Three easyCheers for Barnet's No-Frills Approach

Well done indeed Barnet!

The Guardian reports today that you are adopting an easyJet-style, no-frills approach to local government. This is fantastic trail-blazing stuff for sure, delivering the change that the people want, right at the heart of where it is needed.

No doubt you'll start by axing the bloated allowances and expenses of Barnet's frilliest councillor (and Mr Bumble look-a-like): Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman:

Absolutely brilliant stuff Barnet and I'm sure I speak for....eh, what's that? The no-frills approach is really all about changes like removing services from the elderly and vulnerable you say? So, not delivering the change that the people want and all that then?

Oh...

Herculean effort, and an attack from the archive

Right now, (and doubtless for a time to come), Adam Bienkov of the Tory Troll blog is undergoing the Herculean task of going through Brian Coleman's expenses (pictured above). Good quality, primary source journalism. Its a blog that has broken the stories on a whole load of Coleman outrages. Keep a check on it for more revelations to come.

Apart from the good works of the Tory Troll, there's been so much other Coleman-related press and bloggery this week that I confess I've had some trouble keeping tabs on it all. Here for your interest though, are some recent highlights:

The Barnet Times reports that 'Coleman cab fares spark GLA expenses overhaul'

The Barnet Eye on Colemans 'flipping' expenses

Liberal Conspracy asks 'Is Brian Coleman AM finished?'

Barnet Council Watch says 'This is not just arrogance. This is Brian Coleman arrogance'.

And I finish with a clipping from the archive kindly sent to me on Facebook by a Barnet Football Club supporter. As he wrote:

"Coleman claimed to have been attacked by Barnet supporters, but had in fact barged into a group of Colindale residents opposed to building in Montrose Park. As one eye witness (a former councillor) put it: "Oh my God, he's attacking them!"

As my correspondent went on to point out:

"There's no love lost between Barnet supporters and Coleman, given his antics against the club relating to the ground issue, so imagine the shock when he turned up for the final match of last season (complimentary tickets and matchday hospitality of course!)."

Originally published in the Evening Standard on 9th March 2006, the piece was written by one of Coleman's many winers and diners: Ross Lydall. Click the thumbnail for bigger and readable:

Christ on a bike! Is that Coleman on a bus!?!

Vickim57 has issued a challenge.

She noted that Mr Toad claims £1,784.00 for a travelcard and questioned whether ths is good value for money (given his well-publicised travel preferences). She challenged us therefore to snap a picture of the taxi-loving Toad on public transport.

Well, I took this picture on Wednesday of this week, just before Mr Toad was forced into an embarrassing climbdown 'saw the light'.

Vicki, I claim my prize :-)

The Wordle Brian Coleman didn't want you to see

Before Brian 'Mr Toad' Coleman's humiliating climbdown on the issue - as he embarrassed the Conservative Party and stuck two metaphorical fingers up at us all by refusing to publish his expenses he said: "I'm from the Boris school of anarchist thinking. If somebody tells me to do something, I don't want to do it." (One presumes that this statement may not hold true if somebody tells him to get yet another cab to yet another free, slap-up meal of course).

Nevertheless, it gave me some contrarian inspiration as I thought to myself - just what does Brian Coleman hate the most? And then it came to me - Bloggers!* So I thought I'd become one.

Here then, for my first post is an idea I stole from Barnet blogger Vickim57. A Wordle of Coleman's expenses claims no less. The Wordle Brian Coleman didn't want you to see (click the picture for bigger (and sideways)):

*I expect he's none too fond of indigestion either but I couldn't become one of those.