On the day that the news agenda will be dominated by the Experian report commissioned by the BBC showing that the North of England will be hardest hit by the spending cuts – and we are invited to conjure up an image of unburied bodies, babies starving in the gutter, and frail old people freezing to death in the winter – I have also received a press release telling me of £500,000 to be spent urgently on a load of bollards.
I kid you not – Newcastle’s Northumberland Street (above) is apparently such a tempting ‘terrorist target’ that the council have called in experts from M15 to advise them how best to protect the street from car bombers.
The result is £500,000 to be spent on 100 heavy duty bollards to replace the ones pictured above.
Councillor Nick Forbes of Newcastle City Council said: “We live in uncertain times and unfortunately these measures have to be taken in order to protect the public.”
“I am sure we would all much rather we could rely on people to behave in the way we would expect but we have seen the devastation that can be caused by determined terrorists and it is important we take whatever steps are necessary to ensure this never happens in Newcastle.”
Remember this when Newcastle City Council starts crying that they cannot afford to feed the elderly in their care homes.
Grrr!
Anna is the landlady of the Raccoon Arms. She lives in the Monbazillac area of South West France and still takes a keen interest in British politics.
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Well, it might well stop a couple of kamikaze doctors in their Jeep of Fire, but it’ll do absolutely nothing against bombers wearing suicide vests, as we saw on 7/7, will it?
Is this by any chance a socialist council? Salting the earth after poisoning the wells? Of course, there could be no suggestion that the contract might be placed with a company with close connections to councillors?
The Penguin
yup – Newcastle must be high on the AQ target list………
words fail actually…….
Makes you wonder how they find people stupid enough to pay for this, doesn’t it ?
They call them tax payers…….
Involuntary donors.
Since when do bollards cost 5000 quid each?
I think I need to get into the bollard business.
Are they perchance protecting Newcastle City Council’s own offices? I can’t imagine there’s much else in Newcastle worth so much protection.
Perhaps Nick Forbes had better include the addition of some strong grilles in front of their plush pad, for when the duped voters of Newcastle realise why cuts to their services need to be so severe?
(I’d settle for a spike outside, for his head.)
Newcastle is controlled by the Lib-Dims. The local paper says that the street will be open to mobility scooters. Are you thinking what I am thinking? A councillor is also quoted as saying:
Got to keep the fear going, people.
CLOUD LAND CUCKOO
Rearrange the above words to make a well known phrase or saying.
But should a vested suicide bomber strike, will the emergency services be hampered by the bollards?
You’ve heard the news Joe – there won’t be any money to pay front line services – spent it all on bollards.
I wonder who owns the bollard factory……
“I wonder who owns the bollard factory
we are very fortunate that all these ‘terrorists’ have an lQ of zero. Jeez, just one with brains could bring the UK to a standstill.
Like Anna, l’d be interested to know what ties this ‘bollocks’ company has with Newcastle Council.
The most commonly used, globally, devices against car bombers are large concrete blocks. They cost little, can be easily made, can be moved by a pickup truck, or equivalent, if needed to allow emergency services, not pretty, but for Geordies, they can be papered over, papering cracks and stuff fools Geordies all the time.
Good old Northern graft. “That’s Councillor Duxbury Bollards Ltd, young man. Councillor Duxbury.”
“… it is important we take whatever steps are necessary to ensure this never happens in Newcastle.”
On this basis they must be proposing an almost infinite budget to employ thousands of wardens (PCSOs?) to check every person and car entering Newcastle for weapons / bombs / etc. on a 24/7 basis. How else can they “… ENSURE that this NEVER happens in Newcastle.” ?
Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
[i]These people[/i] have lost all sense of proportion and the language [i]these people[/i] come out with never stands up to scrutiny does it. It is a pale imitation of the mind games better politicians play – framing their side of any argument that makes anyone saying the opposite sound like the Devil himself.
I think it would be a more sensible idea in these cash-strapped days to put up some signs in Arabic, Parsi, Pushtu and Urdu saying ‘Suicide Bombers this way’ – and point them to the Council offices. It would save a fortune, and I’m sure the Geordies would be pleased.