'Fake Purnell' on the loose in Tameside

The media are all over the Stalybridge & Hyde MP James Purnell. It seems that the MP has been 'photoshopped' into a photo-opportunity at Tameside Hospital for this week's press that he didn't actually attend (dutifully carried by the Glossop Chronicle/Tameside Reporter).

And as we've been noting over the past few months, Purnell's staff love to mess with the internet. We chronicled how a member of Purnell's staff, Longdendale Councillor Sean Parker-Perry, had been behind the now dormant 'roadmunkey' weblog and was extremely active in altering wikipedia articles about his boss, as well as other articles like the Longdendale Bypass (some bright spark has begun to chronicle these edits here).

We wonder has this will all turn out for Purnell and his minions? We'll add more when time allows...

**10.30 p.m. update - the story's set to run, with Purnell employing the 'broken record' approach with Gordon Burns on tonight's North West Tonight (video below) - very reminiscent of Michael Howard vs Jeremy Paxman! Contradictions abound and Purnell is on the ropes. But will the media latch on to the equally dodgy meddlings of his underlings?

Cutting off your nose to spite your face

A new report released yesterday revealed that 71% of workers in the UK travel by car. What's more, the report's authors urged both the government & employers to encourage people to use their cars less.

The report was compiled using data from DEFRA and the DfT and revealed that 1 in 10 workers spend more than 2 hours in their cars to travel an average commute of 8.7 miles (that's a speed of less than 5 miles per hour - it's almost quicker to walk).

What's more, the North West of England was found to be the most hazardous region to travel in terms of collision rates, travel times and levels of CO2.

The report's authors? Those well known tree-huggers the RAC.

It comes to something when an organisation that exists to capitalise from the motor industry (and not 'motorists' who are fictional constituency) is calling for alternatives.

Yesterday's North West Tonight devoted a fair slice of their programme to this report, and contrasted it with the daily experience of rail commuters in the region who are precariously packed like sardines into trains each morning and evening (see below). This truly ridiculous state of affairs could indicate that either demand for the railways is growing fast, or that the network is seriously underfunded and neglected - or both.

And all of this relates perfectly to the Longdendale Bypass. If the conundrums and contradictions that capitalism produces never cease to amaze you, then you'll love the fact that the National Grid want to use the Woodhead Tunnels to store cables, a plan which will jeopardise the use of the tunnels for the purpose for which they were built - train travel. That's the same National Grid that have objected to the bypass (you can their objections here and here) on the grounds that it will harm their assets and infrastructure. The cynical bastards want to have their cake and eat it.

But if you want even more cynical bastards you can take your pick. As we've reported before, High Peak Borough Council are against the plans for Woodhead Tunnel, but for the bypass. Tom Levitt is silent, but this lick-spittle is only reflecting the silence of his masters - Ruth 'Cilice' Kelly has remained silent about the issue. And you would have thought that Roy Oldham would have been up in arms about it - he was energised enough in 1980 about the closure of the Woodhead Line to appear at the Public Inquiry to protest.

The conspiracy of silence over this potential act of desecration only fools those who look to these people for leadership. We are facing a future where the car is clearly going nowhere, both metaphorically and literally in years to come. We need another way, and those campaigning for roads have misread the signs leading only to oblivion.

Pull the other one...

It won't have escaped anyone's notice, but last week the Public Inquiry was adjourned unexpectedly for the second time. The Inquiry will briefly reconvene on November 6th, giving the Highways Agency time to re-work some of their evidence, and then again on December 18th to deal with the rest of it. The Objectors will now have to wait until 2008 to present their evidence again.

At this stage, it would seem to naive to believe anything other than that this is a tactical charade by the Highways Agency. By the time their case is over, they will have had nearly 2 years to formulate their case to bring before the public - so one questions if that is really the problem. Unlike the State, the Objectors do not have bottomless pockets to fund their part in this charade, and individual objectors can get fed up with the constant delays. The Highways Agency want to turn everyone off with their slow, grinding misery of an approach.

And, of course, the Inspector lets them carry on with it. At the Inquiry, he has been largely subservient to their whims. Faced with complaints, he can only offer Objectors a bit more time to change their evidence, and makes vague references that Objectors can point out how they have been disadvantaged by the actions of the HA, and that he will take a view when writing his report. This is cold comfort.

In a Court of Law, the actions of the Highways Agency may well by now have been regarded as 'abuse of process', and their case may have been dismissed. But not here.

And it seems that both sides are in agreement that this thing needs to be wrapped up. Channel M dutifully reported on matters once more (see above), and that's the impression one gets from their report. But it does have some anomalies.

In it, Mike Flynn of the Longdendale Siege Comittee puts in an appearance again. Standing but a stroll away from his house on Wedneshough Green in Hollingworth, he laments the time it is all taking. Notice how he's nowhere near the Inquiry. As we've pointed out before, he's prepared to mouth platitudes for Television and his best mates at the Reporter Group Newspapers, but he hasn't the bottle to stand up at the Inquiry and tell us all why he wants this road. What a Weasel...

The second problem is that the video shows Brookfield near Hadfield when talking about 'diverting traffic away from the villages of Mottram, Tintwistle and Hollingworth'. What's more, it's traffic heading into Glossop, and away from the area. Pull the other one, it's got bells on...

Glossop Critical Mass - on video

As promised, video-pixies have finished their work on the video of the first Glossop Critical Mass, and the world premiere is here!

One thing to note - this week's Glossop Chronicle has tried to play down the Critical Mass by saying there were 'less than a dozen' present. Not so, there were 14 taking part (including one very small non-cycling passenger) which is in our opinion is a pretty damn good start, garnering a lot of attention. We're sure there will be far more next time.

Critical Mass - success!

Last Friday saw a dozen people attend for the inaugural Glossop Critical Mass. Glossop had seen nothing like it - all kinds of cyclists, including a mobile sound system, with people coming from as far afield as Manchester and Trafford (cycling all the way to Glossop and back from it!) to attend. Plus some friends from Glossop Kinder Velo.

We certainly attracted a lot of attention - along with a van load of police and a motorcycle policeman. We're clearly doing something right.

And the press attention has followed in its wake - today's Manchester Evening News gave away a half page article and photo, along with a page on their website. The latter is attracting a fair amount of debate (with predictable comments from petrolheads), so please feel free to join in.

The organisers, Road Alert Glossop, are keen to repeat the event in the not too distant future, although next month's clock changes mean Friday evenings will be out until 2008.

We are told that video-pixies were present to film some of the proceedings, and that a film will follow soon...

Critical Mass - Glossop to Swallows Wood: this Friday 14th September

A reminder that this Friday, 14th September sees the inaugural Critical Mass for the area, organised by fellow campaigners Road Alert Glossop .

The Critical Mass has already received local press coverage, and the group have a thriving myspace page which is attracting a lot of support. Here's their press release:

We're staging a Critical Mass bike ride on 14th September 2007, to celebrate Car Free Day and to demonstrate that bikes and people should be catered for on our roads, not just cars and traffic.

We'll be setting off from Glossop train station at 5.30 pm and will be riding out to Swallow's Wood near Tintwistle where we'll stop at a local pub. The wood is threatened by a new bypass they are planning to build between Mottram and Tintwistle.

The route is fairly flat and about 4 miles in total. It's suitable for riders of all types. Please bring a bike and wear high vis clothing.

Our aim is not to stop traffic but to make the presence of bikes on the roads more visible so please be aware of other traffic and road users.

Please make some time to support this great development in the campaign against the bypass.

9/11 - for the Highways Agency & TMBC - exclusive

You can read it here before you'll read it anywhere else, but today brings news that the Highways Agency have chosen today (of all days) to announce at the Public Inquiry that they had done their sums seriously wrong. Again.

Stephen Greenhalgh, the leader of the Highways Agency team, took his place to explain how their figures regarding traffic were incorrect, and that this meant that a whole slew of their other evidence would have to be reviewed alongside this, as well as Tameside's for the Spur. His words:

"I consider it to be a fundamental issue"

And so do we. It's clear that they've been rumbled (they admitted that the evidence of an objector had made them think again) - their 'back of fag packet' sums are a sure sign that they want this road and to hell with the science, ecology, pollution, the whole lot: "just do anything to get this road through". There's little doubt that's been said by someone, somewhere.

The Inquiry has now been adjourned to next Wednesday 19th September, when they will explain how much of their evidence has been 'written off'.

So this sham which they have been spinning for months now takes another twist - and it will certainly not be over in 2007. Their credibility is fatally flawed, and if this road is legally allowed to go ahead who the hell will believe it is a 'just decision', whatever that means.

They may as well start work now for all the difference it will make...

***update, 12/09/2007: the MEN are carrying the story today, and others are trumpeting the story as an 'MEN exclusive' - ppffft!!

Traffic congestion: Tameside leads the way (& wants yet more)

A delicious irony appeared in national and regional press today. The Campaign for Better Transport (aka Transport 2000 - yes, they realised the millennium was 7 years ago) issued a press release about their research into government stats which illustrate some shocking facts about the ever-ongoing growth of congestion and car culture.

The government predicts that traffic will increase by 30% over the next 20 years, with 5.7 million extra vehicles being on the road by 2031. Is it any wonder then that Labour has done an abrupt volte-face since 1997 and is spawning a massive road-building programme?

And it seems that Greater Manchester is the worst area with - wait for it - Tameside showing the fastest growth over the past 10 years (38.6%). So what's Roy Oldham, got to say about it?:

"We have great amounts of cross-Pennine traffic as well as people making their way to the Peak District.

Over the past decade, thousands of people have bought homes in Derbyshire and the only way for them to get into Manchester is through Tameside - cars are nose to tail in the morning and evening.

The Peak District also has more than 21 million visitors a year, which further adds to congestion. We need better public transport systems with some regulation by the councils as well as park-and-ride systems which really work."

So it's the fault of the Peak District? It is surprising that Roy hasn't taken the opportunity to underline this is a reason why Longdendale needs a Bypass. But he's surely looking in the wrong direction, for the M60 and Ashton Moss provide part of the answer to this conundrum. And it's common sense to state that building extra road capacity generates extra traffic (though it's a fact hotly contested by the devious and thick-as-pigshit alike).

Need we also remind people that in 1980, Roy Oldham appeared at the Public Inquiry into the closure of the Woodhead railway line, lamenting that it would spell vast increases in traffic from across the pennines? We've blogged before about this before, but it's worth restating that this man now advocates a new road that will increase the traffic problems from that direction. Like his Party, he's also done a volte-face with regard to his position on transport.

What is at stake? Road transport is a key contributor to climate change through CO2 emissions: indeed, it's the only sector where the government predicts emissions will rise. Their response? To massively increase the road building programme. Roy Oldham and Tameside MBC clearly wholeheartedly agree.

But this cannot go on. Putting the discussion about solutions to one side, expansion of the road network cannot go on, neither can the increase in car ownership - or at least it cannot be allowed to. The way things stand is that Longdendale could turn out to be the crucible in which the battle over the future road transport policy is fought. Alongside our collective attitude to the environment. And alongside our attitudes to our collective green space (i.e. the National Parks). What else is at stake (and what underpins it all) will be discussed on this blog as time goes on...

Look who came to dinner!

There are times when you know you're obviously having an effect due to the type of visitors you're getting.

And yesterday, we had a visit from one of the biggest villains in terms of roadbuilding - Balfour Beatty. To make it even sweeter, they weren't just browsing - they were looking for us (via Google). Our reputation is clearly spreading far and wide...

Do as I say, & not as I do...

Everyone in Tameside - and beyond - has reason to be disappointed with this Public Inquiry. Why?

Well, it seems that the biggest local advocates for this bypass - that is Roy Oldham and his brother-in-law Mike Flynn, Chairman of the Longdendale Siege Committee - will not be appearing to give evidence in support of it. This is clear because phase 2 of the PI is about to start, and the case for the Promoters and Supporters is over.

So when they mewl and puke in the press, as did Flynn in last week's Glossop Chronicle, about the weakness of Objector's evidence and the strength of theirs, it is all crap. Because if they are so sure of their case, why are they not prepared to go on public record to defend it?

What have they go to hide? Why are they so afraid?

After all, wasn't this their golden opportunity, their moment? Let's face it, they're both getting on in years - especially Oldham - & there won't be another opportunity. And for those who think this bypass is a good idea, it would give Oldham and Flynn huge cachet in their eyes were they to have the guts to defend it in public. Instead, it's not to be, and Flynn is urging 'supporters' to turn up and ask 'hard questions' of objectors (which is actually not possible now - he hasn't been paying attention, or attending for that matter). But he is not prepared to do so himself.

We know that Mike Flynn did not produce a statement of case or proof of evidence. Indeed, he did not even write in to support the bypass - what odd behaviour from a 'spokesperson'/chairperson.

And we know Oldham submitted a Statement of Case/Proof of Evidence - so why doesn't this appear on the PI website? His fellow Longdendale councillors have done so - has the programme officer overlooked Oldham's evidence, forgotten to scan it and upload it? It seems unlikely.

In the absence of any reasonable explanation, we can only infer that they are spineless, and don't believe their evidence will stand up. They prefer to leave it to the professionals such as the barristers who are as adept at using smoke and mirrors in the PI environment as Oldham and Flynn are in the press. We recognise them for what they are, and so should everyone else.

Roy Oldham's biggest fan: Terry Duckworth

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...

Climate Camp - report

Representatives from our campaign attended the Camp for Climate Action two weeks ago after accepting an invitation from the organisers to facilitate a workshop on 'Roads and Climate Change'.

We delivered the workshop alongside fellow campaigners from the 'No Widening M1' campaign to an enthusiastic audience who included members of other campaigns such as Protect our Woodlands (Save Titnore Woods). We talked about our respective campaigns, as well as the history of road construction in the UK, what and whose purposes it serves and discussed methods we can use to fight road expansion in future.

Contrary to the portrayal in the mainstream media, the Camp was a hugely positive place with a vibrant atmosphere, making huge efforts to be environmentally sustainable. The reaction of the government, police and corporations like BAA to this event tells us we are doing something right - that the future does not mean 'business as usual' because 'business as usual' is a threat to our continued existence.

If you missed the mainstream media coverage, and want to view this alongside videos produced by activists (free of corporate bias, lies and disinformation), visit our YouTube channel.

Carillion to start work on the bypass in a jiffy...

Parking domain

Following on from the last post, inside the Highways Agency booklet, there are contact details provided for comments about the scheme on page 2 - the Highways Agency seem to have based themselves at the Civic Hall.

But what is most intriguing is the email domain of the provided contact person susan.yates@a57mottram.co.uk. Enter that domain into Nominet's 'whois' service, and you get this:

Domain name:
     a57mottram.co.uk

 Registrant:
     Carillion Plc

 Registrant type:
     Unknown

 Registrant's address:
     24 Birch Street
     Wolverhampton
     WV1 4HY
     GB

 Registrar:
     NetNames Limited [Tag = NETNAMES]
     URL: http://www.netnames.co.uk

 Relevant dates:
     Registered on: 23-May-2007
     Renewal date:  23-May-2009

Yes, Carillion, the main contractor for the bypass. Seemingly joined at the hip with the Highways Agency. And notice when it was registered. Before the PI even started.

But what's the idea behind the domain a57mottram.co.uk? Are Carillion cybersquatting, banking on the road being built and 'parking' the domain to promote the new road and any new developments alongside it? Developers could pay a lot for that domain in future to help highlight any Ashton Moss-like towers of shit they want to construct in the area.

One thing is for sure - they are convinced enough that this road will go ahead to register the domain. A small cost for a big company, but then they speculate to accumulate.

Greenwash

The Highways Agency's latest publication about the bypass is interesting for a number of reasons.

Several people have proposed alternative road schemes for the bypass, and these have been collected in a booklet which is available as a PDF from the Public Inquiry website.

They range from the interesting and worthy of attention (alternative 1, page 4), to the frankly bonkers (920m tunnel under a hillside! - alternative 2, page 6), to the comparable with or worse than the existing scheme (alternative 4, page 10).

The most interesting aims to circumvent congestion by banning HGVs and creating a 'gyratory flow' system - stopping up some local roads, constructing very little new roadspace and removing traffic lights which create delays.

But the HA is keen to point out next to each one that they do not support each proposal. No matter, it's cost them time & money, and the 1990s remind us that a plethora of such tactics kill road schemes.

And there's also some psychology at work here. The front cover has a photo of standing traffic. The implication could be construed that these alternatives are bad, really bad, and lead to more traffic.

But the best bit is reserved for the back cover. On it, they proudly proclaim 'printed on recycled paper containing 75% post consumer waste and 25% ECF pulp.' Thank fuck they have somehow managed to do their bit for the environment...

Why Swallow's Wood is so important

The nature walk organised by Save Swallow's Wood took place today on a day of changeable weather. 12 people attended, and the weather was clement enough to hold the picnic afterwards.

The group split into 2, one group led by local expert Pat Ellison, the other by ecologist Phil Martin. We filmed the highlights of Phil's tour of the Nature Reserve & wood, and plan to edit them into a series of short videos for upload to our channel on YouTube.

In this first video, Phil explains why Swallow's Wood is so important and must be protected from the bypass that threatens it.

Climate Camp 2007

The news has been full of the protest camp at this year's Camp for Climate Action. We wholeheartedly support the camp, and believe it is an increasingly important forum for debate and action to highlight the threat posed by climate change.

For those who want to learn more, the Climate Camp homepage is the best place to start. Indymedia also have a page with links to multimedia about the camp and events from a underground & independent viewpoint.

A page of YouTube videos - from activists and mainstream media reports - is featured here.

The Guardian's live newsblog for day one of the camp is here, and their Environment page live blog for Tuesday is here.

Watch this space for more info later in the week...

'Motorway by Stealth'

A blast from the past - the above cartoon and the following article were from the magazine of the Ramblers Association ('Rucksack') published in Autumn 1974. It's as prescient now as it was at the time.

An unusual amount of attention has focussed upon the inquiry into the Denton bypass, a 1 1/2 mile stretch of motorway near Manchester, designed - so the DOE says - to relieve traffic congestion in Denton itself. The reason for this attention is that it is widely feared that this is the first part of the feared Manchester-Sheffield motorway, which would tear through the heart of the public access land in the Peak District National Park.

As we have seen in the case of the M16 across Epping Forest, the DOE has adopted the familiar old trick of publishing its plans for the whole motorway in short stretches and of securing authority for the least contentious section first of all. This strengthens their hand at the inquiry into the most contentious stretch.

However, this time the objectors have jumped in at an early stage. Led by Gerald Haythornthwaite, amenity societies have objected to the Denton by-pass on the grounds that it could prejudice consideration of that section of the M67 that may be proposed for Longdendale.

Whether the Denton by-pass is actually built or not is not of itself a matter of national importance, but the way the Secretary of State replies to our objection is. Ideally, he would respond by stating that, henceforth, it will be government policy not to build motorways through national parks. This, after all, is a policy which many other countries would accept as being beyond question

Swallow's Wood Nature Walk & Picnic

Save Swallows Wood have organised a Nature Walk and Picnic for Sunday 19th August. Everyone is free to attend either or both events. Details are as follows:

Nature Walk: starts at 11.00 a.m. Led by a local expert and an ecologist who will be on hand to tell you everything you might want to know about the plants and wildlife. The walk will be shown the specific areas in and around the nature reserve that would be affected by the bypass proposals, should they go ahead. Meeting point: at the public footpath sign (just after the entrance to Arnfield Reservoir) Crossgate Lane, Tintwistle.

Picnic: starts at 1.00 p.m. Meeting point: at the entrance to the Swallow's Wood nature reserve, which is along the path from Crossgate Lane. Turn left and follow the public footpath off Crossgate Lane. Go through the kissing gate (kissing optional!), then turn left (through the gate) to Arnfield reservoir. The path bears right then left (keeping the stream on your right). Follow this all the way round until reach another kissing gate, at the entrance to the nature reserve. We will meet here, by the information board.

See http://mlink.org/2c504 for a map the meeting place for the start of the walk and access to the reserve off Crossgate Lane.

Darth Butler

Day 6 of the Public Inquiry, and Darth Vader is in our midst. Yes, it's Brian Butler - Vice-Chairman of the Longdendale Siege Committee.

But hang on, this is the Vice-Chairman appearing? And why has the Chairman - Mike Flynn - come over all shy? Is it anything to do with the fact that Roy Oldham is part of his family? Or perhaps that in the 1970s, he was against a bypass (when the proposed route went through his backyard - such a NIMBY!)? We may never know, because it seems he doesn't want to answer awkward questions...

Anyway, Brian was there, and he and John Watson traded pleasantries, mainly about the size of Brian's petition. Butler was keen to elaborate:

When the Labour Government came to power and announced a review of the roads situation, we raised 9,000 signatures and presented it to the Government (page 16, line 7)

Now we've heard a lot about this petition, but our spies tell us that John Watson needs to pay a bit more attention to it: on the day, Butler trumpeted that it had 9,000 signatures. Which is interesting, because if this is the same petition that Purnell, Levitt and Co were flogging it in Downing Street back in 2003, it had 8,500 signatures.

Plus, it wasn't presented to the Government - it was presented to No. 10 Downing Street. This is important - there's a public record of petitions presented to Parliament in Hansard, but no equivalent for No. 10. That's because it's largely a PR exercise for the cameras. Furthermore, there are very specific and detailed rules about the format of petitions presented to Parliament. But it would be too risky for Siege to subject their petition to proper scrutiny, so they stuck to the 'Rock Star' petition approach.

Further back in time (2001), the petition was said to number 6,900. Now you might say 'time has moved on, it's grown, they've got more signatures', which could be true. But if it was submitted to No. 10 Downing Street in 2003 with 8,500 signatures, then it cannot have grown - unless this is not the same document.

But if, as the Vice-Chair of the Longdendale Siege Committee, Brian Butler has said there are 9,000, then there must be. After all, if it's a serious petition, it will have been collated correctly. Surely, a serious organisation must be conducting their own evidence to rigorous analysis? One hopes so, because otherwise, Butler and the rest of the Siege will have been misleading the Inspector...

And the accuracy of the petition was questioned in John Hall's cross-examination:

Q. Of these 9,000, signatures, Mr Butler, do they all denote postcodes?
A. I believe so. (page 22, line 10)

Hmmn. John Watson might want to go back and have a look. If the other examples of petitions submitted by this crew are anything to go by (here and here), there are few postcodes provided...

Oh, and if their data isn't sound, Purnell and Levitt will have been lead up the garden path by them as well. Oh dear...

Anyway, more braggadocio issued forth from Butler's mouth in the shape of his comments about the (oft-quoted) 90% of residents supporting the Bypass. Here he is again, in his element:

This support was also reflected by a poll at the Highways Agency meeting held in Hollingworth in 2001 and was estimated to be supported by 90 per cent of the several hundred who attended (page 16, line 14)

Well actually, it was 250 people (section 2.3). So 90% of that is 225 - hardly 90% of Longdendale as has been stated elsewhere, and it wasn't a poll in the sense of a secret ballot, without the intimidation factor from goons like Darth Butler or 'Harry Potter and the Duncan Hollows' et al.

From then on in, Butler's speech is one big rant, chiefly aimed at the CPRE, who he seems to have a fixation with. Plus the well-worn 'objectors are all outsiders' whinge - & this from a relative incomer (who's only lived in the area for 30 years!). Anyway, we dealt with this hypocrisy here, and we'll be having a look at the petition to see how many names it contains that are from 'over 30 miles away' (his words decrying objectors - page 17, line 30).

But the clincher from Butler was given out under questions by Chris Eldridge from Friends of the Earth when asked if Siege had asked Longdendale residents about what they wanted as a solution to traffic problems:

We had already decided that we wanted a bypass and that was what we petitioned on. We were not there to discuss alternatives with people (page 32, line 15)

Of course 'we' means relatives of the Leader of Tameside MBC, and their campaign meetings are attended by local Councillors and members of the Highways Agency and Carillion (contractors), their lavish 'Dick Turpin' roadsigns being funded by TMBC. We know full well who wants this road - and nothing else - and now Darth Butler has had the front to stand up and admit that they are blinkered to a road 'solution'.

(article edited to aid reading, 08/08/2007)