Our Pubs - Use them or lose them.

The government have missed a golden opportunity. Look back 20 years. I used to go into town of an evening, to one or other function. It was very quiet. No shrieking silly girls or mouthy yobs, as we have come to know so well - to our shame. Pubs were well run because they had a publican; somebody who was a professional, knew their trade and their customers and who were licensed by the courts to do their job. They knew that, if they put a foot wrong with the authorities for allowing drunkennes, rowdy behaviour, wrong sort of women, etc. they could easily find themselves out of a job at the next licensing session. We had an opportunity then to bring life to our towns with the granting of different sorts of licences, to create a cafe culture with seated customers only - as they do so well on the continent. It has long been known that standing drinkers are often belligerent troublemakers. Publicans knew how to deal with them and trouble on the streets was almost non-existant. So what happened? Tony Blair and his retinue of social reforming appeasers came along and gave us 24 hour drinking, supermarkets and corner shops selling booze at low cost, banned smoking - and consigned the traditional publican to oblivion. Anybody can run a pub now, in the full knowledge that the law cannot touch them. If you sell alcohol to children or allow drunkenness, you should lose your licence. Period! People are staggering around our town absolutely legless. They got like that in our licensed premises and those premises should be punished in the only way that fits - closure!

Two Park and Ride Schemes?

I learn that those buffoons in the Town Hall are now considering two P and R sites. All we ever wanted was one. Now they are talking about two. Only talking, mind you. That's is all they ever do, talk. Meanwhile, Colchester is fast becoming the place that shoppers avoid due to the traffic congestion and high parking charges. Just look at all our empty shops, if you want proof.

Training Ground for the U's

I was wondering why this project had been turned down as it seemed harmless enough. Having now read the local paper, it is a bit more than a training ground. Like the Tories wanting to close our schools and build a new one on a green field site, thus making a lot of money for somebody, the U's are up to the same thing. Has anybody noticed all the land next to the new stadium? What's wrong with that? It's on their doorstep. Or how about Layer Road, sitting there looking for a good use. No. What they want to do is build houses and a pavilion and concrete over more of our green fields. If this travesty goes ahead, there would have to be a sniff of corruption somewhere. Watch this space!