One or two, like Cllr Dennis Meredith, are likable enough guys who just want to see me join the Liberal Democrat Party - some hope! Others try to tell me what a fine job they are making of the Market Square as they continue to kick the market to death. Just look at what we've had to put up with so far, and we're not half-way through the year:
Winter & Spring Loss of Trade
Over four months of blocked entrance from Abington Street while the fountain was built, with a couple of tiny openings that people had trouble pushing prams through, and that most people didn't bother with, resulting in badly reduced trade on the market, and reduced trade for shops like Millets. I see there has been yet another holdup recently in installing the fountain; getting on for five months now they have been at it: they'll get it right soon. Good job these people are not running the Fire Service.
Gazebo Madness
Then there was a series of plans that we protested against to take down almost all the traditional market stalls on June 13th, and then at first replace three, then two, then finally one row of traditional stalls with gazebo popups, which they still haven't got awnings for, after over a year of waiting for non-existent prototypes.
Arts Market Stuck on Our Stalls
Then there was the sudden desire of the market square events team to put an Arts Market on the few stalls remaining on the market on June 13th, the day of the music festival. This Arts Market meant that those of us at the top of the market will have to take down our display stands on the night of the 12th June, and rebuild them again on the morning of Monday the 14th. This means several hours of extra work for all those involved, and there was a great storm about it when traders were first notified by letter, without anyone in NBC having the gumption to ask their opinions first. Traders are human beings too, and like to be consulted.
Arty Farty Blink 'Festival'
Now the latest Lib-Dem twaddle is about an arty farty pseudy arts festival that not only wants to install itself on the market square, but plans to take down up to 34 stalls in the very middle of the market itself, for a fortnight, and dump a moronic 'leather sculpture' in their place, bang in the middle of the actual market. Words fail me!
Have the Lib-Dems taken leave of their senses at last, or is this a calculated plot on the part of Richard Church and co. to take another kick at the market traders? One of the surest and quickest ways to finish a market is to keep moving it about, so no regular customers can find the traders they used to shop from. A market is like a shopping centre, or a complex of little shopping streets. You wouldn't expect Marks and Spencer to be moved down to Gold St for a week or two, or a collection of shops from Mercers Row to have to move to the Co-op Arcade for a fortnight, would you? Their regular customers would never find them. Yet this is what the Lib-Dems are planning for market traders. Some traders will lose their regular pitches for a fortnight and be moved to the bottom of the market into the 'Events Area' where very few of their regular customers will find them.
All this trouble and loss of trade just so some arrogant arty farty so-called 'arts festival' can drop a piece of pseudo-art 'leather sculpture' into the middle of the market. What is the Events Area for, Cllrs Hoare, Church, and Crake, if not for events? The 'Events Area' which you turfed the market traders out of last year, is supposed to be for events, so use it for this purpose, and let the market traders continue to try to make a living. Things are quite hard enough for market traders as it is, without deliberately kicking them in the teeth. Roll on the local elections next May, when these Lib-Dem turkeys go to their political slaughter.
New Lib-Dem Bird Crapper
Have you tried out the new Lib-Dem seating near the fountain yet? Don't get crapped on by birds, as happened to a customer of mine. It seems the seats are designed to stand under the trees, in a nice bit of shade. Now they are getting covered in bird crap, and I do hope they will be put on the list of things to pressure wash for the early-morning cleaning crews. So if you want to watch the fountain flooding the pavements while you take your ease on the new Lib-Dem seats, make sure you wear a large wide-brimmed Mexican hat! Adios, Amigos!
