WCC Giving Away Prime Residential Assets

The Dame often worries whether Westminster CC is run by morons.

What makes her ponder upon Cllr Roe's fitness for office? Well, for a start her stupid, short term and opportunistic plan to flog off assets: assets vital to ensure low waged, essential workers have access to low cost accommodation. Fortuitously, Paul Dilmondenburg, the WCC councillor who fingered the appalling Shirley Porter and her wing guy, the 'late and sainted' Simon Milton, is here to point out the arrant stupidity of flogging off essential assets.
The Dame has to admit that she has always had a stream of rich ex- husbands telling her, " never sell prime central residential property."
So why does it take a Labour councillor to point out the stupidity of this move? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Dilmondenberg has a professional understanding of the housebuilding industry.

PRESS NOTICE

31st May 2012

NO NEW SOCIAL RENTED FLATS TO BE BUILT IN WESTMINSTER TO REPLACE 175 RIGHT TO BUY SALES

None of the 175 social rented Council flats that Westminster City Council plans to sell over the next three years under the Right to Buy will be replaced by a new social rented flat, according to Labour Councillors who say that the Government promise to replace every social rented property sold with a new one is completely bogus and a total misrepresentation of the facts.

In addition to the loss of 175 social rented flats, every flat sold will get a £75,000 subsidy from taxpayers, representing a £13 million loss to the public purse.

Labour Councillors say that they have been told by Westminster Council housing officials that;

"Receipts from RTB sales can fund no more than 30% of the development costs of a new home.  The Government’s assumption is that new homes will be Affordable Rent properties - which can be charged at up to 80% of market rent."

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said;

"This latest Conservative stunt is a double whammy for those in housing need and for hard-pressed tax payers on low incomes who will see their chances of a home they can afford disappear out of site. The Conservatives claim that every home sold will be replaced by a new one. But the reality is completely different, with low rent social housing for those on low incomes replaced by flats at rents at 80% of market rents. Everyone knows that these sub-market rent rents are not affordable for those on low incomes. This misrepresentation by Conservative Ministers and Conservative Councillors is deliberate as they know that there is no justification for selling off social rented homes at at a £75,000 discount and replacing them with higher rented flats which those on low incomes cannot afford. In Central London this is a recipe for misery and despair."


Contact Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg on 020 7566 7960 or 07864 042 584

USEFUL STUFF FOR THE WEEKEND

Mayor welcomes Diamond Jubilee celebrations

As the capital prepares to host an unforgettable weekend of spectacular celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Mayor Boris Johnson has urged Londoners and visitors to plan ahead to make the most of the festivities.

Hundreds of street parties and local celebrations will be taking place throughout the city, in addition to major events in central London, which include the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant and Big Jubilee Lunch on Sunday 3 June; the lighting of the National Beacon and the Diamond Jubilee Concert in the Mall on Monday 4 June; and the Ceremonial Procession, which will be watched by millions on television and broadcast on big screens in Hyde Park, St James' Park and Trafalgar Square on Tuesday 5 June.

It will be extremely busy throughout the weekend, with large crowds expected and those planning to come into central London should plan their journeys in advance, checking event times and using public transport where possible. There will be road closures over the weekend and people are advised against driving into London unless they have to.

There will be plenty of help on hand - four groups from the Mayor's Team London Ambassadors programme will, for the first time, be located at venues across the capital, including the South Bank, helping visitors find their way around the capital and these unique celebrations.

Boris Johnson will be taking part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, as will youngsters from the Mayor's Fund for Young Musicians. Young Londoners, aged 10-21 years, will be performing on a barge in the pageant as part of the recently formed Mayor's Jubilee Band. The band brings together the charity's music scholars, the junior brass departments of London's world famous music colleges (Guildhall, Royal Academy, Royal College and Trinity Laban), and other young brass players from the boroughs in which the colleges are situated.

The Mayor has also sent Union Flags to every school in the capital for displays and any celebrations they are organising associated with the Diamond Jubilee festivities.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'The Queen's Diamond Jubilee has truly captured the nation's imagination and we are looking forward to a truly momentous weekend of celebrations that everyone can be a part of. This is an amazing opportunity to show the world how London celebrates its traditions and will be a glorious curtain raiser to one of the most exciting summers we are likely to see.

'There are hundreds of events planned right across London to mark this fantastic milestone and the capital will be extremely busy throughout the weekend. If you're joining the festivities, make sure you plan ahead.'

Whether celebrating close to home, or joining the crowds in central London, people are being invited to dress up for the occasion, taking inspiration from one of the decades from the Queen's reign, from the 1950s to the present day. Those dressing up also have the chance to win fabulous fashion prizes - from Friday 1 June people can upload pictures of their outfits, with the best having the chance to go to London Fashion Week. More details about the competition can be found at www.molpresents.com/jubilee.

Dozens of local beacon lighting ceremonies will be taking place on the evening of Monday 4th June. More information can be found at www.diamondjubileebeacons.co.uk.

In addition to the Big Jubilee Lunch in Piccadilly dozens of street parties will be taking place across the city. There is still time to organise informal celebrations, whether at home or in the great outdoors. Information and ideas can be found at www.thebiglunch.com.

The Mayor's Street Party Ambassador Barbara Windsor said: 'I'm really looking forward to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and street parties are a brilliant way to bring out our community spirit. They also mean you don't have to go too far to feel a part of it all, so get your gladrags on, be a part of this historic moment and have a party!'

www.molpresents.com/jubilee

Planning your day out

As well as street parties and other public and private celebrations throughout the city London will host a series of national events, meaning that central London in particular will be very busy throughout the whole of the extended weekend.

Events include the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant of 1,000 boats in an unprecedented flotilla on the Thames, the Piccadilly Big Jubilee Lunch, the Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, and ceremonies to mark the lighting of more than 4,000 beacons around the world. There will be dozens of street parties and it will also be possible to watch The Queen's ceremonial procession from home or live on big screens in Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park or St James's Park.

Anyone thinking of heading into central London for any of the main celebrations over the long weekend should expect large crowds, road closures and alterations to public transport arrangements, so it is important to plan ahead:

·         plan your journey in advance and allow plenty of time to get around - buses, tubes and stations will be busier than usual

·         don't drive into central London unless it's absolutely essential - many roads and bridges will be closed

·         check the times of last trains, and plan to leave London early if you're concerned about getting home

·         Be aware that on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 June Green Park will be closed (Green Park tube station will be open however)

·         drink plenty of water and bring sun cream (if it's hot) or waterproofs (if there's a chance of rain)

·         bring any medication you're taking

·         Use the Transport for London website to plan your journey and for up-to-date travel news and information on road closures www.tfl.gov.uk/diamondjubilee

·         For further information to help you plan your weekend, visit www.direct.gov.uk, or www.thediamondjubilee.org; www.royalparks.org.uk; www.thebiglunch.com; www.diamondjubileebeacons.co.uk

·         Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org

Notes to editors

The Mayor of London's Fund for Young Musicians is an independent charity established in 2011.  It has been set up to award four-year scholarships to primary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds who show exceptional musical potential and a real commitment to learning an instrument but whose families cannot afford to pay for private lessons. The award provides the scholar with an instrument, group instrumental tuition during and after the school day and at Saturday morning music school, performance opportunities and mentoring. The first 100 scholars, who come from across the whole of Greater London, received their four-year award at a celebratory reception at City Hall on Friday 27 January. In addition to the Scholarships Programme, the charity funds Partnerships between boroughs and professional orchestras giving thousands of 7-18 year old children musical progression and development opportunities. www.mfym.org.uk

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Information for the media is available from Ben McKnight on 020 7983 4071 / ben.mcknight@london.gov.uk (press only - not for publication)

GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100

DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000

ROCK FEILDING MELLEN ANOINTED LEADER IN WAITING-THE DAME HEARS

Getting into the Jubilee spirit The Dame' s spendthrift young nephew, Ludo, insisted on taking her to that  'fave'of our local power brokers, W8.

W8...Cockell's Caf

As they were ushered to Ludo's favourite table they passed none other than two of Horton Street's big hitters....Sir Pooter Cockell and 'Oirish' Ahern.

So absorbed were they in a heated conversation they failed to notice The Dame and Ludo.

Ludo was  overwhelmed at being next to the centre of power and The Dame had to be quick to stop him popping over to ask for Pooter's autograph.

As The Dame tucked into her specially imported ortolan, stuffed with foie grass and black truffle, she noticed Pooter too seemed to have a healthy appetite. What could he be celebrating she wondered......

Pooter's £50 Chef's Special

Had he at last heard his peerage was on the way? 

Oirish was less happy. In fact, tears were coursing down his ruddy Donegal cheeks, splashing over his favourite Hermes tie.

Ludo, in his new guise as an intrepid undercover journalist, was intently listening to their conversation with a discreet omnidirectional eavesdropping device.

“Well, Ludo what is going on.” The Dame demanded. According to Ludo the news was not good for Oirish. It seems Pooter had taken him out for a lush lunch to tell him that twenty two year old Rock Feilding Mellen was going to be the next leader. Pooter told his now fuming guest that his successor needed to be someone of sufficient social stature to continue the aristocratic leadership tradition of soon to be Lord Pooter of Hortown

The gentle side of The Dame popped out. Summoning the waiter she commanded him to convey her barely sampled bottle of Cristal to Pooter's table: she was slightly hurt when Pooter sent it back with a furious look.

Cristal-a present from The Dame

The Dame noted that she must check Pooter had not got taxpayers to pick up the tab

Council Wastes Money On Environment Event

 

Some officers have too little to do: below is a blatant example of quite unnecessary spending on an event few residents have the time or inclination to visit.The Dame has said before and repeats it...how can one take seriously a Council that pretends an interest in the environment, yet buys a 12 MPG Bentley to clutter up our streets.

Pooter's Contribution To Saving The Environment 

Cockell forced the purchase of this £100k gas guzzler against the wishes of his fellow councillors: he has nil interest in the environment.

His other 'folie de grandeur' is the environmentally damaging Exhibitionist Road.

Rather than buying his granite from the UK what does the chump do? You guessed...he buys it from China. Idiots know sea transport is the most environmentally damaging and polluting forms of transport-all except our foolish leader.

Don't expect to see Pooter Cockell at this event...he couldn't care less

Dear Residents’ Association

The Council is holding an Environment day event to coincide with World Environment Day www.unep.org/wed/about/ in the same week, which is an annual event aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action.

The event will take place in the car park of Ladbroke Grove Sainsbury’s on Thursday 7 June 2012, from 10:00am until 4.00pm

We are keen to encourage as many residents to attend the event as possible and we would like your help to promote the event to local residents.  I have attached a poster for the event which we hope you will be able to display or distribute. 

Please see website link also http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/events/default/vieweventdetail_internet.asp?id=21843

If you would like to find out more about the event, or request some posters please contact me via email on environment@rbkc.gov.uk, or phone me directly on 020 7341 5770. For tips on greener living please visit www.rbkc.gov.uk/greenerliving

Yours faithfully

Sophie Bennett

Climate Change Programme Officer

Environment, Leisure and Residents' Services

 

PAEDOPHILES, COCKELL, MYERS AND RBK&C

 

Merrick Cockell and Derek Myers bear heavy responsibilities to the taxpayers of this Borough. They are charged with upholding the highest of standards.

On Wednesday 23 May, at the Mayor making ceremony, they put no obstacle in the way of Barry Phelps attending.

The conclusion to be drawn is both men found nothing reprehensible in what this ex councillor did. That is the message that needs ramming home......
Phelps sent out emails, on the Council server, of young boys in sexually provocative poses. They were captioned in a way designed to titillate his circle. Very soon the Dame will publish the names of that 'Circle.' 
And remember....these were images of children of no more than 9/12 years of age.

Who could be interested in such filth? Just those with paedophile tendencies. Phelps may not have 'acted out' his fantasies, but he clearly gained pleasure from such images and that is indicative of unacceptable tastes.

There is a perception amongst some councillors it was just a case of 'good old eccentric Barry.'  
Rubbish! There is nothing harmlessly eccentric about a man who sends out such filth. Phelps has a home in Ledbury. If he had circulated this stuff to Ledbury locals he would have been driven out of town!

The Dame got  a well deserved ticking off from a few residents for not 'telling it like it is'. So here goes....

The pictures below have been taken by a paedophile.
At a time when a councillor has been successfully prosecuted for possession of the most extreme child pornography it is incredible Cockell and Myers allowed Phelps to attend. The message was clear..... ex cllr Phelps was an honoured guest.

The Leader and the Chief Executive should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for allowing this man into the Town Hall. Councillors too, should be up in arms-but, of course, like scared sheep.... they do nothing.
It is a disgrace to all right thinking people.......

Barkhordar-A Champion of Democracy?

"I will work tirelessly to make sure that local residents' interests come first. I will work closely with the police to crack down on pedicabs, supercars etc etc etc" 

What knows he of democracy?

  So says Abbas Barkhordar, the candidate for Brompton Ward. But we expect more-not the same recycled old drivel: doubtless dreamed up by Jonathan Frazer-Howells, the local agent
J F-H is an old friend of 'young boy obsessed', dirty old man and ex cllr and ex Mayor Barry Phelps.
Last time around J F-H tried to foist a gay porn star BA trolly dolly on Brompton Ward! Luckily, the Dame put a stop to that!
This time he has come with the exotically named Iranian, Abbass Barkhordar.

Little is known of the young man. The Dame thinks that he comes of very non democratic Iranian/Marxist stock.... unsurprising....Iran and democracy have always been strangers.
So let's hope Abbass will try to demonstrate his democratic credentials by being a lion-not a sheep- in standing up Cockell and his clique.

The Dame is going to keep a beady eye on the young fella'!

RBKC Set To Lose £75,000 Costs In Public Nightclub Case

Is the Dame mellowing? She is about to congratulate the Rotten Borough on a famous victory against spivvy nightclub operators, Howard Spooner and the odd looking Royal hanger on and social alpinist, Guy Pelly.
Correctly the Council, under great pressure from hardworking local neighbours, did the right thing and successfully applied to restrict opening hours. At last 'wage slave' neighbours, who rise at 6.00am-unlike the dissolute and indolent clientele of Public- can manage to get a couple of hours sleep.

But it could be a Pyrrhic Victory.... sources close to the Dame suggest Spooner and friends may liquidate their operating company. If they do the costs awarded against them will have to be paid by you and I, the poor old taxpayer.
Pelly, who looks an awful little pest (sorry Ludo, I know he is a friend) whined that his hardworking neigbours were 'killjoys' spoiling the fun of his drunken, dissolute, workshy friends- most the products of very minor public schools.

Pelly..Son of Toyota Car Salesman

Puffed Up Pooter

 The Dame is receiving much comment about Pooter Cockell's inappropriate speech at the Mayor making ceremony . Normally such a speech would be devoted to tributes to the incoming Mayor. Expectedly, the socially inept Pooter took the opportunity to blow his own trumpet about some of the more outrageous abuses of taxpayer's money...Holland Park School-behind schedule; over budget and providing not one extra pupil space....The £30 million Exhibitionist Road-already soiled and tired looking and proving a dangerous battleground between motorists and pedestrians. And then he started to trumpet about "his website" and the wide support that he had received to rename Kensal Rise Station "Portobello Station" and how he had set aside £30 million to pay for the new station. Oh...he forgot to mention that the station has already moved to Hammersmith and "his website" is just more hot air.

The last few years of his leadership have seen shocking scandals. Expenses abuse on a heroic scale...councillors being forced to resign over child pornography.... safe seats lost and morale amongst councillors at a all time low.

The normally equable Cllr Robert Atkinson succinctly summed up the Pooter reign as  similar to that of Mubarak.

The Dame hears that the younger councillors feel depressed and demotivated. If true it is time they rose up and kicked the fatuous and self serving Pooter out.

We all know how he needs his taxpayer funded £130,000 a year, but that is insufficient reason for the residents of this Borough to endure a Leader who has lost his way and is an embarrassment.

The rotten nature of his Rotten Borough is summed up by his insistence that Phelps, fired for his disgusting, perverted emails, be welcomed at the Mayor making ceremony. As the odious Phelps was prone to say, “you could not make it up”!

Just to remind people of the interests of Cockell's great friend and supporter, the disgraced Phelps: here is another of his emails sent out on his RBK&C laptop using the Town Hall server system. Yes, Pooter....you really are judged by your friends.
Pooter continually reassures dissident and nervous councillors that no one reads the Dame. Well, as she comes up to her first 100,000 unique visitors we know he must be dissembling.

Phelps Caption Removed On The Grounds Of Decency

Filling in the idle hours

Nick Paget-Brown is a nice, amiable enough chap who appears to have been born in a pin-striped suit - not someone who strikes one as either creative or innovative, or indeed any of the other adjectives usually associated with cutting edge urban regeneration and design.

 

At a rather smart do in Frestonia to which the Dame and young Ludo were invited to on Tuesday evening, Nick stood in front of a blue backlit screen looking more than ever like an evil extraterrestrial warlord. Addressing a high-powered audience of developers, architects and planners Nick lectured them in his plummy tones on important things like ... cultural placemaking .... masterplanning ... the public realm ... last but not least ... the 'animation' of new places!

 

Not one to hide his light under a bushel Nick told the baffled audience, in a speech clearly written by someone else, that his role was to “be a catalyst – bringing developers together with creative organisations and residents to explore what is possible and provide direction”.

Nick P-B...our placemaker!

Sensing the perturbed mood of his audience Nick sort of backtracked by saying, 'the Council wants its strategy document - unveiled this week - to stimulate ideas from architects, developers, artists and designers and to lead to interesting new partnerships'.

This is a Council that really needs to focus on its core responsibilities. This initiative is a waste of taxpayer's resources and runs directly counter to the Core Strategy that was painstakingly consulted upon and agreed in Full Council. The Dame has heard that planners and amenity groups are livid and consider it a major breach of protocol - and just another way for Nick to think he is being useful.

The problem is Nick has no job to occupy him so spend hours at Hornton Street thinking up silly schemes to keep himself feeling busy. He also very much enjoys imagining himself as 'head of cultural placemaking', whatever that might mean.

Do They Know Something We Don't? Moylan Rejected by GLA

Yesterday at the GLA something extraordinary happened.
Daniel Moylan, salivating at the prospect of his new £130k a year part time job chairing the London Legacy Development Corporation, was rejected by the Labour and Green members.
This all took place yesterday at the confirmation process meeting

Labour and Greens Don't Like The Look Of DannyBoy...Who Can Blame Them!

This is a rare and most unusual occurrence: it shows the shape of things to come with Labour/Greens ganging up to prevent Boris handing out huge allowances to unqualified councillors.
Doubtless Moylan won't be too worried his taxpayer funded, near £3,000 a week, is under threat: Boris can steamroller the appointment through.

However, the same cannot be said of Stephen Greenhalgh, ex leader on Hammersmith & Fulham and Boris's putative choice as Deputy Mayor Policing. Should a Labour/Green alliance vote against the appointment it will be dead in the water. We shall have to wait and see.......

Disgraced Phelps Invited By Buckmaster and Cockell To Mayor Making!

Barry Phelps was forced to resign as a member of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea after abusing the Council server system sending out images of very young boys with sexually suggestive captions appended to them.

For a council boasting an effective child protection programme it was an extraordinary thing for a senior councillor and ex mayor of the Borough to do.

The Dame has decided to make public on the website a selection of the filth this purportedly educated councillor thought amusing.

Sent Out By Phelps On RBKC Email System

Why after all these months has the Dame decided on this course of action?

On Wednesday, 23 May Christopher Buckmaster gave a cocktail party, followed by a private dinner. The purpose was to celebrate the start of a Mayoral year- significant because it coincided with the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics.

One would have thought decorum, decency and dignity would have made Cllr Buckmaster reflect upon the wisdom of inviting Phelps to a function paid for by residents.

A shame then that Phelps and his partner not just attended the reception, but positioned themselves in such a way that other guests were forced to greet them! One assumes it is part of rehabilitation process initiated by his great friend Cllr Cockell.

Another Squalid Innuendo Laden Image Sent By Phelps To His 'Friends' On The RBKC Email System

Cllr Buckmaster is a man of no judgement. By inviting his great friend Phelps he brings shame on the council and himself. Though advised to withdraw the invitation he refused.

It seems we are landed with a Mayoral fool in this important year: a year which a RBKC councillor was convicted of child pornography!

Ludo Scalps Cllr Dezzie O'Neill!

The Dame was relaxing with a rejuvenating gin and vermouth when roused from her reveries by Phelps, her faithful old servant with issues around emails and young boys......

The Dame's butler, Phelps, on hols in California

" Dame, so sorry to disturb you, but your appalling boy, young Ludo, is here to see you." 

 What could her annoying nephew want barging in on the Dame during her 'me time'.......

From the smug look on his asinine features the Dame could see Ludo had important news....

It seems Cllr Dez' O'Neill has been removed from committees where he could have a conflict of interest due to his chairmanship of public art business Urban Eye, which gets nearly all its business from the Council.

To ensure that Cllr Dez O'Neill could never ever be accused of having a clash of interest Ludo reported that the Labour Group had forced him off Public Realm, the Rotten Borough's Environment Project and also Public Art

To force Dez to focus on more altruistic council business he has been wisely 'parked' in Family and Children's Sevices. Here he will be closely monitored by the excellent Robert Atkinson, the Labour whip, who keeps a stern eye on those who stray from the path of righteousness; particularly those like Dezzie who sway politically like the Vicar of Bray.

The Half-Witted Ludo

Ludo also reported that his new best friend Pooter Cockell had told him that Cllr Emma Dent Coad was to be made chair of the Cabinet and Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee, succeeding her leader, Judith Blakeman. ' a very interesting appointment' said Ludo sagely.....

Breaking news.....Cllr Palmer To Launch TV Reality Show

The Dame, being fabulously rich, gets many plaintive calls from idiots wanting  finance for crazy, money vapourising ideas. So she was unsurprised to have a wheedling and grovelling Cllr Matthew Palmer dropping into her flamboyantly elegant Holland Park mansion with what he described as a 'TV reality Show Pitch'.

The Dame has often pondered the sanity of Cllr Palmer ever since he made a fool of himself as the shortest lived apprentice on hideous Lord Sugar's silly programme. However, the Dame does share Sugar's analysis of Palmer as the, 'most obnoxious man I've ever met.'

The Ward Idiot

Palmer plans to become another Simon Cowell.....with a twist! His idea is just so bizarre the Dame wonders if he is not pulling one of her elegantly turned legs!

Even Pooter Cockell understands the sheer uselessness of Palmer refusing him any job requiring judgment or intelligence.

Media Mogul Matthew Palmer

His new bonkers idea is The Barings Game. He plans to invite a number of his professional trader friends to gamble on heavily leveraged positions before the compliance officers wise up to what is going on. He describes it as, “unbridled capitalism-red in tooth and claw.” He said he got the idea when he and Mr Lightfoot screwed up on Chelsea Care!

When the Dame pointed out impoverished voters in St Charles ward might be disturbed by his concept, the booby tearfully wailed, “but the leader- a top international trader thinks it will prove very popular.” The Dame kept her counsel on Pooter's business skills.....

As Phelps, her bearded and young boy picture loving butler, shoed the hapless Palmer to the door the Dame reminded him that none of his 'business initiatives' had ever worked and best he focus his attention on retaining St Charles- his only source of stable income.

The Dame Consulted About Abbas Barkhordar-Brompton Candidate

The Dame is pleased to give her approval to Pooter Cockell's choice of Mr Abbas Barkhordar as Brompton Ward candidate. Mr Barkhordar is Iranian by origin.

Exotically named Abbas is a Schroders banker so will be just the man to explain to residents about the 'bonus culture'.

The odd thing about all this is that Abbas is not a local man and the committee were told by Cockell that his selection was reward for all his hard work in Holland Park. Good to see democracy-Cockell style-in action!

Ludo has been doing some research. He has asked the Dame to clarify the relationship between our candidate and this Abbas Barkhordar below We need transparency on this one Pooter: we do not want to involve ourselves with Iranian politics. It was bad enough when Pooter tried to inflict his gay porn star
BA trolley dolly on us!

About this Case

The information about Mr Abbas Barkhordar is based on a book titled Siavoshan: Remembrance of the Ranjbaran Party of Iran’s Martyrs by Baqer Mortazavi, Germany, 1999.
This execution was also reported in an addendum to the Mojahed magazine (No 261), published by Mojahedin Khalq Organization in 1985. The list includes 12028 individuals, affiliated with various opposition groups, who were executed or killed during clashes with the Islamic Republic security forces from June 1981 to the publication date of the magazine.
Mr. Barkhordar was married with two children. Several years before the revolution, he went to the United States to study. He graduated with a degree in Electronic Engineering. He was a member of the Revolutionary Organization and also a board member of the Student Confederation in the US. During the revolution, he returned to Iran and started working as a manager at the Pars Electronic Industries. At the same time, he was a leading member of the Ranjbaran Party.
The Ranjbaran Party of Iran was established, in Tehran, by a number of Marxist groups and parties in late December 1979. The founders of Ranjbaran were Marxist – Leninist and followers of Mao Tse-Tung’s school of thought. They opposed the USA and the USSR and supported Ruhollah Khomeini as an anti-imperialist leader. During the massive repression of 1981, the party was banned and its leaders were executed. Its publication, Ranjbar, is occasionally published outside Iran since 1981.

Tri-Borough Trepidation

The Dame has never claimed to be a political savant, though she has pointed out the risks to the stability of the Tri-Borough arrangement IF Hammersmith & Fulham reverts to it's Labour origins.

The Dame's Personal Fortune Teller

There is a further risk to the grand plan: it comes from a less obvious source.

Westminster City Council, through the ineptitude  of Cllrs BarrowBoy and 'Boy' Rowley and a generalised anti government swing, could start returning Independents.
According to the Dame's socialite nephew, the hopeless Ludo, who spends much of his time in louche Mayfair establishments, local Conservative business people like Jeremy King, owner of various restaurants and Richard Caring and Philip Green are plotting to teach Cllr Roe a sharp lesson.....

Don't be surprised to see a number of Independents, supported by powerful local business interests, take Conservative wards......

But turning to our home turf......

A few Councillors in North Kensington will have cause for concern about the 2014 Council elections given the results that Labour achieved in the GLA elections on 3 May.  The Labour GLA candidate Cllr Todd Foreman easily won the Royal Borough’s four northern wards of Golborne, Notting Barns, Colville and St Charles.

In Golborne and Notting Barns, Labour piled up huge majorities on double digit swings since 2008.  In Colville, the Lib-Dem candidate came third, with only 15.7% of the vote.  Cllrs Caruana and Jones should be very worried—it appears that the Colville electorate’s flirtation with the Lib-Dems is at an end.  Finally, there is St Charles.  Labour easily won the ward with 45.4% of the vote, with the Tories trailing well behind on 33.6%.  The question is, will Cllr Roundell Palmer now try to do a chicken run to another ward, and if so, will any other ward’s Conservative association want him? 

Full results are available here:  http://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/results-and-past-elections/results-2012

North Kensington results

St Charles

Lab         794         45.4%
Con        588         33.6%
LD           79          4.5%
Green   195         11.1%
UKIP      94          5.4%

Con to Lab swing since 2008:  9.5%

Colville

Lab         638         39.7%
Con        453         28.2%
LD           252         15.7%
Green   199         12.4%
UKIP      67            4.2%

Con to Lab swing since 2008:  9.0%

Lib-Dem to Lab swing since 2010 Council elections:  15.5%

Notting Barns

Lab         1,038     51.5%
Con          565       28.0%
LD             203       10.1%
Green     220       10.9%
UKIP        89         4.4%

Con to Lab swing since 2008:  11.6%

Golborne

Lab         963         58.9%
Con        333         20.4%
LD           75            4.6%
Green   174         10.6%
UKIP      91            5.6%

Con to Lab swing since 2008:  10.5%

With Friends Like Boris......life is sweet

Boris Johnson has announced his new Top Team of eight Deputy Mayors. The heavyweight roles focus on job creation, transport and the police-and a young lady gets education and culture. However, there is appointment that deserves closer scrutiny. It is none other than our very own councillor for Queensgate Ward, the chronically unpopular Daniel Moylan.

Mayor Johnson and his friend Moylan

Moylan is tasked with delivering the "Olympic Park Legacy" and advising on a third London airport. His recent and notable gaffe of proposing an airport in the Thames Estuary at the precise spot of maximum danger for flying aircraft was pounced on by Air Traffic Controllers and pilots.

Chief Executives making appointments at this level typically look at track record, ability to work as a team member, and whether it is a "staff" or "line" appointment. And this is the conundrum. 
Moylan gets up everyone's nose and causes huge dissent amongst colleagues and staff. His track record in K&C includes quite a few 'white elephants' (the Sloane Square debacle, pink granite from China to tart up Exhibition Road at a cost of £30 million and stainless steel "streetscapes"). His chance to do damage as Deputy Chairman of Tfl was short-lived and he has sensibly been moved on. His private interest Property Companies that dabbled in London development have languished or been wound up so not much success track record there. The Dame has reproduced the Private Eye article focusing on this.

So what is the new job Boris has fixed for Moylan? The Mayor wants to hit the right balance between new homes and jobs with the Olympic Park after the games are over. Other recent examples (Greece and China) have shown that this is a notoriously difficult task. The domain knowledge is in the private sector and they will need to be coaxed, flattered, cajoled and inspired: skills that sit badly with Moylan. And there is an even bigger puzzle. It is said that Moylan will get paid more for his demoted job than the £115k a year he took as part time Deputy Chairman at Tfl. 

So let us suppose Moylan bargained hard and persuaded Johnson to pay him £130k for his new job. With his near £11k from K&C and his £18k for remaining a board member of TfL Moylan COULD be on nearly £160,000 a year! Not bad for a local councillor.....
We need Cllr Moylan to contradict us and come clean about the totality of all his taxpayer funded positions.

But the real question for taxpayers is whether it is appropriate for the Mayor to be handing out jobs to friends with no real job experience. Boris Johnson has a calamitous track record in appointing people he then ends up having to fire for not being up to the job. Let us hope Moylan is not another casualty of the Mayor's poor judgment. And K&C residents should wonder whether they will be getting any value from their absentee councillor.