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SON OF GRIDKNOCKER

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Everything posted by SON OF GRIDKNOCKER

  1. Thanks for your support Clarkester. I have one small confession to make. In my litany of acrid cultural dosh, I forgot to single out an architectural gem which overshadows even Hereford Cathedral itself. And is presently clearly visible from the entrance to Hereford United Supporters Club on Blackfriars Street. I refer, of course, to the three-storey facade of the extension to the Robert Owen Academy on Lower Widemarsh Street. Brutalist / Cubist I'd say (Two Wheels can correct me here), its faux-Portacabin facades finished in tasteful shades of dog turd brown, rancid cream and John Major grey. As impressive as the side of a Chinese container ship.
  2. I think it was the late Dennis Healey who once opined: "When you're in a hole, stop digging." I suggest Ragweed does the same, as I find his moronic 'contributions' (I'm flattering him) to this site boring beyond belief!
  3. Am I alone in getting monumentally p****d off by the effing naysayers on this site? It is now being widely reported that tests show that two different grades of cladding panels were fitted at Grenfell, though only one type (more fire-resistant) was specified.
  4. So what has Hereford got to offer on a par with Hull? Not a lot. A designated Cabinet member responsible for culture? There isn't one. A museum? Not a proper one (just a room above the library, with some Roman coins in a glass case). A modern art gallery? Nope. Can one view the complete works of renowned local artist Brian Hatton? They're presently stored in the Museum Resource Centre (only open for 5 hours on Wednesdays). The purpose-designed gallery in Churchill Gardens (paid for by Hatton's sister Marjorie) was closed some years ago. Civic street art? There's the bull in High town and top-hatted Sir George Cornewall Lewis outside the Shire Hall. And that lump of galvanised scrap steel which somebody dumped in front of All Saints Church. Well how about great cultural treasures? The Mappa Mundi (one of the oldest surviving maps of the world, which the cathedral authorities tried to sell off at auction). Best place to view your beautiful River Wye? Either the ASDA car park or the gardens of the Bishops Palace (public access: two hours a week). Historic building interiors? The 15th century hammer beam roof of the Booth Hall would be worth a look, but it's been shrouded in scaffolding for the last six years, due to a fire. What about your spectacular 17th century black-and-white Town Hall in the centre of High Town? Sorry, that was demolished in 1862, on the orders of the Mayor. So, any great engineering achievements to shout about? Well ,the 800m-long Link Road to Nowhere is due to be opened shortly, destined to go into the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's most costly urban motorway. Oh dear. Well has Hereford got any outstanding modern architecture I could look at - say on a par with Coventry Cathedral? Try the Old Market Shopping Centre's timber-slatted multi-storey car park. Awesome init?
  5. Admittedly Hereford has been heavily 'marked down' by the bookies as an unlikely winner of the City of Culture 2021, the short list for which is due to be announced this month. Coventry is currently enjoying the shortest odds of the 11 competing conurbations. And is it any wonder they're favorites? They've pumped £250,000 into their bid submission. Hereford's paltry investment? 22K. Less than Council Leader Tony Johnson's take-home pay. And although the official government prize is only £3-million, current Culture City Hull estimates that incoming revenue from tourism will top 20 times that amount by the end of the year.
  6. Interesting revelation on BBC news bulletins this morning. At a 'closed' session in Kennsington last night, police confirmed that, as yet, no warrants for manslaughter have yet been issued, nor have any documents been seized. Horses and stable doors comes to mind.
  7. Glad to see that Adele raised funds for Grenfell survivors at her Wembley concert on Wednesday night. Her four gigs in the London stadium are expected to attract over one-third of a million fans!
  8. @Paul Jones, H.Wilson & K.Butt: ....and your point is?
  9. With the country's public sector resources stretched to the limit, and technicians working around the clock to check suspect tower block cladding (that's without even knowing what the bill will be for replacing suspect panels; or the costs of rehousing displaced council tenants), can anyone explain how it is possible for 'that woman' to squander £1-billion to buy the short-term Parliamentary support of a bunch of homophobic, anti-abortion, climate-change-denying bigots? I find it absolutely obscene.
  10. The Daily Hate Mail's Richard Littlejohn is certainly not one of my favourite journalists. In fact, along with Piers Morgan, I'd probably nominate him as crew on the next non-returnable Mars probe. But at least he added: "You couldn't make it up" to the Lexicon of expletives which can be uttered in mixed company in pubs. So imagine my surprise when I jogged down to the local newsagents, to check out the banner headlines (I never actually buy a paper; I just get one second class stamp and a Milky Way). The dear old Grauniad had it about right with: "SIXTY TOWERS ACROSS ENGLAND FOUND TO HAVE UNSAFE CLADDING". But for pure 24ct Murdochian hyperbole, you'll have to go a long way to beat The Sun's headline: "600 TOWER DEATH TRAPS". You couldn't make it up.
  11. If the fate of Moor House is now all but sealed sealed, can the future of dear old Churchill House be far behind?
  12. Am I being terribly disingenuous here when I ask why every local authority in the country (which has re-clad any of its residential towers) is having to laboriously inspect and test them for fire risk? Camden has just 're-homed' (there's a new bit of local government weaselspeak for you; watch it pop up on HC's website in a couple of years time) 800 residents and another authority is talking about drafting in 24/7 Fire Watch Officers. Rydon, the main cladding contractor at Grenfell, has remained schtum since the tragedy. Grenfell is now a crime scene. No less important players than the Met Chief Cresida Dick and PM Therea May are on the case - the latter telling the Commons this week that the culprits would have "nowhere to hide". So why did the Met not visit Rydon's East Sussex head offices on 14 June and impound its entire contractual records for all current and completed re-cladding projects, saving local authorities up and down the country thousands of hours of laborious (and costly) man hours? Perhaps the redoubtable Ms Dick did indeed arrange for a Met pantechnicon to visit the firm's Forest Row offices - though somehow I suspect that we'd have been treated to an exclusive picture splashed across the front of The Daily Hate Mail.
  13. @bobby47 (...these same selfish people...(are) worrying about their investment). Of course they are! When you've stumped up £2,500 pcm, you certainly don't want the water in the luxury block's swimming pool to be CONTAMINATED by Syrian refugee kids!
  14. So, it's into the Brussels Lions' Den for the vicar's doughty daughter. Flanked by her Praetorian Guard of David ("It's not how it starts, it's how it ends") Davis, Damian Green and the dim-witted ex-MP Gavin Barwell, Mrs May must be wishing that her social diary for this weekend was reading: 'Informal Chequers house party, with representatives of UAE, Quatar and ISIS.' At least she's decided not to take Bovine Boris along for the trip, after his storming performance on the BBC's PM programme yesterday (Wednesday).
  15. @TWG: What a file calumny, to suggest that the Sainted 'Flash Harry' Bramer single-handedly constructed the £40-million Hartlebury incinerator. Any fule kno that for the last six months this devoted Herefordshire councillor has been working tirelessly to get back on budget and schedule, the refurbishment of the council's former planning offices on Blue School Street. Hereford may indeed be the bookies' long-shot for the UK's next City of Culture, but when it is unveiled (rumour has it that it is to be re-branded Bramer Towers), carping critics will be silenced by its breath-taking architectural elan.
  16. Let them eat cake was Marie Antoinette's response to the news that starving Parisians had no bread. Mrs May's response this morning to the Grenfell tragedy? "We will set up a Taskforce" ('Lessons must be learned' now being a tarnished mantra). Wishful thinking: Channel 4 News's Michael Crick (for it is he): "Err... excuse me, Prime Minister, but what precisely are the terms of reference of this Taskforce which you've magiced out of thin air, on a Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after you'd announced a Public Inquiry. Will it help to immediately re-house, within the borough, all those who are homeless? Will there be counselling for the bereaved and for the children who got out? Will it be instructing an immediate halt on the 100+ identical tower block refurbishments which are currently underway across the country? And finally: In view of the fact that you are currently about as popular as Nicolae Ceausescu, when can we expect another General Election?
  17. Sadly, old friend, 'the era of ignoring the people' ain't over yet. Not by a long chalk. Last October the then Housing Minister assured the House of Commons that the fire regulations parts of the current building regulations were under review. Since then (ie 9 months before Grenfell), total silence and obfuscating, mealy-mouthed replies when the department concerned is asked by the Press what happened to the promised review. Oh, and I forgot to mention: the Minister who gave that undertaking was named Gavin Barwell - the self-same Gavin Barwell who lost his seat in the General Election and was promptly appointed by Theresa May to be her new Chief of Staff, in succession to Nasty Nick Timothy. I wonder if Mr Barwell accompanied the Supreme Leader down to Notting Hill Gate last Thursday in her motorcade? The day she absent-mindedly forgot to speak to any of the tower block's residents and had to return the following morning to make amends!
  18. @Glenda: sorry, but I'll get shown a yellow card by Colin if I carry on in this vein! But thanks for the comment.
  19. Yesterday, dressed in her best Thursday finery, the Supreme Leader couldn't quite bring herself to actually meet Grenfell Tower victims, preferring instead (advised, no doubt, by her Chief-of-Staff Gavin Barwell, who is already turning out to be an even bigger pillock that Nasty Nick Timothy) for a photo-op with the brave firefighters. By contrast, on Friday morning HMQ (accompanied by Prince William) went and talked to survivors. I know who I'd rather have running this country!
  20. Defending the indefensible Has anyone else read the Tweet of official government lickspittle Sajid Javid (who I believe took his daughter on a jolly to Australia when the future of the Port Talbot steel works hung by a thread last year), explaining why it was that the Supreme Leader was unable to meet survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy?
  21. Scene: A bedroom in 10 Downing Street. A bespectacled man in a dressing down stands beside a four-poster bed. Man: More tea, Prime Minister? Woman occupant of bed: Thank you, Philip. So much nicer with a pinch of Earl Grey, don't you think? Man: Indubitably, Prime Minister. There is a visitor outside to see you. Woman: Who is it? Man: Sir Tufton Bufton, Chairman of the 1922 Committee. Woman: Ask him to come in, will you Philip? Man: Certainly, Prime Minister. An elderly gentleman in a pin-striped suit enters the bedroom. Gent: Good morning, Prime Minister. Thank you for the knighthood. Woman: It was richly deserved, Tufton. Gent: How may I be of service, Prime Minister? Woman (reaches for gilt-edged card on the bedside table): I should value your Committee's views on my new Cabinet. I intend to make several changes. Cut out some of the dead wood. Strong and stable must remain our watchwords. Gent: Quite so, Prime Minister. Will you be appointing a new Chancellor? Woman: I certainly will! I'm sending Hammond to the Lords, as he seems to spend most of his time asleep in the Chamber. Gent: Who will be replacing him? Woman: Stephen Fry. Gent (spluttering): But he's an Iron Hoof! Woman: He's in a same-sex marriage, if you don't mind, Tufton. It's all perfectly legal these days. Anyway, I want to annoy that fat lump Arlene Foster. Gent: Very well, Prime Minister; I'll put it to my Committee. And Home Secretary? Woman (closing her eyes wistfully): Ah yes. An Office of State I know well. Dealing with intransigent Chief Constables and our archaic judiciary is a huge challenge, which calls for someone with a commanding presence. So my new Home Secretary will be Dame Shirley Bassey. Gent: An unusual choice, if I may say so, Prime Minister. And the Foreign Office. Will Boris be staying? Woman (opening her eyes menacingly): No he will NOT! I'm fed up with that bovine clown's gaffes. I'm moving him to Northern Ireland. Gent: A form of political punishment beating which I seem to recall our last woman Prime Minister favoured! Woman: Exactly. His place is to be taken by a true diplomatic and a distinguished man of letters. Gent: A senior figure from the diplomatic service, no doubt. Woman: Sir Ken Dodd. What a great ambassador he'll make for this country. Meeting world leaders like Putin and Erdogan - and of course that nice Mr Trump. Gent: And Brexit, Prime Minister. What would you like me to tell the Committee about your new Brexit strategy? Will it now be a Soft Brexit? Or a Collegiate Brexit? Or perhaps a Swiss Muesli Brexit? Woman (sharply): None of the above. I shall be appointing two negotiators to replace those idle tossers Davis and Fox. Our strategy henceforth - created by Sir Lynton Crosby - will be a Rough, Tough, You-looking-at-me-chum Brexit. Gent: A high risk strategy, is it not Prime Minister? Woman: Not where my new negotiating team are concerned. Both are financial titans sans pareil. Believe me, they take no prisoners! Gent: May I ask who they will be, Prime Minister? Woman: Fred Goodwin... Gent: Fred-The-Shred? Woman: The very same. Soon to be ennobled as Lord Lucre of Leith. And my dear friend Sir Philip Green. Any man who owns three ocean-going yachts is a global entrepreneur, in my view. Bespectacled Man (re-entering the room as the sound of an ambulance siren can be heard from the street below): It's time for your visit to the clinic, Prime Minister.
  22. I really do find it absolutely unbelievable, given her post-Election mock humility, that Mrs May can go to the scene of one of the most horrific London tragedies since the Blitz, and fail to communicate with either survivors or residents. Even her announcement of a Public Inquiry (don't hold your breath folks, it's going to take at least 5 years), was specially recorded for TV news bulletins away from the scene of the tragedy.
  23. I'm sure my fictional piece didn't hasten their departure, but it's strange how fact sometimes mirrors fantasy, isn't it? Watch out for the sequel (More Tea Prime Minister; Part 2) later in the week.
  24. Scene: A bedroom in 10 Downing Street. A bespectacled man in a dressing gown stands beside a four-poster bed. Man: More tea Prime Minister?" Woman occupant of bed: Thank you Philip. Next time, will you be sure to use the Sevres porcelain? Man: Of course, Prime Minister. Woman: Kindly ask Miss Hill and Mr Timothy to come in will you? Man: Certainly, Prime Minister. Two civil servants enter and stand at the foot of the bed. Woman: I've decided to call a General Election. Nick Timothy: Another one, Prime Minister? Woman: Certainly. The country needs strong and stable leadership. Fiona Hill: But with great respect, Prime Minister, we've only just recovered from the last one... NT: ...which cost over £13-million! Woman: A mere trifle compared to what we'll save when the Winter Fuel Allowance is scrapped. FH: Scrapped? I thought we were going to Means Test it. Woman: Too complicated and long-winded. We're scrapping it altogether as from next winter. NT: Will you be going to the Palace to advise Her Majesty? Woman: Must I? NT: Protocol. Woman: Protocol, schmotocol. Send 'em an e-mail. Right, Fiona - as to my outfits for the campaign, get onto Fluidity at Henley. Tell them I want shades of green this time. Mainly silk and satin. I'm going to punish Caroline Lucas for getting back in in Brighton! And tell Linda Bennett to send over a selection of purple handbags. FH: Yes, Prime Minister. Woman: Nick - I want you to arrange for my podium to be permanently installed in front of Number 10. I shall be using it a lot during the campaign. In fact, I shall probably give a daily Press briefing. Like nice Mr Trump. NT: Very good, Prime Minister. Will that be all? Woman: No. I also intend to call another General Election. FH&NT: You told us that when we came in. Woman: Did I? Sorry.
  25. By 'next government', I take it you are referring to the busted flush known as The Supreme Leader', propped up by a handful of Ulster bigots opposed to abortion and same sex marriage. It won't even survive the summer.
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