THE WHITE LION

A massive congratulation to Simon and Nina at the White Lion for their Best Beer Award, well done!

Simon and Nina not only keep exceptionally good beer they, themselves, are fantastic hosts and there is always a warm welcome to anyone who enters…..surprisingly that includes me! There is a warm, friendly atmosphere throughout the pub and restaurant and the staff do an exceptional job of serving up some really tasty grub from a varied and full menu, there is always local produce on the menu and some really delicious “specials”. If you haven’t tried it I fully recommend it and guarantee you’ll make a second visit.

Well done again to them and I look forward to a free pint for this plug!!!

In all seriousness I strongly do advise you to give it a try, you won’t regret it.

CLLR MARGARET LYON

This blog and therefore I have, in the past, openly criticised Cllr M. Lyon and what I called the “Lyon Clan” but I raise no cheer for the way she was treated by the Conservative Party whom she as served well over the years, their actions speak volumes and goes to show the back-biting and stabbing that is prevalent in local politics.

As a contradiction to that I will also say that it is perhaps better that she may not be a Councillor for much longer, to my way of thinking Margaret epitomises all that is wrong with the Council and it’s deeply entrenched “career” Councillors.

For too long now the “old-boy” network of stuck-in-the mud diehards have ruled the roost of the Conwy hen-house, stuck in the glory days of ages past with barely a good or new idea between them. They have allowed Council Officer after Council Officer to dictate the terms to them, allowing the tail to wag the dog, it should be that people tell the Councillors what they want, the Councillor tells the Council and the Council tells the Council Officers. Unfortunately we (the Council) have now allowed the Council Officer so much power that he/she tells the Council what the people cannot have!

It is high time for a changing of the guard, the old fuddy-duddies have had their day and out lived their usefulness, time to change the sheets and bring in a new freshness, Councillors with enough bollocks to stand up to the ever demanding Officers who through glory, power or high wages think they are in charge and not the people who pay their very high wages and perks.

As for Margaret, I don’t know her personally, but I wish her well. I do know her daughter-in-law, Lynn, through the Town Council on which she sits. After a frosty few weeks I found her to be a mine of information on local commerce and we, as a Council, could do well to listen to her and the local trader’s input on many issues…but that is another story!

TOWN MANAGER

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/10/06/colwyn-bay-councillor-questions-funding-of-town-manager-55243-29545202/

The “unnamed Councillor” was, of course, me but I didn’t ask to be unnamed I merely stated that because it was a closed meeting I could not make an official statement, the Weekly News chose to “dress it up” the way they did for their own reasons, I don’t hide behind anonymity.

Chris Perry is right; we cannot afford to throw £10,000 at a Town Manager and that money could be a lot better spent elsewhere in drawing people into the town, his example of an ice-rink is a good one but so are many more.

The shopkeepers and traders of Colwyn Bay are the ones to ask if a Town Manager is worth the money and I can tell you their answer right now…”No”. On speaking to a few of them they do not know nor have ever met the Town Manager, the Chamber of Commerce do not even have a member on the Town Management Board denying them any voice in the progress of Colwyn Bay as a shopping destination.

The Town Manager, in her latest report, cited a list of initiatives she claims were hers but they were not, she may have had a hand in them but most were the work of other people. The one initiative that was hers, that she failed to mention in the report, was All the Little Shops, an internet based website for Colwyn Bay businesses. Ingrid Lewis came to us last year and asked for, if I remember correctly, £15,000 to set it all up, when asked she said a survey of shop keepers interested was very high but didn’t have the figures to give us but her enthusiasm was backed by her line-manager Rob Dix so we gave her the money. As of last week there were 18 shopping categories, 137 adverts, all very good until you look deeper and see that out of all that only 13 shops/businesses are actually doing the advertising! Works out it costs the council £1,153.84p per shop, not bad ‘eh! One of the shops has emailed the Town Manager to say they will not be re-advertising next year but so far haven’t received a reply, mind you they only sent it two weeks ago!

The Town council is requesting a job description from the County Council of the Town Manager as we believe her duties do include Rhos-on-Sea, the West End and Old Colwyn but again the shop keepers in these areas have never heard of her. An argument was put forward that she has sourced funding for the town but to me that doesn’t hold water, there should be a Council Officer appointed to source funding for the entire area not just town regeneration. She came to us not long ago to ask for £10,000 to pay for a consultancy firm to carry-out a survey to see where 3 pieces of art should be placed within the town! AGAIN why isn’t there a Council Officer employed to carry out surveys instead of spending 100’s of thousands on companies that come back and tell us what we already know? (she didn’t get the £10,000 by the way!)

To my way of thinking the County Council is full of none-jobs, jobs that are created when there is no real need for it, a creation of talking shops, where none jobs get together and talk about things that never come together but cost us, the tax payers, £1,000’s every year….what a very sad state of affairs.

Since posting this I have been reliably informed and have the paperwork to prove it that CCBC also put in an additional £15,000 to set up All The Little shops, that is a staggering £30,000 of tax payers money spent on what I believe to be a total wasteful project.

Don't take my word for it, check it yourself but don't count the adverts, count the shops...

http://www.shoppingcolwynbay.co.uk/

TAKE A LONG WALK....

The Pier saga rolls on yet there is no real end in sight, nobody seems to have a long term plan and the personalities involved seem more intent on back-biting, mud-slinging and personal insults than in finding a solution, here is how I would like to see it resolved…

We allow an energy company to build an underwater barrier from Rhos Point to Llanddulas Point, this barrier will contain turbines that work on the rise and fall of the tide and not the in and out flow of it, the depth of the sea just off shore will allow for this and, unlike wind turbines, power is guaranteed to be produced at least twice a day.

As a concession the Power Company along with private investors fund the lengthening of the Pier by 250 to 300m and a crescent shape is formed at the end to allow for shops and accommodation to be built. At the end of the pier will be a pontoon marina, making it the only non-tidal marina in North Wales, down the sides will be docking and storage for jet-skis.

Down the centre of the pier will be more shops with accommodation above and where the old theatre stands a new casino could be built. You may wonder why a casino; if you think about it the only private investors capable of funding a project like this would be somebody like a gaming company and there has to be a little give and take if a venture like this is to succeed.

The benefits of a project like this are plain for all to see, cheaper electricity locally, an increase in local revenue, more and future employment and an increase in footfall to Colwyn Bay of affluent people mooring their boats.

If we are to be successful as a town we have to be more far-sighted than the next couple of years, we have to look at a time when the regeneration money runs out and we have to be self-funding, it’s all very good doing a quick paint-job and sprucing-up a couple of streets but if nobody comes to Colwyn Bay to see them then what’s the point ?

We, as a county, cannot afford the so-called millions of pounds being talked about to demolish or restore the pier and why should the people have to pay for it’s upkeep for years to come or finance someone’s personal folly, the Council’s lack of understanding and business acumen over the pier has brought us to this point and it is their utter stupidity that will lead us further into the dark smelly stuff, you really do have to ask yourself; who got us into this mess and why were they allowed to do it?

BIRD FEEDER

This was sent to me after the recent riots.....

The Bird Feeder

I bought a bird feeder.. I hung it on my patio and filled it lovingly with seed... It was indeed a beautiful bird feeder. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue..

Then came the bird sh * t. It was everywhere; on the patio tiles, the chairs, the table ...everywhere!

Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.

And other birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be ... quiet, serene and no one demanding theirrights to a free meal...

Now let's see ....... our government give out free food, subsidised housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.

Then the illegals came by the millions. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for the free services; small flats are housing 5 or more families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by a doctor in an emergency surgery because it is filled with illegal non tax payers; your child's year 12 class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.

Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'The Union Jack' are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Its just my opinion but:

maybe, just maybe, it's time for the government
to take down the damn bird feeder.

SHEEPISH RETURN

Wow! I cannot believe it was December when I last posted, time surely waits for nobody.

I will not go into a drawn out reasoning for my absence save to say that I’ve had a couple of related illnesses, one quite serious, that have left me incapacitated for some months and also an injury that trapped the sciatic nerve.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the well-wishers and also the Councillors who contacted me offering their support, it was refreshing to learn that I had more friends in Council than I thought, a big “thank you” to all of you.

A question that was sent to me during my absence……

“Hi can anybody tell me who owns the old indoor market in colwyn bay? i wish someone would do it up and rent the units out to small businesses who can't afford the silly prices being charged in the bayview shopping centre.

By baz”

Baz, I can tell you that CCBC bought it on a CPO and although they will deny it I still think it is their intention to turn it into Council offices or some other Civic Building, this will go along with the rest of their plans of turning Colwyn Bay into a Civic Centre during the day and a Ghost-town by night.

My disappointment of CCBC continues with their purchase of the pier, another millstone around the council-tax payer’s neck. When will they realise that it is our money they are playing with and not theirs, if the council was run as a business and not as someone’s private little empire then the piers purchase would never have arisen and we would have been saved from years of upkeep costs on a white elephant. I am all for saving the pier, if it’s economically viable but not at the cost of more important issues.

On a final note; a quick thank you also goes out to Oscar, it was his comment on… thoughtsofoscar.blogspot.com that prompted me to step back into the blog, thanks….. mate!

MERRY CHRISTMAS...ANYWAY

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Remembrance Day is a day for us to reflect on those friends, family and loved ones who paid the ultimate price in protecting us and keeping us safe from the perils that haunt this earth. A time to remember the sacrifices they made in our name and of the bravery it took to make those sacrifices.
We wear our poppy with pride, it is a symbol of our gratitude to those who died or suffered horrific injuries in carrying out their duties as our nations protectors, that pride is mirrored in our hearts when we see servicemen and women, past and present, march past the cenotaph with memories of lost or injured comrades.
It is not shameful to shed a tear when we think of those friends we will never see again, or to grieve at their passing, they were men and women of the highest order who I, for one, will never forget and they will live, eternally, within my heart.

I have posted a couple of pictures of how a group of Muslims demonstrated their views of our fallen heroes and I could follow it with my thoughts of them....but I wont. I will leave you to decide for yourselves why it is that we protect, house and feed these vermin.

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT

The article in the Weekly News had a rather surprising twist to it; not only have friends and family rallied around me, complete strangers have stopped me in the street and said various things of support and encouragement, a couple of times people even said I was brave to be so open about what many others think but dare not say for fear of being branded in the way in which I have. I do not think of it as being brave, bravery is not saying what you believe to be the truth, real bravery is that shown by our lads on the front line.
Here, in North Wales, we are mainly protected from the influx of Muslim extremists, other parts of the Country are not. We had, recently, a case in Wrexham where a man was charged with racially aggravated language, he verbally abused two Muslims as they left a Mosque, if he is guilty, then fine, so be it, let the law run it's course but what is good for one should be good for another. The Muslims that attend rallies and spout mouthfuls of abuse about a country that cares for and feeds them, Muslims that call homecoming soldiers “Murderers” and “Baby Killers”, UK Muslim leaders who call for a boycott on Poppy Day should these, then not, be treated in the same fashion?
Is it so wrong to question these things; if a country lives in fear of what individuals may do, in the name of Islam, then should that religion not be questioned, if the members of that religion do not feel sickened by the atrocities carried out in the name of their religion should they not be questioned?
I am all for equality, but you cannot have it whilst one set of rules governing us is flaunted and spat on by others, no other religion in the UK, there are many, is shown the appeasement given to Islam, if we are to have equality then give us a level playing field in which to play upon.
Locally there are many more things for us to worry about other than religious fanatics but as time progresses, as it will, we too, like other parts of the UK, will see changes to our neighbourhoods that we do not like, will it then be too late to question what we should have questioned now? And is it so wrong not to be an ostrich?

BECAUSE OF A PHONE CALL.

As you can see it's been quite a few months since my last entry, mainly due to work and family commitments, so it came as a bit of a surprise yesterday when I received a phone call from the Weekly News informing me that they had had numerous complaints about my Blog and the fact that I am anti-Islamic, something I have never made a secret of.
The reporter went on and asked “Did I not think it wrong for a Councillor to have these views?”, well, no I don't. I explained everybody has a right to their opinions, the only thing difference is that I voice them and am not afraid of the name calling that usually follows.
He informed me that the complainants had said I was uneducated and ill informed and knew nothing about Islam or indeed Muslims; he was equally surprised when I told him that was not true and that I had lived amongst Muslims for several years in Africa and knew not only their religion but was probably more aware of their culture than most UK born Africans.
He questioned my right to say that, in my opinion, Islam is an archaic and wicked religion, which I certainly think it is, any religion that suppresses the basic human rights of it's followers is more akin to a cult than a religion. Any religion that seeks to assimilate other religions through acts of violence is wicked and vile and should be questioned at every opportunity.
The reporter went on to ask if I was racist or if I thought my comments were racist? I explained that Islam is not a race, it's a religion and that there are white Muslims as well as black ones and that I had left the BNP because race and religion are two different things, in my eyes, but not, necessarily with the BNP. This shocked him, not because of what I said but because I was ex-BNP, now come on, the Weekly News took so many pot-shots at me when I was in the Party it would be impossible for them not to know this, he didn't, which begs the question “where's the research before you start asking questions”.
The West's appeasement to Islam has been unbounded and we are now paying the price for our soft approach, other parts of Europe have had, are still having, problems with Muslim immigrants and they are now having to toughen their laws against them. France's banning of the abhorrent burka, the banning of full-body swim suits in Holland and the stopping of building minarets in Sweden are all signs that we have left it late in the day to stem the growth of Islam.
As I said to the reporter my argument is not with the individual Muslim as such, but you have to question their religion when it allows atrocities to happen that they will not condemn.
Religion, throughout history, has been to blame for nearly every major conflict we have had and I do not hold, personally, with any religion, there are good and bad in every religion and there are the extremists who push it way past reasoning and that is the problem with Islam... extremism.

There are plenty of people out their who agree with my views but, for whatever reason, never voice them, perhaps, in this ever increasing Politically Correct society I am a dinosaur but I have earned the right to speak as I find and reserve the right to do so, whatever my position in public life I am first and foremost an individual who has the right, for now, of freedom of speech.


http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2010/10/07/colwyn-bay-councillor-brands-islam-as-vile-55243-27416763/

JUST A QUICKIE

Once you stop blogging for any period of time it is extremely difficult to get back into the swing of things. Work has kept me away not only from the blog but from most other things too, fortunately the contract is coming to an end which will mean I’ll have more time to spare and so enable me to get back to the blog. I have, of course, been active with Council matters and have kept an eye on other local blogs so I haven’t been completely dormant, honest.
I announced it on Oscar’s blog that I intend to stand in the By-election for Mostyn Ward and I will keep you fully informed of any progress regarding that. I also believe that during my absence there was a General Election, congratulations to David Jones on retaining his seat although I’m not too impressed by his Governors choice of bedfellows, it will all end in tears before bedtime.
I am now convinced that Victor is Craig or a very close, older, relative of his, it is only a shame that he cannot let bygones be bygones and enjoy his new life in Blackpool without all this muck-raking.
Jason Weyman is turning out to be the best County Councillor we have and I have to applaud his openness and honesty, something more experienced Councillors could and should learn from.
I will go into greater detail on all the above and more when I return in approx two weeks, for now I’ll sign-off again but I wont be far away!

BYRON GOT LIFTED FOR....

I have it on good authority that Byron Davies has not been lifted in connection with some missing cannons or for living off immoral earnings (although the latter is still being looked into!)
Nor is it true that Byron is really Oscar, Ronnie Hughes in disguise or Carneades.
Shergar was mentioned but quickly dispelled and the Brink Mat robbers have denied knowing him, sale of the Great Orme to an oil-rich Sheik is totally unconnected, although two offers are on the table.
The drive-by shooting at Steve Hunt, David Jones MP and the Pier steering group is also thought to be the work of some deranged nutter but not this one as he was helping the police with their enquiries at the time of the alleged offence, on this point the police are focusing on an individual who was told-off for wearing his baseball cap in church during the Pier meeting and gave his name as Chameleon.
An officer at Wormwood Scrubs said the cleaning of Britain’s last remaining gallows was totally coincidental and had nothing to do with a Byron Davies, but he would check and get back to us later.
All in all the mystery deepens as someone claiming to be “Mrs Byron” was overheard offering sexual favours and a bung to police officers in return for “turning a blind-eye” and return of their passports and snowboards.
Like you and every other nosey bugger in Conwy I am in the dark on this one....... over to you Oscar.

NO JOB OFFER FROM THE CONS

At the moment local politicos avoid contact with me in case it evokes the kiss of death to their political careers; even long-term friends have said “No offence John but.....” so it came has a bit of a surprise when Councillor Mervyn Thomas came knocking at my door, at first I thought, wrongly, to offer me the position of Chairman, or at least vice-chair, of the local Conservatives Party (that evokes so many wicked thoughts!) but it was not to be, not even a membership offer which was, slightly, ego-deflating. Instead Mervyn wanted to discuss his proposals for affordable housing for local first-time buyers (what about the Secretary’s job?).
Mervyn has put forward a proposal that I blogged about months ago and one that I fully endorse. Locally first-time buyers are finding it harder and harder to get on the property ladder, housing costs and mortgages lenders being the main obstacle. Mervyn’s proposal is that the Council give away building land on a 999 lease, a sub-contractor, that he has sourced, builds 2 and 3 bed roomed houses that are then sold to local people only, the houses, costing between £70-80,000, come with certain restrictions attached, they cannot be sold for a number of years and if and when they are they can only be sold at a certain percentage of profit to other local people. There are other certain legalities attached that have to be thrashed out but, in principle, a very good idea that would be of immense benefit. Mervyn has promised to keep me in the loop with what happens to his proposal which he intends to see out to the very end, even if that means standing for another turn of office (that blows one of my predictions out of the water).
I shall, of course, keep you all informed of Mervyn’s progress, ......now, about the Treasurer’s job.....?

150 FOOLS

The results of the Glyn Ward by-election were, to say the least, disappointing; not only because of the result but also that it shows there are still people in Colwyn Bay stupid and ignorant enough to vote for Labour. These are the same people who whinge and whine about the state of the Town, the County and the Country yet, like sheep, they continue to vote for the same old same old, when will they learn that change has to start at grass root level?
If we look at the results....

AUSTIN Martin (Independent) 26
BURROWS Margaret (Plaid) 121
FORECAST Keith (Lib Dems) 78
HUNT Steve (Independent) 62
PORTER Donald (Labour) 150
Trueman James (BNP) 35

The trend shows that the Political Parties took the main share of the votes, yet these are the parties that most of us complain about; pure and simple “Sheep voting”. At this level of local Government Independent candidates do not have to follow party lines and can, therefore, say and do what their constituents want and not what the party tells them, there is too much politics in local Government which is exactly what there shouldn’t be, it should be about what the people want and not what the political parties think they should have. Labour are the worst offenders and, for over a decade, have rammed down our throats their lies and sleaze, eroded our very way of life and led us into unprecedented debt YET 150 members of Glyn ward were pig-ignorant enough to go out and vote for it to continue, 150 Midland Bankers who deserve to feel totally ashamed of themselves for their utter stupidity. You really do have to think about the mentality of these tossers and it makes you wonder if they are really worth banging your head against a wall for.
The people of Glyn Ward had the chance to send a message to the “establishment” but they blew it, they rolled over like whipped dogs and said “come back and kick me some more, I like it”, what pathetic, foolish people they are to allow themselves to be deluded into thinking Labour will be any different than they have been already with their secrecy and deceit.
The next time a road is dug up in Colwyn Bay and replaced with grey waste land or a traffic warden gives you a ticket or you get mugged by a bunch of feral youngster whilst treading in dog shit stop for a minute and say “thank you” to the 150 ham-shankers in Glyn Ward who voted for it to continue.

REPLY TO WEEKLY NEWS

I have replied to the article in the Weekly News about the cost of the repairs to Victoria Pier.


In response to your article regarding the repairs to Victoria Pier; the frequency in which the Council use the term “Commercially sensitive” appears to be on the ever increase, a new catchword, if you like, when they do not want to tell us what they are spending OUR money on. Openness, honesty and transparency are three words our Council, neglectfully, seem to have forgotten, replacing them with subterfuge, deceit and oblique.
Under the Building Act 1984 section 78 (Dangerous Structures) the Council can carry out the repairs require and then seek redress from the owners, in this case Royce Peeling Green of Manchester, here is the sub-section...

(3)Subject to this section, the local authority may recover from the owner the expenses reasonably incurred by them under this section.

Surely then Councillor Chris Hughes is wrong when he suggests that the tax-payer will have to foot the bill, the legal onus being on RPG, they were eager enough to take responsibility for the Pier when they thought they could make money out of it, claiming they have no money for the repairs is, as Mr Hunt found out, no excuse. The Council was quick off the mark in making a dubious bankruptcy case against Mr Hunt, for a few thousand pounds will we now see them do the right thing and bring bankruptcy proceedings against those legally responsible or, as I expect, cop-out and hope that nobody notices, perhaps too Commercially sensitive for their liking.