I am told that County Hall in Nottingham has had windows smashed in protest, and a message left in 18-inch-high capitals letters:
“F**k austerity, Fight the cuts”
Nottinghamshire, eh? Hardly the heartland of the Hard Left. Old UDM country, in fact, even leaving aside the large Tory vote and therefore the several marginal seats. One might even call it "Middle England".
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Hmm.
ReplyDeleteActually, Notts County Hall is in Nottingham, which ranks 7th in England for deprivation; it's close to Trent Bridge and just a stone's throw (possibly literally) from the Meadows area, which is one of the four most deprived wards in Nottingham.
As far as its actual address goes, County Hall's in a rather leafier ward, and its location next to the river makes it look quite nice, but that doesn't isolate it from the deprivation close at hand.
Middle England doesn't quite describe it.
This is County Hall, not City Council (probably called a "Civic Centre", I expect). The County Council, not the City Council.
ReplyDeleteSo we are not talking about Nottingham. We are talking about Nottinghamshire. Middle England in every sense.
And Middle England says, "F**k austerity, Fight the cuts". Well, of course.
Yes, the *County* hall is the one I'm talking about - it's next to Trent Bridge. Nottingham City technically stops at the Trent; County Hall is just outside it, but still close by. The City Council building is about 3/4 of a mile away, just off the same road.
ReplyDeleteIn every meaningful sense, West Bridgford (in which County Hall lies, just) is part of Nottingham, the City; unless you actually happen to know where the legal boundaries are, you wouldn't now you'd moved from one to the other, certainly as you went past County Hall.
If you feel the need to check, http://tinyurl.com/36gpzq7 will show you the map - the satellite overlay shows the County Hall buildings for you. Turney St and Fraser Rd, just the other side of the river and under two minutes walk away, are in one of the most deprived wards in England.
The local Catholic school takes pupils from both sides of the river, which is often a bit disconcerting for those who think that Catholic schools encourage social segregation - by bridging the county/city areas, it has a catchment more socially diverse than any other in the area. It's under the County authority, but could switch to City any time it felt like it as the intake is almost exactly 50/50.
Your point being? It's the County Hall of the County, and it is in the County. That is the point.
ReplyDeleteMy point being that Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are not the same, and that an attack on a building in Nottingham says little about the situation in Nottinghamshire: it certainly doesn't merit the connection you're trying to make.
ReplyDeleteBy trying to stick to the the pretence that crossing the river makes the whole area somehow 'middle England' rather than a seriously deprived area you make yourself look uninformed or, given that I've informed you and you still stick to it, willing to deny the facts in order to make a failed point. That's not the behaviour of a reasonable Catholic; more the behaviour of a Blair or a Thatcher.
Wash your mouth out!
ReplyDeleteOh, well, if it makes you feel better to believe that this must have come from the proles, then who am I to disturb you?