With reference to the lack of venue for the Bridport Radio party… Does anyone remember the Welsh practise of 'Holiday cottage burning', very popular in the 80's? (See bbc/wales) Given the relatively small number of properties burned to the ground, publicity for the 'Sons of Glyndwr's' direct-action resulted in some amazing 'results'. Destroying the holiday homes pushed the value and desirability of these 'investments' down. Who says the pen is mightier than the sword? How many letters, reports, or requests for affordable homes for local people have been acted upon?
So, how about instigating a 'grockle-watch'. If some splendid property is left unattended for over-long periods, or the owners of the said property are observed spreading nimbyist anti-yokel behaviour, (See destruction of earth Goddess sculpture, planning applications etc. etc.) their 2nd home automatically qualifies as a potential party venue.
It is their chance to give something back to the community they are actively destroying by removing vital assets, and decreasing consumer demand on local shops/services etc.
All locals would be welcome to come along and explore the 'feeling' of wandering about in a small two-up two-down cottage, (just as the once-a-year owners do in the warmer summer months). It would also invoke the distant memory of a young dorset family-home environment, a myth long since engulfed by the rising house market tide.
Candidate venues could be discussed on these pages, and party venue and times could be spread in similar ways to 'flash mobbing'. (See pillowfightclub.org) Destroying a property would certainly be seen as an act of vandalism, and definitely criminal. Also, a unique building would be lost, (as most cottages were one-off buildings) and a house would be removed from the market, not acheiving anything in particular. On the plus side, the rebuild would possibly involve local jobs, the partying action, would highlight the perils of distant ownership, especially if repeated often enough. Also, if a complaint from noise etc is received, we could point the police at the owners, after all they invited us!
Risky business, putting a bash on around carnival time. Too many other things to go to, festies, parties, trips away etc. etc. February is a good month for it, it’ll break up the winter of discontent and give us all something to look forward to. How about we rally the BridportRadio bands for a multiple line up of live music? Andy – we need to get hold of the guys that did the PA for the 2005 Halloween party. It sounded great then. Come on we can make it a big old shin-dig where everyone providing a service gets free advertising on BR (to keep costs down) and all the town are welcome for the handsome price of £7.50 on the door £6 in advance from the Record Centre. It’ll be grrrrrrrreat!
and another thing….people that go on, and on, and on, and on….
And what will the money raised by this travel tax be spent on i wonder ? I can guarantee no more than 10% will go back to up keeping the pot holed highways,that the government dick turpins should be maintaining with the present road tax income. Talking about Saturday morning town madness,why is it that folk that are retired or unemployed all head into town on the busiest morning of the week.Yet they COULD come in on any other morning, and not clog up the streets on the one day that mid-week workers have off ?