Rough Music 20 - Jan/Feb 2009

What's In This Issue:
Brighton Bombers - As Israeli bombs rain down on the Gaza Strip, using weapons components made in Brighton by EDO-MBM/ITT. The Smash EDO campaign continues from strength to strength.
Far Right-Off - The Far-Right British National Party attempt to relaunch their Brighton and Hove branch - and are met by stiff resistance.
1,000 Days And Counting - The Titnore protest camp near Worthing celebrates its 1,000th day.
Branch Line - Network Rail continues to vandalise trees around rail tracks.
Refuse-Niks- Brighton binmen to strike again.
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marina - The B&H Council throws out plans for the Marina development.
Last Bandstrand - The B&H Council is predictably two-faced about its green agenda.
Rough Music Gig List - Some upcoming events in Brighton.
Wankers Corner - This time the gong goes collectively to the whole Sussex Police.
Combe As You Are - The Bexhill Bypass gets the go ahead, threatening the South East - Combe Haven Valley.
Coppa-Cino - Police get heavy at the anti-Starbucks protests in Kemptown.
Squids In - Father and son get charges dropped after Sealife Centre arrest last March.
Forgive Ue Our Trespasses - Mass trespasses on the South Downs.
Anston House Verdict - Developers in court over illegal tree-felling at Anston House site.
Editorial - Musings from the mouth of William Cobbett.
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BRIGHTON BOMBERS

As bombs from Israeli warplanes rained down on the defenceless population of the Gaza Strip - it’s worth remembering that the bomb release mechanisms used on the Israeli Airforce’s F-16s are manufactured right here in Brighton.

That’s right up on Home Farm Rd on a quiet little industrial estate, ITT formerly EDO MBM are manufacturing equipment for war crimes. Despite various directors of EDO denying under oath any involvement in supplying equipment to the Israeli military – they’ve also admitted that it’s impossible to know the end user of any of their products.

One of EDO’s products in particular is being used in the assault, the Zero Retention Force Arming Unit: a bomb release mechanism. An EDO Corp promotional document describes the component as the ‘EDO MBM Zero Retention Force Arming Unit’ and says it is supplied to ‘Israel Air Force’ with EDO MBM as the sole supplier for this armament component. Under cross-examination at Hove Crown Court in December 2005, David Jones, the then managing director of EDO MBM, admitted that ‘IAF’ in the above document refers to the Israeli Air Force. Faced with the document Jones claimed that a sister company in the US, EDO Artisan make the component, and that even though he is a director of that company too, this is only ‘for tax reasons’, and he has no control over it. However EDO MBM say on their own website that they ‘actively manufacture’ the equipment themselves.

And what’s Sussex Police’s response to those public-spirited individuals trying to rid our city of accessories to war-crimes? No need to ask really - it’s the usual mean-spirited attempt to shut down the regular Wednesday noise demos and stifle the right to protest:

Following the Carnival Against the Arms Trade back in June, which saw ‘It’s a riot’ plastered across the front-page of the Argus – 14 people were arrested – some on the day, some weeks later. Initially they were all charged with “conspiracy to violent disorder”. To the press, police have maintained that their extreme use of force at the factory was justified by the seriousness of offences committed by campaigners. However, at the first hearing of the case the CPS dropped all serious charges against protesters and they are now charged with summary-only offences. The trumped up charges gave police powers to search houses and seize computers and mobile phones.

On a less serious note ... tone deaf cops up at Brighton’s favourite factory of mayhem are having to face the music again after yet more acquittals for protesters (currently Sussex Police last year had more of their members convicted of criminal offences than SMASH EDO! See Wankers Corner this issue). For the last eighteen months protesters up at the factory have been faced with a council bye-law from bygone days against noise pollution. So far this has been used to arrest people for such heinous offences as letting rip with a pound-shop airhorn and singing.

Way back in August regular attendee at the EDO demos Glenn Williams was arrested for playing anti-war dirge-along “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” (apparently not the Pogues version, which is a shame). This trivial offence was used to bail Glenn away from the factory for four months before once again no evidence was offered in court. An earlier judgement which went against one campaigner had suggested that music directly relevant to protest might not qualify as noise pollution.

Meanwhile it looks like Plod is taking pro-active line by actively soliciting noise complaints. According to one resident of the Bates estate which backs onto the railway line in front of the factory who exclusively told RM “ This evening a plain-clothed female police officer came knocking on doors with a clip-board. She said she was finding out (on behalf of the council) what people in the estate felt about the noise protests. I told her, the trains are more noisy than your protests and I don’t particularly notice either, but it looks as if they might be gathering evidence to serve new noise abatement notices on you”.

* See www.smashedo.org.uk

FAR RIGHT-OFF

British National Party activists hoping to relaunch the defunct Brighton and Hove branch of their party got a warmer welcome than they were expecting on Wednesday 10th December.

Would-be Nazi’s had been asked to meet at 7.15 in front of Hove train station before slinking off to the back-room of whatever pub was desperate enough to have them. But, now that the party has more leaks than a sieve, it wasn’t long before local anti-fascists had rumbled them. On the day itself nearly two hundred protesters gathered outside the station. Most had come under the banner of Unite against Fascism but around forty masked up ne’erdowells had gathered under the more militant Antifa banner.

The three BNP activists who did turn up confined themselves to taking photos from within the safety of local pub “The Station” - at least that is until they were told to leave by the bar manager.

Suddenly at a loss as to what to do they fled for safety behind police lines and got the first taxis they could out of there (funnily enough the skin-colour of the taxi-driver ceased to be an issue at this point). In order to cover-up this humiliating rout they’ve been reduced to bleating on one of their websites “Anyway after we had finished pointing and laughing at the 300 or so numpties, we decided to leave them too it so as to lessen the risk of catching whatever disgusting diseases they were probably carrying”. (sic) - hmmm.

An Antifa told RM: “Of course now that the recession is starting to bite deep, the fascists are hoping to rise to power on the back of scapegoating the most vulnerable people. What tonight’s demo shows is that nobody is this city is going to be taken in that easily”.

1,000 DAYS AND COUNTING

Camp Titnore will be 1,000 days old in February. The camp was set up on May Bank Holiday 2006 to stop the damaging Tesco-led development destroying a valued eco-system and ancient Titnore woodland.

Over Christmas the regular “A Hamper for a Camper” at Holder’s Corner, Montague Street, Worthing, raised vital funds for the camp. Cash is also going into a fund for a transport study which can be put in front of the planning authorities to show them just how out of control vehicle movements will likely become if all this goes through.
Councillors will no doubt sit up and take note as the borough elections are not too far off in May.

Dave Phillips of Worthing Eco-Action, told RM: “This is now the third winter for Camp Titnore and it looks like being the toughest yet for them. A lot of people we talk to simply can’t believe the camp is still there after all this time - it really is a tribute to their dedication. This protest must go down as a major event in Worthing’s history.”

Steady now Dave, we’re beginning to feel ‘the hand of history on our shoulder’...

There is actually talk of the camp being put forward to the Guinness Book of Records – we kid you not.
More information on the campaign can be seen online at www.eco-action.org/porkbolter and www.protectourwoodland.co.uk

An updated application for the 875-home estate is currently due for consideration by Worthing Borough Council planners and you still have time to make a comment, quoting the code WB/04/00040/OUT, to the planning department in Portland House, Richmond Road, Worthing.

The new ‘supersize-me’ Tesco development has already got the nod although work on this hasn’t yet started and will be opposed big time if it does.

** Benefit Gig, Sun, 11th Jan, 8pm: Concert for the save Titnore Woods campaign at Clapham & Patching Village Hall, A280 Long Furlong, near Worthing. Performing acoustic Greg Harper, Cornflower Blue and Claire Booth. £3.

See www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/diary.htm

BRANCH LINE

Since their last foray into the Hove undergrowth reported in RM#16, Network Rail have been back to trackside with the chainsaws and extended their blundering operation from Addison/Highdown Roads to London Road in what they call a ‘safety exercise’ and we call a fucking disaster.

Network Rail claim that trees along the line are a danger and should be cut down and their roots poisoned. By opting for poisoning costs are cut. However the safer and more environmentally sustainable option is coppicing (cutting new growth from the trees) so that the roots remain intact and keep the steep embankments in place.
There have already been documented cases (by the Brighton branch of rail union the RMT) of landslides near Haywards Heath following similar ‘safety’ operations which have damaged and loosened roots.

The latest work at Highdown Road (early December) has seen all the trees now destroyed while on the opposite Addison Road side they are slowly working their way through.

Two years of campaigning from residents along both roads have been ignored by these idiots – maybe deaths from a derailment caused by a landslide will be the only way to change a policy which has ended with criticism and disbelief from trackside residents up and down the country.

Neighbours living near London Rd railway line clashed with contractors chopping down tens of trees overlooking their gardens in November last year.

Quite rightly mortified they rushed onto the line to try and stop the operation destroying not only trees perceived as a danger but also those in a perfectly safe state and part of a wildlife haven.

In a statement straight out of Animal Farm, a Network Rail spokesman oinked: “We are very concerned by the actions of some of these residents. They put their lives and the lives of others at risk. We hope that in future common sense prevails.” Yeah right...

REFUSE-NIKS

Bin It! say Brighton binmen to council plans to cut back 24 staff and make new collection rounds even more difficult to complete on time.

“A cut too far,” is how Charles Harrity local GMB union organiser described it to RM. “The management have basically been saying this is how it is going to be, get on with it. This is a dangerous and difficult job and no-one likes to be spoken to like that first thing in the morning.”

Charles added: “These are legitimate concerns and we won’t be bullied by the management.” Fair play and Brighton binmen are certainly not to be messed with – having successfully opposed changes to rounds in 2001 by occupying their depot (then privately run) and management harassment just last year which resulted in two successful wildcat strikes.

This time Brighton council are keen to get these 24 job cuts, mainly through voluntary redundancies. The aim is to reduce the size of crews then divide them around a bit. “They’ll take one man off five or six crews for example,” Charles explained.

Now that plainly ain’t gonna work, as there’s too much work on the new collection rounds now that the new Hollingdean depot is in operation. The controversial rounds were introduced to save money after the opening of this new rubbish transfer station and new recycling rounds on top.

A ballot for strike action will be held on January 5/6 with a 66% majority required. “We wouldn’t go to ballot if we didn’t think we’d get that,” said another union official, “especially on the back of the one and half days we’ve had already.”

These wildcat strikes in early December saw dozens of staff sent home after an impromptu two-hour sit-in at the depot.

Binmen have been frustrated for a while now, complaining that they were not being listened to about problems with the new rounds, introduced in October, which had led to a seagulls’ three day rave around the North Laine with bags being left in the street sometimes for weeks at a time.

Seriously though, one binman told us that given realistic targets they would do their utmost to reach all residents. “We do not want to let the residents down but the management are not listening.” Support the binmen and join them on any future strike action!!

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE... MARINA

In a victory for common sense the council have thrown out plans for the Marina development led by funny Frenchman, former Millennium Dome boss, Mr PY “I’m a” Gerbil and his X-Leisure company.

“Clearly the Marina needs some sort of regeneration – but gross over development isn’t the way forward” trumpeted the Greens after the December decision. Why’s that then? Why is it that everything needs redeveloping? RM would love to know - London Road, the Marina... save yourself one big headache and just leave ‘em alone.

The problem with the marina scheme was (almost) perfectly summed up by M Dyson, writing in The Anus letters page: “Who on earth would give permission for this ghastly nightmare to be built in Brighton - or anywhere else? Let’s have more concern from the well-paid council towards our dilapidated gardens and parks, including stopping people “dossing out” on every bit of grass.” We did say almost...

Gerbeau’s £400million plans, along with Parkridge Estates and Explore Living - the development arm of Laing O’Rourke, included a revamp of the leisure and shopping facilities and a 28-storey tower - perfectly in keeping with the low-lying chalk white cliffs then. Mind you what d’you expect from the bloke behind the dome. The list of crap ideas to come from this latest proposal was endless.

Piss-poor architecture, lack of decent public spaces, the 15% affordable housing units were extremely cramped, with a lack of amenity space and an unacceptable impact on the cliffs and the surrounding historic architecture. There were no adequate plans for kids, it goes on and on...

First the King Alfred development, and now this - it only leaves the Albion’s new stadium for the hatrick although that looks unfortunately on safe ground unless someone sees fit to chuck a spanner in the works...

LAST BANDSTAND

The Environment Committee chairman, Councillor Geoffrey Theobald has some pretty hefty stuff on his agenda – reducing carbon emissions, recycling, energy efficiency and cleaning up the seafront Bandstand. Needless to say it’s the latter rather than any of the former getting the most cash - 870,000 nicker to be exact. Or twice as much as council spending on direct measures to reduce carbon dioxide.

That’s not to say there aren’t some half decent ideas within the £400,000 carbon reduction plan And in a post-festive daze RM is willing to give the benefit of the doubt to things like the staff travel plan, which promotes and provides sustainable transport alternatives for journeys to/from and during work. Nor do we have anything against Brighton older folk having a deckchair chill-out to a spot of Brighouse and Rastrick, but, and it’s a big BUT, why have Geoffrey and chums laid out so much of our cash on it?

The council intends to spend £250,000 of energy efficient measures in lighting / electrical improvements in the Lanes and London Road, as well as another quarter of a mil to replace the Lanes ventilation system and make energy savings of over 75%. Not bad, but also underfunded. The truth is the council would much rather put money into developments to attract yet more car driving tourists into town so they can spend what cash they’ve got left on tat for their front rooms.

In fact Theobald (See Wanker’s Corner RM#18) has long been in the RM firing line following some frankly, ludicrous proposals. In the summer he came up with the classic of banning dogs from the beach – a policy which was shelved quicker than a copy of Razzle at a nuns reunion. That and his trailblazing removal of estate agents’ boards from central areas and tinkering with traffic lights so yet more cars can come into central Brighton and raise asthma levels during the summer has put his oily mug firmly on the map.

Then in his failed attempt to take over the Tory leadership following the oh so sad demise of Cllr Bent Kodfish we had his very own Obama moment: “My work for the city in which I was born and that I love is not yet complete.”

Well all we can say is let’s hope it comes to a premature and sticky end because any more brainwaves from this twat and we’ll have to kiss goodbye to any initiatives which might just be pushing in the right direction. No wonder Brighton’s been knocked off the top spot for most Green City of the Year.

January 2009

• Every Weds 4-6pm Smash EDO/ITT noise demos outside EDO, Home Farm Business Park, Moulsecoomb www.smashedo.org.uk
• Every Saturday, 10am – 2pm: Vegan breakfast cooked all day for £3 at the Cowley Club, London Road. www.cowleyclub.org.uk
• Sun, 11th, 2pm - 6pm: Sunday Roast. Benefit for ABC Prisoner Support, Cowley Club, 12 London Rd. www.brightonabc.org.uk
• Wed, 14th, 7:30pm: Talk - Guantanamo from both sides of the wire Speakers: Sami Al Haj (former Guantanamo detainee and Al Jazeera journalist), Christopher Arendt (former guard), Moazzam Begg (former Guantanamo detainee and Cage prisoners spokesperson), at Friends’ Meeting House.
• Tue, 20th, 7pm: Talk - A Change in the White House. What changes for Latin America? With Iain Bruce author of “The Real Venezuela: Making Socialism in the 21st Century” at Friends’ Meeting House.
• Sun, 25th, 2pm - 6pm: Sunday Roast. Benefit for Smash EDO, Cowley Club, 12 London Rd www.cowleyclub.org.uk
• Wed, 28th, 7:30pm–9pm: Stories from women living in occupied Palestine - launch of the booklet produced by Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group, at Friends’ Meeting House. www.brightonpalestine.org
• Thurs, 29th, 8pm: Talk and reading by former Newbury protester and Worthing resident Jim Hindle, author of ‘Nine Miles; Two winters of Anti-Road Protest’. upstairs at The Rest, Bath Place, Worthing. www.ninemiles.co.uk
• Thurs, 29th, 6pm, and Feb 26th, 6pm: Critical Mass bike ride. Bring bikes, lights and noise! Meet at The Level. www.critical-mass.info/europe.html#europe

February

• Thurs, 5th, 7.30pm: Hands Off anti-war discussion forum. A talk and discussion by Grauniad journo Nick Davies at the Brighthelm Centre
• 6th-11th: Earth First! Winter Moot. At Cowley Club, 12 London Rd, www.earthfirst.org.uk

Hey it’s a bit of a cop-out but this month RM is proud to place the much-coveted Wanker’s Crown on the oddly-shaped wooden-top head of the entire Sussex Police force.

Since 2004 – fourteen cops with Sussex Police have been found guilty in the courts. With convictions ranging from the relatively benign (driving a moped without insurance) to the perverted (inciting a minor into sexual activity) via whole host of minor public order offences and careless driving - you might be forgiven for wondering exactly who we’re hiring to protect us from what.

And that’s just the ones that made it to court! Cops have had their collars felt for whole variety of other offences, such as harassment, sexual assault and criminal damage. Just check out the freedom of information responses at www.sussex.police.uk

So it should come as no surprise that Sussex police hold another unenviable record – the Independent Police Complaints Commission has revealed that complaints filed against Sussex Police rose in the last year by 90%, the highest percentage increase in complaints against any police force in the UK, beating even London’s notorious Metropolitan Police paramilitary death squads. Nice One Lads!

Perhaps that’s why the force decided to spend £450,000 on PR last year -but no amount of cash is going to wash away the stench of corruption from this particular barrel of rotten apples.

COMBE AS YOU ARE

The Bexhill bypass, was given the go-ahead by East Sussex County Council in early December – a road which will devastate one of the finest river valleys in the South-East - Combe Haven Valley at the cost of £100 million.

Groups opposed to the road have formed a coalition -The Hastings Alliance. They say that a fraction of the money spent on other transport schemesh would benefit the local community far motre by reducing traffic and providing better public transport and cycle facilities.Nick Bingham, of Hastings Alliance told RM: “It’s a joke. Our landscape is irreplaceable: once destroyed it can’t be brought back.”

Cutting a great swathe through Combe Haven, the road would sever wildlife corridors used by dormice, owls and other protected species. Given that it currently experiences almost no vehicle traffic, it is an oasis in one of England’s busiest regions.

Ironically this quality is recognised by East Sussex County Council on their website, saying the area is a resource for both local people and visitors. The visual impact of a road, and noise from an estimated 23-30,000 vehicles per day, would put paid to this.

And again according to the council’s own say-so, the road will result in the emission of an additional 6,000 tonnes of CO2. This will wipe out any beneficial effects from the County’s putative Carbon Management Plan which aims to save 5,788 tonnes.

The road would have impacts on two sites of special scientific interest (Combe Haven and Marline Valley), in terms of habitat severance, disruption of hydrology, loss of ancient woodland, and disturbance to wetland bird populations and protected species such as the poor, put-upon, bloody dormice.

There’s no doubt in RM’s mind that this bypass is an attempt by ESCC to get round the scrapping of the original Hastings bypass plans in 2001, by simply breaking the route in two, thereby reviving that discredited scheme by stealth.

Next step is to see if the government will call the plans in for public inquiry...so not time for the camping gear quite yet. Last time a bypass was threatened in Arundel just the threat of a protest camp stopped it in its tracks.

For more check out www.hastingsalliance.com

COPPA-CINO

Just to waste a bit more budget police are now sending a regular wagon to the St James St Kemptown anti-Starbucks Saturday protests (See RM#19 - Fraco-ccino).

In December Inspector ‘insidious’ Costello told campaigners that Chief Inspector Mills of EDO fame had sent him to check out the protests. This after the seven month campaign saw Starbucks hit with a council enforcement notice - they have till Feb 20 to take out all their tables and chairs and operate as a shop for which they have permission and not a café for which they don’t.

One regular at the protests told RM: “Considering that the week of the announced big demo it was just McDonald (that’s EDO’s Sean Big Mac – RM#8 Wankers Corner) and two other cops it’s a bit of a shift – but expected.”

Brighton has eight Starbucks. The world’s largest coffee shop chain acts like a vulture, slowly forcing local independent caffs to the wall.They opened illegally on St James St in May without full planning permission and are currently appealing against the decision to only grant them a licence to open as a shop. They will likely appeal against the enforcement notice as well. If you fancy having your twopence-worth why not email Hazel Blears (blearsh@parliament.uk)

For Starfucks the grey area is a legal loophole where if the status of a store is unclear under planning law, catering outlets can open in former retail premises without obtaining a change in classification. It’s a loophole that they exploit to the full with branches elsewhere in the country.

And this enables them to blatantly lie saying they aren’t a café at all as the morons inside sit in the window slurping on their lousy coffee – with only a 2% chance of it even being Fairtrade. The good news is that Starbucks profits collapsed 97 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 600 stores closed in the US alone.

And the UK performance - so far we have around 650, making it the second biggest coffee chain in the country after Costa on 820 - is to blame for this apparently, so at least we have something to thank them for down St James St. The company’s anti-union policy can’t help – US workers have been sacked for trying to form a union (later re-instated after a legal case: www.starbucksunion.org/documentary)

In fact there’s a whole host of reasons for not liking the scummy corporate, ranging from the nasty habit of forcing out locally-based competitors to the ethical deficit that allows them to run a branch in Guantanamo Bay!

Demos: Outside Starbucks, St James St, Kemptown. Every Saturday Noon - 2pm

SQUIDS IN

RM courtroom update: A disabled father and his son have had their charges dropped after being on police bail since March last year (see RM#18 – Mazzive Attack).

The dastardly duo were arrested on Zoo Awareness day out side the Sea Life Centre in Brighton. According to the son “The police promptly turned up at the fluffy demo after a 999 call from the manager saying he was scared that violence would erupt - and that there was a man shouting “fucking fish killers” over a megaphone. The police quickly arrested the disabled villain for causing alarm, harassment and distress and pinned him to the ground before nicking his seventeen year old son for obstruction.

Both were duly charged after spending months on police bail only to have their charges dropped after five months.

As we reported at the time – police showed commendable zeal in seizing all relevant footage and forcing passers-by to delete film taken on their camera-phones Even CCTV footage of the incident was ‘accidentally’ deleted by the butter-fingered filth. Maybe the fact that the only two witness’s were two off duty Met coppers one with a quite impressing charge rap sheet - embezzlement, obtaining money by deception... And after the CCTV footage from the day was accidentally deleted and the fact that the managers assistant described a totally different protester as the accused no wonder the CPS decided to drop it..

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Mass trespasses on the Downs are up and running (well leisurely ambling anyway). On a sunny, clear and frosty December 7th walk to a Mr ‘get orf my land farmer’ at Applesham Farm near Lancing Hill, a trusty band of 21 right to roamers (using The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) scaled five barbed wire fences to get to the north facing Access Land slope between Lancing Hill and Steep Down.

The slope’s steepness has saved its ancient grassland from being ploughed up. Up until 200 years ago the whole of the mile wide vale to the north was healthy Down pasture, probably with flocks of Great Bustard and certainly Stone Curlew, huge numbers of Wheatear and other ‘prairie’ birds.

Applesham Farm itself you can see on the hilltop to the east and is at least a millennium old. It was even recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as having one slave and some swine. The Farm had a reputation for being friendly to nature conservation management in recent decades. The farmer, descendant of the aforementioned swine, was a member of the Sussex Downs Conservation Board and has often been in the press as the ‘acceptable face of capitalist farming’.

But that hasn’t stopped him from obstructing our enjoyment of our Downland heritage - the slope has been statutory Access Land for 4 years now and yet there are still no stiles, gates, or signage. Only one public bridleway and one public footpath cross the giant farm.

Yet it lies less than half a mile north of the busy suburb of Lancing. If this farmer had been a benefits claimant just imagine how his tardiness in abiding by the law would have brought heavy sanctions raining down on him. His lack of action goes unheeded by the local councils, who have the power to make this land accessible and then to charge the landowner for their costs. That means it is up to us – the great unwashed - to secure our legal right to enjoy this land.

Future trespasses in 2009 will do just this. The next one is provisionally planned for Sunday January 25. For further information email Josh on marksoffagain@hotmail.com and look out for posters around town.

ANSTION HOUSE VERDICT

In a case that shows that developers can’t always get away with screaming bloody murder, Bridgetown Properties will face Crown Court in Lewes in January having pleaded guilty to cutting down seven magnificent trees at the Anston House site – home to a six-month protest camp last year - on Preston Road.

This is the first time Brighton Council have grown some balls and taken developers to court over illegal tree-fellings. The trees which included ancient Oaks, Copper Beech, and Elm were just over the road from the oldest Elms in Britain, the so-called Preston Twins. The original case at Brighton magistrates court in July was wrapped up with the judge saying he didn’t have sufficient powers to deal with the culprits.

Hove shysters Timothy Harding, the Bridgetown boss and Clifford Wake boss of sub-contractors Memetco (who carried out the ecocide) now face unlimited fines although unfortunately no porridge. Different when the boot’s on the other foot, hey, and protestors go down for torching 4X4s...

EDITORIAL

You may not have seen yer favourite Rough Music out and about on the news-stands lately and here’s why .. not, despite the rumour, because we’re doing 3 to 10 for seditious libel or were bought out in a hostile take-over by SchNEWS.

No it’s cos after the resounding success of 19 issues of constant railing against the Fanshawe orchestrated mocca-crappa-fraccacino luxury flat building gentrification bubble which had provided us with such an irresistible target for two years seemed a little redundant. Look around you – those cranes up on the station site might still be swinging to and fro but it’s nothing more than the twitching of a corpse settling into rigor mortis. It’s over – the bubble’s burst!

But what’s next? Stay tuned ‘cos after all now we’re all back on the Nat King Cole we’ll be finding plenty of time to keep you... our loyal readership up to date with the underhand shenanigans infesting the City by the Sea as the rats begin to flog off the sinking ship.