Why we must not allow Barnet Council to gag residents + Pride Weekend

On Tuesday 16th July, the Audit committee of Barnet Council is convening. This is the committee that oversees the business of the council. It is both the most boring and the most important committee inthe council. As a blogger, I always loathe and detest the approach of this. It means setting a diary reminder to check the papers when they are released. It means at least four hours reading of the papers, making notes and then, if required, formulating questions. I don't enjoy this at all. But I do think it is important. residents should hold the council to account.

Back on 19th September 2017, the committee held an extraordinary meeting of this committee. Both myself and John Dix exercised our right to ask questions and make a public comment. The reason for the extraordinary meeting was that at the previous meeting, the council had presented an audit report that was not fit for purpose. 

http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=144&MId=9401&Ver=4

After the meeting, the then chair, Former Councillor Hugh Rayner personally thanked myself and Mr Dix for our efforts bringing certain matters to his and the committee's attention. Follow

ing a recent change in rules, we can no longer do this. If you click on the above link and look at the questions, especially those from Mr Dix, who is an expert in such matters, you will see that the questions are not trivial, not simple grandstanding and that they were useful.

Barnet Council no longer values such questions. Last week, I wrote a blog detailing how they planned to stop such detailed analysis by local residents. The new administration of Councillor Dan Thomas chose this as it's first major policy change. Earlier this week, I spoke to a local Conservative Councillor for over an hour about the matter. Theyconfirmed to me that many of there peers are uncomfortable with the change and unhappy to see the council move away from a transparency agenda. They feel it is a very Un-Conservative policy and sends all of the wrong messages. I agree.

As I explained, it also discriminates against ordinary residents and favours organised groups, who can arrange for multiple questions to be submitted by members.

A petition has been set up for those who want to register opposition to such an illiberal agenda

https://www.change.org/p/barnet-council-are-planning-to-change-the-constitution-to-dramatically-reduce-the-level-of-resident-scrutiny-at-committee-meetings-please-sign-this-petition-to-request-barnet-to-withdraw-their-draconian-proposals

If this bothers you, please sign this.

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As it's Friday and it's pride week, I wanted to do something special, but sadly this is more important. If you want to know why Pride is important, I suggest you enjoy this track by The Tom Robinson band. When this song was released, I was fifteen years old and in a very homophobic environment at Finchley Catholic High School. I had identified myself as a punk and this song made my life very difficult as it meant that some serious thugs who didn't like the punk scene had some serious ammunition to indulge in some very nasty bullying. I had a Tom Robinson Band badge, as I thought his previous single 2-4-6-8 Motorway was a masterpiece. When I heard Glad to Be Gay, I thought two things. The first was that it was a brilliant song and the second was that I was in for a good kicking. That was how things were, and homophobic bullying was almost condoned in FCHS at the time, although I was not gay, just a punk with a badge. Sure enough, I was cornered in the playground by a group of five or six lads, not keen at all in ensuring my wellbeing.

I was born lucky. The Lord gave me the gift of great eloquence at such moments. When I was confronted, I was challenged 'Oi Tichborne, you like Tom Robinson, you are a poof and a queer'. I replied 'Tom Robinson's song is about Police brutality and how they treat people unjustly. We are all from Irish families, and I'm amazed you are sticking up for the British state'. This completely took the wind out of their sails. The ringleader then said 'No it isn't its about how good it is to be a poof'. I responded 'So you have learned all of the lyrics, sing the first verse'. At this a teacher on playground duty, noticed the altercation. She came down and said 'Whats all this about?'. I said 'We are just discussing whether the new single by The Tom Robinson Band is a protest song about Police Brutality or a celebration of being Gay'. To my utter surprise she said 'Well it is clearly a protest song about the Police'. She then said 'In my experience most people who have a problem with Gay people have something to hide'. At this the lads dispersed. As she was my form teacher she then asked 'Are you ok?'. I said 'Yes, it was nothing'. She said 'I'm glad that someone was listening to the lyrics properly. If you like protest songs, you should listen to Joni Mitchell and Woody Guthrie'. It was one of the few times that a teacher said something nice to me at that school. I am just glad we no longer have to tolerate such bigoted views. When my son went to FCHS, the whole repressive atmosphere had changed. The sad thing was that in 1977, it was not only dangerous to be Gay, but to even express moderate views was at times putting yourself in the way of risk. A good friend of mine stated that he was gutted that Tom Robinson had released the song as he couldn't like him anymore. Not because of any musical issues, but because his Dad would have beaten him black and blue if he found a TRB record in the house.

The Tom Robinson Band were perhaps the bravest of all of the 1977 punk bands, I wish I'd been a bit braver to say so more publicly and in more strident terms. I hope that this belated note, 42 years later, is not too little too late. At the time, I was just pleased not to be duffed up, and the TRB badge was consigned to the box of old, unworn badges. Until I went to Orange Hill, they were a guilty pleasure, but at OHSHS, without the spectre of the church and antiquated Irish views, people accepted them for what they were. A great band.