The Poolie Bunker

Listened to the last couple of phone ins on radio Tees and was amazed how his silver tongue can say so much yet say nothing about when anything is going to get done. Announcements made years ago like Hartlepool & Billingham shopping centres, the Transporter bridge,A19 etc etc all subject to feasibility studies, business cases, cost benefit calculations,submissions to government but nowt gets done.
Then there is the joke of a station at Teesside Park, Tees tunnel and an option of scrapping the Transporter and building a replica on site.
I hope the interviewer had a shovel to dig his way out of the bullshit that must have filled the studio.

Politicians are all the same from local government to Prime Minister. When I listened to one of Starmers numpties being interviewed about boat arrivals it was all about committees and meetings and plans but zero on hard actions. They all love to say let me be crystal clear on this issue but never are on any issue.

they all have their own language whatever party they are from. are there courses available for normal people once they become mp,s or councillors. they seem as if they have a brain transplant to change from normal people into bullshitters using 30 words when one would do.

The government has extended powers to Regional Mayors to charge a modest Tourist tax levy on overnight stays in the region in order to invest in transport, infrastructure and the visitors economy.
Its implemented throughout the world,other areas of the UK and has been welcomed by other UK regional mayors.
The money mostly comes from people outside the area and i and others pay it elsewhere when travelling.
Ben Houchen the Tees Valley mayor say "no thanks".
This money could be used in our area for the benefit of the region.
Cheers mate!

What would we spend 3 quid on though!

He is a silky smooth talker same as any politician, there must be school for them, he always gets a bid cagey when asked about the Redcar Steel sell off,Tees Valley accounts have been disclaimed twice due to a lack of documentation.

not overkeen on the idea of the whole area getting the benefit from places who actually get tourists who stay overnight. the benefit should only go to the ones who bring people in.

Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen announced he would not implement the policy, saying: "Thanks, but no thanks."

Too many taxes, the less the better, so well done Ben in this instance.

I am more for a clearer and easier tax system.
The present one is far too complex!

Or you looking for a Tory to pillory and deflect from Labours disaster…keep emphasising the word ‘Tory’…is that you Jamie No 4 by the way.

Just repeating what he said Snowy, you appear to have a problem with that, I don’t agree with the tax either so agreeing with him Tory or not, you would pick a fight in an empty room.

No thoughts or comments on Labour MP and former Minister Tulip Sadiq sentenced to years in jail for corruption after a trial in Bangladesh Jamie? The woman who claimed she had no ties at all to Bangladesh but the Times quickly found out she's registered to vote as a Bangladeshi citizen, very forgetful this lot aren't they - a few forgot to register gifts, one forgot to pay Stamp Duty, one forgot to get a Landlord Licence, this one forgot she was a Bangladeshi citizen, another forgot she was a convicted fraudster, etc etc
If it had been a Reform Councillor or Garages girlfriends hairdressers sister you'd have been all over it like a rash.
Interestingly Tulip refused to go to Bangladesh to defend herself, she's claiming innocence but not at this time appealing (in any sense of the word).

‘Pick a fight’….?
You even have to lower the tone with a ‘diversion’ of your own, at a simple expression of mine…..tut, tut…..your colours are showing.

Since 2023 the following Hartlepool "assets" have passed into the control of Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) which is controlled by TVCA mayor Lord Houchen.
Hartlepool Civic Centre
Mill House Leisure Centre
Bevin House Avenue Rd
Indoor Bowls Club
Oakesway Industrial Estate
Middleton Grange Shopping Centre

I wonder why as nowt has happened.

It is "planned" that the near empty wing towards the HCFE Clansman/Post Office is going to be demolished and
grassed.
I heard from a one eyed ex jockey in the John Joyce Raby Road that the "workers" of the Civic Centre are going to be moved into the old Binns Building.

Given the change of control of the Mill House area is the proposed Chelsea Village dream back on?

Is there anyone on here who is in the "know" ?

There’s going to be a big change in local government in a year or two, courtesy of Squire Starmer …. that if implemented will make Hartlepool an outer suburb of the Boro and local Council a footnote in history…..It’ll be Cleveland on turbo…… read between the lines.

My ducking and diving keeps you on your toes Snowy.

and just call the thing Greater Boro and be done with it just to wind up all taxpayers who do not live there who will see little benefit from it.

They got rid of Cleveland so why resurrect it, we got rid of Cleveland and become an unitary authority, more cost, paint the vans, change notepaper headings, new titles of who ever and give them a payrise etc.

Cleveland County by the backdoor.
The problem is its been on the agenda from all parties.
Must be resisted.

How about a vote whether people in Hartlepool want it or not?
Then go with the majority.

The NO vote will be more than 63%.
Yes that would be a good idea to scupper it.

Maybe we should have one for TVCA mayor too.

You won’t be getting the opportunity…..Starmer’s looking for larger authorities with populations over 500, 000.
You really do have a grudge against Ben boy, …or did he piss in your cornflakes….or even because he’s a Tory..?

Starmer Sunak etc want entities like Cleveland County Council again and it would suit him when just fine. The question is What has he done for Hartlepool?
But we are stuck with him as all the others are Labour.

ALL these so called ‘Mayors’, regardless of their politics, are a waste of time.
Forget the Party allegiance of any of them, this has always been a method of going down the road to centralisation and taking away real local control…and that means loss of local independence…you then become a glorified suburb.

The new owners of the Vic won’t be in Hartlepool, but down the road in the Boro…if and when this re-organisation comes.

On Radio Tees for a question and answer session, get your questions in, I called a few weeks ago asking why money was being spent on a railway station at Teesside Airport as there weren’t that many flights. His reply was the area around the airport was being developed and people would need transport to get there work.

there will still be local councils but with less responsibility than they have now. its just another extra layer of local government that we have to pay for.

The only current Mayor that stands out for me is Andy Burnham. I also think he would do a far better job than Starmer if he decided to have another go but that is another matter. The only thing that would put him off is the complete lack of talent available to help him run the show.

You don’t even live here, a bit like me complaining about the new by-pass at Bangkok.

That’s how it worked last time, this is different, you ain’t getting the option this time around unless they change their minds…….bigger local goverment where you get less of a say and feel remote from input is bad news.
It was shit for Hartlepool in Cleveland, this will be worse if it happens.

the ptoblem with local politics is there are more talking abot local issues on the net, in pubs and clubs and other places where people meet than those who bother to turn out to vote because they have no interest. its a very odd situation and i,d guess i,m like the mahority in this.

We live in a very materialistic society where there is I am all right jack attitude and no matter who I vote for nowts going to change, it’s a case of look after number one, f**k the others.

Says the Socialist who's constantly bleating in about Stock Markets, gilts, bonds, and his pension fund while living in exile!

Jamies daily routine…..

Count the money kept under the bed.
Check the financial markets.
Exercise, punching his Farage punchbag, and losing into the bargain.
Count the Money kept under the bed,
Check the financial market.
Thai version of a full English.
Count the money kept under the bed.
Go on the bunker and ramble on about the financial markets and his communist tendencies and fails to see the irony…..tales about Thailand being the bestest place in the world and if you don’t live there you have no ambition.
Count the Money yet again
Sack his servants
Check the bond markets
Watches the monsoon pouring down.
Goes to the ‘ ‘Club Bongo A Go-Go’
Counts his loose change.
Climbs the wooden hill to Bedfordshire
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz $€££££££££££

Yes but you live in Thailand and most of us couldn't give flying f**k what sort of materialistic society you live in.

To be fair…if he settled up the Umpopo Gorge with various poison insects, steamy temperatures and every disease in the Tropics from ‘Knacker mite bite vampire bats syndrome’ to ‘Up the Umpopo reverse runs’ and a tribe who indulges in head hunting, he’d give it 5 Stars to save face and carry on squeezing the spots.

It aint going that well at moment.
The Financial Times (the pink one with real writing and no tits) have just done an article about the auditors still not signing off the recent TVCA accounts. Tees Flex buses to end, crab issue/dead seal pups not going away and Tui stopping some flights from Teesside airport.
I just cannot understand why Teesside airport is not used that much by tour companies.

Not sure if it's still the case but Teesside airport used to have some of the highest landing fees in the UK which put a lot of airlines and tour operators off.
I've always preferred it to Newcastle partly because it's very easy to get to and parking was a damned sight cheaper.

Wheres the new hospital he promised...his words where " how hard can it be to build a hospital "

Health matters are no in his remit as a regional mayor so i dont know why he said this.

I dont know about landing fees but Teesside is easy to get to even if you live south of the Tyne as it just on the A1 and A66 for those coming up or down the A19 its just along the A66.

You have got the wrong end of the stick Derwent I am on about the electorate in the U.K. not me personally, don’t criticise a society you have never lived in wether you want to live in it or not.

Lost me there Snowy ?

You should have turned left at the Umpopo Gorge …so retrace your steps……Merry Xmas Jamie.

This article appeared on Facebook,
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/business ... he-pieces/

Bet that took some finding, you’ll have looked like Rat Boy at midnight digging out a reluctant rat

Now then when I posted this I thought who would be first too reply yep Snowy and guess what I was a 100% correct, I didn’t think it would take you long to pop up with your usual sarcastic comment. Why didn’t you post a similar comment when the topic was first posted and reply to the other comments in a similar way ? nope it’s Jamie time to get my snipers rifle out and have a pop at him.
It was posted on the Facebook public page, no searching required, as he is already the subject of the topic i posted it for info for the other members opinions. There are numerous postings on X as well although I very much doubt the right wing MSM will pick up on it, it’s only £200 million of tax payers money, it will be ‘swept under the carpet’ like they did with sell off of Redcar Steel Works was.

Your ‘Pavlovian’ response was to be expected, but only when you get out of the wrong side of the bed….is it the Monsoon season…?
Looks like you’re getting a bit desperate now your ‘saviours’ are looking like a man in rubber dinghy trying to tow a super tanker off a mudbank at low tide Andy who actually believes he can do it…oh dear….you can always tell when someone’s burst your bubble

Government wastes money is hardly news is it? It's happening everywhere but this self proclaimed Pro-Brexit, Left Leaning publication focusses on what is a relatively small amount of money and mentions the projected from the outset spend not the actual cost at the time of the failure. What about the 100 odd quangos set up by Labour in their first 100 days in office? £10bn handed to the lunatic in charge of Great British Energy, with a not insignificant portion being handed to everseas governments to fund green projects overseas as an example?
Not long ago Jamie was trying to make out Farage was corrupt over election spending yet the investigation has been dropped by the police and the Electoral Committee found no wrong doing. Ironically the Electoral Commission gave their verdict on the same day Nandy and Starmer were found guilty by the Governments Ethics Advisor of a gross failure in appointing a Labour Party and personal donor to the pair of them to the head if the Football Regulator position. It was announced yesterday that Starmer (as head if the Civil Service) is being sued for allowing Civil Servants to promote LGBT causes and attend marches whilst representing the Government. It's just a new sleaze and corruption story every week with this lot, and it's not just 1 or 2 individuals the whole lot of them are taking the piss. Tory's even polling higher than Labour now. There's going to be a mad dash for personal enhancement by this lot before they're ousted by a Reform/Tory pact. And it won't get better, "we're doomed".

I am not sure what this article is saying in "MDC collapsing". What bothers me more is how does this leave Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) which has acquired assets in the town like the shopping centre/civic centre plus other civic assets & public spaces/Mill house Leisure Centre/Oakesway & Queens Meadow business parks for some reason yet has done nothing with them.
There is no doubt there is a big battle ongoing between the current government & councils and Houchen.

Lost me again Snowy, your post went right over my head.