Genius Theo sees the way ahead...

Here's a good'un...

On the 29th March 2006, Cllr Blackwell went on a training course called

"The Future of Local Government".

On the 5th May 2006, Labour lost the election in spectacular style.

Do you think he wants his money back?

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Labour. Soft on Crime, Soft on the causes of Crime.

I went to the Community Safety consultation session in the Town Hall last week, fearing that the Labour group would use the opportunity to score pointless political points (is that possible?)

Dear reader (sometimes I think I should just e-mail this direct to the Labour councillors who seem to read our Blog avidly - I'd give you an update of their's in return but it's just too dull) you won't be surprised to find my fears were realised. It sometimes surprises me just how petty and small minded our Labour colleagues are. Not all of them mind, there are several who are well worth the time of day it's just their leadership who seem to have stepped off the deep-end of reality.

Here is the transcript of my notes from that meeting:

1) Insufficient alcohol treatment throughout all services offered by LB Camden over last few years.

(I'll put my own comments (and points made by the LibDems, Con's and a Green too!) in bold. Everything else was said by the Labour members present). (Which makes the above statement a little odd. Do you think there's anything else they'd like to get off their chests or are they keeping the real dynamite quiet?)

2) Is Theo deliberately trying to T off the officers present?

3) We are creating chances for councillors to engage in consultation with the electorate.

4) A Labour complaint, from the intellectual genius that is Theo Blackwell, that they were being rushed on the consultation process. Made especially comic by ALL their previous comments (since May) that the Community Safety Review was taking far too long.

5) Something intelligent from Cllr Simpson on elderly persons fear of crime and the need for the review to address this with better publicity regarding the measures we have implemented and their effects on levels of crime.

6) A review of ASB (anti-social behaviour) powers has never previously been done. Another exclamation mark is warranted here! That's correct, an ASB review has never previously been done in LB Camden.

7) Camden has NO dedicated drugs squad. Have the Labour Party never realised what Camden is famous for? Aside from Brixton, maybe..., where else in London would the average drug taking punter head towards for the guaranteed partaking of illegal substances? No dedicated drugs squad? Given that the Labour Party have been in control of both LB Camden and Parliament for the last 9 years, one might have thought they'd have brought some pressure to bear on the Metropolitan Police, No?

8) A direct quote from Genius boy Theo " ASBO's are not the answer".

9) It was suggested that the investment we see now would only become apparent in 4 to 5 years time. So the question that has to be asked is what did all that money get spent on 4 to 5 years ago? Did we not have mini-scooters then? Were there no ASB problems in LB Camden 4 to 5 years ago? I'm going to stick my neck out here but I suspect that the money we would've liked to have been spent on public safety measures wasn't.

Maybe it was a part of the 5.5 million pounds the Labour administration was spending on road humps and raised entry points all the way through Camden. Here's a question for you...Would you rather Labour had made the streets flatter, or safer? Answers on a postcard to the usual address.

10) Over the last few years the fear of crime has gone up dramatically amongst our elder citizens. Given the last few points, that's not surprising.

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Rôti de Noix Gratiné à la Provençale (Nut Bake)

It’s a little known fact that the main reason I joined the Lib Dems was because of the party’s excellent Food Policy. I love food and I love cooking. But I’m also passionate about the politics of food. That means I buy local and seasonal fruit and vegetables from Abel & Cole, an organic box scheme. I don’t buy any fresh food that has been flown in from abroad because of the damage planes do to the environment. I don’t eat a lot of meat because of the energy wasted in the livestock industry and the fat in most meat. And I don’t eat much fish (sadly) because stocks are running out and because fish farms are an environmental disaster. The key elements in my diet are seeds, nuts, fruit, vegetables, wholemeal bread and pasta. We forget that until the post-war period, when cheap, chemical, mass production food became the norm, most humans had lived on seeds, nuts, fruit and vegetables for the vast majority of human existence on earth. Indeed I would contend that many of the problems we have today with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and allergies stem from over eating of meat, dairy, chemicals and processed foods. But that’s enough of the politics – here’s my Rôti de Noix Gratiné à la Provençale or Nut Bake. The really great thing about this recipe is that you can use pretty much whatever you have to hand, and you can prepare it in about 15 minutes flat.

Ingredients:
Several good slugs of olive oil. 2 or 3 garlic cloves – roughly chopped - or a chilli or both for those that like it hot! 1 shallot onion or ordinary onion or half a leek – roughly chopped. 2 handfuls of mixed nuts (if you use brazil nuts, these need to be broken into pieces) Half a tin of tomatoes and half a tin of mixed beans or a full tin of either. You can also use dried beans but make sure you soak and cook them first! A glass of white wine or two shots of vodka or the juice of a lemon or both or neither. 2 or 3 stalks of celery (separate the leaves if there are any and keep them to one side) or a courgette or both – chopped. A large handful of spinach or some other green leaf vegetable like kale etc 4 or 5 medium-sized potatoes – washed and sliced but not peeled. Or last night’s leftover mash. 400 g of grated or sliced cheddar or gruyere or emmental or goats cheese. 3 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs preferably from your own garden or, in my case, balcony.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 45 minutes.
Serves six people.

Combine the olive oil, garlic, nuts and onion or leek in an ovenproof heavy dish (with a lid). Cook for a few minutes over a medium flame then add the alcohol. In this version I used the remains of a Polish honey liqueur! Let alcohol boil off for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and celery. Leave it to simmer whilst you wash the potatoes and cut them into reasonably thin slices. Turn the oven on to 175 degrees centigrade if you have a fan-assisted oven or 200 if not. Mix the sliced courgette and beans and lemon juice in with the rest, then turn off the heat. Now add a layer of uncooked spinach or kale and the celery leaves, then add several layers of sliced potato. Pop the lid on and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes. After half an hour, take the dish out, remove the lid, add the grated or sliced cheese, then put it back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown. Serve on a bed of mixed herbs. In this case I’ve used rocket, oregano, lemon balm, basil and nasturtium – all of which grown perfectly well on a London balcony or window ledge from March to November.