“One of the characteristics of humility is the ability to take the second place without striving for self-promotion”
Sunday Adelaja
Members of the public have until July 19th to register approval or otherwise for plans to install a Mayor for West Yorkshire next May. But its a done deal surely.
Why we need another layer of self-serving bureaucracy Heaven knows but you’ve got a few weeks to labour through the information – see here – to try make sense of it all.
My own take is that we suffer enough buffoons already.
Moving On…
Often I read a quote attributed to a local politician and wonder if they read it themselves before allowing the PR company to dish it out to the media.
Head of Degeneration, 20mph Road Signs & Cycle Lanes, Cllr Comical, was quoted in the Yorkshire Post (29/5). The Council have done a deal to outsource street lighting; no need for the question, how many councillors does it take to change a light bulb?
The previous day’s edition had contained a worrying story as to Bradford’s inability to attract foreign investment – home grown pharmaceuticals are excluded – compared to other cities in Yorkshire.
Leeds “was ranked as the sixth best-performing place in the UK outside of London with…one in three FDI projects in Yorkshire. Within the region, Sheffield was second placed with seven projects, while Hull, York and Wakefield won two each, and Grimsby recorded one project.”
As the second most populous district in Yorkshire, what you might wonder are our so-called leaders doing? At least we are getting new light bulbs! Comical was quoted as follows:
“Bradford’s Smart Street Lighting programme represents a major investment in one of the biggest assets of the council – our 59,000 street lighting columns.”
If you had to read that again – like me – you might also still be shaking your head. Come to Bradford to see our fantastic…street lighting columns?
Luvvie Speak
“I have fallen in love with the spirit of Bradford” so says Leeds-lad Richard Shaw who is directing Hapless Hinchcliffe’s bid to become City of Culture 2025 in a puff-piece last weekend.
I’m sorry but I don’t buy the arts-led renaissance of Bradford; the city needs real jobs not grant funded tambourine players standing on empty street corners with their three-legged dog pissing away.
Still, the likes of Shaw are paid to talk it up. He describes Bradford as being “completely seduced by it” which should have you rolling about on the floor.
There are many good things about Bradford but Bradfordians can spot what we term as a “fanny merchant” a mile off.
CEO?
On Look North was a story that had me spitting out my medication. As is often the case, someone was pushing their wares, masquerading as news.
She was a pleasant young thing, owner of her own business, indeed she was CEO. I guessed that she had probably three people working for her and was suffering from issues of self-doubt.
Then, just as I had straightened my bib, along came a head teacher of a primary school, a CEO too! Do these deluded numbnuts think attaching a grand title will make them appear above the rest?
It reminded me of Barclays days where I basically did the same job for twenty-five years, distinguished merely by simply surviving and watching a lot of cricket.
I started off as a “rep”, migrating at various intervals to account executive and then relationship manager amongst others.
Had I wanted I could have tacked on CEO simply by asking the faithful old gal at HQ to reprint my business cards, of which several full boxes remained in my drawers.
We live in the golden age of self-promotion.
Wise Beyond Years
I tasked my teenage godson with a few deliveries of The Trumpit last week. As he wandered from house to house, hardly carrying a sackful of Sunday Times, he was asked.
“How much is he paying you son?”
Quick as a flash he replied. “Nothing…but I’m in the will!”
Beer Is Good For You!
A fabulous story from the Yorkshire Post at the weekend regarding an innovative partnership between a Harrogate gin company and a local brewery. Whitaker’s Gin approached Rooster’s Brewery to use beer that would have been poured down the drain to produce ethanol.
This was then supplied direct to Bradford Royal Infirmary where it is used to sterilise medical equipment.
Pure genius!
The Ultimate In Stupidity
Thousands of shoppers have queued for hours to get into Ikea stores after the furniture giant reopened. In Warrington, people arrived at 05:40 to start queuing for the Ikea store to reopen at 09;00. This was on the BBC website.
In Manchester, where it rains most of the year, there were similar queues as the sun raged on high. How did we become so utterly thick?
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