Skidder Shorts No. 22 - Hilarity at Oldbury Wetherspoons!

Yesterday I was treading gingerly along what Sandwell Labour like to advertise as the faeces-smeared streets of Sandwell. No seasonal excursion to West Bromwich would be complete without a visit to The Wheatsheaf where I enjoyed excellent hospitality and company. At 3pm I progressed to Victoria Street to see the building where Sandwell Labour are really run from but noted that the Unite the Union Regional Office was already closed for business.

Lots of union dues needed to pay for this huge building!

Off I then flew to Stone Street in Oldbury where Hussain's son (& SMBC employee) is building his houses. I was aggressively challenged by one of the builders for trying to get a photo for you. Irrespective of the police investigation I wonder whether anyone has the legal power to set this deal from Cooper's Labour aside? No doubt the newly-emboldened Head of Legal, Neeraj Sharma, can advise! KPMG?

Cooper's Labour sold for £145k. Advertised sale price £2.7m

There followed a lovely meeting in a secret location with a great supporter of The Skidder blog and I sincerely hope I have made a new friend. Then I met another avid Skidder reader and was gratified to receive good wishes for the blog.

But what of Wetherspoons? My research complete for the day I ventured into the Oldbury outlet. My phone was virually dead and it was far too busy to plug it in. And so I simply stood enjoying a pint and the general festive atmosphere. I was tapped on the shoulder by the manageress and asked if I would step out the back and I readily complied. She told me that she had received a "complaint" that I was taking photos inside and putting them on Twitter. If I did not desist I would have to leave! I satisfied her that this was, in fact, untrue and she was happy to let me re-enter and, indeed, stay for a second beer.

I make no complaint whatsover about the staff member who explained later that she had to act on a complaint and, it has to be said, she dealt with the whole thing most professionally. New readers might be wondering what this is all about but the irony of this is that the leader [sic] of Sandwell's Labour Council Darren "The Turdmeister". Cooper had ME covertly photographed in the very same pub and then put my photo on his Twitter account that night! You may wish to read the letter I sent to Ed Mili-bland and Tim Martin (the boss of Wetherspoons) which is set out in my blog of 12th November, 2014, "Ed Miliband's As Weak as Piss!". I never received a response from either of them.

And so yet another dirty trick from Sandwell Labour fails spectacularly. There are now a whole series of Twitter accounts set up in variations of the "Vernon Grant" name and so I am going to be under sustained troll attack over the festive season (if Tweets look "odd" they probably are. The police are fully aware of the harassment). What other stunts will Cooper and the Comrades pull next? (Incidentally, I could not see Unite's local Regional Officer in the pub but Rickers is fond of making complaints about mythical photographers. Looks like someone has picked up where he left off).

ADDENDUM 20/12/14: The following tweets have been brought to my attention posted by one Sarah James of Wednesbury who is the Senior Rep/Equality Officer for the GMB trade union "Sandwell Community Branch" based at Smethwick Council House and who apparently campaigns against domestic violence (!):

19/12 "Lovely post-work drinks to celebrate the holidays (at Wetherspoons) Oldbury who needs to have alcohol to have fun, #Designated driver"

19/12 "Even if someone was trying to take pics of me and my colleagues, to be used for no good no doubt lol. Merry xmas ya filthy animal

Now look at the people Ms James then contacts to make sure they read the tweets:

19/12 "See my previous tweet @brianrickers1 lol"

19/12 "See my previous tweet @sandwellleader lol".

This is what the White Ribbon Campaign, which this woman purports to support, says as its "headline":

"Even when it isn't physical, abuse is abuse. Find out more about psychological abuse....."

"Lol" - as some might say!

Further addendum 20/12/14: Mrs James, as she wants to be called, has contacted me and the story seems to be changing. Although she supports the White Ribbon campaign it is apparently OK to try and have me thrown out of a pub and then to call me a "filthy animal" on Twitter. The latest version of events is that she didn't witness the non-existent photography herself but was "told about it by a stranger". This was apparently enough for her or one of her group to complain about me and to publicly abuse me whilst seeking the approbation of Cllr Cooper and Unite's Rickers. Very charitable indeed!

This is a picture from Cllr Cooper's Twitter feed:

Cooper always anxious to condemn domestic violence.

(Incidentally, take a look at what is behind Cooper's head - it is the maquette for the private statue that Labour have already splurged over £30,000 on. But it looks like only Cooper and his guests get to see it!)

Addendum 5th January, 2020: For the benefit of any doubt about the above incident, clever lawyers and the High Court of Justice I specifically say:

(a) that the incident in the pub was vicious bullying of me by Sarah James, a person I knew absolutely nothing about at the time of the incident (although she knew all about me);

(b) that the subsequent attack on me by Sarah James via social media - clearly and very publicly imputing that I am a pervert at the very least - was also an incident of vicious bullying.

These filthy lies were picked up and re-published by Sarah James's friend and colleague Paul Reeves (his account @paulsgardens1 was only followed by a handful of people including Darren Cooper and Sarah James) addressed to a troll account impersonating me and to my personal Twitter account. I am specifically NOT alleging at this point in time that Sarah James was involved in anyway in respect of the re-publication of her false allegations.

And finally, will this be that last Christmas for SMBC at The Kremlin? Council documents show that Labour were attempting to pay over £20m for 1 Providence Place in West Brom as their new HQ which will be the death sentence for Oldbury town. Labour have saddled taxpayers with huge lease payments for Providence Place following the collapse of THEIR own disastrous deal with BT. Cooper recently said in public at a full Council meeting that SMBC were NOT moving from Oldbury. Clearly SMBC can't afford two HQ's so what is going on? Cooper - you have been boasting about how things are going to be done openly and transparently from now on (a tacit recognition of Labour's past failings) so why don't you tell us the truth. What is happening with 1 Providence Place??????

Police fraud team direct line re Sandwell Council - 0121 251 2175 - DS Wayne Haynes.

THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - A COMMUNITY BLOG - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!

E-mail:   thesandwellskidder@gmail.com                 Twitter: @bcrover (Vernon Grant)