Here We Go Again..

Mary Griffin from the Dorset Echo has jumped on the band wagon with an article (imaginativley entitled “Town has become ‘Notting Hill-on-Sea’“) that quotes this website heavily but does not mention its name. Our point was we didn’t like Bridport being represented as Notting-Hill-On-Sea, but now, we’re being represented as a bunch of pitchfork-wielding angry villagers.

Nothing like Notting Hill-on- Sea Said Julia Roberts

This was easy journalism for Mary, thrown in a few controversial quotes from a “community website” and a glance in the direction of the offending article and voila! …a front page story.

Well… we’re still misrepresented. Hey ho. I’d rather have no representation at all at this rate!

Who’s next to miss the point?

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58 thoughts on “Here We Go Again..”

  1. IMHO the only way to make the point is some good old \’Direct action\’ The Townie, second home buying urbanites, will not be happy until they have killed and removed the actual reason they moved here for in the first place……….The Community and the locals, all that will be left is the shell of Bridport covered in expensive cars, posh houses, and full of PC townies drinking in wine bars……. I think it is absolutley disgusing, that the echo, could not even mention this website, for that matter they could of at least got the point!!

  2. Nah…if they paid double council tax we’d end up with twice as many traffic calming schemes and pedestrian crossings. So…do you reckon we’ll get a similar front page in the Wip-Wop or are they going to play it safe? Let’s face it, there’s probably an extremely important charity coffee morning taking place that needs more coverage than this.

  3. Good point, at least it would give something to the council….But it would not put them off as these folk can afford it..!!! A example of what these second home owners do to villages can be seen in most villages over the christmas period, half the houses are empty. My own village turns into a ghost town, when i can remember it always used to be full of kids and people at christmas a real sense of community…..[B]NOW ITS GONE[/B] Put the townies off I say!!! Under hand tactics are needed 😉

  4. RIP OFF BRIDPORT The town I love is becoming a car park for the filthy rich, I expect shops will only serve people with premier accounts or houses worth more than 400K like the HSBC in Poole(sure Scummerfields will keep us fed and watered). Bat you have a mission

  5. RealWorld – I thought you couldn’t stand the heat and got out of the kitchen, well I’m glad bigbad Carlito didn’t scare you off. My point still stands – 10% off is still going the wrong way – if you can afford 2 houses then you should pay double council tax on your second home. Who else agrees?

  6. Realworld! You’re back! Oh how I’ve missed you. Since you’ve been gone, I have promised the whole site that I am turning over a new leaf and being nice as much as possible. So – did you enjoy the lovely Bridport sunshine over the Easter Weekend? A pub lunch or two perhaps? GOOD. Well back to the ol’ grind stone eh? Got to pay those discounted bills, and keep the family fit and healthy. I wonder if you’ll get the chance to look at This article on the BBC website today?Good to see you back. Group hug?

  7. Right I was Born in Bridport General,and been subjected to dorset speak for most of my life and I believe some of the above terms to be incorrect and supplied by newbys.. Fraggle- Person From Portland Fraggle Rock – Portland All reeeet – Hello Where you too – Where are you Snuh – Son or Son’er term used to good mates hell ov er – To agree, excellent, to make something sound bigger- ‘like hell ov er big hill snuh’ or ‘hell ov er good deal’ Jobzagoodun – anything done well and ended sucessfully

  8. I have to say I agree with you Rosieo6, it is disgraceful that our council members see an easy way to raise money is to put up parking permit prices. I would not be surprised to see car park prices rise as well fairly soon, just as the tourists start to arrive. Perhaps they want to encourage locals not to have cars. This would make more room for the visitors and the cash they bring with them???. Unfortunatly most of us, me included need a car for work etc. and will just end up paying the price. On the subject of the \’parking for free\’ section, one thing that anoys me is the van that parks near the traffic lights in East Street. If I worked in East Street and parked in a similar spot how long would it be before I was moved on or got a ticket???

  9. That’s the horrible truth Rosie. It will never end…unless BridportRadio really CAN come to the rescue. I think we’re kicking up a pretty public fuss at the moment. Who knows, maybe raising the profile of this site will give us more “”””power”””” to influence in the future? Oh, and I have been very calm lately,

  10. Realworld – I’m counting to ten…1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 OH SOD IT! Offer young couples a room in our houses??!! In your ridiculously ill-informed and inexperienced wisdom, you’ve TOTALLY missed the point! There are swarms of people who live and work in Bridport who are living in rooms in other people’s houses and flats ALREADY. WHY? Because they can’t afford to buy there own! THAT’S WHY! May I please ask the editor to start cropping Realworld’s posts before I mess myself with rage! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Ahh…that’s better.

  11. Realworld, are you for real…..Infantile drivel!!!!!! Can you not grasp why the locals are not happy about all this…REALLY????? Young people cannot afford homes here in Bridport……..simple. Due to the ever increasing house prices, the next generation are forced into moving!! KISS GOOD BYE to the thriving, community who made Bridport Bridport. On top of this we see OUR town changing into a souless extention of the home counties full of posh cars, wine bars and a sea of houses with no one in them!!!!! Feck me, how many people do I know who can barely afford to rent a house let alone buy one!!!!

  12. Here’s my idea for a Mikki Mug – No design required. It simply says in bloody large letters… BRIDPORTRADIO – THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE AGAINST (THE) REALWORLD – which makes me wonder. Realworld is you name MEANT to be ironic?

  13. Realworld:- I am so utterly astounded at your blantent ignorence that I am finding it hard to come up with a simple enough way for you to understand ‘us locals’ point of view. I am a working, single mum, of three. I live on minimum wage and live in a tiny two bedroom flat/shoebox, as the local council have no lo-cost houses available because they sold them all off in the 80&90’s. My children are 8, 9 and 3 months and the elder ones have never even had the simple priviledge of their own garden. If the cost of housing was less, so would be the cost of renting.(At the moment your average privately rented three bedroomed property is about £650-700 a month) Unfortunatly because people like you are buying up all our properties housing prices are rising and rising. I tell you what….. why don’t you rent me your house at an affordable price, and maybe all will be forgiven!

  14. so much anger.. make me wonder what you are all frightened of? change? affordable housing is a real issue, but the underlying spite and mistrust of “”””non locals”””” is tragic, burn em? and you complain you are seen as pitchfork weilders? YOU ARE… but hiding behind anonimity here. No point in saying grow up, its too late for that.

  15. Having moved here recently I don’t want my chances of, at long last, getting a library card ruined by the fecal orientated guff that realworld is expelling from his nether regions. Some of us “”””incomers”””” want nothing to do with the likes of the “”””notting hillers”””” and their flatulent mouthpieces. I normally only ever write to complain about the seagulls in West Bay, cows and sheep being allowed to defecate in fields, and the lack of proper street lighting in all villages and along the country lanes but this has gone too far so realworld I will type slower so you understand what would be considered equitable. If you own one house you pay one council tax. If you own two houses you pay one council tax for one and double council tax for the second. If you own three houses you pay one council tax on the first, double on the second, triple on the third, Very simple and very fair. If you have more you can afford to pay more, so pay up or pack up and go. If realworld has ruined my chances of a library card I shall be forced to join MC Sanandreas, despite all of his faults.

  16. Sdaly the article is becoming true isn’t it? I mean what exactly is a “”””Gusto Market”””” as I have never heard of a Gusto I am surprised to find out that there is such demand for them that they have their own market. Are they real or is it just some poncey idea by some incoming ponce to try and ponce up the marketplace by making it more poncey to appeal to the sort of ponce who might think that the area was missing poncey things like Gusto. Like the song says “”””times they are a changing””””. Mind you there is another song that says “”””I predict a riot””””

  17. I think burning may put a bit of a strain on our firestation. How about public flogging in Bucky Doo square???. It could be done once a year on carnival night, as a bit of a show at the end of the evening. A raffle could be held and 6 lucky locals could win the chance to ‘flog an incomer’. Local business owners could ‘sponsor a flogging’. Hot dogs and burgers, fun for all the family. Prizes for the best flogging of the evening……………………….. Anyone from the carnival organisers reading this………………

  18. I\’ve explained a number of times that the housing situation in Bridport is NOT an exclusive situation – it\’s the same everywhere in the UK. All I get is class-war, politics of envy type rhetoric from the more militant Bridporters. You seem not to want any visitors into the town. I imagine you work in what would be called \”””” dead-end\”””” jobs – certainly nothing entrepenurial eg the Beach & Barnicott . etc. Businesses like the B&B and the Electric Palace, the art galleries, restaurants, pubs etc do not need outsiders – they RELY on them/us. Without people coming into the town spending their hard earned money – the town would shrivel up and die – is that what you want ? Actually, I can imagine some of you DO want that. You can sit with the arse hanging out of your trousers in an empty pub congarulating yourselves on dragging Bridport back 30 years. Although actually, and this may come as a nasty shock – people like you ARE the past. Whether you like it or not, we, the well-educated, upwardly mobile, finacially wealthy metropolitans are here to stay. You, the poor locals may not like it – but the businessmen of Bridport do, so do the property men – so buck up,accept your lot and get used to it. You may have noticed my tone has changed somewhat from my initial posts – if you lot want to dish it out then I presume by the same token, you can accept some back. Wake up to the Real World – it\’s Bridport 2007 – Notting Hill On Sea. PS Isn’t suggesting a criminal act (arson) an offence ? RealWorld – It’s fine to “”””have a go”””” and a lively debate from differing points of view is what this site is about, but I am warning you not to be so abusive in future. I am only publishing this comment because it seems by your rude assumptions that you are showing your true colours.
    Editor

  19. and carlito, you may think you have your finger on the pulse (of popular opinion) thats how it starts ……and next is censoring the press ( or asking for posts to be cropped?) what next a nice little moustache and an impressive uniform?

  20. Oh dear Realworld we are spitting our dummy out of the pram aren’t we.Assuming that you can come on site and insult decent hardworking people in deadend jobs is a very smug way of putting across your upwardly mobile attitude.Also I gather that the gist of your argument is that as I have not had the chance of your lifestyle and am of no use to shopkeepers and winebar owners then I am not entitled to an opinion unless it is on the best way to clean your home or collect your rubbish? When are you going to add your photo to site so that you are not anonymous.Look forward to meeting you. As we live in the real world there will be no burning of homes so sleep safely.

  21. Tuzo if you have missed some of the posts you will not know that Carlito apologised for his outbursts and was toning things down.Then real world was so patronising,as are some of your comments and off it all goes again.Privilige is no excuse for rudeness no more than being underprivilaged is. I really resent being told that as I am not affluent I have no voice or the right to live in the area I was born in.

  22. Rustic me ol’ fruit me thinks you are writing thru’ gritted teeth.Hardly surprising as you will be considered infantile in a flash. The point is that there will be NO COUNTRYSIDE.New Builds are not allowed unless they are holiday homes,affordable housing is not affordable as the cost of living in the area is sky high,crime is taking over.Is it any wonder that young people are turning to drugs and alchohol.If you were to look at the percentage of young people on drugs that come from middle class(upwardly mobile)households it may be a shock. Incomers may be a good thing but not when there is a flood of them due to stupid publicity.Did any of the incomers move here to get away from an influx of imigrants in there area?Apologies for any spelling mistakes etc.

  23. I have no problem with real worlds desire to live here as I\’m guessing he/she comes from aright hole and can\’t wait to escape … but it seems he wants to have his cake and eat it … work in the hole during the week, amass a fortune, then spend idyllic weekends in country retreat taunting us backward bumpkins. Hell, I bet if he caught one of us riding a modern motorcycle instead of the council issued mule he\’d probably run us off the road leaving limbs attached to his bumper as a trophy to his townie mates. The real problem is buying a house as a weekend toy artificially inflates the market while reducing the housing and land available to the local population. Less housing = even higher prices so it\’s a no win situation. The so called dead end jobs are perpetuated because city boy wishes to have the best serevice for the lowest price and his townie chum who owns the restaurant doesn\’t want to pay decent wages to his staff or he may have to take a lower profit. No real jobs exist because every time a local business tries to expand it is met with resistance from the well off. That just leaves the service and care industries which are the worst paid jobs in the land.

  24. i may have been joking when i said “”””burn some sense into em!”””” Monty Python anyone? mind you i may be getting a torch ready as we speak. yes,yes,yes,fear of fire!!!!!!!!!!!!

  25. in a debate about the Congestion charge, overheard recently, a lady said it wouldnot affect her much longer as she was selling her west London home and buying a large house in this area. Soon we will be overun with escapees from London or swallowed up by an ever expanding Poundbury!

  26. Strange that I have been told by the editor to tone my comments down, when in one of the previous posts a contributor suggested burning down my house. Seems like one rule for one and one for another ( that is the another who doesn’t 100% agree with what the editor says). The whole tone of the anti-newcomers debate really does smack of somekind of Big Brother/Stalinist movement from days gone by. I repeat- I love Bridport & West Dorset – that’s why I’ve bought a property here. It’s just I resent being held personally responsible for expensive housing, food markets, wine bars, wine, cars and the price of bread. You cannot live in a bubble circa 1974 folks. The world moves on – you may not like it – there are loads of things in modern life I hate – but being a mature adult, one has to just get on with YOUR life and not keep looking for someone to blame. Believe it or not, I’m quite a decent bloke. No 4 by 4 for me – I’m not awash with cash nor do I speak with a plum in my mouth. Who knows, you may have already had a chat and a pint with me.

  27. How can such a well educated and upwardly mobile man, not grasp such an easy concept? It is dead simple its called waste! Second home owners are wasting property, easy as that. Popping down once a fortnight and buying a ploughman’s does really contribute to community, either economically or spiritually. Sure the area depends on tourism, great come visit, stop in a hotel. Oh bugger my bum has escaped my pants again!! From dimwit dead ender (BA Hons, RGN, PG Dip and Queens Guide (including rabbit keepers badge)) OR the other possibility ; Mr Real World does understand very well indeed and is really a Mole sent in to divide and rule.

  28. 1. Realworld you’ve done yourself more damage in your last two posts than I could ever dream of doing. I have copied and pasted your “”””big bad comment”””” and emailed it to the Bridport News as an example of the attitude that some weekenders have towards our community. 2. Tuzo – I’m getting fed up with you. You’re like a little mosquito buzzing around in a tent. Cut out your “”””opposition for the sake of it”””” – start saying something that matters. And if you carry on insinuating that I swing to the far right I’ll contact the editor with a view to your membership being revoked. It hurts me when u suggest I wear a fake mustache and “”””uniform””””. I am not that person and comments like that are personal and bad mannered.

  29. Realworld- your views really are un believeable!! Can you not grasp the point at all, the real concerns of the locals in this area??? Are you for real? I have a sneaking feeling that you may just be a mole, on the wind up. Luckily I love pest control and have a large collection of mole traps ;-P

  30. The point is(to tuzo & realworld) that I made a complaint about some of the posts on the site,(see vitriol) apologies were made and things toned down as it was getting personal BUT then the person who was being defended came back and launched into a tirade of abuse.Did the previous comments get looked at?No-one wants to stay circa 1974 but why can’t we comment on unfair publicity?(you and we does not mean them and us by the way).Everyone has a right to speak but it should be debate not venom. Remember pink mist only:)

  31. there was a time at the start of all these posts, when a reasonable discusssion could have taken place, but unfortunately most of you lept on “”””real world”””” like a pack of hyenas, flexing your intellectual (i use that word loosly) muscles and in the guise of humour, making some pretty insulting and derogatory comments(and personal ones too carlito) So go ahead, have me revoked .. have me dismantled, report me to the great panjandarum….. fire me out of a cannon, i dont mind.. but when you trot off to the bridport news with your angry post from real world, remember to enclose some of the taunting nasty ones you have written too eh? my understanding of manners, is that you are hospitable to visitors…… and i have found that most of the rest of bridport are just that, hospitable.. you could learn a lot from them.

  32. when i was Bridports premier hair stylist everything was so much easier. now it seems that everyone just wants to winge and moan while life passess them by. There’s a whole world out there for the taking and it seems a shame that some people choose to institutionalize themselves in one small part of it! I had to move from Bridport even though I’m born and bred just so I could make something of my life. I thought I would leave it to my peers who will inherit mummy and daddys business or take over the manor house from Uncle Ted! When I return to Bridport to retire I’ll be able to walk along Chesil beach happy in the knowledge that i’ve met many people and experienced many great places. Some people will not be able to do that as they’ve wasted their time gossiping,moaning and generally letting life pass them by. Ignorance is bliss….i think not!

  33. Dear Doctor Malicious Could you stand still the next time you are drinking a coffee outside Jay’s in bucky Doo? Also please refrain from walking behind large objects which may break my line of sight. ThE bAt ———————————————– Dearest The Bat You’ve got the wrong man. Ask your parents to let you out of your basement. One step at a time The Bat, one step at a time. NEXT! Dr. Malicious

  34. Hi-Jack (tee hee). Good point. I’m off to travel the world for years and try and start a career in the big city. Oh no, wait a minute, I’ve already done all that, and I’ve decided that Bridport is the best place to be – short of emegrating to a small island off the coast of Gujarat, Diu, or settling for a fjord in New Zealand. Moving away for the majority of your productive life and retiring here 40 years later is all well and good, it’s your choice and you are entitled to it. Of course this confirms my thoughts that 30% of people move here and screw over the locals, 20% of people move here and contribute to the community, blend in and get on with it, and a huge 50% of people move here simply to DIE.

  35. Tuzo please will you read!It was not most of the site that jumped on Real world and since then it should have been all water under the bridge but there are two people who are like a dog with a bone and will not let it drop.Being patronising, rude or offensive is not a good thing whoever does it(even if you like it).Perhaps we need a new thread and start off a debate not a slagging.Welcome to all the new names.

  36. Thanks for the statistical analysis Carlito but you forgot to mention the high percentage of those in the community who benefit from inherited wealth. They don’t have to leave the area as they can continue to be hand reared with the silver spoon. Many have the luxury to travel and try and make a go of things in the city but they’ve always got the nice little manor house in the sticks to fall back on if things go belly-up. I think Dorset has a massive amount of inherited wealth. I think I better go now as my harsh upbringing on the mean streets of Bradpole is starting to show!!!

  37. (Carlito crawls out of a shadowy corner, shudders, and retreats) Whispers are heard off camera, in the darkness. “”””I think he’s finally lost it”””” “”””Yes…let’s try poking him with this stick”””” “”””No…he may lash out””””.

  38. So this is where reasoned and lively debate has taken us, carlito and tuzo having a hissy fit and taking their ball home because they don’t want to play anymore, rosie06 trying to get us all to form a circle, hold hands and chant for peace, and the wind up merchant that is realworld still spewing out his crud. If we can’t launch an anonymous, spirited and if necessary abusive defense of our beliefs (even if we have made them up) then it’s a sad day in cyber-space paradise. Ed you are doing a grand job of keeping the pot boiling, my hat is aloft to you sir. But without doubt the post (well not the post, the name) that had me guffawing out load is jackabbotRIP which is without doubt the best name ever on this website. A good, no! A great, LOCAL name full of humor and crazy memories for anyone who chanced into his place of business. (if you are a weekender you don’t deserve to know so don’t ask) To keep the Notting hill debate alive and kicking:- By bullying (oops I meant buying) your way into the idyllic dream-life of the area you, yes you personally, are absolutely responsible for killing the dream. The life portrayed by media charlatans like Hugh Farkwit Grubbing-stool don’t exist, unless you are happy (and have the backing of a major TV network) to pay the locals handsomely for their company.

  39. i am not sulking… i just dont really know what the solution is, or even if there is a problem, i dont fit into any catagory.. i used to live in notting hill years ago, when it was all prostitutes and westindians , the mangrove days, i appreciate the fervor people have about this town, and to an extent i agree, but i like things to keep moving….. and see whats round the next corner….is that heartless?

  40. Hmmm. HFW was not alone in those tv shows. It may have been money, the thought of being on tv, or who knows what that got both locals and newcomers to take part. As for references earlier to fixing the cylinder head on a landrover for the price of a ham sandwich, it was, as I remember, scallops not a ham sandwich. Whenever I come back with a goodie bag full of scallops I dont find the traders of Bridport climbing over each other to offer me goods and services, Which goes to prove we are all a little further evolved than we may have been portrayed on the tv???

  41. Hi Rustic, nice to see you. B****s to this silence malarky. It’s doing my head in. But in fairness it appears that the whole thing has gone off the boil, and a good few days I managed to waste at least 8 hours of work time bashing out lashings of fiery comment when really I should have been working! Wee need one of these things to happen: 1. Some other paper prints some other tosh about Notting Hill On Sea. 2. Realworld sells his second home out of sheer guilt and sells his story to the Sun. With the money from the story, and from the house sale combined, he buys Colmer’s hill from the whoever owns it and gets the trees condemed. 3. Tuzo is arrested for toilet trading in Kings St when Realworld accidentally dials 999 from his phone whilst using the glory hole. 4. The residents of Pilsden Commune return to normal life and join Rosie06’s chanting workshop. Maybe this is all wrong, but the issues still persist, and I simply can’t see how we can stop it. Realworld is partially right. This is the inevitable. It’s like a steam train. We can’t even hope for a complete housing market collapse, because cheaper houses here would mean that they would just be snapped up quicker – and probably not by locals. Finally – I am beginning to realise exactly how hypocritical I have been. We sit here an scoff at weekenders having no input to the community and leeching from it. But what do I do? I LIVE here and STILL leech off it. I haven’t contributed to the community in a lasting/postive fashion out of the goodness of my heart since 1992! Since then I’ve been drinking, partying, breeding, shopping and slogging my guts out for non-local companies. How is this “”””integration””””? How is this “”””supporting”””” the community? It’s not, and I have no leg to stand on. Infact if there is any leg to stand on, its that I happened to already live here. And that is IT. We’re all f****d – and unless we all voluteer to commit coutless hours of your life to something community-based like our esteemed editor – then any argument we can muster is only backed by transparent ideas – and no real graft. It’s Monday, it’s raining – and I’m BORED of this subject. CAN YOU TELL??!!!!

  42. Well Carlito I think you have nailed that sucker up tight. I love the bit about King Street toilets, now that really does add a whole new dimention to the phrase “”””a little cottage in the country”””” Next subject please beacuse there is plenty of spleen left to vent.

  43. After my successful re-incarnation as a top stylist in London I am now about to re-open a salon in Bridport. I will be specializing in Hoxton Mulletts, Shoreditch Skinheads, and Brixton Basins. I’m sure with all the week-enders in Bridport I will have a roaring trade. The sad irony is I was dishing out these haircuts in the 80’s to the youth of Bridport a long time before any of these London EMOs (emotional rockers) came long. I tell you what-the things Hugh Whittingstall does with our local produce are not a patch on what I could do with a Flymo hedge-trimmer and his curly locks!!

  44. Well im surprised to see you re-incarnated Jacko,i hope you don’t still use them pudding bowls for trimming hair !! Anyway,i think the Editor has done a good job of kerbing Realworlds wealthy dribble. Unfortunately the government back in the late 70’s/early 80’s,could have avoided a lot of this mass exodus to the Bridport area by the wealthylights ! By not selling off the much needed council estates and capping the number of people moving into the area,Bridport COULD have been kept to a manageable number. Back in the early 80’s it was only at the height of summer that you had traffic queues,and there was a greater variety of shops. Well why in 20 years of progress,does it now take an half hour to get from East Street to West Street all year round.And unless you are into buying your wardrobe from the multiple of charity shops which have taken over,then you have to go out of the area to shop. At the present time there are far to many homes for the size of the town and the amenities needed to serve them,thats a fact. Like the government are trying their best to tax vehicles off the roads,they should also be taxing the 2nd or more home owners the same way. As unpopular as it sounds,the consistent rise of house prices needs to be capped to a sensible level, so working class people can afford to get a step onto the house buying ladder. I mean nearly half a million for a beach hut is shear absurdity !! Progress is needed,greed is not. You have to understand that someone like Realworld will probably never know what its like,to have no chance of owning his own home in the area he was brought up in. And as such can not understand now, why so many resent his present fortunate status!

  45. ‘Fraid I frequent all the above mentioned charity shops as it the only way I can afford to buy clothes(Poor poor me),the job centre is only open part-time(although updated and bigger!)the united reform does regular jumble sales most saturdays by various local groups(air cadets,playschools etc.) (loving thoughts still being sent)

  46. I love a good fumble through the jumble, I haven’t heard of one for ages, mind you being an unbeliever I have no real knowledge of church locations. Is the united refornm that “”””happy clappy”””” one in king street carpark, or the one next to rawles?

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