Oh No, not me I never lost control. You're face to face with the man who sold the world.
As I saw the video of old chubbychops Brian Coleman in action at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday evening, I contemplated making a video of the old David Bowie song with Coleman on. The sad truth is that until May 2006, we had a vaguely sensible Conservative Council. Then Brian Coleman orchestrated the putsch which deposed Councillor Brian Salinger as Leader and selected Mike Freer. I was no fan of Salinger, but I had no idea of what Freer was like. He was unknown and introduced as a "hard Thatcherite". Freer wanted to make a name for himself. As such he started the "Future Shape" project. The idea is simple Thatcherism. Privatise everything. Just have a few people doing the things required by law.
Now what many people don't realise about Thatcherite Privatisation was that it was never about saving money for the taxpayer. It is about the destruction of the power of the Unions. By fragmenting services, it becomes harder to take effective action. Staff know that if they work for a private supplier and they strike, they are far more likely to lose their job and be thrown onto the dole. As private companies exist to make money for shareholders, a profit must be turned. Whilst this is referred to as efficiency, it usually means paying staff less. Whilst public services often have a degree of spare capacity, this is not always the case in private companies. Whilst it results in cheaper operation, when someone is ill, it means jobs don't get done. If a private company runs a sandwich bar and a member of staff is ill, a queue forms at lunchtime and people go elsewhere. If a community care worker is ill and can't work, if there is no spare capacity, someone gets left without care. Often agency workers will be brought in to cover who are not familair with the needs of the people they care for and are solely motivated to collect the cash and go.
A sensible Council, wishing to embark on a program of privatisation would look for services which are not delivering, analyse why and if a private supplier could be demonstrated to perform the service better, give them the contract. What haas happened in Barnet is that they want the whole shooting match privatised. This has created a mad rush, with corners cut. The Council's own auditors Grant Thornton issued a damning report highlighting the fact that no proper project plan existed and no effective controls were in place.
The crazy thing about the whole project is the fact that it is demonstrably a vanity project for the local Tories. A sensible pragmatic Tory would seek to "cherry pick" projects to ensure that successful outcomes were achieved, each building on the success of the previous ones. A methodology for implementing outsourcing would be developed based on real world problems. Expertise and skills would be developed and as each department was picked off, they would be able to cite past success.
What they have done is go big bang. As the wheels are coming off and the Unions find more and more holes. Sadly for the Tories, this lack of proper planning is likely to ultimately destroy the whole case. Legal challenges will follow and rather than making a sensible business case, they will end up destroying forever the concept of flogging off services. Anyone who has read any of Dexter Whitlock's analysis of the Future Shape / One Barnet model would have to conclude that it is rapidly becoming a replay of General Custers last stand.
The sad truth is that it has cost millions in consultants fees. On Tuesday Barnet implemented a program of vicious cuts to front line services in the Budget. Rather oddly, they could have avoided all of this if they'd cancelled Future Shape and worked with the in house teams for greater efficiency. There would still have been cuts, but many of these could be directed to the layers of management which have been developed to handle the Easy Council model. There are many services which could have been made had council workers on salaries over £75,000 pa had a 5% salary cut and those on over £120,000 had a 10% cut. This would most definately saved enough to save the Lollipop service and sheltered housing wardens.
Barnet Council have adopted a bizarre stance on the whole issue. Councillors are being whipped in scrutiny committees. They have taken to declaring this at the start of the session. What this means is that they are forbidden from demanding further work on projects they no to be defective. It is completely crazy. If they see something needs fixing, they are not allowed to say. What could be more bonkers than shutting people up who are on your side and are trying to make your schemes work properly.
In Mrs Angry's blog about the Council meeting on Tuesday, the final paragraph explained why we are in the mess. Councillor Barry Evangeli had been elected as Deputy Mayor at the fractuous meeting. Amid all the scenes of Security guards manhandling residents, police, Councillors and Officials disagreeing over who could do what, Mr Evangeli emerged beaming with joy. He was chuffed. Why? He'd managed to snaffle a load of cakes, which had been left over from the buffet. If ever Brian Coleman falls under a bus, it seems we have a ready made replacement (note : it's the bit before the Weds update). The Tories in Barnet may "Sell the World" - you and I will have to pay the price.
As I saw the video of old chubbychops Brian Coleman in action at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday evening, I contemplated making a video of the old David Bowie song with Coleman on. The sad truth is that until May 2006, we had a vaguely sensible Conservative Council. Then Brian Coleman orchestrated the putsch which deposed Councillor Brian Salinger as Leader and selected Mike Freer. I was no fan of Salinger, but I had no idea of what Freer was like. He was unknown and introduced as a "hard Thatcherite". Freer wanted to make a name for himself. As such he started the "Future Shape" project. The idea is simple Thatcherism. Privatise everything. Just have a few people doing the things required by law.
Now what many people don't realise about Thatcherite Privatisation was that it was never about saving money for the taxpayer. It is about the destruction of the power of the Unions. By fragmenting services, it becomes harder to take effective action. Staff know that if they work for a private supplier and they strike, they are far more likely to lose their job and be thrown onto the dole. As private companies exist to make money for shareholders, a profit must be turned. Whilst this is referred to as efficiency, it usually means paying staff less. Whilst public services often have a degree of spare capacity, this is not always the case in private companies. Whilst it results in cheaper operation, when someone is ill, it means jobs don't get done. If a private company runs a sandwich bar and a member of staff is ill, a queue forms at lunchtime and people go elsewhere. If a community care worker is ill and can't work, if there is no spare capacity, someone gets left without care. Often agency workers will be brought in to cover who are not familair with the needs of the people they care for and are solely motivated to collect the cash and go.
A sensible Council, wishing to embark on a program of privatisation would look for services which are not delivering, analyse why and if a private supplier could be demonstrated to perform the service better, give them the contract. What haas happened in Barnet is that they want the whole shooting match privatised. This has created a mad rush, with corners cut. The Council's own auditors Grant Thornton issued a damning report highlighting the fact that no proper project plan existed and no effective controls were in place.
The crazy thing about the whole project is the fact that it is demonstrably a vanity project for the local Tories. A sensible pragmatic Tory would seek to "cherry pick" projects to ensure that successful outcomes were achieved, each building on the success of the previous ones. A methodology for implementing outsourcing would be developed based on real world problems. Expertise and skills would be developed and as each department was picked off, they would be able to cite past success.
What they have done is go big bang. As the wheels are coming off and the Unions find more and more holes. Sadly for the Tories, this lack of proper planning is likely to ultimately destroy the whole case. Legal challenges will follow and rather than making a sensible business case, they will end up destroying forever the concept of flogging off services. Anyone who has read any of Dexter Whitlock's analysis of the Future Shape / One Barnet model would have to conclude that it is rapidly becoming a replay of General Custers last stand.
The sad truth is that it has cost millions in consultants fees. On Tuesday Barnet implemented a program of vicious cuts to front line services in the Budget. Rather oddly, they could have avoided all of this if they'd cancelled Future Shape and worked with the in house teams for greater efficiency. There would still have been cuts, but many of these could be directed to the layers of management which have been developed to handle the Easy Council model. There are many services which could have been made had council workers on salaries over £75,000 pa had a 5% salary cut and those on over £120,000 had a 10% cut. This would most definately saved enough to save the Lollipop service and sheltered housing wardens.
Barnet Council have adopted a bizarre stance on the whole issue. Councillors are being whipped in scrutiny committees. They have taken to declaring this at the start of the session. What this means is that they are forbidden from demanding further work on projects they no to be defective. It is completely crazy. If they see something needs fixing, they are not allowed to say. What could be more bonkers than shutting people up who are on your side and are trying to make your schemes work properly.
In Mrs Angry's blog about the Council meeting on Tuesday, the final paragraph explained why we are in the mess. Councillor Barry Evangeli had been elected as Deputy Mayor at the fractuous meeting. Amid all the scenes of Security guards manhandling residents, police, Councillors and Officials disagreeing over who could do what, Mr Evangeli emerged beaming with joy. He was chuffed. Why? He'd managed to snaffle a load of cakes, which had been left over from the buffet. If ever Brian Coleman falls under a bus, it seems we have a ready made replacement (note : it's the bit before the Weds update). The Tories in Barnet may "Sell the World" - you and I will have to pay the price.
13 comments:
Rog,as i am a fan of David Bowie would you be so kind not to associate the great artist with old porkychops by doing a video,thankyou !!..
Now if porkychops were to fall underneath a bus it would not only the damage to the poor bus,but could you imagine the mess it would make, and the cost to the bus company...
"Now what many people don't realise about Thatcherite Privatisation was that it was never about saving money for the taxpayer. It is about the destruction of the power of the Unions. By fragmenting services, it becomes harder to take effective action."
Er, what precisely do you think that the Unions use their iron grip over public services in the 1970s to do? Make them cheaper? Was that how British Leyland and Rover came a cropper as their cars to were too modern and cheap.
No, the Unions used their political power to entrench ineffectual and unproductive working practices and push up wages ahead of increases in productivity ie to price their members out of their jobs.
So privatisation was all about cheaper services but more importantly about providing choice.
Now you can shop around for gas, electricity and telephone services. You can even choose your own telephone handset!
Mike Freer and Brian Coleman are far from Thatcherite. Mrs Thatcher was a shrewd politician with strong convictions. At her heart was a belief in freedom and making individuals stronger, that seems to be missing from many of Freer and Coleman's pronouncements.
I am afraid I must correct your story about Cllr Evangeli. In fact the tupperware box was stuffed with cakes AND some very nice looking biscuits. I am glad that my local tax goes on these treats for our hard working councillors and I think it is quite right that they take the leftovers home rather than, say, give them to a homeless shelter.
Can I say that having been involved in trying to save Barnet Museum, I feel that your nominee Evangelista would have real competition in the "next Coleman stakes" in shape of mini-me Ramsbottom, Master of the Arts and Lord of Culture - Barnet's number one Pledgebanker.
Dan
My family have been associated with the car industry since 1948. The issues with Rover/Leyland etc were more to do with poor management than Unions. Badly run companies/councils allow militant unions to thrive, in fact they encourage them.
Companies such as BMW & Mercedes have union representation on the board. Would you say these companies are badly run.
As to Telecoms. Surely you realise that the reason we have mobile handsets is due to the march of technology. It is odd how advocates of privatisation never mention First Capital Connect as an example (or Railtrack).
Unlike blinkered Thatcherites, I'll concede that some industrys such as Telecoms are better suited to private initiative. Some aren't. Sadly hard line Thatcherites such as Freer will never concede that there are some things the public sector do better.
If you looked at the papers Unison have produced on future shape, I'm sure you'd agree that they have raised many valid issues. Sadly the Council are too pig headed to attempt to improve their own processes. I suspect that Barnet Council workers will become radicalised due to bad Tories rather than Trotskyite unions
MickeyN,
Sorry to disagree with you. Ramsbottom is too thick, useless and lacking in personality to ever step into Porkychops shoes. I'm sure he fantasises about being the next Coleman, but I suspect even that would be a bridge too far for a man of his limited talents. He will forever simply be Twatman to me
Rog T
I cannot disagree with a man who has obviously studied the CV of Ramsbottom (bet that took a full three minutes!).
However, if being thick, useless and lacking in personality disqualifies Rambo from being the next Coleman, how on earth did the current Coleman get the job???
Mickey, you have a point about thick and lazy. Coleman does however have a huge personality. Sadly the hugeness is inversely proportional to the pleasantness.
On the subject of Ramsbottom, when I attended the Council chamber on Monday, I walked up the stairs behind him and Sachin Rajput. Ramsbottom turned bright red and refused to make eye contact.
He looked like I'd caught him out for being a naughty boy. If you read the comments left on my blog on Monday, maybe I had :^)
Rog T
Don't get me started on Rajput! I am a constituent of his and I wrote to him on his webpage email asking for his view on the closure of Barnet Museum. After two weeks and a reminder, he wrote back a long email. First paragraph told me how he usually replies really quickly because he is a great councillor; second paragraph told me that he (a lifelong Barnet resident) had never visited the Museum but that he had visited a number of other noble causes because he is a great councillor; then he finished by telling me that he was voted in on a Conservative mandate and therefore his view of the Museum was the party view - in other words, he was to chicken to depart from the Leaderene/Porky/Rambo line. And that from a self-confessed great councillor!
Jeez Dan!
Mr Hope, you are a hopeless case. Cast your mind back to the miners's dispute: what was that all about? It was an ideological committment by Margaret Thatcher to destroying an entire industry, and condeming countless communities to a future of economic death, simply as a show of will over a union. Not for any economic reason, purely an act of spite. The miners unions were striking to save their industry, not to force up wages. And now here we all are, a hostage to the fortunes of the oil exporting nations of the world, and with many communities in the UK still stuck in a welfare dependent poverty trap after the loss of the major source of employment for so many generations.
Mrs Angry,
You are being a tad unfair to Dan Hope. I don't think his argument stands up to critical analysis, but compared to many of his ex Councillor colleagues, he's quite sane and rational. He's also prepared to put his head above the parapet to get shot at, rather than snivelling behind the ramparts of spin and lies. Strangely enough I actually think that the likes of DCMD and Dan Hope are a big part of the solution in Barnet. They know Hillan & Freer are a disaster for everyone. They know that much of the Future Shape project is a joke and they know that many of the cuts are unnecessary, given waste elsewhere. Barnet needs pragmatic Conservatives to get rid of Hillan and replace her with someone competent. We'd still have many things we don't like, but at least the Council wouldn't be completely run into the ground. As the Tories have a democratic mandate for 3 1/2 years, we are sadly in damage limitation mode.
" with many communities in the UK still stuck in a welfare dependent poverty trap after the loss of the major source of employment for so many generations."
Dan was in shorts at that time, ...and today, that pragmatic Conservative, Osborne's answer is, a step back to the Conservative past of "ENTERPRISE Zones," that did not quite work for those generations. Many of those enterprises never paid back a penny when they left leaving the generation behind Scargill's and my own "NO Strike" union with nothing.
Barnet's Leadership and Poor Management is that Thatcher generation, that Cameron is proud to be. Well we got it again and Rog is right, it is damage limitation, not just Barnet, but also nationwide.
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