Thursday 16 April 2009

@RoseLee Need more stocks of lucky white heather soonest...

Yesterday, we learned about the £2 million Giant Head of St Helens. Well, it seems South Cambridge District Council has entered the running for 'Barmiest Project of 2009' with their idea, a mobile internet café for gypsies:
The bus will come equipped with the latest computer technology to enable gypsy families to surf the web for reduced rates.
Now, this is much, much cheaper, and won’t be as easy to classify as ‘art’, but it does score those vital ‘diversity’ points!
The suggestion is part of a £60,000 planned investment by South Cambridgeshire District Council to revamp Blackwell and its neighbour site at Whaddon.

Officials plan to spend a total of £26,600 on the improvements, and a further £32,487 on an official to oversee the work.
Yes, you did read that right, they are planning to spend more on the wages for the guy overseeing the project than on the actual work itself.

Is anyone surprised…?
South Cambridgeshire District Council claims the proposals are designed to encourage travellers to use council services and promote integration.

A spokeswoman said: "Without the provision of these support services these marginalised groups could continue to experience social exclusion and poor health and educational attainment.

"The council has a duty to make its services accessible to all and operates a race equality scheme to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote race equality and good race relations.

"The scheme gives priority to work with the biggest ethnic minority in South Cambridgeshire."
Oh, where to start….

Firstly, there seems to be no bar to travellers using services for benefits and free legal advice, or for mounting campaigns against their eviction notices. At places like Crays Hill in Essex, they have successfully held at bay the forces of the local council for years.

Secondly, any ‘social exclusion’ is entirely of their own making. It is, in fact, part of their chosen ‘lifestyle’.

Thirdly, the council does indeed have a duty to make its services accessible to all. But that doesn’t mean by sending a mobile internet café right to their doorstep, paid for by everyone else. If they want internet services, they are available to them, just as they are to everyone else. Job done.

Or are mobile internet cafes planned for old folk’s homes, rural villages and other spots of low internet access, at public expense?

If not, why not?

4 comments:

Umbongo said...

JuliaM

BTW this is a so-called Conservative Council. On this evidence I think we can reasonably expect that if and when the present shower leave national government the new shower will be . . . exactly the same.

JuliaM said...

Sadly, I never really expected anything else... :(

Anonymous said...

To underline Umbongo's point here is a genuine letter from the monthly 'Downs Mail' from one of the many 'travellers' illegally occupying and building on land.
Unbelievable:

Headed - 'STILL TRAVELLING':

You wrote in the Downs Mail (February) that I have put my travelling ways behind me now that I have applied for planning permission to site 4 mobile, 2 touring caravans and a stable block for horses at Blue Bell Farm, George Street, Staplehurst. This is not strictly true - I have no intention of stopping my way of life. Both of my children have health problems and my wife has never wanted to go travelling with me, so a compromise was to get a piece of land so I can continue buying and selling horses while still having somewhere to bring up the children. - Frank Uden, Staplehurst Traveller.

So there you have it, that's what this 'traveller' has decided - no member of the 'settled' community could get away with it and amazingly once they ask to be connected to the various utilities, this is done ASAP, no waiting and no questions asked.

JuliaM said...

Well, in one respect, he's at least showing that the 'travelling community' aren't quite so different as they would have us think.

After all, what comes across in that letter is: 'Me! Me! Me!'.

God forbid he should compromise with the woman he married and the children he fathered to find a life they can all enjoy and benefit from.

No, everyone else must cede their property, money, rights and desires so that he can have his cake and eat it.

He should go into politics. He has all the necessary traits already...