Tories behaving badly! A Tweets of the week special from the London Borough of Barnet

This was a momentus week for London. We have a new Mayor, but we still have the same GLA rep (Labours Andrew Dismore). We have had further proof, not that any of us needed it, that The Barnet Concservatives couldn't organise a booze up in a brewery (or an election). Barnet has become a laughing stock. What could possibly get worse? Well, how about our local Tory MP getting a telling off from the Police for behaving badly?

What better way to tell the story of the week than in tweets.

1. A couple of weeks before the election, Dan Thomas, Tory GLA candidate for Barnet and Camden told us that he didn't hassle people on their doorsteps!

Dan Thomas ‏@BarnetandCamden Apr 25

@Barneteye That's right, I purposefully do not photograph residents at their doorstep, that would be intrusive IMO.

2. But then Dan seemed to change his mind when the going got tough!

Dan Thomas ‏@BarnetandCamden

Knocking on doors and meeting voters in Hampstead.


 3. And we can always rely on the last Tory to hold the GLA job to upset a few people. Here's a little exchange that is just one of many between Brian Coleman and the fine peope from the City of Liverpool!

Peter Keegan ‏@RedScousePete May 2

@BrianColeman251 @melaniejhil Brian your right accidents do happen, you were born...! A message from scousers and Liverpool FC fans.

 

Brian Coleman ‏@BrianColeman251 May 2

@RedScousePete get a life !

 

 

Peter Keegan ‏@RedScousePete

@BrianColeman251 Got a life thanks, I work in the NHS & a member of the army reserves what purpose in life do you have? None...!

4. Local Finchley MP Mike Freer decided to enthrall the people of London with his Mystic Meg like powers of prediction.  Got any tips for the Derby Mike?

 

LBC Verified account ‏@LBC May 5

.@mikefreermp tells @DarrenAdam the London Mayoral vote will "be much closer on either side than the polls suggest"

5. Mike clearly was a bit embarrassed about the whole thing and so went to ground oop north, where he originates from

Rob Currie ‏@currierg 12h12 hours ago

Wonderful to see @mikefreermp in Carlisle today. Hope to see you up here again soon.

6. As things hotted up, Dan Thomas chose to play the anti semitic card at Andrew Dismore. Not the cleverest of moves!

Dan Thomas ‏@BarnetandCamden May 1

@Andrew_Dismore kept quiet on Labour's anti-Semitic problem & now blames Jewish voters for not supporting pro-Israel candidates in the past!

7.  Of course, it's fair to say that some of our local Tories are sane, rational and nice people. Some don't like MP's using bad language and we thoroughly applaud this. Rohit Grover is one of the few who was properly brought up to mind his p's and Q's.

Rohit Grover ‏@RohitGroverHGS

Rohit Grover Retweeted George Eaton

Is it old fashioned of me to expect MPs not to tweet the f-word? It's just abysmal.

Rohit Grover added,

George Eaton @georgeeaton

Here's the deleted tweet for those who missed it. #PMQs

6:49 AM - 23 Mar 2016

8. We now await the tweet from Rohit berating our local MP Matthew Offord for his unparliamentary language in an outburst at a local fireman

Dan Crawford ‏@dancrawford85

Tory MP Matthew Offord who 'swore at Labour candidate and campaigners' quizzed by police: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3579106/Police-quiz-MP-swore-local-Labour-candidate-Fire-Brigades-Union-member-hiding-office.html

 9. Of course the Fire Brigades Union is rightly outraged!

London FBU ‏@LondonFBU

So this actually happened yesterday. Please retweet, and let people know just how vicious the Tories really are.


10. But perhaps the most appalling story of all from our Tory masters in the Town Hall is how they have cancelled the Freedom Passes of young disabled people, not telling them. As a result several have been kicked off buses, tubes etc. The Standard have picked up the story and in the awful week for Barnet Tories, we hear that National TV are looking into it.  It really gives me no pleasure in breaking stories like this, but if it wasn't for the Barnet Bloggers, this story would never have seen the light of day! This blog broke the story and fantastic work by my fellow blogger Mrs Angry has ensured that the world knows about it. The Barnet Bloggers have always collaborated on stories and tried to use our individual skills to get results. So here are a few of our tweets on this appaling story

I got the Ball rolling

2. Roger Tichborne/RogT ‏@Barneteye Apr 25 Barnet, London

   How Barnet Council treats disabled people - Part 2 http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/how-barnet-council-treats-disabled.html … @BarnetandCamden @BarryJohnRawlin @rozgab @BrokenBarnet

   7 retweets 2 likes
4. Roger Tichborne/RogT ‏@Barneteye Apr 4

   How Barnet Council treat disabled people part 1 - Is this fair? http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/how-barnet-council-treat-disabled.html … @BarnetCouncil @barnet_unison

Mrs Angry put the boot in where it hurt.

Mrs Angry ‏@BrokenBarnet Apr 28

Huge number of hits already on this post about Barnet/Capita's 'renewal' of disabled Freedom Passes: now updated - http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/freedoms-just-another-word-disabled.html …

The Local Papers got on the case

Mrs Angry ‏@BrokenBarnet

Before you vote tomorrow, look at the true face of Tory Barnet: cancelling the travel pass of a teenager with autism

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/14470774.Freedom_passes__why_have_so_many_disabled_people_been_stripped_of_their_independence_/

and now the big boys have joined in

Roger Tichborne/RogT ‏@Barneteye 6s7 seconds ago Sale, England

It gives me no pleasure in breaking stories of how inhuman @barnetCouncil we broke the story https://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/how-barnet-council-treats-disabled.html …

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/barnet-autistic-teen-stranded-on-london-bus-after-freedom-pass-cancelled-without-warning-a3241056.html
 
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I have known Siobhan Fairclough and her family for many years, her Dad was a buddy of my father and there is no finer family in the parish. It is truly scandalous that they have had to be put through this. Barnet needs its elected representatives to stand up for them, not to shaft them at every turn. I was asked last week if I was an obsessive and if I had nothing better to do than write blogs, by a Tory canvasser. I said I would give him my answer today in my blog, after the election.

No I am not obsessive. I do this because someone has to and it has to be done. I hate having to get on the case. I'd rather be playing guitar, watching football and drinking beer. But have I nothing better to do? Well I believe that there is nothing more important than standing up for people who are not in a position to do so for themselves. In Siobhan Faircloughs case, she is perfectly capable of standing up for her daughter. She just needed some help from us to get  the ball rolling. I have this message to our local Conservatives and Labour Politicians. I will continue to write blogs until our councillors, MP's, GLA reps and Mayor start serving the people as they should. They all get paid a wage, they shouldn't need bloggers to chase them. Now I will watch some footie and crack open a beer. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.