Norman Baker invited on fans phone-in this Saturday.

[Bwian]

Exactly, all Lewes Residents bombard the phone lines and demand your tax amount back for the money thats gone on for LDC against Falmer...that'd shut him up!

Sadly it wouldn't shut the motherf**ker up. He hasn't shut up yet despite a few face to face meetings with LDC taxpayers/Albion fans.

 

[Yorkie]

True Bwian. His immediate reply is that it is a council matter not parliamentary.

 

[Bwian]

True Bwian. His immediate reply is that it is a council matter not parliamentary.

He has his own agenda on this issue and that is clearly sucking up to the NIMBYs, their supporters and other tree huggers in order to preserve his quite substantial pension as an MP.

If he TRULY had the good of Lewes and environs in his heart then he can only support the stadium bid because of the money it will bring to the area. As things are right now, he's encouraging LDC to spend money that they don't have fighting a project that will enrich everybody's lives in most of Sussex-including Mavis Saggytits and her merry band of chinless inbreds. Don't these inbreds realise that their proprty values will actually GO UP once the stadium has been built?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I really wonder what the point of having Baker on the phone-in is.

He's not a party at the Inquiry. I doubt whether he has a clue how it is going or what the evidence that is being put forward is like. He shows no signs of keeping in touch with the issues.

His agenda is to blame Prescott for the delays and to protect his Lib Dem colleagues on Lewes District Council from any criticism.

If the Lib Dems really wanted to get involved in thinking about the issues, at least one member of the Council would have put in a show at Brighton Town Hall. But they haven't. Neither has there been any presence from the District Council planning officers.

They have passed the whole responsibility for putting their case together to external consultants and an external lawyer. I bet most of the Council don't even know that the second phase of the Inquiry has actually started.

Beyond his posturing, Baker isn't interested. I don't think there is any point in talking to him.

 

[Harty]

Lord Bracknell knocking the phone-in, there's a surprise!!!

 

[Rangdo]

Lord Bracknell knocking the phone-in, there's a surprise!!!

He doesn't appear to be knocking the phone in. I think he has a good point. Baker will just churn out the same crap about councils making local decisions etc etc. It would be better to try get a high ranking official from LDC to justify their actions. Then Martin Perry could really let fly.

 

[Storer68]

I agree - no value to be gained by getting Baker on now - he's lost interest in the whole process. all he will do is fob people off with the "its noting to do with me, you'd better ask LDC"

Far better IMHO to have Michael Chartier on who is leader of Lewes District Council who are the body putting up the highest profile objection

for info harty you can get him on Michael Chartier
Liberal Democrat

Contact Tel No: 01273 472019
Email: cllr.michael.chartier@eastsussex.gov.uk

(contact details from Lewes DC website)

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Lord Bracknell knocking the phone-in, there's a surprise!!!

What are you talking about, Ian?

I'm a great supporter of the phone in. The only thing that is wrong with it is that sometimes the opinions that get aired are a bit unbalanced. But that's not your fault, it's the way these things work out.

I defended the way you handled the 'armband' affair, although I know that other people took a different view.

I agree with Storer68, though. You'd get a more telling version of the Lewes Lib Dems position if you invited someone from the Council to put their views forward. Storer68 suggests Mike Chartier. But he's the Chairman of the Council, not the Leader. Personally, I'd go for Ann de Vecchi, who is the Leader - and the mastermind of their position on the stadium.

 

[cdavis]

Harty.......what seems like a good idea to get Baker on originally, could seriuosly backfire on us. All Albion fans want falmer.......but we don,t honestly know all the technicalities involved.I,m dreading getting a succession of Albion followers on, whose passion is larger than their brains and being made to look stupid, by someone who is professionally a competent liar, ( i.e. ...politician).

 

[BensGrandad]

Could Harty not ask the one question of Norman Baker -

In the hypothetical event of Lib Dems winning the next election and you assuming JPs position you would obviously refuse Falmer but where would you recommend as the alternative taking into account the traffic problems etc connected with every other site?

Would this not put him on the spot as he appears to say anywhere other than Falmer. Typically NIMBY.

 

[Stevie Boy]

well reading all these, all i can say it will be interesting lisening to him and MP.

 

[mona]

well reading all these, all i can say it will be interesting lisening to him and MP.

It is NEVER interesting listening to Baker. The man is a sweating gut full of prejudices and small-minded phobias.
I agree with Lord B. This phone-in is pointless and it would have been better to have Ann De Vecchi, the high priestess of Lewes nimbyism, on the line.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I'm hoping that Martin Perry will also take part, and I will be speaking to him about this later in the week.

Have you spoken with MP yet, Harty?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Could Harty not ask the one question of Norman Baker -

In the hypothetical event of Lib Dems winning the next election and you assuming JPs position you would obviously refuse Falmer but where would you recommend as the alternative taking into account the traffic problems etc connected with every other site?

Would this not put him on the spot as he appears to say anywhere other than Falmer. Typically NIMBY.

And the answer Baker would give is ...

I would consider the Inspector's Report carefully.

If another site is identified as preferable, it would be for the Football Club to submit a planning application to the relevant Local Planning Authority.

[... which, of course, commits him to nothing. Although, it is the CORRECT answer.]

 

[perseus]

I expect MP will be busy.

However, goodwill and public relations is part of the Public Inquiry game. Some people see just as a Court of Law and some people see it as a soapbox for public views as well.

But the question could be; who are the real agents asking not building in an AONB? Who are conducting campaigns for the downs to increase their non-elected political power for political reasons. It is the South Downs Conservation Board. They have npt got the money to pay for lawyers so the bill goes on the Lewes District Council taxpayer. Getting them on the phone-in could be a bit like an appearance of Prosser.

Anyrate (rambling) the best policy is to explain how good the stadium is, architectural merit, so people can get to matches, not appeasement tactics.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Harty - if I were you I'd stop visiting NSC. Apart from the above clearly unfair barb aimed at Lord B, lately it has appeared the hour has been devoted to responding to NSC and whilst I like NSC - it aint that important.

Keep up the phone-in - make callers give their proper name, and concentrate on the thousand of listeners who have not got a clue what you are on about when you mention North Stand Chat.

 

[Tommy Cook reporting]

Baker needs to be asked one question and one question only....."Are you mates with David Bellotti?"

If he is, then that would explain an awful lot.

 

[London Irish]

Harty - if I were you I'd stop visiting NSC. Apart from the above clearly unfair barb aimed at Lord B, lately it has appeared the hour has been devoted to responding to NSC and whilst I like NSC - it aint that important.

Harty sometimes seems to think NSC has an approved "line" on certain things when in fact it is usually divided and in argument meltdown on most of the big Albion issues! I think Harty said on the phone-in last week that he would piss off NSC by stating no fan should be whingeing about playing budgets if they weren't contributing financially to the club in some way - I'd reckon a fair proportion of NSC would agree with those sentiments though!

The Perry versus Baker debate was probably the best phone-in on SCR last season, I think it coincided with the Wycombe sit-in, it was great listening to it. I think there could be some mileage in reprising the debate even though the pattern of the Perry-Baker confrontation would likely be similar.

Realistically, I don't reckon De Vecchi or any other Lewes Lib Dem would debate this issue on our territory of the phone-in, it would be too much going into the lion's den for them. Only Baker, with his famous brass neck, would have the guts to do that, so I don't think realistically there is another option for Harty if he wants an anti-Falmer viewpoint on the show.

I think, though, it is vital to get Perry or another articulate pro-stadium debater on the show, because Baker is smooth and he would be able to manipulate callers. He would say he is on the side of the ordinary Albion fan but we have been let down by the incompetence and wrong decisions of the board, Albion fans are lions led by donkeys.

Because of the kneejerk anti-board stance of many callers into the phone-in, I can see Baker's weasel words building some kind of common cause with the anti-board whingers who phone in. This would be a nightmare, so I'd say to Harty, if you don't get Perry or a capable substitute, maybe bringing Baker on might not quite be the greatest idea.

But if Perry is on board, the Perry-Baker rematch argy bargy could highlight the Falmer issues in a dramatic and listenable way.

PS - Harty, don't stop visiting NSC, it's the best online Albion chat there is!

 

[Easy 10]

Personally, I would pay a hefty subscription to hear Lord B vs Baker...that would be pure BOX OFFICE.

 

[Yorkie]

Yes I agree Easy.

I agree with what LI says about Baker and Nsc. (saves doing a quote)