Dumbing Down Newham Libraries

Actually, I've found that my borough, Newham, is doing its level best to dumb-down libraries. Certainly our Dear Leader [Sir Robin Wales] wouldn't want a lot of 'independent thought' going on here, who knows what might happen? So I discovered, when I offered to donate some expensive but still serviceable technical books, that the contents of the libraries are indexed and supplied by a third party. So nothing controversial can be donated, phew!

Also, looking through the 'philosophy' and 'politics' section, there's no evidence of either Marx, Hitler, Bertrand Russell or anyone who would fit the subject category. There's probably Marxism for Dummies somewhere though?

This is pretty much Fahrenheit 451 'lite'. That's not on the shelves either, the sci-fi category is a load of anodyne Star Trek and space opera books, no Sladek, no Henlein  etc. etc. Nothing but the most superficial for us, hurrah!

Newham Council and Forest Gate Crossrail

As usual, Newham council always ready with a picture of the mayor, has been pretty reticent about the plan for the centre of Forest Gate using Crossrail [nearly wrote Crossfail, I hope not] and Tfl etc. cash.

Here's the list of requests: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/hugh_barnard/requests the current one, made nearly a week ago hasn't been acknowledged. In this respect they are actually 'worse' than old-regime Tower Hamlets, quite an 'achievement'.

I'm also being told that there's 'no need' for FOIs but that 'they can't stop me' [true]. To which I reply, they are a gold standard in that statutory apparatus obliges them to produce something that they have to stand by. The usual way around is to put the answer through the Sir Humphreyiser and say as little as possible, for example:

Full consideration of the methods of informal engagement with the
community will begin at project start in April

This, after being told, 'informally' that there would be stalls, workshops etc. but 'we are not sure when'.

Also, on a side issue, we are 'encouraged' to put requests in via 'the default request form'. Of course, that means that they are not shared with other interested non-council parties and are buried in the pretty-much non-searchable FOI log: http://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Freedom-of-Information-disclosure-log.aspx   I may do something about that, if I feel annoyed enough and have enough time to do so.

I'm aware, on the matter itself, that there have been about five internal [not in front of the children] meetings, with luck my current FOI 'may' shed some light on these. In a Benthamite world, the council should welcome this, I'm being 'engaged' and compensating for the huge, looming democratic deficit in the borough [about 60% and up do not vote for the council or current mayor, yet, there they are]. However, in spite of the immoderate upbeat Campbell-spin-language suggestive of pink unicorns and candy-mountain [this in a land of the Quakers], something I'll write about 'soon', though I dislike blogging, spoonfed is the order of the day.

If you've read this to the end, congratulations, here's the reward [thanks to Rachel T. for unearthing these]:  Crossrail Slides
They're on my personal website because they're too big for Facebook and I don't use it anyway, it only encourages it.