Roger Gambba-Jones

A US senator has asked the Scottish government to reconsider its decision not to send officials to a hearing into the release of the Lockerbie bomber.  Frank Lautenberg said he was "pleading" with First Minister Alex Salmond to help shed light on claims that BP had influenced the release.  I suspect this senators frustration comes more from the lost opportunity to grandstand in front of the American media by beating up on BP, rather than any real concern about getting answers for the survivors' relatives. 

The breathtaking hypocrisy of the Americans never ceases to amaze me.  How many underhand self serving deals have successive American governments entered in to over the years in their pursuit of the national interest?  How many despots, dictators and murderers have they supported and then abandoned to their fate, to ensure that American businesses keep their financial interests in tact in some third world country? 

Chris Brewis has got to be admired if only for his brass neck – actually that’s the only thing to admire him for to be honest!

I can just imagine the colour rising in his face, the lip curling and the temper rising as he read and then wrote his latest self righteous tirade about how unfair the world is to poor old Sutton Bridge.

The pot calling the kettle black doesn’t even come close to describing the pompous prattling this man has been able to get published this week – more on the local press shortly!

Mr Brewis has the unmitigated nerve to tell me that I should be putting the interests of the district before those of Spalding.  At the same time he is cheerleader for an acrimonious and self serving campaign against the district council for having the cheek to select a site on the outskirts of Sutton Bridge for a travellers’ transit site.

When I choose to speak out on behalf of Spalding, I’m accused of being a Spalding Nationalist.  However, when Chris Brewis, a district councillor, berates his district council, that’s just fine.  Like I said, pot - kettle - black!

And now on to our local press.  As I don’t appear to enjoy the same privileges as other elected members at SHDC – see previous entry regarding Spalding Sugar Club, I wonder what the reaction will be to any further correspondence from me?

A previous editor not only told me, via email, that an item had run its course and that he would therefore not be printing my response, he also told me that my submission exceeded his 250 word limit for readers’ letters.  The following week he did actually printed a shortened version of my response, but then the following week, printed yet another response from the other party – item run its course? Just to add insult to injury, the response also exceeded his 250 word limit.  Obviously I was not to permitted the last word.

As I said last time, it seems that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know!   

Finally, a similar situation seems to apply on this subject, although I haven’t tested the water yet by submitting either a hugely over detailed letter, ala Paul Walls, or a rambling piece of hypocrisy ala CB’s latest response.  I don’t think I’ll try either, given the comments made to me by a couple of people having read these two letters – ‘I bet they like the sound of their own voices too’.  I wonder who will get the last word on this?

I think I shall have to start calling a certain member of this council the Teflon Terror (TT) from now on.  According to a letter in today’s local newspaper, my fairly, what I thought, innocuous comments at the last full council meeting have raised some hackles, helped on of course by some enthusiastic newspaper coverage.  Meanwhile, comments from the TT which were clearly inflammatory and should have generated a cracker of a banner headline, have gone completely unreported.  It would appear that the influence of the TT stretches well beyond the halls of power at Priory Road!

So what generated all this venom towards me?  The Sugar Club that, so I’m told, much beloved institution that will be greatly missed by legions of Spalding people.  What’s that you say, never been near the place, well join the club, no not the Sugar Club! 

All I did was state that, having invited the officials of this establishement, to participate in some of the early discussions regarding the second Spalding power station project, it was then up to the Sugar Club to secure the future of their club not the district council, but they seem not to have done so.  It would seem that this invitation was misconstrued as invitation to jump on the band wagon and enjoy the fruits of council's negotiations via the development control process.  The TT was far more blunt, or was it just truthful?, about what he considered the status of the club to be, yet he appears to have dodged their rancour completely - aah the power of the press!

Still lessons learnt; don't try to help, should have remembered what my dear old mum told me, 'give 'em an inch and they'll try to take a mile'.  Keep your head down and if you do go off on one, make sure you know the right people.

Mary Riddell in Tues Daily Telegraph seems to suggest that the Labour Party now need to act as though they have one or even two mental health problems.  The first is the one that causes people to create situations that they are then on hand to fix.  A few nurses have been afflicted in this way, causing the patient to go in to rapid and almost fatal demise, only to be revived in the nick of time by the timely and heroic intervention of, in this case, the Labour in opposition.

The second problem she seems to ‘hope’ they have, is memory loss.  It has to be memory loss as opposed to total amnesia, or their received wisdom would be seen as based on the fantasy and delusion of a flawed, confused and disconnected mind – a bit like the last 13 years of Labour government actually!

So memory loss it is.  In this case long term, as opposed to short term – 13 years again.  Also, very selective, so that they can conveniently deny any involvement in causing the damage that they are now so valiantly endeavouring to repair by their forward thinking policies ideas.  Ed Balls has already come up with a cracker, limiting immigration – I bet Dave and Nick wish they’d thought of that one.

The Americans, egged on by the disappointingly parochial Barack Obama, still struggling to be any sort of statesman, continue to insist on bashing BP and by default the ‘British’.

The American media is finding it even easier than normal to rabble rouse the great American public, because the focus of their holier than thou outrage, has British in its name!  Just imagine how confused they would be about whom to target their hatred towards if it was Scottish & Newcastle Brewery that was responsible!  Headline – Massive Newcastle Brown Spill threatens Coast of…..  Hey buddy, do we beat up the Jocks or the Geordies?

I hope our own and the world’s collective press place a Post-It note on their collective desktops, reminding them of this Yankee Doodle outrage the next time our 'special friends' make an international cock-up.  Sorry, better make that a major international cock-up, otherwise the Yanks would never be off of the front page!

Just to get the ball rolling, let’s just remind ourselves about the Piper Alpha disaster.  This oil platform, based in the North Sea, blew up in 1988 killing 167 oil workers.  Why is this relevant?  Well it was operated by Occidental Oil, an American oil company. 

If that’s not bad enough for you, try the Bophal, India 1984.  A toxic gas leak caused up to 15,000 deaths immediately with thousands of survivors left with chronic medical ailments.  Even today, the abandoned plant continues to leak toxic chemicals in to the ground water.  This reckless and criminal behaviour continues to damage and kill because this is the only source of drinking water for the locals.  Responsible company? - Union Carbide, proud to be American!     

I see Chris Brewis has chosen to launch his election 2011 campaign by picking on a community that is unable to easily stick up for itself – Spalding.

Yes Spalding is the biggest town in South Holland and where about a third of district’s population live.  However, unlike Sutton Bridge, Spalding has no town council and has to rely on the district council to provide ‘local’ administration.

The Spalding Town Forum was formed to offer a local voice, but has no executive powers, so can only make recommendations to the district council.

So, not for the first time, Chris Brewis has chosen an easy target to take a swipe at.  I’m not suggesting that he is completely wrong, just that he is being opportunistic if not cynical in his choice.

One also has to ask why it has taken councillor Brewis, who always has plenty to say for himself whatever the occasion, has waited 34 years to begin this campaign?  He joined SHDC in May 1976 and until May 1999, was associated with, if not part of the independent group that actual controlled the district council.

If we are going to see big government reduced in this country, Dave and his new best mate Nicky (I expect his friends are allowed to call him that) could probably do worse than start with an area I have had experienced of recently. 

Although this is only about bits of paper, the number of people that are probably suffering the same bl**dy annoying cock-up means it’s probably costing taxpayers (that’s you and me) a fortune.    

This particular waste of money (I’m sure there are plenty of others by the way) is the issuing of multiple and incorrect tax codes.  I have now had 15 forms and letters, all delivered in separate envelopes! 

Imagine all those other thousands, or more likely millions, of taxpayers fortunate enough to have more than one source of income, receiving the same junk mail!  Apparently, it’s all down to the new computer system – Surprise! Surprise! 

When questioned, the very helpful young woman I spoke to, said it was all about flags and data transfer!  Okay, fair enough, s**t happens, but over a dozen times????? 

I then asked why it wasn’t sorted out by quality checking the data once it was on the new system.  The answer?  “We decided to wait for individual taxpayers to complain”. 

What if I was some poor old dear or gezzer, going a bit doddery and not sure what all those official bits of paper mean these days – oh no I just described myself!

Dave and Mr Clegg (I call him Mr Clegg coz he’s not my friend) give me strength!  It’s their cock-up, but it’s our job to fix it!

Gordon Brown keeps banging on about Tory plans not to implement some of the increase in National Insurance, claiming that it will damage the country’s economy.

Why hasn’t anybody asked him to explain exactly what he means by the economy? 

Does this plunderer of the public’s pocket, masquerading as a responsible national leader, not understand that pouring more money in to over inflated government departments IS NOT supporting the economy!

Apologies to anybody who takes the time to leave a comment - all are greatly appreciated, including those that don't agree with my views!.  However, just recently a large number of junk comments have been arriving from people, I think, trying to sell course work papers and essays.  I am therefore find it neccesary to delete most of the comments received.  Nothing personal and please keep the real ones coming!  

Well done for proving me wrong for the most part on my previous concerns about the tone of the meeting on Thursday night.  People asked some searching questions and were very honest when I asked some of my own!  Yes, there was a fair amount of emotion from some people, but no more than one would expect given the nature of what was been consulted on.  There were also some wild claims about why we were thinking of having a rail freight hub and some pretty sweeping statements in respect of the viability.  Some of the accusations were unworthy and they are best ignored, whilst some of the other statements from claiming to have inside knowledge will obviously need to be addressed so that people get the full story.

My position as chairman of SHDC's development control committee means that I need to avoid making any statements regarding the suitability of the site or otherwise - it's called pre-determination and would therefore rule me out of any involvement in the decision making process.  However, I did think it was important to attend the meeting and not just expect the officers to take all the flak.

At this stage I have no idea what the outcome will be, that's up to any future potential investor and to the planning system that will determine any planning application that might come forward.  I do know that we now have to make sure we've captured all those views that were voiced during the public consultation events and the public meeting and make sure that we fully understand them and where appropriate, give full and frank answers.  People may well not like the answers that are given, but we still have a duty to give it.

One of the honest answers I got from those attending Thursday night's meeting was to with whether their opinions would change if it was shown beyond doubt that it would be a good thing for the district?  Answer - No! We still don't want it in Deeping St Nicholas!  You can't say fairer than that can you!