Uncle Buck
Ghost Writer
- Jul 7, 2003
- 28,075
Brighton nomads on march for new home
By Paul Hayward
(Filed: 27/09/2004)
Before the pro-fox, anti-fox, stop-the-war and anti-globalisation lobbies flood the streets of Brighton for this week's Labour Party conference, the homeless are on the march.
Here's how to spot them. They wear blue-and-white striped shirts and will rechristen their temporary shelter 'Palookaville' for 24 hours on Saturday. They recently sent 16,000 postcards to the Deputy Prime Minister – who has the power to decide their fate – and have spent the last seven years campaigning for a decent roof to be put over their heads.
The council voted 11-1 in favour of them being rehoused at nearby Falmer, and 67 per cent of the local electorate voted 'yes' in a referendum. When a petition was submitted to No10, there were 62,000 signatures. When an Early Day Motion was tabled in the House of Commons, more than 140 MPs gave their support.
But still the Brighton and Hove Albion supporters have to fight for a new community stadium to replace the embarrassment of Withdean: a converted athletics track (capacity: 6,973) that has been renamed Palookaville for Saturday's visit by Sheffield United.
Palookaville is the shirt-sponsor Fatboy Slim's new album and it's where the club are heading if John Prescott continues to resist the democratic will on the South Coast. Two weeks ago, Brighton asked supporters to help make up a chronic financial shortfall after spending £5.2 million on Withdean and a planning application and public inquiry, which together swallowed up £2.5 million.
Asked to adjudicate, Prescott effectively sent the Falmer scheme back to a second public inquiry, which has been asked to look at 'alternative' sites (a process the club had been through at least once). The optimists think Prescott's 'decision' was an amber light for Falmer. Others see only red, and some dainty footwork to evade the political fall-out from an unpopular and probably fatal decision.
One point the Brighton fans will be making to the folks in the Grand Hotel during their march at 5.30pm today is that the Seagulls lost their nest in the week that New Labour first came to office – in May, 1997 – after a speculator from out of town sold their Goldstone Ground to a property developer. The club survives, through love alone, but it's tired of cardboard city.
By Paul Hayward
(Filed: 27/09/2004)
Before the pro-fox, anti-fox, stop-the-war and anti-globalisation lobbies flood the streets of Brighton for this week's Labour Party conference, the homeless are on the march.
Here's how to spot them. They wear blue-and-white striped shirts and will rechristen their temporary shelter 'Palookaville' for 24 hours on Saturday. They recently sent 16,000 postcards to the Deputy Prime Minister – who has the power to decide their fate – and have spent the last seven years campaigning for a decent roof to be put over their heads.
The council voted 11-1 in favour of them being rehoused at nearby Falmer, and 67 per cent of the local electorate voted 'yes' in a referendum. When a petition was submitted to No10, there were 62,000 signatures. When an Early Day Motion was tabled in the House of Commons, more than 140 MPs gave their support.
But still the Brighton and Hove Albion supporters have to fight for a new community stadium to replace the embarrassment of Withdean: a converted athletics track (capacity: 6,973) that has been renamed Palookaville for Saturday's visit by Sheffield United.
Palookaville is the shirt-sponsor Fatboy Slim's new album and it's where the club are heading if John Prescott continues to resist the democratic will on the South Coast. Two weeks ago, Brighton asked supporters to help make up a chronic financial shortfall after spending £5.2 million on Withdean and a planning application and public inquiry, which together swallowed up £2.5 million.
Asked to adjudicate, Prescott effectively sent the Falmer scheme back to a second public inquiry, which has been asked to look at 'alternative' sites (a process the club had been through at least once). The optimists think Prescott's 'decision' was an amber light for Falmer. Others see only red, and some dainty footwork to evade the political fall-out from an unpopular and probably fatal decision.
One point the Brighton fans will be making to the folks in the Grand Hotel during their march at 5.30pm today is that the Seagulls lost their nest in the week that New Labour first came to office – in May, 1997 – after a speculator from out of town sold their Goldstone Ground to a property developer. The club survives, through love alone, but it's tired of cardboard city.
