The Friends of Mike Freer

Seasons greetings

2011-12-24T07:26:00.001Z

Mike and all the team send seasons greetings to all our friends. We wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

lay off attacking barnet council staff

2011-11-14T23:01:00.001Z

we have seen the local bloggers whipping themselves into a frenzy of excitement. over the news that barnet council sought to contact the ICO. barnet attempted to stop one of its employees being harrassed. where is the voice of reason. the poor man was just trying to do his job. the bloggers may not agree that barnet council need someone in that role, but is it necessary to question his faith and draw attention to his personal website. the so called bloggers have recently criticised barnet for its attitude to its employees. isnt it a bit rich to then criticise the council for sticking up for one of them. by all means knock the council if you feel you must. just lay off the staff.

Mike threatened at constituency surgery

2011-10-30T13:01:00.002Z

You may have seen this report about an incident at Mike's surgery yesterday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15508697

Mike issued this statement following the incident

Events at my surgery on fri in no way represents the mainstream majority at my local Mosque. I will continue to work for all constituents.

Mike was extremely frustrated that the actions of a few prevented him from helping many people who had turned up for his advice. Mike observed that it is clear such people are not interested in democracy, free speech or the rights of others. Mike was heartened by the support from the vast majority of people at the Mosque. Most of those present were extremely upset that a group of people, many not local, had turned up to cause trouble.

The tricks of the Trots !

2011-10-05T15:14:00.003+01:00

Never trust a lefty ! Our lovable loony leftys organised organised a "residents forum", inviting all of our MP's and Councillors and then made a song and dance because no Conservatives came. They scream that this shows that we are not interested in big society in Barnet. What they didn't tell anyone is that they deliberately organised it during the Conservative Conference, when we were all away. Sadly some well meaning and sincere residents were taken in.

If anyone has any issues they want to discuss, that were raised at this meeting, please come to one of Mike's regular surgeries and he'll be only too happy to help.

Mike is out and about reassurring residents and businesses

2011-08-11T08:34:00.003+01:00

Whilst many MP's have been on holiday during the riots, Mike has been out and about in Finchley and Golders Green. He's also been keeping in constant touch with Barnet Police and reassuring local people generally that we're on top of the situation in the constituency. Through the holidays, Mike has continued to hold regular advice surgeries. We urge anyone who has worries or concerns about the way the riots have affected them in the constituency to get in touch. Mike is out there working for you every single day. We do not want to see civil unrest, anti social behaviour or thuggery on our streets. If you know of anyone involved in such behaviour contact your local safer neighbourhood team. Mike firmly believes that local policing is the answer to many of these problems. We can only tackle these problems if we pull together as on big society!

Mrs Angry says I agree with Mike

2011-08-05T18:20:00.004+01:00

Many years ago, Mike coined a name for various malcontents in Barnet. He described them as one handed bloggers, because you know what they are doing with the other hand. In recent times, a new breed of barnet blogger has sprung up. Seems like they also have the number of our one handed blogging friends. Amid talk of discontent in the barnet blogging ranks, we were reminded of a blog by Mrs Angry. She mentioned this blog and she took the trouble to explicitly confirm our suspicions about Mr Roger Tichborne, AKA the barnet eye. If you want a good chuckle, read the last two paragraphs

http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com/2011/05/brian-coleman-fightback-starts-here.html

She's not the only one. Another blogger, the anonymous (in every sense) Mr Mustard, left this comment on Tichbornes blog yesterday

Mr Mustard said...

You remind me of what I said about a nameless agent in another country who I am obliged to deal with.

Company motto " We aim to displease"!

4 August 2011 23:52

It is good to see that the new breed of blogger in barnet has woken up to what the Friends of Freer have known all along. To paraphrase our good friend, Brian Coleman, Tichborne is a poisonous individual and the sooner everyone in Barnet wakes up to the fact the better.

Mike identifes nearly a billion in savings

2011-06-20T19:27:00.003+01:00

Mike has been inundated with praise for his latest cost saving initiative, where he identified nearly a billion pounds worth of savings. Unlike some MP's, Mike isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, do some hard work and identify low hanging fruit in the form of savings. Mike's efforts will save every household in the UK £30 - quite an achievement for an MP who has only been in the job for a year.

Brian Coleman sends Labour into a panic

2011-05-03T17:57:00.003+01:00

The friends of Mike Freer were rather amused to see that our article concerning the Labour party and its choice of candidate has caused panic in the local Labour party ranks. Responding to the charge that selecting Andrew Dismore Ex MP proved that it was same old Labour in Barnet, they had a flurry of activity. To prove that they have changed, they wheeled out none other than Ken Livingstone to visit East Finchley on a walkabout with Andrew Dismore. Nice to see they've freshened up the team !

Andrew Dismore claimed he was “not going to get into a personal slanging match” with Councillor Coleman. Of course not, he left that to Ken Livingstone who told the Times : “He represents everything that’s wrong about the way City Hall works".

Clearly the points we raised about Mr Dismore stung as both Mr Dismore and Mr Livingstone said they also recognised a need for school places as well as housing development in the borough. I wonder why Mr Dismore has not been supporting Etz Chaim, if this is the case. Surely he recognises that there is a chronic lack of places in Mill Hill.

He also responded to our comments about living in the Notting Hill champagne socialist belt by making the following comment “There is far too little in terms of affordable housing, particularly affordable housing for rent, and this is something which needs to be worked on.”

Strangely, the pair were rather quiet about the other issue we raise. Andrew Dismore and his expenses as an MP.

Brian Coleman congratulates Andrew Dismore on his selection as Labour GLA Candidate

2011-05-01T08:59:00.002+01:00

The friends of Mike Freer caught up with an old friend of ours recently. Brian Coleman is our larger than life GLA representive for Barnet and Camden. Brian is well known as one of the most hard working politicians in London. He is also well known for his other work, recently co-hosting a show on LBC with his old adversary, ex Mayor Ken Livingstone.

We asked him what he thought of Labour selecting Andrew Dismore to face him in the GLA elections in 2012. Brian told us he was thrilled. Brian said "The selection of Dismore has conclusively shown everybody that it's the same old Labour party". Brian will be keen to highlight the fact that before Matthew Offord beat him in Hendon, Dismore was the MP with one of the highest expense bills in the country. Despite living in London, Dismore claimed allowances for a second home. Unlike Brian, Dismore doesn't even live in Barnet, his main home being in the champagne socialist belt in Notting Hill. Recently Andrew Dismore has been leading opposition to the Etz Chaim Jewish free school in Mill Hill, despite a desperate need for school places for Jewish children in Mill Hill.

It should be an interesting battle and we look forward to Brian being re-elected with a much increased majority.

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

2011-04-30T20:04:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to William and Catherine for giving us all such a wonderful day. We wish them a long and happy life together. It was great to see all of the smiling faces, young and old, out on the streets to celebrate. The country needed a tonic to cheer us up. The Royal wedding certainly did the trick.

Mike on cost cutting without damaging public services

2011-04-17T10:54:00.002+01:00

Mike has written an article for the Public Service website, detailing why costcutting doesn't have to damage front line services. Mike describes how he successfully transformed the finances and services at Barnet Council during his time as leader. Mike goes on to explain how his approach could bring major savings and reform to national government.

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=16189

Once again, it show just how lucky we are in Finchley to have such an outstanding MP.

Mike catches the public mood with his plans to ban squatting

2011-04-03T21:31:00.003+01:00

Mike yet again caught the public mood, speaking about the menace of squatting.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8949321.MP_secures_meeting_over_squatting_problem/

Justice Minister Crispin Blunt is keen to meet Mike to see whether something can be done. It is great to have an MP who cares about the real issues which affect real people.

Mike says "Throw Gaddafi out of Finchley"

2011-02-26T18:25:00.000Z

Mike Freer MP has called for the house belonging to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the dictator’s second son, in his constituency to be seized and for the extended Gaddafi family to be barred from entering the UK.

The Colonel’s son owns a property in Winnigton Close, Hampstead Garden Suburb. He has made recent attempts to rent the home out for £10,000 a week but with other members of his family seeking to flee Libya there are now fears Saif al-Islam will attempt to re-enter the UK.

Mike Freer MP said, “Other members of the Gaddafi family have tried to escape the anger of the Libyan people by flying to Malta and the Lebanon but have they have rightly been turned away by those nations. Britain must take exactly the same stance and refuse entry so they do not come and use the house located in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

This house and any other assets in the UK should be seized until the provenance of the family’s funds can be determined.”

The real reason bloggers hate Mike Freer

2011-01-20T11:45:00.002Z

http://www.notthebarnettimes.co.uk/2011/01/boris-slams-coleman-freer.html

Please have a look at the comments on this blog written by one of of Mikes biggest critics - David 'Don't Call Me Dave' Miller. I have added stars to spare the blushes of our more elderly friends. Mike is rather pleased that some of his former critics have realised that much of the criticism of Mike is unfair and rather unpleasant.

Let me quote former Conservative Councillor Daniel Hope.

Daniel Hope said...: http://friendsoffreer.blogspot.com/2010/05/barnets-huge-debt-of-gratitude-to-mike.html

"Mike had to put up with a vicious campaign by a team of malcontents and bloggers. The friends of Freer believe that much of this was homophobically motivated."

So for full accuracy shouldn't DCMD have really attributed to Mr Freer that Barnet bloggers -

Vicious gay-bashing w**k*rs ?

Quotation ends.

Thank you Daniel. We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

Please note we are not Mikes official blog, we are the blog for his numerous and growing band of friends and admirers.

Congratulations to Lynne Hillan

2010-09-08T20:00:00.002+01:00

The friends of Mike Freer warmly congratulate Lynne Hillan on her re-election as leader of Barnet Conservatives last night. We urge all members of the party to get behind Lynne now, put the past behind us and address the challenges which face us. The party has recognised that Lynne is the best person for the job. Lets let her get on with it, with our wholehearted backing

Mike Freer MP – A local champion for Finchley and Golders Green

2010-08-29T09:39:00.002+01:00

Whilst most MP's expect their constituents to come to them, Mike is going to meet the people. We've raised money to buy Mike a battle bus so he can hold his constituency surgeries in places convenient to his constituents. MP's in rural areas have been doing this for years, but we believe it is a first for a London MP.

Barnet Conservatives Leadership challenge

2010-08-14T10:45:00.002+01:00

The Friends of Freer note with interest that a Leadership battle is brewing for Mikes old job. This looks likely to be an interesting contest between two highly talented candidates. We urge all our friends who are councillors to consider the choices very carefully before making any decision. It would be most unfair of the Friends of Freer to come out in support of either of these great Councillors. We trust the good sense of all concerned to do their homework and make the right decision.

Former Council Leader Brian Salinger pays tribute to Mike

2010-08-03T17:59:00.003+01:00

Former Leader of Barnet Council, Councillor Brian Salinger spoke to the Hendon Times today, acknowledging the superb job done by Mike as Leader of Barnet Council. He told them :-

"[Former council leader] Victor Lyon, myself and Mike Freer, worked very hard to raise the profile of Barnet in the local government world. We had taken Barnet to a level where it was regarded as one of the best local authorities in the country"

When people who have done the job make such comments, it is high praise. It is good to see Mike finally geting the recognition he deserves for the great job he did as Leader of Barnet Council.

A few changes to the site

2010-07-12T19:09:00.002+01:00

We've taken off the feed from Mike's Twitter account. Mike felt that the restricted Twitter format wasn't working as well as he'd like for the important issues he's dealing with. We're looking at ways to get the latest news to you in a more interesting and informative format

If you are missing Mike's tweets, then you can get emails from the following website, every time Mike Speaks in Parliament

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/alert/?only=1&pid=24934

You might also be interested to see Mikes voting record since entering Parliament, I think you'll agree he's been busy !

House	Date	Subject	Mike Freer	Con Vote	Rôle
Commons	7 Jul 2010	Opposition Day — [3rd allotted day] — Jobs and the Unemployed	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	6 Jul 2010	Finance Bill — Second Reading	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	29 Jun 2010	Opposition Day — [2nd Allotted Day] — Local Government Financing	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	29 Jun 2010	Opposition Day — [2nd Allotted Day] — Local Government Financing	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	28 Jun 2010	Emergency Budget — Pensions	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	28 Jun 2010	Emergency Budget — Value Added Tax	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	15 Jun 2010	Business of the House — Backbench Business Committee	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	15 Jun 2010	Business of the House — Backbench Business Committee	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	15 Jun 2010	Business of the House -- Programme motion	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	8 Jun 2010	Queen's Speech — Programme for Government	Majority	aye	Loyal
Commons	8 Jun 2010	Queen's Speech — Inclusion of Nuclear Deterrent in Strategic Defence Review	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	8 Jun 2010	Queen's Speech — Programme for Government — Economy	Majority	no	Loyal
Commons	7 Jun 2010	Queen's Speech — Programme for Government	Majority	no	Loyal

And here's what he's had to say for himself

Written Answers — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Middle East (6 Jul 2010): Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made in the middle east peace process; and if he will make a statement.
Bills Presented — Employment Opportunities Bill: City of Westminster Bill [Lords] (5 Jul 2010): Mike Freer: First, may I declare an interest as a former leader of a London borough council that had to deal with street trading on a day-to-day basis? My postbag on street trading was far bigger than my postbags on many other areas of council activity. I should like to address a few of the issues raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies). I understand the law of supply and demand...
Bills Presented — Employment Opportunities Bill: City of Westminster Bill [Lords] (5 Jul 2010): Mike Freer: That is quite right. It would be helpful if we could get the Department for Communities and Local Government or whichever is the correct Department to regulate on a national framework. However, in the absence of that, I shall support the city of Westminster in its promotion of the Bill. Those who have to deal with the scourge of street trading know that it is not simply a matter of the...
Bills Presented — Employment Opportunities Bill: City of Westminster Bill [Lords] (5 Jul 2010): Mike Freer: I accept entirely that this House acts as a check and balance on the powers of local governance, but I also look forward to my hon. Friend tabling a private Member's Bill to legalise or deregulate prostitution and drug dealing on our streets. We cannot pick and choose which freedoms should be traded on our streets. The City of Westminster and other areas need these powers, not to regulate in...
Identity Documents Bill (9 Jun 2010) has video: Mike Freer: May I add my congratulations on your recent election, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to make my maiden speech? It is a great honour to serve Finchley and Golders Green, and I have found the trust placed in me quite humbling as I walk around this building. I should also like to thank the hon. Member for Clwyd South (Susan Elan Jones) for telling the House of...

Brent Cross redevelopment cleared to start

2010-06-18T18:18:00.002+01:00

Great news. The Brent Cross/Cricklewood redevelopment has been given the green light by the new secretary of state, Eric Pickles. This will provide tens of thousands of jobs, much needed homes and a great improvement in local transport. A whole new town center will take shape and the facilities for locals will be fantastic. The friends of Mike Freer have long been staunch supporters of this fantastic scheme. It is great to see the new government slashing red tape and allowing decisions to be made at local level. We say "less bureaucracy makes for good business".

Mike leads the way in the fight against anti semitism

2010-06-01T08:59:00.002+01:00

Mike Freer MP is pleased to announce that he's been elected as Vice President of the Parliamentary Anti-Semitism group.

Speaking after the appointment Mike said, “Representing a constituency with a substantial Jewish population I’ve seen for myself the terrible effects of antisemitism, which shamefully is a fact of life for many of my constituents.

“We experienced a surge in graffiti and threats last year when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was dominating the news, showing that antisemitism is always bubbling under the surface and certainly hasn’t gone away. ”

“This committee demonstrates that antisemitism is being fought against at the highest level and I am very pleased to be able to play a part in that.”

The Jewish Chronicle has welcomed the election of Mike to this important role.
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/32261/finchley-mp-gets-antisemitism-committee-role

The Friends of Mike Freer congratulate Mike on his appointment. It is great to see that his fellow MP's agree with us that Mike is a valued addition to Parliament.

The latest Tweets from Mike

2010-05-27T10:07:00.002+01:00

If you want to keep up to date with the very latest tweets from Mike, then join us on twitter

http://twitter.com/mikefreer

Exciting News from The Friends of Mike Freer

2010-05-21T10:11:00.003+01:00

Now Mike is getting down to business, we've upgraded the Friends of Mike Freer website to make it even more interesting. If you want to know what is going on in Finchley and Golders Green, this is the place to look !

We've now got live news feeds for all the latest news and also the latest videos from Youtube. Mike has been out and about today, he was visiting a local business having problems with UKBA and now he's doing his weekly advice surgery for his constituents. After years of neglect, Finchley and Golders Green has an MP to be proud of. An MP who will keep you up to date and who will help you when you need it.

That's why we're so proud to call ourselves The Friends of Mike Freer !

If you need to get in touch with Mike see the details below

Feet under the desk

2010-05-18T18:45:00.002+01:00

Mike today had his first taste of the pomp of parliament. John Bercow was re-elected speaker and dragged to his chair. Mikes verdict "The ayes sound very different when you are in the chamber". After all the hard work of the campaign, Mike can't wait to roll up his sleeves and get down to some real work as an MP, helping his constituents in Finchley and Golders Green.

If you live in Mike Freers constituency and need his help, here are his contact details :-

Ways to get in touch with Mike Freer MP:

Write to: Mike Freer MP, 212 Ballards Lane, Finchley, N3 2LX
Constituency office telephone: 0208 445 4292
Westminster office telephone: 0207 219 7071
Email: mike.freer.mp @ parliament.uk - (please delete the spaces either side of the @)

Barnets huge debt of gratitude to Mike Freer MP

2010-05-17T08:22:00.002+01:00

Now Mike is getting his feet under the desk at Westminster, it is a good time to look at the legacy of the Freer years at Barnet council. Mikes leadership transformed Barnet council. When he took over it was a largely ignored sleepy suburban backwater. When Mike handed it over to Lynne Hillan, it was a dynamic organisation, at the forefront of leading the way of modernising local government. Mike was the architect of the Future Shape program. This innovative program to rebuild the council and make it the most cost effective council in Britain is already reaping rich rewards. The BBC and other news outlets call Barnet first when they want to talk about local government. Huge back office savings have been identified and these allowed Barnet council to budget for a 0% increase.

Do the people of Barnet like it? You bet ! Whilst many Conservative councils sadly lost power in London, Barnets Conservatives gained seats. The proof is in the pudding. Mike had to put up with a vicious campaign by a team of malcontents and bloggers. The friends of Freer believe that much of this was homophobically motivated. The people of Finchley and Golders Green saw this spiteful bile for what it was. It is no surprise to Mike that whilst he romped home in Finchley, the leading detractor stood for the Liberal Democrats in a previously safe seat, was trounced by the Tories and came last out of the Lib Dems.

If you want to make an omlette, you must break a few eggs. Mike has shown he's got the guts to make tough decisions, the skills to implement them and charisma to take the people with him. Unlike his detractors he doesn't cry when people call him nasty names. Mikes council legacy will be seen for generations in Barnet.

I agree with Mike (and his mum) !

2010-05-16T16:37:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to Mike Freer on his fantastic victory in Finchley and Golder Green. No one in Barnet politics deserves their success more. His mum has told the press that he's going to be the next Prime Minister. I hope she's right. Finchley is long overdue another Prime Minister in Parliament.

Have a happy 2010 from the friends of Mike Freer

2010-01-01T12:25:00.003Z

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010 !

This promise a great year for Finchley and Golders Green. We just cannot wait for Mike Freer to get elected. This great and historic seat has been held for far, far, far too long by Labour.

Mike has dedicated himself to the people of Barnet. The people of Finchley and Golders Green are very lucky to have such a hard working and accomplished candidate.

He will make it a very happy new year for us all ! And a happy new year to you all from Finchley and Golders Greens brightest blog !

The case for Cricklewood redevelopment

2009-09-26T15:26:00.002+01:00

Any major redevelopment, such as the one proposed for Cricklewood, is bound to generate strong feelings. Many aspects of the scheme will be changed as the plans are developed. Barnet as a council seek to listen to all sides and make decisions in line with the policies agreed as best for the borough. Protest groups hail minor changes as "great victories". Blogger claim success as minor details are changed.

All of these comments neglect to mention the fact that the council have a huge task managing such applications. Staying the same is not an option. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. The job of the council is to do what's best for everyone. If every development that ever upset anyone was abandoned, we'd all be living in mud huts.

Like all major road, rail and airport developments, there is a mass of objections. When the new resources are finally opened, the protestors use them just the same as everyone else and we all end up asking ourselves what the fuss was all about. When the fantastic scheme at Cricklewood is finally finished, I'm sure it will be the same.

A great place to start with the Easycouncil

2009-09-12T15:54:00.005+01:00

The news this week was dominated by a malicious blogger who having insulted the Mayor of Barnet, went running to the Standards Committee when the Mayor gave him a bit of his own medicine. Unlike the legal system where the cost of legal fees discourages this sort of thing, the blogger got the whole thing free, courtesy of the taxpayer.

Maybe this type of case and the numerous other trivial freedom of information act requests, costing hundreds of pounds would be a great place to start with Mike's Easycouncil concept. You could still file silly complaints, you could ask all the questions you like about the cost and thickness of the leaders toilet paper, but you'd have to pay for privildge.

That would save millions up and down the country. Lets face it, who else is served by this ridiculous waste of money, other than malcontents and self publicists who only launch complaints to see themselves on telly

Mike is making a name for himself

2009-08-29T15:46:00.002+01:00

Everyone is sitting up and taking note of Mike's innovative leadership in London. Ken Livingstone was talking about Mike on his show on LBC 97.3 this morning. The Guardian had not 1, not 2 but 3 articles about Barnet this week.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/aug/27/barnet-council-conservative-party

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/aug/27/tory-borough-barnet-budget-airline

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/27/conservative-barnet-borough-council-leaders

The truth is that the left is scared to death of Mike. They know his policies will save a fortune and will see substantial reductions in Council taxes. Once Mike has proven that the ideas work in Barnet, Conservative Councils up and down the country will follow the lead Mike has given. This will result in a sea change in the way councils are run and may well see the end of Socialism at Council level.

It won't surprise me at all if Mike Freer becomes the second Conservative prime minister from Finchley.

With enemies like these

2009-08-15T18:52:00.003+01:00

I was shocked to see that the biggest critic of Mike Freer, blogger Rog T, was actively promoting a blog which featured a man wanting to filmed on the toilet. Shameful. These are the type of people who oppose Mike Freer. I suspect that Mike Freer was closer to the mark than anyone realised when he called Rog T a "one handed blogger".

Lucky to have Mike in charge

2009-08-15T18:48:00.004+01:00

I was rather disturbed to see that our neighbours in Harrow Council are bringing in an ID scheme for council tenants. Surely we have enough big brother style schemes already. We are lucky that Barnet has Mike Freer in charge. He would never agree to such a crackpot initiative.

Mike on Conservative home

2009-08-08T14:45:00.003+01:00

Mike has penned a superb article for Conservative home. His friends are also pleased to hear that he's recovered from a nasty bout of swine flu and is fighting fit again.

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. I've been too busy on the campaign trail and then a well needed holiday ! I think we can all take heart from the fantastic result in Norwich.

Mike gets a ringing endorsement

2009-06-06T14:18:00.003+01:00

The votes have been cast, unlike the Euro elections where turnout was as low as 10%, the byelections for Barnet resulted in a huge swing to the Conservatives and a massive turnout, well over 40%. This can only mean one thing - a huge endorsement for the Leadership of Mike Freer. Whatever the bloggers of Barnet may say, the public love him and recognise all of his hard work.

Barnet has a new Mayor

2009-05-23T16:59:00.002+01:00

Barnet Council got a new Mayor this week. Councillor Brian Coleman, one of Londons best known and most popular politicians took over from outgoing Mayor John Marshall at a Mayormaking Ceremony on Tuesday at the recently refurbished Hendon Town Hall. The New Deputy Mayor is Councillor Hugh Rayner. For the full details Click here for Londons best Read.

My fave piccie of Mike

2009-05-11T20:52:00.003+01:00

The apprentice gets a few tips from a truly grand Master !

So who says that Barnets Youtube initiative is a waste of money?

2009-04-25T16:41:00.003+01:00

Well I suppose you can guess who, can't you. The moaning minnies who hunt through every council document, every press release and every statement to find some mud to fling.

I thought I'd check the Youtube site out. I looked at the most viewed page. The most viewed page is for the recycling with over 2,000 views. For me the most informative was the cashless parking video (590 views).

The idea of councils using Youtube is in its infancy and Barnet leads the way. A small minority of moaners think that this is a waste of money and that the cash would be better spent on inquirys into football stadium sales. I think that things which improve the quality of life of residents are well worth the small cost. Barnet is lucky to have Mike Freer in charge, not some dinosaur who's idea of communication is to invite the local Union leaders to the Town Hall for beer and sandwiches.

Rog T is playing away !

2009-04-22T07:28:00.005+01:00

Rog T claims in his blog that he's a good Catholic and a family man. As you can see, the Friends of Freer have uncovered evidence that he's been playing away!

Naughty old Rog T !

Marvellous Matthew Destroys Dismal Dismore

2009-04-21T11:36:00.002+01:00

With the holiday season upon us, we all need a good book to read. Here's one which every right thinking person should take a look at. It's savage, witty and a fine read. Now I'd always been of the opinion that the MP for Hendon, Andrew Dismore was a bit of a non-entity, but it seems that he's to blame for far more than we all thought. Quentin Letts "50 people who buggered up Britain" currently has pride of place on my bedside table and it certainly opened my eyes to the damage Mr Dismore has done as a MP.

Whilst we are on the subject of Andrew Dismore, I was most impressed with the way Matthew Offord, PPC for Hendon put him in his place on his fine new blog. Matthews blog is witty, incisive, irreverent and not for the namby pamby PC brigade. I love it. Of all the Barnet political blogs, it is far and away the funniest and the best. Beware of cheap imitations.

I'm thinking of starting a "Mum's for Matthew" blog in his honour. Anyway, back to the ironing.

NOTE : Sorry to say I've made a big boo boo. The author of BARNETSTHIRDEYE blog has let me know that he's NOT MATTHEW. He's very much younger and much more handsome (gosh, he must be very handsome indeed). He should put his picture on, he'd get loads more fans if he's that handsome. Is it just me or do the local Labour party have a policy of only having ugly recruits - look at Rog T. Many apologies to Matthew, it was only because it was so good, that it fooled me - Sorry Matthew.

Labour isn't working

2009-04-18T15:36:00.003+01:00

A very interesting story on the Times website. Those of us of a certain age remember this poster well. It is amazing that it is still as powerful today.

Rather funny really to think that everyone on the poster was a Conservative !

Mike's friends in action

2009-04-04T16:11:00.004+01:00

A great letter in this weeks Times

Brian Gordon spells out why cheap opposition shots are way off the mark.

Mike gets the recognition he deserves

2009-03-28T15:23:00.003Z

Check page 9 of the Hendon Times this week. There is a poll showing that 77% of Barnet Resident's think Mike is doing a great job. There is also a letter from Mr A Gupta saying that Mike has cut costs, eliminated waste and pulled council finances out of the red. It is great to see that ordinary people like what they see.

Welcome to Barnet's most successful blog !

2009-03-22T19:36:00.003Z

It's a funny old world. I only started this blog to counter all of the nasty and unfair comments about Mike that various Barnet malcontents were continually publishing in the various Barnet blogs. It seems that these bloggers were rather upset to find that rather more people read Mike's leader listens blog (figures announced at the recent Hendon residents forum) than their rather dull efforts.

Well even Mike's fantastic blog cannot keep up with the Friends of Freer. We've put Google Analytics in to track us and it seems that a whopping 75,000 of you have visited in the last month. It seems that people rather like reading good news and what a great job Mike is doing. I really never ever expected this much interest ! Thank you

Yet again Mike leads the way !

2009-03-21T15:10:00.004Z

It seems that Barnet is at last getting the respect it deserves under Mike Freer's leadership. It seems that even Hazel Blears is a big fan of Mike. She's been paying tribute to the innovative Future shape scheme, and has been praising Barnet for its pioneering and innovative approaches taken to involve local residents in shaping policy across the borough.

The use of social networking sites such as Youtube and Facebook, along with informal neighbourhood meetings known as Leader Listens are cited as improving dialogue with local people to give them a direct input into improving local services.

In response to the compliment Mike welcomed the support of the Communities Secretary and went on to say: “Our unique approach is now being copied across the country by other councils and public services showing that Barnet has been the trailblazer in bringing true public engagement to those the council serves.”

Good for the goose !

2009-03-11T23:24:00.002Z

The various bloggers of Barnet have been in uproar recently. For year's they've been hurling insults at Mike. Recently he spoke frankly and honestly about his feelings regarding the criticism and guess what? They don't like it up em Mr Mainwarning

A criticism of Mike !

2009-03-01T14:35:00.003Z

It may surprise you to know that the Friends of Freer are not completely uncritical of Mike !

One thing we've often asked him and he's yet to give us a satisfactory answer to, is why he's so nice to the 5 or so malcontents in Barnet who feel the need to post multiple comments on every single thing he does, no matter how good bad or indifferent. Mike meets lots of people every week who he gets on really well with, but it seems there are some people with nothing better to do than wait for Mike to say something and then make nasty comments.

Now the question The Friends of Freer ask ourselves is this. If these armchair critics are so clever, why haven't they got proper jobs? Any suggestions?

Mike Freer - Cutting back the costs

2009-02-28T14:50:00.004Z

Mike has been busy recently trying to get the government to ease the financial strain on businesses and Council Tenants. At a meeting of London Councils, Mike forcefully argued for a freeze on business rates. Mike said that business rates were going up by 5% and London Councils should be arguing for them to be frozen in London. I don't think too many people (apart from Gordon Brown) would disagree with that.

In Mike's excellent Leader listens blog he details how Council tenants will face a rise fo between six and nine percent. Mike argues that this Government driven rise should be reconsidered, given the current financial climate.

One practical step Mike's council have introduced is to inroduce special parking permist for builders working on residents homes. This will help companies and residents who are involved in work improving homes.

This follows the success of the permits for religious leaders, which allows community leaders to buy Borough wide parking permits to allow visits for the needy.

We are lucky to have a council leader like Mike who cares about all sections of the community.

Another award for Mike Freer's Council

2009-02-21T17:03:00.004Z

Barnet Council has been recognised for its innovative work with Muslim communities by the Government Office for London. The award, for Best Overall London Project, presented on 17th February at the Prevent 2009 One London Conference, is in recognition of the Council’s groundbreaking approach to engaging with members of Barnet’s Muslim community through the borough’s schools, community organisations, university and mosques.
Using research findings from one of its partners, Middlesex University, the Council designed its projects specifically to reflect the diversity of the borough’s Muslim community.
Among the projects undertaken by the council and carried out by the Barnet Muslim Engagement Partnership was the 2008 award-winning Madrassa Citizenship Programme which was adapted to fit mainstream, multi-faith schools. The programme aimed to improve inter-faith understanding among school pupils through a series of workshops taken by different faith leaders. Other programmes included empowering local Muslim women to become public influencers and increasing the self-esteem of south Asian, Somali and Afghani young people through performing arts, sports and national youth accreditations.
The project also succeeded in challenging myths in the community through its critically acclaimed exhibition ‘Muslims in Barnet’ portraying the positive contribution of Muslims engaged in daily life.

Commenting on the award Mike said “This award recognises and reflects the breadth of projects undertaken by the council across the whole of the Muslim community in Barnet over the last year, and our overall efforts to work with all faith communities.”
“Not only has our innovative approach in understanding the complexities of our local Muslim community helped increase self-esteem among residents, it has also been recognised by other government bodies who are looking to Barnet to see how to successfully deliver projects like this.”
“We are fortunate that our communities do live peaceably together and projects such as this continue our history of working with all faith communities across the borough.”

Barnet Leads the Way

2009-02-14T16:00:00.003Z

Barnet Council is leading the way in London. Under the Leadership of Mike it has developed the most innovating and exciting website in London. I've put a few links to this so you can go straight there yourself. Check out the interesting and informative YouTube videos and the Fantastic pictures on the Flickr Site. See why people such as Boris are flocking to Barnet to see how a modern Council in the 21st Century does things. It makes me proud to live in Barnet.

When the going gets tough, Mike gets going

2009-02-07T15:41:00.005Z

It's been a tough week for everyone. Barnet had the worst snowfall for years. It's times like this that I'm glad Mike Freer is the man in charge. Read this press release about how Barnet Gritters were on the road from 3am on Friday, in preparation for the snow.

http://www.barnet.gov.uk/highlights/adverse-weather-services/hazardous-weather-gritting-updates.htm

Read this story from the London Daily News to see how other boroughs have struggled

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/rubbish-snow-joke-londons-streets-mess-p-2331.html

You won't see too much thanks on the other blogs for Mike or the council's workers. You will here. Thanks

Mike Cuts the Mustard !!!!

2009-01-31T16:30:00.002Z

Some very interesting questions and answers at the last Council meetings.
Strangely these haven't been reported by the usual suspects in their blogs :-

Question 26
Councillor Brian Gordon
For how many successive years has our Council managed to keep Council Tax increases below inflation and how has this been achieved?

Answer by Councillor Mike Freer, Leader of the Council
Unlike the previous Labour / LibDem coalition who increased Council Tax above inflation every year they ran the Council, this will be the 5th year in succession we have delivered a below RPI increase in Council Tax. We are one of only a handful of London Councils to have achieved this.
This has been done by tight budget setting and control. We have consistently reduced the base budget by £10m every year, largely through efficiency measures that protect priority services. We have ensured spending is within budget through rigorous budget monitoring and proactive budget management. All this has been during a period of below inflation grant settlements i.e. real term grant cuts.

Question 30
Councillor Brian Gordon
Can the Leader please comment on the latest Government Formula Grant Settlement for the Borough?

Answer by Councillor Mike Freer, Leader of the Council
Barnet’s grant increase is 2.2% below the national settlement of 2.8%
The percentages cannot hide the poor settlement for London in particular where grant increases will not be enough to meet inflationary pressures let alone new service demands. In fact, it is likely that the NLWA levy increase alone will exceed the grant increase. The current minister has made it quite clear his intention to help his northern supporters by continuing to drain grant away from the economic capital of the UK to the less successful regions. As evidence I need only refer to the flawed changes made in the last couple of years to grant allocations for adult social services that have deprived London of much needed resources to support the vulnerable.

Mike Stands up to the bullies

2009-01-21T20:51:00.000Z

Why will Mike Freer make a great MP? Because he's prepared to stand up to the bully boys and take action. In his latest blog he details the tough action he's taken to stand up to the cowardly thugs who threaten hard working family businesses in Barnet. If you have any doubts about the way in which the conflict in Gaza has been exploited by various supporters of terror, left wing radicals and other bandwagon jumpers for their own ends read this article in the London Daily News. Have any of the other Golders Green and Finchley Candidates gone public with support for Israel?

Barnet Council Tax rise below inflation again

2009-01-10T16:54:00.000Z

This week Barnet Council's cabinet met to discuss the budget for the coming year. They are proposing a rise of 2.81%, well below the rate of inflation. Congratulations to Mike on keeping taxes rises down when the grants from government have been cut.

How have Labour and the Lib Dems reacted? As ever they are looking both ways at the same time. They berate Mike for having to raise tax at all, whilst complaining that services are being streamlined. They've also taken to criticising Mike for using the reserves to ease the burden on families. Given the raids on reserves when we had a Lib/Lab administration, this is rather rich. Doesn't it occur to them that the reserves are funds earmarked for a rainy day. Given the economic situation, surely that rainy day has arrived and families in Barnet deserve a break.

Mike on the TV

2008-12-05T15:29:00.001Z

Did any of you see the BBC news on Wednesday night? There was an interview with Mike where he spelled out the truth about the Future Shape. Rather predictably, there were the usual siren voices against him. Union leaders on soapboxes with megaphones. They must have been gutted when their protest got the BBC down to let Mike strut his stuff and put them in their place.

Why don't the unions ever come up with any sensible suggestions to save money. We are lucky to have a forward looking leader of the council who is prepared to take tough decisions. I really cannot understand why so many union members turned up when Mike said that all options were being examined. Do they think that a bunch of them standing around outside the town hall will make the slightest difference to anything? The days when anyone listened to big crowds of union bully boys shouting through megaphones are long gone. The sooner Mike sacks the lot of them, the better as far as I'm concerned !!!!!!!

Mike silences the critics !

2008-11-21T22:32:00.000Z

Mike Freer is a busy man. Running a large organisation such as Barnet Council is a full time job. It seems that his sneering critics think that his main job is to answer ever more ridiculous questions placed on obscure blogs.

To keep us all in the picture, Mike has set up a blog and asked for questions. It seems to be beyond the wit of his critics that answering these questions is not Mike's top priority. Mike does it when he gets a minute. As he's council leader he has to check his facts (unlike his army of armchair critics).

Well for those of us who enjoy his blog, he's been on top form and put all of the local malcontents truly in their place. Do they say "Thanks Mike for taking the time to answer our questions" or do they whine that they haven't got the answer they wanted? I'll let you guess.

Have a look at Mike's Blog LEADERLISTENS.COM and see for yourself whether Mike allows questions on his blogs and gives proper answers.

Brave Mike stands up to the bigots

2008-11-15T07:43:00.000Z

Read Mike Freer's latest leader listens blog. This comprehensively answers all of his armchair critics and shows the courage and leadership qualities that those of us who know Mike recognise on a daily basis. Sadly the Conservative party (like all of the parties) has a racist element and Mike firmly puts them in their place in his blog. He is prepared to stand up for the great British values of decency and tolerance. I don't suppose there are too many votes in the Tory heartlands to be had sticking up for single Nigerian mothers on benefits living in homes worth £1 Million at the Taxpayers expense, but as Mike quite rightly states:-

People claiming what they are rightfully entitled to should not become an object to be vilified by the media

In taking this principled stand, Mike has shown courage, leadership and decency. I don't suppose that any of the army of malcontents will have the guts to acknowledge this, will they?

Welcome to the Friends of Freer page

2008-11-08T19:36:00.000Z

It seems that all of the bloggers in Barnet have it in for Mike Freer and his council colleagues. They are very hard working and do their best for the people of Barnet. Unlike some of the other bloggers, all I care about is fairness and balance.

I am setting this blog up so that the fairminded people of Barnet can leave posts telling us all of the good things that happen in Barnet and how Mike Freer's council is doing a great job.

I suppose I'll get a few comments from all of the regular suspects, but I expect these to be vastly outnumbered by the good and honest Barnet people who recognise what a great job barnet has done.

This blog is not for the bitter, cynical or twisted !!!!!