Malcolm Robinson

I think we are all heading in the same direction Jim and I mean regarding the postings! Of course the internet will impact onto traditional small retailers in small towns like ours. The kids are growing up with it and using it for their purchases all the time so where would the next gen of footfall customers come from for shops? My concern is that if we end up with a very small diffusion of trades operating in the town that in itself is unsustainable. Given the current climate and topography of our high street we should have concentrated shopping into the middle in a suitable development a long time ago. I would hope small niche retailers would still see worth in having a retail outlet to compliment their online presence and clutching them together could mean increased passing trade as they would inevitably have to draw on a wider area for walk-in customers. I have just been up to Scotland with a friend who wanted to buy a Xmas present for his better half but needed to see and touch the item before he bought it so even though he found it online he was only happy to buy once it was in the real world. I also think there are some real barriers to setting up the likes of a retail unit on a high street though. Rents expected are one thing and I think landlords have a part to play as is the plain daft UBR. (Uniform Business Rate.) I am still convinced Bedders needs a town business manager not only to listen to and suggest schemes to drive development but to liaise with all interested parties and maybe bang some heads together! Have to say well done Merc for going through the process. As long as you get the result you wanted the road you take is immaterial, although short cuts are always welcomed!

Certainly not, it gives a bad reflection of the area in general. I would just like to see some of the budgets already in place being used solely to address these sorts of problems, as they should be. Also if a street or an estate for example wanted to do something along these lines for itself the very least the authorities could do, by way of recognition, is to have in place something along the lines of what you suggested for any transgressors. There is an idea currently being discussed which would fall into exactly this sort of category, it will be interesting to see how much backing the authorities and the community give it, if it gets off the drawing board that is given current health and safety laws and liability insurance!

Hazelmere, Do I need to book an appointment? Just read a small snippet in Saturday's Journal, some NE councils have won funding to fill vacant shop premises in an effort to make their streets look better. If I remember right, and how way it is 2 days ago, the community decides what is needed and the funds are there to make it happen. Course this is not sustainable in the purely economic sense but it does recognise the problem which has been created by out of town shopping and punitive parking charges, to mention only a couple of obstacles to business development on old high streets. I think we are going to see a definitive change in the types of businesses on high streets like ours soon, with passing trade retail only playing a small part. BTW this is supposed to be one of the main items on the next Community Forum Partnership early next year. As for businesses which would be wanted by the community, how come every time this is asked someone pipes up with,' you can't buy a pair of men's briefs in Bedlington!' I heard the same quote only last week. Do Bedlington males go through an abnormally high amount of underpants? As for what is going in and what sort of businesses are coming out of the Town that is really down to economic forces. I remember about 12 years ago it was all pubs, estate agents and banks. We now see banks pulling out of marginal sites, pubs closing down and probably only independent estate agents left. The main problem we have, in my opinion, is that Bedlington has never been able to exploit its potential, for a variety of reasons, and that leaves us putting sticking plasters over the problem instead of addressing them head on.

It now a fully qualified religion GGG and you know never to talk religion or politics with friends!

I think the council costs are high enough as it is, I wouldn't want to give them any excuse to raise the community charge anymore than absolutly necessary.

GGGG is right and things are pretty fluid at the moment......however I would expect some sort of news early next year. Fingers crossed we get the right result! Bedlington Forum meeting 10th Dec 6.30pm community centre if anyone is interested in getting the correct story!

There is a community meeting next Thursday at 6.30pm at the community centre. Everyone and all ideas and suggestions welcome..................

Is that irony or sarcasm GGG?

The Bedlington Fair is a much more recent event which I only rmember running for a few years then fizzling out. There were stalls & side shows along Front Street and a procession of floats, I remember but it was not nearly as huge an event as The Picnic which brought in people from all over the region. It would be fantastic to try to have an event along these lines again. I for one would love to be involved in making this happen & I'm sure alot of other Bedlingtonians would keen to help out too. Maybe we could all 'sign up to be involved' then meet up in the New Year to get the ball rolling? The Bedlington Fair was run by a small group attached to the old Bedlington Forum. Great to get everyone fired up and involved, makes the job so much easier, but you do need 'offical' backing there is loads of stuff to be considered, its not like organising a school fete. Don't want to sound negative as I will certinley help in any way possible.

Merc...........looking at the county budget deficit they probably won't listen but nothing stopping us doing it ourselves?

Ended up a good event for the town, more to come? One person in particular pushed it through, well done GGGG.

Its probably time to take matters into our own hands and regain the initiative. The problem has been complacency.

Got my vote...........

If only we ever had some people with a bit of vision! From 'Presto's' carpark right up to the dual carriagway on Glebe Road should have been kept for commercial development with associated parking either below ground or even on top of a long shopping centre! Had that been done 25 years ago Bedlington would have guarenteed itself as a shopping destination and everywhere else would still be trying to keep up. As it is it looks to me to be the last roll of the dice for Front Street as a viable retail centre.

The two larger sized ladies of questionable morals and of course Sydney...........

An Australian guy is travelling around the Greek Islands. He walks into a bar and, by chance, is served by an Australian barmaid; as she takes his order, a Foster's, she notices his accent. Over the course of the evening they get chatting: at the end of her shift he asks if she wants to come back to his place. Although she is attracted to him she says 'no'; he then offers to pay her $200 to sleep with him. As she is travelling around the world, and is short of funds, she reluctantly agrees. The next night the guy turns up again. Again he orders Fosters and after showing her plenty of attention, asks if she will sleep with him again for $200: she remembers the night before and is only too happy to agree. This goes on for 5 nights. On the 6th night the guy comes in again, orders Fosters but goes and sits in the corner.. The barmaid thinks that if she pays him more attention then, maybe she can shake some more cash out of him, so she goes over and sits next to him. She asks him where he's from in Australia: 'Melbourne', he tells her. 'So am I. What suburb?' she enquires. 'Glen Iris' he replies. 'That's amazing,' she says excitedly, 'so am I - what street?' 'Cameo Street' he replies. 'This is unbelievable...' she says, her voice quavering; 'What number?' 'Number 20', he replies. She is totally astonished. 'You are NOT going to believe this,' she screams, 'but I'm from number 22! My parents still live there!' 'I know...' he says, 'Your Dad gave me $1,000 to give to you' HE WHO DRINKS AUSTRALIAN, THINKS AUSTRALIAN

WHAT.........blooming heck. I can hear the cries now.......its a fix!!!!

There seems to be several parts to this discussion, GGG's topic heading would seem to ask if the BBC were as unbiased as they proffer to be. Cleary not in this case but as for the question should Griffin have been invited, of course it is in their own rules. Once a political party gets enough votes to be elected into a governmental position the BBC have to include them into programmes such as this. This is really black and white, sorry no pun intended, what comes next is right into the grey area of personal beliefs and creeds. The pathetic part of the whole issue is that Griffin whilst being elected into a position of authority and influence clearly represents a one issue party and as such should have been dismissed by the whole electorate. Instead of being asked about a whole raft of policies put forward by the BNP to tackle today's economic and social problems we almost denigrate ourselves by taking a position on this one single topic. It has to be discussed of course and these radical parties exposed for what they are and how they stir up the darker sides of our nature's to gain votes. It might not be pleasant but it should be cathartic. The main problem here seems to be that people are arguing using heresy and supposition, maybe because the BNP have never had their constitution and manifestos widely publicised. It might be easier to just say they represent a faction of society you don't want to have anything to do with but to win the hearts and minds of the people who vote for them reasoned and balanced counter arguments have to be forthcoming or we risk ignoring them at our own peril, as history clearly shows.

For once on this subject I would agree monsta. If reasoned debate cannot win the day then the extremists win by default. With all the coverage the show is getting anyone would think it's the Nick Griffin Show..........

That's a blast from the past Sym.......still no landing charges though!

I'll point my camera at any heavenly body.....................boom boom!

So cynical for one so young............

Its 2.00pm on a wet Wednesday afternoon in Bedders and there is a siren bleating away somewhere. Is this the 3 minute warning or what?????

Honest it wasn't me Gov......... Ah well, cameras at the ready then......