A John Lewis Store in Colchester

From my point of view I see Colchester's future as one based on tourism, culture, entertainment, food and drink - and quality shopping. I don't want any big stores inside the town and believe that the likes of John Lewis should all be out of town, on a site comparable (and competing) with Braintree's Freeport. We need to attract people of all sorts to Colchester, to our shopping parks at Tollgate, to our quality small shops in the town centre, to the Castle and our museums, to the VAF and other art based locations, to the zoo, our hotels and restaurants, to Leisure World, etc. We all know that Colchester cannot handle car traffic at all well. So the Tollgate style shopping area makes the shopping experience attractive to car driving shoppers, especially if there is a Park and Ride facility as well to compliment, rather than compete with, our shops. There is huge potential for all types of visitors to our town, yet we get this petty political squabbling over the scraps. Like the old bull and the young bull. Rather than rush in and have a few of the heifers, take your time, stroll in and have the lot!”

Tymperleys

Times are hard and they are going to get a lot harder. People don't seem to realise that. Keeping Tymperleys open costs a lot of money and that money has to be earned rather than funded from our taxes. Sadly, Colchester cannot earn that money because it has failed as a tourist destination. All it is interested in is getting visitors to visit the castle where they can earn some money and to get visitors to pay high parking charges to get access to the consequently dwindling shops. It cannot be a mere coincidence that they have closed both our clock museum and our social history museum, both well away from the Castle Museum. At the same time the council pats itself on the back for what a good job it is doing. A total lack of vision! Let's throw them all out and put businessmen and townsfolk in place that have the necessary vision to bring Colchester back from the brink. Let's learn lessons from other top tourist locations.”

Lack of Jobs for our Young People

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The last Labour government screwed the country good and proper. We can't afford all the non-jobs in the public service. We need to be making a profit through industry so that the service industry can be feeding off it. Look at what we import and set about making it ourselves. I could do so much more and expand if the workforce was there and there were incentives to open up new workshops. I had to turn down some nice work last year because I couldn't do the work in the required time slot. I didn't have the labour or the facilities - and don't make me laugh about the bank's willingness to help. Yet what are they teaching our kids at school? Very little as far as I can see.
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I need people in my industry, in engineering. We have kids coming out of school quite incapable of basic maths or writing ability or, in many cases, verbal ability. We need skilled workers and we are getting them from Europe instead of from our own people. Added to that the high cost of business units, rent, rates, human rights and all that old bollocks that makes a small businessman like me very reluctant to take anybody on. I got turned down to do work for the Olympics because I didn't have something called an equal opportunities policy. Sorry. A one armed welder is no use to me. Icould have downloaded a form so that some public sector jobsworth could tick a box. Were I to download the form, I would be supporting the PC rubbish that brought this daft piece of legislation into being in the first place. What happened to plain old common sense? I have no interest in knowing whether somebody is gay or lesbian or whatever else I am supposed to deal with. Can they do the bloody job and are they willing to work? So I end up doing work for a Spanish company that is on the Olympics supplier's list and who sub-contracted the work out to people like me.
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In my day as an apprentice in the 1960's/70's I benefited from proper maths, technical drawing and metal work at school. Nowadays, schools teach maths that it is of no practical use in the real world and the very thought of using a lathe or a drill simply won't happen in case one of the little dears hurts themselves and the parents sue the school. Now I am approaching retirement, who can I pass on my knowledge to? I am not big enough to take on an apprentice. Our industry has gone. The Lathe Company and Paxmans and Woods of Colchester, all sold out to the property speculator. Betts, Bracketts, Ozalid, Dynapert, Regulators Europa, Mohler, etc. All those jobs lost for short term financial gain.
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....and now we are carping on about there being no jobs for our young people. Cameron and Co are sitting pretty but with no prospect of new industry creation. Meanwhile we are bringing unskilled migrants and their dependant families in by the drove, huge ghettoisation of our once proud industrial cities, the NHS and benefits culture all under a strain that this country cannot afford to pay for. Our benefits system makes it unnecessary to work any more. What hope for the future?
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Only this morning I heard that Barclays only paid 2.5% in Corporation Tax on its profits. How'd they do that then?
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Don't start me off!

The Romans left these shores in AD410, exactly 1600 years ago. So a group of us walked the walls of Colchester on Boxing Day, some of us dressed in Roman soldier attire. Was this the first time that it had occurred in 1600 years, one wonders? Romans walking the walls I mean!

Officer's Mess Destruction

Another blaze in one of our heritage buildings. Surprise or not? From my recent memory, the Recreation Hotel, Severalls Concert Hall, the Flying Fox pub, the Bell at Old Heath - to name but a few and now joined by the Officer's Mess. What have they all got in common? Are they all owned by people who would have rather liked them to be wiped from the face of the earth so that they could build bigger and more valuable buildings on the site? In the case of the latest example of a suspicious fire, is it a fair assumption that it was fully insured? All these questions. But the biggest question must be, 'Have the police ever caught the person responsible?'

Roman Circus

I did my bit last weekend in turning out to support the attempts to Save our Circus from the property speculators. The law requires that developers do any archaeological survey when requested, before they are able to commence their building works, in case something important lies below the ground that may prevent the work going ahead. This is exactly what has happened in this instance. The quite remarkable and completely unexpected find of a Roman circus (only bettered by the famous Circus Maximus in Rome) was found, a ban on building work was slapped on the site and the developer has to take it on the chin. He took the risk and he lost. However, what the law does not require is that the developer then gives the site to the Crown. We now have a stand-off situation whereby the developer will not allow access to the public, so the huge potential for tourism is thwarted. What the developer wants is a cool £750,000 for a blighted site' with a severely vandalised Grade II listed building standing on it, with no access road, no electric or water services. So now the fight is on, to raise money from a bankrupt nation, where money for fighting the moslems, money for failed banks, money for fat cat pensions, money for the Olympics, etc, is no problem. I wish the fund-raisers all the best in their endeavours. Just don't expect any money from the government! It's bankrupt. It has been bankrupted by this Labour government of ours. What a legacy we are handing to our children!

Highest Parking Charges in Essex

I went into town today by car, due to a need to use the car. For a little over 2 hours parking at St Mary's, I was charged £4. A similar visit to Chelmsford recently was under £2. The my old dutch had to call in at the court and had to pay £3 for her 15 minute errand. Either we want people to visit Colchester or we don't, but to expect them to pay nearly £10 to park for the day is a bit steep, isn't it? We must surely have the highest parking charges in Essex.

My lady will be shopping elsewhere she says as she refuses to have to pay to shop. Sudbury is free to park, apparently!

....and how many empty shops have we got for this Christmas?

....and why is that I wonder?

Christmas Market

Well, I went into town yesterday to visit the Christmas market in the High Street. Great atmosphere! We bought a few things and later repairing to a favoured hostelry for a cup of foaming ale. Well done the organisers and wasn't it a delight to have a traffic free High Street? Why can't we have it that way all of the time - and the market in its historic location - the High Street?

Heads in the Sand

I was interested in a bit of wisdom that I saw written on the Gazette's forum last week. A comment was made that Lord Hanningfield was anti-Colchester. This was answered with a statement that Colchester is anti-Colchester. Sadly, isn't this a fairly true statement of fact? Why is it that Williams and Griffin turned on their Christmas lights last week, the town centre turned on it lights this week and the Christmas Fair in the High Street is next week? Why is that there are so many factions and political groups that cannot get on together or agree on anything? This is all so bad for the town - and ultimately destructive. Yes! I have to agree that Colchester is anti-Colchester. What is to be done about it?

Christmas Lights

I managed to make the big switch-on of the lights at the Town Hall at 4.30pm, despite the hundreds of people that had gathered there to see the lights go on. Superbly done. Our joker mayor, Councillor Spyvee, put on a splendid performance - a credit to Colchester. I daresay that the usual maoaners will be whingeing about the lights tomorrow, but my old dutch and I thought that they looked good. A traffic free High Street was another delight. Why is it that we cannot close it to traffic permanently? Then on to Lion Walk, where they were having their own fun with their light switch-on. Not a bad word was heard. All good family fun. Perhaps the low-life were laying low until the bars opened!

Strippers and General Low-Life

Haven't we got enough rubbish wandering our streets of an evening without opening up a strip joint (lap-dancing by any other name) at St Botolphs? I thought that this area was destined to become a fabulous new development area. Has this town gone completely mad?

Bah Humbug

We have witnessed some very public mudslinging recently concerning who said what about what for a planned Christmas extravaganza. We have accusuations that one of our cabinet councillors pledged public money to assist wealth creating businesses - and then welshed on the deal; was a liar even. Now, my understanding has been for many years now that there are no resources available for anything like this - unless it concerns cricket, in which case there is always plenty of funding available. So, my two questions to the businessmen who have so bitterly attacked our council is, 1. did you get it in writing (rule no.1 in my book - know your enemy/customer/supplier before you trust him)? and, 2. do you realise that you have shot yourselves in the foot with your very publicly reported actions? One of you, especially, manager of one of our principle shopping malls, must surely be in danger of losing his job. What do his bosses say about a manager who has made himself 'persona no grata' with the town's council? Another of you relies heavily for council support with staging profit making events in the town. Perhaps somebody has misjudged a situation; has not done their sums right and has looked for a scapegoat; has a good backup plan that will overcome any need for future working with Colchester Borough Council. I go for the scapegoat theory.

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!

Cycle Tour Comes to Colchester

Whilst we repeatedly learn that the council has no money for festival activities, having cut its cultural and heritage budgets drastically, we now learn that somebody has decided to spend £95,000 of our money to stage a cycle race around the town. For 3 hours on a Thursday night, road closures, the lot. They could have done it a lot cheaper by riding around the football stadium. What amazes me is that this decision was made out of the blue with no consultation. You can imagine the uproar from event organisers in town who get no help from the council for what used to be traditional well attended events. Our council have happily destroyed our flower beds to save £17,000. They are closing schools and selling off our assets and reducing services generally but - a cycle race around town? £95,000! No problem!

Cast Your Vote

I cast my two votes this morning for the county and European elections. These are indeed interesting times, with so many corrupt politicians pouring out of the woodwork. I hope that my fellow voters have taken this golden opportunity to teach the big three parties a lesson that they will not forget in a hurry. We in Colchester, have been treated very badly by Conservative led County Hall, forcing cuts in our services on us and selling off our assets to pay for lucrative council workers final salary pensions. Who do they think they are kidding by forcing closure of two of our schools and to replace them with a remote academy. There is no earthly reason why the kids that do badly in school would do any better in a school that is a long distance away from their community? Of course, the reality is that County Hall want to close our community schools so that they can acquire the land to sell to property speculators. The sooner that these pension agreements are revised, as is being done throughout private industry, the better. Why should the council tax payer fund such lavish pensions at the expense of services? ....and as for Lord Ninnyfield, the sooner he goes the better! The man's a fool!

Cycling Tour Comes to Town

Sadly, Colchester is not geared up for this sort of prestige event - and we should be. Colchester worships the car and wo-betide anybody who inconveniences the car driver. Years of political ineptitude have allowed this situation to prevail, rather than decisive action being taken to change things. Our politicians have allowed thousands of new homes to be built without any new roads or park and ride or new car parks being provided. The result is regular gridlock, misery all round - and danger to pedestrian and cyclist alike. We call ourselves a 'Cycling Town'. What a bloody joke! What have we done to make Colchester any safer for cyclists? The ideal location for a 'Park and Ride' at Tollgate has been removed by the granting of planning permission to the land owner who spent many months 'lobbying' his mates in the Town Hall to make himself a great deal of money through change of use of the land. The result is that we still have no park and ride, nor are there any plans for it. We have numerous plans for new housing but none for the essential infrastructure. Balkerne Heights now stands where a huge multi-storey car park should have been built. Profiteering is the reason, yet again. When will our politicians do something for the town rather than to line their own pockets? 'Never', do I hear you say? No, they would rather knife each other in the back. ........and claim their full quota of expenses!

Who's for a pint?

Our attention has been drawn to the fact that we are gradually losing our pubs. Over 20 have gone in Colchester in 20 years and the most recent, the Sun at Lexden, the Robin Hood, the Bell at Old Heath, face an uncertain future. The Sun especially is a very old building and it would be a tragedy if it succumbed to destruction by the inevitable vandals. But is it any surprise when Labour's Nanny State has been instrumental in this decline? The banning of smoking was the final nail in the coffin. Who in their right minds wants to go to a pub where you have to stand out in the cold to have a cigarette. It's not very welcoming is it? You are better off staying at home with beer at a third the price from Sainsbugs where you can smoke as much as you like. And what happened to all those meanspirited whiners who said that they would be more inclined to go to the pub if smoking was banned. I don't know of one. Do you? No. They are all still sitting smugly at home, happy that smokers have been taught a lesson. They are probably quite pleased too that pubs are in decline - all due to their selfish whining about inhaling people's smoke. Funny old world innit?

What a Circus!

It comes as no surprise that Taylor Wimpey, armed with their planning approved Sergeant's Mess and Roman Circus starting gates, they want to sell it on for somebody else to develop. They are clearly strapped for cash, as are many others in the house building industry at the moment, so they will settle for £800,000. How much did they buy the site for I wonder? Something like £80,000 I am led to believe, so it will not be a bad return on their investment. The problem is, they have managed to get Colchester Borough Council to allow them to section off the starting gates so that they can never be turned into a tourist attraction. CBC positively rolled over on their backs and asked for a tickle when the plans came to committee. It bordered on the sycophantic to hear the reverence given to the applicant. It was almost an apology for inconveniencing them. Not one of the planning committee voiced any concern at this sectioning-off of our scheduled ancient monument. Their names? Councillors: Mary Blandon, Peter Chillingworth, Barrie Cook, Mark Cory, Stephen Ford, Wyn Foster, Ray Gamble, Chris Hall, Sonia Lewis. Remember those names in any future heritage matters. History will judge them.

So, has anybody got £800,000 so that we can buy back the remains of the only Roman circus in Britain?