Christmas Caption Competition

Brian Coleman - The Fast, Furious and Foolish

A major piece of research has been published today in the British Medical Journal.

As the BBC reports:

The researchers compared data on road collisions, injuries and deaths in London between 1986 and 2006, with speed limits on roads.

After adjusting for a general reduction in road injuries in recent years, they found that the introduction of 20mph zones were associated with a 41.9% drop in casualties.

The greatest reduction was seen in children under the age of 11 years and in the numbers of all ages killed or seriously injured.

So its official - 20mph limits save lives.

I wonder what convicted speeder Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman has to say about plans to create such a life-saving 20mph limit on Camden High Street. Ah, here we are:

“Camden High Street is a major A-road route north and the idea that its speed is to be limited to only 20mph ignores the needs of motorist who need to move around and indeed drive out of London......I shall be calling on the Mayor to scrap this decision immediately.”

So Mr Toad, never mind that its a life saving measure - just make sure that nothing slows down your Mayoral limo on when you're on your way to yet another free feed eh.

Fool.

PS - More on Mr Toad's road safety record here.

Fire Brigade turn the hose on Brian Coleman and his sleazy crew

The London Fire Brigade Union have launched a wonderfully scathing attack on Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman and his sleazy crew at the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) today in a press relase. This follows Coleman's political hijacking of the Authority which I recently reported on in this blog.

According to the Union: "LFEPA chairman Brian Coleman has rejected demands that Evans-Jacas be forced to stand down from the fire authority. Opponents argue that Coleman is undermining democracy by allowing his new ally to remain in place, pointing out that legislation demands the composition of the fire authority reflect the balance of the political parties across London, which it now does not."

Describing Coleman as a "notorious egocentric" the Union's press release goes on to suggest that we may be in for "a serious bout of industrial unrest in London’s fire service, the like of which has not been seen since the national pay strikes of 2002- 03."

Mr Toad, it might be advisable to give a wide berth to any of London's bravest you might come across who happen to be holding a hose. And to carry a towel.

A titter from Twitter

I have just seen the above on Twitter regarding yesterday's 'planet-saving' in Ilford by Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman.

I have more and more respect for the London Fire Brigade with each passing day :-)

The two faces of Brian Coleman

Oh look, here's Mayor Coleman posing with Mayor Johnson this morning at Ilford fire station. They were there today - not just to bask in the reflected glory of the brave lads of Green Watch - but also to bask in the reflected glory of the fire station's green makeover (solar panels, high efficiency boiler and so forth).

Now this is all very opportune, as Boris Johnson himself pointed out:
"As expectant eyes around the globe turn to Copenhagen to see whether world leaders will take action on climate change, here in London we are making a difference right now."

So there you have it - Brian Coleman's green credentials on very public display. Let the polluters tremble. Greenpeace may as well pack up and go home. Jenny Jones can stop complaining. The planet is in Coleman's safe, green hands at last. Phew!

Hang on a minute though.....surely this is not the same green Brian Coleman whose most recent London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) budget recommends removing the £60,000 Sustainability revolving fund for improvements in energy efficiency schemes.

Likewise, I'm sure it must be this latter Brian Coleman who promoted road-building on school fields, car-park building on parks and who opposed plans for a wind turbine at a Barnet school trying to implement a green programme.

Perhaps the valiant defender of the planet on parade at Ilford this morning has an evil twin.

Tip of the hat to Nick Carthew for the LFEPA budget example. Thank you.

Spontaneous street parties spread across Barnet

Reports are coming in of spontaneous street parties spreading across Barnet today. It seems that these unprecedented scenes of wild celebration were prompted by this correction made in today's London Daily News:

Contrary to an earlier report Cllr Brian Coleman the serving Mayor of Barnet said:
"I do not intend to stand for leader of the council, either now or in the future".

One Totteridge-based reveller said:
"I am pleased as punch. Now Coleman, give the people of Barnet what they really want - go off and haunt someone else and stop rattling your [Mayoral] chains around here."