Falmer Battle - The Moments that Changed History

[ROSM]

But as the time is now for looking forward, there is also a time for looking back. I think there have been three absolutely defining moments which have turned the campaigns

1) The first was when we finally proved to Brighton and Hove city councillors that backing the Albion was worth their while and that was the 31,000 signature petition for withdean (at the time, the biggest ever planning application petition in the twin towns history - only one has beaten it and you can guess what that was!!). Tim Carder's analysis showed that turning signatures to votes in the city signatories (every signature was ammped by postcode to a ward) meant every ward was marginal. This was the springboard to them not only supporting Withdean but also supporting our search for a new home and running the referendum.

2) The second was the 7 days to Save the Albion. I am more convinced than ever that the government allowed the release of Hoile's report on the local plan to test the water before they released Collier's on the applications. That 7 days showed the significant issues they were facing if they'd said no. In many ways it was our Battle of Britain. We were facing defeat and those involved turned it to victory.

3) Finally the Lewes District elections. Did we win seats? No. Did we come close? actually yes. Did we get the issue on the radar of all candidates? Absolutely.

It made the Tories come out pro and made the Lib Dems (Jim Daly anyone?) have to make silly promises to keep their vote. We know they will have heard what we heard on the doorsteps and that MUST have played on their minds this time around.

What are your highlights or turning points?

 

[Screaming J]

But as the time is now for looking forward, there is also a time for looking back. I think there have been three absolutely defining moments which have turned the campaigns

1) The first was when we finally proved to Brighton and Hove city councillors that backing the Albion was worth their while and that was the 31,000 signature petition for withdean (at the time, the biggest ever planning application petition in the twin towns history - only one has beaten it and you can guess what that was!!). Tim Carder's analysis showed that turning signatures to votes in the city signatories (every signature was ammped by postcode to a ward) meant every ward was marginal. This was the springboard to them not only supporting Withdean but also supporting our search for a new home and running the referendum.

2) The second was the 7 days to Save the Albion. I am more convinced than ever that the government allowed the release of Hoile's report on the local plan to test the water before they released Collier's on the applications. That 7 days showed the significant issues they were facing if they'd said no. In many ways it was our Battle of Britain. We were facing defeat and those involved turned it to victory.

3) Finally the Lewes District elections. Did we win seats? No. Did we come close? actually yes. Did we get the issue on the radar of all candidates? Absolutely.

It made the Tories come out pro and made the Lib Dems (Jim Daly anyone?) have to make silly promises to keep their vote. We know they will have heard what we heard on the doorsteps and that MUST have played on their minds this time around.

What are your highlights or turning points?

In retrospect; the initial July 2004 decision letter which reopened the inquiry to examine altenative sites. The ODPM could easily have just said "No" and we'd have been buggered. At the time I donned sackcloth and ashes thinking it was the start of a slow death. Wiser heads than me said no, it was a good decision; and they were right.

There are a number of other things that MIGHT have been turning points but you can't prove them - hopefully they just added weight to our case. These included the "yes yes" campaign, and also the demo at the Labour (not Lib Dem) conference in Brighton.

There must also have been some significant days at the inquiries - those which exposed the paucity of some of LDC's traffic arguments and the availability of sites; and the amateurish attempts of those promoting Toads Hole (or was it Waterhall) spring to mind.

 

[Beach Hut]

What are your highlights or turning points?

Turning points not so sure as never really at the coal face so to speak.

Highlights - Bridge of Falmer, post Wycombe game, marches, postcard campaign, Seagulls Party and National Falmer Day collecting signatures at Bognor to name but a few.

There are many others who did lots more come on remind us all...............

 

[Yorkie]

1) The first was when we finally proved to Brighton and Hove city councillors that backing the Albion was worth their while and that was the 31,000 signature petition for withdean (at the time, the biggest ever planning application petition in the twin towns history - only one has beaten it and you can guess what that was!!). Tim Carder's analysis showed that turning signatures to votes in the city signatories (every signature was ammped by postcode to a ward) meant every ward was marginal. This was the springboard to them not only supporting Withdean but also supporting our search for a new home and running the referendum.

2) The second was the 7 days to Save the Albion. I am more convinced than ever that the government allowed the release of Hoile's report on the local plan to test the water before they released Collier's on the applications. That 7 days showed the significant issues they were facing if they'd said no. In many ways it was our Battle of Britain. We were facing defeat and those involved turned it to victory.

3) Finally the Lewes District elections. Did we win seats? No. Did we come close? actually yes. Did we get the issue on the radar of all candidates? Absolutely.

It made the Tories come out pro and made the Lib Dems (Jim Daly anyone?) have to make silly promises to keep their vote. We know they will have heard what we heard on the doorsteps and that MUST have played on their minds this time around.

What are your highlights or turning points?

I'd go along with those three points
1. Getting the council behind us was paramount to the whole thing

2- led to Falmer Day and the sending of the flowers etc, So many great suggestions were made roundabout that time and fans going to other games to get signatures etc.

3. The Seagulls Party was great fun to do and being at the count was a great experience. Seeing councillors realising that the voters had an opinion over their council tax expenditure was a sight to behold.

 

[Yorkie]

Highlights also include the marches to the Brighton centre.

 

[balloonboy]

Here are 10 of my personal highlights, not in chronological order:

1. The bouquets of flowers outside the ODPM offices in Whitehall, and then taking them all to Guys Hospital afterwards with Sir Samrah
2. Dressing up as a jester for the demo at the Lib Dem conference last Sept (I won't do that again!)
3. Taking my two daughters out of school one friday to do a leafletting session at the clocktower, and realising how few people really understood the issue - that was a shock, but it underlined to me the importance of what everyone was trying to do
4. Collecting signatures on National Falmer Day (at Swindon v Brentford) and realising how many fans had Brighton as their "second team"
5. Campaigning near Ed Bassford's house in the run-up to the LDC elections in May this year - it was the most beautiful of days, and I met some great people who just wanted an end to LDC's antics
6. Leafletting in Coldean in the run-up to the 1999 referendum
7. Listening to speeches by Ed and Roz at the Seagull's Party AGM....so much passion, and so eloquently put.
8. Hearing Attilla's single for the first time
9. The protest after the Wycombe game in 2003(??)
10. This evening, sitting at home and not really being able to believe it....


Loads of others, probably. Can't think straight at the mo!

 

[Yorkie]

2. Dressing up as a jester for the demo at the Lib Dem conference last Sept (I won't do that again!)

But you looked so cute.

 

[balloonboy]

But you looked so cute.

Er, I think not......

 

[Questions]

Turning points ?

The day the fans really started fighting back.
The mass pitch invasion and the subsequant abandoning of the game against York was not the start of the Falmer campaign I know but it paved the way for the coup which has brought us to this point in our history. Thats when we the fans were taken seriously at last.

I felt prouder to have been an Albion fan that day more than any other day or game in the 40 years I have supported this great club.

 

[cjd]

As I have come to expect.....a clear and concise appraisal by ROSM.


My personal highlight, and defining moment in Albion.s history was the match that was abandoned against York City.Although it bordered on hooliganism to break the croosbars, it meant to restart the game was out of the question and finally brought our club,s plight to the attention to the national media....and indeed all the other Football League clubs supporters.The thousands of people (men, women and children) who invaded the pitch that day sent a message out, that we would not lie down without a fight....and so it has been proved..!
Lastly, I wish all the supporters knew how much work the inner core of the Seagulls Party put into this campaign. I was astonished when i saw just a glimpse of how much they were, and have been doing for so long.
I often wish we would have had the foresight to see that Cruella de Ville of Falmer and her pet poodles De Vechi and Neighbour, were really the only obstacles and instead of ploughing £3 million into the enquiries etc, just 1% of that figure had been donated to the Seagulls Party to enable more publicity and the possibility of winning some seats on LDC. I have absolutely no doubt,that the Election results had a huge impacton LDC,s decision not to appeal.
To Ed, Roz, ROSM, Paul Samrah, Liz Costa, Sarah, so many others............and especially Tim Carder (history Man) well done........you must all feel very proud...........and so you should...!

 

[Nemesis]

Many of the highlights came during some of the lowest points in this club's history.

We showed unity

We showed tenacity

We showed originality

We outwitted the NIMBYs every time

We showed everybody that you f*** with The Albion at your peril.

 

[The Large One]

Of all the points raised so far on this thread, I think the release of Charles Hoile's report was the single most pivotal.

If the report had not been leaked, the political case for Falmer would have been so much harder - if not impossible. The first immediate response to his report was the protest at Wycombe. It mattered not one jot that Wycombe were (largely) ambivalent to our cause, the important thing was to ensure that, whatever platform we had (and in this instance, it just so happened to be Wycombe - loudhailer, anyone), we were going to utilise it to our maximum potential.

We have known fromm 1995-97 that we were, and still are, a newsworthy story, and we intended to use that for our own ends.

Hoile's report was also the catalyst for a whole series of media-friendly stories not only highlighting our plight, but also showing the absurd lengths to which some people would go to to spoil it for the many.

Anyone who was at Wycombe, or Cardiff, or who 'stood up' because 'they wanted Falmer', or who bought the Seagulls Ska single, or who donated to the flowers, or who wrote to the council or the government in support of the stadium, or who sent the postcards, or filled in a petition, or who encouraged their MP to sign the EDMs, or who went on one, two, three conference marches, or who walked for 58 minutes instead of 25 to Sheepcote Valley, or who voted 'YES YES' in the referendum, or who campaigned on people's doorsteps or on the hustings, or who attended the Public Inquiries, or who campaigned getting signatures from thousands of fans from other clubs on National Falmer Day, or who stood at the Clock Tower handing out leaflets, or who placed banners over the bridge at Falmer, or who just shouted from the highest rooftops that WE WANT FALMER, then like Attila, I salute each one of you who fought to keep the Albion alive, and we can all raise our glass and say with satisfaction 'We Were There'.

We should ALL be seriously proud of ourselves.

But none of this would have happened if we had not had Charles Hoile's report published.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

For me, the day I think I KNEW we would get Falmer came at one of the two days of the re-opened public inquiry that I attended. Jane Hawkins is not necessarily a name which will go down in Albion history, but it ought to.

Forgive the slight self-indulgence referring to one of my own threads. Easy 10's post, as usual, is the best bit.

http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?t=47983

 

[Braders]

Many of the highlights came during some of the lowest points in this club's history.

We showed unity

We showed tenacity

We showed originality

We outwitted the NIMBYs every time

We showed everybody that you f*** with The Albion at your peril.

that is the post that has brought it home for me , thanks Nemesis - now sat reading this grinning from ear to ear


FANS UNITED!

 

[mona]

I am equivocal about the honours system but I would like to see Tim Carder and Paul Samrah knighted for their services to the community and sport. They stood up against a nasty, dishonest, class-ridden cabal that speciously used environmental arguments to further their own ends.

Messrs. Carder, Samrah and the FFA team were positive and optimistic when people like me were starting to despair.

 

[Yorkie]

For me, the day I think I KNEW we would get Falmer came at one of the two days of the re-opened public inquiry that I attended. Jane Hawkins is not necessarily a name which will go down in Albion history, but it ought to.

Forgive the slight self-indulgence referring to one of my own threads. Easy 10's post, as usual, is the best bit.

http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?t=47983

The friends of Sheepcote Valley. Yes, Jane Hawkins did a fantastic job.

 

[Yorkie]

Falmer

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The moment I discovered I could get involved in the campaign was a real tuning point in my understanding of what this football club is all about.

It was the Evening of Legends celebration of the Albion's centenary. NSC had booked a table and Roz and I had decided to blow god knows how much on the less than slap-up meal that was on offer.

The drink flowed. The conversation was good. The vegetables arrived late. More drink flowed. We listened to stories from Albion legends, and discovered what Peter Ward thought of Brian Clough. More drink. Finally ... an opportunity to mingle with people on the other side of the room who I had never met.

Shortly after a bizarre conversation with someone or other who told Des Lynam that he looked just like me, I found myself standing next to Martin Perry. Being considerably worse for wear (me, not MP), I slurred my way into a cheery conversation about how I knew how much planning work was involved in the Falmer application. If I recall rightly (and the memory is slightly hazy), I think I said something about working in ESCC's Transport and Environment Department and that I had seen the huge pile of consultants' reports that the Club had submitted to the interested councils. My intention was merely to wish MP the best of luck with the application.

However ... instead of turning away from the swaying individual by his side, MP suddenly got very serious and started quizzing me about the best way for him to approach ESCC to set up a meeting with the Leader of the Council and various senior officers in the highways office and the estates team. In some detail, he explained how and why this would help the Club. And I tried to sober up a bit quick and offer him what advice I could. I remember promising to keep my ear to the ground in case I heard of any plans for Woollard's Field.

Considering that he and I had never previously met, I was amazed at how frank and open he was being with a complete stranger who had only wanted to say 'Good luck'.

In the cold light of morning, it struck me that this was a football club that obviously trusted its fans and wanted to involve them in this project. A few months later, I found myself part of the FFA team. Mainly because it felt like the right thing to do. And because it might be fun.

It has been.

 

[Superphil]

8th February 1997 was the moment for me, it signalled the intent of football fans to claim their passion back from the scum who had started to run it.

It may not have kept us at the Goldstone, it may not have prevented the board doing their worst. But it started something in Football that I believe makes us as fans far stronger, and has shown that we are to be taken seriously. It is our sport, it is our passion, and unless you have the passion, get out.

Without Fans United, I am not sure that we would have a club to support anymore.