I am not well. I have a cold which is driving me absolutely nuts and has sapped all of my energy and will to live. Sadly I don't have the option of lying a round feeling sorry for myself so I just have to get on with it.
Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the recipe for my organic rocket fuel soup. This is my dish of last resort to resolve such issues and it is a surefire cure. If you see me for the next two days, I'd advise against getting taken with the urge to snog me as it has rather a lot of garlic in ! All ingredients should be organic
Ingredients.
1 Tin Organic chopped tomatoes
4 cloves of Garlic
2 large hot red chillies
2 medium sized potatoes
1 medium sized onion
A handful of fresh chopped parsley
A tblspoon full of turmeric
A tblspoon full of fresh shaved ginger
A teaspoon of organic capers
2 organic stock vegetable cubes
A lemon
Half a lime
450 ml Water
2 tblspoons of cocunut oil
Method
Chop up Garlic cloves 10 mins before you start
Chop chillies, potatoes & onions into small pieces
Put cocunut oil in saucepan with lid. Melt on medium heat
add potatoes, onions, chillies & garlic - put lid on and cook for 4 mins, shaking periodically
Mix stock with tomatoes, water, tumeric, ginger & capers. Add to mix & leave for 15 mins
Add parsley, pepper & squeeze in Lemon & lime and serve.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Monday, 18 February 2013
Is social media starting to destroy society? The destruction of Society quiz
Here's a little quiz, just for fun to see if there really is such thing as society anymore and to see how the advent of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and the iPhone have changed our attitudes to privacy.
1. You are in an out of town pub and you see your best friends wife with another man on a romantic date, clearly seeking to avoid attention. Do you.
a) Video them and post it up on Facebook
b) Take a crafty snap for a rainy day and tell your other mates up the pub later
c) Immediately leave and keep schtum.
2. You check into a City Centre hotel on business. As you are drawing the curtains, you notice a couple in a house across the street having sex with the curtains open. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Draw your own curtains and look away?
3. You are playing with the video feature on your new iPhone. As you are videoing the front of your house,a little old lady slips on a dog turd and breaks her ankle and is caught on film. Do you?
a) Carry on videoing and post to Youtube in hope of getting a viral hit because it is hilarious?
b) Stop videoing, call an ambulance and then show your mates the video in the pub a couple of weeks later?
c) call an ambulance and go out to help her.
4. On your twitter account, you see a tweet with a picture of a well known politician having sex with a goat. Do you?
a) Immediately retweet the picture to your followers?
b) Save the picture as it is hilarious, but refrain from retweeting it?
c) Not even bother looking?
5) Your bosses secretary accidently copies you into an email describing how much she enjoyed performing fallatio on him last night and asking if he is meeting her later tonight. Do you?
a) Forward it to everyone you know?
b) Save a copy to show to a few chosen mates?
c) Delete it, tell her immediately and tell everyone else who received it to be respectful of her feelings.
6) You hear a commotion outside your house. You see two policemen being set upon by an armed gang and receiving a vicious beating. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Immediately call 999?
7) You live next door to an old lady suffering from senile dementia. You hear a commotion and you see her wandering around, completely naked. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Grab a dressing gown and go outside to help her?
8) You are in a restaurant. A well known celebrity who you admire is rather the worse for wear and is behaving in a drunk and embarrassing fashion, although not disturbing you. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and take a sly video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Carry on with your meal as if nothing had happened?
9) You receive an email from an acquantance that is not meant for you, telling his wife that he is leaving her. You realise she hasn't received it as it's come to you by mistake. Do you?
a) Post it up on facebook with a note saying "What a plonker"?
b) Save a sly copy of it to show your mates up at the pub?
c) Email him back and say that you will say nothing to anyone?
10) A friend of your wife, who doesn't undertstand technology accidentally posts a picture which shows her naked reflection in a mirror. From the comment, she clearly hasn't realised. Do you?
a) Share it and draw attention to her embarrassiong pose?
b) Save a crafty copy to show your friends later?
c) Contact her immediately to try and save her embarrassment?
To get your score. For every Answer a) you get ten points. b) five points. c) Null points.
Your score
80-100. Society is doomed with people like you around who have no empathy for your fellow human being, but at least you'll have lots of Facebook friends and twitter followers.
40-80. Society will be shaken to it's foundations with people like you, but at least you have one or two boundaries. You will probably pick up a few extra twitter followers on the way.
5-40. You are on the slippery slope to destroying society.Your Twitter account and Facebook are probably pretty dull, but you are good value up the pub
0. Society is safe whilst you are around, although most of your friends are in the natural history museum.
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Feel free to post your score up as a comment. You may think the scenarios are ridiculous, but apart from no 4 (where in actual fact the picture was of something far worse and it was via email and not twitter), I know people who have been in all of the scenarios above and have chosen an option which isn't c. My score is 25 (shocking though that is or isn't).
The question which really intrigues me isn't about the people who answer the questions but about society itself. We live in a society where every single one of these scenarios (possibly bar no 4) happens on a daily basis and the people doing the videoing or reading the emails are the government. We have more cameras in London than any City on the planet and the government has the right to read all our emails whenever the so choose. Old ladies slip on dog muck, celebs get pissed, grannies run up the road in the nude and people have sex on video. It is all on film somehwhere with teams of CCTV operators watching it. As to our emails, how many of them actually get read? I've no idea, but probably far more than we realise.
The thing about social media isn't that it is destroying society. It is that it is making us destroy society. Whether you chose a,b or c to the answer of any question above, your action will have a markedly different outcome should it actually occur. If you post something embarrassing about someone you know on Facebook or Twitter, it isn't Facebook or Twitter which is to blame if it all goes horribly wrong. We have a choice.
1. You are in an out of town pub and you see your best friends wife with another man on a romantic date, clearly seeking to avoid attention. Do you.
a) Video them and post it up on Facebook
b) Take a crafty snap for a rainy day and tell your other mates up the pub later
c) Immediately leave and keep schtum.
2. You check into a City Centre hotel on business. As you are drawing the curtains, you notice a couple in a house across the street having sex with the curtains open. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Draw your own curtains and look away?
3. You are playing with the video feature on your new iPhone. As you are videoing the front of your house,a little old lady slips on a dog turd and breaks her ankle and is caught on film. Do you?
a) Carry on videoing and post to Youtube in hope of getting a viral hit because it is hilarious?
b) Stop videoing, call an ambulance and then show your mates the video in the pub a couple of weeks later?
c) call an ambulance and go out to help her.
4. On your twitter account, you see a tweet with a picture of a well known politician having sex with a goat. Do you?
a) Immediately retweet the picture to your followers?
b) Save the picture as it is hilarious, but refrain from retweeting it?
c) Not even bother looking?
5) Your bosses secretary accidently copies you into an email describing how much she enjoyed performing fallatio on him last night and asking if he is meeting her later tonight. Do you?
a) Forward it to everyone you know?
b) Save a copy to show to a few chosen mates?
c) Delete it, tell her immediately and tell everyone else who received it to be respectful of her feelings.
6) You hear a commotion outside your house. You see two policemen being set upon by an armed gang and receiving a vicious beating. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Immediately call 999?
7) You live next door to an old lady suffering from senile dementia. You hear a commotion and you see her wandering around, completely naked. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Grab a dressing gown and go outside to help her?
8) You are in a restaurant. A well known celebrity who you admire is rather the worse for wear and is behaving in a drunk and embarrassing fashion, although not disturbing you. Do you?
a) Get the iPhone and take a sly video the whole scene, posting it up on Youtube in the hope of getting a viral hit?
b) Take a crafty picture of the scene to show your mates at the pub?
c) Carry on with your meal as if nothing had happened?
9) You receive an email from an acquantance that is not meant for you, telling his wife that he is leaving her. You realise she hasn't received it as it's come to you by mistake. Do you?
a) Post it up on facebook with a note saying "What a plonker"?
b) Save a sly copy of it to show your mates up at the pub?
c) Email him back and say that you will say nothing to anyone?
10) A friend of your wife, who doesn't undertstand technology accidentally posts a picture which shows her naked reflection in a mirror. From the comment, she clearly hasn't realised. Do you?
a) Share it and draw attention to her embarrassiong pose?
b) Save a crafty copy to show your friends later?
c) Contact her immediately to try and save her embarrassment?
To get your score. For every Answer a) you get ten points. b) five points. c) Null points.
Your score
80-100. Society is doomed with people like you around who have no empathy for your fellow human being, but at least you'll have lots of Facebook friends and twitter followers.
40-80. Society will be shaken to it's foundations with people like you, but at least you have one or two boundaries. You will probably pick up a few extra twitter followers on the way.
5-40. You are on the slippery slope to destroying society.Your Twitter account and Facebook are probably pretty dull, but you are good value up the pub
0. Society is safe whilst you are around, although most of your friends are in the natural history museum.
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Feel free to post your score up as a comment. You may think the scenarios are ridiculous, but apart from no 4 (where in actual fact the picture was of something far worse and it was via email and not twitter), I know people who have been in all of the scenarios above and have chosen an option which isn't c. My score is 25 (shocking though that is or isn't).
The question which really intrigues me isn't about the people who answer the questions but about society itself. We live in a society where every single one of these scenarios (possibly bar no 4) happens on a daily basis and the people doing the videoing or reading the emails are the government. We have more cameras in London than any City on the planet and the government has the right to read all our emails whenever the so choose. Old ladies slip on dog muck, celebs get pissed, grannies run up the road in the nude and people have sex on video. It is all on film somehwhere with teams of CCTV operators watching it. As to our emails, how many of them actually get read? I've no idea, but probably far more than we realise.
The thing about social media isn't that it is destroying society. It is that it is making us destroy society. Whether you chose a,b or c to the answer of any question above, your action will have a markedly different outcome should it actually occur. If you post something embarrassing about someone you know on Facebook or Twitter, it isn't Facebook or Twitter which is to blame if it all goes horribly wrong. We have a choice.
Focus on Harrow - The sad demise of Dr Rachel Frosh
Today the Barnet Eye takes a little journey across the border into neighbouring Harrow. The parliamentary candidate for Harrow West at the last election was Dr Rachel Frosh, a local GP. The Barnet Eye originally took an interest as this was the seat where Mike Freer, the then leader of the Council stood for Parliament unsuccessfully in the 2005 elections. Dr Frosh wrote a blog, which was quite interesting and informative under her maiden name Rachel Joyce. I felt Rachel was a decent candidate and would do a good job for West Harrow if elected. She would often post blogs criticising the BNP and other fascist organisations and as such I have built up a degree of respect for her. Unlike Mike Freer MP she wasn't thin skinned and was quite happy to have a discussion on issues in private. As a GP, I felt she'd bring useful experience to the House of Commons. She was a former Lib Dem, so I assumed she was to the left of the Tory party.
As she had something interesting to say (often which I disagreed with), I followed her twitter account. Rachel often wore her heart on her sleeve, perhaps just a little too much for someone with Parliamentary ambitions. Last week, she retweeted a rather silly twitter message, which suggested that Adolf Hitler was a socialist. I thought it was an extremely stupid tweet and wondered why someone who was clearly reasonably intelligent would bother to retweet it, but thought no more about it. I've retweeted all manner of things which I wish I hadn't (especially after a couple of bottles of vino).
Today I saw this message on her twitter account
rachelfrosh @rachelfrosh
As she had something interesting to say (often which I disagreed with), I followed her twitter account. Rachel often wore her heart on her sleeve, perhaps just a little too much for someone with Parliamentary ambitions. Last week, she retweeted a rather silly twitter message, which suggested that Adolf Hitler was a socialist. I thought it was an extremely stupid tweet and wondered why someone who was clearly reasonably intelligent would bother to retweet it, but thought no more about it. I've retweeted all manner of things which I wish I hadn't (especially after a couple of bottles of vino).
Today I saw this message on her twitter account
rachelfrosh
Please read and circulate http://rachelfrosh.com/further-information-regarding-that-re-tweet/ …
Thanks
As Rachel often circulates things which are interesting, I clicked the link. To my amazement, it was a statement explaining that se'd been deselected as a Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservatives because of the Tweet. The statement says
In summary, I must have (without even remembering later on) lazily re-tweeted a tweet that used a quote from Hitler where he stated that they (Nazis) were socialists. As someone who converted to and married a Jewish man, and who has been active in anti-genocide and human rights campaigns (including in particular Sri Lanka), it always jars when the BNP and neo-nazis are described as right wing, or far right, when the evidence from history is contrary to that. That was probably why I clicked the re-tweet button.
I could stand behind the defence that a re-tweet isn’t an endorsement (I’ve since double checked, and it isn’t), but merely a request for followers to take a look, but I acknowledge it was a poorly worded tweet so I shouldn’t even have re-tweeted that particular tweet.
The reason I resigned as DPCC was because the role requires a large degree of partnership work, convincing local councils (including Labour controlled ones) to work with us for the benefit of the population to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour by tackling the wider causes of crime. I felt that I could not continue in that role and at the same time defend myself in the regard that the tweet was about exploring the socialist roots of Nazism – nothing else. It came over as insulting the Labour party and I therefore felt that it would damage the PCC’s work with local councils. (However I re-iterate the point that the modern Labour party and no other mainstream party bear no resemblance to any fascist or racist party). In regard to the party’s candidates’ list, I am sure I will be back on that soon, when all the facts are reviewed.
In short, it seems that if you retweet a message which offends the hierarchy of the Conservative Party, you get deselected. I have a degree of sympathy for Rachel. She has a staunch record of opposing fascism and has gone far further than any other Tory candidate I know in this field. She has posted all manner of Youtube videos about the subject on her blog and I for one would be prepared to stand beside her and defend her (even though she's a Tory). She has been more active opposing the BNP than ANY of our local Labour politicians. As to the actual Tweet.
She is correct that the roots of the German Nazi party were in socialism. Where she is completely wrong is in stating that the Nazis were a Socialist party. They took the socialist ideology of equality and then changed it to exclude all manner of sections of society - Jews, Gypsies, Gays, Disabled, Criminals, foreigners. At the point that anyone claiming to be a Socialist says "We are all equal except for them", they cease to be a Socialist. The Nazis were an extreme right wing party, because extreme right wing parties believe in social division and inequality. They believe that a priviliged group within society have rights and freedoms and anyone else doesn't. The fact that some members of the Nazi party started out calling themselves Socialists is irrelevant. As soon as you stop believing in equality, you cease to be a socialist.
I believe that labels of Left and Right are outdated. In the UK we consider the Tories to be a right wing organisation. If they were in the USA, they would be viewed as rabid Socialists or even communists, with their commitment to the NHS and Gun Control. We consider Labour to be Left wing, but Cuban friends of mine consider Labour to be a bunch of Fascists for their policies towards Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention the Falklands). At the extremes of left and right, the two meet. Stalin and Hitler had far more in common with each other than any moderate left or right wing leader. During the Second World War, we had a government of National Unity lead by Winston Churchill, but backed to the hilt by the British Labour party.
We are extremely lucky that all three major mainstream parties reject the policies of division on Nazis and Fascists. David Cameron has yet again displayed our cultural Liberal tolerance by forcing through Gay marriage legislation. I often think that the reason the likes of Rachel sometimes spout such nonsense on the subject is precisely because there is so little difference between Labour and Conservative.
Which brings us back to Rachel and her deselection. I have never heard of a more ridiculous reason to deselect a candidate. She clearly isn't a fascist. She did something which was a bit silly. If anyone anywhere was offended by her retweet, they need to get a life. I hope she gets reinstated on the PPC list and I hope she learns from the experience.
I really don't believe that the Conservative party is so awash with talented candidates that they can afford to toss her on the scrapheap. In Hendon, we have an MP in Matthew Offord, who has compared gay marriage to polygamy all manner of other things. He didn't simply retweet this, he has gone to great lengths to stick the knife in. So much so that he's fallen out with his former best mate, Mike Freer MP, who is in a civil partnership and spoke up for gay marriage. I'd swap Matthew for Rachel any day of the week.
I don't normally stand up for Tories when they do something a bit stupid, but in this case, I have to follow my conscience. I would suggest hwoever that Rachel takes herself down to Mill Hill Music Complex and I'll give her a lesson on political history, so that she can understand why what she retweeted was complete cobblers. It would save her a lot of trouble in future.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Why you should stick your hand in your wallet and sponsor me me for the Age UK Barnet 10K run
This blog was started on Saturday 11th October 2008. Since then, I've posted 3,180 blogs. As of now, the blog has had 834,441 hits.
The thing which started me blogging about Barnet Council was the way they treated my mother in the final year of her life, with regards to the outsourcing of the meals on wheels contract. I realsied that they had no concern whatsoever about the well being of the elderly people of Barnet. There only concern was saving a bit of cash by cutting services for the people who most needed it. This was compounded in 2010 when the council caabinet voted themselves a huge rise in allowances as cuts were made almost everywhere else.
So who looks after the elderly people in Barnet who don't have children to stand up for them? There are a few charities who are doing their best in these difficult times. One such organisation is Age UK Barnet. I have decided to do a 10K run on Sunday 3rd March 2013 at Crystal Palace to raise some money for them.
You can donate to this great cause by clicking here - https://www.justgiving.com/RogT - from my blog stats, I see that 1,000 people look at this blog every day. Times are hard but is there a reader of the Barnet Eye who genuinely couldn't afford to spare £2.00. I have set a target of raising £500. To achieve this, 250 readers of the Barnet Eye need to contribute £2.00 each towards Age UK Barnet. If there are 250 of you who care enough about the blog to contribute £2.00 and who think that the 3,180 blogs I've written have been good value for money (less than 0.2p each for all of you), then I will be forever in your gratitude and it will send a small message out that people care.
If there are not, then to be quite honest, I will have to consider whether it is worth the time I dedicate to writing this blog. So if you are one of the members of Barnet Council, who would dearly love to see the back of this blog, please tell all your friends to keep their wallets shut. If you like what you read, but are too tight to spare £2.00 (less than 15p a day between now and then) to keep the blog running, you will only have yourself to blame, if you wake up on March 4th and this blog has disappeared forever.
Of course I am sure that readers of the Barnet Eye are generous, decent people and they care passionately about looking after the people who have built this Town, this City and this Country and are now in the twilight of the their lives. That is why I'm convinced that on the 3rd March, I will be running the run, proudly representing the people of Barnet and the readers of the Barnet Eye. I will lovingly write the name of every sponsor on my shirt when I do the run, so we can all share in the achievement.
The thing which started me blogging about Barnet Council was the way they treated my mother in the final year of her life, with regards to the outsourcing of the meals on wheels contract. I realsied that they had no concern whatsoever about the well being of the elderly people of Barnet. There only concern was saving a bit of cash by cutting services for the people who most needed it. This was compounded in 2010 when the council caabinet voted themselves a huge rise in allowances as cuts were made almost everywhere else.
So who looks after the elderly people in Barnet who don't have children to stand up for them? There are a few charities who are doing their best in these difficult times. One such organisation is Age UK Barnet. I have decided to do a 10K run on Sunday 3rd March 2013 at Crystal Palace to raise some money for them.
You can donate to this great cause by clicking here - https://www.justgiving.com/RogT - from my blog stats, I see that 1,000 people look at this blog every day. Times are hard but is there a reader of the Barnet Eye who genuinely couldn't afford to spare £2.00. I have set a target of raising £500. To achieve this, 250 readers of the Barnet Eye need to contribute £2.00 each towards Age UK Barnet. If there are 250 of you who care enough about the blog to contribute £2.00 and who think that the 3,180 blogs I've written have been good value for money (less than 0.2p each for all of you), then I will be forever in your gratitude and it will send a small message out that people care.
If there are not, then to be quite honest, I will have to consider whether it is worth the time I dedicate to writing this blog. So if you are one of the members of Barnet Council, who would dearly love to see the back of this blog, please tell all your friends to keep their wallets shut. If you like what you read, but are too tight to spare £2.00 (less than 15p a day between now and then) to keep the blog running, you will only have yourself to blame, if you wake up on March 4th and this blog has disappeared forever.
Of course I am sure that readers of the Barnet Eye are generous, decent people and they care passionately about looking after the people who have built this Town, this City and this Country and are now in the twilight of the their lives. That is why I'm convinced that on the 3rd March, I will be running the run, proudly representing the people of Barnet and the readers of the Barnet Eye. I will lovingly write the name of every sponsor on my shirt when I do the run, so we can all share in the achievement.
Saracens Matchday CPZ - Parking carnage in Mill Hill
Yesterday was the first full on Saracens match day at Copthall Stadium in Mill Hill. Whilst the event was a great success for Saracens and it is nice to see the Stadium renovated and in use, Barnet Council has used the opportunity to turn the whole thing into a lucrative earner. At around 3pm yesterday, I did my 5km Saturday jog. This took me around many of the streets in the matchday CPZ. I saw dozens of cars with parking tickets. There were seven cars in a row on Woodland Way with tickets. As Saracens fans are likely to know there is a matchday event, one has to suppose that the tickets were all for ordinary residents of Mill Hill who aren't part of the Rugby fraternity.
I stopped and chatted to one old lady who seemed rather distressed about receiving a parking ticket. She informed me she always parked there on a Saturday. She gets her hair done if she has a night out. She was in tears, telling me she'd never had a parking ticket before and that she didn't know what to do. She didn't even know who Saracens were and was indignant that it had impacted her life. She asked me if it was anything to do with Barnet Football club who she'd heard had wanted to move to the ground. I told her that it was all over the local paper. She replied "I am not in the slightest bit interested in Sports or Rugby, so why should I read about it".
She told me she was very disappointed because John Hart had told her that he'd saved Mill Hill from Barnet Footbal club at the last election. When I explained about the fact that Barnet Council had imposed a five hour CPZ she said "where are the signs". I explained and she said "I don't know when the Rugby is on and I don't drive around reading signs on the side of the road. if I did I might kill somebody, this is absolutely ridiculous."
It is scandalous that the Council have chosen to impose the CPZ in such a haphazard manner. The signage for people who have no knowledge of Rugby matches is totally inadequate. The advertising for the scheme has been totally inadequate and if the lady I spoke to is anything to go by, this will cause massive ill feeling in the neighbourhood.
As she explained "If you've been parking somewhere for twenty years and the Council suddenly change the rules, they should make sure everyone knowns and put some proper big signs and yellow cones saying "don't park here today".
I stopped and chatted to one old lady who seemed rather distressed about receiving a parking ticket. She informed me she always parked there on a Saturday. She gets her hair done if she has a night out. She was in tears, telling me she'd never had a parking ticket before and that she didn't know what to do. She didn't even know who Saracens were and was indignant that it had impacted her life. She asked me if it was anything to do with Barnet Football club who she'd heard had wanted to move to the ground. I told her that it was all over the local paper. She replied "I am not in the slightest bit interested in Sports or Rugby, so why should I read about it".
She told me she was very disappointed because John Hart had told her that he'd saved Mill Hill from Barnet Footbal club at the last election. When I explained about the fact that Barnet Council had imposed a five hour CPZ she said "where are the signs". I explained and she said "I don't know when the Rugby is on and I don't drive around reading signs on the side of the road. if I did I might kill somebody, this is absolutely ridiculous."
It is scandalous that the Council have chosen to impose the CPZ in such a haphazard manner. The signage for people who have no knowledge of Rugby matches is totally inadequate. The advertising for the scheme has been totally inadequate and if the lady I spoke to is anything to go by, this will cause massive ill feeling in the neighbourhood.
As she explained "If you've been parking somewhere for twenty years and the Council suddenly change the rules, they should make sure everyone knowns and put some proper big signs and yellow cones saying "don't park here today".
Saturday, 16 February 2013
The Saturday List #35 - Ten achievements of Hendon MP Matthew Offord
As ever on Saturday we have our list of interesting things. This week we have the spotlight on our local MP Matthew Offord. We list his top ten achievements since becoming an MP in 2012. Mr Offord has achieved widespread fame for has absolutely, completely sane, rational and reasonable behaviour.
1. He got on news at ten for opposing gay marriage, suggesting that if it was allowed we'd all become polygamists.
2. He made the politics show with Andrew Neil campaigning for human rights for dogs, when the House of Commons told him he couldn't bring his pooch to work.
3. He achieved an honourable mention in the press for apparently being completely sober in the bar at 1am in the morning at the Tory party conference and indulging in handbags with the Tory chief whip.
4. He famously got mistaken for a soup waiter by David Cameron, when he first appeared in the Commons restaurant. Cameron asked him what soup he'd recommend.
5. Mr Offord has been widely praised for his scheme to bring a cheese shop to Mill Hill Broadway. Despite hoardes of hungry fromagarists eagerly awaiting the opening, this has yet to happen, despite it being one of his 2010 election campaign themes.
6. Mr Offord is also widely known for his appreciation of a good party in a Jacuzzi. If you have a jacuzzi in your back garden and you are having a party, ask him along. He really enjoys it.
7. Mr Offord has also been a member of the Parliamentary Armed forces scheme, which has allowed him to fly with the Army to South America and personally close down several major international drugs cartels (Well that was the impression he gave).
8. Mr Offord also received widespread acclaim for his attack on his former best mate and local party activist Adrian Murray Leonard. After the 2010 election, when Mr Offord no longer needed teams of willing doorknockers, he publicly attacked Mr Murray Leonard, accusing him of all manner of bad behaviour (which Mr Murray Leonard denies). It seems that having secured the job of MP, he apparently found a conscience.
9. On the subject of falling out with mates, apparently relations are somewhat strained between himself and his former best mate, ardent supporter and boss, Mike Freer MP. The two have fallen out as Mr Freer is an impassioned supporter of gay marriage, which Offord opposes.
10. Matthew is a very bright chap. He recently became a Doctor receiving a PhD for his work. ‘Rural Governance and Economic Development: The Changing Landscape of Rural Local Government’. It is an academic examination that considers whether changes introduced through the Local Government Act 2000 has introduced a measure of uniformity in the way rural councils work.Clearly this work has massively assisted him in his inderstanding of how to help his more deprived constituents in Burnt Oak, Grahame Park and Colindale.
Matthew is a tireless campaigner (yes he has absolutely no tires at all) and has built a reputation based on all of the work he has done for his constituents. Click here to see his busy calendar of events where you can meet him and tell him what a marvellous job he's doing
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/events
Matthew is also an extremely honest MP as can be seen by the analysis of the One Barnet program on his website
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/local-issues-one-barnet
As you can see that Matthew is convinced this is a fantastic idea. To quote his website
"The proposal has been established on a proper business case evidenced by the agreement of the Council’s own Section 151 Monitoring Officer."
Matthew is clearly impressed that a part time consultant, who is clearly clever enough to sort out rather beneficial tax arrangements, has told him that there is a proper business case !!!!
Lets hope Matthew gets hold of this and publishes it on his website. He is also rather impressed that the press reported that the council were considering changes way back 2009. It is marvellous that he has taken so much interest in the program. Strangely he doesn't mention he was one of the architects of it as Deputy Leader of Barnet Council? I wonder why that could be? Maybe he doesn't want it to become number eleven on the list.
1. He got on news at ten for opposing gay marriage, suggesting that if it was allowed we'd all become polygamists.
2. He made the politics show with Andrew Neil campaigning for human rights for dogs, when the House of Commons told him he couldn't bring his pooch to work.
3. He achieved an honourable mention in the press for apparently being completely sober in the bar at 1am in the morning at the Tory party conference and indulging in handbags with the Tory chief whip.
4. He famously got mistaken for a soup waiter by David Cameron, when he first appeared in the Commons restaurant. Cameron asked him what soup he'd recommend.
5. Mr Offord has been widely praised for his scheme to bring a cheese shop to Mill Hill Broadway. Despite hoardes of hungry fromagarists eagerly awaiting the opening, this has yet to happen, despite it being one of his 2010 election campaign themes.
6. Mr Offord is also widely known for his appreciation of a good party in a Jacuzzi. If you have a jacuzzi in your back garden and you are having a party, ask him along. He really enjoys it.
7. Mr Offord has also been a member of the Parliamentary Armed forces scheme, which has allowed him to fly with the Army to South America and personally close down several major international drugs cartels (Well that was the impression he gave).
8. Mr Offord also received widespread acclaim for his attack on his former best mate and local party activist Adrian Murray Leonard. After the 2010 election, when Mr Offord no longer needed teams of willing doorknockers, he publicly attacked Mr Murray Leonard, accusing him of all manner of bad behaviour (which Mr Murray Leonard denies). It seems that having secured the job of MP, he apparently found a conscience.
9. On the subject of falling out with mates, apparently relations are somewhat strained between himself and his former best mate, ardent supporter and boss, Mike Freer MP. The two have fallen out as Mr Freer is an impassioned supporter of gay marriage, which Offord opposes.
10. Matthew is a very bright chap. He recently became a Doctor receiving a PhD for his work. ‘Rural Governance and Economic Development: The Changing Landscape of Rural Local Government’. It is an academic examination that considers whether changes introduced through the Local Government Act 2000 has introduced a measure of uniformity in the way rural councils work.Clearly this work has massively assisted him in his inderstanding of how to help his more deprived constituents in Burnt Oak, Grahame Park and Colindale.
Matthew is a tireless campaigner (yes he has absolutely no tires at all) and has built a reputation based on all of the work he has done for his constituents. Click here to see his busy calendar of events where you can meet him and tell him what a marvellous job he's doing
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/events
Matthew is also an extremely honest MP as can be seen by the analysis of the One Barnet program on his website
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/local-issues-one-barnet
As you can see that Matthew is convinced this is a fantastic idea. To quote his website
"The proposal has been established on a proper business case evidenced by the agreement of the Council’s own Section 151 Monitoring Officer."
Matthew is clearly impressed that a part time consultant, who is clearly clever enough to sort out rather beneficial tax arrangements, has told him that there is a proper business case !!!!
Lets hope Matthew gets hold of this and publishes it on his website. He is also rather impressed that the press reported that the council were considering changes way back 2009. It is marvellous that he has taken so much interest in the program. Strangely he doesn't mention he was one of the architects of it as Deputy Leader of Barnet Council? I wonder why that could be? Maybe he doesn't want it to become number eleven on the list.
Friday, 15 February 2013
The Friday Joke 15/2/2013
Q: What does a drummer say if you ask him what perfect pitch is?
A: Wembley Stadium
Q: What do you call a beautiful woman on a keyboard player's arm?
A: A tattoo.
Q: Why do guitarists like to tour in the summer?
A: So they can visit all their kids in the holidays
Focus on Chipping Barnet Conservatives
The London Borough of Barnet is divided up into three constituencies, Hendon, Finchley + Golders Green, Chipping Barnet. Whilst Hendon is in a state of meltdown following the various shenanigans of MP Matthew Offord and Finchley and Golders Green has become a focal point for protest coordinated by Occupy London as a result of the anti squatter stance of MP Mike Freer, Chipping is what it always has been. A sleepy backwater where nothing much happens.
So much so that the MP, Theresa Villiers was made Northern Ireland minister. Perhaps it is ironic that whilst Barnet is outsourcing its services to the rest of the country, Northern Ireland has outsourced its management to Chipping Barnet!
Of the three constituencies, Chipping is far and away the most middle class, the least diverse and the most Tory. Until 2010, it was the only Barnet constituency with a Tory MP. In 2012, the association made an attempt to make the represenation more diverse, by selecting a female Muslim candidate for the Chipping ward council by election. This was a disaster. The plan failed miserably, with Labour romping away with a previously safe seat.
The local association is now controlled by the chair Fiona Bulmar. Ms Bulmar was a member of the Council cabinet until 2009. She stood for leadership and lost narrowly to Lynne Hillan. In a fit of pique, she walked out of the cabinet and stood down as a councillor. She subsequently made up with Ms Hillan and took up the reigns of running the association.
Like many such clubs, the association has been torn apart by many such rifts and squabbles over the years. Resting anti Council blogger, David Miller was the association chairman for a while. He quit in disgust at the endless shenanigans. Another anti council blogger was an ex Barnet Councillor. Daniel Hope was actually a Chipping ward councillor, until he fell out with fellow Councillor Andreas Tambourides. As a result of the rift, Mr Hope was deselected from the ward. He started writing occasional blogs under the name "The Barnet Bugle". Reports reach the Barnet Eye that Mr Hope has been seeking to rejoin the association as he has decided that gatecrashing lefty love ins after council meetings is not for him. Rather amusingly we hear that Conservative leader Richard Cornelius is less than thrilled at the concept. Having, rather fortuitously, been given the opportunity to get rid of another rather problematic member in Brian Coleman, word reaches the Barnet Eye that Richard is not exactly chuffed at the prospect of having the challenge of the rather easily upset Mr Hope in his ranks. The Barnet Eye wonders if Mr Cornelius is ever secretly jealous of Joseph Stalin, who had a very effective way of dealing with such problems. All Mr Cornelius can do is ask such members to sit on the "general functions committee".
Like many such sleepy backwaters, nothing much happens. A quick look at the association news reaffirms this. It appears that so far this year, nothing at all has happened!
http://www.barnetconservatives.co.uk/news
The association has a whole stack of rather elegant social events lined up. Here are a few examples
If this floats your boat, then check here for more details.
http://www.barnetconservatives.co.uk/events
I suspect that Chipping would be the last place with a London postcode to still elect a Tory MP in the event of a total collapse of the party. That is unless it goes UKIP !
So much so that the MP, Theresa Villiers was made Northern Ireland minister. Perhaps it is ironic that whilst Barnet is outsourcing its services to the rest of the country, Northern Ireland has outsourced its management to Chipping Barnet!
Of the three constituencies, Chipping is far and away the most middle class, the least diverse and the most Tory. Until 2010, it was the only Barnet constituency with a Tory MP. In 2012, the association made an attempt to make the represenation more diverse, by selecting a female Muslim candidate for the Chipping ward council by election. This was a disaster. The plan failed miserably, with Labour romping away with a previously safe seat.
The local association is now controlled by the chair Fiona Bulmar. Ms Bulmar was a member of the Council cabinet until 2009. She stood for leadership and lost narrowly to Lynne Hillan. In a fit of pique, she walked out of the cabinet and stood down as a councillor. She subsequently made up with Ms Hillan and took up the reigns of running the association.
Like many such clubs, the association has been torn apart by many such rifts and squabbles over the years. Resting anti Council blogger, David Miller was the association chairman for a while. He quit in disgust at the endless shenanigans. Another anti council blogger was an ex Barnet Councillor. Daniel Hope was actually a Chipping ward councillor, until he fell out with fellow Councillor Andreas Tambourides. As a result of the rift, Mr Hope was deselected from the ward. He started writing occasional blogs under the name "The Barnet Bugle". Reports reach the Barnet Eye that Mr Hope has been seeking to rejoin the association as he has decided that gatecrashing lefty love ins after council meetings is not for him. Rather amusingly we hear that Conservative leader Richard Cornelius is less than thrilled at the concept. Having, rather fortuitously, been given the opportunity to get rid of another rather problematic member in Brian Coleman, word reaches the Barnet Eye that Richard is not exactly chuffed at the prospect of having the challenge of the rather easily upset Mr Hope in his ranks. The Barnet Eye wonders if Mr Cornelius is ever secretly jealous of Joseph Stalin, who had a very effective way of dealing with such problems. All Mr Cornelius can do is ask such members to sit on the "general functions committee".
Like many such sleepy backwaters, nothing much happens. A quick look at the association news reaffirms this. It appears that so far this year, nothing at all has happened!
http://www.barnetconservatives.co.uk/news
The association has a whole stack of rather elegant social events lined up. Here are a few examples
Coppetts Brunch Come and join us for some Bucks Fizz and brunch. 32 The Ridgeway, N11 3LJ
CWCC Theresa's Birthday Party 46 Kings Rd EN5 4EG. £15. Time: 7pm.
Old Fold Branch Easter Tea 163 High Street. £12.50/head Time: 3.30pm
CWCC Coronation Dinner (60 years celebration) 163 High Street. £17.50/head Time: 7pm
http://www.barnetconservatives.co.uk/events
I suspect that Chipping would be the last place with a London postcode to still elect a Tory MP in the event of a total collapse of the party. That is unless it goes UKIP !
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Money Saving hints for Barnet residents from the Barnet Eye
Do you need to park in the London Borough of Barnet?
Do you not want to use the Pay by Phone system?
Do you need vouchers instead?
Well due to pressure from North Finchley traders, Parking in North Finchley is cheaper than everywhere else in the Borough and the parking vouchers available from the Library there are only £1.30 wheras elsewhere they are £2.00. They are the same vouchers as are available everywhere else, only they are cheaper. Therefore you can save a load of money if you buy them in Finchley.
Yet another example of the worlds greatest parking management organisation in the world.
Do you not want to use the Pay by Phone system?
Do you need vouchers instead?
Well due to pressure from North Finchley traders, Parking in North Finchley is cheaper than everywhere else in the Borough and the parking vouchers available from the Library there are only £1.30 wheras elsewhere they are £2.00. They are the same vouchers as are available everywhere else, only they are cheaper. Therefore you can save a load of money if you buy them in Finchley.
Yet another example of the worlds greatest parking management organisation in the world.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Local History Special - The 1950 Mill Hill air crash
I received a request to dig up some info on the 1950 Dakota plane crash. 27 people died when a BEA Dakota bound for Scotland crashed at Highwood Hill in Mill Hill. Only one person on board the plan survived.
There is a great clip on the Pathe News website
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/airliner-crash-at-mill
There is also a write up in Aviation News reporting the details of the crash inquiry
You can still see evidence of the crash where the garden wall has been repaired. If you walk up Highwood Hill and turn right, have a look at the wall just past the first house on your right.
I find the local history of our area fascinating. If you know of any other stories which may be of interest to readers of the Barnet Eye, please get in touch.
It seems a shame that there is no memorial to the 27 people who died in the crash.
Keep an eye out for RE magazine, there is a great article on the subject in the latest edition
There is a great clip on the Pathe News website
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/airliner-crash-at-mill
There is also a write up in Aviation News reporting the details of the crash inquiry
You can still see evidence of the crash where the garden wall has been repaired. If you walk up Highwood Hill and turn right, have a look at the wall just past the first house on your right.
I find the local history of our area fascinating. If you know of any other stories which may be of interest to readers of the Barnet Eye, please get in touch.
It seems a shame that there is no memorial to the 27 people who died in the crash.
Keep an eye out for RE magazine, there is a great article on the subject in the latest edition
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