In this blog, we revealed how we had spotted the elusive John’s Lane resident in his unnatural habitat, evading the eye of his landlord, Rhodia Limited. He was extremely irritable and choleric on that occasion on account that the chemicalsters had wanted to evict him from the site, (or at least bury him under the water), but since our last visit it appears that he has become more chilled out with life…..

“The Tramp Phosphorus” at Rattlechain Lagoon

Q. Willam Peter, How are you?

A. Oh I’m enjoying life down at the chain at the moment. The sun is shining and the water is lukewarm.

Q. So what have you been up to since we last met?

A I’ve become politically active. I’ve joined a union of tramp chemicals- The Chemical Union Network of Tramps. Our General secretary Bob McCyanide has reinvigorated my juices, and now together with my other toxic brothers and sisters we intend to campaign for change!

Q. And what change would that be?

A. A change in attitude young man. As Bob says, “Willy Peter, it was not your fault when other tramp phosphorus was dropped on people in Gaza or Iraq. People should not be so easily burnable and try living in underwater communities like yourself- then they would not have been injured.” The media are so insensitive to us chemical tramps- I’m not a “chemical weapon”, I’m a chemical being!

Q That sounds pretty warped thinking to me.

A. Not at all dear boy Secretary McCyanide is right. They had some problems down Trinity Street a few years ago with tramp phosphine taking to the air in a hot air balloon. Rhodia say that “no one was injured”. People were taken to hospital, but “no one was injured”. It’s all about the spin you see, just like politicians. I’ve become a bit of a political animal myself and I’m backing the party of fire. It has to be Jeremy for leader. I’m told I could become a celebrity lookalike, but I might have to find a suit to put on. Yes, I’m thrilled that I along with other affiliated members, all of us  in C.U.N.T  together have a voice in todays Labour movement.  

I might even see if I can get onto the local shortlist to become a councillor in Sandwell.

Q Er… Well best of luck with that one I’m sure they are well acquainted with your union. Would you reintroduce Clause Four?

A Oh yes, but I would rename it Clause P4 after yours truly. I am a stakeholder at Rattlechain, because I am polluting it after all.

  Q So have you been having any trouble with the gulls lately, on account of the horror stories around the country concerning attacks?

A     No I can’t say they trouble me at all. I throw them a few crumbs from time to time, it’s nice to have the company, now all those Belgian folks have gone.

I stand on the pier and look across the waters at them. I even had one land on my shoulder and start nibbling at me, but alas it died. I can’t think why?

Well thanks for sharing your thoughts with us again Tramp Phosphorus, I’m sure that we will see you again down the line. I’d offer to shake your hand , but I fear I might get burned.

Au revoir

WLBRL

The recent major catastrophic explosion in the Chinese port of Tianjin is still being dealt with and will be investigated so we are told. What is clear is that numerous toxic chemicals appear to have been stored in one place at one time. The source of ignition may well be unknown but the  reality is that when chemicals are stored in this way in ever greater numbers then this is what will happen, despite any claims to the contrary by those seeking to increase exports at human and environmental cost.

China’s misfortune is that the Western consumer will happily buy cheaper electronic items than buy from within their own countries. I am personally aware of the increasing traffic from this country into Britain ordered with a few internet clicks, and this really just fuels the consumption of chemicals which are used in some of the processes to make electronic equipment. One also should consider the way in which people in emerging industrial manufacturing powerhouses are treated and are paid, and how they are more likely to be exposed to dangerous chemicals than those here. The initial loss of life may yet compare into insignificance with the long term threats of toxic chemicals entering the environment and the food chain.

But before being all smug that things like this do not happen over in “the land of the free” or over here, it is quite apparent that they do. The US Environmental Protection Agency has recently shown its incompetence at polluting a River in Colorado, with the effects of someone’s get rich quick industrial plan that never had any real plan to deal with the toxic waste which resulted. This is the true Satanic face of Capitalism.

Some six years after a serious incident in Oldbury involving Rhodia’s Trinity street plant we are still awaiting to see what action the Health and Safety Executive are going to take. Perhaps we are not so different in covering things up concerning our own polluting chemical industries after all from China, but it helps from time to time to expose the masses by media pollution that there are other countries where things such as this will just never be released into the public domain whilst pretending that access to information here is more open and transparent.

We have looked previously how this deceptive element was used in World War one, particularly because of its smokescreen properties. By the start of World War Two its use had been perfected in the form of ballistic projectiles capable of causing much misery and destruction. Albright and Wilson of course added to this as the only UK producers of white phosphorus.

Two contrasting uses of white phosphorus illustrate just how the chemical gained notoriety in the military fields. What remained behind on the ground and surrounding waters can only be imagined. Just who decontaminates bombed territory after the ceasefires of war?

Rabaul is located in “New Britain”  an island of Papua New Guinea. Strategically it has been of vital importance as a naval operations centre in the South West Pacific, but has a bizarre history of volcanic eruption. Britain took control in World War one ousting the German led administration. After the baton passed to Australian control it was destroyed in a 1937 eruption.

The Japanese invaded in 1942 and it became the main base of their  military and naval activity in the South Pacific.

As a part of Operation Cartwheel, a joint  campaign by the US, Australian and New Zealand air forces in late 1943 initiated a sustained bombing operation against the airfields and port of Rabaul.

The picture above shows that white phosphorus was used in this operation scattering particles of burning white phosphorus across large areas of land. But the direct targets of the Japanese anti-aircraft gun emplacements are not directly hit. The smoke merely drifts across making visibility for what came after very difficult. Who knows how many tonnes of incendiary rained down on the area or what the environmental cost was to be- that’s just another of the casualties of war. In 1994 the area was again destroyed by fire in the form of another volcanic eruption. In one way or another the place must be doomed to being  a land of fire and smoke.

If the use of white phosphorus was considered justified in such bombing raids, one has to wonder what Operation Gamorrah was really about other than pure revenge on an industrial scale from above. The devastation of one city is summed up in “The shocking History of Phosphorus- A biography of the Devil’s element.”  by John Emsley. Some have put the death toll much higher.

One can ponder at the mind boggling human suffering, but the zoo… one can only wonder what those poor trapped animals suffered during those raids. The victors do not write such histories, (perhaps “German animals” don’t matter), but choose to omit them when pontificating on “finest hours”. THIS WAS SURELY THE RAF’S WORST HOUR BY FAR, AND THAT GOES FOR THEIR COMMANDER IN CHIEF AS WELL. 

But hang on a minute, there’s no mention of the bombing of Hamburg in “100 years of phosphorus making”– the story of the first 100 years of Albright and Wilson by R.E Threlfall. They were as he and their latter day works managers and PR apologists like to point out “the U.K’s only phosphorus suppliers”.

1943?

SO ALBRIGHT AND WILSON , A “PEACE” LOVING QUAKER FAMILY RUN FIRM CAN BE SEEN TO HAVE PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN THIS MASSACRE OF LIFE, AND OF COURSE IN 1942 THE RATTLECHAIN SITE WAS IN USE FOR EXPENDING THE HORRORS OF WAR INTO AN OLD ABANDONED CLAY PIT.

PUT THAT IN YOUR CLAY PIPES AND SMOKE IT LATTER DAY “PACIFISTS” AND DISARMAMENT CAMPAIGNERS.

“The only good thing that comes from war is the stimulation of scientific research, primarily with the object of killing human beings but incidentally in finding substitutes for age-old materials and methods.” R.E THRELFALL

This is a long post which covers a number of subject areas relevant to this website. Fundamentally it relates to investigating unexplained wildfowl illnesses and deaths which appear correlatively linked to certain sites, so much so that it is almost certain that the problem lies with something at that site.

This was certainly the case at Rattlechain, though the chemical in question there, white phosphorus, was extremely difficult to pin down, not least because the site operators were not honest about their waste practices and the waste regulators had not a bloody clue about much at all. It was also the case that the chemical could not be analysed by a standard laboratory due to its evanescent nature after birds had been retrieved for post mortem.

It was also necessary to firstly identify that this chemical was even present in the birds, which in the early days was not possible because we did not know enough. This changed with serendipity and contacting relevant experts in the field, which together with on site knowledge led to the site operators having to finally end the nonsense that they had been spinning for several years- that the site was a “haven for wildlife”, when all along they were fully aware that it contained tens of tonnes of a banned rat poison they and their predecessors had dumped there.

White phosphorus is an unusual and uncommon chemical for wildfowl to encounter, especially given that Rattlechain is probably unique in the UK, and probably similarly in Western Europe. But there are other major poisoners of wildfowl  which are far more common and have been studied extensively by scientists for many years. The main one involving swans is lead.

The source from which the birds are ingesting the material is highly controversial, but it is clear that a ban on certain mid range lead fishing weights reduced the number of fatalities. It does however remain a major cause of swan mortality and reason for wildfowl admission to rescue centres.

First of all a quick summary. In the mid 1970’s there was a major decline in the mute swan population in the UK. Major investigations revealed lead poisoning was to blame, and in particular the use of angler’s lead weights which could be easily ingested as birds foraged for food. A partial ban of these in 1987 removed the mid range of lead weights, though the upper and smaller dust shot sizes remained. Lead used in shooting remains in use.

The National Swan Convention, an umbrella group of swan rescue organisations in conjunction with the Environment Agency  set up a project to assess the impact of discarded and lost fishing tackle and lead in particular, on swans. In January 2002 this project produced its final Research & Development Report which confirmed that lead poisoning has re-emerged as a very significant problem. According to the NSC website, some groups have reported more than 35% of birds with blood lead levels greater than would render individuals poorly, and in the West Midlands it is well over 60%.

“The National Convention for the Welfare of Swan & Wildlife (now known as The National Swan Convention) is committed to establish the precise reason for this – what is the source of this lead? The obvious possibilities are:

1. Angler’s lead shot deposited before the current ban in 1987
2. Angler’s lead shot rendered illegal by the 1987 legislation
3. Angler’s lead dust shot used legally
4. Lead shot-gun shot”

---

Further information on how lead affects swans and other wildfowl can be read below, which was written by former MAFF veterinary pathologist Alan Hunt and his wife, who worked on lead poisoning extensively.

leadpoisoningA&VHUNT

Some areas are noted for high levels of birds affected. The West Midlands in general is such a “blackspot” area, and within these areas there are certain sites that are of note. One of them is Chasewater Country Park, located near Brownhills, Walsall. It is a major area of water and attracts a vast variety of wildlife and wildfowl including moulting swans. Formerly it appears to have had multiple transfer of ownership from Brownhills Urban council, Walsall council, Lichfield District Council and now Staffordshire County Council. This is important please note.

The current managers

Having visited the site for a number of years both myself and other volunteers have from time to time noted noticeably ill birds, which when  taken into care have been confirmed to be suffering from lead poisoning based on high blood lead levels readings taken. This evidence is clear, independent and irrefutable. Some birds respond to treatment but many do not and it can depend on speed of early clinical signs being  recognised, which unfortunately many people are not aware of. The source however is not so easy to pin down- but it has to be a source from this site surely?

In the last few years the site has undergone major changes. Lichfield District council transferred the site to Staffordshire County Council in 2011. Serious flaws were found in the adjoining dam wall which needed to be repaired and the main lake was almost fully drained. At this point many of the wildfowl, particularly the swans transferred themselves to a smaller pool known as “the duck pool”. This was almost a shallow paddling pool with an island, and Lichfield District Council appeared to take interest in this during their tenure by installing ramps and nesting materials every year. It was also used for sailing model boats. Several domestic birds congregated with the other birds. It was a popular feeding spot for families.

For the period that the lake was drained and the swans took to the duck pond, there were few issues concerning lead poisoning. One could draw a conclusion therefore that they were not ingesting a source of lead from this shallow none fishing pool, and therefore that the issue was with the main lake.

It’s not called “the duck pond” apparently- even though it says this on their own notice board!

Then enter Staffordshire County Council. Not long after they took over from Lichfield and the main lake had started to refill again, the duck pond was inexplicably drained. Notices went up stating that the water was contaminated and needed to be drained, CRUCIALLY IT WAS STATED THAT THE POOL WOULD BE REFILLED. NOTICES WERE PUT UP BY THE COUNCIL ON THE FENCED OFF AND DRAINED POOL.

Bone dry- the empty duck pond

This was posted on the Chasewater country park Facebook page, and was identical to those stuck on the fencing. This quite clearly identifies this pond as “the duck pond”, and also states that the water is being removed to improve conditions for the birds. It is apparent here that the water would soon be refilled.

The evicted wildfowl then headed back to the main lake. At the start of the year, and continuing now, several swans were noted to becoming ill again, with what I identified as clear lead poisoning symptoms. I am aware of at least 6 swans to date that have either been found dead or have died when picked up. Some of them have been confirmed to be suffering from lead poisoning, with the AHVLA also undertaking post mortems on some birds. The RSPCA have taken some birds to their Stapeley Grainge wildlife hospital in Cheshire.

A lead poisoned swan at Chasewater’s main lake

Another

So I raised the issue with the council. I asked questions about the duck pond and when it was going to be refilled, now many months after it had been drained given that the claim made in notices that the council had put up stated clearly that it would be soon refilled. The notices then disappeared, and in their place others appeared making claims about the history of the main lake.

Another notice appeared in “the rangers rant” flyer at the site- shown below- where again claims about a 19th Century rifle range are made. But is there any real evidence that this is the long lost source of lead? There does appear to be some historic rifle range in the area in question. This is shown in an nls Staffordshire map from 1883 below

. nls (5)

The next available map from 1903 does not show a range marked.

nls (6)

But I find this quite baffling indeed and probably unlikely. This council have allowed this pool to be drained where the birds were away from the source of contamination that for some reason no one had ever appeared to identify when the site was owned by Lichfield District Council. Indeed I do not possibly see how Staffordshire can identify the source of lead poisoning where as described above, this requires almost impossible science. PERHAPS THEY ARE CLAIRVOYANTS.

If you sense a feeling of anger rising, then you are very perceptive, because I always found Lichfield council to be very caring about the wildfowl, and ranger Jan Lee in particular spent a great deal of her time caring for the injured birds at the site, and they had pens to keep the birds in until the RSPCA arrived.

• Staffordshire County Council have now got rid of them all.
• They do not rescue wildfowl at all.
• Their attitude is a fucking disgrace to be frank.

So confronted as usual with being the one that had to do something, I have took it upon myself to launch an investigation into all of this, the lead, the drained duck pond and the claims made by Staffordshire County Council regards the source of the lead poisoning in the swans. At the same time it should also be appreciated that although they have identified a problem, both they and Natural England appear to be doing nothing about stopping it by removing the source- on what one is frequently reminded a “SSSI site.”

Firstly what lies beneath? I scoured the area where they claimed the lead was located, and sure enough there were clear metallic particles visible near surface level, mixed in with shell and gravel and brick. Quite easy for birds like swans to ingest when seeking out gravel to aid their digestion of food in the gizzard.

It’s not the hoard

But on scooping out some of this material, it is apparent that this does not look like spent bullets from the 19th Century rifle range. Indeed the clump formation appear much fresher than this period, and the fragments of metal vary in shape and size, and appear more like flat metal working spoil than ballistic fragments, and certainly not anglers split shot lead, old or new.  BUT IS IT LEAD?

Well it is light and malleable but does not mark a page, as lead should. For confirmation I have asked for some advice on this, and so it was that I sent some off to a university laboratory. Although only basically equipped, the laboratory tests appear to confirm that it does contain lead, but not that it is pure lead. Quite honestly I suspect pewter.

Freedom of information requests.

I have made two Freedom of information requests concerning this. The first was to Staffordshire County Council themselves. Verbally they appeared to be blaming the duck pond issue on Lichfield District council, illegally releasing soiled water into the main lake. They also made claims concerning Natural England stating that they could not continue to do this because the site is supposedly classed as a SSSI- Site of Special Scientific Importance. More on this later…..

I asked “I am requesting any recorded information that you hold including emails with regards to communications with Natural England about the Chasewater Country Park’s duck pond, its emptying , the reasons behind this and the reasons why it has not been refilled after several months. Can I also request at what level was the decision within the county council taken not to refill the pond , and I would again request any recorded information that you hold which reveals this.” The response that I received did not provide anything but constructed spin and a potted history of events.

• “The “pool” is not a duck pond. It was originally created as a model boating lake which has been used recently by visitors to the Park for canoeing and kayaking. However, over recent years members of the public have fed the wildfowl both on and by the pool, encouraging them to settle on the boating lake.  The water level, and to some extent its purity, is maintained via a valve which allows the water to be discharged as necessary into the Reservoir. However, when the county council took over the management of the Park from Lichfield District Council in 2014, the valve was not working and the boating lake was badly silted up, mainly because of the bird feeding. Since the boating lake was created, part of the Chasewater site and the Reservoir has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of certain nationally important features including the aquatic plants in the Reservoir. The Reservoir has to be managed sympathetically to maintain its low nutrient status which is vital for the flora to survive. Natural England was consulted, therefore, on the discharge of the boating lake because of this designation. The water in the boating lake was tested at this time and the phosphate level was high because of the bird feeding and therefore too high for it to be released into Chasewater. The county council subsequently had to spend in the region of £15,000 emptying the pool and removing the silt. Natural England also advised the phosphate level would continue to accumulate if the wildfowl were encouraged to settle on and around the boating lake and that the level would always be too high for the water to be discharged into the Reservoir.”  In our view, emptying the boating lake manually is not an option because of the ongoing substantial cost, particularly when improvements still need to be carried out on the Park which would benefit all our visitors. We are currently considering options for the former boating lake which are likely to require planning permission.  The public will have an opportunity to comment on the planning application in due course.”

A number of points emerge here.

• This is not the information requested, but the council’s viewpoint which cannot be corroborated. I asked for the correspondence claiming that Natural England had told them they could not  release the water back unto the main lake. i.e letters or emails.
• “The duck pond” has been occupied by birds for at least two decades and Lichfield encouraged birds onto this lake, and were justified in doing so in my opinion- especially given the plunging levels in the main lake which could leave some nesting birds marooned on dry beaches.
• We hear the old chestnut concerning “phosphate”. For some reason Natural England appear to have a big problem with this, but could not give a fuck about birds being poisoned by lead at this “SSSI SITE”.
• One can only ponder the planning application- though I would not be surprised at all if we see another “poor man’s gym” erected- something which appears to be very popular these days with local authorities.
• They appear to blame duck feeders, another usual trick of the CONservationists who are of course not too concerned with destructive water sports on such a site because they give them money. I wonder what they blame the “wave action” causing erosion on- farting coots?

And money my friends is what this is really all about. Since Staffordshire took over their sole concern is making money out of Chasewater- particularly out of destructive water sports and the revenue it provides.They appear to want to create a mini Midlands Windermere, but that is an abhorrent vision for wildfowl lovers like myself. Birds cannot co-exist with water skiing and power boating- they just can’t – whatever the fuckwit apologists taking a crown out of PR promotion may claim.

Bottom line, the dam repairs left them financially in the do-do, and they needed a quick way of making back the doe. I have seen birds injured by these activities at this site and others. The fun seekers do not care about wildfowl- they are a “nuisance”- and we  all know what happens next. That the issue of phosphate  being raised means that the water sports users and their attractors at this council are eager not to allow such discharges into the main lake- even though it had apparently been going on for years under Lichfield District Council.

The SSSI reason is a crock of shit smokescreen and the promotion of water sports at this site doesn’t appear to have come into the equation at their precious  site when planning applications have surfaced.

‘Installation and operation of a straight line cable tow wakeboarding facility and associated works’ and is being made by Wakelake Limited, of Burton on Trent.

Here’s the ecology report for this one.

“Proposed Works The proposal is to install and operate a wakeboarding area on two tow cables that will extend into the lake for approximately 170 metres (Figure 1.2). In addition to the two cable tow systems, the following will be included: 1. Two floating docks at the far end of the pier which will be used as starting points 2. Six obstacles (4 on cable A and 2 on cable b), 3. Some buoys in the water to delineate the wakeboarding area from other users on the water.  ”   Disruption to flight lines (birds) Operational Two cable lines at 8m height covering the SE bay and a length of open water adjacent to the dam All year if towing cables remain in situ over winter non operational months Small area of the lake affected, but may cause problems for geese and swans flying over the dam from the east. Moderate impact.”

This application was approved. So swans and other wildfowl now have the obstacle in their flight paths of two unmarked sets of wires as they fly over the Wyrley and Essington Canal- something that was never there before- but no problem it seems to the glorious “SSSI” site- how much are the operators paying the council?

The author of this report for “Staffordshire ecological services” is one Dave Haslam. Now perhaps this may be a case of mistaken identity. For I remember another Dave Haslam who used to be senior Countryside ranger at Walsall council. I went to see him one time concerning wanting to put in a nesting raft at a Walsall pool, and to make suggestions due to the swans having serious problems there. I’m a volunteer, not a money making business and I get nothing from trying to help the birds financially. Every suggestion was met with an unceremonious “NO NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOTHING MANMADE, NOTHING ARTIFICIAL.”

Notwithstanding the fact that the site in question was entirely manmade and acquired by the said council for a reported 1 quid, I resigned myself to the fact that he didn’t want anyone pissing on his conservation parade. But surely it would be seen to be hypocritical for someone who took money for “ecologically advising” people how they go about installing manmade structures on lakes such as Chasewater, if that same person had previously dismissed  my humble suggestions with nothing but “NO”. Different bloke, must be, Because I can’t believe that such a two faced fucking hypocrite could exist. The Dave Haslam at Walsall no longer works there though,  but I note that SES claim that both Walsall MBC and Lichfield DC are both former clients on their website.

That brings me neatly to my second FOI request– this time concerning Walsall council and their past activities- who appear to have used part  of the site as a parks and countryside tip. Back in the day, it appears that the vision then was to create a seaside experience- call it “Burntwood Butlins”. They called it “Chasewater pleasure park”. A castle and pier were added in the early 60’s , and no doubt that’s when Mr whippy and friends moved in too.

A site licence appears to have been applied for by Walsall MBC and granted in January 1980 numbered SL280, this another legacy of the idiots at West Midlands County Council. The licence wording is typically  bland and ambiguous, as they all were. Described to be allowed to be dumped are the following.

“Brick, stone and concrete rubble, sub soil and horticultural waste from the parks department.”

A total of 200 tonnes per day was permitted.

Of note is licence condition 15 “wastes other than inert material shall not be deposited in  water.” Of course I am aware of the same crap concerning rattlechain about “inert” material- but the question I pose here is simply thus

DID THIS WASTE THAT WALSALL COUNCIL DUMPED CONTAIN LEAD IN ANY FORM?

Could this be the source of the birds being poisoned by lead? Contaminated rubble, paint ?I offer it to be as valid a suggestion as that proposed by the old rifle range. It’s just a question of more investigation, that’s if anyone can be bothered.

A good map of the area in question was supplied. This shows the extent of licence SL280 and also some other licences issued at other locations in nearby areas. Although these are of note, the licence 280 is by far the nearest to where wildfowl feed and are present. It appears to border the line of the path on the edge of the main reservoir and the railway line to the East of this in a half oval shape. It extended approximately 600 metres along the edge of the waterline.

At the foot of the licence PDF, another basic map reads “stone embankment to aid dam wall stability.”

This request describes a four year period of sanctioning dumping by licence which ended in 1984 with the licence being surrendered by the council dated 18/5/84. However  it is quite apparent that extra appears to have ended up in the water, but under whose ownership and sanction? What exactly has gone into the lake since 1984 and under what jurisdiction ? It should be noted that Walsall Council Hazardous Waste unit were responsible for site licences up to the creation of the Environment agency in 1996.

A notice along the Western shore where the rubbish was dumped by WMBC

Old railway crap dumped at Chasewater in the water

It is also apparent that the area marked around the Western edge is seriously eroding. This has nothing to do with wildfowl, and everything to do with destructive water sports and the “wave action” that they create. A cross section of this bank reveals the different time layers.

crumble, crumble

  THREATS Aside from the water sports, and angling there are other causes of wildfowl mortality and injury at this site. You can claim that a fox has killed something by a corpse, yet it is seldom the case that these scavengers have caused the problem. You have to have been involved with rescuing birds for many years and see the injuries they suffer to appreciate this and know the issues that they face on a daily basis.

All good fun being towed along behind a speedboat, but try avoiding something like this when flightless in the summer months.

Powerlines Between the main reservoir and the swag pool. Although it appears that this span was once marked with bird flight diverters, these are of the poor quality type where the orange paint has faded, making them practically useless. Only clearly marked deflectors are likely to have any real effect.  

Faded out of sight

DOGS Wildfowl belong in the water. Dogs do not. Boats push wildfowl into the edge of the lake, only to be cut off by idiots with dogs loose. The swans around the castle are virtually forced to take refuge here whilst power boating is taking place across the body of the lake.

Want to see something retrieve a stick?- chuck your bastard kids in instead.

M6 TOLL ROAD Ever since this glorified shite snake was added, which has not solved any congestion issue whatsoever, birds have continued to land along its length with increasing regularity. Many have had to be rescued, mistaking the wet surface for the nearby canal.

Proximity to Chasewater clearly visible. This road was never needed.

All of these problems are of course man made and have effect on wild birds to their detriment. One can only see the joke of the “SSSI” status for what it really is- which is lip service to pretending to care about nature, but really it is about taking money through increasing visitor numbers. The only way wildlife pays is by charging for guided walks. It’s perhaps not surprising that when someone starts to ask questions that they do not get straight answers. It’s becoming to get like a familiar scenario, but perhaps the truth will one day be forthcoming about the lead in Chasewater, but by this time will there be any wildlife left to see? No doubt  that would suit people who want to make leisure opportunities out of this Country Park.

Where is “The Black country”?  Even those who claim to live within it cannot answer with certainty, because the area itself does not really exist. It was largely invented in the 20th Century by white historians with a tale to tell about heavy industrialism in the century previous, and now it has become a profitable industry within itself to promote an area with no definable boundaries. The history of the area has been overwritten and overstated for many years, but recently a form of what I would term “aggressive patriotism” has reared its ugly head from the tarnished soil and hoisted up a flag pole, where once there protruded bellowing black smoke from sooty chimneys.

Yes, the “Black Country” now has a flag and its own day, July 14th, where the great and the good of the area come together to pretend that the overpopulated multicultural mix have something in common- that is a sense of place that should be celebrated for its historic industrial heritage.

It is difficult to configure this in such an area where “Polski Skleps” stand next to shut down public houses that some developer wants to turn into apartments, and where Methodist churches are converted into mosques. “Heritage” it seems can be used to make people forget the changing canvas of landscapes before their eyes, and this is where I have profound reticence about the purpose that lies behind the nonsense of “Black Country day”.

“Areaism” let’s call it has been invented by politicians to try to paper over their ill founded cracks. The disasters of uncontrolled immigration in the last 20 years combined with over human population has left the country now standing with a head count of over 64 million people, a populace which largely calls their home inside an urban conurbation like “The Black Country”.

This has led to profound housing shortages, whereby the Conservative land owning class are totally unwilling to embrace multiculturalism and put up “the green belt” borders to prevent expansion into their green and pleasant land. Basically they don’t want brown neighbours, everyone knows it but they won’t say it openly, so let’s say it here. Their excitement for house building and racism for keeping out non whites has therefore led to saturation of so called “brown field sites”- former industrial cancer bowls that planners deem fit for the brown people to live in in dense numbers, not far from a former pit site or furnace, and very often built smack bang on top of one. Even once human shite centres are capable of housing 4 bed detached.

Such is the will to keep people out of the green and in the brown, that it seems the new Conservative Government are now not even going to allow people who live in such industrial sprawl any say in how their local communities can be developed- or over developed as is the case with “The Black country”. Fuck the plebs.

This means that any land contaminated by past use is “fit for purpose” for housing. Such lunacy in areas that cannot provide the necessities for urban expansion such as the new schools that will be needed because all the space has gone for housing will not be viewed by such people, because they never live there, and neither do the “environmental consultants” or development facilitator conmen as they should be known, tasked with bypassing already weakened wildlife habitat protection laws. Some species like the fox and badger are now being termed “vermin”, by the same vermin who are pushing for house building on brownfield land.

Last year an area called “Sandwell” celebrated its 4oth year as an invented local authority incorporating 6 towns that once had their own separate identity, and still do to many who remember the former structure of local government.

Sandwell is a bit of an oddity given that it has no postal relevance with some areas incorporating Dudley DY and Birmingham B postcodes, as well as Walsall WS in Wednesbury- confused you should be!

And then for some reason there are the electoral borders of WEST BROMWICH WEST, AND WEST BROMWICH EAST AS WELL AS PART OF THE BOROUGH BEING IN WARLEY. To confuse even more, many of the towns that now regard themselves as “black country” were also formerly part of Staffordshire.

In “Staffordshire” by Vivian Bird Batsford 1974, the area as it stood entering manufacturing industrial decline is well described.

“As in a jungle you cannot see the wood through the trees, so in the black country you cannot see buildings for the bricks… black smoke is rare; gone are the many smoke trails from railway engines. An occasional eruption of sinister orange smoke from a chemical or iron works is the only noxious sign in the overall view today, but one is conscious that down there is that more insidious blanket of petroleum and diesel fumes from vehicles that move about, stop and start and reverse with as little purpose seemingly as the denizens of an ant colony.”

How little has changed in 40 years but just magnified 10 fold.

“Black country day” also appeared to raise its head when people started to talk about devolved local Government powerhouses. There was talk of a “Greater Birmingham” under that name, and so at this point, some local amateur politicians, like football supporting clans decided that they did not want this. And so a  plot was hatched with the “business leaders” and with local media on board and a collection of local eccentrics and exhibitionists. The only honest politicians are usually those who are not of the mainstream brand. They also see this joke for what it is, but unfortunately many people are suckered into a concept of area pride.

Another controversy to arise is the symbolism behind the flag. The concept of chains echo slavery to one critic, and the part that the British Empire played in the transportation of millions. I have to say I agree with the point. It is undeniable that the area is connected by links of chain to this end, though there are others.  Another purpose to which chain was used is of course industrialisation and spoiling of the land. The term “rattlechain” got its name from a type of winding chain that made a terrible noise when turned. We are all now slaves to the land uses that the Industrialists left behind, and what an ugly legacy it is.

Dialect.

“Am yo a gooin dowen the rattlechairn lagooen?”

The most notable thing about “the black country” is undoubtedly its hindering dialect, which nationally is regarded as being spoken by the thickest of people. Such stereotypes also lump Greater Birmingham into the same pot, though quite clearly there is a different pronunciation at play in that area even though only a few miles apart.

A Birmingham resident will say “grass” as in “arse“, whereas the black country resident says “grass” as in “ass“.

So on Black country day there  will be the twanging drawl of disjointed vowel sounds filling the air with how “grairt” “the black country”  is and what it did for the world, even though it doesn’t exist on any map but in name.

Don’t get me wrong, I live where I live through choice, and there are some areas of the world I would like to live in far less. But who are these nutters who are “proud” of industrial heritage as though somehow it is the oxygen of life to all who live and breathe in the vapours that exist in “the black country”?

We hear bollocks like “it lit the spark that kindled the flame” etc etc. Mostly the black country area served entrepreneurs from outside the area , like Arthur Albright for example who raped the land for its wealth, to sow it only with polluted seeds. Is this something to be “proud” of?

It is those same individuals who then by choice after their wealth had been made chose NOT to live within this “black country” that they had created. And how wise was that when you look at the infant mortality rate, the life expectancy rate, the illiteracy rate, the depressing scarred landscapes of slag peppered with carcinogenic chemicals of mass destruction.

Much of this remains in the black country. When you take a tour of some of its noted towns such as Tipton and Bilston you find little prosperity. You do find salt of the earth people, mixed with rogues and a creeping wave of multi ethnic diversity whose heritage is far removed from that of those who settled in the area in the period of the industrial revolution, save for the fact that most of them arrived as victims of exploitation at the hands of the industrialists.

“Proud”- no no pride in areas where people flytip waste, claim benefits where work pays less and reproduce like rats gnawing away at the hand that feeds. Green shoots grow in black places, but so does gangrene.

This 1942 booklet is one of many advising the Home Guard of training techniques, which appears to be all that they really ever did. There is no description of who the author Derek Whipp was or how he had come to learn such knowledge, but like many of the published literature of the time it fleets between information and outright propaganda

Opening his account Whipp writes

“Axis tanks must be smashed.

How?

Well, there are plenty of ways, but the censor is naturally reluctant to let me tell you all the devices which the British Army employs. Nazis also read.”

It is of course, like most of the Home Guard activity, supercilious bollocks.

Tank warfare originated in World War One at the battle of the Somme in 1916. Their effectiveness proved fairly poor in coping with the mud and they were practically useless. Although improvements were made by the end of that conflict, it was the second world war where their effectiveness became a major threat when invasion was feared imminent. One can perhaps forgive authors like Whipp at the time for churning out stuff of this type, they did not have the benefit of knowing what would happen, or what it was right to do, but from a modern perspective having read some of the booklets like this, one wonders if the Germans posed a bigger threat to civilians than the occupying uniformed natives.

We learn something of the weaknesses of the vehicle that was feared would wage such destruction on English villages.

Though they would soon be withdrawn at the time of writing, Whipp describes in detail how to use Albright and Wilson’s half pints against this steel menace. He also as with official literature offered at the time to Home Guard units describe how dangerous the AW bombs were to handle.

“PHOSPHORUS BURNS ARE WORSE THAN BURNS RECEIVED BY OTHER MEANS, BECAUSE THE LIQUID STICKS TO THE FLESH.”

Moving on from describing methods using the Northover projector, we have methods that the Ewoks of Endor may be proud of when tackling such destructive aggressors.

What a load of sheet!

Another “Russian tactic” offered was to improvise a false road leading into marshland, where the tank would become bogged down and vulnerable to be a stationary target.

The most interesting page concerning AW bombs is that concerning their storage. Here Whipp informs the reader

“So far, invasion has not reached some countries, and in Britain the Home Guard has used this postphonement to grow from a pitchfork parade to a steel-fisted heavyweight. But have local units decided where they will store their SI.P and thermos grenades? Have they arranged for two and possibly three alternatives?

It will be realised from the description of the S.I.P that it is folly to leave it about for the enemy to smash with lucky shots. Both the S.I.P and the thermos are dangerous when left in the open.

The safest place for storing the former is beneath water. They certainly must not be left in buildings lkely to be affected by enemy action. The cases in which they are delivered, twenty- four at a time, and partitioned, makes it possible to lower them with safety into streams or ponds where they are least likely to do damage if exploded.”

Of course men reading this in the 8th Worcester Home guard in the Langley/Oldbury area would have followed such advice and tactics. We know of course with hindsight that AW bombs would have been  utter rubbish for destroying tanks, and Whipp’s bravado was little more than typical patriotism of the time, but the legacy of such folly concerning the burial of such toxic material- that is less funny, and we are still counting the cost today of  absent minded guerrilla warfare.

From the aftermath of World War One to more modern times concerning the Trinity Street site. A couple of recent applications have been added to the continuing site development history page on this website. This series of pages are important given the nature of waste deposited at Rattlechain over time, given that “scrap machinery” was one of the many unknown quantities that were noted to have gone into the drink under water down John’s Lane.

It appears that Solvay want to try to leave the past behind them in terms of the pollution record associated with many of the old buildings at the site and has made attempts to demolish quite a few of them. Rhodia in some respects also tried to shake off some of the Albright and Wilson war horse stories. A WW2 phosphorus bomb casing found on the main car park in 1990 (allegedly a German dropped bomb), had pride of place in a prominent location for the remainder of the AW years, yet the French decided for some reason to remove it on their takeover. They were however involved in building on top of ground obviously still contaminated with white phosphorus, as this planning note from Sandwell council appears to confirm.

All this is of course development history. One series of plans replacing another generations, which as landmarks for the community just add to the fall and rise of new ones.

One of the more intriguing of late was the conversion of the former police station, (actually the last development of the AW era), into a temporary practice venue for the Langley band. I won’t explore any links between the site and the band, but perhaps the following orchestrations would be interesting to hear emanating from off this site in glorious stereo.

Toxic- Britney spears

Poison- Alice Cooper

Another day for you and me in paradise- Phil Collins

Hazard- Richard Marx

Gone with the wind (Tara’s theme) – Max Steiner

The tracks of my tears- Smokey Robinson

I almost had a little tear in my eye when I heard Danny Boy, or perhaps it was some phosphoric acid falling out of the sky from a certain chemical factory site.

 

“The only good thing that comes from war is the stimulation of scientific research, primarily with the object of killing human beings but incidentally in finding substitutes for age-old materials and methods.”

These are the opening words from chapter 11 of “100 years of phosphorus making”, the sympathetic PR tool released at the turn of the second half of the Twentieth Century by Albright and Wilson Limited. By then this British company had profited handsomely from both wars, despite the so called objections from the Quaker roots of the two founders.

Though Arthur Albright had been wary of using his enterprise for warlike purposes (or so we are supposed to believe in this well recited tale), his descendants and that of Wilson were not so pious.

1915 saw the direct manufacture of white phosphorus for killing people. Its use then was spun as “smokescreen”, (little has changed in 100 years there then), though the effects on the human body would have been fresh in memory involving match making and phossy jaw. Phosphorus pentoxide is of course an irritant and harmful, despite military protestations to the contrary. The battle of Loos saw the first artillery use of p4 and it would also be used by Albright and Wilson’s favourite service collaborator, the Royal Navy. Molten phosphorus falling on troops of either side seems to be forgotten in the account of the company history.

Threlfall reveals

“The 1914 output of two and a quarter million pounds rose in 1915 to three and a quarter, in 1916 to almost four, in 1917 to five and in 1918 to six million pounds.”

This production saw the creation of a sub factory at Heath Town in Wolverhampton which started production in 1917 and reportedly closed in 1920. We learn that at this site there was also a tip- though one has to wonder where that now lies and what it contains? Canal boats were also used between Wolverhampton and Oldbury carrying the toxic cargo. One also has to wonder just how far the AW legacy of pollution extended along the Birmingham canal under the direction of the British Governments war departments?

Other dangerous chemicals of death were also manufactured including mustard gas and phosgene. As well as this lachrymators, such as Sulphuryl chloride were also being produced but under the guise of what purpose? This chemical is used as a source of chlorine, which was of course used with devastating effects during World War one. With contact with water it releases hydrochloric and sulphuric acids.

We have looked at a canalside tip used by Albright and Wilson during their wartime production HERE.

WORKERS.

“One great change wrought by the war was the employment of women and girls in the works, at first without enthusiasm on the part of the management but by degrees with admiration for the variety of jobs they undertook. Most of them gave up the work at the end of the war, when Mrs Bate, the supervisor, and her welfare workers were present at a farewell concert given by the girls themselves at the Institute Hall in Langley. They and the company’s other workers received a war medal struck by A. & W.”

A figure averaging 900 workers were employed in the war years at Albright and Wilson which dropped to below 600 after 1920.

The company history volume is almost entirely satisfied with telling the story of those who made the money out of “100 years of phosphorus making” and not those who made it for them at Oldbury. There appear to be very few anecdotal accounts of what these workers were exposed to or health effects suffered as a consequence of war and dabbling with dangerous chemicals. Just as with match making, women would be likely to be less outspoken concerning such matters.

As for the medal spoken of by Threlfall, a small old penny size piece of brass, we have obtained one. For some reason its ribbon is the tricolour, ironic that it was a certain French company which took over and sank the Albright/Wilson ship for good at the start of the Twenty First Century.

But it is typical that the name of whoever received this object is omitted and all they received was a token coin bearing the name of the company and its logo on the reverse.

WWW. Miss or Mrs anonymous

Smells like unclean spirit

So nearly 100 years after these medals were issued, what price are they worth today for those who risked their health to manufacture dangerous chemicals for the pointless vanity war that cost so many lives? If you have one of these in your dusty drawers you might want to call Bargain Hunt or take them to The Antiques Roadshow.

£80, SOLD to the highest bidder, who will keep this medal with the other artefacts and use them to expose this company for what they really were which is parasites, profiting off the backs of ill informed chemically exposed workers.

One of the most prominent features at Rattlechain, and the symbol of waste expulsion was the giant discharge pipe, removed early on in the cover up works of 2013.

These were supported in the water by several large floating pontoons that held the discharge pipe in place. Some of these were saturated in the contaminated sediment, and were washed down by operatives wearing full PPE. The birds eating waste contaminated with white phosphorus would not have had such luxury or protection.

Oddly in the bad old days of waste dumping the pontoons actually supported life above the water in the form of nesting spots for common terns. They would have fed on fish from the canals, but the secluded nature of the site did make for unlikely residence for these birds. It also attracted the gulls as well as other birds, especially when the pipe began to start sagging.

Starting to twist

The deconstruction saw sections  dismantled, and systematically stacked like pieces of lego on the south embankment, but it is not clear from our observations at the time if these were taken off site, scuttled below the surface before the cutting dredger came into action, or if they were even buried in the embankments, to add shape. Another five card trick. Perhaps Solvay got a weigh in down the local tat yard?

What is clear is that one of the large floating pontoons that held the discharge pipe in place on the water was transformed into a temporary pump, before the construction of the new pier pump.  I acknowledged at the time that this was a stroke of ingenuity, but following the works and subsequently for the last year or so, the pontoon remained in the uncapped smaller lagoon.

In the last couple of weeks, the pontoon has moved into the main lagoon, and is anchored to the causeway path. Is it awaiting removal, will it go to scrap?- either way another reminder of the industrial history of the site. It may be an Albright and Wilson relic to some, but I remember what this carried, and it is not pleasant- their toxic poisonous crap that killed wildlife.

The last pontoon has moved back where it came from

Scum marks clearly visible

The founding chemical allies, Albright and Wilson

Correspondence from the above has been received where he took exception to the content and tone of a blog post entitled “The Rood End of Lord Langley”.

The original post he asserts was “defamatory and offensive.” A number of questions were posed in the original article which sort clarification. I am therefore happy to add these clarifications to the original post and they now have been. The substance of the post which will not be withdrawn, contains content relevant to the history of Rattlechain lagoon, the passing of the site waste management licence and the associated problems which it continues to cause today. This information is both informative, and previously unpublished material not widely available in the public domain.

The electoral history of the man in question was obtained using material written and published by himself which he has publicly posted for all to read. It therefore we assume is based on fact. The links to these posts were given for clarification at the bottom of the page, and we would add they have all been screenshotted. Statements concerning his wife’s tenure of employment at Albright and Wilson (she worked there “for 30 years”), were also written by himself. “Rhodia consumer Specialities limited” according to the London Gazette was one of a number of companies under the group which appointed liquidators on 5th September 2003. It is stated here that this company was a former name of “Rhodia UK Limited”- a name which appears to have been resurrected since.

“Company Number: 00182210. Name of Company: RHODIA UK LIMITED. Previous Names of Company: Albright & Wilson UK Limited, Rhodia Consumer Specialties Limited, RP Chemicals (Overseas Holdings) Limited, R.T.Z. Chemicals (Overseas Holdings) Limited, Tunnel Speciality Chemicals Limited, Hundred and Five Piccadilly Limited and Building & Insulating Material Company Limited. Nature of Business: 7499 Non-trading Company.”

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It is noted that in his declaration as a then Sandwell councillor in  May 2010 he states

“My Wife – Mrs Mary Prestidge is a pensioner of:- Rhodia Consumer Specialities Ltd “

Mr Prestidge has clarified in respect of the site licence and his serving on the committee at the time the licence was passed in correspondence-

“NO INTEREST WAS DECLARED BECAUSE NO INTEREST EXISTED. MY WIFE, MARY PRESTIDGE, COMMENCED EMPLOYMENT AT ALBRIGHT AND WILSON IN JANUARY 1980. HER DUTIES WERE PURELY SECRETARIAL AND SHE HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN MATTERS SUCH AS PLANNING AND LICENSING APPLICATIONS OR WASTE DISPOSAL.”

Mrs Prestidge presumably then retired around  January 2010. We are happy to print his clarification here prominently to set the record straight and apologise if any suspicion of wrongdoing on his part or hers was implied at the 1977 meeting by the original post. For the record we sought clarification of the term of employment, based on the data above and that below.

We would note that the comment written on the facebook page “WE  WORKED FOR ALBRIGHT AND WILSON LTD” BY CAROL NICHOLSON AS STATED ABOVE READS-

“GIVE MY REGARDS TO MARY, WE USED TO CATCH THE BUS TOGETHER  SOMETIMES FROM ROUNDS GREEN TO WORK IN THE EARLY 70′s”

This must have referred to some other place of work that they shared, BEFORE  THEIR JOINT EMPLOYMENT AT ALBRIGHT AND WILSON LTD, WHICH MR PRESTIDGE HAS CLARIFIED COMMENCED IN JANUARY 1980. One can therefore perhaps appreciate some confusion here from a contradictory statement and why we inquired the time of his wife’s employment based on the comment above on a facebook page entitled “we worked for Albright and Wilson Ltd.” We note that he did not correct her statement or make any comment on it. 

On the wider issue of declarations of interest Mr Prestidge has advised the following

“IT IS A SERIOUS MATTER FOR A COUNCILLOR TO PARTICIPATE IN A DECISION IN WHICH HE OR SHE HAS A DIRECT PECUNIARY INTEREST, EG EMPLOYMENT (INCLUDING THAT OF A SPOUSE). I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN METICULOUS IN DECLARING ANY SUCH INTERESTS AND FREQUENTLY, IN THE INTERESTS OF TRANSPARNECY, WHEN THE SUBJECT MATTER WAS RATHER REMOTE.”

We note his comments and apologise unreservedly if the original post insinuated that he had not declared interests at meetings. For the record the post did not state that he hadn’t, it asked for clarification on a matter concerning why he had declared a non- pecuniary interest in The Accles and Pollock site.

On this he has made the following observation, which we are happy to publish here to add to his own well publicised employment record.

“SITE LICENCE SL32- ACCLES & POLLACK

THE SITE WAS OWNED BY ACCLES & POLLACK, WHERE I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN EMPLOYED SOME TEN YEARS OR SO PREVIOUSLY. NO PECUNIARY INTEREST EXISTED.”

We would note the correct spelling of the company to be “ACCLES AND POLLOCK. We did not state that he had any pecuniary interest in this company in the blog post, this is his insertion.

We would  note the recent high profile investigation into members of the Labour party serving in Sandwell council who have clearly not declared pecuniary interests in matters concerning financial affairs and their immediate family members. We hope that Mr Prestidge given his position within the party would not condone such activity, as he has explicitly stated above that he was never involved in such activities during his time as a Labour councillor.

Mr Prestidge has made the following clarification regards the SL31 licence

“THE WEST MIDLANDS COUNTY COUNCIL WAS CONSERVATIVE CONTROLLED IN 1977 AND THE LABOUR MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE VOTED FOR A MORE LIMITED CONDITION THAN WAS GRANTED BY THE CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL MEMBERS.”

We would however point out that the Labour party  controlled the council from 1974–77, (during which site licensing was being formulated), with the Conservatives controlling it between 1977–81. It reverted to Labour control for the last term 1981–86. Therefore for the creation of the licence and subsequently after it had been passed, the Labour group made no changes to the conditions on the licence. This is factual and cannot be refuted.

On the matter of the committee on which he served “(Joint NEGOTIATING sub-committee (waste disposal) of personnel and administration)” Mr Prestidge has clarified-

“THE LATTER DEALT MAINLY WITH PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATION MATTERS. AT NO TIME WAS I PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH NEGOTIATIONS WITH ANY COMPANY CONCERNING THEIR APPLICATIONS. “

We are happy to print his clarification here of what this sub committee did, and that he played no part in negotiating with any company concerning their applications.  The wording of the title of this sub committee is ambiguous  and there is still issue as to what this committee dealt with in totality  and its terms of reference  and not what it dealt “mainly with”, which is a matter of conjecture without clarification of evidence.

ON THE MATTER OF THE FOLLOWING MR PRESTIDGE CLARIFIES

“LANGLEY RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

I ATTENDED MEETINGS AS ONE OF THE COUNCILLORS FOR LANGLEY FROM THE MID 1980’S ONWARDS TO REPRESNT THE INTERESTS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS. ALBRIGHT & WILSON/RHODIA/SOLVAY WAS, AND STILL IS, A MAJOR EMPLOYER IN THE AREA AND IT WAS USEFUL TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THEM IN ORDER TO RESOLVE ANY PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THEIR OPERATIONS AT THE FACTORY. THERE WERE PROBLEMS FROM TIME TO TIME AND I ACTED AS AN ADVOCATE OF RESIDENT’S INTERESTS. LOCAL TRADERS AND RESIDENTS ALSO ATTENDED. MEETINGS WERE ADVERTISED LOCALLY AND ANY RESIDENT WAS WELCOMED TO ATTEND. THIS IS A NORMAL REPRESNTATIONAL ROLE AND CERTAINLY I WAS FAR FROM BEING AN APOLOGIST FOR THE COMPANY AS IT IS IMPLIED IN THE BLOG. I STILL ATTEND MEETINGS AS A LOCAL RESIDENT, LIVING AS I DO ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM THE PLANT. I DEEPLY RESENT THE IMPLICATION THAT I HAVE ACTED AS AN UNPAID PR OFFICER FOR THE COMPANY OR THAT I HAVE ACTED IMPROPERLY IN ANY WAY.”

Given that he has stated the tenure of his wife’s employment with the company (30 years) and defines his definition of pecuniary interests, and also the role in which he attended the meetings and how he meticulously recorded all declarations of interest, we hope that he did record at these meetings at which he was purporting as a councillor, a pecuniary interest in the continued success of the company- a source of income into his household from his wife’s job.

We are not stating that he did not, but there is a conflicting interest is there not in attending “a residents meeting” in capacity as a councillor yet having a spouse who works in direct unison to the man responsible for all the issues surrounding the running of the plant, including dealing with complaints- THE WORKS MANAGER. I hope he can see this, and why with scrutiny one could take a different view of his attendance at such meetings to be ones which could be seen to be a friendly, loyal and sympathetic advocate and for ones of self- interest as regards this large industrial employer. Complaints could ultimately shut down company operations leading to loss of profits and also jobs. In what capacity did his wife attend the meetings; (the works manager you would have thought would have), and given her role as secretary to the site manager, who wrote minutes of those meetings? The observation cannot be ignored, but we have given him the freedom of speech to express his view of this.

Mr Prestidge’s advocacy of Solvay is clear to see in his facebook post below.

There is also the fact that he is happy to pose in a Rhodia branded T’ shirt- a company that “he never worked for”.

He cannot possibly deny that this does not advocate the Trinity Street Company- and of course he is free to do this if he wishes. But he should also accept the freedom of others who take a very different view of the company’s activities at Trinity Street based on personal experience. Whilst we accept that the use of the word “shillery” and its definitions used in the original article may be construed as implying some wrongdoing on the part of Mr Prestidge, it should be noted that his wife is a pensioner of the root company that operated at this site for many years.  We apologise to Mr Prestidge if he believes that we were asserting that he was a paid stooge for the company. We are sure that he declares at every residents meeting held at the site, as an honorary Alderman of Sandwell council, that his wife was employed at the site for 30 years and receives a company pension .

Mr Prestidge’s  promotion of Solvay, their funding of events in the Langley area and that of their predecessors should be set against their dire pollution record which is irrefutable. Mr Prestidge asserts that this is not as bad as it was, but is that not softening the fact that the area is still within a significant consultation zone which prevents certain developments? This organisation is a multi national multi billion pound company and serves as a corporate industry which has at times sought political influence from policy advisers. Questioning a former politicians motives for promoting a company and one who has had a significant pecuniary interest previously in a company making chemicals at that site is legitimate fair comment and we reserve the right to point that out.

IN CONCLUSION WE NOTE THAT ON THE SUBSTANCE OF THE LINKS AND EVIDENCE OF BIRDS BEING POISONED AT RATTLECHAIN (WHICH ARE IRREFUTABLE WITH SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE) HE MAKES NO COMMENT WHATSOEVER. NOR DOES HE MAKE ANY COMMENT CONCERNING THE TOXIC LEGACY OF THE SITE AND MANY OTHERS THAT THE WEST MIDLANDS COUNTY COUNCIL ALLOWED TO BE LICENCED TO RECEIVE WASTE, AND ARE STILL 40 YEARS LATER A BLIGHT TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.

WE WOULD ALSO NOTE FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE THERE IS NO APOLOGY OFFERED ON HIS PART FOR BEING A MAJOR PART OF THE COUNCIL WHICH ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN. WE ARE TREATED TO THAT OLD CHESTNUT OFFERED BY MANY A DISILLUSIONED SOCIALIST – BLAME THE CONSERVATIVE ADMINISTRATION.

WELL THAT DOES NOT WASH IN THIS CASE- SANDWELL COUNCIL HAS BEEN LABOUR CONTROLLED FOR 40 YEARS FOR ALL BUT A VERY BRIEF PERIOD, AND THE WEST MIDLANDS COUNTY COUNCIL WAS  ALSO LABOUR CONTROLLED FOR MOST OF ITS EXISTANCE. THEY MADE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE SITE LICENCE FOLLOWING 1977. THE MISTAKE WAS NEVER CORRECTED.

THESE ARE HOWEVER INSIGNIFICANT POINTS, AND OBSCENE WHEN COMPARED TO THE SUFFERING THAT THIS SITE HAS CAUSED WITH ITS WHITE PHOSPHORUS DUMPING.

THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS VEXATION APPEARS TO BE COMMENTS RELATING TO HIMSELF ONLY. These have been either withdrawn or clarified based on his clarifications. I’m sure he has been called far worse in his career, though I accept some people take “offence” when it suits them to.

BUT THE POST WILL NOT BE REMOVED, AND NOR WHEN IT IS FAIR AND ACCURATE, AND NOT MISLEADING WILL HIS PART IN THIS COMMITTEE’S DECISIONS BE STRUCK FROM RECORD OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY. AND THAT GOES FOR THE OTHERS THAT WERE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE AND WERE PAID TO MAKE DECISIONS. WE ARE AWARE FOR EXAMPLE THAT ONE WAS A FORMER MAYOR OF DUDLEY. IS IT NOT RIGHT THAT THE GENERATION THAT LIVES ON AFTER THEM DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO NAME AND SHAME OR CRITICISE THEIR DIRE DECISION MAKING IN PUBLIC?

HE MAY NOT LIKE THIS, BUT THAT IS JUST TOUGH- FREE SPEACH REMAINS JUST THAT, AND THERE ARE EXAMPLES WHERE HE ACCUSES MORE PUBLIC AND HIGH PROFILE POLITICAL FIGURES THAN HE ACHIEVED IN HIS POLITICAL CAREER OF SERIOUS WRONGDOINGS WHICH HE HAS PUBLICLY POSTED. THIS ALSO INCLUDES POSTS WHICH COULD BE SAID TO “RIDICULE” THEIR TARGET.

One without a thick skin could take such a comment to be damaging to the reputation of the subject targeted, as well as calculated to ridicule and be defamatory in nature. BUT THAT WOULD JUST BE NUTS.

I THINK THAT WE ARE TO ASSUME THEN THAT “DEFAMATORY MATERIAL” TO MR PRESTIDGE ONLY COUNTS WHEN YOU ARE NOT THE ONE IN THE FRAME.  WILL HE WITHDRAW THOSE? THOUGH HE MAY DRAW OFFENCE TO BEING ASSOCIATED WITH IMAGINARY WORKS OF FICTION, I HAVE NEVER DESCRIBED ANY IDENTIFIABLE POLITICAL FIGURE OF BEING “FASCISTS” or even “THIEVES”- (UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED AS BEING SUCH).

NOTE FOR HIS CLARIFICATION THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD “THIEF”

thief

NOTE FINALLY THE FOLLOWING POST WHICH MR PRESTIDGE SHARED ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE ON 29TH JULY 2014.

I HAVE THE FUCKING RIGHT TO PUBLISH ANY LANGUAGE THAT I LIKE, THIS IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP YET, AND FREEDOM OF SPEACH IS NOT NOR SHOULD EVER BE CONTROLLED BY MINOR POLITICAL FIGURES.

I AM OFFENDED BY THE INJUSTICE OF A MULTI BILLION POUND CORPORATION BEING ALLOWED TO DUMP TOXIC CHEMICALS IN OLDBURY- BUT I DID NOT PLAY ANY PART IN THIS- ONLY THE EXPOSURE OF WHAT THEY DID YEARS LATER.

“KEEP IT REAL”- AS WITH THE FACTS.