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02/06/2009, 6:33 PM mike Joined on 07/05/2009 Posts 161 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) Rotorheads rejoice! We now have the world's largest municipal helipad. Ideal for landing your Brantly B.2B on the way to a Council Exec Meeting. PS - I have absolutely no connection with the post marked "mike" above, not at all my style. Accept no substitute, the real mike has the Wile E Coyote avatar! This is the post that was censored and removed from the main thread. I received an email telling me it was a libel. Can anyone suggest a plausible reason, please? infamy infamy they've all got it in for me    Report

03/06/2009, 10:46 AM Clare Hayes - Web Editor Joined on 21/04/2008 Posts 105 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) It was a mistake by the reporter moderating last night - apologies    Report

03/06/2009, 2:15 PM mike Joined on 07/05/2009 Posts 161 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) No prob. LOL. ROFL.   infamy infamy they've all got it in for me    Report

03/06/2009, 4:27 PM Clarence Grove Joined on 27/11/2008 Posts 310 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) This is definitely worth a separate thread.    Report

06/06/2009, 5:32 AM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) I wouldn't have landed a helicopter on there, had they stopped work. They haven't put the planks down yet. If the helicopter managed to land the folks in it would surely have fallen to their deaths upon alighting? Sean    Report

06/06/2009, 9:37 AM Busman Joined on 15/03/2009 Posts 17 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) So this thread is now censored? Or is someone worried about some of the comments being made here about the council? Whatever happened to freedom of speech?    Report

06/06/2009, 10:10 PM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored)  Busman wrote: So this thread is now censored? Or is someone worried about some of the comments being made here about the council? Whatever happened to freedom of speech? That went away long ago, when the "litigation culture" took hold. The world is a sadder place for it, but unfortunately we can't say what we think these days.  Just have to say what we think "they" will allow us to say. Sean    Report

06/06/2009, 10:23 PM Ofsted Joined on 31/05/2009 Weston-s-Mare Posts 12 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) We can say what we think - but we daren't say what we think they think! And remember that you could be threatened with non-trusted status - something that the leader of the authority doesn't need to worry about. Walking back and forth admiring the sea front from behind the battlements    Report

07/06/2009, 8:31 AM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) "THE £34million Grand Pier rebuilding project has returned from the brink of collapse and is back on track, the Mercury can exclusively reveal.  Last week plans for the seafront site were hanging in the balance.... *snip" If that isn't presenting things as fact that aren't I don't know what is.  The Grand Pier project was never "on the brink of collapse" or "hanging in the balance".  I don't think any right-minded person ever believed that the Michaels were going to throw all the money they've already spent away just because of a few thousand pound.  I think the Weston Mercury journalist responsible for this article should be censored for doing the same as the worthy Deputy Leader... presenting things as fact that aren't.  Now, what is Cllr. Ashton's number... ;-) Seriously, what message is this sending out to Kerry and Michelle M??  To me it's saying "feel free to bully the people of Weston into fighting your corner in any dispute you happen to have with the Council (or anybody else, for that matter)" - the article could quite happily have simply said "The dispute between the owners of the Grand Pier and North Somerset Council that threatened to delay the reopening of the pier has been resolved", rather than all this emotive stuff about impending disaster for the town being averted and the like.  At worst there would have been a delay, whilst Kerry and Michelle discussed over their caviar where they were going to find £100,000 from. In some ways I wish the Council had said "get a life, Kerry - we're not standing for this" and didn't budge.  I reckon within 2 weeks it'd have all gone quiet -- well, apart from the sounds of the piling, and the notice in the paper that the contract had been awarded for the pavalion rebuild. Sean    Report

07/06/2009, 8:47 AM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) Incidentally, had the Michaels "pulled the plug", anybody considered what would have happened to the insurance money?  £24,000,000 wasn't it? Presumably the company would expect it to be repaid if the pier was not restored?  Thus transferring the cost of the now completely pointless piling work from the insurance company to the Michaels themselves?  And that can't be insignificant. Would any sound business person really consider allowing such a thing to happen to them for the sake of approx. the same amount of money as a senior manager's salary? That's why I never doubted that last Thursday's paper was going to carry "good news" - anything else would have been unthinkable, because there never was any "bad news" to start with.  Merely a statement from a hard-headed businessman who knew the media was a good way to gain the upper hand in his negotiations with North Somerset over what is, to him, the equivilent of the price of a pint of beer to you and I. And now, because the media fell for it "hook, line and sinker" he's got carte blanche to do it again - any time he chooses. Let's not be surprised if next year our Council Tax bills increase significantly, especially if we have a few more of these "episodes". Sean    Report

07/06/2009, 9:10 AM Ofsted Joined on 31/05/2009 Weston-s-Mare Posts 12 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) As we both know terse factual statements about council business don't sell papers. Terms and conditions don't apply to headlines. Walking back and forth admiring the sea front from behind the battlements    Report

07/06/2009, 9:15 AM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) From the Grand Pier website, just over a week ago... The Grand Pier is facing a contstant battle with North Somerset Council regarding the rebuild. We do not think this is acceptable and we would like as many of our friends to support us by telling the council just how important it is for everyone that our Pier is rebuilt as soon as possible. Our ambition is to build the best Pier in the world that everyone will want to visit; most importantly a place that people of Weston-super-Mare will be proud of and, in turn, will make Weston-super-Mare one of the best seaside resorts in the UK. North Somerset Council are now preventing us from achieving our goal, due to the continuous spiralling costs they are demanding. We now need your help to save your Pier. If that isn't unnecessarily emotive language I don't know what is. "...as many of our friends to support us by telling the council..." "...help to save your pier." Whole episode has been ridiculously emotive, hopefully we won't get any more of it and everyone will be able to concentrate on real life. Sean    Report

09/06/2009, 12:07 AM dw17 Joined on 17/01/2009 Posts 55 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) Quite so, Sean. This type of PR rubbish is how rich people get even richer. If they don't like North Somerset looking after its council tax payers then just bulldoze the remainder of the gaudy pile of junk into the sea and go and find something else to do.    Report

09/06/2009, 8:32 AM Jim Joined on 23/10/2008 Posts 21 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored) "emotive language" is surely to be used when talking about something emotive. If Weston's pier isn't emotive to everyone who is from Weston I don't know what is. I can't see any legitimate criticism for talking about it with emotion!!!! And why on earth should the public not know if the council it elected is making it difficult for key business people to get on and rebuild it - the people of Weston want it rebuilt and they don't want red tape standing in the way. It's only right that we know what's going on and we know when things are resolved, and both of those stories warrant a bit of emotion.    Report

09/06/2009, 10:47 AM Sean Miller Joined on 02/10/2008 Weston-super-Mare Posts 672 Re: Weston Council and Pier (censored)  Jim wrote: "emotive language" is surely to be used when talking about something emotive. If Weston's pier isn't emotive to everyone who is from Weston I don't know what is. I can't see any legitimate criticism for talking about it with emotion!!!! And why on earth should the public not know if the council it elected is making it difficult for key business people to get on and rebuild it - the people of Weston want it rebuilt and they don't want red tape standing in the way. It's only right that we know what's going on and we know when things are resolved, and both of those stories warrant a bit of emotion. I couldn't disagree more. Whatever the emotional attachment people might have had to the pier, the thing has gone.  It is no more.  As local historian John Cleese would no doubt have said if asked "it is an ex-pier", as a parrot flew overhead.  "Indemnity Insurance", by definition, would have paid to restore the pier to how it was before the fire.  The Michaels chose to spend an extra £10,000,000 over and above the amount the insurance company paid out to get more attractions on there, observation tower etc.  Now I am sure that part of the reason for that was that they cared about Weston, they did after all grow up here, but I think to say "your Pier" is incorrect.  It's THEIR pier, and it's them that will profit from it in the long term.  Other businesses close to the Pier will no doubt get increased business as a result of it, but it is not "our pier" at all. The argument with the Council was about what was effectively a very small amount of money in terms of the entire budget.  They would not have left the pier to rot, considering what they've already spent, for such a minor amount.  It was emotive language to solicit emotional responses, and that's precisely what they've got.  Ask me what I'd rather my Council Tax money was spent on and I'd say schools, libraries, museums... even Birnbeck Island, which I'd love to see become a community resource, owned by the town FOR the town... they are all struggling to survive, the Michaels are not. Look at their portfolio of property, for crying out loud if I walk from here to the Grand Pier how many hotels do I pass that are owned by Kerry and Michell??  If they want coach parks built, enhanced flood walls and whatever they should pay for them. It's a shame that Cllr. Ap Rees's post was deleted, because I can guess what it said but haven't seen it so can't be sure.   I'd like to see it, though. Anybody care to send it to me in a Private Message? Sean    Report

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