FOI, Social & PCN club - 11 March 7pm

Mr Mustard likes beer,
he likes the Antic Bohemia
he likes eccentric socialists (in fact any sort of eccentric)
he likes Barnet's soi-disant exiled Americans (were they thrown out he wonders?)
he likes a cafe owner
he likes FOI

he likes fighting parking tickets

he likes to be sociable

and so he will sit down in the Antic Bohemia on Monday 11 March at 7pm instead of listening to Hugh Rayner charge through the Business & Management Overview & Scrutiny business with more of a concern about keeping to his own timetable than making sure that enough time is devoted to the business to perform effective scrutiny.

Mr Mustard would be delighted if you would join him.

It is quite informal. Mr Mustard has quite a bit of news about FOI for those that want to discuss that and another group may want to discuss the merits of the wine list which is well worth sampling or any of the wide range of beers on offer. (Mr Mustard will get the bus or tube home).

If you have a parking ticket problem, bring your paperwork along to be scrutinised in fine detail. If that is done the parking ticket probably won't be up to the challenge.

If you just want to soak up the atmosphere of being with eccentric individuals and discuss the rights and wrongs of the world, explain the off-side rule to Mrs Angry or talk about books, theatre or film or anything you like, do please come along. If you don't have time for dinner at home before coming along the Bohemia do food, Mr Mustard sampled the crumble last time out - it was great.

The Antic Bohemia is situated at 762-764 High Rd, Tally Ho, London, N12 9QH which is right across the road from that well known Café Buzz

a good place for breakfast at any time of day.

Until Monday then.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

FOI Club - meeting #3 on 3 December 2012

CPZs cause argument everywhere

Two months have passed since the inaugural FOI club.

The third one will take place at 7.30pm on Monday, 3 December 2012 at the White Lion P.H., St. Albans Rd, Barnet, EN5 4LA (This is a week early because of a second Monday clash with the Audit Committee which many FOI people like to go to)

Mr Mustard looks forward to seeing you there.

This meeting will take a slightly different form. As well as talk about FOI we are going to help some new friends from another part of London. They have voted last year 93% against a CPZ and received a promise that one won't be implemented against their wishes. Now they hear that a Cabinet member has unilaterally decided to impose one. Mr Mustard has already given them some FOI tips to winkle out what is going on and they also hope to attend the FOI club so we can share our campaigning experiences with them.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

FOI Club - meeting #2 - 12 November 2012

Just to get your attention for a moment

Link to this event

A month has already passed since the inaugural FOI club.

The second one will take place at 7.30pm on Monday, 12 November 2012 at the White Lion P.H., St. Albans Rd, Barnet, EN5 4LA

(They serve food of an evening Dan)

Mr Mustard looks forward to seeing you there.

For the avoidance of doubt, we will be talking about FOI during the hour which the FOI club officially runs for, but talk about what you like afterwards when people who don't have another meeting to rush off to tend to hang around for a social chat.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Mr Mustard's FOI Club

cookipedia

With the winter nights approaching Mr Mustard has now got around to sorting out a venue for the FOI (freedom of information club). What finer pursuit could there be on a wet winter's evening than to sit with like minded souls (and possibly a fine pint of beer) and have a chat about questions that you would like to ask of public authorities such as:

Barnet Council (who have a very poor FOI record with Mr Mustard)

Metropolitan Police (who are simply brilliant at FOI and a shining beacon for others to copy)

NHS (not tested, yet)

Central Government

Schools (tried one and they were fine)

Barnet Homes (like going to the dentists - you have to pull teeth)

other local authorities (currently testing 4 who are doing badly)

etc

The purpose of the monthly meetings will be to learn how to use the Act better, how to write precisely targeted questions, to discuss answers received, to discuss exemptions that have been applied to prevent release of information etc

For the benefit of Barnet Council (good morning to one and all) the meetings are not for the purposes of acting in concert to ask questions that form part of a campaign; they are going to be educational meetings. Once established we might have guest speakers and it would be good to have the view from the FOI officer's side of the table. The appearance fee will be a drink or two, below £10 so that you don't have to write it in the gifts & hospitality ledger. You might get asked more FOI questions if there is a lot of interest (hard to say) but at least the ones that you do get will hopefully be better written so that they are easier to comprehend. Some questions might fall away if one member of the club knows the answer that another person wants to know.

If you want to be invited, send an email to mrmustard@zoho.com and details of the date, time and venue will be emailed to you.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard