we have the RAF Hendon museum, we still have a few links, but not the show. If anyone has any memorabilia for the show, please let me know or send me a scan!
6. My father ran a crash repair business. One of my very best memories was when he had to repair the Batmobile (Bruce Wayne era). I'm not sure whether it was the real one or just one which a car enthusiast had put together, but he took me to Kentfields (the toy shop in the Broadway), bought me a Batman outfit and drove me all around Mill Hill as fast as he could. It was a very special moment. He then drove me to Burnt Oak to buy an Ice cream at Tonibells. A gaggle of local kids gathered around to gawp at it and he let a few have a sit in the drivers seat. Can you imagine that today? Sadly we had no mobile phones to record for posterity, so it is all just a special memory.
7. Perhaps one of the most surreal experiences I had was around 1976, coming back from school. A couple of horses had broken free from a local farm and were running up and down Mill Hill Broadway. They were being persued, Keystone cops fashion by the local constabulary, to mush hilarity of locals. My Dad, who had been raised in Australia with horses took charge of the situation, grabbing some carrots from Mayers and tempting the horses over. With a few tasty treats, he managed to get them to follow him to St Josephs College fields, where they were safely penned up until the owners arrived. He was rather scathing about the training of the local Police, until my mum pointed out that it wasn't really a situation the Met have to deal with very often.
8. One very fond memory I have of Mill Hill was meeting Mike and Bernie Winters as they were leaving the Day of The Raj restaurant by the former Lloyds Bank building. My then best friend, Paul Hircombe, had a pet Jack Russell that went by the name of Reg. We were walking Reg up the Broadway when we met the Winter brothers. Bernie was well known for his St Bernards dog named Shnorbitz, at the other end of the size scale. Bernie made a beeline for Reg and made a big fuss of him, giving him a treat from his pocket. We had a brief chat about doggy things. Bernie was a lovely bloke, as was Mike.
9. Another fond memory of Mill Hill was meeting Paul Gascoigne (then of Spurs) in Anstee's bakery (where Costa Coffee now resides). Spurs training ground was in Chase Lodge and the players were often seen in the Broadway. I was behind Gazza in the queue and as he was about to be served I quipped "Leave a few pies for me mate". Gazza had been being teased on the terraces about his weight at the time. He said nothing to me, but then when asked what his order was "I'll take ALL the pies please". The girl looked at him nervously, and he laughed and then said "oh no, leave seven for him, he's a big lad". He clearly enjoyed a bit of banter, and I saw him a few times, we'd always exchange a laugh. The thing I really liked about Gazza was he'd always make time if any local kids approached him for an autograph. He was by far the most approachable of any of the then Spurs players.
10. And so we come to our final memory. On Mill Hill Broadway Station, there is a tea hut, which has been run by a number of people over the years. One of the most successful was "Jack". He was a no nonsense chap, not really very chatty, but made sure as many people as possible got their paper an cup of tea before the train came as possible. As regular readers will know, I'm a bit of a music nut. As I didn't really know too much about Jack, I didn't discuss music with him. One day, I missed a train and so I went for a tea. Jack was in a better mood than usual and asked what I was doing for the weekend. I replied "I'm going to see a band at the Marquee tonight". Jack smirked and said "Who?" I replied that there was a top Mod band from the 1960's called The Creation who were reforming and releasing a new album on Creation Records and a few of my Mod mates were going along with me. Jack smirked even more and said "I know, I'm the drummer!". I was literally gobsmacked. After that, We'd always have a chat about music.
10. And so we come to our final memory. On Mill Hill Broadway Station, there is a tea hut, which has been run by a number of people over the years. One of the most successful was "Jack". He was a no nonsense chap, not really very chatty, but made sure as many people as possible got their paper an cup of tea before the train came as possible. As regular readers will know, I'm a bit of a music nut. As I didn't really know too much about Jack, I didn't discuss music with him. One day, I missed a train and so I went for a tea. Jack was in a better mood than usual and asked what I was doing for the weekend. I replied "I'm going to see a band at the Marquee tonight". Jack smirked and said "Who?" I replied that there was a top Mod band from the 1960's called The Creation who were reforming and releasing a new album on Creation Records and a few of my Mod mates were going along with me. Jack smirked even more and said "I know, I'm the drummer!". I was literally gobsmacked. After that, We'd always have a chat about music.
Friday, 11 May 2018
Save London Music - North Finchley is the centre of live music in London in May!
The Grassroots music scene has seen a real resurgence in London over the last couple of years. I have seen some of the most amazing gigs at small venues over the last couple of years. As a member of the False Dots, I've played a fair few gigs and we've seen audiences at some of the recent shows that I've not seen since the heady days of the 1980's. When the False Dots played the Midland Arms in Hendon earlier in the year, the pub was absolutely rammed. A couple of weeks ago, I was at The Five Bells in Finchley for Those Naughty Lumps and The Nice Men. The pub was rammed full and rocking. One swallow may not make a spring, but there is definitely something going on.
If you are curious and want to "try before you buy" here are a few links to check out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhviKGk6FeA Dear Mr Fantasy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R44pMkFY1kQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n2PC8GxwvE Blues For Bob Hite
So what exactly is on the menu! Something rather tasty. Whether you like, Jazz, RnB, Rock, Pop, Choirs, Ska, Reggae, Indie there is something there for you. Make sure you make a note in your diary and tell your friends.
The smaller venues such as Cafe Buzz and M's place have some great artists who you can enjoy over lunch or an early tea, with coffee and cakes or a beer. The pub venues will be rocking into the night"
Here
Looking forward to playing with Rangoon here on 20th. #northfinchley https://t.co/sDXra0MRhj— Richard Harrison (@richhaz) May 7, 2018
Get ready to rock with the @RockAndRollSons – headlining #NorthFinchleyFestival on Saturday May 19th at @TheElephantInn – 10pm! ⚡️https://t.co/Vc3Omwnxrk#NorthFinchley#Londonmusic #Londonfestival— North Finchley Fest (@NorthFinchFest) May 8, 2018
No..no.no.... @TheSilencerz killing it at last year's #NorthFinchleyFestival! Come see them wrap things up at @Bohemia_N12 on Sunday May 20, as we celebrate the end of a great festival. #NorthFinchley pic.twitter.com/lUuKpR4hUX— North Finchley Fest (@NorthFinchFest) May 7, 2018
My band, the False Dots are honoured to be playing as main support to Lee Thompson and The Silencerz on the Sunday night. Here is a little taster of how we sound!
Make sure you come down and say hi! It will be a blast
Many thanks to our sponsors, Barnet Council, Joseph Partners, Waitrose and Jeremy Leaf Estate Agents.
Mill Hill Music Complex are sponsoring the sound systems!
Over the next week, we will be making sure you know all the details!
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
The sorry tale of anti semitism in the UK Labour Party
How has it come to this? Seriously. It is a question I am asking myself a lot recently.
Lets start with a bit of historical perspective. As a teenager attending North London Roman Catholic schools in the 1970's, I remember anti semitism being endemic. Not at our house, because my Father was an ex WWII RAF pilot who detested fascists and knew where that path lead, but it was all around at school. When I was twelve, we saw the Israeli raid on Entebbe, freeing Jewish hostages in Uganda. My Father as an ex military man was highly impressed. I mentioned this to a school friends Dad, and his response was to sit us down and explain in great detail all manner of terrible things that the Jewish people had allegedly done. This disturbed me greatly. At the time, everyones parents were viewed as wise and trustworthy, so I seriously wondered why my Dad hadn't filled me in on these terrible things. As I trusted my Father, I eventually asked him about this. He explained, in no uncertain terms, that my friends Father was unintelligent and uneducated. He went further and explained that all around the world, evil minded politicians seek scapegoats to blame, minorities to terrorise and mobs to whip up hate with. He explained about Moseley in the UK in the 1930's and how such people were treacherous. My father had worked in the Middle East after the second world war as a commercial pilot. He had an office in Jerusalem, when it was part of Palestine before the creation of Israel. He explained that the reason the United Nations created Israel was quite simply because "across the globe, the Jews are a minority everywhere. The international community failed them in the face of Nazism. After the second world war, it was recognised that the way to ensure that this did not happen again was to give them a homeland where they could be a majority. That would at least mean that Jews across the world knew there was somewhere safe for them if another Hitler came along". I noted this down in my diary in July 1976. It seemed important and worth noting.
In September 1978, I changed schools. I departed Finchley Catholic High School and started at Orange Hill Senior High School. At Orange Hill, Jewish pupils were probably the largest single group. Jewish holidays would see the school empty out. Many of my friends were Jewish, some had parents and grandparents living with them who had directly experienced the holocaust. Not that I'd thought different, but it became clear from day one that my Jewish friends were no different from anyone else. We'd go to each others houses, listen to the same music. I had Jewish girlfriends and Jewish bandmates. It was of no concern to me that they had a different religion and everyones parents welcomed all and sundry. Most were Labour party supporters. I discussed this with one girlfriend who told me "Labour has always been the party that Jewish people trust. The Tories are the establishment. If you read a history book, you will realise that the establishment are no friends of Jewish people. They were the ones who tried to block refugees fleeing the Nazi's. No Jew could ever support the Tories as far as I am concerned". It made perfect sense.
Forty years later, things could not be more different. I am in touch with many of my OHSHS friends, on Facebook and through regular reunions. Things are different today. There is no trust in the Jewish community of Labour. Even those that have kept the faith are troubled by what is going on. How did it get to this? How has the Conservative party gained the trust of Jewish voters whilst Labour has lost it so spectacularly? I personally doubt that there is any less anti semitism in the national Conservative party than there is in the Labour party. I just think that amongst the Tories, the anti semitism is perhaps a different flavour. I suspect that southern metropolitan Conservative voters (such as we have in Barnet) are pretty much unaffected by such nonsense. Most will have Jewish friends, schoolmates and work colleagues. They will be sensible people who are comfortable in a multi racial/ethnic society. Any residual anti semites are likely to be from the older generation and are sensible enough to keep their views to themselves. I suspect that in the Shires, the story may be markedly different, not least from a few incidents I've witnessed over the years.
But I suspect the real story isn't so much that the Tories have shifted. It is what has happened with Labour. Under Tony Blair, there was no issue within the Labour party and there were still many celebrity Jewish supporters. As Blair declined, the hard left of Labour aligned itself with the Palestinian cause. This is very much a metropolitan phenomenon, as I suspect that Middle Eastern politics is off the radar of the outer reaches of our communities. Many of the hard left metropolitan Palestinian sympathisers do not believe that the cause they are supporting amounts to anti semitism. They believe that criticising the Government of Israel is a completely different thing. The Jewish community sees it rather differently. The Palestinian movement has never dropped its aim of calling for the complete destruction of the state of Israel. A majority of people in the British Jewish community see the prospect of this as the first step towards the next holocaust. What started as concern for Palestinians suffering in the West Bank and Gaza has to some extent been hijacked and we've seen all sorts of people seeing the outer reaches of the Labour movement as a sanctuary for all manner of hard line anti semitism, such as global banking conspiracies and holocaust denial.
Where Labour has failed miserably is that they've not robustly dealt with members who have made all manner of statements which are clearly anti semitic. It should be quite simple. If someone is a member of the Labour party and they are tweeting, posting on Facebook or in any other way propagating anti semitism or any other form of racism, they should be kicked out. The Labour party had no problem at all kicking me out in 2010, without even asking me for an explanation or offering me the chance to defend myself. This was for standing as a Lib Dem candidate whilst still a member. I had resigned in 2009 and had the emails to prove it, but they were not in the slightest bit interested. I just received a letter out of the blue saying I had been expelled. My request to have a hearing as I had broken no rule was rejected out of hand. I was simply told "I could re-apply in five years".
When I discussed the issue of anti semitism with a Labour candidate at the election count last week, I was told that "people cannot be summarily booted out of the party without a proper hearing and a chance to explain themselves". This is utter nonsense. Of course they can. I am living proof. I know that for many ultra left Labour loyalists, quitting the party and standing for the Lib Dems is a far more serious matter than a bit of anti semitism, but for most sane and rational people, it is incomprehensible.
I am past the stage where I'd consider rejoining the Labour Party. I don't think that either the Conservative or Labour party reflect the British public anymore. I suspect that people think the Conservatives are a "less risky option", although given their attitude to Brexit, I suspect they are not a safe option. What I can say without a doubt is that Labour has an issue with the Jewish community in the UK and if that is not a concern for the party, a party based on the principles of equality and justice, it should be. Last year when Jeremy Corbyn confounded expectations at the general election, Labour was given an unexpected opportunity to prove it was back as a serious political force. If they can't sort out the bad apples who are besmirching it, then it does not deserve the trust of anyone.
Lets start with a bit of historical perspective. As a teenager attending North London Roman Catholic schools in the 1970's, I remember anti semitism being endemic. Not at our house, because my Father was an ex WWII RAF pilot who detested fascists and knew where that path lead, but it was all around at school. When I was twelve, we saw the Israeli raid on Entebbe, freeing Jewish hostages in Uganda. My Father as an ex military man was highly impressed. I mentioned this to a school friends Dad, and his response was to sit us down and explain in great detail all manner of terrible things that the Jewish people had allegedly done. This disturbed me greatly. At the time, everyones parents were viewed as wise and trustworthy, so I seriously wondered why my Dad hadn't filled me in on these terrible things. As I trusted my Father, I eventually asked him about this. He explained, in no uncertain terms, that my friends Father was unintelligent and uneducated. He went further and explained that all around the world, evil minded politicians seek scapegoats to blame, minorities to terrorise and mobs to whip up hate with. He explained about Moseley in the UK in the 1930's and how such people were treacherous. My father had worked in the Middle East after the second world war as a commercial pilot. He had an office in Jerusalem, when it was part of Palestine before the creation of Israel. He explained that the reason the United Nations created Israel was quite simply because "across the globe, the Jews are a minority everywhere. The international community failed them in the face of Nazism. After the second world war, it was recognised that the way to ensure that this did not happen again was to give them a homeland where they could be a majority. That would at least mean that Jews across the world knew there was somewhere safe for them if another Hitler came along". I noted this down in my diary in July 1976. It seemed important and worth noting.
In September 1978, I changed schools. I departed Finchley Catholic High School and started at Orange Hill Senior High School. At Orange Hill, Jewish pupils were probably the largest single group. Jewish holidays would see the school empty out. Many of my friends were Jewish, some had parents and grandparents living with them who had directly experienced the holocaust. Not that I'd thought different, but it became clear from day one that my Jewish friends were no different from anyone else. We'd go to each others houses, listen to the same music. I had Jewish girlfriends and Jewish bandmates. It was of no concern to me that they had a different religion and everyones parents welcomed all and sundry. Most were Labour party supporters. I discussed this with one girlfriend who told me "Labour has always been the party that Jewish people trust. The Tories are the establishment. If you read a history book, you will realise that the establishment are no friends of Jewish people. They were the ones who tried to block refugees fleeing the Nazi's. No Jew could ever support the Tories as far as I am concerned". It made perfect sense.
Forty years later, things could not be more different. I am in touch with many of my OHSHS friends, on Facebook and through regular reunions. Things are different today. There is no trust in the Jewish community of Labour. Even those that have kept the faith are troubled by what is going on. How did it get to this? How has the Conservative party gained the trust of Jewish voters whilst Labour has lost it so spectacularly? I personally doubt that there is any less anti semitism in the national Conservative party than there is in the Labour party. I just think that amongst the Tories, the anti semitism is perhaps a different flavour. I suspect that southern metropolitan Conservative voters (such as we have in Barnet) are pretty much unaffected by such nonsense. Most will have Jewish friends, schoolmates and work colleagues. They will be sensible people who are comfortable in a multi racial/ethnic society. Any residual anti semites are likely to be from the older generation and are sensible enough to keep their views to themselves. I suspect that in the Shires, the story may be markedly different, not least from a few incidents I've witnessed over the years.
But I suspect the real story isn't so much that the Tories have shifted. It is what has happened with Labour. Under Tony Blair, there was no issue within the Labour party and there were still many celebrity Jewish supporters. As Blair declined, the hard left of Labour aligned itself with the Palestinian cause. This is very much a metropolitan phenomenon, as I suspect that Middle Eastern politics is off the radar of the outer reaches of our communities. Many of the hard left metropolitan Palestinian sympathisers do not believe that the cause they are supporting amounts to anti semitism. They believe that criticising the Government of Israel is a completely different thing. The Jewish community sees it rather differently. The Palestinian movement has never dropped its aim of calling for the complete destruction of the state of Israel. A majority of people in the British Jewish community see the prospect of this as the first step towards the next holocaust. What started as concern for Palestinians suffering in the West Bank and Gaza has to some extent been hijacked and we've seen all sorts of people seeing the outer reaches of the Labour movement as a sanctuary for all manner of hard line anti semitism, such as global banking conspiracies and holocaust denial.
Where Labour has failed miserably is that they've not robustly dealt with members who have made all manner of statements which are clearly anti semitic. It should be quite simple. If someone is a member of the Labour party and they are tweeting, posting on Facebook or in any other way propagating anti semitism or any other form of racism, they should be kicked out. The Labour party had no problem at all kicking me out in 2010, without even asking me for an explanation or offering me the chance to defend myself. This was for standing as a Lib Dem candidate whilst still a member. I had resigned in 2009 and had the emails to prove it, but they were not in the slightest bit interested. I just received a letter out of the blue saying I had been expelled. My request to have a hearing as I had broken no rule was rejected out of hand. I was simply told "I could re-apply in five years".
When I discussed the issue of anti semitism with a Labour candidate at the election count last week, I was told that "people cannot be summarily booted out of the party without a proper hearing and a chance to explain themselves". This is utter nonsense. Of course they can. I am living proof. I know that for many ultra left Labour loyalists, quitting the party and standing for the Lib Dems is a far more serious matter than a bit of anti semitism, but for most sane and rational people, it is incomprehensible.
I am past the stage where I'd consider rejoining the Labour Party. I don't think that either the Conservative or Labour party reflect the British public anymore. I suspect that people think the Conservatives are a "less risky option", although given their attitude to Brexit, I suspect they are not a safe option. What I can say without a doubt is that Labour has an issue with the Jewish community in the UK and if that is not a concern for the party, a party based on the principles of equality and justice, it should be. Last year when Jeremy Corbyn confounded expectations at the general election, Labour was given an unexpected opportunity to prove it was back as a serious political force. If they can't sort out the bad apples who are besmirching it, then it does not deserve the trust of anyone.
Tuesday, 8 May 2018
A celebration of four more years of Conservative rule in Barnet!
I promised no more navel contemplating, so today we look forward and we look at how our local Conservatives celebrated their amazing and rather unexpected win in the London Borough of Barnet.
Firstly, there is some really great news that I am surprised the hard right, newly cleansed, Brexit loving Conservative group have been keeping quiet. I am not sure why, given that it is such good news and it has been in the public domain for a couple of years now. Whilst many believed that there would be a funding crisis at Barnet Council, this has been averted. As Jeremy Corbyn has been banished in Barnet, Remoaner Amber Rudd has been sidelined in Cabinet and those Pesky Lib Dems banished from the Town Hall, the government will now be able to get its hands on the £350 million a week Brexit dividend to plug the holes in the budget. It must be true, Boris said so!
Now onto the celebrations. Some of our newly re-elected Tory Councillors are behaving rather strangely. There has been a plethora of rather odd tweets since the election. Here is my pick of the bunch
1. The winner is this rather amusing tweet from Peter Zinkin, those of you who live in Childs Hill and have seen Mr Zinkin in action may find this rather funny, given his reputation regarding casework. What makes this especially delicious is that he clearly misunderstood that his eminently more sensible colleague Gabriel Rozenberg was admonishing a Labour Councillor for writing a similar puerile tweet.
2. Next up we have David Longstaff, a councillor who previously earned a living pretending to be a gnome.
His rather amusing tweet demonstrates his reputation for attention to detail. No wonder his adminstration has done such a sterling job with its monitoring of contractors
He clearly does not know how to click on a tweet to see someones profile and establish their identity before posting silly tweets. One hopes he takes more time to learn his lines when he returns to Pantoland!
3. Perhaps the most surreal tweet award goes to Rohit Grover. I quite like Rohit and he's a sensible bloke. I hope he invites some of his more 'exciteable' colleagues around to discover some inner peace.
4. I'm not entirely sure that "now I've won the election, I can b@gger off on holiday" is the best message to spend to your voters.
5. And we finish our little tour of "interesting Tory posts" from councillors, with one from one of my favourite Tory activists, who isn't a Councillor. It is from Nicole Richer. Nicole stood as a candidate in Burnt Oak and put in a sterling performance, almost doubling the Tory vote but not winning! (Know the feeling Nicole - well not the Tory bit, but you get my drift!). Nicole posted this heartwarming selection of pictures of local colleagues. I predict a bright future for Nicole in the Tory Party locally.
The one of Elliot, Laithe and Lachma in Hale is a lovely picture. All three look absolutely made up that all their hard work has paid off. They are all decent chaps. I am however rather puzzled by the expression on the face of Val Duschinsky though. She looks as if she's been caught with her hand in the biscuit tin. One can only speculate who the brown envelopes are for this time, as she is widely credited as the power behind the throne and the person responsible for deselecting Councillors Sury Khatri and Joan Scannell (at least that's what Sury tells me). My advice to all of the other Tory councillors out there. If you see Val coming with a brown envelope, be afraid. Be very afraid. Stay on her good side. You won't like her when she's angry!
As to the way forward for Labour. I will leave it to my old friend Brian Coleman to give us his verdict. I am not in complete disgreement either. At least it would be a bit more fun in the Town Hall. Personally I'd pick Ross Houston, but Kath would be a close second.
Firstly, there is some really great news that I am surprised the hard right, newly cleansed, Brexit loving Conservative group have been keeping quiet. I am not sure why, given that it is such good news and it has been in the public domain for a couple of years now. Whilst many believed that there would be a funding crisis at Barnet Council, this has been averted. As Jeremy Corbyn has been banished in Barnet, Remoaner Amber Rudd has been sidelined in Cabinet and those Pesky Lib Dems banished from the Town Hall, the government will now be able to get its hands on the £350 million a week Brexit dividend to plug the holes in the budget. It must be true, Boris said so!
Now onto the celebrations. Some of our newly re-elected Tory Councillors are behaving rather strangely. There has been a plethora of rather odd tweets since the election. Here is my pick of the bunch
1. The winner is this rather amusing tweet from Peter Zinkin, those of you who live in Childs Hill and have seen Mr Zinkin in action may find this rather funny, given his reputation regarding casework. What makes this especially delicious is that he clearly misunderstood that his eminently more sensible colleague Gabriel Rozenberg was admonishing a Labour Councillor for writing a similar puerile tweet.
We of course are equally happy to take on casework for those residents who very regrettably feel burdened with Labour Councillors https://t.co/KALEt8zEMI— Peter Zinkin (@pzinkin) May 7, 2018
 |
| David Longstaff |
His rather amusing tweet demonstrates his reputation for attention to detail. No wonder his adminstration has done such a sterling job with its monitoring of contractors
He clearly does not know how to click on a tweet to see someones profile and establish their identity before posting silly tweets. One hopes he takes more time to learn his lines when he returns to Pantoland!
You thought wrongly nameless person.— David Longstaff (@David_Longstaff) May 8, 2018
If you’d read the budget you’d know they used the allowances they cut for other projects.
The police Officers and Fairness Commission were new projects coming from Council Reserves. https://t.co/JDCkMKIxpE
3. Perhaps the most surreal tweet award goes to Rohit Grover. I quite like Rohit and he's a sensible bloke. I hope he invites some of his more 'exciteable' colleagues around to discover some inner peace.
The election is over. I've basically spent the past few days in the garden with the family and this chap. I'd commend it, or similar, to all participants. pic.twitter.com/tbLAb4TVZu— Rohit Grover (@RohitGroverHGS) May 6, 2018
4. I'm not entirely sure that "now I've won the election, I can b@gger off on holiday" is the best message to spend to your voters.
Just back from a lovely post-election trip to Edinburgh. Great weather and beautiful views. pic.twitter.com/nXQLNsl28Q— Cllr. Thomas Smith (@Tom_Smith26) May 7, 2018
5. And we finish our little tour of "interesting Tory posts" from councillors, with one from one of my favourite Tory activists, who isn't a Councillor. It is from Nicole Richer. Nicole stood as a candidate in Burnt Oak and put in a sterling performance, almost doubling the Tory vote but not winning! (Know the feeling Nicole - well not the Tory bit, but you get my drift!). Nicole posted this heartwarming selection of pictures of local colleagues. I predict a bright future for Nicole in the Tory Party locally.
The one of Elliot, Laithe and Lachma in Hale is a lovely picture. All three look absolutely made up that all their hard work has paid off. They are all decent chaps. I am however rather puzzled by the expression on the face of Val Duschinsky though. She looks as if she's been caught with her hand in the biscuit tin. One can only speculate who the brown envelopes are for this time, as she is widely credited as the power behind the throne and the person responsible for deselecting Councillors Sury Khatri and Joan Scannell (at least that's what Sury tells me). My advice to all of the other Tory councillors out there. If you see Val coming with a brown envelope, be afraid. Be very afraid. Stay on her good side. You won't like her when she's angry!
Congratulations to our wonderful candidates across @BarnetTories we are so proud of you all! #wekeptbarnetblue pic.twitter.com/28i8GKa4Iz— Nicole Richer (@nikkiar) 4 May 2018
As to the way forward for Labour. I will leave it to my old friend Brian Coleman to give us his verdict. I am not in complete disgreement either. At least it would be a bit more fun in the Town Hall. Personally I'd pick Ross Houston, but Kath would be a close second.
Time for a new Labour Leader . @RedKaff is the best they have— Brian Coleman (@BrianColeman251) 8 May 2018
Monday, 7 May 2018
My final words on the 2018 Barnet Council Elections
Before I started writing this blog, I looked back at what I said after the 2010 Barnet Council Election, when I last stood for Barnet Council. I started off the blog I wrote with these words "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."
Sadly both Sury and Brian have departed the Mill Hill Scene, Brian in 2014 after a bout of ill health (happily he is over that) and Sury this year, after a rather spiteful deselection process within the local Tories. One of the things I enjoyed most at the count was the opportunity to chat to John Hart. John is always great company, even at 5am in the morning after a gruelling night. John is a gentlemen and knows how to take both defeat and victory. John said to me "Keep going, you are a Mill Hill person and we need people like you around, even if we don't always agree". John has class. Golnar Bokaei is the new girl on the block. She was very pleasant to me at the hustings and at the count. She was polite and gracious and behaved with good manners and dignity. I wish her well and hope that she repays the trust that the people of Mill Hill have placed in her. As to the other victorious candidate. I hope that she does a good job for Mill Hill. I can really say no more after Thursday night, it would be ungracious.
As to the Labour candidates. Mike and Catherine Barker are lovely people. They would make fantastic councillors, both are community minded. For them, I suspect that their chief concern was the devastating loss that their daughter Rachel suffered in Hale ward, which was Barnet Labours top target. Sadly rumours were spread on the doorsteps by some who should know better that Rachel was a "typical Corbynite, Momentum supporting, University activist, with no foot in reality and no commitment to Hale". I should imagine that Mike and Catherine are very hurt that people should propagate such porkies on the doorstep. When I was told that by by Hale residents I was shocked. Not least because it couldn't be further from the truth. Mike, Catherine and Rachel are good people. I wish them all well and look forward to continuing to work with Mike on the Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum. Rachel will recover and come back stronger and more energised. Maybe she'll also have learned a vital life lesson that politics can be very cruel and people say bad things.
There are literally dozens of people that deserve thanks for helping our campaign. We doubled the Lib Dem vote from the last election, which is amazing. Mill Hill polled the most votes for the Lib Dems of any ward in the Borough, which speaks volumes for our team. Donna and Richard were a pleasure to work with, we are lucky to have a similar sense of humour and mischief. Our agent, Alasdair Hill also worked his socks off. Our team of deliverers also deserve a massive amount of praise. We delivered far more leaflets than any other party.
Before the elections, Richard asked me what we should do if we lost. I said that it all depended how we did. I said that if we didn't see a marked improvement in the Lib Dem vote from 2014, then it was pointless wasting all the energy. I said I'd simply give up local politics and concentrate on my business interests if I got less than a viable amount. Richard asked me for a number. I replied "1,200". What did I get?
It seems the good Lord has a sense of humour. Reading the runes, I take the message as "not this time son, but keep working your socks off".
There were five messages people told us on the doorstep. These were as follows.
1. Mill Hill Residents do not want development on the green belt.
2. Mill Hill Residents want action on crime, public safety, vandalism and anti social behaviour
3. Mill Hill Residents want no truck with racists and anti semites
4. Mill Hill Residents want our roads and pavements to be properly maintained
5. Mill Hill Residents do not want to see the character of our neighbourhood destroyed
Our canvassing and polling confirmed this time and time again. What the ballot boxes delivered was a message that we hadn't convinced enough people locally that we were the party to deliver that. As myself, Donna and Richard are all committed to the above principles, it is clear that the only message for us is that we have to work harder. We have to hold the newly elected Conservative Councillors to account every time over the next four years that they fail the residents of Mill Hill on these principles. Myself, Donna and Richard only decided to stand for election last September. We did this realising that it would be an almost impossible ask to win, but we felt we could put our messages on the agenda. It seems that this wasn't long enough to get the message across to everyone. Although we knocked on nearly every door in Mill Hill, many people weren't in and we needed to get around 2 or 3 times. Now the votes are counted, we have all committed to staying at the heart of community, to ensure that next time, every voter in Mill Hill will know who we are and what we stand for. We will be there fighting for all of the principles listed above and we will ensure that any action taken by the council which undermines these is fought by the whole community. We managed to double our vote on the back of six months work campaigning. If we had started six months earlier, who knows what we could have achieved? It may not be easy, it may be a thankless task at times, but 1,200 people in Mill Hill expressed their faith in me personally to represent them. I am not going to walk away now. The campaign for the 2022 Council elections started last Saturday and it WILL be different next time. Mill Hill may not have Lib Dem Councillors for the next four years, but you will have a team of committed community activists, fighting every corner for you. If you want to join and help us build a local organisation that will make a change, click here to email us.
On Saturday, one of the victorious Conservative Councillors said to me at the Mill Hill Street Market "Haven't you realised the election campaign is over". It may be for her, for us it has just begun. We believe that representing the community is a full time job. It's not about politics, it's about looking after where you live and making sure your family and those of your friends and neighbours are safe and secure.
Onwards and Upwards!
Great to see the Mill Hill litter pickers out in action today! pic.twitter.com/KWQz6vHpD5— A Better Mill Hill (@ABetterMillHill) May 5, 2018
Sadly both Sury and Brian have departed the Mill Hill Scene, Brian in 2014 after a bout of ill health (happily he is over that) and Sury this year, after a rather spiteful deselection process within the local Tories. One of the things I enjoyed most at the count was the opportunity to chat to John Hart. John is always great company, even at 5am in the morning after a gruelling night. John is a gentlemen and knows how to take both defeat and victory. John said to me "Keep going, you are a Mill Hill person and we need people like you around, even if we don't always agree". John has class. Golnar Bokaei is the new girl on the block. She was very pleasant to me at the hustings and at the count. She was polite and gracious and behaved with good manners and dignity. I wish her well and hope that she repays the trust that the people of Mill Hill have placed in her. As to the other victorious candidate. I hope that she does a good job for Mill Hill. I can really say no more after Thursday night, it would be ungracious.
We are on the Broadway this morning to say two things; thank you to everyone who voted for us and that we are not going away - we will continue to hold Barnet Council and @BarnetTories to account... pic.twitter.com/zxmPl5IDOV— Mill Hill Lib Dems (@millhilllibdems) May 5, 2018
As to the Labour candidates. Mike and Catherine Barker are lovely people. They would make fantastic councillors, both are community minded. For them, I suspect that their chief concern was the devastating loss that their daughter Rachel suffered in Hale ward, which was Barnet Labours top target. Sadly rumours were spread on the doorsteps by some who should know better that Rachel was a "typical Corbynite, Momentum supporting, University activist, with no foot in reality and no commitment to Hale". I should imagine that Mike and Catherine are very hurt that people should propagate such porkies on the doorstep. When I was told that by by Hale residents I was shocked. Not least because it couldn't be further from the truth. Mike, Catherine and Rachel are good people. I wish them all well and look forward to continuing to work with Mike on the Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum. Rachel will recover and come back stronger and more energised. Maybe she'll also have learned a vital life lesson that politics can be very cruel and people say bad things.
There are literally dozens of people that deserve thanks for helping our campaign. We doubled the Lib Dem vote from the last election, which is amazing. Mill Hill polled the most votes for the Lib Dems of any ward in the Borough, which speaks volumes for our team. Donna and Richard were a pleasure to work with, we are lucky to have a similar sense of humour and mischief. Our agent, Alasdair Hill also worked his socks off. Our team of deliverers also deserve a massive amount of praise. We delivered far more leaflets than any other party.
Before the elections, Richard asked me what we should do if we lost. I said that it all depended how we did. I said that if we didn't see a marked improvement in the Lib Dem vote from 2014, then it was pointless wasting all the energy. I said I'd simply give up local politics and concentrate on my business interests if I got less than a viable amount. Richard asked me for a number. I replied "1,200". What did I get?
| Tichborne | Roger Martin | Liberal Democrat | 1200 |
There were five messages people told us on the doorstep. These were as follows.
1. Mill Hill Residents do not want development on the green belt.
2. Mill Hill Residents want action on crime, public safety, vandalism and anti social behaviour
3. Mill Hill Residents want no truck with racists and anti semites
4. Mill Hill Residents want our roads and pavements to be properly maintained
5. Mill Hill Residents do not want to see the character of our neighbourhood destroyed
Our canvassing and polling confirmed this time and time again. What the ballot boxes delivered was a message that we hadn't convinced enough people locally that we were the party to deliver that. As myself, Donna and Richard are all committed to the above principles, it is clear that the only message for us is that we have to work harder. We have to hold the newly elected Conservative Councillors to account every time over the next four years that they fail the residents of Mill Hill on these principles. Myself, Donna and Richard only decided to stand for election last September. We did this realising that it would be an almost impossible ask to win, but we felt we could put our messages on the agenda. It seems that this wasn't long enough to get the message across to everyone. Although we knocked on nearly every door in Mill Hill, many people weren't in and we needed to get around 2 or 3 times. Now the votes are counted, we have all committed to staying at the heart of community, to ensure that next time, every voter in Mill Hill will know who we are and what we stand for. We will be there fighting for all of the principles listed above and we will ensure that any action taken by the council which undermines these is fought by the whole community. We managed to double our vote on the back of six months work campaigning. If we had started six months earlier, who knows what we could have achieved? It may not be easy, it may be a thankless task at times, but 1,200 people in Mill Hill expressed their faith in me personally to represent them. I am not going to walk away now. The campaign for the 2022 Council elections started last Saturday and it WILL be different next time. Mill Hill may not have Lib Dem Councillors for the next four years, but you will have a team of committed community activists, fighting every corner for you. If you want to join and help us build a local organisation that will make a change, click here to email us.
On Saturday, one of the victorious Conservative Councillors said to me at the Mill Hill Street Market "Haven't you realised the election campaign is over". It may be for her, for us it has just begun. We believe that representing the community is a full time job. It's not about politics, it's about looking after where you live and making sure your family and those of your friends and neighbours are safe and secure.
Onwards and Upwards!
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