BBC jibe at town causes uproar (From Swindon Advertiser)
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BBC jibe at town causes uproar
9:50am Sunday 25th January 2009 in News
SWINDON has been labelled a “town going nowhere fast” by the BBC.
The town was used as an example of the effects of the economic downturn in a report by Mark Easton, the BBC’s home editor.
Throughout yesterday the BBC reported from other towns feeling the effect of the downturn, including Middlesbrough, Cardiff and East Kilbride.
In his introduction to the piece Mr Easton said: “Swindon has big ideas – ambitions to become a thriving, expanding city in the heart of Wiltshire but the plan is on hold.
“It is a town going nowhere fast.
“Unemployment in the town has doubled in a year – hundreds of redundancies and lay-offs “The town’s biggest private employer, Honda, has stopped production for four months. Families are being forced to re-think their lives.”
But the report, which included interviews with a number of Swindon people, ended on a more positive note.
He signed off with the words: “But Swindon is a can-do town and for many there is a determination that gloom doesn’t have to be doom.”
Council leader, Coun Rod Bluh, rejected the “nowhere town” jibe.
He said: “Nothing could be further from the truth.
“We know we are in a recession and we know it has been tough but we are a place of ambition and that ambition is being realised.
“What they said in the programme could be said about anywhere at the moment.
“Swindon is often picked on because it is a microcosm of the UK – a lot of market testing is done here as it’s seen to be very representative.”
Anne Snelgrove, MP for South Swindon, thought the BBC’s coverage had summed up Swindon well.
She said: “I thought overall the piece reflected quite well what is going on in Swindon.
“Some people are optimistic and are getting jobs, but there are others who are more pessimistic about what is going on.
“As it pointed out in the piece a lot of people over 50 are finding it difficult to get jobs.
“The line about Swindon going nowhere was unfortunate and wrong, and I didn’t think it was reflected in the rest of the story.”
North Swindon MP, Michael Wills, said: “The BBC are wrong to say this is a town going nowhere.
“We are suffering from the global recession.
“But, Mark Easton is right to say that this is a can-do town.
“Swindon has been through recessions before and come out strongly and better and I am sure that will happen this time.”
Comments(26)
Ankh
says...
11:11am Sun 25 Jan 09
Is it, where exactly is it being realised? Look around you when you walk through the town centre, it is going nowhere.
The report is spot on, its time to realise that and stop looking at the town through rose coloured glasses.
Bobfm
says...
11:50am Sun 25 Jan 09
Ankh
says...
12:20pm Sun 25 Jan 09
itsamess
says...
12:49pm Sun 25 Jan 09
Blackmalkin
says...
12:50pm Sun 25 Jan 09
I'm not sure about the "can-do" attitude either. Maybe in the days of the GWR, when Swindon used to innovate. Now it's competing with India and China to provide goods and services at the lowest tender, and there is a large dispensable workforce.
RFM
says...
1:02pm Sun 25 Jan 09
The BBC were merely reiterating the findings of an interesting article in The Times yesterday about Swindon - a completely average town made up of a wide cross-section of people which can be used to see how the recession is affectly businesses and people from all walks of life.
I think the only people who are looking at the situation with rose tinted glasses are the Adver journalists who continually try to sensationlise stories!!!
I like how Mr Wills ONCE AGAIN refers to a global recession as if it is nothing to do with the failed policies of Cyclops and Bliar! (Failing to prepare = preparing to fail etc etc)
Lars
says...
2:15pm Sun 25 Jan 09
I saw the report and, in context, it was spot on. In fact most towns are 'going nowhere' in this awful recession.
peatmoor pirate
says...
5:33pm Sun 25 Jan 09
The BBC report sounds pretty spot on to me.
Adver - please can we have some proper news?
If you can't find anything else, why not get out and about in the community and see all the good work that is going on by normal people working together in community projects, schools etc etc.
lorrainejw
says...
5:57pm Sun 25 Jan 09
who dat?
says...
6:56pm Sun 25 Jan 09
"Politically, too, Swindon is a key constituency. As with Basildon, when it changes its political colours, so does the country as a whole. "
http://business.time
sonline.co.uk/tol/bu
siness/economics/art
icle5576414.ece
Loveall
says...
6:58pm Sun 25 Jan 09
gordon dickinson
says...
7:27pm Sun 25 Jan 09
listen to peatmoor pirate, look around and see all the good work that's being done by a lot of people in this town.
you can either continue to moan about our town, or get off your arses and try to improve the situation.
If your house is in a mess, tidy it up.
M-Y-O-B
says...
8:12pm Sun 25 Jan 09
Swindon is going downhill fast, the local councillors are still under the strange impression it should be a city but it couldnt be further away.
Building loads of houses on the outskirts of a town and neglecting the centre for the last 10+ years is not enough to put a tin pot town on the map!
As usual everytime swindon gets slated theres a big pro swindon campaign in the adver, get a grip, its a nothing town with nothing to brag about- eg.fewer big employers, dire town centre with limited shopping(except pound shops!), poor nightlife, overpriced houses, poor leisure facilities,the list goes on...
yeti
says...
8:15pm Sun 25 Jan 09
gordon dickinson
says...
10:39pm Sun 25 Jan 09
Jackanory
says...
6:35am Mon 26 Jan 09
Ardiles
says...
9:42am Mon 26 Jan 09
The BBC report is entirely justified in saying Swindon is 'going no where fast'.
I don't enjoy knocking the town I spent a large part of my life in, but shoddy journalism like this needs to be highlighted. Slow news day, by any chance?
It's the people who pay for their copy of the Adver that I feel sorry for. They actually part with their money to read this rubbish.
itsamess
says...
9:47am Mon 26 Jan 09
Al Smith
says...
10:03am Mon 26 Jan 09
Job losses, job uncertainty at the biggest employer. Development work that won't start until the end of the recession is in sight (why build new flats/shops in the middle of a recession). So we have empty building sites to enjoy over the next year or two at least.
IRofE
says...
11:54am Mon 26 Jan 09
the demolition of the police station and the building of the horrible looking hotel.
Is this what we should be proud of?
Swindon is fast becoming an industrial friche and quite rightly look around, it is old, rusting and concrete filled.
Casual Observer
says...
12:31pm Mon 26 Jan 09
IRofE
says...
12:46pm Mon 26 Jan 09
Casual Observer wrote:use your brain, be constructive, find some arguments. lets have some interesting comments. and please spare us the bad language, will you.
..IRofE continues to write utter boIIocks..
IRofE
says...
1:01pm Mon 26 Jan 09
M-Y-O-B wrote:I totally agree with you, the best thing about Swindon is that you can quickly drive through it and see how beautiful Wiltshire is.
This article is spot on! Swindon is going downhill fast, the local councillors are still under the strange impression it should be a city but it couldnt be further away. Building loads of houses on the outskirts of a town and neglecting the centre for the last 10+ years is not enough to put a tin pot town on the map! As usual everytime swindon gets slated theres a big pro swindon campaign in the adver, get a grip, its a nothing town with nothing to brag about- eg.fewer big employers, dire town centre with limited shopping(except pound shops!), poor nightlife, overpriced houses, poor leisure facilities,the list goes on...
Oldtownresident
says...
1:33pm Mon 26 Jan 09
I have to laugh at some of these comments (again). It's another stupid sensationalised story from the Adver and as usual the gloom merchants come out of the woodwork to post on here claiming Swindon is such a **** hole. Swindon certainly isn't the best town to live in but then again it certainly isn't the worst. What makes Swindon look a run down place and gives it a bad name are the countless people who seem to live here and hate the place, well move somewhere else then I say.
Swindon used to be a town where most people were born here and had families here, yet now it seems to be a town where there are too many people who come here, earn a good living from their job they moved here for, yet do nothing but slag the town off.
Swindon is a good place to live, it's the people who slag it off, have no interest improving it and the complete and utter incompetence of our council to carry through good ideas which makes this town a laughing stock.
Maybe instead of moaning on forums about how the Town is going downhill and is nothing but a hell hole, people should get off their backsides and do something which would benefit the town and see it a better place.
It's the negative thinkers who don't seem to give two hoots for this town that are bringing it down.
Do something to improve things or sod off to another town.
Oldtownresident
says...
1:43pm Mon 26 Jan 09
Are they that short of stories????
Desperatedan1
says...
4:48pm Mon 26 Jan 09
gordon dickinson wrote:And your point is,
moan, moan, moan
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