Avid readers of the Glossop Chronicle (yes, there are a few) will have noticed a couple of articles recently that have been incongruent (to say the least) with the current level of outrage at the arrogance of the leader of TMBC, Roy Oldham.
It was this publication that had the first report about the Mottram plaque (featuring Roy's house) , a far from critical effort, published before the furore that started on this blog and was picked up by everyone else.
As if to counter that, and unlike their counterpart the Advertiser, the Chronicle decided not to publish any dissent about the plaque and later on, published an article from Oldham's perspective about the 'fuss'.
The journalist who penned the story was one Nigel Pivaro. Recognise the name? Yes, it's the actor who formerly played the petty crook Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street. Who better then to interview Roy Oldham (far from, ahem, petty in any respect)?
A simple google of his name reveals that Pivaro would appear to like guns, especially those of the illegal variety. But cast aside visions of a portly Travis Bickle for one second - he now has a degree and a career in journalism. So what better place to start than the Glossop Chronicle? - a loyal friend to Oldham who have stuck by him and the council through thick and thin. In this backwater, they are to TMBC what the Telegraph is to the Tories - their house journal.
So last week, we were treated by Pivaro to a fawning, virtual full page-worth of flannel about Oldham's contribution to history. But the best bit of the whole load of drivel is this classic quote about how Oldham would like to remembered by the people of Tameside:
"that I ... protected their open spaces"
Pivaro clearly knows nothing about the area. Either that, or he's lying. For Oldham's history as Council leader has been to preside over the destruction of open spaces around Tameside, most infamously Ashton Moss, a veritable green lung, now a 'retail park'. And he's had his sights on Longdendale for years with this bypass. His kind of 'protection' has more in common with the Cosa Nostra than that of any environmentally conscious individual.
We'll be keeping an eye on Pivaro's articles in future...
3 comments:
Expect him to run for council very soon.
The last article on "Morgan Matters" in the Tameside Advertiser was very pro Roy Oldham too, so much in a way to try and calm the angry mob down and give "his" reasons as to why Roy Oldham should be on a map. Unfortunately, I do not have a scanner, otherwise I would publish it.
TMBC run their media dictatorship very nicely. By law they have to submit public notices in a local newspaper which can run into several thousands of pounds a week - a much needed lifeline for a local paper. Advertisements are shifted from one paper to the other over who is more "Labour friendly".
Is it possible to use the words "journalism" and "glossop chronicle" in the same sentence? An anachronism if ever there was one, and the last resting place of those unable to write balanced or even vaguely researched copy. Next stop for "Terry"? Surely the Sunday Sport: "Council Leader Declares Pigs Really DO Fly Over Longdendale". You heard it hear first.
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