Tuesday 18 May 2010

A message to the Labour Party in Barnet

Dear Barnet Labour Party,

There is no nice way to say this. I am saying this because the people of Barnet desperately need you to change, probably more than any local Labour party anywhere in the UK. I know that this will make me no friends at all, but frankly I really don't care anymore. I am saying this because if no one says it and no one does anything, then it is a total betrayal of the people who have supported  you, the working people of Barnet. Every single Labour party member in Barnet should read this and ask themselves "How did we let this happen?"

You are a disgrace and you've let the people of Barnet down badly. Barnet Council is run by a completely useless Conservative administration. Not only have they shown themselves to be financially incompetent, but they have embarked on a war against the poor, the vulnerable, the weak and their own employees. This campaign is called Future Shape. If you are a member of the Barnet Labour party, you either know about this and have done sweet FA about it, which is a disgrace or you don't know about it which is even worse. This is a plan to completely privatise all council functions, sell off all of the councils assets and reduce the council down to a core of highly paid officials and councillors, who sit in Ivory towers allocating lucrative contracts to private companies. This will  relocate thousands of jobs out of Barnet, causing poverty and deprivation. Where have the stalls been on the high street to fight this? Where have the leaflets been explaining why it is vital for Labour to kick the Tories out of the Town Hall? Where have the activists been marching up and down the high streets saying to people "Do you agree with these policies, if not join us". What about Barnet Councils war on Sheltered Housing tenants? Have you been marching up and down the High Street saying "They can't get away with this" Have you been saying to everyone you know "We can beat this, but only if we get off our lazy fat arses and do something". Where have the stalls been? Where have the pickets been. Oh yes, I hear you say "Andrew Dismore and Alison Moore were at the front of the March against sheltered housing in Finchley last year". Trouble was that they had no part in the organisation, they just turned up and hijacked it. Did they make sure that there was a Labour stall out in the High Street building on that, reminding everyone, week after week? No, of course they didn't.

What election leaflets did we get from Labour. Lots and lots from Andrew Dismore telling us how marvellous he was. If these leaflets had said "only a vote for Labour will stop the sheltered housing cuts and only a vote for Labour will stop wholesale privatisation, which will bring poverty and unemployment to Barnet, in big, bold brassy letters, then maybe Mr Dismore would have got the 106 extra votes he needed in Hendon". I have  no doubt whatsoever that if the Labour party had started it's local campaign against the warden cuts and the future shape program last year, and got a stall out in every High Street in Barnet once a month for the last year, they would have followed the example of Brent,Harrow and Camden and taken control of the council. As it was they were all too lazy.

Oh, I hear them say, we didn't have the activists on the ground to do it. Of course you didn't because you only do that by the leadership getting off their arses, organising local meetings, working hard and saying "get out there and get us some activists". Work breeds success and the Barnet Labour party did none. I don't believe the lie that there was nobody interested. I attended a few meetings of the Barnet Community Campaign and there was huge interest in fighting these policies. The sad thing was that the local Lavbour party wasn't. All they were interested in doing was trying to save Andrew Dismores seat. The sad truth is that if they'd campaigned against the council, they'd have swept Dismore in on the backwash. Dismores campaign was built on sand. There were no solid foundations.

Andrew Dismore won because Labour and the Lib Dems controlled the Council and there was a healthy network of local activists. These people worked tirelessly at ground level to fight on local issues and this engaged local people. The key turning point for Andrew was Edgware general hospital, where a huge local campaign swept him into power. Sadly once he got there, local people and local politics were forgotten. That was why the council was lost and that's why it wasn't regained.

I received an email yesterday from Don't Call Me Dave. He's a Conservative who runs the Not The Barnet Times blog. It is shameful that he's done more to oppose future shape, the warden cuts and all of the other inept actions of the Barnet Conservatives than the entire Barnet Labour Party put together. All the Barnet Labour Party had to do to win was say "Read the Not The Barnet Times blog and see why you cannot vote Conservative. This blog is written by a leading Barnet Conservative". They had all of the ammunition they needed from a source of impeccable trustworthyness.

I know that many angry Labour members will say "Well you are in no position to talk, you jumped ship to the Lib Dems". I did this because I believed that the Lib Dems were the only realistic opponents of the Barnet Tories in Mill Hill ward and also because they seemed to understand the need to campaign locally. Sure we lost, but we worked our socks off. We were squeezed by a general election happening on the same day as the council election. We have issues to sort out and lessons to learn, but there is one big difference between Labour and the Lib Dems in London. Labour had a huge swing in most councils apart from Barnet. The Lib Dems didn't. If you are a Labour party member living in Barnet and you don't like what the Council is doing, then get out and get active. Dust down those tressel tables, get that photocopier going and start telling people why they need to kick the Tories out in Barnet Town Hall.  If you start now and you start to reengage with all those lost Labour voters at street level, by the time of the next election you might get there. There will be plenty of local issues for you to fight, given the policies of local and national government. This can only be done from the ground up.

Many people have asked me if I am going to be rejoining the Labour party, following the Lib Dem pact with the Tories. I have thought long and hard about this. As to the deal "I agree with Charles" - Charles Kennedy said he could never vote for such a pact. Having said that, I am Mill Hill through and through and the harsh reality is that only the local Lib Dems offer an alternative to the Tories in this ward. All of my reasons for quitting the Labour party still stand true. As I said to Dont Call Me Dave, the reason that the Tories won in Barnet is because no one believed that the local Labour Party had worked hard enough to prove it was a viable alternative.

I do have one suggestion for the local Labour Party, a parting gift. There is only one person in Barnet who has the skills, capability, knowledge and drive to get you back on the right track. If Alison Moore really is a leader she will lead a delegation around to her place and beg her to become the Barnet Labour party general secretary and not take no for an answer. Give her access to all your cash, all your campaigning resources and let her run the back room show. That person is Vicki Morris and if you do that you will win the Barnet Council back in four years time. If you don't ask her then you deserve oblivion. She knows how to campaign, how to work hard and how to fight.

15 comments:

Citizen Barnet said...

Does this position attract a salary?

Mrs Angry said...

Really, Rog, you have no right to make these judgements unless you, until you joined the Libdems, were a fully committed, campaigning local Labour activist.I don't recall the streets of the borough being full of rioting Libdem protestors over the last few years in oppostion to Futureshape, the warden disgrace etc, and let's face it, there never will be. Don't be so hard on those who were trying to organise the Labour campaign locally: at least they were having a go. And yes in my area we regularly have stalls in the street opposite Tescos and soem very hard working, decent councillors. You really should consider rejoining and motivating the party, I am sure you would contribute enormously - ok you may not be able to stand in Mill Hill but for the greater good maybe you should just let that go. You are never going to be able to compete with that moustachioed charmer John Hart, after all ... Everything you say speaks of your principles being closer to - dare I say it- socialism and the true Labour spirit rather than whatever Libdems stand for now, apart from shamelessly making deals with anyone who will guarantee a few jobs for the boys in government. I can entirely see why you tried the Libdem route in frustration at the perceived apathy and negativity of the Labour opposition, but I don't think you really are at ease with toeing their party line. I've always beleived that if there is something you really feel strongly about, you don't just sit back and moan about it, you join in and fight to change it. Come home where you belong, and help to make the change we all know must come.

Don't Call Me Dave said...

Mrs Angry

I live in Underhill ward which is split 1 Labour 2 Conservatives. The Labour councillor Anita Campbell is a former Mayor and is very popular. The voting is always close here. If there was one ward where Labour could win back seats, it was here. But their solitary election leaflet devoted just one sentence to the warden cuts.

Whoever produced the leaflet decided that a picture of two candidates staring at a pot hole was more important. I have to agree with Rog, this was an inept campaign and Labour got what they deserved. Sadly, however, it is those living in sheltered accommodation who will pay the price.

Rog T said...

Mrs Angry,

I wrote endless letters to the local paper, organised events for Save Edgware General hospital, went along for countless meetings etc to oppose future shape, warden cuts, did the march in Finchley, went around handing out leaflets on the way. This time last year I was out delivering leaflets in Mill Hill for Andrew Dismore.

I thought my time was best spent writing this blog to highlight the incompetence of the Council. I often emailed various councillors and Mr Dismore asking about various issues. I got no support whatsoever, apart from Julie Johnson, who along with her husband I have no criticism for at all.

The only person from the Barnet Labour party who contacted me after the standards case to congratulate me was Nagus, who had personal reason to dislike Coleman, even though Coleman had pilloried me for being a member.

None of this in any way contributed to my decision to leave the Labour party. The thing which triggered this was an emotional response to Alan Johnsons comments congratulating French riot police on their stern action to clear the Sangatte refugee camp. His words were shown on Sky News over a backdrop of women and children being beaten and dragged away. At that moment, all of my various resentments about the New Labour project burst through. Labour have wasted all of the goodwill. The lies in Iraq, the 10p tax band, Peter Mandelson. All of these are reasons why I can't belong to the Labour party.

I'm not interested in courting popularity. If Labour don't wake up to what is happening they are doomed. I don't want to see that.

As to opposition to Future shape etc. I went to all of the relevant council meetings and the Lib Dem Councillors have been far more effective in opposing this than Labour. They did all the hard work on the Iceland issue and were the party that called the emergency debate. Labour were strangely quiet on the whole issue.

Any likley scenario where the Tories are kicked out of the Town Hall in Barnet involves a Lab/Lib coalitiion along the lines of the 1994 - 2002 model.

In short the reason I left the Labour party was because I realised I had an emotional attachment to an organisation which only existed in my head. The real Labour party which ran Great Britain from 1997 - 2010 didn't do most of the things I voted for and did many things I would vote against. I doubt I'll ever fully trust a national party again. As such all I intend to do is campaign on local issues and the Lib Dems are, in my opinion the most effective vehicle for this. Nationally all I've seen is Lab / Lib and Tories enacting a Thatcherite agenda since 1979.

Mrs Angry said...

Whoaa ... hold on DCMD, if the sheltered housing warden cuts go through it will not be because of Labour - let's just remember it is a Tory council which is implementing this shameful policy. You don't want to be associated with this because you are that rare breed (in Barnet at least)- a Tory with a sense of decency and integrity. If Rog is right that the Labour party he supported no longer exists, then so is it true of the mythical Tory party which you want to believe is more representative of you than the Barnet mutation. If you don't like what is happening in Barnet, and you say there are many others like you, why oh why don't you all make the effort to wrest the local party out of the hands of nutters and give the more rational member a say in what happens? Rog, I'm not a party member either because of issues like Iraq, but alot of my objections are now becoming historical as certain politicians begin to fade away and now I'm beginning to wonder if it is enough to sit back and hope it all changes one day: you are obviously a seasoned local campaigner and have done your bit on the issues but maybe the local Labour party needs your input, and others like you, to sort itself out and then go on to really present an effective alternative to the ruling junta of deluded misfits currently filling the council chamber. You are wasting your time and talents with the Libdems, and the local Tories must be very happy about that, sadly.

Rog T said...

Mrs Angry,
As I write this, we're hosting a music taster course for kids aged 14-18 not in education or training at my studios. This is a not for profit for my business (well actually for a big loss) activity. I've just heard that the funders are having their budgets chopped.

The good thing about running a successful firm is I can actually spend some of our profits doing some good locally.

Hopefully one or two kids who are in a studio for the first time today will have different lives as a result. This is the type of activism I'm going to be spending my time organising. Sadly for many kids (your ex neighbours?) they never get the chance to do such things so it never occurs to them to do anything other than create problems.

It is not that expensive to organise community based activities, but people feel their own time is "far too precious" so don't bother. Activism, community spirit. These things seem to be dying.

Mrs Angry said...

Maybe it would be good to involve children with dyslexic difficulties who tend to get overlooked in the educational system and would benefit from such an opportunities. Or perhaps you do already. You are right, thre are different ways of being active, and I hope you carry on blogging as a form of public service!

Don't Call Me Dave said...

Mrs Angry

I do not dispute that it is Lynne Hillan’s Tories who are responsible for the policy to axe the warden service. But that does not absolve Labour. For democracy to work, we need an effective opposition. When Brian Coleman tried to increase infant burial charges by 10% it was the combined efforts of the blogosphere that embarrassed him into reducing the amount. Labour stood by and did nothing. If they had got their act together, as Labour did in all the neighbouring boroughs, they could have won a few more seats and perhaps denied Hillan a majority.

I am reluctant to refer to Hillan as a Conservative because she does not represent the Conservative Party that I joined all those years ago. Indeed, the Conservative Group on Barnet Council is collectively unrepresentative of true Conservative ideology.

No ordinary Conservative members think that scrapping the warden service is a good idea. Most of them recognise that the long term cost of forcing people into care homes is a far more expensive option, but unfortunately, as you point out, the local party is now controlled by nutters. When I was Chairman, the voluntary side of the party ran the show. Now councillors have taken control and what the ordinary members want does not enter the equation. Membership is falling and will continue to do so until the councillors have run the association into the ground, when they will then expect the volunteers to once again pick up the pieces. I suspect they will be disappointed.

Don't Call Me Dave said...

According to the Barnet Times, Alison Moore was re-elected Labour leader last night. I think that proves how useless thay are. Most leaders who lose an election have the decency to resign.

Mrs Angry said...

Know what you mean, DCMD, I feel the same way about Tony Blair posing as a Labour party leader ... but surely someone with your abilities could organise some resistance to the lunatic fringe currently running the shop? For example, why doesn't someone stand as an independent Tory candidate against Coleman and confuse the knee jerk Tory voters in Totteridge? All you have to do is attend a few staggeringly dull social events and flirt with a few old ladies and you'd be in (I've been spying on a few Barnet Tory websites so I have an idea of what the lay of the land is ...)Not too much to ask is it? Close your eyes and think of Winston Churchill/Harold Macmillan/Anthony Eden ...

Anonymous said...

As a Conservative I am rarely moved by much that Labour has to say. But there were frequent examples in the past when reading the Barnet Times you'd come across an article focussing on a Labour campaign that would make you feel uncomfortable or you would think a voter reading it would be moved by.

That hasn't happened to me in a good few years and NEVER when Alison Moore has been Leader. The simple fact is that politically her and the Labour Group are losers.

I'm not sure who is the biggest loser, Alison Moore for claiming big allowances from the taxpayer and doing sweet fanny adams, or the Labour Group for not replacing her with someone with some fire in their guts like McGuirk, Cooke or Schneiderman.

She also messed up at the Council meeting so badly that she lost the Labour group the Chairmanship of the Audit Committee.

Anonymous said...

@DCMD you should know the rules in Barnet. If you WIN an election you are thrown out (like Brian Salinger) but if you CRASH and BURN (like Moore) you're given a slap on the back!

Mrs Angry said...

Seems to me, Daniel and DCMD, that you are more worried about the Labour Party than the party you claim to support. Good of you to care, but now is the time for you to stop being so troubled by Labour's problems and put your own house in order. As Tories, it's rather silly blaming all the ills of the political scene in Barnet on the lack of an effective opposition. This is like the parent of some yob caught vandalising cars telling the police it's the fault of the neighbours for not beating them up when they did it ... if you see what I mean ... You can't keep avoiding the need to confront the appalling failures of your own party: it isn't the Labour group who are going to impose the warden cuts, and all the Futureshape drivel, it is the Conservative councillors, members of the party you belong to. If they are in a position of power, it is because they have been allowed to get there by you lot - dare I say it, maybe you disaffected Tories need to get your own act together before you criticise the opposition.

Rog T said...

Mrs Angry,

Far be it from me to defend our local Tory stalwarts, but David and Dan Hope can't really be criticised with regards to their attitude to the local Tories.

They agree with the National proposition, which is why they still consider themselves Tories. Barnet isn't the first and won't be the last party where it all goes wrong locally.

I think David is particulary blameless given the content of his blog. I know how much work he's put in. I don't agree with many of his political views,but his comments with regards to Barnet are spot on and he's universally respected for his honesty (recognised by the Guardian who made him a top London blogger).

Mrs Angry said...

Absolutely: DCMD is only to be admired for his honesty, courage and perseverence in highlighting th follies of the Barnet Tories but my point is that you cannot blame the opposition for the actions of your own party, embarrassing though they may be. They should stand up to the bullying culture within their party and demand a voice for the decent, reasonable Tory members such as themselves. Or is the case that they are in such a tiny minority that this is a complete waste of time?