Issue 28 - June 2000
SPY TV - WE ARE PROVED RIGHT AGAIN!
WHY oh why oh why
don’t Worthing’s powers-that-be listen to the common sense voice
of The Pork-Bolter once in a while? We’ve been telling
them for years that the town centre’s Closed Circuit Television
system is a complete and utter waste of money as far as
fighting crime is concerned. But did they take any notice of us? Oh no, they
have just carried on telling everyone how wonderful all their new technology
is and how anyone who opposes it must be some kind of criminal. So it is very
satisfying to see their smug little fantasy world blown out of the
water by the very people their spy cameras are supposed to be protecting! The
whistle was blown in an article in The Evening Argus on May 10
which revealed "growing dissatisfaction among businesses in Worthing" about
the £0.3 million CCTV scheme. It reported: "Traders say there has been a
growing rise in incidents of vandalism, criminal damage and arson attacks in
the town centre over the last three years but the people responsible are not
being caught by the police. And Boots manager David Taylor said:
"I have lost confidence in the system and do not feel that for the
money we contributed we are getting value for money. Over the last three and a
half years we have had numerous break-ins and incidents of vandalism and I
am not aware that anyone has ever been caught regarding these incidents by use
of the cameras. All the break-ins at this store have occurred directly under
CCTV cameras." Of course, none of this will be news to regular
Pork-Bolter readers. We reported back in 1998 that crime in
Worthing’s CCTV area had gone up by 19% since cameras were brought in -
and that was on Sussex Police Authority’s own figures. So if CCTV
doesn’t stop crime at all - and even seems to make it worse - why is it
being brought in everywhere? Firstly, there is obviously a
public relations aspect to it. While real police presences are
cut for financial reasons, the cameras "reassure" the public that they are not
being left "unprotected". But there is also a more sinister reason for
it, one that explains the millions of pounds being poured into CCTV
schemes across the country by Central Government. It is all part of a Big
Brother surveillance society being set up, with video images being linked
to the massive Government databases increasingly recording every aspect of our
lives, from medical records to e-mail messages. And if you wonder why anyone
would want to amass all this information on the civilian population, ask
yourself why Hitler’s Gestapo, the Soviet
KGB or the East German Stasi would have loved to
have done exactly the same thing. For the corrupt elite in Whitehall, the
population of the country is a frightening chaotic entity that has to be
constantly cajoled, prodded and threatened to keep it in line. Their
nightmare is that one day we will all simply decide we have had enough and
stop believing their fibs, paying their taxes and obeying their laws.
Needless to say, we strongly recommend you do no such thing. After all, Big
Brother knows best and who are any of us humble peasants to disagree? *
Saturday July 1 is the fourth anniversary, to the day, of CCTV cameras
being installed in Worthing town centre. To mark the occasion, as well as the
97th anniversary of George Orwell’s birth on June 25, we will once again
be staging a Big Brother’s Birthday happening in the town. Meet at 3pm
in Montague Place, from where we will proceed to the surprise scene of this
year’s celebrations.
You too can play Nick’s Party Game!
FORGET all those boring local councillors who, once in a lifetime,
switch from one dull political party to another and think anybody gives a
fig.Larger-than-life Nick John, amateur thespian and local
restaurateur, provides much better entertainment value for fans of political
dramatics! Now proudly back in the Worthing council chamber as a
Tory, Nick will be remembered by many residents as a Lib
Dem councillor from 1990 to 1994. And as a would-be parliamentary
candidate for the UK Independence Party in 1997. Oh, and as an
actual candidate for the Referendum Party in West Worthing that
same year (he didn’t win). Rumours that, following an abortive
emigration to Australia, he was rather keen to rejoin the Liberal Democrats
must surely be mistaken, as clearly conviction and conviction alone has led
him to throw in his lot with the True Blues (who, coincidentally, now run the
council). However, it is interesting to speculate on what party our hero might
find himself joining next, should he once again re-appraise his allegiances.
The Natural Law Party maybe, the Socialist Workers Party, the British National
Party, or perhaps New Labou... No! We are sure Nick would never sink so low
as to befriend that two-faced bunch of unprincipled opportunistic
charlatans! Meanwhile, we have devised a cut-out and wipe clean amusement
for our readers, which we have called Nick’s Party Game. Hours of fun
can be had by dressing Nick up in the costumes suited to the various political
parties with which he may one day be associated. But remember, folks,
don’t get too excited or your paper-thin politician might be tragically
parted from some vital appendage.
No Connex-ion to the rail facts!
BEING a French-owned
company, perhaps local rail operators Connex have difficulty
with the English language. That’s the most charitable explanation we can
come up with for a statement that appeared in the May 2000 edition of
Upfront, the private firm’s glossy propaganda
sheet."Increased staffing levels provide a better service for
customers" boasts a heading above the main front page story. Below we
learn that a station manager based at Barnham "is now supported by two area
supervisors" based at Worthing and Chichester. Sounds like a step in the right
direction? Well, not quite. Railway staff have told us that prior to these
marvellous changes the Worthing and Chichester areas each boasted two managers
and two duty managers/area supervisors. Now call us old-fashioned, but we are
convinced that two and two makes four, whereas the new set-up’s one plus
two only makes three. How this adds up to "increased staffing levels"
is completely beyond our comprehension. Maybe we’re using the wrong sort
of maths! Meanwhile, Upfront strangely carries no mention of the
fact (as reported in The Independent on Sunday, May 21) that
Connex has cut 120 trains a day from its summer timetable and is set to incur
penalties from Government regulators as it bids to renew its contracts.
Havana Brain Seizure
AN APPEAL for help has gone out from a
sadly troubled reader of The Worthing Herald. In a letter
published on May 11, logically-challenged Scott Newman explained that while,
on the one hand, he is jolly glad that Britain fought World War II for
"freedom of speech and right to peaceful protest", on the other hand he
also thinks that naughty people who actually speak out and protest against the
British establishment should "all go and live in a communist country like
Cuba or, better still, China..." Oh dear, what a pickle he has got himself
into! If you can help Mr Newman sort out his befuddled brain, why not send a
helpful e-mail to him at Wellington@nationwideisp.net and, while you're at it,
ask him when he's going to send us those free plane tickets to sunny Havana...
Porky Pie’s Top Tip of the Month!
HOW TO FORGE
COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND HELP CRIME CLEAR-UP RATES!
- PHONE THE ‘JAIL YOUR NEIGHBOUR’ CRIME-BUSTING HOTLINE ON 0800
191984*.
- GIVE THEM THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR.
- THE POLICE WILL THINK OF A CRIME TO CHARGE THEM WITH. A RESULT ALL
ROUND!
*Free phone line sponsored by Prisons R us plc
Flat future for Litten Tree
THE latest in a proud series of
attempts to ruin Worthing in the name of quick profits is the current planning
application (WB/00/00421 and WB/00/00422) to demolish The Litten
Tree pub, formerly the Wine Lodge, on the seafront and replace it with
a seven-storey block of luxury flats. Needless to say, these are not
likely to provide much-needed affordable homes for desperate young families in
Worthing. Instead they will make ideal up-market retirement flats or second
homes for rich Londoners. Meanwhile, yet another popular amenity will be taken
away from the people of Worthing. The outfit behind the application is a
certain Maine Investments Ltd of 19 Market Square, Horsham. If
you fancy a chat, their phone number is 01403 271171.
Working out cause of misery
JUST one in three Britons (36%)
enjoy their job, revealed a recent survey. Reported The Daily
Mail on May 10: "Longer hours, the nightmare of commuting and
worries about job security make us some of the most miserable workers in
industrialised Europe." But obviously the picture is completely different
here in the happy, profit-friendly paradise of Worthing. A local poll showed
that 98% love their job, adore the council and are willing to lay down their
lives for economic growth and buoyant share prices. The other 2% are work-shy
scroungers and should be deported to Cuba, writes Scott Oldhat.
PORK-SCRATCHINGS
OPPOSITION is getting more militant in the
face of the massive wave of house-building being targeted at rural
Sussex by the Government and their mates in the construction industry and
meekly being accepted by local councils, who, for all their big words, are now
busy collaborating in picking out greenfield sites to be sacrificed on the
altar of profit. At a march and rally in Horsham on May 13, Tom Newell of
Sussex Direct Action called on people to "use any means"
to stop the concrete tide (Worthing Guardian May 19).
* * *
KILLING Brighton is the title of a four-page pamphlet just brought out along
the coast, explaining how "the spirit of the town is being deliberately
crushed by a big business agenda". Get a free copy by sending an sae to
Dream Power Pictures, PO Box 521, Hove, E Sussex BN3 6HY. Meanwhile, for your
regular news from our neighbouring urban sprawl don’t forget the
unbeatable radical weekly SchNEWS (1st class stamp/donation to
Justice? c/o on-the-fiddle PO Box 2600, Brighton, E Sussex BN12 2DX or from
schnews@brighton.co.uk or, for
loads of events, the monthly Brighton FIN (PO Box 2786,
Brighton).
* * *
TELLING coincidence of the month. Thursday May 18: The Worthing
Herald carries a story about fears of an A27 "overload" after the
Labour Government says it will allow 44-tonne lorries to use UK roads from
next year. Thursday May 18: A "horrific crash" involving an articulated
lorry occurs on the A27 at Patching (front page, The Worthing Guardian,
May 19).
* * *
MALCONTENTS and troublemakers of all sorts are bound to want a copy of the new
edition of The Agitator, an impressive 68-page directory of
autonomous radical groups, centres, bookshops etc in this country and beyond.
It’s even got The Pork-Bolter in it, so it must be good. You can get a
copy for just £1 plus postage from Haringey Solidarity Group, PO Box
2474, London N8.
* * *
WORTHING.eco-action continues to stage its excellent meetings at
7.30pm on the first Tuesday of each month at 42 Marine Parade (on the seafront
above Paiges bar). Following the June 6 meeting featuring the Simon
Jones Memorial Campaign against the use of cheap casual labour that
led to the death of young Simon at Shoreham Docks two years ago, the meeting
on July 4 welcomes a speaker from Mad Pride. Despite its name,
this innovative group talks a lot more sense than any conventional politician,
as it struggles to combat discrimination against those who have passed through
the tender care of the mental health system and sets out to "glorify madness
in all its forms". Its new book was "Pick of the Week" in The
Guardian last month.
Warning: politicians are not a joke
IN a statement released
this week, The Ministry of Obedience warned: "Politics is a
serious business. Sniggering at your elected representatives is both
unproductive and unpleasant. On a broader level, our research has revealed
that unnecessary joking and messing around at the workplace costs employers
£6 billion every year. This cannot be tolerated in a profit-conscious
democracy. That is why we are aiming to reduce UK laughter emissions by 35%
over the next three years. The Ministry is launching a massive Public
Information campaign to ram this message home, with the aid of new high-impact
slogans such as "Don’t Make Me Laugh - It’s More Than My
Job’s Worth" and "Humour - It Just Isn’t Funny".
Laughs of the summer swine - subscribe!
THE PORK-BOLTER is an
independent community newsletter for Worthing, brought out by individuals from
varied backgrounds who have become increasingly cynical about the way power is
wielded and maintained on a local and national level. Our aim is to shed some
light on the hypocrisy, corruption, lies and profiteering that normally
remains hidden behind the PR smokescreen that politicians call "democracy".
We’re not trying to persuade anyone to buy anything, vote for anyone or
join anything, just to look again at the society you see around you and reach
your own conclusions based on what you and the people you know have
experienced, not on what the papers or TV tell you is going on. If you want to
make sure of getting a copy of issue 29, simply send us a stamped
self-addressed envelope. To get the next six issues send a donation of at
least £2 to cover costs. Copies of back issues are still available.
Cheques/postal orders made payable to The Pork-Bolter. email
subscriptions also available. Drop us a line: porkbolter@eco-action.org or PO Box
4144, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7NZ. website: http://www.eco-action.org/porkbolter
Printed and published by The Pork-Bolter, PO Box 4144, Worthing BN14 7NZ.
No copyright - ie, we give you the right to copy us, you lucky people.
and finally ...You read it here first - Worthing is revolting!
