Large team out canvassing this morning
---------------------------------------------------
I simply cannot believe this tweet. Does he know? Does he care? A young man is dead on his patch and he has a "large team out canvassing this morning"
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Dyslexia - How Much?
I sometimes wonder whether it was a blessing or a curse being dyslexic in the years before the condition existed. As a child, dyslexia had a different name. Stupidity. For me, tests were the opportunity to fail miserably and be humiliated. In the 1960's teachers at infant and primary school recognised that the best way to get children who were a "bit slow" to improve was to abuse and humiliate them. It worked even better with a liberal dose of bashing them. Did it work. Well I'd spend whole lessons devising strategies for avoiding the certain to arrive humiliation. There were various strategies :-
a) Get someone else to misbehave and then they'd get it instead
b) Pretend to be ill (having a coughing fit)
c) Say your parents had asked for the class to pray for someone (it was a Catholic school and so this was a useful trump card).
These were all examples. Another example was to volunteer to do unpleasant chores. These were always less unpleasant than the alternative. I spent years "sorting out the bean bags" (do schools still have bean bags). Sadly though, all of these tactics only went so far. Most of the time, you just had to cop what was coming. Teachers would accuse me of "not concentrating" without realising that this is a symptom of the condition. Strangely enough, when I first heard about dyslexia, I didn't associate with the symptoms. By then I'd developed a coping strategy and could read. My wife often asks me about which childrens books I enjoyed as a child. The truth is none. The first book I ever read was 1984 by George Orwell aged 12. My sister was doing it as an O level book and it sounded really interesting. I'd long been reading comics. Having pictures and a structure, it was quite easy to get the drift of the story and the words fitted in, as they were either in narritive boxes or speech bubbles. My mother was repeatedly told to stop me from reading them, but figured it was better than nothing. Once I got the hang of it, I found it wasn't as daunting as I'd thought. The one time this is not true is in church services, where people say what is in the book. I can't keep up. As a kid I thought (here's the Catholic guilt) that it was because I was evil (the teachers had repeatedly told me this). I have realised that it's just because I'm a slow reader with dyslexia.
Anyway step forward 40 years to 2011. The word dyslexia certainly exists now. Not only that, but it's a highly lucrative business. Click on this link to see a few examples :-
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dyslexic&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f&oq=&aq=f#q=dyslexic&hl=en&tbs=p_ord:pd&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=TikjTp2sKIug-wb99rW_Aw&ved=0CAsQuw0oAg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=3f25acabc71a30e&biw=1069&bih=632
I worry about this industry. I suspect that what the parents who invest in all this stuff want is a child who isn't dyslexic. What I wonder is what should they want? Well I'd say, let's start with a child who is happy and fulfilled. If my dyslexia had meant endless extra lessons and missing out on football or playtime, I'd have become extremely resistant to any help. I believe that mainstream schools fail miserably at giving all but the most average of children a half decent education. As soon as there is someone with issues (not just dyslexia) the model breaks down. Dyslexia is a particularly difficult syndrome to diagnose as all sorts of behaviour issues can mask a diagnosis. What happens? Parents see websites with magic bullet cures. Centres offer all manner of things, including dietary suppliments, exercises and reading aids. Experts constrcut all manner of strategies for bringing the best out of children with the syndrome. If I was an unscrupulous businessman, I'd set up a centre. I'd charge a fortune for all manner of quackery, learning aids and therapy sessions. I'd offer a complete money back guarantee for any child which didn't improve within 12 months. I'd devise a test to show where they are and get them to retake it 12 months later. All kids, dyslexic or not learn, so you'd be onto a guaranteed winner.
I am however, not a rip off businessman looking to make a quick buck. I will give you my advice on how you can get the best out of your children, if they have issues with dyslexia.
1) Never get cross at them when they underachieve at school. Speak to the school and ask what help they are getting to improve.
2) If they persistently misbehave at school, speak to them about specific incidents. Try and understand what they were thinking at the time. I believe that many dyslexic children are badly behaved at school to mask other problems. Ask them to talk you through how they recall the whole incident, start to finish, in a non confrontational way. Often something will have triggered the problems.
3) Look at their diet. I don't believe in "magic bullet" cures, but high sugar drinks, choloclates etc or anything which will make them hyper, can only cause them to lose concentration. Try and ensure breakfasts and lunches are balanced and healthy.
4) Encourage them to read anything. I found comics a good way to learn and I enjoyed them. These days there are all manner of such materials from the traditional childrens comics such as the Beano to highly spohisticated graphic novels.
5) If someone tells you your child has a reading age of 5 when they are 11 (that was my diagnosis), it doesn't mean they want to read books designed for 5 year olds. Try and find the appropriate reading materials - ie books designed for their agegroup aimed at dyslexics - yes they do exist.
6) Inform teachers that public reading is challenging due to dyslexia. Don't put them into stressful situations.
7) Encourage other creative skills - art, music, drama, etc. Strangely enough, many dyslexics are very poetic. I suspect we see patterns where other people see words. These build self confidence and are fun.
8) You may find dyslexic teenagers are a complete nightmare. This is often due to lack of self confidence and self esteem - show them this list - http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html - it isn't a bad club is it.
But most of all find self help groups where you can exchange ideas and support with other parents. I don't have dyslexic children, so that's one challenge I've been spared. I do know many parents who have. What shocks me is how often they just don't get it. The condition is not like a broken leg which will mend. It isn't even necessarily a problem, it just means you may be worse at some things than your peers.
A useful analogy - nothing to do with dyslexia - for me is football. I'd love to play for England, but I used to play for the Hendon School Old boys fifth eleven. I enjoyed this as much as playing for any other team. I had to learn to get the best out of myself within my limitations. Sure I regret not playing for England, but I don't regret playing for Hendon (and I certainly don't think England regret not picking me!).
And one final word. I've written a blog for three years. I think it has been a great thing for me and has made a contribution to the London Borough of Barnet where I live. It has been nationally recognised in all manner of ways and by all manner of people. There have been over 300,000 visits to the blog since it's inception, currently approx 25,000 per month (seems to go up every month). If I can write stuff that finds an audience so can anyone else. A couple of people have emailed me and said these blogs on the subject have helped, I hope this one does.
a) Get someone else to misbehave and then they'd get it instead
b) Pretend to be ill (having a coughing fit)
c) Say your parents had asked for the class to pray for someone (it was a Catholic school and so this was a useful trump card).
These were all examples. Another example was to volunteer to do unpleasant chores. These were always less unpleasant than the alternative. I spent years "sorting out the bean bags" (do schools still have bean bags). Sadly though, all of these tactics only went so far. Most of the time, you just had to cop what was coming. Teachers would accuse me of "not concentrating" without realising that this is a symptom of the condition. Strangely enough, when I first heard about dyslexia, I didn't associate with the symptoms. By then I'd developed a coping strategy and could read. My wife often asks me about which childrens books I enjoyed as a child. The truth is none. The first book I ever read was 1984 by George Orwell aged 12. My sister was doing it as an O level book and it sounded really interesting. I'd long been reading comics. Having pictures and a structure, it was quite easy to get the drift of the story and the words fitted in, as they were either in narritive boxes or speech bubbles. My mother was repeatedly told to stop me from reading them, but figured it was better than nothing. Once I got the hang of it, I found it wasn't as daunting as I'd thought. The one time this is not true is in church services, where people say what is in the book. I can't keep up. As a kid I thought (here's the Catholic guilt) that it was because I was evil (the teachers had repeatedly told me this). I have realised that it's just because I'm a slow reader with dyslexia.
Anyway step forward 40 years to 2011. The word dyslexia certainly exists now. Not only that, but it's a highly lucrative business. Click on this link to see a few examples :-
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dyslexic&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f&oq=&aq=f#q=dyslexic&hl=en&tbs=p_ord:pd&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=TikjTp2sKIug-wb99rW_Aw&ved=0CAsQuw0oAg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=3f25acabc71a30e&biw=1069&bih=632
I worry about this industry. I suspect that what the parents who invest in all this stuff want is a child who isn't dyslexic. What I wonder is what should they want? Well I'd say, let's start with a child who is happy and fulfilled. If my dyslexia had meant endless extra lessons and missing out on football or playtime, I'd have become extremely resistant to any help. I believe that mainstream schools fail miserably at giving all but the most average of children a half decent education. As soon as there is someone with issues (not just dyslexia) the model breaks down. Dyslexia is a particularly difficult syndrome to diagnose as all sorts of behaviour issues can mask a diagnosis. What happens? Parents see websites with magic bullet cures. Centres offer all manner of things, including dietary suppliments, exercises and reading aids. Experts constrcut all manner of strategies for bringing the best out of children with the syndrome. If I was an unscrupulous businessman, I'd set up a centre. I'd charge a fortune for all manner of quackery, learning aids and therapy sessions. I'd offer a complete money back guarantee for any child which didn't improve within 12 months. I'd devise a test to show where they are and get them to retake it 12 months later. All kids, dyslexic or not learn, so you'd be onto a guaranteed winner.
I am however, not a rip off businessman looking to make a quick buck. I will give you my advice on how you can get the best out of your children, if they have issues with dyslexia.
1) Never get cross at them when they underachieve at school. Speak to the school and ask what help they are getting to improve.
2) If they persistently misbehave at school, speak to them about specific incidents. Try and understand what they were thinking at the time. I believe that many dyslexic children are badly behaved at school to mask other problems. Ask them to talk you through how they recall the whole incident, start to finish, in a non confrontational way. Often something will have triggered the problems.
3) Look at their diet. I don't believe in "magic bullet" cures, but high sugar drinks, choloclates etc or anything which will make them hyper, can only cause them to lose concentration. Try and ensure breakfasts and lunches are balanced and healthy.
4) Encourage them to read anything. I found comics a good way to learn and I enjoyed them. These days there are all manner of such materials from the traditional childrens comics such as the Beano to highly spohisticated graphic novels.
5) If someone tells you your child has a reading age of 5 when they are 11 (that was my diagnosis), it doesn't mean they want to read books designed for 5 year olds. Try and find the appropriate reading materials - ie books designed for their agegroup aimed at dyslexics - yes they do exist.
6) Inform teachers that public reading is challenging due to dyslexia. Don't put them into stressful situations.
7) Encourage other creative skills - art, music, drama, etc. Strangely enough, many dyslexics are very poetic. I suspect we see patterns where other people see words. These build self confidence and are fun.
8) You may find dyslexic teenagers are a complete nightmare. This is often due to lack of self confidence and self esteem - show them this list - http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html - it isn't a bad club is it.
But most of all find self help groups where you can exchange ideas and support with other parents. I don't have dyslexic children, so that's one challenge I've been spared. I do know many parents who have. What shocks me is how often they just don't get it. The condition is not like a broken leg which will mend. It isn't even necessarily a problem, it just means you may be worse at some things than your peers.
A useful analogy - nothing to do with dyslexia - for me is football. I'd love to play for England, but I used to play for the Hendon School Old boys fifth eleven. I enjoyed this as much as playing for any other team. I had to learn to get the best out of myself within my limitations. Sure I regret not playing for England, but I don't regret playing for Hendon (and I certainly don't think England regret not picking me!).
And one final word. I've written a blog for three years. I think it has been a great thing for me and has made a contribution to the London Borough of Barnet where I live. It has been nationally recognised in all manner of ways and by all manner of people. There have been over 300,000 visits to the blog since it's inception, currently approx 25,000 per month (seems to go up every month). If I can write stuff that finds an audience so can anyone else. A couple of people have emailed me and said these blogs on the subject have helped, I hope this one does.
Burnt Oak Murder : Tim Jones of The Hendon Times responds to the Barnet Eye
The assistant editor of the Hendon Times & associated papers took exception to my previous blog (job done then). He posted the following points on Twitter re the previous blog here. This is what he said :-
tpsjones Tim Jones
@barneteye and why does your blog yesterday say nothing from Hendon Times? We had story first. Do you know a fact when you see one?
»
tpsjones Tim Jones
@barneteye which is all far more than you seem to have done. How about putting the police number on your own blog? That might help.
»
tpsjones Tim Jones
@barneteye we have also widely publicised the police's appeal for information in a bid to solve this and catch whoever is responsible.
»
tpsjones Tim Jones
@barneteye what an ill-considered and appalling rant. We are reporting the facts as given to us by the police. The fact are the facts.
--------------------------------
He makes one valid point, yes it would be good to publicise the police number. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0208 358 0100, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
So on to his other points. He sulkily claims I should have acknowledged the Times yesterday (not that they ever acknowledge us when they nick our stories). Well I found out about the story via the radio and my own trip to the fishmonger in Burnt Oak. I mentioned the Times coverage in passing. Nothing featured in his story which I used for what I wrote, having been aware of the facts via BBC London 94.9. I thought the coverage yesterday was Ok. Mr Jones accuses me of not knowing a fact when I see one, re the allegation that the address was a brothel. This is rather interesting and shows a poor grasp of English on his part, as his own story states that the police considered the issue of the property being a brothel to be a theory (according to his own story). I may be thick and dyslexic, but in my book a Theory and a Fact are two completely different things.
For the absence of doubt, I object to the story posted today, which I placed a link to the Times website on, specifying my reasons why. Mr Jones is free to say what he likes about this blog, but for the second time today, I find myself wishing that he was rather more circumspect in his comments. I am rather pleased that he has at last admitted that people should acknowledge their sources though. I typed Barneteye into the Times search engine and didn't find a single credit, just two stories about me which came up as well as a readers letter.
Anyway, his tweets are here. Make up your own mind
Barnet Eye round up - Burnt Oak Murder - What the hell is going on ?
Sorry if I upset anyone with what I am going to say here. I am just absolutely sick and disgusted by the fact that somebody was stabbed to death in Burnt Oak, a mile from my front door and no one seems to give a fuck.
First up lets see what our MP, Matthew Offord has to say on his Twitter feed. Over 24 hours later? Absolutely fuck all. What about the news on his website?
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/news.aspx?id=4 - Nope the troglodytes of Burnt Oak are not worth mentioning to our esteemed MP, although the fact he met a famous sports person is.
What does the local paper have to say?
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9144135.Burnt_Oak_murder__premises_may_have_been_brothel/
Yeah lovely stuff, do they forget the bloke presumably had a family? A mum? A dad? Most sickening of all is the story at the bottom of the story -
Does anyone care? I find the reaction truly horrible and disgusting. I'll be saying a prayer for the victim and his family and hoping that the papers see the error of their ways and lay off putting the boot in. Some hope
First up lets see what our MP, Matthew Offord has to say on his Twitter feed. Over 24 hours later? Absolutely fuck all. What about the news on his website?
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/news.aspx?id=4 - Nope the troglodytes of Burnt Oak are not worth mentioning to our esteemed MP, although the fact he met a famous sports person is.
What does the local paper have to say?
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9144135.Burnt_Oak_murder__premises_may_have_been_brothel/
Yeah lovely stuff, do they forget the bloke presumably had a family? A mum? A dad? Most sickening of all is the story at the bottom of the story -
Do you know the premises where the stabbing happened? Contact the newsdesk with any information by emailing tjones@london.newsquest.co.ukWell I have a message for TJones at London.newsquest.co.uk - Fuck off and show some respect. The poor sod isn't even cold on the slab yet and you are looking for salacious stories of rumpy pumpy on the back of his death. You make me sick, trying to spice up the story to boost your circulation. Why don't you bug his families phones and see if you can dig up even more shit? Haven't you learned anything? Why don't you fuck off to News International where you seem to belong.
Does anyone care? I find the reaction truly horrible and disgusting. I'll be saying a prayer for the victim and his family and hoping that the papers see the error of their ways and lay off putting the boot in. Some hope
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Burnt Oak Murder - Where is the leadership
Last night I went on a pub crawl around London Bridge followed by a curry. I took the Northern Line home and got off at Burnt Oak to take the 251 bus home. I waited 5 mins for a bus to arrive (not sure of the time, around 11pm). I thought it seemed rather quiet for a Friday night. This morning I had to go to Burnt Oak to buy some fish. As I jumped in the car, the radio told me that a man had been murdered not too long after I passed the spot (maybe 3 hours). The whole road was sealed off.
As peruse the twitter feeds - nothing from our MP. Nothing from the Leader of the Council on any Hendon Times story. Is it just because it's Burnt Oak? Don't people from Burnt Oak matter? If it was a wealthy Totteridge resident, I wonder what the response would be. If it was a millionaire?
Sometimes the Human race makes me sick. We only care about those we deem important. God bless the victim and his family. I will remember them in my prayers.
As peruse the twitter feeds - nothing from our MP. Nothing from the Leader of the Council on any Hendon Times story. Is it just because it's Burnt Oak? Don't people from Burnt Oak matter? If it was a wealthy Totteridge resident, I wonder what the response would be. If it was a millionaire?
Sometimes the Human race makes me sick. We only care about those we deem important. God bless the victim and his family. I will remember them in my prayers.
Young Ramsbottom Special : Twatman is a chicken !!!!!!
Imagine my surprise (and hilarity). It turns out that the scourge of the Barnet Library system Councillor Robert Ramsbottom (AKA little Bobby Sheepsjacksie) is a chicken. Following some banter on Twitter with one of my favourite Barnet Tory Loonies (Dan Hope), I suddenly realised that Little Bobby has a twitter account under the monika of @athousandtrees - imagine my joy. The chance to read the blatherings of Twatman ad nausium !!!! So off I went to have a look and guess what? That's right, little Bobby only let's approved people view his blatherings. This is what greeted me :-
![]()
Yup, along with all of his other failings, we can now add that he's a chicken. he's scared that people will see what old cobblers he's spouting and wind him up. Ah diddums Bobby. The poor little darling. Whilst little Bobby is a source of great hilarity to this blog, surely the people of Barnet deserve better than this. Whilst I try my best to wind up his mate and fellow Councillor Danny "Imber" Seal, he is clearly made of sterner stuff and laughs it off. Sadly squeaky Bob takes himself so seriously that the mere thought of bloggers giggling as he makes himself look stupid is far too much. Is there a worse councillor in Barnet. Maybe we should rename Bobby to "Kentucky Bob" - He ain't just chicken (He's a twat as well). When I have a free moment maybe we'll have another poll.
One other thing. Bumped into a few of the older residents of Barnet, who are avid supporters of the Library campaign earlier in the week. One Lady, who had been a lifelong Tory until they decided to shut her library told me that she'd got into reading blogs as a result of Twatman and his closure policies. I asked her if she thought I was a bit mean to Bobby and would prefer it if I was a bit more polite. "Oh no" She replied "The English language is at it's best when it's a bit fruity. Shakespeare is full of bawdy language and insults, so you are merely carrying on our finest literary traditions". I'd never really thought of it like that. She went on to say "I think the term Twat sums Rams up nicely"
Maybe Bobby should try chatting to a few of the users of Friern Barnet and Garden Suburb Library. Maybe it would help improve his education. And one other thing. Rather oddly, unlike most other Barnet blogs, Little Bob has a blog, but he doesn't put a link on to his fellow bloggers in the Borough? Why could this be. We have a link to his in our sidebar and we do all we can to publicise what he has to say, damn bad manners I call it !
Cluck cluck Bob !!!!
Yup, along with all of his other failings, we can now add that he's a chicken. he's scared that people will see what old cobblers he's spouting and wind him up. Ah diddums Bobby. The poor little darling. Whilst little Bobby is a source of great hilarity to this blog, surely the people of Barnet deserve better than this. Whilst I try my best to wind up his mate and fellow Councillor Danny "Imber" Seal, he is clearly made of sterner stuff and laughs it off. Sadly squeaky Bob takes himself so seriously that the mere thought of bloggers giggling as he makes himself look stupid is far too much. Is there a worse councillor in Barnet. Maybe we should rename Bobby to "Kentucky Bob" - He ain't just chicken (He's a twat as well). When I have a free moment maybe we'll have another poll.
One other thing. Bumped into a few of the older residents of Barnet, who are avid supporters of the Library campaign earlier in the week. One Lady, who had been a lifelong Tory until they decided to shut her library told me that she'd got into reading blogs as a result of Twatman and his closure policies. I asked her if she thought I was a bit mean to Bobby and would prefer it if I was a bit more polite. "Oh no" She replied "The English language is at it's best when it's a bit fruity. Shakespeare is full of bawdy language and insults, so you are merely carrying on our finest literary traditions". I'd never really thought of it like that. She went on to say "I think the term Twat sums Rams up nicely"
Maybe Bobby should try chatting to a few of the users of Friern Barnet and Garden Suburb Library. Maybe it would help improve his education. And one other thing. Rather oddly, unlike most other Barnet blogs, Little Bob has a blog, but he doesn't put a link on to his fellow bloggers in the Borough? Why could this be. We have a link to his in our sidebar and we do all we can to publicise what he has to say, damn bad manners I call it !
Cluck cluck Bob !!!!
Finchley Carnival Committee - response to Brian Coleman
Last week, Brian Coleman insulted the organising committee of Finchley Carnival calling them, amongst other things, a bunch of amatuers. One of the committee, Bill Lethorn responded this week to Coleman in the pages of the Edgware Press. Click on this link and go to page 8 for full letter
http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=f09S18LzgM06&EID=57b6624f-676f-4b4b-823a-396e5c4b93a6&skip=
Here's my quote of the week from Bill.
Nuff said really
http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=f09S18LzgM06&EID=57b6624f-676f-4b4b-823a-396e5c4b93a6&skip=
Here's my quote of the week from Bill.
If to be an amatuer means that we do not take out a penny including expenses, from the carnival committee funds, yes then I'm proud to be an amatuer.
If to be a professional means to cost the taxpayer or local people many thousdands ofpounds in taxi fares and the like, then I'm proud not to be a professional
Nuff said really
The secret of the Conservatives success in Mill Hill
Just over a year ago the Conservatives conclusively won Mill Hill ward. I know all about how, as I was standing for their main rivals in Mill Hill, the Lib Dems. The Lib Dems had been councillors for Mill Hill for the previous 16 years, since 1994. They originally won the ward, due to extreme laziness and complacency on the part of the local Conservative party and on the back of a huge split in the local Conservatives. The Lib Dems also gained a huge local following as a result of an active campaign against local overdevelopment of the green belt at Belmont Farm and Copthall. From 1994 until 2002, the Lib Dems and the Labour party were in power in Barnet. Many sensible policies were brought in and many local improvements were made. For the first three years of the Lib/Lab administration, they were hamstrung by having to deal with a totally inept central government.
In 1997, Tony Blair got in with a huge majority. Although many mistakes were made by the Blair government, there were two areas in which they were a massive improvement. Firstly they made huge sums available for school rebuilding. In Barnet, the Council started a much needed overhaul of local schools. Progressive central policies meant that schools in Barnet started to improve. In Mill Hill, perhaps the best example of this was the complete rebuilding of St Vincents RC school. This had been a ramshackle collection of worn out buildings and a highly dangerous play area on a steep slope. Other plans were put in place, but in 2002 the Tories retook the council, on the back of a national backlash against the Blair government. In Mill Hill, the Lib Dems were again successful, taking all three seats.
Initially, the local Tories under the sensible leadership of Victor Lyons (recently sadly departed) began a program of consolidation. By appointing Brian Coleman to run the Boroughs roads, Lyon started the decimation of the road safety measures the Lib/Lab administration had introduced. Road humps were ripped out and the Partingdale Lane ratrun reopened. From being a Borough who's road safety was improving relative to other Boroughs, the accident and death rate again saw Barnet as the worst London Borough this year. In education, the generosity of the local Labour government allowed the local Tories to claim credit for national policies and build on the good work done by Labour.
At the 2010 council elections, the Lib Dems in Mill Hill were faced with a local election on the same day as the national election. Hendon was a target constituency, so huge resources were poured in. A highly dishonest campaign was run by the local Conservatives. They ran this using two massive porkies. The first was that the local Lib Dems were planning a huge football stadium at Barnet Copthall for Kentish Town Football club (average attendance 30). When we first saw the leaflet, we were amazed. I'd never even heard of Kentish Town FC until someone challenged me. Having campaigned against overdevelopment at Copthall, the local Lib Dems were being called hypocrites by the Tories. Even though the whole story was a complete fabrication, locals faith in the Lib Dems was shaken. The second big porkie that they were spouting was that the local Lib Dems were anti semitic. This was based on the fact that one Lib Dem peer - Jenny Tonge - is a strident opponent of Israel. Whilst Tonge has many views with which I disagree on the subject, I don't want to live in a society where people cannot hold such views. What is rather ironic is that David Cameron had made some comments which went down rather badly as well on the subject of Israel. Strangely, local Jewish Conservative supporters didn't mention these when discussing these on the doorstep. Time and time again, Jewish voters told us they wouldn't vote Lib Dem whilst Tonge remained a member of the party. We discussed this many times. I was of the opinion that we should have grabbed the bull by the horns and put a leaflet out specifically addressing the issue, but the view that the less we said the better prevailed. For the record, I wanted us to publicly disassociate ourselves from her views, point out that she was a maverick and did not represent party policy on the subject. I also felt we should highlight certain other statements by promenent Tories.
Having said all of that, the most damaging leaflet of all in Mill Hill was not one put out by the Tories. It was one put out by the Labour party. This destroyed the base of labour voters who had lent their votes to the Lib Dems to keep out the Tories. It said "Don't vote Lib Dem, because they will form a coalition with the Tories". I was livid when I saw this leaflet. Given that the Lib Dems had run the council with the Labour group for eight years, I found it to be a total betrayal and a lie. I queried the local Labour group about it and they stated that it was part of Andrew Dismore's attempt to shore up the Labour vote and try and hold Hendon. They stated that local Labour supporters were sophisticated enough to know this. Rather sadly, my fears were correct. Labour voters dumped the Lib Dem councillors in their droves. Even more sadly, on the national scene, the leaflet was quite right. Many of the people who I'd spoken to on the doorstep, pointed out that the leaflet was right. All I could say was that it wouldn't have happened locally if I'd been elected.
Which brings me to 2011. I am still a member of the Barnet Lib Dems. People have started to ask me whether I will stand for Council again. Some people have suggested that I should rejoin the local Labour party and try and secure the nomination for Hale Ward, which I believe to be winnable. My own house was in Hale ward until a recent boundary change. I have huge affection and loyalty to the local Lib Dems, I believe that Wayne Casey and Jeremy Davies were the best councillors in Barnet, and that Jack Cohen is the most effective opponent of the Tories at present. I also think Lord Palmer did a fantastic job of the Audit of MetPro. I really believe that the Tories in Mill Hill deserve to be kicked out. They have done absolutely nothing for Mill Hill. They have said nothing about the real proposal for a monster stadium at Copthall for Saracens. They have said nothing about Etz Chaim school, when they should have been leading community efforts to bring the two parties together. They have done nothing to protect the Green belt. The conundrum I have is that I find it hard to accept that the party I belong to is in government with the likes of Cameron and Osborne.
Mill Hill desperately needs an effective campaign against the local Conservatives and the damage they are doing. I have no great desire to be a councillor or have a political career. I have a huge desire to see the Barnet Tories kicked out of power. I believe that the local opposition to the Bonkers Barnet Tories needs to get organised. My call to everyone who wants to see the reckless damage caused by the Tories stopped is to get out, get campaigning and get organised. We've all sat on our backsides for too long. I suspect that there will be a by-election in Mill Hill in the not too distant future. I sincerely hope Jeremy Davies stands for the Lib Dems. I will be on his campaign team and it will give us a chance to show the Tories that their policies of deception, sloth and ineptitude have been tumbled.
Next year we have the GLA election. Brian Coleman, the man who wrecked the road safety of Barnet stands against Andrew Dismore (and an as yet unnamed Lib Dem). That will certainly be an interesting contest. You can be assured of one thing, this blog will be reminding everyone of Coleman and his shenanigans
In 1997, Tony Blair got in with a huge majority. Although many mistakes were made by the Blair government, there were two areas in which they were a massive improvement. Firstly they made huge sums available for school rebuilding. In Barnet, the Council started a much needed overhaul of local schools. Progressive central policies meant that schools in Barnet started to improve. In Mill Hill, perhaps the best example of this was the complete rebuilding of St Vincents RC school. This had been a ramshackle collection of worn out buildings and a highly dangerous play area on a steep slope. Other plans were put in place, but in 2002 the Tories retook the council, on the back of a national backlash against the Blair government. In Mill Hill, the Lib Dems were again successful, taking all three seats.
Initially, the local Tories under the sensible leadership of Victor Lyons (recently sadly departed) began a program of consolidation. By appointing Brian Coleman to run the Boroughs roads, Lyon started the decimation of the road safety measures the Lib/Lab administration had introduced. Road humps were ripped out and the Partingdale Lane ratrun reopened. From being a Borough who's road safety was improving relative to other Boroughs, the accident and death rate again saw Barnet as the worst London Borough this year. In education, the generosity of the local Labour government allowed the local Tories to claim credit for national policies and build on the good work done by Labour.
At the 2010 council elections, the Lib Dems in Mill Hill were faced with a local election on the same day as the national election. Hendon was a target constituency, so huge resources were poured in. A highly dishonest campaign was run by the local Conservatives. They ran this using two massive porkies. The first was that the local Lib Dems were planning a huge football stadium at Barnet Copthall for Kentish Town Football club (average attendance 30). When we first saw the leaflet, we were amazed. I'd never even heard of Kentish Town FC until someone challenged me. Having campaigned against overdevelopment at Copthall, the local Lib Dems were being called hypocrites by the Tories. Even though the whole story was a complete fabrication, locals faith in the Lib Dems was shaken. The second big porkie that they were spouting was that the local Lib Dems were anti semitic. This was based on the fact that one Lib Dem peer - Jenny Tonge - is a strident opponent of Israel. Whilst Tonge has many views with which I disagree on the subject, I don't want to live in a society where people cannot hold such views. What is rather ironic is that David Cameron had made some comments which went down rather badly as well on the subject of Israel. Strangely, local Jewish Conservative supporters didn't mention these when discussing these on the doorstep. Time and time again, Jewish voters told us they wouldn't vote Lib Dem whilst Tonge remained a member of the party. We discussed this many times. I was of the opinion that we should have grabbed the bull by the horns and put a leaflet out specifically addressing the issue, but the view that the less we said the better prevailed. For the record, I wanted us to publicly disassociate ourselves from her views, point out that she was a maverick and did not represent party policy on the subject. I also felt we should highlight certain other statements by promenent Tories.
Having said all of that, the most damaging leaflet of all in Mill Hill was not one put out by the Tories. It was one put out by the Labour party. This destroyed the base of labour voters who had lent their votes to the Lib Dems to keep out the Tories. It said "Don't vote Lib Dem, because they will form a coalition with the Tories". I was livid when I saw this leaflet. Given that the Lib Dems had run the council with the Labour group for eight years, I found it to be a total betrayal and a lie. I queried the local Labour group about it and they stated that it was part of Andrew Dismore's attempt to shore up the Labour vote and try and hold Hendon. They stated that local Labour supporters were sophisticated enough to know this. Rather sadly, my fears were correct. Labour voters dumped the Lib Dem councillors in their droves. Even more sadly, on the national scene, the leaflet was quite right. Many of the people who I'd spoken to on the doorstep, pointed out that the leaflet was right. All I could say was that it wouldn't have happened locally if I'd been elected.
Which brings me to 2011. I am still a member of the Barnet Lib Dems. People have started to ask me whether I will stand for Council again. Some people have suggested that I should rejoin the local Labour party and try and secure the nomination for Hale Ward, which I believe to be winnable. My own house was in Hale ward until a recent boundary change. I have huge affection and loyalty to the local Lib Dems, I believe that Wayne Casey and Jeremy Davies were the best councillors in Barnet, and that Jack Cohen is the most effective opponent of the Tories at present. I also think Lord Palmer did a fantastic job of the Audit of MetPro. I really believe that the Tories in Mill Hill deserve to be kicked out. They have done absolutely nothing for Mill Hill. They have said nothing about the real proposal for a monster stadium at Copthall for Saracens. They have said nothing about Etz Chaim school, when they should have been leading community efforts to bring the two parties together. They have done nothing to protect the Green belt. The conundrum I have is that I find it hard to accept that the party I belong to is in government with the likes of Cameron and Osborne.
Mill Hill desperately needs an effective campaign against the local Conservatives and the damage they are doing. I have no great desire to be a councillor or have a political career. I have a huge desire to see the Barnet Tories kicked out of power. I believe that the local opposition to the Bonkers Barnet Tories needs to get organised. My call to everyone who wants to see the reckless damage caused by the Tories stopped is to get out, get campaigning and get organised. We've all sat on our backsides for too long. I suspect that there will be a by-election in Mill Hill in the not too distant future. I sincerely hope Jeremy Davies stands for the Lib Dems. I will be on his campaign team and it will give us a chance to show the Tories that their policies of deception, sloth and ineptitude have been tumbled.
Next year we have the GLA election. Brian Coleman, the man who wrecked the road safety of Barnet stands against Andrew Dismore (and an as yet unnamed Lib Dem). That will certainly be an interesting contest. You can be assured of one thing, this blog will be reminding everyone of Coleman and his shenanigans
Etz Chaim School - Update
Supporters of Etz Chaim School in Mill Hill have asked me to draw your attention to this article in the Daily Mail
Friday, 15 July 2011
The Friday Joke - 15/7/2008
Minimalism - a virtue preached by the Ramones. Why say something with 1,000 words, when you can say it with 25.
Q: How can you tell when Councillor Robert Ramsbottom is talking bollocks?
A: His lips move
Q: How can you tell when Councillor Robert Rams
A: His lips move
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