A bright and breezy Saturday morning greeted our Redbridge campaign. In Barkingside I joined local MP Lee Scott, Assembly list candidate Nadia Sharif and local councillors to meet constituents and tell them the good news about Boris freezing the council tax precept for the fourth year in succession. I went on to Woodford where Monkhams councillors were taking the message to local shoppers. Finally I dropped in to Wanstead where Conservative deputy leader Cllr Michelle Dunn and cabinet member Cllr Suzanne Nolan were leading a team sporting blue 'Back Boris' shirts. The response was very positive and there was no sign of Labour's activists.
9 comments:
In Barnet we had the Tories out this weekend in force. I take it that the orders have gone out from central office to go out and get some work done. As I walked up Mill Hill Broadway, three people asked me the same question "Is there an election coming up? Why are there so many of them out" I replied that the GLA elections were coming up (oddly in Barnet I'm more interested in that than the Mayoral elections). The response was the same - "What is the GLA?" I then said "and we are voting for the new Mayor". They all then replied "Oh so they are campaigning for Boris".
It strikes me that the general population haven't got a clue what the GLA are, who their member is, whether the GLA does anything useful or what there role is. One person asked me what the GLA did. I replied that their job is to oversee the Mayor. They then asked if this meant the Brian Coleman could tell Boris what to do?
I had to confess I really didn't know if he could or not. They said "I certainly hope he can't"
I think that the GLA should be abolished. It is a waste of taxpayers money. If people are voting for something which adds no value, why not spend the money on something useful.
Rog, I'm sure that your call to abolish the Assembly will go down well with my right wing readers - however you are not one of them and I question your logic.
You state yourself that you are more interested in the GLA election than the Mayoral contest (so am I for obvious reasons), but how can that be, if the organisation is so unimportant?
And for someone who doesn't rate what we do, you spend a lot of time around here - not that I'm complaing, I welcome your contributions, but if City Hall was really pointless I'm sure you would deploy your time and energy elsewhere.
It's because we think City Hall is pointless, at least run the way it is now, by the present Tory administration, that we feel the need to try and persuade you of the error of your ways, Mr Evans.
If our local GLA member were to disappear tomorrow in a puff of smoke, would anyone be worse off? Would anyone care? The answer is no, because most Londoners see no value in the London Assembly, and feel no connection with it. The Mayor's job is pointless, and the Assembly acheives very little in the way of practical benefit to any of us. There may be a case for an elected body for London, but the present arrangement is a luxury we cannot afford.
I see Mrs A, you want it scrapped because of who got elected - democracy can be such a let down...
If you think the Assembly has 'achieved very little' I suggest you take that up with a Lib Dem (if you can find one). They have abused their position in a hung authority to shut out one or other of the main parties from chairing committees over 12 years, whilst grabbing the plum jobs for themselves. A Lib Dem has chaired the whole Assembly for almost half its existence, and usually they are members of the House of Lords as well! About time they were held to account.
Good to see your comments are back in order. Broken Barnet without the comments was like the OK Tearooms without the Bunfight.
Mr Evans: do you think I have any sympathy for the Libdems? I think they should be horse whipped through the streets of Westminster from now until the end of time, or the next election, which ever comes first, for their craven action in reneging on so many pre election promises.
Apart from that, yes obviously here in Barnet we may be forgiven for feeling less than positive about the GLA. Still, once Labours's Andrew Dismore takes Brian Coleman's seat, we may perhaps be encouraged to revise our opinion. But I do question the expense of the Assembly in terms of value for money for the London tax payers, especially those in the outer boroughs.
Mrs Angry, Abolishing the GLA is simply not an option. Without them its a free for all the Councils to possibily make ridiculous decisions. The likes of Roger are needed and keep tight reigns over the boroughs.
However, I will agree with you on one thing....parking in north london and the ridiculous hand out of tickets on a sunday at 5pm!!
Mrs Angry, I have read your comments and there is only one thing that I will comment on and agree with you. Parking and parking wardens in North London and the handing out of tickets on a Sunday evening!!! Ridiculous and outrageous.
However, we NEED the GLA.....without them I believe we would be so much worse off!!!
London boroughs managed pan-London business very well duing the period 1986 to 2000 through London-wide bodies on which each borough was represented, and at only a fraction of the cost of the GLA with its 25 over-paid members and very expensive bureacracy. It's an unnecessary tier of government imposed upon us by Bliar to satisfy King Newt.
Presumably those who object now to the existence of the Mayor of London and the GLA protested loudly, as I did, when the whole shebang was introduced by Labour?
And of course, now that it exists, no councils make stupid decisions - doh!!!
Perhaps, as far as the perennial political ignorance of the majority of electors is concerned, schools might consider running a brief but compulsory Civics course for 15-16yr olds.
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