Issue 25 - March 2001
Sussex Police reveal protesters’ new secret weapon ...
YES, IT’S RIOT GRRRAN!
IT must be
jolly stressful to be a top cop with Sussex Police in this day and age, but
poor Assistant Chief Constable Tony Lake is clearly now one rubber bullet
short of a full baton round. In a letter to the Evening Argus (February 22),
Mr Lake defended the police’s treatment of protesters opposed to
Shamrock Farm monkey holding centre at Small Dole, near Henfield. He bizarrely
condemned "extremists who seek out older and less agile protesters to use as
‘human shields’ to escape arrest and provoke confrontation"! Even
more eccentrically, he claimed that there have never been any "riot police" at
Shamrock, with people under the false impression that police tooled up in riot
gear amounts to the same thing. Cynics might ask whether Mr Lake really thinks
older people have somehow been tricked into opposing Shamrock and are so
stupid they can be "used". They might also suggest that he is really just
rather frustrated that at Shamrock his non-riot squads cannot merrily weigh
into groups of younger protesters, who they can always get away with
portraying as violent trouble-makers... But we’re having none of that!
No, we applaud Mr Lake for exposing the growing menace of "rent-a-granny" mobs
deployed by evil protesters. And we can also assist him with his confusion
over what is a riot cop and what isn’t. A reader has sent us a cutting
from a Daily Telegraph supplement (January 25) with the commendably truthful
title of Business Benefits from Technology (The Luddites could have told them
that much...) This features a charming article about a company called Civil
Defence Supply which is doing awfully well thanks to its Internet site selling
"police and security specialist products" (http://www.civil-defence.org if
you’re interested, Mr Lake). Their splendid illustration shows "an elite
riot officer" equipped with the full fetishistic range of the firm’s
first-class products, including stuff like handy Leather Riot Gloves (quite
different from non-riot gloves, of course) and a lovely baton for smashing
people’s heads in. If any wishy-washy liberal types think all this is
rather over the top, think again we also show here the fearful might of the
Elite Riot Grrran being used by protesters, against which the police must
obviously be protected. Only one question mark remains who was Mr Lake
referring to when he wrote of "cowardly thugs" involved in the Shamrock
conflict? Surely he doesn’t mean those non-riot blokes with crash
helmets and nasty big sticks?
Council breaks its own rules
ANYONE who has tried to get
Worthing Library to display publicity material for a good cause will know how
difficult it can be. Anything deemed in the least bit "political" is simply
not allowed official space for instance, material produced by environmental
charity Friends of the Earth calling for National Park status for the South
Downs. But, as usual, it turns out the rules don’t apply to you if you
happen to be the political party running the council that happens to run the
library! And The Pork-Bolter can reveal that the Tories in charge of West
Sussex County Council are using Worthing and other libraries to peddle their
latest propaganda leaflets against National Park status for the South Downs
flagrantly breaking their own rules! In fact, we reckon they are breaking them
in three different ways. The library service leaflet on the subject, Posters
and Leaflets (1999), explicitly bans "religious or political materials",
"material of a campaigning nature" and "multiple copies of magazines or
newsletters for distribution". The county council’s glossy green A4
sheet "Keep Planning Local" falls foul of all of these. Thousands of copies of
this deceitful drivel are being put out through libraries, and the content is
blatantly political and campaigning, presenting a totally one-sided view of
the National Park issue, thinly disguised as a "Question and Answer" type
leaflet. "Does National Park status mean greater protection for the South
Downs landscape against development?" the county council Tories ask
themselves. ‘NO’ they reply in big bold type, against all the
evidence. "Would the Downs be better off if planning powers were transferred
to a National Park Authority?" they then ask themselves. ‘NO’ is
again the unbiased non-campaigning, non-political reply. Thirdly they ask:
"Would a traditional National Park work well along the South Downs?".
Coincidentally, the answer to this one also turns out to be ‘NO’.
What a surprise. The reason for all this propaganda is, of course, that the
vast majority of the local public support a National Park. Yet again, the
arrogant authorities’ response to public opinion is not to listen to it,
to be guided by it, but to try and manipulate and alter it so that it fits in
with their own little power-seeking agendas. That’s how our phoney
"democracy" always works. Adur District Council, with a Labour administration,
is reporting the county council to the District Auditor for using council tax
payers’ money on a political campaign through these "misleading" Keep
Planning Local leaflets (Evening Argus, February 16) and we wish them luck (in
this instance!). But in the meantime we are asking you lot out there to renew
your acquaintance with the library, give them chapter and verse on why
they’re in the wrong and tell them it’s long overdue they brought
themselves to book!
Fat Cats cream off our tax money
WORTHING Borough Council has
announced an exciting plan to "redirect finance" – straight into the
grasping hands of Fat Cat businesses. The admission came at the end of a
report in the Worthing Guardian (February 11) about yet another
above-inflation increase in council tax. Steve Waight, the council’s
policy and resources committee chairman, chose the occasion to announce a
thrilling "change of direction for Worthing." He said: "Economic development
will be an area of major change in support. We will be redirecting funds into
ensuring that Worthing remains a profitable place in which to do business and
into attracting new businesses to the borough." Readers will recall that
Worthing has already been named "most profitable" (rather than prosperous!)
town in the UK thanks to the low wages paid locally, but this is obviously not
enough for Mr Waight and his Tory chums. Once again, this is Robin Hood in
reverse – stealing from the poor (by taxing them) to give to the
stinking rich parasites who pull our politicians’ strings.
Hands up if you hate Beecham’s!
WORTHING residents can
probably think of a number of grounds on which SmithKline Beecham could be
criticised. There’s the smells and substances it leaks into our air and
water, for instance, the huge profits combined with ever-present threat of
massive redundancies, the public footpath across the edge of its site that it
wants the county council to block off for "security" reasons (Worthing
Guardian, February 18) etc etc. But worst of all could be the information that
it makes its workers (mostly on insecure short-term contracts) put up their
hands when they want to go to the toilet. Who said the days of the workhouse
were over?
Porky Pie’s Top Tip of the Month!
HOW TO MAKE DEMOCRACY
MODERN AND FLEXIBLE
- If the public insists on having opinions you don’t approve of, feed
them constant lies and bullshit to try and make them change their minds.
- If the public wants to vote for a candidate you don’t approve of,
use ANY MEANS to try and stop him standing.
- If all else fails, send in the tanks!
Licensed to avoid TV tax
DID you know that if you only ever
watch videos on your telly you don’t have to have a license? We’ve
got this from the horse’s mouth, following a reader’s exchange of
letters with TV Licensing’s customer relations department. A chap there
called Tim Jones wrote on February 10: "For the purpose of television
licensing, someone who uses a television solely for watching pre-recorded
videos is considered to be a non-user. This is to say that they do not receive
broadcast signals for which a license is required." If you don’t believe
us you can phone them and check on 0117 921 9111.
Dates for doing something
TUESDAY MARCH 7: Talk and video on
Seattle protests by SchNews team. 42 Marine Parade, Worthing (upstairs from
Paiges), 7.30pm.
SATURDAY MARCH 11: Protest against "Prevention of Terrorism Bill", Montague
Place, Worthing, 1pm.
SUNDAY MARCH 12: National demonstration against Shamrock Farm, Small Dole, 12
noon.
TUESDAY APRIL 4: Video evening hosted by Worthing.eco-action, 42 Marine
Parade, Worthing (upstairs from Paiges), 7.30pm.
PORK-SCRATCHINGS
THREE cheers for the super new gas-fired
power station being built at Shoreham. No nasty smoke will be belching from
the new chimney, we’re told, just an "almost invisible heat haze". Sadly
though, that haze will be packed full of CO2, which will increase global
warming, raise sea levels and could poignantly result in the seafront
monstrosity being swept away by the floods it helped cause!
* * *
THE official word on the Norwich Union/CGU insurance merger is that
jobs are not likely to be at risk. But we’ve heard a rather different
story - that the work done in Worthing is already covered by CGU in its
Yorkshire offices and the whole place could well be shut down! Watch this
space for developments.
* * *
THE campaign against the new oppressive "Prevention of Terrorism"
Bill, which absurdly reclassifies terrorism to include non-violent protesting,
is gathering ground in Worthing. Contact Worthing Against the Terror Bill c/o
PO Box 4144, Worthing BN14 7NZ for very latest news (see protest date above).
* * *
A CHARMING illustrated collection of poems by local writer Jacqueline
Deeks has just been published to help Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital. It is
available for £2.85 by post, payable to Brent Lodge, from its address at
Cow Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, West Sussex PO2 7LN. Please mark envelope
"Poetry Book".
HM Government Terrorism Warning
READING this newsletter will
qualify as an act of terrorism under forthcoming legislation, warns a
spokesman for the Ministry of Freedom, who cannot be named because he does not
exist. He explained: "Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act any person
endangering anyone’s safety, including their own, will be classed a
Terrorist. If our Non-Riot Police Officers see a Suspect reading this
particular item they will undoubtedly feel provoked and will be sorely tempted
to smash the Suspect’s head in. The Suspect will therefore have
endangered his or her own safety and must in fact be a Terrorist. Therefore
any force used is retrospectively justified in the interests of preventing
Terrorism. It’s as easy as that when the Law is on your side!"
Reach for the sty - subscribe!
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