Its been a great month after the setback of Cornwall Councils rejection of the Penzance Ferry Terminal the realists among us have finally awoken to the potential consequences of the Isles of  Scilly link transferring to Falmouth.

On a personal level I have probably assumed the popularity of wind broken within a space suit which tends to indicate that things may just be going the right way as the opposition exhibit distinct signs of transferring their weight onto the back foot. I am in favour of the admittedly second rate option A only due to the lack of funding for, or indeed time to create  anything more inspirational, which is a sad symptom of the  true state of our currently beleaguered little Country. If this scheme were proposed elsewhere on Europes Atlantic Arc it would have been embraced with panache and delivered expeditiously complete with the obligatory large notice bragging about how much dosh had been screwed out of Brussels (I have the photo’s to prove it)

THIS IS THE  CONSTRUCTION PHASE OF THE RECENTLY COMPLETED NEW FISH MARKET AT LLANES ASTURIAS NORTHERN SPAIN A PORT THE SIZE OF MOUSEHOLE AND HOME TO A SMALL FLEET OF ULTRA MODERN BOATS. THIS IS THE FINAL PHASE OF A COMPLETELY REBUILT HARBOUR THAT MAKES BATTERY ROCKS LOOK LIKE A TWO BIT SIDESHOW.

A SAMPLE OF THE BOATS BASED IN LLANES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A SHOT OF THE OUTER WALL WHICH ABSORBS THE FULL FURY OF THE FREQUENT NORTHERLY STORMS.

ANOTHER SHOT ILLUSTRATING THE SCALE AND VISION EVIDENT BROUGHT TO FRUITION BY ENTHUSIASM AND PRIDE FOR GODS SAKE WAKE UP PENZANCE AND REJECT THE FALSE PROPHETS AND SNAKE OIL SALESMEN.

 Contrary to the blog post shown  below I am quite capable of independent thought and am not in cahoots with anybody except Mr C Sense who contrary to rumour does cling to life despite the best efforts of the PC  brigade to finish him off.

Welcome to our newsletter.

 Hi  home

An anonymous email was sent to me with the most disturbing contents.

Basically Penzance and District Tourism Association, Chamber of Commerce Mike Waters, Councillor Graeme Hicks and Tim Wood from Route Partnership are all meeting up at 7.30pm in the Penzance Newlyn RFC in Alexandra Road with their new found friends from Consol Oil. It seems that this Kerrier based oil company is teaming up with the aforementioned to try to put together a plan to over turn the decision of the strategic planning committee. The email goes on to mention that plan “A” is the only plan that they will accept and are quite prepared to waste even more time and tax payers money to find a away to put pressure on the democratic process.

Funny how Route Partnership are quite prepared to meet with these people and associations but refused point blank to meet at the public meeting….. so more behind the scenes pressure coming up then.

The email sums up with a comment from Mike Waters who suggests that those supporting plan “C” have “shot their bolt” and they have a clear way forward to manipulate businesses through forming their own pressure group.

Kevin Bennetts sums up his observations of us all as “very selfish and small minded”

Sorry the news isn’t great… but we do hope you all have a fantastic New Years Eve and we’ll see you on the other side.

 

Please send this email to everyone you can!

The Picture Penzance Team

FOOTNOTE:-

 CHAPS &CHAPPESSES WHO CIRCULATED OR RECIEVED THE ABOVE, WASTING TAXPAYERS MONEY??? THATS A LITTLE BIT RICH IN VIEW OF THE MONEY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WASTED AS A RESULT OF YOUR SHENANIGANS WHICH JUDGING BY THE COMMOTION AT THE ACORN AMOUNTED TO MOB RULE. OR IS IT OK FOR YOU UNTIL A FEW OF US DECIDE WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR NONESENSE AND JUSTIFIABLY FIRE BACK.

REMEMBER THIS  -IF AS A RESULT OF A TRULY DEMOCRATIC PROCESS YOUR WILL DOES EVENTUALLY PREVAIL AND THE ENTIRE PROJECT COLLAPSES YOU WILL HAVE BEEN THE ONES WHO CAUSED SO MUCH TAXPAYERS MONEY TO DISAPPEAR DOWN THE PLUGHOLE FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN RETURN BAR A GAPING HOLE IN THE ECONOMY OF PENZANCE.

A COPY OF MY REPLY TO ANDREW GEORGE WHO I RESPECT FOR FINALLY ENGAGING IN A MEANINGFUL MANNER.

Dear Andrew

I do appreciate the poisoned chalice you are required to sometimes drink from but it’s a tough old world we are forced to share and we all have our crosses to bear.

 I put it to you again that there are parallels between Helford and Penzance insofar that, actually, Penzance also has planning approval by way of the Harbour Revision Order. I do appreciate the depth of feeling currently coursing through the streets of Penzance but that is carefully orchestrated hysteria. You ought to bear in mind that part of me originates from the same gene pool as the Bennetts Shipping dynasty, the welare of Penzance and its Harbour is instinctive to me.

 I operate in the real unforgiving world of a small family business that survives like a barnacle on a storm battered North Coast rock by playing hardball whenever necessary. I have until a few weeks ago refrained from becoming involved in this as I have been deeply involved in trying to inject some commonsense into that other disaster zone across the Bay.

 I am a North Coast Cornishman, a Perraner whose greatest privelige in life was to be born Cornish. My education was sound but basic, from farming I graduated to fishing gaining my skippers ticket in my mid twenties, I also did a brief spell underground at Mount Wellington. All of these traditional Cornish occupations have been decimated and emasculated by the global economy and politics. My life seems to have been one long series of effing retreats so in my current incarnation it is time as a Cornishman to make a stand.

 I am not a lunatic fringe bitter and twisted Nationalist, I have never had the time to learn Kernewick, but I do feel very priveliged to be in a position where I can contribute to our local economy in a productive worthwhile manner.

 My job is to run my business and time is precious, that said there comes a point where one has to become involved to a degree in public life, I am non political and non denominational believing both issues create more problems than they solve, so I can hopefully operate outside the box, dealing with practicalities that actually generate wages.

 You allege that I resort to name calling, I reserve the right to call a spade a spade without rancour, I presume that in this case you are referring to my description of certain people as psuedo academic blow ins. I reassert that in my opinion exactly this type of person has degraded my identity as a Cornishman because deep down I sense that they despise me and my kind, I experience it first hand in the course of my work on a regular basis. The term blow in was I believe coined by the Irish in their inimitable way, I am thus comfortable to use it as both my Great Grandmothers were Irish.

 I agree wholeheartedly that it is not the job of an MP or indeed Government to micro manage, what is required is stewardship and throughout our National life this is sadly lacking, I feel this as a productive taxpayer, totally abandoned and let down by a system of which you and your fellow MP’s are a major constituent.

 I am not a journalist but I do try my best to check facts, I presume you refer to the Scillies and Christmas Cards? My source was an article in the Western Morning News of the 26/10/09 which referred to the Scillies Councils disgruntlement with the progress of the Penzance end of the link and their reported rejection of you as an MP. With the best will in the world referring to an MP’s office of any complexion will invariably elicit a response that is bang on message and so often patently waffle, designed to deflect, that is why I and many others are so utterly disillusioned with you all. At the end of the day any story is a product of the writers interpretation and we all see things differently.

 FACT IF THE SCILLIES FERRY SERVICE RELOCATES TO FALMOUTH 50% OF PENZANCE HARBOUR REVENUE WILL VAPORIZE WITHOUT THE UNQUANTIFIABLE COLATTERAL DAMAGE TO THE TOWN ITSSELF.

 FACT THE HSE COULD CLOSE THE CURRENT PENZANCE FREIGHT OPERATION AT A MINUTES NOTICE GIVEN THE PRESENT UNSUITABILITY IN WHICH ALL OUR STAFF ARE CURRENTLY FORCED TO OPERATE TO MAINTAIN A SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

FACT THE PENZANCE HARBOUR REVISION ORDER ACTUALLY ALLOWS THE DEVELOPMENT TO PROCEED, THE DECISION OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE IS ACTUALLY A RECOMMENDATION THAT HAS TO BE RATIFIED BY THE FULL COUNCIL.

 FACT ACROSS THE BAY IN NEWLYN THE PORT IS BEING MALADMINISTERD WITH APPARENT IMPUNITY FREE OF ANY VISIBLE SANCTION BY THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE.

 FACT IN ALL THESE VEXATIOUS ISSUES THERE HAVE BEEN NO MEANINGFUL SOLUTIONS BROUGHT FORWARD, THIS IS NOT MICRO MANAGEMENT, THIS IS SIMPLY BAD STEWARDSHIP THAT THEY HAVE  BEEN POINTEDLY IGNORED OVER TIME BY THOSE RESPONSIBLE.

 I would much prefer not to make comments about others, in a perfect world it would not be necessary, however in this scenario we are forced to play hardball because softball has not delivered. In conflict you must be prepared to receive incoming fire, I never ever start a war of words that I do not have a much better than evens chance of winning. All of this is conducted hopefully in a civilized good humoured manner but my pseudo academic opponents must always bear in mind, and allow for the fact, that I am merely an ignorant CORNISHMAN with his back to the wall who ALWAYS fights to win.

 I USED TO BE AN CYNICAL OPTIMIST BUT LIFE HAS TURNED ME INTO AN OPTIMISTIC CYNIC.

 Best regards

 Kevin Bennettts

 —–Original Message—–

From: Andrew George [mailto:wordpress@consolsoils.co.uk]

Sent: 31 December 2009 08:35

To: kevin

Subject: [Consols Oils] Comment: “JUST AN AFTERTHOUGHT BUT IS PENZANCE HARBOUR HELFORD JETTY ALL OVER AGAIN MR ANDREW GEORGE MP?”

 New comment on your post #1580 “JUST AN AFTERTHOUGHT BUT IS PENZANCE HARBOUR HELFORD JETTY ALL OVER AGAIN MR ANDREW GEORGE MP?”

Author : Andrew George (IP: 86.138.47.189 , host86-138-47-189.range86-138.btcentralplus.com)

E-mail : georgea@parliament.uk

URL    :

Whois  : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=86.138.47.189

Comment:

Dear Kevin,

 

It is kind of you to write at such length. I always welcome honest debate – no matter how robust – providing that it is based on fact.

 The Helford Jetty issue (on which I expect we agree and in which I certainly was and am still involved) is not comparable with Pz Harbour. The planning committee approved Helford but rejected Pz.

 It should not be the job of a MP to micromanage projects which are the responsibility of another tier of Govt. to deliver. I’m more involved in Newlyn than you appear to be aware of. No criticism of you for that. I’d be happy to supply some facts before you ventilate.

 Some of the information you may seek, or at least check, before pronouncements can be found on my website.

 I cannot insist that the media report what I do. When they do they often embellish or twist. Anyone can ask me or my office at any time.

 You will see that I was involved in helping to set this project up at it’s inception. I warned that the Pz Harbour plans may not be ‘politically deliverable’ back in August. The response was an astonishing mix of tantrums and name calling. It gives me no satisfaction to point out that my warnings were proven accurate. If the Councils had spent time dealing with the substance of my concerns rather than on hystrionics we’d be moving to the construction phase around now. These were not decisions for Parliament.

 I note you still wish to make comments about others. My advice is to avoid the froth. Check facts. And avoid saying anything for effect in public about anyone which you would not be prepared to say privately to them. Most folk find that unpleasant comments of a personal nature reflects more on the person making them than on those they are aimed at.

 I’d be pleased to meet. Please contact my office.

 Kernow bys vykken

 Andrew

 Andrew George MP

 

You can see all comments on this post here:

http://www.consolsoils.co.uk/blog/?p=1580#comments

A HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL MAY THE BEST SOLUTION FOR CORNWALL IN GENERAL BUT PENZANCE AND SCILLY IN PARTICULAR EVENTUALLY EMERGE.

SEE POST OF OCT 7th 2009 REGARDING MARINE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN MOUNTS  BAY

I love it when people take the trouble to comment on blog postings, even when things get a little controversial, it livens proceedings up a tad. Got a real beauty this morning from some  Bod in Penzance with a Polish sounding name who in the manner of a human flame thrower directed his vituperation in the direction of Cornwall Councillor Graeme Hicks, the portfolio holder charged with negotiating the Isles of Scilly Ferry Terminal Minefield.

I have no doubt that Councillor Hicks is entirely capable of fighting his own corner without assistance from anyone else, his electorate love him for his legendary reluctance to call a spade a shovel, no doubt he is just as capable of absorbing incoming fire as he is of dishing it out, in a nutshell if you cannot handle straight talking it is better not to tangle with Councilor Graeme Hicks.

We approach the end of yet another year with nothing positive to report on the Mounts Bay maritime revitalisation front, Penzance Ferryport is currently scuppered, with all the implications that holds for Scillonians.

How strange that as is so often the case in Cornwall controversies such as the one in Penzance appear to be driven by vociferous minorities adept at mobilising their own kind to mount ferocious opposition campaigns to anthing that is not to their liking and damn the consequences for others, confident that the “squeakiest wheel” will invariably get the most oil.

Of further significance these people coincidentally often seem to be unwaged or otherwise economically inactive often materialising from an academic or civil service background. This automaticallyputs them at a distinct advantage to those of us who work long hours and are therefore unable to devote the time to airing these issues that we would otherwise wish.

What a great pity that they do not excercise their considerable organisational abilities in a more generally productive manner such as fighting the iniquity of second homes or the lack of dignified employment that offers respectable wages for those less fortunate locals. Could it be that many of these people are in reality second home owners with an undisclosed interest that relies on the low wage Penwith economy to cushion their existence and tend their interests on the cheap?

It is high time local businesses like Consols employing local people on decent wages and conditions of work mobilsed to counter these inherently selfish people who are so adept at stifling any dissent they encounter to secure their objectives without any regard whatsoever for the wider community that houses the silent majority.

WE ARE THE ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE BUT WE ALSO CARE PASSIONATELY ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE BORN AND LOVE, HOWEVER WE ALSO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT,OUR VIEWS ARE ALSO RELEVANT, IF UNPOPULAR WITH THOSE WHO SEEK TO STOP THE FERRY TERMINAL, EVEN IF WE DO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE TIME TO ORGANISE OURSELVES IN THE MANNER THESE VEXATIOUS WINDBAGS IN PENZANCE DO.

THESE SELFSAME PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSLY THREATENING THE FRAGILE SCILLONIAN ECONOMY BY FORCING THROUGH AN INHERENTLY FLAWED SOLUTION TO THE VITAL FERRY LINK TO THE ISLANDS AND ALIENATING THE LONG AFFINITY BETWEEN PENZANCE AND SCILLY IN THE PROCESS.