Barnets Zombie Councillor - "I only say what I've been told to say"

Yesterday we highlighted how a local Tory Councillor had posted a few tweets which implied that he was not exactly overly familiar with the issues facing the poor and the dispossessed in the London Borough of Barnet. We wondered what his response would be. Would he give us examples of all the great work he's been doing, to show that it is us who is out of touch? Would he highlight the previously unseen compassionate side of the local Tory regime and blast our case out of the water?

We did wonder, we didn't have to wait long to find out. Here's our answer.

Gabriel Rozenberg ‏@rozgab 9h9 hours ago

@BrokenBarnet @Barneteye I read your blog, I observe the tweets, but I’m not on Housing and have not been briefed.

Of all the possible responses I was anticipating, this was not on the list. Gabriel Continued with the theme.

Gabriel Rozenberg ‏@rozgab 9h9 hours ago

@BrokenBarnet @Barneteye I’m keen to engage, but if you want an answer from me on everything LBB does then you’ll end up w/ me (1/2)

Gabriel Rozenberg ‏@rozgab 9h9 hours ago

@BrokenBarnet @Barneteye (2/2) trotting out stale lines to take rather than having a reasonable dialogue. Up to you.

 So this is how our Barnet Tory Councillors think "We can't engage unless we've been briefed". I am quite amazed. I actually thought Gabriel was a reasonably intelligent guy, who was capable of doing a bit of research on his own and coming up with his own viewpoint.

I think he's answered the first tweet he made in response to my blog.

Gabriel Rozenberg ‏@rozgab 12h12 hours ago

That last RT… @Barneteye thinks I’m clueless abt the real world. I hope not, but that’s for others to judge. Read his blog and decide.

But then as Gabriel says, read the blog and decide.
++++++++++++ UPDATED 18:39 - 17.2.2015
Gabriel contacted me to point out I'd missed the first of his tweets, which he felt put a proper context. Here is the first in the series of tweets

Gabriel Rozenberg @rozgab · 19h19 hours ago

@BrokenBarnet @Barneteye It could also be that I don’t like wading in when I don’t have all the facts on a specific, complex situation.

Does this change the jist of what is being said? as ever, you the reader is the judge of that. I can understand, given his position a councillor may display some caution, but as the situation has been evolving over a period of days, if not weeks, I would expect all Barnet Councillors to have informed themselves and formed a view on such an important and emotive issue. I would also expect a member of the party in charge to make it their business to know. But of course that is my personal view.