Mrs Angry's Party Political Broadcast

Mrs Angry has returned, dripping wet, but full of cheer, from today's pop-up people's library in Friern Barnet.



Despite the rain, the event was just as well attended as the previous two occasions, and BBC One Show spent the morning filming the activities and interviewing campaigners for an item to be shown on Friday night.

three men in waxed jackets: the Barnet Bugle, Barnet Eye, Andrew Dismore
the people's library

Also present was our Labour candidate for the GLA elections, Andrew Dismore, who has always actively supported the campaign to save the library, and indeed Mrs Angry last spoke to him outside the library on the day of the occupation. Andrew made a brief speech, asking for support from not just Labour voters, but every resident who is, like all of us, unable to stomach the thought of another four years of Brian Coleman.

Andrew Dismore asks for your vote

This is going to be a very interesting week, here in Broken Barnet, and Camden, for residents, and for the current Assembly member.

Never before, Mrs Angry would guess, has there been a more unpopular candidate standing for the Conservative party in London.

Coleman has managed to alienate huge swathes of the electorate just by, well, just as a natural result of being himself. Of course he was himself in the previous two GLA elections, but not quite so much himself as he is now, and this is where it has all gone so awfully wrong.

Being Brian Coleman, in the last couple of years, has been an undertaking that has now gone well beyond the bounds of well, frankly pretty outrageous behaviour, into new, unchartered territories of folly and self indulgence. Seemingly unable to foresee the consequences of his own actions, and indeed, with no evident signs of any emotional intelligence, Brian has delivered himself into the place where he is now, detested by huge numbers of constituents, a laughing stock - vulnerable.

Truly vulnerable, not one of 'these people', the residents for whose needs he so clearly has nothing but contempt, but out in the wilderness, with no dignity left, no real friends, his own colleagues secretly praying for his downfall.

With perfect timing, the local press abounds with Coleman stories: the complaint made to the council by a resident who claims he swore at him at a recent council meeting. The allegation that he, the architect of the infamous new parking scheme misused his own free permit in order to avoid the payment system every resident is now obliged to use. The outrage by Finchley traders' representative Helen Michael, who has campaigned with magnificent determination against the catastrophic parking policy he has foisted on this borough. The long letter in the Ham & High from various local organisations listing their objections to his remaining in office.

Helen Michael is now being targeted by Barnet Council - under orders from, well - who knows - for daring to distribute a poster which links Coleman to the 'murder' of Barnet's high streets.

the poster which Brian doesn't like. Ahh. Shame.

Someone complained to the police about this poster, but the police have found no reason to pursue any investigation, and have not intervened, other than to advise Ms Michael to list the necessary publishing details on the poster. Despite this, Barnet Council has summoned Helen to a meeting to 'discuss' her actions in relation to the poster. Ms Michael is not bowing to any pressure to stop her campaign, and Mrs Angry salutes her courage, and indefatigability. Brian: boy, have you picked on the wrong woman this time ....

Rumour has it, incidentally, that last night a certain sweet shop in High Barnet was visited by a certain Assembly member keen to know why the shop was exhibiting a poster with his picture on it. Rumour has it that ... well, oh dear, never mind, but believe me, Mrs Angry is still laughing about it ... One down, how many hundreds to go, Brian?

Do you still need any persuasion as to why Brian Coleman does not deserve to be returned to his seat on the London Assembly?

If so, Mrs Angry suggests you pay a visit to Mr John Baldy's website, where he is carefully listing 101 reasons why this must not be allowed to happen. He has reached number 80, at the time of writing.

http://101reasonstosackbriancoleman.tumblr.com/

There has never been a better oppportunity for freeing the citizens of Broken Barnet from the curse of Brian Coleman.

But please, do not sit back and take this for granted. Brian Coleman still has a weapon at his disposal: the apathy and complacency of voters who may feel it is not necessary for them to stand up and be counted, and make the effort to visit the polling station on May 3rd.

Don't think Coleman's defeat is a foregone conclusion. It isn't.

Although there is a huge groundswell of anger and opposition to him, this feeling has to be expressed through the ballot box, or it is a complete waste of time. Unless you want another four years of Coleman, do your duty, and make sure you vote him out.

There is only one way of making sure this happens: vote for who you like, for Mayor, but on the yellow form, please: make sure you vote for Andrew Dismore. Dismore is the only candidate who can defeat him - a vote for anyone else will restore Coleman to his seat. You may not be a Labour supporter - but you need to vote tactically at this election, and do the right thing for us all.

Andrew Dismore on his soap box in Friern Barnet making final plea for votes from The Barnet Bugle Ltd on Vimeo.

In Mrs Angry's view, Andrew Dismore deserves to be elected because he is a decent man, and will be a conscientious, hard working representative of the people he serves. Serving the electorate is not an aspiration we can easily associate with the present Assembly member, a man who will not engage in debate with residents, or take part in political hustings. It's time for a change.

lucky Andrew Dismore: officially endorsed by a very wet Mrs Angry

We all know people who need to be persuaded to make the effort to go and vote. Many people will imagine that everyone else will sort it out, and that their vote doesn't matter. It does.

It's less than a hundred years since the majority of citizens were given the right to vote - for women this right was something which was particularly hard won, by brave women of the type we see in Helen Michael, and those involved in the nascent pro democracy movement here in Broken Barnet.

Please make sure that everyone you know exercises their democratic right and votes this Thursday, and helps to do their duty, by removing Brian Coleman from office, and replacing him with someone who deserves the honour of serving our community.

four more years of this?

Nah. Come on: step up & vote him out on May 3rd.

*Update Monday:

Mr John Baldy has now completed the complilation of his 101 reasons to #sackbrian coleman, and has thoughtfully provided a useful index for easy reference:

http://101reasonstosackbriancoleman.tumblr.com/

Please take a look, and pass on the word. It has clearly been a labour of ... well, a kind of love. A love of justice, liberty and democracy.

Mr Baldy is now officially a hero of the downtrodden classes of Broken Barnet, and receives Mrs Angry's highest commendation.

Now make sure you do your duty, go out on Thursday, vote for Andrew Dismore, and the residents of Barnet and Camden of the troublesome burden of Brian Coleman.


thanks to Julia Hines for most of the photos