December 2006
Personal Best - The Stirrer's inspirational xmas movie
We would like to thank the following for their financial assistance:
West Bromwich Building Society
The Black Country Consortium
Wood Green High School College Of Sport, Wednesbury
30-12-2006
Even the staunchest peacenik should not mourn the execution of Saddam Hussein. The ex-Iraqi dictator was a brutal genocidal tyrant who deserves to die. But the sad truth is that for most Iraqis it won't make a blind bit of difference. >>> more
30-12-2006
Black Country marathon runner and star of Stirrer TV's Xmas movie "Personal Best" Blind Dave Heely with the latest update on hisfund-raising efforts...and much, much more. last time we heard from him, his tumble dryer and shower had both broken down.>>> more
29-12-2006
George Bush's White House has finally recognisedthat climate change is a reality, by admittingthat polar bears arein danger of losing their habitat. Maybe global warmingalso accounts for the airborne swine which have just been spotted flying over Washington DC. Meanwhile, here in the West Midlands, it's ostriches who are in vogue. >>> more
29-12-2006
Is alcohoism just a booze-fuelled fantasy? Laurence Inmanreckons so...but then he also claims he cansolve your nicotine addiction too. And you thought Father Christmas had already been for this year. >>> more
29-12-2006
Today is a landmark in the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States, as we finally pay off the loans that helped the Allies win the War - and the Yanks secure victory in the peace that followed. >>> more
29-12-2006
One again The Stirrer has scooped the local media…in one case getting a story more than a month ahead of our local rivals. >>> more
28-12-2006
With the government introducing a new website today encouraging us to live amore eco-friendlylifestyle, Edward Cameron has decided to follow their advice. But at the same time he wonders if their green credentials amount to no more than naivety. >>> more
28-12-2006
John Peel punk-era favourites The Fall are heading to the West Midlands in March with a gig at The Robin in Bilston. >>> more
27-12-2006
Birmingham MP John Hemming has been threatened with legal action by a Midlands hospital - for trying to help parents get access to secret medical records about their children. >>> more
27-12-2006
Birmingham City's win against QPR yesterday kept them top of the Championship and marked the centenary of their home ground. Steve Beauchampe charts the building and development of the Blues' ground. >>> more
Get Out More ........................................Show Review
27-12-2006
Reviewers were generally underwhelmed by thisChristmas offering at the Rep, but theyaren't its target audience. So we invited 12 year old Tom Horton from Moseley to give his verdict. >>> more
26-12-2006
Battling Brummie Fred Grove has won the right to full legal representation in his fight to stay inthefamily home in Vauxhall - at the heart of the Eastside regeneration area. >>> more
26-12-2006
Birmingham City's home match against QPR today marks the 100th anniversay of their St Andrews stadium. Steve Beauchampé marks the centenary with a look back at the club's precious grounds. >>> more
26-12-2006
Some of my mates gave James Brown a miss last time he came to the West Midlands 18 months ago. More fool them. It was a great show, and now those of who witnessed his last performance in the area can boast “I was there.” >>> more
22-12-2006
That moral high horse of a newspaper, the Daily Mail, has many and varied preoccupations, but none seems to get its goat as much as the so-called binge drinking culture, particularly in relation to women writes Ros Dodd. >>> more
22-12-2006
Just as I thought that I'd got all my years favourite records mentally wrapped for the festive season, along comes a record that undoes all that Anthea Turner/Nigella Lawson musical planning says our music guru Paul Samuels. >>> more
22-12-2006
This week a coroner lambasted as "unforgiveable and inexcusable" the failure of the British army to equip all our troops in Iraqwith body armour - which he said lead directly to the death of tank commander Steve Roberts.As we enter the Christmas period one dad from Wolverhampton muses on what the case means for him and his soldier son. >>> more
MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY
The Stirrer wishes all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Our normal news and comment service will resume on 3 January, 2007. In the meantime, check out our free film "Personal Best" - the story of blind Black Country marathon runner Dave Heeley, available on this site from tomorrow. Our messageboard will remain active throughout the festve period for your observations on naff presents and the rubbish on television.
21-12-2006
Recent revelations about the amount of time council employees in Birminghamspend on sick leave have prompted The Stirrer's resident psychologist Dr Mike Drayton to lay down a challenge. >>> more
21-12-2006
You can see Personal Best our exclusivedocumentary about local marathon runner and charity fund-raiserBlind Dave Heeley on this website from this Friday. First, his weekly blog. >>> more
EXCLUSIVE
20-12-2006
Is The Stirrer turning into Mr Scrooge? You decide, after we reveal that the cash-strapped NHS in the West Midlands is giving staff a half day off - to go Christmas shopping. >>> more
20-12-2006
Northfield MP Richard Burden is calling for the creation of a new Rover Task Force - and he's hit back at claims that local MP's haven't fought hard enough for the community affected by the closure of Longbridge car factory. >>> more
20-12-2006
How pleasant to live in an urbanstreet nearthe city centre but which is closed to traffic. Laurence Inman wonders why the rich and powerful somehow get luckier than the rest of us (and as the man used to say, the clue is in the question). >>> more
20-12-2006
Baggies and Blues fans have got an unlikely ally in their promotion fight this season - Villa fan Pete Millington. No, really... >>> more
20-12-2006
Yes it's the event you've all been waiting for. And everyone is invited. But first we just need to check out your dietary requirements. >>> more
19-12-2006
“Give us the money” - that's the demand from the community around Longbridge after it emerged that £50 million earmarked for the area after the closure of the MG Rover factoryis now being returned to the Treasury. >>> more
19-12-2006
West Bromwich MP Tom Watson has offered his support to former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, after a coroner blamed the death of a British soldier in Iraq on an “unforgiveable and inexcusable” failure to provide body armour. >>> more
19-12-2006
The Birmingham councillor who placed an £1100 Christmas greeting in yesterday's Independent has been telling The Stirrer that his aim was to bury the city's reputation as the place that gave the world “Winterval.” >>> more
GET OUT MORE…SANTA REVIEW
19-12-2006
This was getting silly …my two year-old daughter was quickly developing a phobia of the fat bloke who's bringing her presents on Christmas Day (no not me, the other one, with a red suit and beard) so I decided to take her to meet the man himself down at his Bullring grotto. >>> more
19-12-2006
Normally The Stirrer wouldn't trouble you with a chain letter but when this one arrived in our inbox we thought you might want to pass it on. >>> more
19-12-2006
It's official - Tony Blair lied, Jack Straw lied, the useless Geoff Hoon lied and so did others in Government writes Andy Goff. >>> more
18-12-2006
Birmingham Council have decided it's the season of goodwill to London newspapers - after splashing out £1,100 on a Christmas ad in the Independent. >>> more
18-12-2006
It's been revealed that Birmingham Council splashes out almost £1 million a week on an army of temporary staff. After the news that a “sickie” culture is still alive and well in the local authority, The Stirrer suggests there may well be a connection. >>> more
18-12-2006
So England have lost the Ashes they regained with a flourish just 15 months ago…and it was nothing less than they deserved for sloppy preparation and putting their trust in unfit players. >>> more
18-12-2006
Dr. Peter Mansfield has challenged the medical establishment foryears. In his early career as a GP, he pushed exercise instead ofpills- a viewthen regarded as radical- and in 2001 he fought off the threat of suspension foroffering childrensingle vaccines instead of the MMR jab.Barbara Panvel reportson his latest research whichpresentsdisturbing evidence of a sick society. >>> more
18-12-2006
If you were reading The Stirrer over the weekend you might have been persuaded that the realspiritof the seasonis encapsulated by hours spent listening out for Wedding Present tracks on John Peel's Festive Fifty. Not so, says Lynne Hawthorne, who reckons it's more of a Noddy Holder time of year. >>> more
BITE SIZE REVIEW
18-12-2006
The new Radisson Hotel in Beetham Tower has already carved out a distinctive niche on the Birmingham skyline, but how does the in-house restaurant Filini measure up? The Stirrer's been tucking in. >>> more
POETS CORNER
SOTNEV
18-12-2006
It's this year's "might have" present - one of those fancy Satnav's for your car. Black Country poet Brendan Hawthorne only uses Shanks's, but doesn't see why he should be left out. >>> more
16-12-2006
The appalling murders in Suffolk have opened up the whole question of why women sell their bodies on the streets - and what we can do about it. Ros Dodd has a radical solution. >>> more
16-12-2006
Earlier this year, The Stirrer broke the story about Ravenhurst Playing Fields in Harborne, which its owners - the Fathers of the Oratory on Hagley Road - want to sell off for housing. Now local resident Rod Varley lays down a challenge. >>> more
16-12-2006
According to our music guru Paul Samuels, this yuletide season can only mean one thing - and it's not the baby Jesus in a manger , or Santa breaking and entering for a snifter of sherry and a free mince pie. Nope, to our man, it's all about er, indie heroes The Wedding Present. Quite. >>> more
16-12-2006
Birmingham fair trade campaigner Maggie Jo St John sends the latest despatch from Nicaragua where she's helping the locals learn English and seeing for herself the reality of life in a poor coffee growing community. >>> more
16-12-2006
The Stirrer's exclusive film about blind Black Country marathon runner DaveHeeley will feature on this website over Christmas. Here's his latest blog, detailing more DIY disasters. >>> more
15-12-2006
The Stirrer can reveal that Birmingham Council has opened talks with Aston University about building a new 50 metre swimming pool on campus - with
the hope of attracting either China or the United States to base themselves here for the 2012 London Olympics. >>> more
15-12-2006
It's been a mixed week for Bob Piper. The Sandwell councillor wascaught up in a controversy over his racially insensitive David Cameron satire, but he's persuaded colleagues to introduce the first “no casino” policy in the country. Oh yes, and he's got the hump with The Stirrer. >>> more
15-12-2006
No More Heroes was one of the catchphrases of the punk era, but don't remind Dave Woodhall. He's just met the bloke who wrote "Anarchy In The UK" and "God Save The Queen." >>> more
15-12-2006
Or at least it does according to that bible of business The Economist. Barbara Panvel takes up her fair trade cudgels. >>> more
14-12-2006
As the police hunt continues for the Suffolk Ripper, there's much talk of the "psychological profile" of the killer. But what about those he's murdered? Who are the kind of people who would put themselves at risk by choosing to join the oldest profession? The Stirrer's resident psychologist Dr Mike Drayton offers a few clues. >>> more
14-12-2006
Critics are warning that Birmingham has blown its chance of becoming a host city for one of the countries competing in the swimming events at the Olympics. Barring a miracle of timing, they say, there simply isn't time to get a bid accepted, and a pool built. >>> more
14-12-2006
The government's current fad for the environment has seen a declarationthat in ten years time all new homes should be carbon neutral. At local level, though, the green message is taking a bit longer to get through. >>> more
GET OUT MORE....GIG REVIEW
14-12-2006
Martin Longley checks out a Christmas annual from one of Britain's best-loved trad jazzers. >>> more
MAGGIE JO'S FAIR TRADE BLOG
14-12-2006
Birmingham fair trade campaigner Maggie Jo St John is in Nicaragua, teaching English to local coffee growers, and checking out first hand the value of buying goods that don't involve ripping-off the people who make them. Last time she told us about a trip to Jintoega, the country's main coffee growing region. >>> more
13-12-2006
A Birmingham councillor has been telling The Stirrer about her shock at finding out that a home for vulnerable youngsters in the city had been secretly closed. Penny Holbrook - who represents Stockland Green - only made the discovery when she arrived with a colleague for a spot inspection. >>> more
13-12-2006
The Stirrer has discovered that West Bromwich Albion are setting up a digital archive of the club's history - which will even include every issue of the controversial fanzine Grorty Dick. >>> more
13-12-2006
Laurence Inman on an intriguing tale of middle-class people power that suggests not everyone in Birmingham gets the same treatment. >>> more
13-12-2006
The recent death of General Pinochet has Andy Goff all misty eyed. No, not about the murdering fascist despot, but about a time when - briefly - Britain didn't sing castrato on the international stage. >>> more
12-12-2006
Huge embarrassment for the police after it emerged that the Metropolitan force in London wasillegaly phone-tapping it's own officers. The Met was listeningto members of The National Black Police Association in conversation with their legal officer Ali Dizaei. Our own ex-copper John Mellor reckons those responsible should feel the full weight of the law. >>> more
12-12-2006
The Stirrer can reveal that the far-right BNP has stepped up its campaign to win a first council seat in Birmingham by setting up new branches in theSouth and East of the city.>>> more
12-12-2006
Britain and other wealthy nations have promised much more than they've delivered in reducing Third World debt, but in a remarkable breakthrough, Norway has admitted its role in helping create the situation in the first place - much to the delight of Audrey Miller. >>> more
12-12-2006
So, just 13 shopping days until, um, er, you know, thingummybob, and Pete Millington is getting into the festive spirt. >>> more
12-12-2006
It should be a simple process. You get a whiff of some foul airborne pollutant and call the council toinvestigate. But as Lynn Hawthorne has discovered, it seems you have to invent your own whiff-o-meter instead. >>> more
11-12-2006
Sutton Coldfield is known as a royal town, but at the weekend it's dominatedby peasantsas The Stirrer discovered on a pub crawl last Friday. His escapades included a drugs bust at a well-known boozer - but there was at least one place worth returning to. >>> more
11-12-2006
The Labour councillor who posted the controversial image of a “blacked up” David Cameron on his website has now withdrawn it.He's also apologised if it gave offence to anyone -except the Tories. >>> more
11-12-2006
The Stirrer's revelation that Sandwell Councillor Bob Piper featured a picture of a "blacked up" David cameron on his website, created a storm of controversy (and, as usual, other media have been only too happy to rip-off our story without giving us credit). Now Lemmy Attem gives us this exclusive profile of the West Midlands man of the moment. >>> more
11-12-2006
The Stirrer's resident poet Brendan Hawthorne isn't sure what's worse - the news that Santa needs security guards to fend off stone throwing yobs in Tipton; or the fact that the Times report about it claimed the Black Country town is in Wolverhampton. Anyway, here's his rhyming response... >>> more
11-12-2006
Regular Stirrer readers will know about theheroic fund-raisingefforts of West Brom marathon runner Blind Dave Heeley. One of his sighted mates, Garry Wells, thought he'd try and see what it was like runningthree long-distance events with a blindfold. Here's his story... >>> more
EXCLUSIVE
09-12-2006
The Sandwell councillor accused of posting a racist image on his blog has refused to withdraw the offending item - which he says is just an innocent “lampoon” on David Cameron's desire for votes. >>> more
09-12-2006
Angry shopkeepers protesting against a traffic-busting Red Route through Sparkhill have denounced claims that they have drawn up a “shopping list” of demands as “lies”. >>> more
09-12-2006
Ros Dodd ponders the implausible re-birth of aboy band now approaching middle age with a Number One hit, and wonders what one of their former members might make of it. >>> more
09-12-2006
Tony Blair admitted yesterday that British society had sometimes helped minority groups to promote ethnic, racial and religious division in the name of multi-culturalism. “What took you so long to realise?” asks Derrick Campbell, chief executive of Race Equality Sandwell. >>> more
09-12-2006
…now we just haveto get rid of the mice infestation and a subsidence problem that's left a reader's house looking like “the leaning tower of Pisa”. >>> more
09-12-2006
Whaddya mean, it's still earlyearly December and we're already getting those end of year retrospectives in? The point is that if you check out this list from our music guru Paul Samuels, you won't be struggling for a stocking filler will you? >>> more
08-12-2006
Has apartheid in the pool spread from Wolverhampton's Central Baths to Smethwick?Edward Cameron investigates. >>> more
08-12-2006
Yesterday's decision to approvea giantTesco superstore in Hodge Hill means the local football team faces the prospect of shrinking pitches. Sporting FC say plans for a new car park mean they'll have less room to play. >>> more
08-12-2006
No doubt inspired by The Stirrer's recent glowing recommendation, the exhibition by Birmingham artist Patrick Hughes at the city's Waterhall gallery is being extended until 18 February. The show has attracted a record 21,000 visitors to the venue. >>> more
08-12-2006
The Stirrer's recent revelation that visitors to the NEC usually don't have the choice of fair trade tea and coffee has attracted widespread critcism...not least from Oxfam campaigner Ruth Thompson. >>> more
08-12-2006
Birmingham Council is currently reviewing the future of its special schools, with the suggestion that in future many youngsters might be taught closer to home, alongside mainstream pupils. Philip Johnston is the father ofa youngster who might be affected. Here's his reaction… >>> more
07-12-2006
Laurence Inman describes the perverse allure of supporting a football club which was briefly famous when Queen Victoria was on the throne. >>> more
The Media Column
07-12-2006
Last week the News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tapping royal phones. The reaction? Barely a yawn, writes Paul Bradshaw >>> more
06-12-2006
Now that Tony Blair has set a hare running by announcing plans for “super A&E” departments, patients are wondering whether their local casualty unit will be the first to close. The Stirrer's unique “axe-o-meter” reckons the first victim locally could be Good Hope in Sutton Coldfield. >>> more
06-12-2006
So England appear to have blown the Ashes after that pitiful batting collapse in the second Test - but let's not kid ourselves. Winning the thing in the first place was a momentous once in a generation experience, not the dawn of a new era. >>> more
BLIND DAVE'S BLOG
06-12-2006
Back from his exploits in the New York marathon, Blind Dave Heeley from West Bromwich gets to switch on the Christmas lights in Wednesbury, and finds out his final fund-raising tally for theyear. >>> more
06-12-2006
Edward Cameron wonders whether his latest in-car accessory could take him on the ultimate journey. >>> more
06-12-2006
They gave us Abba, IKEA andSven. But has Swedengot something else we could enjoy too - like a decent foreign policy? While Britain prepares to get tooled up for the next generation of Trident submarines, our Scandinavian friends seem to manage quite happily without writes Andy Goff. >>> more
05-12-2006
Sandwell could become the first council in Britain to have an official “no casino” policy - despite recently giving approval to one in Bearwood. >>> more
05-12-2006
The Parry People Mover - the West Midlands designed lightweight tram championed by The Stirrer - gets its final run in Stourbridge on December 17. But after a successful year-long experiment, there are positive signs that it could soon return. >>> more
05-12-2006
Lynn Hawthorn was thrown across a car bonnet the other day for daring to questionthe parent of misbehaving youngsters. After that, she wonderswhether plans for pink street lighting really will makethe streets safer- or if those responsible are just looking through rose-tinted glasses. >>> more
04-12-2006
The Stirrer's revelation that Birmingham's Artsfest is being replaced by a new festival called Brumfest has - as predicted - caused consternation among many local performers. Here's the reaction of Eric Jones, chairman of the Phoenix Singers, a local male voice choir. >>> more
STAY IN MORE...............................BOOK REVIEW
05-12-2006
Birmingham author Chris Pitt is the country's leading expert on old racecourses, and Steve Beauchampé reckonshis latest volumeis a thoroughbred winner. >>> more
04-12-2006
Local councils around the West Midlands - including Birmingham and Wolverhampton - exist to serve the interests of taxpayers, so willthey they tell us how much cash they receive for allowing mobile phone masts on their buildings? >>> more
04-12-2006
The Stirrer's revelation that Birmingham's Artsfest will be no more has prompted an interesting reaction from West Bromwich MP Tom Watson - he's told us he thinks Sandwell should nip in and steal the event. >>> more
04-12-2006
Cricketer Jason Furnell has scopped the prestigious Brummie Of the Year competition taking over from last year's winnerBabu the Panda.He's led Birmingham League sideAston Manorto three successive promotions. Popular record collectorDanny Reddington who had to close down his city centre shop a few months ago was runner-up. >>> more
04-12-2006
We all know the David Bowie is one of our greatest living rock musicians, but which of his seminal early albums should you take to that desert island? Paul Samuels gets out the eyeliner, splashes a flash across his face, and makes one of life's toughest decisions. >>> more
04-12-2006
Former BA Boss Rodd Eddington called for congestion charging the other day in a report commissioned by the Treasury. Most commentators think pay as you go motoring is now inevitable - for Brendan Hawthorne it's a journey from bad to verse. >>> more
04-12-2006
Too many prisoners, not enough prisons - so now there's a plan to allow the great British public to buy shares in newly built jails and enjoy the proceeds. Andy Goff wonders what the perks might be. >>> more
EXCLUSIVE
02-12-2006
The Stirrer can reveal that Birmingham is committed to developing a major new film festival in 2008 aimed at establishing the city as the UK's number one player in the world of digital entertainment. >>> more
02-12-2006
BBC reporter Eve Jackson spent a week volunteering in Madagascar, helping to set upa radio station in a small, remote village with a charity called radioactive. Here's her story offering a glimpse in to the daily life of a little know African country. >>> more : Images (8mb avi file)
02-12-2006
They're the "right on" alternative to buying chocs and slippers, but Ros Dodd is unimpressed by the new breed of Christmas gift. >>> more
02-12-2006
It's funeral with a capital FUN for Laurance Inman, as he ponders his mortality. Again. Not that he's morbid or anything. Oh no. >>> more
02-12-2006
Earlier this week we gave you the inside track on the Birmingham Conference, a summit aimed at developing a prospectus for the future of Birmingham. You can read the original story here. Karen Leach from Localise West Midlands offers her rather different view. >>> more
BREAKING NEWS
BAGGIES PLAYER STABBED
West Brom midfielder Ronnie Wallwork has been stabbed seven times in a trendy Manchester bar. Wallork, currently on loan at Barnsley, has wounds to his hand, stomach and back after the incident which happened at 11.30 last night at Sugar Loaf in the city centre. The injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
01-12-2006
After this week's Birmingham Conference identified the creative industries as a future goldmine for the city, along comes an opportunity for the council to put its money where its mouth is. Plans for a major conference are being discussed today which could put Brum at the forefront of new media. >>> more
01-12-2006
Birmingham's opposition Labour group has condemned plans to axe the city's popular Artsfest - and replace it with a more populist event called Brumfest. >>> more
01-12-2006
Dave Woodhall comes to terms with the death of a broadcasting great. Not 'arf >>> more
The Media Column
01-12-2006
“In 1973 a crack Deputy Controller of Programmes was sent to London Weekend Television by a military court for a crime he didn't commit. This man promptly escaped to the BBC, Channel 4, and the BBC - again. Today, wanted by the government, he survives as an executive chairman of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can hire… Michael Grade.” >>> more
01-12-2006
The Stirrer'swebmaster Andy Goff has obviously got too much time on his hands. Just take a lookat what he's been watching on the box lately. >>> more |
