Oh Dear what can the matter be, Richard Cornelius had a calamity !

Yesterday the Leader of Barnet Council, Richard Cornelius addressed the business men and women of Finchley. One would rather hope that he had a bit of prior warning that people aren't happy with the changes to Parking arrangements. So if you are the Leader of a Council and you know that people are rather cross, because your policies are killing their businesses, what do you tell them?

Well this is what Richard Cornelius told the business leaders when they explained the problem and asked for his help:

“I’m listening, but I haven’t got any intention to do anything else other than that. I’ve heard you and it’s obviously affected me. I don’t know what I can do. I don’t know if I can do anything.” 

I had an email from a small business owner, who has always voted Conservative today. His verdict? "The man is a complete idiot and I will not be voting Conservative again until they elect someone who at least has the vestige of competence". It may interest you to know that I first met the sender of the email at a Leader Listens Business Breakfast. He went on to explain. "When Mike Freer was leader, he regularly met with local business, as you know.  If there was a problem, he gave it a fair hearing and took positive action to help. All of his good work has been undone". Now I'm not a big fan of Mike Freer, but I did attend his business breakfasts. For all his faults, I cannot believe he would have been so inept as to even start to let such a shambles occur.

As it's Friday and I'm a musician, here's a little ditty I composed to mark Richard Cornelius reign, which will be six months old in ten days time.

Oh dear what can the matter be,
Richard Cornelius is a Calamity,
Barnet Tories lost all credibilty,
And all of us pick up the Bill !

On the subject of parking, one rather suspects that when Brian Coleman said "Vill du holeil mein varm patatis" to Richard Cornelius as he went to the meeting, he rather counted on the fact that Cornelius didn't speak Swedish, if you know what I mean. Sadly Brian Coleman has made his boss look like a slutfora rodbeta as I used to say to my mates in Gothenberg.

Have a pleasant Friedag evening - (full report on the rather embarrassing fiasco here at the Hendon Times -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9399316._I_don_t_know_what_I_can_do__leader_of_council_tells_traders_over_parking_woes/?ref=mc )