A bit of praise for Barnet Council

Contrary to popular belief, I don't criticise everything Barnet Council does. The Thursday before last, as I went to a certain Standards Sub Committee meeting, I bumped into my Cousin leaving Hendon Town Hall. I was surprised to see her. She has Downs Syndrome and I'd last seen her when I helped take a disabled group to Lourdes in the summer.

I asked what she was doing and she said "been at a Council meeting". I was in a rush so I couldn't find out more, but it turns out that she was attending the launch of the Barnet Learning Disablities Parliament.

Councillor Richard Cornelius, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: "As a council we are constantly looking to promote independence among our users of social care services, including people with learning disabilities. Setting up this Parliament will give users a platform to air their views and discuss with their peers ways in which they feel their needs can be better met. As a listening council, we will take on board all their comments and do what we can, along with our health and police partners, to resolve any problems that do emerge."

It sounds like a good idea and I hope it works. I hope the council actually takes the suggestions on board. For more details click here.

BTINTERNET - A fault or an outage?

Last night I had some urgent work to do. To do this I had to be online between 11:30pm and 04:00 am this morning. Having had a rather pleasant curry, I got home, made a cup of tea and went to connect and commence my task. As I tried to access the site I needed to visit, I got a "BTINTERNET UNAVAILABLE" message and a special screen informing me to ring an 0845 number for a service update (charges apply).

I did this. I got a recorded message telling me the number had changed. So I'd paid a charge and had to ring another number. I rang this number and waited 5 minutes for someone to answer. I explained that we've been having intermittent problems with connection all week. He asked for my name. I said it's Roger Tichborne. He said "That name is completely different to the one on the account". I explained that it couldn't possibly be as I'd had the phone since 1987. He said he could only speak to the account holder. I explained I was the account holder. After much discussion, it emerged that the account had my father's initials (who died in 1987) on it. So in BTWORLD, two initials = completely different. Anyway, having got past the first hurdle, I then asked if there were any service problems. He explained that we had to follow the procedure. The procedure was to plug the laptop into the Ethernet cable and reset the hub password. I duly did this. The connection still didn't work. By now it was past midnight and I was meant to be on the phone to someone. I then asked if he could check the service status. He said OK and then said "Some users are experiencing problems". I replied "I know". I asked if I was one of these users. He said "Yes". I asked when the service would be restored. He replied "BT engineers are working on it". I explained that I was working and had an urgent job to do. I needed to know. He said "It will be at least 4 hours". I asked "How do I get compensation". He replied "You are not entitled to compensation because it is an outage. You only get compensation for faults". I asked "What is the difference between a fault and an outage". The chap, who clearly was working in an offshore call centre helpfully explained "A fault is a fault and an outage is an outage". I helpfully added "Can I explain the difference to you. It is the same as the difference between a BTINTERNET customer and an EX BTINTERNET customer". Luckily for me I have a good friend who I was able to ring, who despite having been at work until 10pm and who just wanted to get to sleep, was able to step in and do what had to be done. I'm going to be treating him to a slap up lunch as a thank you.

By the way, if any BTINTERNET sales people are reading this, I had an email conversation with another friend of mine, Sue this morning. She told me she was planning to swap from Virgin to BTINTERNET. She has changed her mind.

So how has BTINTERNET affected my Friday night

a) I could have had a few beers and enjoyed myself if I'd known I couldn't work
b) I've lost out on payment for a job
c) I've let someone down
d) I've put a friend of mine to great inconvenience
e) I've got to buy my friend an expensive slap up lunch as a sweeetner
f) I've got all the hassle of having to get a new Internet provider
g) I was up half the night anyway, seething with anger

I ask you this. It was broken. Engineers had to mend it. How can it not be a fault. If it was a planned outage, why didn't BTINTERNET ensure all of their customers knew that there would be no service in advance. It's called customer service.

All in all a costly and very frustrating night. Thanks BTINTERNET and adios.

A few words from the Leader of Barnet Council - Mike Freer

Well thus far, Mike Freer hasn't taken up my offer to put his case for Cricklewood regeneration here. Could he be "Frit"? - to quote Lady Thatcher, Finchley's most famous and successful Tory.

He has, however, outlined more details of his Easycouncil scheme to make Barnet the Ryanair of Local authorities (Ryanair must be chuffed to be associated with Mike Freer's record). On his LEADERLISTENS.COM website he says the following :-

We no longer turn up and say “we are from the council, we think you need this”. We are moving to “we are from the council, what do you think you need?”.

Now let me remind you about the decision to abolish Sheltered Housing Wardens. As Mike Freer says, the Council did ask the residents for their views on the proposal. They spent tens of thousands on a consultation. What did the residents say? Well 85% of them said they liked their wardens, they wanted to keep them and that Freer's alternative scheme placed their lives at risk. So having asked them, what did Mike do? He totally ignored them and ploughed on, to public outrage.

What else does Mike say on the subject

Of course this involves help and advice from experts but where in the past there was a feeling that the council knew best, now we think you do.

Well again Mike is spot on in what he says. Barnet Council's ruling Tories thought they knew best about abolishing wardens. The residents disagreed and challenged this in the High Court and the Judge has ordered that the scheme be stopped pending a judicial review. If Mike had actually bothered to ask an expert, such as Yvonne Hossacks, the lawyer representing the residents, she'd have told him that his plans were dangerous and probably illegal.

Mike, listen to your own words. It's probably the best advice you could possibly take regarding the wardens decision.

You know that blogging about Mike Freer and Barnet Council is very easy really. You just wait for Mike to say something and then compare it with what he actually does in practice.

And now Barnet's biggest Oik has something to celebrate !!!!

Having just completed a blog on how I celebrate things, I was going to switch off the laptop and go for a curry and a beer with my most beloved. Then a little voice in my head said "Check Vicki57's blog". Now I always listen to those little voices in my head (unless they tell me to do naughty things, such as bomb Iraq, which is what the little voice in George Bush's head told him to do, but that's another blog, another day).

Anyway, off I toddled and Lo and behold - Vicki made my day. Yvonne Hossacks, the lawyer who was up before a solicitors disciplinary panel for doing too good a job in opposing Sheltered Housing Warden cuts, won. A sorry conglomeration of Local Authorities, had presumably used taxpayers money to launch a complaint against her. Now I think that council leaders who launch such cases should be surcharged. It seems pretty clear to me that the complaint was clearly politically motivated, as Ms Hossacks was opposing a very partisan and ideologically motivated policy.

I don't know if Barnet was one of the Councils which participated in the complaint. I intend to find out. Maybe the district auditor should have a look and see if I'm right and this was clearly a waste of cash. I really don't know what Council's are and aren't allowed to spend money on, but I'd be amazed if launching complaints against solicitors is something anyone expects them to be involved in. If Barnet wasn't, but you live under a Council that did participate, I'd suggest you ask the district auditor to take a peek.

I salute the likes of Yvonne Hossacks. I will most certainly sink a nice cool glass of Kingfisher beer in her honour tonight. I might even have two, following the legal ruling earlier this week, instigated by Yvonne, that Barnet must stop getting rid of Wardens until there's been a judical review. I make that 3-0 to the Oiks against the powers of darkness in the last week or so.

How does Barnet's favourate Oik Celebrate ?

I feel honoured. Dave Hill at the Guardian called me an Oik today !!!! OK, well he didn't actually call me an Oik, he said that he thinks that Brian Coleman thinks that I'm an Oik. I've always wanted to be called an Oik by the Guardian, it's sort of a badge of honour for an ageing punk rocker such as myself. As to being thought of as an Oik by Brian Coleman? I've absolutely no idea if it's true or not, it's probably just a nasty rumour, but one of his Tory buddies once told me that "when you were getting drunk and listening to the Sex Pistols, Brian Coleman was singing in the choir at his local church and helping old ladies across the street" or words to that effect. I took it as a great compliment and I'm sure it was meant as such.

It seems that the local Tories are obsessed with the idea that I don't like old Ladies. I've no idea where they got this idea from. In fact, the recent conversations I've had with the various old Ladies I know in Mill Hill, seems to suggest that they actually quite like me. At least three saw me at mass and said "I saw you on the news, your Mum would have loved that". Strangely they all added "Mind you she'd have made you wear a suit, have a shave and take those silly sunglasses off" (or words to that effect). Given the hours I've put in campaigning for the retention of Sheltered Housing Wardens, I think my record of caring for Old Ladies stands up rather well compared to our local Tories.

Anyway, a few people have said that, having taken a few potshots at Brian Coleman for his champagne celebration to celebrate losing his standards case, it is most unfair of me, because I didn't give any details of how I celebrated. Did I have any champagne? Did I hire a swanky restaurant for all my supporters? Actually I did what I do every Thursday evening. It was my good mate, big Paul's turn to drive (yup his name is Paul and he's big). He picked me up at 8:30 and we went and played 5-a-side football for an hour. Then we went to the Three Hammers pub and I drank three pints of Guinness with the rest of the boys I play footie with. At 11:30pm I went home and my wife said "Oh, I thought you may be a bit later because you'd be celebrating". I responded "Celebrate? We lost 7-5?" I'm a rotten loser, you know.

It sort of reminded me of a commercial for lager a few years ago, where a team wins the FA cup, but the picture of the dressing room is one of misery as they have to drink Champagne. They then cut to the losers dressing room where they are all having a great time because, as they lost they can drink beer.

Anyway, have a great Friday night and happy Jewish New Year to you all. I'm off out for a Curry.

An open invitation to Mike Freer - Leader of Barnet Council

Dear Councillor Freer,

As I'm sure you are aware, much as you dislike this blog, it is probably the most read Barnet blog. We've had links from the BBC and National newspapers and we get tens of thousands of hits. Whatever you think of The Barnet Eye, people read this blog and visit it repeatedly.

Next week the Cricklewood Regeneration plan is being discussed. I cannot see what benefit this proposal will give to the people who elected the Conservative administration. I believe it will cause traffic gridlock and will overload the local infrastructure. If you send me an email explaining exactly how this proposal will benefit the people who voted for you and pay your allowances, I will post it here, unedited and without comment from me.

If you really believe it is a great idea, please share your thoughts with us. It won't cost you a penny and it will give you a chance to address your critics.

Mrs Thatcher used to deride her critics as "Frit" when they refused to engage. Here's your chance to prove that you are not scared to make your case in an open honest forum. Unlike mailshots etc, it won't cost you or me a penny of taxpayers money.

Yours Faithfully,

Rog T

The Barnet Eye

My total contempt for Jordan

There was much talk in the papers today about Jordan and her claims that she was raped more than once by "a well known celebrity" who she refuses to name. I've always taken a very keen interest in this subject, since one of my first serious girlfriends explained to me that she "couldn't really get close to me because she'd been violently raped and had issues with men". She was a beautiful woman and an absolutely fantastic person. She just had problems in as much as she she would at times shut down emotionally with me and I couldn't get through to her at all. She'd been violently attacked by a stranger walking home from work. She had no trouble explaining all of the details, but hard as I tried, there was always a distance between us. There were plenty of reasons we split, but I'll go to my deathbed believing that the emotional damage caused by the assualt was the main problem.

What's this got to do with Katie Price? Well she claims that she was raped "several times by a celebrity". That means that there is someone she knows who she could prevent causing massive harm and hurt to other women. Someone who is a serial sex attacker and an abuser of trust. She's rich and successful. Having seen her on various shows, notably Frank Skinner talking about sex, I believe her. I believe that like my friend, her self esteem is massively damaged. It is quite clear to me that she pushed Peter Andre, who seems like a very decent guy, away for these reasons. Why else would she carry on in such a way? On the Frank Skinner show (before the Andre marriage) she behaved in a truly bizarre fashion. When Skinner tried to probe deeper, it became clear to me that she was a rather damaged person. The claims about the rape confirm all of my worst fears.

Why my contempt? She knows the bloke, she should get him locked up. Even if she fails, we'd all know who he was. If by chance she's made the story up (which I don't believe), she's even worse than I thought. We really don't need people walking the streets who ruin lives for their own pleasure.

Why the picture of Beth Ditto? Well I know Jordan has spent a fortune on cosmetic surgery and I know that the Sun newspaper thinks guys like that, and I don't really go for girls with Beth's figure, and I know Beth prefers girls to boys and I doubt she'd be pleased to hear it from me, but to be quite honest, I'd rather look at Beth than Jordan any day, because at least I see someone I have a bit of respect for as a human being. I know Beth would do the RIGHT THING. I don't look at Beth and well up with anger.

Brian Coleman and a very fishy tale !

Not everything Tory is bad. As a small businessman, there are aspects of their policies which are far more sympathetic than the Labour party. Although I'm a big Ken Livingstone fan, I've got to confess that the dispute between the LDA and the small businesses on the Olympic site was one where I thought Ken was wrong. Companies that provide employment, some for generations, deserved better. How do you value the history of a company? One firm which I had much sympathy for was Forman's Fish - a firm specialisising in smoking of fish. They had a long wrangle with Ken to get decent terms. I suspect that many people felt the same and this was one reason many people felt Boris may be a change for the better. Forman's has moved 150 yards away, has a super location overlooking the River Lea and the site of the Olympics.

Here's what Formans say about themselves :-

H. Forman & Sons

Is a 4th generation family owned salmon smoker, established in the East End in 1905. They employ 90 staff who supply smoked and fresh fish to top hotels, restaurants, chefs and retailers including Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Fortnum & Mason, The Dorchester and The House of Lords amongst others and also export across the globe.

They've also opened a fish restaurant on the site which looks absolutely excellent. I hope that they go from success to success.

You may ask what all this has to do with Brian Coleman? Well as you know, we here at the Barnet Eye like to keep a close eye on the gifts and hospitality which our local GLA rep, Brian Coleman has been getting, via his entry on the GLA website. Well it seems that lucky old Brian has been given a side of Smoked Salmon as his latest gift by the boss of Formans. This is his 99th entry on the register, far in excess of the rest of the GLA members - I wonder what will be the lucky 100th? I rather hope it's something special. Brian deserves it, he's had a rough time of late. Maybe his luck may be turning, one of his harshest critics seems to be mellowing although the Local and National press seem to be as "howwid" as ever.

My thoughts on this gift? Lucky old Brian, I'd rather like one myself. I'm rather partial to a smoked salmon bagel of a morning.

When you know you've lost the plot

Don't Call Me Dave, Barnet's most sensible Tory, is on tip top form today on his blog. He details how the High Court has pulled the plug on Barnet's dangerous and spiteful scheme to get rid of wardens at sheltered housing establishments in the Borough. This scheme is the brainchild of leader Mike Freer, who is happy to spend millions on "consultants" to dream up blue sky scheme's but can't see that Sheltered housing wardens are more important than huge allowances for him and his mates (the saving is far less than the amount they get in allowances etc). Click here to read the full blog.

David sums it up pretty well, I urge you to read his blog. The only thing I can really add to Davids comments is this. I met David Young, the guy who launched the legal challenge in Barnet. He may be 78, but he's articulate and formidable. As we discussed the situation, I realised that if Barnet's Tories, Mike Freer and Barnet have chosen to go to war with someone like David, they really have lost the plot.

I wish David Young every success. I hope he saves Barnet Council and Mike Freer from their own stupidity with his challenge

Updates 23:42 - Thanks to Paul for pointing out the dodgy link

Sometimes ....

Nicked the piccie from Scarlett's website. I love this post so much. Next December it's 25 years since I met Clare. I'm gonna buy a hundred padlocks and I'm gonna put them all the places I really love.

Like Rock n Roll music, all the best ideas are nicked !!!!!!