London Fire Authority hijacked by Brian Coleman and his sleazy crew

Its the news that firefighters have been dreading. Just as Adam Bienkov and Rog T predicted, Brian Coleman has seized political control of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

Steve Reed reports what happened in his blog:
"London's Tories are using public money to fund cash hand-outs to defecting councillors. At today’s meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Tory defectors Cllr Betty Evans-Jacas (Lambeth) and Cllr Bertha Joseph (Brent) were both given positions worth thousands of pounds in allowances. The defections give the Tories a majority on London’s Fire Authority for the first time."

James Powney has an equally damning write-up of the events:

"Brian Coleman, who is possibly even more revolting than Bertha Joseph, will use this majority to push through various controversial measures in defiance of workforce opposition. This includes changing shift patterns, removing beds in fire stations, removing diversity officers, and installing a new private entrance at the LFEPA headquarters at I don't know what expense."

Please follow the links for more detail.

Brian Coleman - "you odious toad"

Here's Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman's latest outburst - at the London Assembly's Business Management and Administration Committee meeting yesterday. The jokes just write themselves.

Brian Coleman and the Great Ire of London

Wednesday 22nd October 2009

Up and at the London Fire Brigade Headquarters all the morning, despite my having recently breached the members code of conduct, determining the reconstitution of committees and related matters. By and by my colleague on the Fire Authority Councillor Bertha Joseph comes in her beautiful ballgowne that she purchased with charity money. It got her suspended as a councillor but of course that doesn't stop her working with me. She goes resplendent to the window and tells me that she sees a great ire seen in the city. So I made myself ready presently, and got up upon one of the fire escapes (the one that I wish to have removed to provide for a private entrance for myself as befits my importance), and there I did see the fury of London's firefighters and an infinite great fury at that, on this and the other side of the bridge; but, it did not trouble me. So down, with my heart full of gladness, to my colleague on the Fire Authourity Cllr Tony Arbour, also recently suspended for breaching the members code of conduct - but of course that doesn't stop him working with me - who tells me that it begun with my plans for changes to Firefighter shift patterns and that it hath burned on because of my plans to remove all the beds from fire stations - as people sleeping on the job cannot be countenanced.

Having staid, and in an hour’s time seen the ire: rage every way, and nobody, to my sight, endeavouring to quench it, and having seen it get as far as my plans for the removal of diversitie officers, and the wind mighty high and driving it into my plans to remove support staff from opposition members; and every thing, after so long a drought, proving combustible, even my plans to remove my political opponents from committee chairmanships, an there burned unabated: I back to the meeting, and there did give them an account which dismayed them all, and word was carried in to Boris Johnson. At last met my Lord Mayor, like a man spent, with a handkercher about his neck. To my account he cried, like a fainting woman, “Lord! what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me and the ire overtakes us". So I did tell Boris Johnson what I saw, and that unless I got my way, nothing could stop the ire. He seemed much troubled, and Boris Johnson commanded me to go from him, and to spare no firefighters, but to pull down each before the ire. And I gladly did as I was commanded.

So to the Haven restaurant in Whetstone, and there eat and drank and mighty merry; and so home singing, and, after a letter or two at the office, to bed.

Brian Coleman's hypocrisy of the day

Estatesgazette.com reports today that Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman asked:
"How on earth in a recession with spending costs being cut across the board can you not justify re-examining the salary packages?"

Very good question Mr Toad. Shall we start with your own, officially excessive income, as recommended recently by The Senior Salaries Review Body.

I won't hold my breath.

Brian Coleman attacks the elderly

Not the Barnet Times carries a great piece today about how Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman and his Conservative friends at Barnet Council are planning to scrap the essential warden service for those living in sheltered housing. Written in the first person, and from the heart, the piece describes how Coleman's cowardly and villainous plot is striking fear into the hearts of the elderly. You should read it - really. However, I can't resist giving you the paragraph devoted to Mr Toad:

"And to £103,000 a year Brian Coleman, who said of the warden cuts: “The sensible nature of Barnet's changes is becoming more evident every day”, I say go. Just pack up your gold chains and get out of this borough. We are all sick and tired of your big mouth. You are arrogant, pompous and hopelessly out of touch with reality. You are an embarrassment to real Conservatives."

Quite.

So now you've bravely attacked Gypsies and the elderly Mr Toad. Which marginalised group of people is next? The mentally ill? They should be an easy target. Or how about small children? They don't even get a vote so you can surely pick on them with impunity.

To campaign against Coleman's cuts - see the Barnet TUC website - with all the info on protests past, present and future.

Brian Coleman has no room for gypsies

Bravely striking another blow for intolerance of ethnic minorities, Assembly Member Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman rails today, in the Ham and High, against Boris Johnson's London Plan - which requires the provision of sites for gypsies and travellers in London.

"The whole idea of top-down pitch targets is completely wrong. It should be communities telling the mayor how many pitches they can provide, not the other way around." blustered Brian of twisted knickers fame.

So the question is - how many sites would you come up with then Coleman?
The answer, according to The Barnet Times - not even “one single site”.

You really are multicultural tolerance personified aren't you Mr Toad?

UPDATE:

I just came across this image of Brian Coleman at Barnet Multicultural Day (May 2009). Their slogan was 'Health and Harmony in the Community'. Just as long as there's no gypsies eh Coleman?

Tories say - Knickers to Brian Coleman!

Word has reached me that Brian Coleman flounced out of Mayors Question Time today, leading fellow Conservative, Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes to announce: "I regret that Brian has left to adjust his knickers."

This is the latest (and funniest) in a whole string of direct attacks on Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman from members of his own Party, making him an increasingly isolated figure both at the GLA and in the Conservative Party as a whole.

Paul Waugh notes recently in the Evening Standard for example, how Boris Johnson "couldn't resist referring to Coleman's own double income as a councillor and a Member of the Assembly".

And this of course follows Boris Johnson's well-publicised carpeting of Coleman over his all-advised, (and wildly out of step with public opinion), arrogant stance on expenses - leading to Coleman's subsequent, embarrassing climb down.

Then there's the blogs. Take, for example the staunchly Conservative blogger: 'Don't Call Me Dave', whose excellent 'Not The Barnet Times' blog has post after post detailing Coleman's general unsuitability for office. Then there's Iain Dale. Or if you want a really straight-to-the-point view, look no further than the Tory Bear blog, which pulls no punches at all in telling it like it is.

But its not just Billy-no-mates Coleman's colleagues at the GLA and the bloggers who've had enough of him. Just look at the comments from the rank and file of the Conservative Party when he blogs at the Conservative Home website here and here and here. And bear in mind that two of those blog posts were for the purposes of congratulating the emergency services. That is a LOT of flak to draw from ones own party, especially when deliberatately trying to be as uncontroversial as possible.

Why all the flak and open hostility Coleman?

Its because you've been found out. Your arrogance and buffoonery and troughing only serve to help the other political parties. Boris Johnson knows it, Richard Barnes knows it, the bloggers know it and the Party rank and file know it. You are an embarrassment to David Cameron and an embarrassment to the Conservative Party, just as you're an embarrassment to the people of Barnet and Camden.

How long before your bad behaviour also becomes intolerable for Barnet MP Theresa Villiers and a millstone around the neck of Barnet Council leader Mike Freer's political ambitions?

Time to do the right thing for once Coleman. Go!

Coleman: As we regulate child porn, so we should regulate the 'cancer' of blogs

Here is Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman's latest, foolish outburst - as reported in the Ham and High today (click the picture for a bigger and readable version). For those without the time or the inclination to click - yes - he really does describe blogs as a 'cancer' which should be dealt with like child porn. This presumably does not include his own blogs in which he makes allegations about people like this one for example, or this one.

Mr Toad, in your own words - "if you can't take it, don't dish it out basically".

Of course you could always sue for libel if you find anything untrue in the blogs couldn't you?

I won't hold my breath.