bobby47

Bill, The way the Police are evolving, all the thief takers are retired and the ones that are left will be studying some pointless bloody graph or reading some analysis chart that is brightly coloured and says nothing other than, 'who did it?' The response will be to send a lovely Community Support Officer to cycle up and down or to deploy the local beat officer who lives miles away from the community he or she serves, In our day, the local copper lived in our community, he smoke, drank to much, you could knock on his door whenever you wanted and things got sorted out. Now, you've gotta phone Worcester or Warwickshire and try to hurdle all the barriers that prevent you speaking directly to a uniform that you recognise as being that of a Police Officer. Im moaning ain't I? My warmest regards.

The Police need to do a bit of old fashioned copper'ing, get a van and do some observations or at the very least start knocking on a few doors and use some covert camera's to catch these fools. My warmest regards.

Hello Colin, You might find that NFC is not a reference to a Football Club but a new and emerging graffiti tag that is commonly used in connection with New Field Communications which is something to do with Rap! The picture above Micks Post that has a top hat and the odd squiggle is definitely a graffiti tag.

You gotta feel for the Polish people who's nationality is being used as a focal point of this issue. Where I live in the City the Polish people are in a minority in terms of EU migrants settling. My neighbourhood has lots of Romanians, Bulgarians, Russians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians and lots of other nationalities. There are very few Polish people. I actually think and I may be completely wrong, that the focus falls upon the Polish people, obviously because a lot have settled in Hereford, but mainly because they are very hardworking, industrious and of course very business minded which means that the Polish people are at the forefront of this thinking. Shops and small businesses spring up in the name of Polish people who are trying for a new life and they become the target of this unsettling view that is becoming very worrying. That said, this problem ain't going to go away and our communities and Council Leaders have to start talking and addressing this issue. I'd like to see people coming together via football, music, politics and a joint feeling that all love living in Hereford and we all want to see it prosper. Dialogue is most definitely the answer. I spend a lot of time in the pubs. Alas, more time than I should spend drinking but, we all talk to oneanother. Me and the other local lads chat away to lots of people from Poland and other Countries and we discuss these issues and exchange views. None of us disagree. We are all friends and we enjoy one another's company discussing anything and everything. In my case is mostly drivel and tripe but nonetheless it's talking and getting to know another person and the views they hold.

Happy New Year Bill, Aint it madness! Whatever is going to become of our Hereford Society? My warmest regards to you.

M.Preece, Regarding your point about race and how we would react if this was aimed at say, black or Asian people you make a very good point and try as I might, I can't think of a single way that I can argue with you....but, like my lovely debate with Rebecca, I ain't entirely convinced the authors of this message are strictly speaking being racist. I am still of the view that this is politically motivated but I do accept that I am probably wrong. My very warmest regards to you.

Don't beat yourself up my good friend Colin. These signs are being defaced all the time and all over the place and sadly, I can see no end to it. The Council are cleaning them up and the Police are investigating them but until they do as M. Preece suggests and pop a camera on one of the many locations that are being targeted, they ain't going to get detected. A side issue to this saga, which isn't to distant from a civil liberty issue is that the Council, the Police and possibly the Hereford Times are not reporting these crimes to the general public. I would guess and say its because they do not wish to promote or acknowledge the idea there is any local civil unrest regarding this issue in Herefordshire. Of course, if that is the reason and its a noble cause, the problem is that the local authorities and the media are weeding at the coal face and between them they are deciding upon what news we should be given and what news we shouldn't be given. In other words, they decide what we can know and what we can be trusted to know.

And absolutely no offence has been taken Councillor. I'm so pleased that you felt comfortable and able to comment upon this issue. When I first began directing my ire at the Council, because I had no understanding of the leadership dynamic, I and others assumed that blame could be placed at the door of every Councillor elected into Office. Of course, nowadays, now we all are familiar with the way in which 'they' conduct themselves and deliver 'their' form of democracy, we now know that we were wrong and our demise and path to ruin is the fault of 'those' who have their clutching hands on the levers of power. In mitigation Glenda, I would say that because no light was shone upon the issue and the secretive manner in which 'they' conduct business, we had no option other than to work it out for ourselves. Now, through hard work and leaked information from within, we now understand the unholy and destructive dynamic that exists within that chaotic, deranged and deluded Council Leadership. My very warmest regards to you and thank you for jumping into the bear pit.

Mick, it's a waste of time. The Hereford Times get inundated with letters regarding this form of complaint. Nothing happens mate. Im one of the regular Posters and I've been hurling curses at the Council Leadership for as long as my deranged mind can remember. It's a pointless and futile excercise that only serves to make me feel less bloody depressed about the ruination that awaits all Herefordians. Our only hope is divine intervention. We need God or the Sweet Loving Jesus to take pity upon us and through supernatural wizardry, they spirit away the entire Council leadership to some other place where they can do less harm and allow us to pick up the shattered pieces of our once happy home. My very best wishes.

It's so bloody depressing! How on earth did we all arrive at this point? The real tragedy is that's its all done without a murmur of protest. People just suck it up and are apathetic to this and any other discussion regarding our plight and the enormity of the situation we now find ourselves in. I wish there was a eureka moment, a tipping point where people stood up and said,'enough' but it's never going to happen. You'd have thought that following the MP's expenses scandal things would have got better, people would have become more inquisitive, more politically motivated and more vocal in their dismay but, nothing! Not a peep. We are bloody doomed! My best regards pal.

Megilleland, Im somewhat shocked and slightly pleased that you didn't know this and I do mean this comment in the nicest possible way. You always strike me as a walking encyclopaedia and its refreshing to idiots like me that you don't know everything. As I understand it Councillors can opt in or out of their pension scheme. Some make contributions and some don't. It would be nice if a Councillor would jump into the bear pit and explain why this has been going on, for how long it's been going on and give us some idea of how much this costs us all.

My good friend, I've no idea whether or not the following will help you....The Noise Abatement Act which the Council are empowered to deal with is also an issue which the Human Rights Act can help you with, namely you and your family have the 'right' for a peaceful family life'. Clearly from what you describe, you and your kin are not enjoying a peaceful family life and you could very easily use the HRA as a rod to fight with. If you go to Citizens Advice, tell them your problem, they will arrange for you to see a solicitor who will give you one or two appointments pro bono. It won't cost you a penny. You tell him your problem, invoke the HRA as an instrument you are thinking of using and off you go. Give it a go if you fancy it. The appointment with the Solicitor will be at the CV offices behind the Town Hall.

I forgot to give an illustration of something I know about that is very relevant to the Pickles list. Councils up and down the Country used to employ their own team of handy men who'd have their own workshop and do this, that and the other. That all stopped when the 'new management style' arrived. The Council and private sector companies signed contracts and this work was given over to private companies who would come in when a lightbulb needed changing or some other type of maintenance work. These contracts are extremely lucrative and understandably they favour the private company rather than us. The Council are happy because they no longer have the bother of dealing with all of this. Anyway,...about five years ago a Council employee needed to install a landline phone in new premises. He phoned BT and arranged to have this line installed. The cost? about £170. This person informed his gaffer only to be told that this couldn't be done because the Council were contracted to some other company. This other company installed the landline phone. The cost? Over a thousand pounds.

Well, I've read the whole thing and I can assure you all it ain't something you'd pick up in an Airport Terminal to pass away the hours. It's thoroughly depressing, there are no amusing anecdotes and it don't offer up much hope for the future. That said, the list from Mr Pickles is entirely sensible and it should be implemented immediately. In fact, that list should be common practice 'now' and the fact that this list was ever drawn up in the first bloody place simply goes to illustrate just how out of control Councils and other public service bodies have become during the past fifteen years. How on earth did we ever arrive at this point? Here's my shot at answering my own bloody question. Many years ago the Council and other public services recruited and paid low wages. People took these jobs because they were safe, they were for life and at the end, that employee had a great pension. Then the madness set in! Along came New Labour who recognised public servants wages were low, loads of money was thrown at these public services and over time the Council became a fat bloated self serving job creation excercise who began to forget it was our money believing it was there's to do as they pleased. They became detached from reality, spent on this, that and the other and along the way created jobs that were pointless and provided nothing for you and I. During this time they began to chant their mantra, 'if we want the best from the private sector we've got to pay the best' and the madness continued. Huge numbers were recruited, huge wages were dished out and very soon after we the public began to serve them rather than them serving us. Consequently, he we are today. Scratching our heads wondering where it all went wrong and how did this all happen. The tragedy is that now this bubble has well and truly burst good people are going to lose their jobs. Their lives will never be the same again and why? Because of reckless leadership and reckless spending. This chaotic and deranged Council need to quickly grasp this stinging nettle and begin to implement these savings. As painful as it is and is going to be, this has to be done and done quickly. My warmest regards.

Yes! I'm going to do two things before I sit back and peruse that jolly read. Firstly, I'll get my wife to hide my small derringer pistol in case I feel the need to blow my brains out after discovering the enormity of our problems and secondly I'll get drunk. My warmest regards.

Well done lad. In time, once Ive digested the full implications of this communications from dear old Eric, I'll probably Post a more constructive comment. For the time being, I'll say this....We in Herefordshire are already fiscally skint and our Council Leadership are borrowing funds here, there and everywhere to fund their chaotic, deranged and badly thought out plans which are rapidly bringing about our ruin. The one thing all you readers can be sure of is, this information is probably the most important piece of 'new fiscal reality' information that will be put before you all to read, digest and fully understand. In short, we are already 'broke' and this news will bring about changes that we all will find hard to bear. I do, respectfully suggest that you read this, get your head around our predicament and think! This is really bad news and it will affect your future and that of your children.

Colin, Go onto the Hereford Times site and find the 'Letter's' page.

And my best wishes to you. Well done for fighting your corner and making your point. It's such a good thing that these issues that can be so destructive to a future social and community cohesion are discussed openly. Who knows? Maybe our exchange will encourage others of all ethnic groups to talk. That's the way forward.

Rebecca, And you are probably right Rebecca and that means I am probably wrong. My very warmest regards to you.

Rebecca, You've found me out. I am clutching at straws but being sarcastic should not equal racism. My very best regards to you.

Rebecca, I more or less agree with all you have said other than the racism issue, which I concede I may be wrong about. My point is these fools have simply sprayed 'Poland' on the sign. Two vowels and three consonants. It's word. The name of a Country. Why does it have to be concluded that its a racist remark. The clumsy point Im trying to illustrate is that because of social engineering we all see things very differently than we once did. I honestly think there is room to argue that spraying Poland after the word Welcome doesn't necessarily mean its racist. My warmest regards.

Rebecca, In a rather odd way, I'd actually argue with you regarding your description of these people as 'sad racists'. Are they sad? Yep. But are they actually and really racist in the true sense of the word? I really ain't so sure they are racist. Within the definition of the Criminal Law and particularly the provisions of the Public Order Act you are right. They are most definitely racist and if caught they'd most certainly be convicted for causing criminal damage with aggravating factors, namely to incite hatred of a minority group. But, given the way our society is nowadays after years of social engineering by the past few governments and the fact that nobody is allowed to express their view on this type of issue, this form of protest, albeit idiotic, wrong and unlawful is a form of expression and a clear statement saying, 'we've had enough'. My argument is a stupid one I know. On the one hand Im acknowledging you are right but on the other Im putting myself in the mindset of the fools that are doing this and saying that they may not be 'true stereotypical racists' but a group who feel strongly that they have no voice and must take a form of positive action. I don't believe these people dislike the Polish people or any other East European group. I believe they have the little England mindset and they want their Country to remain as it once was. That's why I conclude they are sad, foolish criminals who shame themselves and the rest of us but they ain't racist.

Hello Victor, Thank you so much for your response. In your Posting you've implied that Im somewhat naive for thinking Hereford is alone in suffering this form of illicit activity. I've read my Posting and I've not said that or implied that. You've pulled it up out of thin air and suggested these are my thoughts. I've no idea why you would want to do that. You suggest that we should simply close the doors because we are full up. I would not want us to do that or even consider breaking the EU laws. For my part we are in the EU and whilst we are within their jurisdiction we have to comply with the laws that we have signed up to. I also don't think that this would be a helpful message to our EU partners or the good people from East Europe. As for your time spent in Germany I know you are right because I to have some experience of that but our presence in that Country was as you know entirely down to World War 2 and the Cold War between us in the West and Eastern Europe and had nothing to do with demographics and migratory changes that have happened because of the EU. You ask the question,'uncomfortable for who'?. Im with you on this. I like the people of East Europe but our feelings ain't really the point of my Posting. You and I might be happy that our society has undergone a rapid change but the truth is that we are in a minority. People all across Hereford feel very hurt by this change that they never asked for and it's this growing anger that germinates the fools who are going around the County and protesting. And this defacing of road signs is exactly that. It's a protest by people who feel they have no voice. I in no way agree or have any sympathy with their stupid actions but I can see why they feel they have no voice because no local political leaders will broach the subject and deal with this problem. As for the future, the austerity cuts in Greece and Spain are soon going to kick in and the young generation will soon leave their homeland and perhaps settle here. I don't blame these good people at all. I'd do exactly the same thing. In January, 2014, both Romania and Bulgaria will have completed their accession into the EU and these good people will be on the move and it's likely that many will settle here in the UK. Again, who can blame them. I'd be doing exactly the same thing. I want this! I want our leaders to recognise this growing problem, use their positions of influence and create a better social and community cohesion that sees us all living side by side at ease with one another. Putting it simply Victor, Im tired of hearing everyone and his dog moaning and groaning about our new reality and I fear that unless something positive is done things will get worse. There are ways to bring people together. Sport, Music. The Arts and dialogue. That's what I want.

This Road Sign is one of many that have been defaced across the entire County during the last few weeks and months. Im fairly sure that a Police Inspector recently described one such offence in Leominster as something akin to a prank. This ain't no prank. This is most certainly no prank. This is the work of fools who have become increasingly intolerant to our East European visitors and sadly, this intolerance is growing within our society and thus far, nothing is being said or done to try and correct our course and promote some good and healthy social cohesion. Some might say, lock them up, brand them bigots and racists and throw away the key. I can most certainly go along with that view but.........We have to grasp this stinging nettle and understand that this feeling of intolerance is growing and is becoming more overt than we would like. The reality is that when several thousand people from different Countries and Cultures arrive within a very short space of time there will be consequences. The reason these fools are doing this and taking this stupid course of action is because they resent this huge social change to their community and they feel that no one person will say anything to represent their views. Whichever way you think or whichever way you dress this very sensitive issue, the only way we can deal with this is to start talking openly about this rapidly growing and very uncomfortable problem. My very warmest regards.

An excellent response Frank lad. Thoughtful, articulate and imaginative. You've cleverly used five letters then put them together in a sequence to come up with the word 'weird'. It's called satire Frank. It's not meant to be overtly funny but intended only to grab the attention of the reader and make them 'think'. I've clearly failed in your case and I can only apologise Frank and tell you that in future, unless of course I blow my brains out, I'll confine my ramblings to weeds, pot holes and all the other interesting events that take place in and around our community. My very warmest regards to you.