I've never heard so much crap talked in all my life. All of a sudden we have a Prime Minister who slags off a whole generation of kids, when those who have actually been looting etc are a tiny minority. hearing all of the bollocks talked today, you'd think that these were the first riots we've ever had, or that previous ones were somehow nicer. They weren't. Trust me. Here's just a few I can remember. Broadwater farm, Notting Hill, Toxteth, the Poll Tax riots. In all of these there was looting and people got hurt.
Remember this song?
What is abundently clear to me is that in 30 years, nothing much has changed for those at the bottom of the ladder. Bankers vandalised the economy a couple of years ago. They are doing OK now. Last year politicans were exposed as greedy self serving money grabbing creeps, trousering everything they possibly could at our expense. I've no time whatsoever for anyone who robs, loots or steals. I just think that David Cameron should look at some of the people sitting behind him in the chamber, before he starts getting too self righteous.
How many of them should have been locked up by now? The trouble with having double standards is that the average person in the street is not fooled. We have to start building a fair society. That means that the people at the top have to be held to account, just as the people at the bottom should be.
Of course the rich and powerful always think different rules apply to them
Friday, 12 August 2011
Thursday, 11 August 2011
RIP Rog T
Did you know that technically I'm already dead. This may come as a surprise to you. It certainly came as a surprise to me. How did I die? I honestly don't know. How do I know I'm dead? Because the doctor told me. I always presumed that when the doctor tells you that you are dead, you realise. I always presumed that it wouldn't be too much of a shock. I always assumed there would be some sort of clue - an illness, an accident, a bad pain in the chest. Sadly for me, I got none of these. Let me tell you what happened.
Back in 1988 I was having some trouble with my ear. I hadn't been to the doctor for a while, so I thought (niavely) that I'd pop into the doctors on the way back from work. At the time I was registered at the Burnt Oak practise. In I went and asked if I could make an appointment. They asked my name and I replied. No they said "You are not registered". I replied "Yes I am, I've always been registered here". The receptionist insisted "I'm afraid you are not and so we can't help you". I said "look, I've been coming here for years, you are clearly mistaken". After a debate, my Doctor came out. I said "ask her, she knows me". The doctor smiled and said "oh yes, I know him". The receptionist said "Well you must have de-registered as you are not on the system". I then said "I've not deregistered. I think I'd know". The receptionist said "Many of the people who come here are a bit old and forgetfull". I was affronted "I'm 26 years old. I don't think I'm old or forgetful". At this the receptionist smiled and said "We'll you've clearly forgotton this". The doctor said "Look, there is clearly a mistake here. We will check our records. If you moved elsewhere, we will write and inform you". At that she walked off. The receptionist said "We will inviestigate and we will write to you". I said "How long will that take". She responded "I don't know, but you can't see a doctor if you are not registered". I asked what I should do about my ear. She replied "Go to A&E at Edgware General (you know, that fine hospital, shut down by the Tories).
So off I went to Edgware General. After a 5 hour wait, a doctor saw me "You have a minor ear infection. You should have gone to your GP". I said "I tried, but they said I wasn't registered". The Doctor said "You should have registered when you moved to the area, not waited until you were ill". I said "I was registered, they have lost my details" The doctor said "Well you shouldn't come to A&E for minor problems, we have REALLY SICK people here". I asked what I should have done "I told you, you should have made sure you were registered with a GP". At this he wrote the prescription and sent me on my way with a parting shot of "If it doesn't clear up, go back to your GP".
Anyway, the earache cleared up. Two months later, I got a letter from my GP. It was addressed to Mr R M Tichborne (deceased). I read it. Dear Mr Tichborne (deceased), We have investigated your complaint about your lack of registration at the practice. After an exhaustive search of records, we have found that you were de-registered as a patient when you passed away. We are sorry to hear of your loss. What do you say to such a letter (paraphrased). So next day I went down to the surgery and said "I got this letter". The receptionist replied "Oh yes, you are the dead person aren't you". I then said "Look I'm clearly not dead. I'm at my doctors and I want this mess sorted out". She retorted "We checked this thoroughly. The paperwork is correct. People will do anything to get registered with a doctor these days". I responded "The Doctor recognised me". She responded "Well even if you are alive, we are full. We have no vacancies for patients". I asked "So I've been coming here for 26 years, you've cocked up and now I can't see my own doctor?". She responded. "Look, even if we had a space, you are technically dead, so we couldn't register you". I hit upon a brainwave. "Look, there are seven doctors on site. As you are saying I'm dead, and I think I'm alive, maybe we could get the opinion of an expert. Ask one of them". At this she responded "I'm afraid I've had enough of your attitude. You'll have to leave now". So I did.
I went around to see my mum, in a foul mood. "What's the matter" She asked. "I went to see the doctor", I replied. "Oh, I hope everything is OK. What's wrong with you? Nothing serious I hope". I responded "Yes actually it is. In fact it couldn't really be any worse". She looked shocked "Oh my God, what did they say?" I broke the bad news "We'll technically I'm already dead" I said. She looked horrified "Is it cancer?". I said "Nope, it's nothing I'm actually dead". She looked puzzled "What do you mean. You clearly aren't". I said "Yes that's what I said, but they insisted". I then explained. She then said "That surgery has gone downhill since Dr Cookson left. Go to Millway. Dr Carswell is very good".
So the next day, I went to see the Millway Surgery. They gave me a form and told me I had to see Dr Carswell, to run through my medical history. One of the questions was "reason for changing doctor". I put "Death". When I saw Dr Carswell, he was puzzled "What do you mean by this?". I told him the sorry story. He said "Here we tend to check the pulse before we de-register a patient as dead". He then gave me a check up and said "Well Mr Tichborne, I'm very pleased to tell you that contrary to medical opinion, you are quite definately alive".
I asked him if he had any idea how they'd decided I was dead. He said he'd try and find out. A couple of weeks later, he called to say he'd got to the bottom of it. The previous year, my father had died. The Burnt Oak practice, had received the notification and processed the death using my records. So they had one alive Mr Tichborne who was dead and one dead Mr Tichborne who was alive. I asked Dr Carswell "Shouldn't they take a bit more care?" He replied "oh yes". He then chipped in "If you were in the USA you could have sued them for millions". I replied "Nope, actually I'm just glad to be alive".
Back in 1988 I was having some trouble with my ear. I hadn't been to the doctor for a while, so I thought (niavely) that I'd pop into the doctors on the way back from work. At the time I was registered at the Burnt Oak practise. In I went and asked if I could make an appointment. They asked my name and I replied. No they said "You are not registered". I replied "Yes I am, I've always been registered here". The receptionist insisted "I'm afraid you are not and so we can't help you". I said "look, I've been coming here for years, you are clearly mistaken". After a debate, my Doctor came out. I said "ask her, she knows me". The doctor smiled and said "oh yes, I know him". The receptionist said "Well you must have de-registered as you are not on the system". I then said "I've not deregistered. I think I'd know". The receptionist said "Many of the people who come here are a bit old and forgetfull". I was affronted "I'm 26 years old. I don't think I'm old or forgetful". At this the receptionist smiled and said "We'll you've clearly forgotton this". The doctor said "Look, there is clearly a mistake here. We will check our records. If you moved elsewhere, we will write and inform you". At that she walked off. The receptionist said "We will inviestigate and we will write to you". I said "How long will that take". She responded "I don't know, but you can't see a doctor if you are not registered". I asked what I should do about my ear. She replied "Go to A&E at Edgware General (you know, that fine hospital, shut down by the Tories).
So off I went to Edgware General. After a 5 hour wait, a doctor saw me "You have a minor ear infection. You should have gone to your GP". I said "I tried, but they said I wasn't registered". The Doctor said "You should have registered when you moved to the area, not waited until you were ill". I said "I was registered, they have lost my details" The doctor said "Well you shouldn't come to A&E for minor problems, we have REALLY SICK people here". I asked what I should have done "I told you, you should have made sure you were registered with a GP". At this he wrote the prescription and sent me on my way with a parting shot of "If it doesn't clear up, go back to your GP".
Anyway, the earache cleared up. Two months later, I got a letter from my GP. It was addressed to Mr R M Tichborne (deceased). I read it. Dear Mr Tichborne (deceased), We have investigated your complaint about your lack of registration at the practice. After an exhaustive search of records, we have found that you were de-registered as a patient when you passed away. We are sorry to hear of your loss. What do you say to such a letter (paraphrased). So next day I went down to the surgery and said "I got this letter". The receptionist replied "Oh yes, you are the dead person aren't you". I then said "Look I'm clearly not dead. I'm at my doctors and I want this mess sorted out". She retorted "We checked this thoroughly. The paperwork is correct. People will do anything to get registered with a doctor these days". I responded "The Doctor recognised me". She responded "Well even if you are alive, we are full. We have no vacancies for patients". I asked "So I've been coming here for 26 years, you've cocked up and now I can't see my own doctor?". She responded. "Look, even if we had a space, you are technically dead, so we couldn't register you". I hit upon a brainwave. "Look, there are seven doctors on site. As you are saying I'm dead, and I think I'm alive, maybe we could get the opinion of an expert. Ask one of them". At this she responded "I'm afraid I've had enough of your attitude. You'll have to leave now". So I did.
I went around to see my mum, in a foul mood. "What's the matter" She asked. "I went to see the doctor", I replied. "Oh, I hope everything is OK. What's wrong with you? Nothing serious I hope". I responded "Yes actually it is. In fact it couldn't really be any worse". She looked shocked "Oh my God, what did they say?" I broke the bad news "We'll technically I'm already dead" I said. She looked horrified "Is it cancer?". I said "Nope, it's nothing I'm actually dead". She looked puzzled "What do you mean. You clearly aren't". I said "Yes that's what I said, but they insisted". I then explained. She then said "That surgery has gone downhill since Dr Cookson left. Go to Millway. Dr Carswell is very good".
So the next day, I went to see the Millway Surgery. They gave me a form and told me I had to see Dr Carswell, to run through my medical history. One of the questions was "reason for changing doctor". I put "Death". When I saw Dr Carswell, he was puzzled "What do you mean by this?". I told him the sorry story. He said "Here we tend to check the pulse before we de-register a patient as dead". He then gave me a check up and said "Well Mr Tichborne, I'm very pleased to tell you that contrary to medical opinion, you are quite definately alive".
I asked him if he had any idea how they'd decided I was dead. He said he'd try and find out. A couple of weeks later, he called to say he'd got to the bottom of it. The previous year, my father had died. The Burnt Oak practice, had received the notification and processed the death using my records. So they had one alive Mr Tichborne who was dead and one dead Mr Tichborne who was alive. I asked Dr Carswell "Shouldn't they take a bit more care?" He replied "oh yes". He then chipped in "If you were in the USA you could have sued them for millions". I replied "Nope, actually I'm just glad to be alive".
Brian Coleman sneaks through cashless parking in Barnet whilst London burns
It is truly unbelieveable. Brian Coleman has snuck through the abolition of pay and display parking in Barnet, whilst everyone is on holiday. He signed the order last Friday. This has been done under delegated powers, with no democratic debate whatsoever. From September, there will be no pay and display machines in Barnet.
The full details are here :-
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=10559
Even local Tories are shocked. One promenant local Tory and former councillor said
The full details are here :-
http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=10559
Even local Tories are shocked. One promenant local Tory and former councillor said
"This is going to be a political catastrophe and revenue is going to SLUMP. Mark my words, this is poll tax on wheels... If the SPA income increases it won't be from parking fees but fines"
Brian Coleman must be the only Londoner who wlecomed the riots as he probably thought we were all looking the other way and he could sneak this through and we wouldn't notice. If you notice, the issue date is the 10th August (see dates on the report here - very fishy)
According to the date on the report, Coleman signed this on the Friday 5th, the day before the riots started, but it supposedly took the council until Weds 10th to actually publish the report. Rather interesting timing. I would say I smell a rat, but we all know they are in the Barnet Council datacentre chomping away on the cables.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
#LondonRiots #Londontalksbollocks #Barnet #Brentcross
It's always someone else's fault isn't it. It's always someone elses children. It's all the fault of the parents. It's all the fault of society. It's always the fault of the Police for not "getting stuck in". It's always the fault of David Cameron for not coming home from holiday. There's only one person who is totally exhonourated of all blame for the #Londonriots. Can you guess who that is?
Round this neck of the woods there's a pretty cool blog called "Broken Barnet". Strangely enough, Barnet appears to be one of the less broken parts of London right now. Far less Broken than Tottenham or Clapham. I'm just waiting for the first local Tory to say that this is because they've done a marvellous job. Luckily for us, the demographics of our Borough, are such that we are not well set up for rioting. Our biggest shopping centre, Brent Cross is not really close enough to any of the usual hotbeds of rioters that cause such problems elsewhere. The big Council Estates, such as Burnt Oak and Grahame Park are not particularly close to easily robbable shopping centres full of large chains selling designer goods. I heard a couple of likely lads on the 302 bus saying that Burnt Oak had been spared the rampage "because there's nothing worth nicking down there"(I suspect they were only semi joking).
As I heard the conversation, it became pretty apparent that there is a perception that "robbing shops" is OK. That all shopkeepers are rich, so it doesn't matter. There seems to be a perception that if you can nick stuff and get away with it, that is OK. Is this attitude reflective of youth today generally? I happen to believe that it's not. I don't even believe that it is reflective of the majority of the young people who are looting. Sadly, I believe that many young people feel incredible peer pressure to "belong" to the groups that are causing the problems.
Over the last year, I've been involved in a youth project at our studios, where we've got some of the most troubled young people in Barnet (NEET kids, to use the lovely Council term) involved in music making. The 10 week courses has resulted in a massive change in the attitudes of those taking part. just developing some self confidence has massively changed their perspective on life. I happen to believe that EVERY rioter has been failed by the last 30 years worth of political leadership. I am one of those namby pamby doo gooders who believe that nearly all of us are basically good, some of us just never have the chance to show it. I've had my doubts, but the sound school project reinforced this belief.
One of my daughters was telling me that someone she knows has been excluded from school. What for? Smoking Pot in the woods. Has the school done the right thing? Expelling someone for indulging in a form of self harm? I don't think so. Who is a 14 year old, who goes to the woods to smoke pot in school time harmed? As I see it, they've only harmed themselves. They are damaging their education. How has the school responded? By damaging it even more. By stigmatising the young person what have they done? This scenario is repeated all over the country. A results obsessed educational system has thrown such kids to the wolves. Once you have been turfed out, where do you go? What are your prospects? What happens next?
Sadly many young people decide that drugs are the solution to a bad situation. These days kids are given education about the subject, but what exactly are they being told? Take cannabis for example and it's preferred current form - Skunk weed. Why should a 14 year old steer clear of it? It might make you suffer from mental illness? Well most 14 year olds know people who are smoking it who clearly are perfectly sane. As a result they don't believe the literature. For some formerly high achieving pupils, skunk starts a rapid decline in marks, but what do you tell the kid who was low achieving already? When they find they can make decent money dealing to classmates, how do you discourage them? I don't pretend to know the answers, but we'd better start trying to find them, because if we don't the situation will only get worse. One thing is clear to me. The cuts in funding for youth projects is sending all of the wrong messages. The devil makes work for idle hands. Every teenager who can no longer go to whatever scheme they were participating in, is potentially bored, bitter and disaffected. The last thing I'd ever do is condone vandalism and robbery, but we need to support our youth, otherwise the dark voices which seduce them into such activities have free reign.
So who do I blame for the #Londonriots - I blame the whole f***ing lot of us. Those who do it, because they know it's wrong, no matter what they say, those who have let the situation develop and yes, you and me brother for not doing everything we possibly could to stop elitism in schools, destruction of youth schemes, closure of libraries, marginalisation of those on the edge of society.
And I will leave all you smug Barnet Councillors with this thought. I believe that the reason Brent Cross Shopping Centre wasn't trashed and burnt to the ground on Sunday was because there wasn't a huge number of disaffected people in awful "social housing" living on top of it. Anyone who has seen the plans for the Brent Cross redevelopment, will not need a crystal ball to see what will happen, if we have riots in 10 year time once the rabbit hutch flats have been built next door to it. It is a disaster waiting to happen and if you can't see that after this last week, you ain't fit to hold public office.
Round this neck of the woods there's a pretty cool blog called "Broken Barnet". Strangely enough, Barnet appears to be one of the less broken parts of London right now. Far less Broken than Tottenham or Clapham. I'm just waiting for the first local Tory to say that this is because they've done a marvellous job. Luckily for us, the demographics of our Borough, are such that we are not well set up for rioting. Our biggest shopping centre, Brent Cross is not really close enough to any of the usual hotbeds of rioters that cause such problems elsewhere. The big Council Estates, such as Burnt Oak and Grahame Park are not particularly close to easily robbable shopping centres full of large chains selling designer goods. I heard a couple of likely lads on the 302 bus saying that Burnt Oak had been spared the rampage "because there's nothing worth nicking down there"(I suspect they were only semi joking).
As I heard the conversation, it became pretty apparent that there is a perception that "robbing shops" is OK. That all shopkeepers are rich, so it doesn't matter. There seems to be a perception that if you can nick stuff and get away with it, that is OK. Is this attitude reflective of youth today generally? I happen to believe that it's not. I don't even believe that it is reflective of the majority of the young people who are looting. Sadly, I believe that many young people feel incredible peer pressure to "belong" to the groups that are causing the problems.
Over the last year, I've been involved in a youth project at our studios, where we've got some of the most troubled young people in Barnet (NEET kids, to use the lovely Council term) involved in music making. The 10 week courses has resulted in a massive change in the attitudes of those taking part. just developing some self confidence has massively changed their perspective on life. I happen to believe that EVERY rioter has been failed by the last 30 years worth of political leadership. I am one of those namby pamby doo gooders who believe that nearly all of us are basically good, some of us just never have the chance to show it. I've had my doubts, but the sound school project reinforced this belief.
One of my daughters was telling me that someone she knows has been excluded from school. What for? Smoking Pot in the woods. Has the school done the right thing? Expelling someone for indulging in a form of self harm? I don't think so. Who is a 14 year old, who goes to the woods to smoke pot in school time harmed? As I see it, they've only harmed themselves. They are damaging their education. How has the school responded? By damaging it even more. By stigmatising the young person what have they done? This scenario is repeated all over the country. A results obsessed educational system has thrown such kids to the wolves. Once you have been turfed out, where do you go? What are your prospects? What happens next?
Sadly many young people decide that drugs are the solution to a bad situation. These days kids are given education about the subject, but what exactly are they being told? Take cannabis for example and it's preferred current form - Skunk weed. Why should a 14 year old steer clear of it? It might make you suffer from mental illness? Well most 14 year olds know people who are smoking it who clearly are perfectly sane. As a result they don't believe the literature. For some formerly high achieving pupils, skunk starts a rapid decline in marks, but what do you tell the kid who was low achieving already? When they find they can make decent money dealing to classmates, how do you discourage them? I don't pretend to know the answers, but we'd better start trying to find them, because if we don't the situation will only get worse. One thing is clear to me. The cuts in funding for youth projects is sending all of the wrong messages. The devil makes work for idle hands. Every teenager who can no longer go to whatever scheme they were participating in, is potentially bored, bitter and disaffected. The last thing I'd ever do is condone vandalism and robbery, but we need to support our youth, otherwise the dark voices which seduce them into such activities have free reign.
So who do I blame for the #Londonriots - I blame the whole f***ing lot of us. Those who do it, because they know it's wrong, no matter what they say, those who have let the situation develop and yes, you and me brother for not doing everything we possibly could to stop elitism in schools, destruction of youth schemes, closure of libraries, marginalisation of those on the edge of society.
And I will leave all you smug Barnet Councillors with this thought. I believe that the reason Brent Cross Shopping Centre wasn't trashed and burnt to the ground on Sunday was because there wasn't a huge number of disaffected people in awful "social housing" living on top of it. Anyone who has seen the plans for the Brent Cross redevelopment, will not need a crystal ball to see what will happen, if we have riots in 10 year time once the rabbit hutch flats have been built next door to it. It is a disaster waiting to happen and if you can't see that after this last week, you ain't fit to hold public office.
London Riots - Stating the bleeding obvious
Last night, with an overwhelming police presence, London Town was quiet, by and large the rioters and looters stayed at home. So what changed? The people in charge, Boris, Theresa May, David Cameron, had decided to come home off holiday. Decisions were actually made and action taken to get a grip.
We can't expect them to live without holidays, but is it too much to ask to expect them to go at different times? It seems to me that if it takes 4 days for the authorities to get a grip, then there is a huge logistical and planning failure. People on big wages have failed. Sad really
We can't expect them to live without holidays, but is it too much to ask to expect them to go at different times? It seems to me that if it takes 4 days for the authorities to get a grip, then there is a huge logistical and planning failure. People on big wages have failed. Sad really
Burnt Oak - Life and Death in London Town
What do you do when London is ablaze with riots? You go to Burnt Oak. Well you do if you are me. Not the place, the West End show at the Leicester Square Theatre. The play is written by Laurence Lynch, ex resident of Burnt Oak and plumber to the stars. I've already chronicled how I know Laurence. Tonight I went to see his masterpiece. I didn't quite know what to expect, but from the first moments of it's opening, to the sounds of Wire's "I am the fly", I knew I would connect with the play.
The (anti) hero of the play, Nobby, reminds me of me in some ways as a youth. The play is sort of loosely set when I was a teenager in Burnt Oak. Like Nobby, at the time I was a trainee painter and decorator. Many aspects of the play spookily mirrored some of my own experiences, from the monster of a girlfriends father (I'm not refering to my father in law here, a long ago ex), to the references to drunken exploits in the Beehive. Whilst it had a special resonance for me, for those who weren't raised in the locality would still "get it".
I won't spoil the plot, other than to say the audience was engrossed for the full two hours. I went with Mrs T (Wife, not blogger) and two friends. They didn't have the same misspent youth as me, but were equally taken. The cast were all excellent, but special note must be made of Jason Wing as George. He is truly scary and really deserves a wider audience for his talents. I think Burnt Oak - Life and Death in London Town would translate to both the small and large screen.
I also managed to have a chat with the author, who was in attendance. I'm chuffed for him. It is a very powerful play, with lots of dark humour and the odd slapstick moment. He deserves to do well.
I must say that Soho was quiet and the journey home was peaceful and subdued. Life goes on.
The (anti) hero of the play, Nobby, reminds me of me in some ways as a youth. The play is sort of loosely set when I was a teenager in Burnt Oak. Like Nobby, at the time I was a trainee painter and decorator. Many aspects of the play spookily mirrored some of my own experiences, from the monster of a girlfriends father (I'm not refering to my father in law here, a long ago ex), to the references to drunken exploits in the Beehive. Whilst it had a special resonance for me, for those who weren't raised in the locality would still "get it".
I won't spoil the plot, other than to say the audience was engrossed for the full two hours. I went with Mrs T (Wife, not blogger) and two friends. They didn't have the same misspent youth as me, but were equally taken. The cast were all excellent, but special note must be made of Jason Wing as George. He is truly scary and really deserves a wider audience for his talents. I think Burnt Oak - Life and Death in London Town would translate to both the small and large screen.
I also managed to have a chat with the author, who was in attendance. I'm chuffed for him. It is a very powerful play, with lots of dark humour and the odd slapstick moment. He deserves to do well.
I must say that Soho was quiet and the journey home was peaceful and subdued. Life goes on.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Message from Deputy Leader of Barnet Council regarding riots
The Deputy Leader of Barnet Council praised Barnet police this morning for their prompt action overnight.
“Barnet escaped the worst of last night’s violence, in large part due to the very prompt action taken by the borough’s police. But there was still a level of criminality that was completely unacceptable to Barnet’s residents.“Obviously these are going to be some difficult nights for London. We all need to follow the advice of the police and stay in this evening so they can do their job. In particular I trust that Barnet parents will keep their children with them this evening and make sure they are not out and running the risk of getting caught up in criminality or hampering the police as they deal with potential disturbance.
“Local businesses should follow the Metropolitan Police’s advice, which is available on our website.
“Over the next few days we need to make sure that those who have despoiled London in this way are properly punished and anyone with any information that could lead to prosecution should speak to the police.”
Barry Rawlings, Deputy Leader of Barnet Labour Group, said: “I want to make it clear that members of all sides of the political divide in Barnet will be working together with the police and the community as London copes with this civil disturbance.
“I support the decision of the police to encourage everybody to stay indoors this evening and in particular to make sure that parents have their children with them.
“Barnet is made up of strong communities and its these communities that will pull together to make sure that this level of criminal behaviour is unacceptable to them all.”
This is taken from Barnet Council Website - original message here
Police response to the riots
I think all Londoners owe a huge debt of gratitude to the ordinary coppers on the street today, for their bravery in standing in the firing line during the riots. Having said that, we must look at the issues of leadership and whether that has played any part in the trouble. At the moment, the Met only has an acting chief constable. The riots occurred whilst most of our senior politicians were on holiday. We found out that the Prime Minister, the Home secretary and the Mayor of London were all away. Whilst everyone is allowed a holiday, is it any wonder that with no senior officer confirmed in post, and all of the top politicians away, the situation drifted for several days. Surely plans should be in place to ensure an effective system of command.
Another thing that intrigues me. During the 7/7 terrorist outrages, mobile phone networks were taken down in Central London. As the current violence is being coordinated via mobile phone networks and twitter, surely there is a case for temporary suspensions of service. One presumes the police are monitoring Twitter, surely it is not beyond their capability to see a site has been targettted and get the local mobile networks taken down?
Another thing that intrigues me. During the 7/7 terrorist outrages, mobile phone networks were taken down in Central London. As the current violence is being coordinated via mobile phone networks and twitter, surely there is a case for temporary suspensions of service. One presumes the police are monitoring Twitter, surely it is not beyond their capability to see a site has been targettted and get the local mobile networks taken down?
Monday, 8 August 2011
Bonkers Council : I'm not a number, I'm an anaesthogist
Are you sleeping soundly? Great then we'll begin.
You won't feel a thing (unless you're young, old, disabled or disadvantaged - in which case many of the services you rely on will disappear in a puff of smoke)
We are going to make a little cut. You see we here at BONKERS Council need to save money. You do understand, it's not our fault, don't you? Times are hard. We are doing everything we possibly can to ensure that the cuts affect you in the smallest possible way (unless you live in a road where there is a CPZ and you need to buy car parking permits). We're tackling the problems that we face, we've hired a whole bevvy of the finest consultants we can find and we're paying them handsomely to dream up ways to save money. We've spent three years doing this and we've found lots of services which huge multinational companies are fighting each other to run. The advantage of having these companies in charge of providing the services is that they can generate huge profits for their shareholders, so if you have a few quid, you too can buy a few shares and rake in nice big dividends for years to come. There are lots of other fantastic benefits to this scheme. At present, if there is a problem, you can discuss it with a councillor and they can do something about it. All of this interference causes all sorts of problems for the senior executives at the council, as they always have to look over the shoulders. Under the new system all of these interfering busybodies will have to mind there own business. Complaints will be directed to a nice call centre in a far flung part of the world.
If you are not happy with the service, you can hire a nice expensive lawyer to read the fine print of the contract. They will be able to tell you that the company has been delivering EXACTLY the services they are contracted to deliver. If you don't like it, that is because you are too stupid to understand that providing services is BIG business now.
Of course to ensure that BONKERS council gets the best out of it's contractors, we need people who really understand contracting to work for us. That is why we employ a contractor as the deputy chief executive and pay him £1,000 a day for the privelege.
Many troublesome lefties and bolshie bloggers claim we don't have the necessary skills to engage such companies and we'll be taken to the cleaners. This can of course be exposed as a complete lie. We already have thousands of companies supplying services. Many of these companies do fine work for the people of Barnet and deliver great value for money. Of course we have a few minor problems (such as rats eating outsourced datacentres, security companies operating illegally and not having proper licenses, huge costs of millions of pounds awarded against us by the High Court for badly drawn up contracts), but as they say, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.
Of course you care about none of this, do you. You are asleep. You are comfy. None of this affects you does it? And in a few years, when it all goes wrong and your council tax goes through the roof, when the taxpayer has to pick up the tab for all the costs, when the Police have to pick up the pieces of a fragmented society, you will say why didn't you tell us that this would happen?
But we did, sadly you were fast asleep and you didn't listen. Did you?
You won't feel a thing (unless you're young, old, disabled or disadvantaged - in which case many of the services you rely on will disappear in a puff of smoke)
We are going to make a little cut. You see we here at BONKERS Council need to save money. You do understand, it's not our fault, don't you? Times are hard. We are doing everything we possibly can to ensure that the cuts affect you in the smallest possible way (unless you live in a road where there is a CPZ and you need to buy car parking permits). We're tackling the problems that we face, we've hired a whole bevvy of the finest consultants we can find and we're paying them handsomely to dream up ways to save money. We've spent three years doing this and we've found lots of services which huge multinational companies are fighting each other to run. The advantage of having these companies in charge of providing the services is that they can generate huge profits for their shareholders, so if you have a few quid, you too can buy a few shares and rake in nice big dividends for years to come. There are lots of other fantastic benefits to this scheme. At present, if there is a problem, you can discuss it with a councillor and they can do something about it. All of this interference causes all sorts of problems for the senior executives at the council, as they always have to look over the shoulders. Under the new system all of these interfering busybodies will have to mind there own business. Complaints will be directed to a nice call centre in a far flung part of the world.
If you are not happy with the service, you can hire a nice expensive lawyer to read the fine print of the contract. They will be able to tell you that the company has been delivering EXACTLY the services they are contracted to deliver. If you don't like it, that is because you are too stupid to understand that providing services is BIG business now.
Of course to ensure that BONKERS council gets the best out of it's contractors, we need people who really understand contracting to work for us. That is why we employ a contractor as the deputy chief executive and pay him £1,000 a day for the privelege.
Many troublesome lefties and bolshie bloggers claim we don't have the necessary skills to engage such companies and we'll be taken to the cleaners. This can of course be exposed as a complete lie. We already have thousands of companies supplying services. Many of these companies do fine work for the people of Barnet and deliver great value for money. Of course we have a few minor problems (such as rats eating outsourced datacentres, security companies operating illegally and not having proper licenses, huge costs of millions of pounds awarded against us by the High Court for badly drawn up contracts), but as they say, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.
Of course you care about none of this, do you. You are asleep. You are comfy. None of this affects you does it? And in a few years, when it all goes wrong and your council tax goes through the roof, when the taxpayer has to pick up the tab for all the costs, when the Police have to pick up the pieces of a fragmented society, you will say why didn't you tell us that this would happen?
But we did, sadly you were fast asleep and you didn't listen. Did you?
Andrew Dismore press releases : 8/8/2011 - Dismore launches Metpro inquiry e-campaign
Andrew Dismore. Labour candidate for the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, has today launched a new online campaign to fight for an inquiry into Barnet council’s contracting procedures, with particular reference to MetPro. The campaign can be accessed at http://www.campaignengineroom.org.uk/tory-barnet-easy-council-procurement-disasters and is directed at Secretary of State Eric Pickles MP.
Mr Dismore said:
“As Barnet is now planning the wholesale privatisation of Council services, it is vital that there are proper contracting and compliance arrangements in place to protect the Council’s taxpayers.
Under the watch of the MPs for Finchley and for Hendon when they were Barnet Councillors, due to poor contracting the Council lost tens of millions in failed Iceland investments and through the Aerodrome Road overspend. Now we have the MetPro scandal and concerns over some care services providers.
Whilst the appointed external auditor is monitoring in private the Council’s processes, this is not good enough.
We need to restore public confidence in the Council’s ability to protect residents from scams, dodgy companies, profiteering and overspends, an ability the Council has so far failed to demonstrate under the present Conservative administration.
It is now up to Eric Pickles MP, the Secretary of State to clean out Barnet’s Augean Stables by setting ip a public inquiry into what has been going on and to learn lessons for the future.
I am sure many people share this view, and this online campaign now gives Barnet residents and even those from further afield who are concerned about standards in local government, to back my call for an inquiry”.
For further information call Andrew Dismore 07957 625 813 Ends
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