Nae Bevin, once said that, to initiate The National Healt Service, he just copied what had been done in Swindon (100 years previously), and nationalise it.

Every working class person now has an annual holiday, their children are educated (?), and their health and safety are looked after.

I Too Could Be a Councillor wrote:
Nae Bevin, once said that, to initiate The National Healt Service, he just copied what had been done in Swindon (100 years previously), and nationalise it. Every working class person now has an annual holiday, their children are educated (?), and their health and safety are looked after. The Mechanics' was a flagship for these and many other reforms, which we now take for granted (though some of them seem to be slipping) The building, as a structural symbol of good ethics should be saved, but that does not mean it should be buried under a modern sky scraper, by a selfish greedy developer.

Our children are worse educated than before organised education existed and more children get murdered on our streets than at any time on record.

The reality is so far from that as to be untrue. In fact, the only half decent progresses this country has made have not been made under Labour governments at all.

You do live in the UK, right? Our children are worse educated than before organised education existed and more children get murdered on our streets than at any time on record.
The reality is so far from that as to be untrue. In fact, the only half decent progresses this country has made have not been made under Labour governments at all.

GetAJob wrote:
Kyoceran - do you really despise the past so much? Do you not realise that without the railway there wouldn't have been a town here at all?

The likes of Honda and Zurich have got a long way to go before you can even begin to compare their contribution to the town to that of the railway. Seeing that the rail works began in 1840 and closed in 1986 that represents 146 years of employment alone in the town. Honda only started here in the late 80s and Zurich in the early 80s. That adds up to less than 60 years for both. They might have done some good for the town but don't forget we are living in a different age with different skills needed for work. You can't just write off an age that depended on foundrymen, wheelwrights, silversmiths, carriage builders, signal men - the list is almost endless.

It wasn't just the works - the railway brought the GWR Medical Fund and Hospital, the Childrens' Party in Faringdon Road Park, "Trip Week" (paid for by the railway - do Honda pay for their employees' holidays? No) and the construction of hundreds of "cottages" for the workers to live in. St Mark's Church as well as the Mechanics' Institute were born out of the railway. Yes - the Institute has gone into a sad decline and I used to be a member years ago. I would love to see it restored and I know it would cost a fortune - but I would rather look at that than the ugly mess that is the TriCentre near the bus station.

Frontier(s) wrote:
Good lord, to read Donkey's nonsense you'd think we have Labour to thank for life itself.

What utter nonsense.

I Too Could Be a Councillor wrote:
ForeFront Maciers wrote

You do live in the UK, right? Our children are worse educated than before organised education existed and more children get murdered on our streets than at any time on record. The reality is so far from that as to be untrue. In fact, the only half decent progresses this country has made have not been made under Labour governments at all.

I think you'll find that the reforms that the Mechanics' Institute gave to society existed long before this Labour government, butyour so obsessed at pinning everyhing on Labour that you haven't taken into account that the building went up in about 1850. We've had quite a few other governments elected in that space of time. The building was even paid for, indirectly by the working classes, because they wanted a better society. If you really want a better society than we have at present, you could do a lot worse than changing your own broken record and consider saving the very essence of society building. The Mechanics' is not just a building. It is probably one of the greatest examples that this country could use to iniate a better freindlier, more cooperative society. Sometimes it's better to look back at history repeating itself, to engineer a better future. The only thing you want to repeat is Labour this Labour that, I blame Labour. Ironic that you don't find it amusing when I do it.

Grumpy wrote:

Frontier(s) wrote: Good lord, to read Donkey's nonsense you'd think we have Labour to thank for life itself. What utter nonsense.

It's no worse than the rubbish you churn out on a daily basis.

I blame Labour and Pissimmon homes.

(See, annoying, isn't it?)

It's no worse than the rubbish you churn out on a daily basis.

People in glass houses, etc.

Martha Parry's lot have been saying what they want for years, but managed to achieve nothing.
I'd rather that the building was sensitively adapted to be useful, and Matthew Singh has a plan to do that.

A CONFUSING draft bill presented by Gordon Brown this week could safeguard the future of the Mechanics' Institute.

So your posts are not even aimed at what might be a heritage asset to the town, just a continuing, repeating hole picking session about Labour.
Like a broken record

Jason wrote:
Oldtowner Wrote

Martha Parry's lot have been saying what they want for years, but managed to achieve nothing. I'd rather that the building was sensitively adapted to be useful, and Matthew Singh has a plan to do that.

The Mechanics' preservation trust have actually achieved far more than Matthew Singh, in as much as they have actually made plans which have been accepted. Their plans included using the building for purposes which it had been used for, without drastically altering its layout, hence the planning has been granted. They also had successful youth groups and various activities running in the former railway museum, which has now been closed whilst we wait for our council to fail at running its own youth groups and then agree to convert the building into flats or something. The only prevention of "Martha Parry's Lot) plans being initiated is the fact that a greedy selfish developer owns the building and he has plans that are about as insensitive to the area as could be. I am pleased that our MP "appears" to be showing interest in the towns heritage, though I doubt she is aware of the role it played in the community. Let's not forget the opening line of this topic

A CONFUSING draft bill presented by Gordon Brown this week could safeguard the future of the Mechanics' Institute.

I would like to know what this bill contains. Does it offer encouragement of Compulsory Purhase? The Newbridge Memo came 2nd on the BBC Restoration series. With the additional history of the GWR, and NHS "blueprint", The Mechanics' could have won easily, if only it wasn't owned by someone so intent on building a huge multi storey greenhouse monstrosity.

Al Smith wrote:
Jason, how can anyone submit proposals for something they do not own? Is that normal behaviour? Perhaps they should raise the money to buy the institute first. I'm sure Mr Singh will be happy to sell, so long as the offer is reasonable.

I find this scrabbling around in the dirt, desperately looking for some kind of cultural history embarrassing.

Swindon has no history.

Most people in Britain couldn't tell you one thing Swindon is famous for.

Pav wrote:
I find this scrabbling around in the dirt, desperately looking for some kind of cultural history embarrassing. Kyoceran hit the nail on the head when they said about "old romantics seeing the world through rose tinted glasses". Swindon has no history. Face it. Most people in Britain couldn't tell you one thing Swindon is famous for. The sooner we realise this, the sooner we can move on.

Pav wrote:
I find this scrabbling around in the dirt, desperately looking for some kind of cultural history embarrassing. Kyoceran hit the nail on the head when they said about "old romantics seeing the world through rose tinted glasses". Swindon has no history. Face it. Most people in Britain couldn't tell you one thing Swindon is famous for. The sooner we realise this, the sooner we can move on.

there is a picture of the John Murray building. I think that says it all.

You can say til you're blue in the face that Swindon has some kind of history or cultural importance - but that doesn't make it true

As for Jason's comment, do you not realise the only reason this story made the Adver is because it was an Anne Snelgrove press release?!? That is concerned the Mechanics Institute was merely by product.

A CONFUSING draft bill presented by Gordon Brown this week could safeguard the future of the Mechanics' Institute.

For what it's worth, I'd have liked to have seen it turned into a music venue, but it seems the Council are incapable of considering anything but the Oasis for this purpose - unfortunately.

For what it's worth, Swindon Council did even less about a dedicated music venue when under Labour control... I notice you didn't mention that.

However, none of that changes the vast problems this country faces that, I can assure you, have nothing whatsoever to do with Swindon Borough Council.

Jason, not that you'd notice because you're as one-track as 'I Too...',

give Mr Singh market value and refurb it to benefit the community- if that happens I'll have no complaints

Jason wrote:

Wow that was impressive.
You almost wrote an entire posting without typing a condemnation of Labour.

Still, we're going to see more of this sour grapes whinging from Labour supporters after the local election disaster and probably long after they lose the next general election.

malkym wrote:
Yes but lets have no more of this -lets keep it cos it town's history - look at the farce with the Tabernacle -and what repaced that! err grotty office bldgs so let MR S develop it - or pay him a fair whack if not, then DIY by SBC and give the council tax payer some amenity that benefits the town -err like many have mooted -LARGE CONCERT VENUE!!!