Malcolm Robinson

A "friend" just sent me this.......... 53,000 Geordies meet in St James Park for a 'Geordies Are Not Stupid' convention. Alan Shearer addresses the crowd 'We are all here today to prove to the world that Geordies are not stupid. Can I have a volunteer please?' Gazza gingerly works his way through the crowd and steps up to the stage. Shearer asks him 'What is 15 plus 15?' After 15 or 20 seconds Gazza says, 'Eighteen!' Obviously everyone is a little disappointed. Then the Geordies start chanting, 'Give him another chance! Give him another chance!' Shearer says 'Well since we have a capacity crowd, world-wide press and global broadcast media here, I think we can give him another chance. So he asks 'What is 5 plus 5?' After nearly 30 seconds he eventually says, 'Ninety?' Shearer looks down and just lets out a dejected sigh. Everyone is disheartened and Gazza starts crying. But then the 53,000 Geordies begin to yell and wave their hands shouting, 'GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE! GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE!' Shearer, unsure whether he is now doing more harm than good eventually says, 'What is 2 plus 2? 'Silence hangs over the stadium. Gazza closes his eyes, and after a whole minute eventually says, 'Four?' Pandemonium breaks out throughout the stadium as the Geordie crowd stand, wave their arms, stomp their feet and scream….. 'GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE! GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE!'

I think its just about to happen........not sure how useful its going to be. 26 new self funded traffic wardens just started, 4 pages of road variance orders and a new NCC traffic policy, probably include the introduction of parking charges in Wansbeck and Blyth Valley.

Thanks for the reply Stephen. It just looks like the heavy hand of an uncaring organisation. I talk to people in there and none I have spoken to know what's going on apart from hearing that the headstones will be sorted by NCC. So really sending the Friends of Group that letter and expecting that to assuage feelings was another mistake. BTW, could it be that by including the Town Council in the NCC missives the onus for getting the information out has been passed to the Town Council???? I wouldn't be surprised! As Merlin has mentioned costs I hope everyone is aware just how much pressure treated tanalised timber is. I presume this is the precursor to the Town Council taking over the cemetery at some point?

Merlin, Lets just say I appreciated the effort!

Here's a starter for the yellow paint........... http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/bedlington-northumberland/bedlington-news/2012/04/05/parking-restrictions-for-bedlington-war-memorial-area-61634-30700293/

Ok Stephen I will bite. If the vast publicity machine that is NCC couldn't have done more ( and let's call it as it is……anything) to inform people with friends and relatives buried in this cemetery that it was going to be carrying out inspections and possible remedial actions weeks if not months ahead of time then they might as well pack up and go. ……. They seem to have no problems issuing rates demands to everyone! I would be very interested in the date of that missive; I will give odds now it was after events had happened! Just been talking to someone who visits a family grave daily and he tells me the testing was done by holding a meter against the headstone? Really???? At first the stakes were about 2-3 feet higher until objections were raised and NCC came back to cut them down to the height of the headstones. (It's all starting to add up to a complete disregard of people's feelings!) "As you will be aware, we have a major health and safety issue with the memorials in Bedlington Cemetery” Some it seems more than others! Of course some have to be seen to be believed. Others are left................. And then there is the weather to think about because using wood something which swells in water and contracts in heat………… I have to say I was disappointed at the reaction of the Town Council or rather the mayor and clerks reactions. Yes Arthur did agree things could have been handled better but saying the 'Friends of' group have had that letter so everything's hunky dory in the garden just seems to completely miss the point! Firstly the 'Friends of Westlea Cemetery' were formed in reply to the vandalism going on in the children's section and the need to have a vehicle to apply for grant aid to get the perimeter fence done. It is by no means a catch all group for all users of that cemetery. But the overwhelming reason I thought the Town Council should have done their own strongly worded reply to NCC about this sordid issue is that it should be representing us, the community and each and every section which makes up our community. When even the smallest section feels revulsion to actions taken by a local governmental authority then it would seem incumbent on our elected representatives to take up the issue on our behalf. I don't need to use the Town Council to make a complaint, I know the officers and the line management structure and can tackle them directly, but I do think in this case asking the Town Council to do so was the correct course of action. Not only that the mayor and deputy mayor are both County Councillors and this site falls directly in George's remit, I just think that's another reason they should have been championing this up at County Hall.

Don't worry Keith, the men in white coats aren't coming back to put the electrodes back on...........we are all hard wired to do this.

Where does the time go? 'Remember yesterday and dream about tomorrow, but you better live for today' How quickly the years pass..........

Not really a joke so I'll put it here......... Sitting at your desk in front of your computer lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now while doing that draw a number 6 in the air with your right hand. Your foot has changed direction!

I brought this matter up at the Town Council meeting last night and asked them to put in a strongly worded objection to the way the whole situation has been handled by NCC. They are reticent to do anything and said because the 'Friends of the cemetery group' have accepted the reasoning off NCC its best left alone. (There are plenty of Town Councillors on this site if I have committed a misrepresentation!) That's as maybe but no one has apologised or explained anything to my wife whose cousin's grave (18” high and solid as a rock!) has been staked or friends of mine who have their parents headstones lying face down on the ground. The whole thing has been mishandled from start to finish and you would think even a cretin would realise how emotive this subject would be to all the people with a stake (excuse the pun) in the cemetery.

The reason given why these headstones had to be checked is stone mason faults!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems the pegs used by the stone masons are not strong or resilient enough. So ya see it isn't the Coouncils fault after all............... And if anyone believes that load of codswhallop......

Calm down Nigel calm down................

Adam, I presume you are talking about EMU, the monetary union bit? The bit where this country got a black eye off Soros as Lamont used interest rates to control an uncontrollable exchange rate. The problem we have is that we haven't produced any real leaders over the last half century, with the possible exception of the lady you mentioned, and that's open to wide debate, but she is the only UK leader I have seen with a set of maracas. Everyone one of them has been and is happy to float around in other people's cess pools instead of forging out a new path for this country. I wouldn't follow any of them into Mothercare never mind into battle!

Your are forgetting Keith, the UK is one huge multicultural experiment.

Workmen are there today.....................couldn't get over to ask them what they were doing.

That's why I included that pic Vic............shows the level of intelligence we are dealing with! I was told last night remedial work has begun, I will check that out today.

Worth the read............. http://9gag.com/gag/2681884

Just as we thought it couldn't get any worse the major Greek political parties have just awarded themselves……..30 million euros, ostensibly to hold the next elections. This is on top of the 250 million euros they already 'owe' for past occurrences, can't really call them democratic seeing as their Prime Minister is unelected and instead imposed by the Troika! Anyone still feel like throwing into the IMF bailout fund?

Funnily enough we are all over this one like a rash Merlin, not least because my wife and I tend a plot in the children's section! Desecration is exactly the right word and what has happened is akin to a bunch of yobs kicking over or smashing headstones just because they feel like it. Whoever thought this was a good idea or acceptable really needs lobotomising! The excuse reason coming out seems all about Health and Safety (a favourite contemporary catch all excuse for the bureaucrats these days!) but looking a bit closer we see a solid headstone of 18 inches 'staked' while a 6 foot one lying at 45 degrees isn't? In fact most of the large 17th, 18th, 19th century ones there are lying at quite bizarre angles but they have been left untouched? Is this the same council department which until recently was putting headstones at the feet of the interred at Blyth? There would seem to be a clue in the title……HEADSTONE! The reason which finally came out wasn't about making the cemetery aesthetics more pleasing to the eye or making maintenance easier it was about being able to squeeze more plots out of a given area, in other words sell more spaces! Canny lass I will post some pics for you to see what we are talking about. Now of course with the weather some of the tie wraps are falling off so they are now a complete and utter waste of time.

Fancy that......................... http://www.theparliament.com/policy-focus/justice/justice-article/newsarticle/poll-casts-new-doubt-on-public-support-for-eu/

Read the Forum minutes......................especially the THI updates.

I think its even worse and cynical than that Symptoms, looks like Germany is willing to lend Greece money to buy German armaments, which it then becomes a first line debtor, so Greek kids can go hungry just so long as Germany gets its interest payments! These people need to be lined up against the nearest wall!

We have seen Greece raid bank accounts to match up the Troika bailout funding (buying out holders of UK style (legally written) bonds) but looking a bit closer we can see even making the payments as they become due is a futile exercise now. The new bailout money they are borrowing won't pay upcoming bonds and interest payments while keeping her economy afloat as well! Effectively they have gone to a loan shark to pay the credits cards which pay the bank loans which pay the mortgage. This can only mean that the Greek people are suffering to pay other European bankers, but maybe that's what you get when you impose an unelected head of state! Interesting to see one of the main protected debtors…………….Germany and the military supply contract they have with Greece. That's right, buy some aero fighters never mind treat the old and sick, educate the young and generally behave in an anyway decent way toward your peoples. Another point worth noting is the potential oil reserves being test drilled for now off the Greek coast. Turkey has already made sabre rattling noises saying it owns the 'Greek' islands where the finds are being examined. Could Greece be another oil play or is it just the same old Greek Tragedy?