Not so solid Crewe

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Gordon “Chubby” Brown

Funny impersonation of Gordon Brown in this video from Bremner, Bird, and Fortune.

“I’ve got a lousy tax policy to finish with”

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Alan Johnson’s email address

Odd search result

You occasionally see some odd search terms that resulted in the enquirer landing on your website, one such searcher was looking for “Alan Johnson Health Minister’s email address” and ended up in the Corner Shop here in South Shields - I kid you not!

Here, have a look for yourself.

Honestly, I don’t store any government classified email addresses, besides as a former postman he probably prefers a well written letter (just ask South Tyneside Cllr. Rob Dix!)

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Demolition Man

Cllr. Jimmy Foreman in new role

Did anybody see South Shields Labour Cllr. Jimmy Foreman having whopping great big bags of fun with the big boys toys on television last night?

Some guys get all the luck yeah?

Jimmy was “dragged up” (as he would admit himself) on the Cleadon Park estate in South Shields, as was Mrs. Curly, and yesterday he was lucky enough to get behind the controls of a JCB and tear the old place down - not the whole estate, just his old boyhood house. I mean, what kind of fun is that? Come on lads you’ve all wanted to do it haven’t you?

Colin Campbell eat your heart out LOL.

The new Cleadon Vale development is coming along nicely now and it has been noted that supermarket operator Sainsbury is now operating on Prince Edward Road and also Ebchester Street, South Shields to take advantage of new markets created by the influx of large numbers of new private home owners.

Curly is a little perturbed by these developments, and sincerely hopes that Cllr. Foreman has not been given a new role in Labour’s South Tyneside cabinet, the old Town Development brief is meant to be Cllr. McAtominey’s after all, besides I’d hate to have to change someone’s nickname from “school dinner Jimmy” to “Demolition Man!”

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In my own words

The awful truth about our Premiership

The Times starts the serialisation of Cherie Blair’s pension project new book today entitled “In my own words”, in which she goes on to twat Gordon Brown a few times and explain how she was the breadwinner in the Blair household and generally poked and prodded at Tony to get out and earn some cash.

In the accompanying interviews it’s clear that after Blair decided that it was time to hand the reins over to Brown, his wife had already started the dice rolling in a massive game of monopoly buying up property in London, mortgaging themselves to the hilt, and then selling the risks to merchant bankers in New York in exchange for a few after dinner speeches. That’s what I loved about the couple, they still retained the “common touch”, you know, we can relate to that in South Shields.

Just like we have done here, the Blairs have now found themselves a small country cottage to take off to at the weekends, you know, just a lodge, nothing grand, enough room for a few secretaries, four detectives, sixteen security men, two publicity agents, and the family too. They’ll all look jolly comfortable on the B&Q timber decked patio built out the back! You should really get one too Gordon, Chequers just isn’t quite the thing yet.

There are some interesting disclosures in the book of course, but none too dramatic;

Cherie discloses her fury with Mr Brown after he told ministers at Labour’s first Cabinet meeting in 1997 not to take a 26 per cent pay rise. “How dare Gordon do that? What did he know about financial commitments? He was a bachelor living on his own in a flat with a small mortgage”. She also reveals that Mr Blair used to tell Mr Brown that if he wanted to be leader he needed to get married;

Now look what you’ve done Cherie, lumbered the poor man with a wife, two kids, and a life sat on Fern Britten’s couch trying to explain himself.

Cherie Reveals that she told Mr Blair in 1994 that it would be “ridiculous” that he should agree with Mr Brown to have only one term as leader

I hope that she’s talking about her husband here and not the monocular Scottish Prime Minister that Tony dumped on us.

She also reveals that Tony Blair is advising Gordon Brown during his current turmoil and has told him how he can win the next general election.

Who is taking the p*** here? The Scottish born former Prime Minister telling his fellow Scot how to win elections Blair style? Come off it!

Either the advice is simply not working, Tony has lost his charm, or Gordon Brown simply isn’t listening!

What was that dear? Oh yes, my turn to roll the dice.

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Blinking Miliband

Just to remind ourselves exactly what South Shields MP and Foreign Secretary David Miliband was thinking last year, here’s the YouTube video clip of him blinking, and blinking, and blinking making a mess of things with Dimbleby on Question Time. Trouble is, Gordon Brown seems to have messed up things in rather less than then the six or twelve months that David was apparently thinking about!

Now where did I mention things that might come back to bite you on the bum?

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This man speaks pure Geordie.

No corruption after over twenty years in Oz!

Amazing really, left South Shields twenty odd years ago after a career in the Royal Navy to make a new life in Australia, his professional position often takes him to Hong Kong and the USA, but unlike many others who manage to acquire a Cockney accent after 12 months in Putney, or a mid Atlantic accent after three years in New Hampshire “Andy” sounds as though he’s just stepped off the No. 42 bus from Henderson Road.

This photograph was taken last night in The Beacon on The Lawe, South Shields where a few of us gathered to meet and greet the man who reputedly fiddled around on with Freddie Flintoff’s lap top during the last Ashes tour! The small crowd who were there to greet “Andy” are all members of the Curly’s Corner Shop Message Board, the busiest little online facility in this part of the world for Sanddancers, ex-pats, and foreigners to get together for a friendly chinwag. “Andy” is back in South Shields with his wife and daughter to visit his mother, and on Sunday we will be hunting down David Miliband down at The Stadium of Light to request that he recommends “Andy” for some sort of special award for resisting the onslaught of “strine” for so long. He knows exactly where his Geordie roots and culture come from and he does his very best to export our hospitality, generosity, and common sense to our cousins down under.

As far as adapting to Oz cultures and habits “Andy” said he couldn’t give a XXXX!

Welcome home Andy.

Btw, can I recommend the Deuchars IPA.

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Deep impact

Nasa plans to land on asteroid

I’m sure people in South Shields will be equally fascinated and bemused by this news, it all seems like they’ve taken the script from the movie Deep Impact and decided to see if it can be achieved for real.

I wonder if they’d be willing to take a few politicians along with them? Let us be frank here, some of them should have been shot off into space just before conception!

I’d be tempted to offer free tickets to the BNP candidates who stood in South Tyneside last week, anyone else deserve a free ride?

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James Whale sacked

Talksport sacks controversial presenter

James Whale just seems to have been made for radio, his outspoken and brusque views have taken his career far since joining Metro Radio as a 22 year old in 1974. As a late night talk show host I was captivated by his sheer effrontery with most callers and listeners, as a form of entertainment it was savage amusement to an eighteen year old just finding his way in the world here in South Shields.

Whale, now 56, moved down to Leeds to join the fledgling Radio Aire before moving into television with an equally rebellious show which didn’t last too long. Lately, well at least for the past thirteen years, he has been a regular presenter with national Talksport Radio, that is until they sacked him today!

Whale publicly backed Boris on the radio during the London Mayoral election and transgressed Ofcom rules, so he had to go. However, breaking the mould, and bending or breaking a few rules have always been Whale’s stock in trade, it goes with the territory when you hire him, he’s a maverick, a one off.

Perhaps Metro Radio might now be interested in taking him back, I can see a hugely successful double act in the making, Whale and Tony Horne would cause chaos on the airwaves of Tyneside.

“Whale around the Horne” could be the best double act since Prescott and Blair!

Update

TV Scoop is reporting that James Whale has almost instantly been snapped up by Bid TV - weird or what? Looks like Metro has lost out on a golden opportunity.

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Knockout result

Remind you of anyone in particular?

Err……..YES!

South Tyneside Conservative Cllr. David Potts probably didn’t think much of the “knockout results” on Thursday night, let’s hope he found a decent party after the weekend to make up for things!

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