Free speech & Freedom of Information - The computer says no.

Freedom of speech 

It seemed to Mr Mustard that today was a good day to write his piece about the charade that is now the Residents' Forums as it was today that Cllr Denial Daniel Thomas refused to allow a resident, Mr Gordon Kerr, to speak to the Cabinet Resources Committee on 28 July 2011. They are only words councillor, you really should listen to residents a little more. The story can be found here in the local Times newspaper.

Mr Mustard can only conclude Mr Kerr that the councillor has accidentally confused you with a troublemaker rather than an interested and concerned local resident.

Oh dear, Mr Mustard has just performed a google search of Mr Kerr and look what he found.

Claremont Road

Good photograph Mr Kerr - you look just like an eloquent & decent law abiding citizen; I cannot imagine why you are being danieled your chance to speak. Mr Reasonable will be speaking. I think what you need Mr Kerr is a respectable nickname and that will fool the democratic services officer. You know in One Barnet speak that good is bad ( very childish really ) and so you should perhaps call yourself Mr Meekandmild and then you will get heard. Why they let Mrs Angry speak is because she is a lady and so you could try a blonde wig and call yourself Miss Goodtime?

Freedom of information

Mr Mustard loves the Freedom of Information Act. He gets the feeling that the Council are not quite so keen on it as they try every trick they can think of to reply late, partially or not at all. Mr Mustard has news for you Barnet Council, he was chasing debt when many of you were still in nappies ( what's that Mrs Angry - some of the older councillors are in nappies - you are so naughty ) and there probably aren't any tricks that you can pull that will fool Mr Mustard and don't forget he has Mr Pickles on his side - not a man to cross one would imagine.

Mr Mustard loves the Freedom of Information Act so much that he uses it every day. Now some Councils don't mind. Mr Mustard asked Hackney Council for a copy of their May Gurney contract and they just sent it to him straight away, no crossings out ( very poshly called redacting ) no drama ( we love drama in Barnet don't we readers, what with the actors, disc jockeys, comedians and disappearing acts - although not so much that the Council supports the ArtsDepot any longer ) and isn't the comparison with the Barnet Contract going to make an interesting blog readers, oh yes it is. The May Gurney contract had so many crossings out that it looked like a bad drawing by a 3 year old but after an appeal Barnet Council decided that they could tell Mr Mustard just about everything that he wanted to know as it is his money they are frittering away after all.

Now get back to the subject Mr Mustard. Oh yes democracy that was it. Mr Mustard sent an email to foi@barnet.gov.uk asking

Please send me a copy of the rules of public engagement that were handed out at the residents' Forums last week

Please send them in .doc format

As this is such a simple request I hope that it will not take 20 days for you to answer.

Here is the reply:-

click and click again for larger versions & use the back key to return

So there you have it, a list of what you can't raise and what actions might take place of which the first one is "nothing at all" being the most likely answer it is first.

Now Mr Mustard thought that the amount of information provided was a bit sparse and he was unfortunately tired and emotional on the evening of the first new lack-of-style Residents' Forums, Barnet One Speak for we have to have these meetings but I'll be buggered if any resident is going to get anything out of them.

So he asked a more conscientious and sober blogger to provide him with the papers handed out that evening and here they are:-

you can ask little questions on issues that your Councillor should already have dealt with

is "doing nothing" a course of action? Debate - 300 words please

if we only let you raise matters one every 6 months they will fade away

comments are reported to the decision maker who then ignores them completely

ooh, do nothing, again. Aren't we busy doing nothing

does anyone understand anything on this page ?

loads of tosh about powerless Partnerships

tosh, drivel, baloney, hogwash, One Barnet speak

Now isn't that funny readers; the guff handed out at the meeting is different to the guff sent in response to an FOI request. All perfectly innocent of course.

Now what are the questions that any resident is likely to want to ask about:-

MetPro 

Pinkham Way

One Barnet

Staff redundancies

Icelandic banks

Libraries

Church Farmhouse Museum

Hendon FC

Legionella

Sandbanks Hotel

Councillor allowances

Mr Mustard thinks you will find that the computer says no to all of these major issues. If you want to ask why a single paving slab is broken in the High St then you will be welcomed with open arms.

Democracy - One Barnet style.

For a very funny ( except it's serious when democracy dies ) you need to read this guest blog on Mr Reasonable's site.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard