Mrs Angry sends her warmest congratulations to the Tory leadership, councillors and senior management team of Barnet Council, whose idiotic attempts to obstruct the relentless scrutiny of the Barnet blogosphere have resulted in a well earned citation - 'highly commended' - in the 'Legal Bullies of the Year' section of Private Eye's 2011 Rotten Boroughs' Awards.In case you cannot read the small print, chaps, let me transcribe the commendation:
Legal Bullies of the Year
"The past year saw a growing trend for councils to use the law, or the threat of legal action, to stifle free speech and limit public scrutiny of the way elected representatives spend tax payers' money. Councils seemed particularly alarmed by the increase in 'citizen journalists' writing blogs and tweeting - and holding councils to account in ways that many local papers no longer have the balls to.
Highly commended: Tory 'easycouncil' Barnet was one authority which took fright at the interest shown in its activities by electors - in particular a busy group of bloggers. It seriously considered prosecuting one of them, 'Mr Mustard', under the data protection act, until the information commissioner told it not to be so silly. Meanwhile it hired security men dressed in black paramilitary style uniforms to intimidate members of the public who turned up for an important budget meeting. Hats off to the bloggers, in particular 'Mrs Angry', who revealed that the company, MetPro, hadn't got a proper contract, and used unlicensed, non CRB checked staff."
It only remains for Mrs Angry to emphasise that all of the Famous Five Barnet bloggers took part in the MetPro investigation - and what fun we have all had together, in the past year - so hats off too to Mr Reasonable, The Barnet Eye and Citizen Barnet.
Congratulations to our blogging friend in Camarthenshire, Jaqui Thompson (nee Evans) also known as Caebrwyn, for her award, and howay man, also to the elusive Mr Monkey, from South Tyneside.
Mrs Angry would suggest to the empty headed Tory councillors of Broken Barnet that they reflect on the significance of this award, and resolve to start the new year with a better attitude and a new commitment to the principles of transparency, accountability and openness. It's called localism, councillors of Broken Barnet: ask Eric Pickles to explain it to you, in words of one syllable.
The Grinch, a bitter, cave-dwelling creature with a heart "two sizes too small", lives on snowy Essex Park, a steep, 3,000-foot (910 m) high mountain, north of Hendon Town Hall, the home of the other, merry and warm-hearted, Cabinet Members.
ReplyDeleteHis only companion is Soupman's faithful dog, Max (a Redbone Coonhound). From his perch high atop Essex Park, the Grinch can hear the noisy Christmas festivities that take place in town centres across Barnet.
Annoyed and unable to understand the residents' happiness, he makes plans to descend on the town centres, and deprive them of their Christmas presents, parking spaces and decorations, and thus "prevent Christmas from coming."
However, he learns from all the Barnet bloggers that despite his success in taking away all the Christmas presents and decorations from the residents, Christmas comes just the same. He then realizes that Christmas is more than just gifts and presents.
Touched by this, his heart grows three sizes larger; he returns all the presents and trimmings, repays all the CPZ fines, and is warmly welcomed into the community of the Broken Borough of Barnet.
I am not sure that, based upon a stupid foi answer I have had today, the Officers are ready to learn yet. They will just have to take more verbal lashings until they realise the game is up, that you can't hide from bloggers and that honesty and openness is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I don't think that Barnet have appeared in Private Eye for the final time.
hmm, I thought I was the only eternal optimist in Broken Barnet, baarnett?
ReplyDeleteI fear, Mr Mustard, that you may be right.
Naughty, naughty London Borough of Broken Barnet.
NB: Mrs Angry enjoys an open fire, especially at this time of year, but always wears a non flammable, modesty protecting, high collared One Barnet winceyette nightdress, when flouncing about by the fireside, and recommends that readers do the same, and do not try to copy the shameless trollop in the picture. Renember what happened to Miss Havisham.
ReplyDeleteFrom one disfunctional local authority area to another...
ReplyDeleteIt's worth noting this Christmas, that Mrs Angry's friend Jacqui Thompson (Caebrwyn) is slowly making progress in the Land of the Sheep:
"Llanelli Town Council calls to scrap filming ban"
Thanks, Great Blog, Mrs Angry,and may you have a merry Christmas and feel better soon, great Blog. West Palm Beach, FL is a bit broken too...
ReplyDelete