The tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet- 21/03/2015

Well here its is again, the weeks most popular regular feature. And without further ado.....

1. Great picture reminding us that North West London used to be the hub of world enginerring and manufacturing

Boosey & Hawkes ‏@Boosey_London Mar 12

Woodwind manufacture underway in the factory at Edgware, 1950s #tbt #booseyarchive 

2.  Mark Amies has noticed that Capita have changed the job adverts page in Barnet since the One Barnet contracts were signed

Mark Amies @Superfast72  ·  Mar 15

The only Barnet jobs advertised are for schools, because everything else is outsourced to Capita.

 

3. Danny Lloyd is enjoying a bit of demolition in Colindale. Have to admit that's a job I hink I may enjoy

Danny Lloyd ‏@BCLcommercial Mar 10

All works proceeding as planned at colindale. Our CAT 345 is earning her keep and looking good doing it

. 

 

4. Julia Landau-Pope is enjoying a chat with Spike Milligan!

Juliet Landau-Pope ‏@jlpcoach Mar 13

Good morning Spike! @stephenshouse #finchley #London 

 

 

5. Basil is getting hot under the collar about a bung for well off landlords from Barnet Council.

Basil ‏@flipsache 2h2 hours ago

@barnetbugle @lokwauk @OurWestHendon @FocusE15 @BarnetHaction @radicalhousing Only the rich get handouts in #Barnet

 

 

 

6. The Edgware Ward panel are getting excited about a new community centre for Mill Hill

Edgware Ward Panel ‏@InsideEdgware Mar 19

Barnet Borough Council's assets, regeneration and growth committee approves plans for Mill Hill community hub.... http://fb.me/47kQKBkne

7. Want to save your local library, details of the march here, courtesy of Barnet Unison

barnet_unison ‏@barnet_unison 3h3 hours ago

March For Libraries Tour begins Saturday 28 March 11 am start Details here http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/sites/default/files/Route%20of%20March%20for%20Libraries.%20Edgware%20to%20Burnt%20Oak%20to%20Mill%20Hill%2028th%20March%202015.pdf … 

8. Seems like Fr Gregory at All Saints is a keen astrologer? Or maybe he just likes Bonnie Tyler!

Fr Gregory Platten @gregoryplatten  ·  Mar 20

A good and prosperous day for Bonnie Tyler today. #eclipse #eclipse2015

9.  Terence S Clarke is annoyed with "Burnt Oak Council" for trying to evict a 96 year old. We are inclined to agree with him (although it looks like it is actually Brents Labour Council)

Terence S Carter ‏@terencescarter Mar 21

The Burnt Oak council should be ashamed! The poor exchange from being an ex POW living at home, to being a... http://fb.me/6GhmI71us

10. JJ and the Ukettes are most excited to be playing at the Mill Hill Music Festival!

 

JJ & The Ukettes ‏@JJukettes Mar 17

Check out the full @millhillfest line up here and book some tickets! http://millhillmusicfest.co.uk

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That's all folks, have a great week!

The Saturday List #77 - Strange, stupid and downright dishonest - What our politicians say

Yesterday we saw a rather amusing and bizzare tweet from disgraced former Tory GLA rep for Barnet, none other than Brian Coleman. Brian said

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 Mar 19

@Barneteye All Great politicians have a temper Churchill, Gordon Brown , Mrs T and these days they have stalkers and Internet trolls as well

Now of the many things I never thought I'd hear, Brian listing Gordon Brown up there with Churchill and Thatcher amongst the greats was not one. So in light of this, what other subject could we have for our Saturday list, than the stupid things politicians say.

1. There can only be one winner - UKIP Councillor David Silvester blamed flooding on same sex marriage legislation - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-25793358 

2. Perhaps the funniest claim was made by the Leader of Barnet Council, back in 2009, when he claimed that publishing the councils spending would put an end to "Bloggers and leakers" - http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4719733.Online_accounts_to_end__bloggers_and_leakers__says_councillor/ - That went well, didn't it Richard?

3. Another absolute belter was the current Tory MP Mike Freer, claimin in 2002 that "You can't let ideology get in the way of providing quality services and value for money." - http://www.times-series.co.uk/archive/2002/05/30/6330229._All_options__explored_for_learning_disabilities_services/ -  when talking about social services in Barnet. Anyone who has followed Freers career knows that he specifically ruled out performing a public sector comparator in Barnet, just in case it showed in house services were cheaper. So much for not letting ideology get in the way.

4. Hendon MP Matthew Offord is part of a government which has seen more library closures than any other. Public services have been run down at an alarming rate. So what do you think of this statement from Offord in 2008 "“We certainly want to make our services most relevant to the people within the community and that includes upgrading our current library’s stock and buildings, and also renewing, improving and refurbishing new libraries in the communities" - http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/3561266.Revamped_libraries_enter_new_chapter/ - always interesting to see what wannabee MP's say before they get into power and how it works out.

5. And perhaps the oddest quote of all. Nigel Farage said about the UKIP manifesto in 2010 'I didn't read our 2010 manifesto. It was drivel. 486 pages of drivel" - Who was the leader of UKIP then? Yup, you guessed it! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25879302

6.  Just to show we are not simply picking on right wing plonkers, who could forget when Ed Balls was asked if he could name a businessman who had donated money to the Labour party recently. Mr Balls replied " 'Bill somebody'" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31125998

Have a great Saturday. I hope your fave team won. Mine just have!

The Friday Joke - 20/3/2015

Well not strictly a joke, but I thought this was hilarious. Brian Coleman has just tweeted his top three great PM's. You may be surprised at the list!

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 14h14 hours ago

@Barneteye All Great politicians have a temper Churchill, Gordon Brown , Mrs T and these days they have stalkers and Internet trolls as well

So there you go. Brian Coleman likes Churchill, Gordon Brown and Mrs Thatcher ( I assume he's not referring to my wife, who is also Mrs T).


Lets not forget that Brian was an architect of One Barnet. Here's a little video showing how this is going and what the future has in store.

 

Cyril Smith and the British Establishment

It is now 100% clear that peadophile MP Cyril Smith was the subject of a criminal conspiracy, which allowed him to molest children for decades. Now I am not normally one to subscribe to conspiracy theories but in this case it is impossible to draw any other conclusion. Cyril Smith was not a minister. He was not an important figure. So why could he lead such a charmed life? The only reasonable conclusion is thar he was part of a ring of people who had power and influence and used it in e most malign way possible. For senior police officers to be warned off, the only conclusion can be that the corruption was at the highest levels of government. And if the highest level of the British Establishment is simply a front for perverts to molest children, then God help us. It is extremely disturbing. If a minor figure like Cyril Smith could be allowed to Get away with it, then goodness knows how many others are involved and what terrible things have been officially sanctioned. Perhaps the most worrying thing is that the establishment clearly has no appetite to see this exposed. And that can only mean one thing. It is still rife.

Enjoy your weekend.

If we can afford tax cuts why can't we afford proper treatment for NHS cancer patients

Today we saw one of the most sickening pieces of gutter politics I have ever seen. George Osborne claimed that Britain was "walking tall again".  If the economy is so marvellous why can't we afford decent care for cancer patients on the NHS.  How on earth can cutting taxes for the rich be more important than ensuring people with cancer receive proper treatment? Last week I made my views crystal clear on the state of the NHS in this blog http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rog-ts-cancer-blog-part-ii-friday-13th.html  where I explained how the Royal Free Trust has got such a long waiting list that people such as me are getting telephone calls rather than proper consultations. The reason "They don't have enough meeting rooms and there are too many patients".

How would you feel about getting a phonecall from a bloke you've never heard of, to tell you that you need an operation? The treatment of some of the people who have contacted me about cancer treatment is simply beyond belief and it is getting worse.

Now there is a myth and a lie that we can't afford to treat everyone properly who needs medical treatment within the NHS. The sad truth is that by rationing treatments, patients are not treated at an early stage and so when they finally get the treatment they need, it is more expensive and less likely to be successful.  Cancer has one mission in life and that is to spread. The sooner it is diagnosed and treated the better that is for the patient and the cheaper it is, in the long term, for the NHS. And every orphan created by the starvation of funds for the treatment of their parent is a burden on social services budget.

The letter in the picture explains how my appointment to discuss results of my MRI scan was replaed with a phone call. This is purely a cost cutting measure. Just suppose I was displaying symptoms that a qualified doctor would recognise as a worsening of my condition. How would he see it over the phone? If I told him I had symptoms, how could he examine me?

But the papers will not talk about this starvation of funds. The Tory press will be full of how much better off we are with a few quid more in our wallets. If you are considering voting for Mr Osborne, just consider this fact. One in four men over 50 has prostate cancer and most don't know it. You could be voting to ration your own treatment and all to give you the price of a coffee in Tax Dodging coffee emporiums.

Cancer treatment is not the only area of the NHS being squeezed. It is however the one I've seen with my own eyes. If we have spare cash, surely the first priority of a sane chancellor, who cared for the population of the UK is to properly fund their wellbeing. The only reason I can think of that they wouldn't is because they are power hungry maniacs. That may sound a bit on the strong side, but when you've seen a friend die in agony from cancer, you realise what Mr Osborne is condemning people to. There is no torture that anyone has ever dreamed of worse than the pain of a slow death from cancer. So what do we conclude about a man who rations the treatments for that, purely to give his rich mates a pre election bung?

Hendon MP Special - Matthew Offord emerges from his slumbers!

Great news, Spring is here. Every five years, in spring, a miraculous sight emerges. Sleepy MP's wake from their slumbers and embark on a frantic period of activity, where all of a sudden, you can't even walk down the road without meeting them. The public, who they normally avoid like the plague, suddenly become the most important thing in their lives!

In Hendon our sleepy MP is suddenly all over the press with stories like these

New road opens in Grahame Park 

Post office re-opens after refurbishment 

Post offices are refurbished, roads are opened. Yup, when its election time all of a sudden, our Matthew turns up. We wonder what happened to his plans to open a cheese shop in Mill Hill, his main election pledge in 2015.

Our advice is to enjoy Matthew while you can. Even his Tory mates have given up on him

9 seats that will decide who wins the General Election ...

The Met Police Paedophile cover up

It is emerging that the Met Police suppressed inquiries into paedophile activity by powerful politicians and diplomats. It is quite clear what needs to happen. The Police need to conduct a full and thorough investigation and start arresting people. Once people realise that they might go to prison, they might actually start to cooperate. Given the zeal with which they've gone after minor celebrities, it is clear that they can when they have the will. I suspect that this is all being suppressed until after the election. We can only speculate as to why.

10 ways to spot a cheapskate!

Everyone hates a cheapskate! But how can you spot them? Here are a few tell tale signs.

1.  When vistors come, they put low quality toilet paper in the loo!

2. When they are at the pub, they have the premium lager when it's everyone elses round and the cooking lager when its their turn to pay.

3.  When they phone your mobile, they let it ring once, then ring off, knowing you will call them straight back.

4. If you go out for a meal, if they have the most expensive items and you have cheap ones, they suggest splitting the bill, but if they have the cheapo stuff, they want a separate bill.

5. If their kids attend your kids party, they conveniently "forget" the present, in the knoweldge that by the time the party is over, you'll have forgotten all about it.

6. If they are parking in a car park which does all day tickets, they will circle around, waiting for someone to leave, so they can park next to them and get their ticket.

7. If they have a dinner party and you bring a top dollar bottle of wine, they put it in the cupboard for later, then dish out the awful cheap plonk they have been waiting to get rid of for years.

8. If you smoke and you see them in the pub, they've always "just run out of fags" and they are waiting until tomorrow when their mate comes with the cheap duty free ones.

9. If you take their kids for a day out, they don't give them any spending cash, knowing you'll feel sorry for the poor mites and stump up, so they don't miss out.

10. If you have to go on a long journey, they will pick up the metro, then as soon as they've read it after 10 minutes, ask for the bits of your decent newspaper, that you are not reading

We all hate a cheapskate, don't we? But if we hate this sort of behaviour in individuals, why should we tolerate it when our council indulges in Cheapskate behaviour with the disabled, the elderly and the vulnerable.

In Barnet, under the current Tory regime sadly we have a cheapskate local authority.  Here are a few examples of their cheapskate policies, which sadly cause much grief.

1. Using "ALMO" organisations to cut wages for staff, so councillors don't get the blame, resulting in plummetting care standards for the disabled and the vulnerable.

2.  Cutting transport for the disabled to care centres, so they can't attend and then they can claim day centres are underused and shut them.

3. Increasing the cost of teas and coffees etc at facilities for disabled way beyond the rate of inflation or the cost of the ingredients.

4. Outsourcing meals on wheels services to lowest bidder contractors, who have scant regard for taste and nutritional value of the food supplied to our elderly citizens, and are solely interested in maximising profits.

5. Replacing experienced staff who know client needs with low paid replacements, short term agency staff and totally unsuitable contractors, some of whom lack basic security checks and accreditation.

We can all laugh about the sad individuals who indulge in cheapskatery after the event, sadly when it is peoples care, it just aint funny is it?

The Tweets of the Week in the London Borough of Barnet - 15/3/2015

So here it is. This weeks installment of our fave weekly feature. The good, the bad and the truly bizarre tweets in our little corner of London. There have been a few crackers, let me tell you!


1. The biggest twitter storm this week was the arrival of Russell Brand to give the locals at Sweets Way, who are facing eviction, a little bit of moral support

Russell Brand @rustyrockets  ·  12h 12 hours ago

You can stop hopeless Barnet and greedy Annington developers putting these kids on the street https://www.change.org/p/annington-barnet-homes-we-demand-that-annington-and-barnet-homes-stop-the-demolition-of-the-sweets-way-estate-stop-the-evictions-of-current-residents-and-offer-decanted-residents-the-right-to-return-to-their-former-homes-at-truly-affordable-rents …

2. Sunny Neuroshima saw a sight to behold in Burnt Oak, but behaved like a perfect gentleman!

Sunny Neuroshima ‏@Tube_Driver Mar 12

Young woman changing her top on Burnt Oak platform. Being the gentleman that I am, I averted my gaze.

3. Peter Chenery is less than impressed with Lidl in Edgware. Perhaps thats how they keep the prices down!

peter chenery ‏@peterchenery98 21h21 hours ago

@LidlUK one till open at Edgware. Are you taking the piss?

 4. For those of us in the Borough who use Thameslink, this is no surprise!

commutelondon.com ‏@commuteldn Mar 9

The most commonly used words in Tweets about #londonbridge last week. @Se_Railway @TLRailUK @SouthernRailUK

5. Love this picture from Robert Hogan of a rather novel way to take tea at Finchley swimming pool in the 1930's. When did we lose our sense of style?

Robert Hogan ‏@RobertH1946 6h6 hours ago

"@robnitm: Tea on the diving board at Finchley Swimming Pool, 1938. " Help! Vertigo!

 

 6. The Londonist are getting excited because we've got a Literary Festival coming our way!

Londonist ‏@Londonist Mar 13

#Hendon - there's a free literary festival heading your way http://bit.ly/1MsQXid 

 


7. Yum Yum, you can sample Helens tasty buns at Cafe Buzz today!

Helen Michael ‏@BuzzingHelen Mar 14

Our wonderful real bread. Choose your bread, choose your filling. Get fresh delicious sandwich made for you.Cafe Buzz

 

8. The RAF Museum are holding a special event for International Womens day

RAF Museum ‏@RAFMUSEUM Mar 12

RT @barnetsouthgate: #InternationalWomensDay event 28 March at @RAFMUSEUM #Colindale: http://goo.gl/mT9Xqs  

 

 

9. Michael J HOuse complains that North Londons worst planned event is causing chaos at Mill Hill East this morning. Just shows that the Mill Hill East station is not fit for purpose and needs a serious redevelopment to cope with the massive new development next door.

Michael House ‏@MichaelJHouse 29m29 minutes ago

15 minute wait at Mill Hill East so far trying to get to @northlondonhalf not ideal prep in 5 degrees!










 

10.  Aa great, sultry picture from Rob Finlay, as he starts working on his new album in Mill Hill

Rob Finlay ‏@RobFinlayMusic Mar 13

Working on new tracks for upcoming #gigs @MillHillMusicCo. Getting back to work after the year of the #ear! 

 

Thats all for this week, hope you have a great week!!!!!

Rog T's Cancer Blog - Friday the 13th - Part III - Redemption

First of all, thanks to everyone who expressed their concern and care after the two blogs I wrote yesterday (http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rog-ts-cancer-blog-friday-13th-day-of.html &  http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rog-ts-cancer-blog-part-ii-friday-13th.html ) about the latest stage in my journey and the frustrations I had yesterday. 

I thought I'd just post a little follow up, as it doesn't tell the whole story of my day. From what I wrote, you may reasonably expected me to fall into a bit of a blue period. I took an hour out of my schedule to take the call and digest it, then I had to work. Work is a great thing for the soul. It forces us to focus on things other than the problems in our life. When many people fall ill, they stop work and fall into periods of depression. I prefer the alternative. I prefer to throw myself into work.

If you work with someone who is suffering from cancer, don't automatically assume that they want less work and less stress. Some stress is good stress. If somene tells you they have cancer, I would say that the correct response is "Is this something you'd like to discuss and how can I help you get through this". In my case, the answer is that I have no sympoms at the moment so I don't really need any help, but if I get a bit tense around the time of tests etc, please bear with me. As far as I am concerned, for people in my situation, on active surviellance, the issues are purely psychological. All I ask is that if I am a bit short sometime, maybe make a slight allowance as I may have things on my mind. 

When we have setbacks and stress, it is not inevitable that we fall into depression, but we need help and support to cope. Now quite by chance, I had the best possible therapy for my feelings of  stress and frustration. I had a rehearsal booked with my band, The False Dots. We have recently been doing some recordings and it was a first opportunity to get into the studio and review the recordings. So myself, Allen, Fil and Graham arrived at the studio shortly after 5pm. We spent a couple of hours reviewing the recordings and Allen did some vocal overdubs. I was actually amazed at just how great some of the songs sound. I was particularly pleased with my own guitar playing on some of the tracks. I am not a great technical player, but I like to think I've got good feel for music. I was really pleased with the way the recordings came across. They are rough pre prod takes to allow us to refine the arrangements, however I loved the raw energy. They were recorded completely live and there is  a real energy in the recordings.

We spent the final hour playing through the 15 songs that make up our set. We have written two new  songs - "Saturday", a football anthem about our love for the experience of going to a match and "In a Silent Place" which is a song about catching up with a long lost love via Facebook - it is a song about finding yourself. Both are co-written by Allen and myself. I am really pleased with them. We have also reprised "The Fern House" which was the last song we worked on in 1985 before Allen quit the band. It sounds amazing. Interestingly I think we play it far better now than we did when we wrote it originally. For some rather intangible reason, we were on fire. We finished the set as we always do, with "Action Shock", which is a song I wrote in 1982. It was based on an interview I saw with a British Paratrooper in the Falklands on TV. He said "When I see my enemy on the battlefield, one of us will not survive. I can't afford to worry about his feelings" in repsonse to a rather stupid question that is lost in the sands of time.  It is an extremely powerful song and one which always gets a response. I think yesterday we played it better than we have ever played it. I don't think any band on the planet would wanted to have followed us after that rendition.

We left the studio absolutely buzzing. I have not felt higher (and I had no stimualtory help) ever. I adjourned to the Mill Hill Services Club with Graham and had a great chat and a few beers. I returned home and was still buzzing at 11.30pm. To try and wind down, I got my two dogs and went for a walk around Mill Hill Park. There is a spot where you can sit and watch the a panoramic view of West London. I just sat there and watched the world go by as the dogs romped around.

In the peace and calm, I assessed my day and my life. I am truly blessed in my life. I have challenges, I have problems, but I have friends, I have a family and I have love. Graham commented that the best thing about our current line up is that we all lift each other continually as we play. It was a day when I needed a lift and I got the most massive lift imaginable. I had expected to wake up this morning with a grim outlook. Instead, here I am positive and looking forward. Music is one of the most powerful tools we have in life. It can change pour mood and it can give us strength. At the top of this blog, I posted a link to "Born to be Blue" By Steve Miller. This is a beautiful track and is one of the tracks I listen to when I am feeling down and need inspiration. Times of down and hardship help us find ourselves, however "no man is an island".  We need the love and support of our friends to get through. If you have any crisis in your life, this will show you who your real friends are. If you have a friend who is having a crisis, now is your chance to shine. Don't be too busy for your friends. If you've not read my blogs from yesterday, then please do. You will see that, without even knowng it ( I didn't tell the band about my issues beyond saying I'd had a bad day) they have transformed how I am feeling about life. All they had to do was be there and get on with it.

So if you were worrying about me, please don't. I am in a good place.