Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't After You
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back
Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert
February 21, 2025
Well this has been a dispiritingly quiet week. I'm not sure whether this is because people are on holiday (certainly quite a number appear to be) or busy with other stuff (former Labour colleagues are busy campaigning for the upcoming by-elections) or whether there is some kind of conspiracy to make me history!
I am not exactly surprised if that is the policy of most of the Cabinet members where I am no doubt seen as a Quisling despite having never decried the council except for the abysmal slow pace of getting anything done. But I'm not getting the normal professional responsiveness from some council officers who are usually very reliable. The same goes for some external contacts in industries as well.
Perhaps I'm paranoid - not the first time! - but it means I will be pushing harder to get answers. On one of the podcasts I listen to there is a repeating advert which stresses that older people still have things to contribute, and we should all fight against ageism. Well, I will be doing that, if I can remember why I have come into this room.
On Friday I went to meet a resident in my favourite Potting Shed in Boston Manor Park. A friendly man, once a journalist locally when such an animal still existed but has now moved on to be a secondary school teacher. I think it's a loss that we don't have any real local press these days. When I was a lad my family took the Liverpool Echo (delivered in the afternoon every day) and the Heswall and Neston News and Advertiser which appeared once a week. It had very local news and adverts and was worth a scan, even for a teenager. The journalistic standards were not always first class - I remember the same story featured in 2 different places on the front page, both alerting of a pensioner who had been the victim of theft of her cash - £2.
Now we rely on local web sites for most of this, but frankly they are not very good. We have the local branch of the Daily Mail known as Brentford Today and TV which sees its job as slagging off the council and promoting Theo Dennison. It will be interesting (if very annoying) to see what happens if Theo wins a seat on the council. We will see if he still spends his life giving interminable interviews to John Dale, but I expect he will find something more lucrative nowhere near Brentford. There is something called Brentford Nub News but it doesn't seem to have published anything at all for 2 months. Of course, there is BrentfordTW8.com which has been my publisher for nearly 10 years. It is quite professional in its journalism and picks up most of the local stories but it could provide livelier coverage if it could find a bit more resource.
Whilst in the Park, I had a look at the car park. A resident had written to me saying the rather small car park always seems to be full and they thought a lot of this was people who work at the University across the road.
There were at least a couple of these, one of which (at least) had expired. There were also a number of Blue Badges - one from Reading, one from Wokingham and one from Kensington. I have always been a bit suspicious of how Blue Badges are used. A guy I used to work with years ago had one which came from his mother in law. But he rarely had her in the car and always used the badge on the basis he had to put up with her living with his family and deserved a perk. I was less judgmental in those days! But today we know (because people keep telling me) many blue badges get stolen. I have asked (but had no answer - must remind) whether CEOs know that a number of badges are nicked, and can identify them. They should, because they are being used fraudulently and encouraging a more serious crime - breaking windows and pinching them. As it happened there was a CEO doing the rounds and had found at least 2 offenders. By the way CEO means Community Enforcement Officer not Chief Executive Officer. If people were trying to confuse people they have a good plan there.
Even the 'normal' use of CEO is to my mind a recent Americanism. I remember quaking in my 17 year old boots (me 17 year old, not the boots) having to take some papers to the head person in the Ford Company in Britain, He led about 30,000 employees and Britain's second-ranking car manufacturer and was called Sir William Batty. He had just been promoted by the Queen from his previous name, Bill Batty. But he wasn't a CEO, or even Chief Executive. He was the Managing Director. Ah, Managing Directors. A guy I worked with had been a Partner in KPMG but in a scandal about consulting arms they sold the consulting business to a French company called ATOS. I went to see him and he gave me his card - Managing Director. With him was his boss. I asked him what his job title was and he, too was a Managing Director. Later we were joined by his boss's boss. You guessed it, he was Managing Director.
Lordy lordy, I know how to ramble on about nothing much!
So, on the way home I went to Chestnut Avenue, now in Brentford East. Many moons ago we closed Occupation Lane, which was a rat run which allowed people from Ealing and points North to avoid the Ealing Road roundabout (before TfL vandalised it!) Occupation Lane was and is a narrow road which took people down to the A4 at Clayponds Avenue, which caused congestion and bad behaviour there. Somebody said everyone will turn off at Chestnut and reach Clayponds that way, which would be almost as bad as Occupation. Mark Frost, our cunning head of transport said 'OK, let's put a No Right Turn at the end of Chestnut', Genius. Recently a few people have been saying people are doing U-turns in Clayponds and somebody told me there was no No Right Turn sign. So I went to have a look. It was nonsense - a lovely big sign saying NO. The next stop was Challis Road/Eastbourne. I had always been a bit dubious about that but is seemed to be working. it is a no through road, but there is no physical barrier. Again, this was to stop the horrendous jams that used to happen at the West end of Eastbourne where people from Ealing (and points North) rat ran through Challis and Eastbourne and ended up on Windmill. The enforcement of this ban is patchy to be generous, but I thought it was OK, because the locals ignored it and the rat runners changed their plans. But a few days ago a local activist (and a recent council candidate) told me some idiot had blacked out the signs. I had reported it but went to have my own look.
Yes, correct. And whilst I looked, a Hounslow minibus went through the junction, as did two cars going the other way. I believe now fixed, but needs a more robust system.
On Monday I met with a couple of the worthies from Brentford Voice to discuss various matters. I agreed to co-sponsor with Marina Sharma (after all, it's her ward, but I get the Friends of Watermans going so I have a particular interest in it) an application they are putting in to form community garden in one section of Watermans Park.
I was planning to go to the Brentford and Chiswick Historical Society in the evening. It was nasty and I was tired so tried and failed to do it online. Apparently it wasn't my fault. Anyway, I got the pictures and have selected a couple for your delectation.
That's what Brentford looked like in the 1920s. The arrows are not contemporary.
A reminder of the breathtaking beauty of the High Street before the council vandals took away the wonderful Gas works and replaced it with a dreary park and river views.
Well, I did warn you I had not done very much this week. You might be interested to see what's going on where Heidelberg used to be.
New buildings started as they seem to have finished the pile driving
This chap was previously putting the caps from Smarties tubes on the top of these wire things. Did he think he was making flowers? Well, then he dead headed them.
I'm busy writing a personal political history which I'll put on here soon. Another one outside the regular weekly blogs/
For your soul here's a nice morning picture
Councillor Guy Lambert
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