Question for a Local

[Neils]

Seeing quite a bit from an organisation called Henley Sports Centre Alliance on the twitty thing. Are they actual locals or another attempt by our former tenants brigade to stir up vitriol?

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Seeing quite a bit from an organisation called Henley Sports Centre Alliance on the twitty thing. Are they actual locals or another attempt by our former tenants brigade to stir up vitriol?

Goodness knows. Rabid social media users. Assuming Wasps pulled out (I hope they do not back down), if I were the county, I would close the facility down anyway. It is hugely loss making.

The tone is typical of the violent extremes of our society. In our village, we have a similar group of people, who purport to represent the community and in fact do not, just a very small and vocal bunch of people. In our village they are fighting to keep our airfield open. These are the same people who complain about the aircraft noise and the traffic visiting the weekly market held on a disused runway!! They also complained when the county wanted to build a bypass to alleviate the traffic in the village centre, which they had also been complaining about. Get the theme? Angry idiots is the common factor.

In the next village up the road, they are opposing the gravel pits that are needed to keep up our country's need for new house. Before that they opposed the bypass round their village, before that it was to save the old river bridge (which, when the bypass was built, was saved due to a massive reduction in traffic). And there were the demonstrations before that about the level of traffic coming through the village centre. Before that it was opposition to the M40, before that they were opposed to the Kenilworth/Leamington/Warwick bypass, and before that a gravel and sand quarry (that has long since been closed after supplying the construction of said bypass).

Get the idea? Some people will simply never by happy. Social media gives them legitimacy. I hope all concerned totally ignore them as they rant and rage. These same 'residents' in Henley campaigned to have something done about the traffic that used to come through the centre. Then they campaigned against the M40 that would relieve said traffic.

[Neils]

Yes get what you mean.
This lot seem well on the ball though. A tweet about free socks and wham in they come. Rather reminiscent of SBT tactics a while back

[RBB]

It is all very contrived. I am not too far away, Solihull. Henley is a massively seasonal economy, as it is a tourist trap in the Summer months. Beyond that, it is pretty quiet, notwithstanding the almost permanent traffic jam on the High Street.  The site in question is under-used and probably ill-thought-out as an idea at the outset. The reason I say contrived is the Twitter account and its followers are massively peppered with comments from CCFC fans who are as you would expect Wasps bashing. Henley does need vibrancy beyond, having a GP rugby team resident in the town can only aid the economy which I would say is a priority for that area. There is an element of NIMBY at play here, echoing the comments of an earlier post

[baldpaul101]

I asked a similar question last week. see the thread on "New Training Ground"
There were some informative responses

[Neils]

I know the ground well - I assessed it for Government purchase in 2004 (I think) . It was more the vitriol generated at Wasps I was interested.

[RBB]

Like I said some CCFC fans lurking in there, also the campaign is now attacking Vodafone for sponsoring Wasps, and urging a boycott of their services as well as bashing Wasps, all a bit hysterical and usual NIMBY but I can't help feeling that there are tight links to the Wasps haters within the CCFC community.

[Steve from Cov]

The protest has been hijacked by CCFC’s Wasps haters who reside on SBT and have probably never been to Henley in Arden.

Their concern is not about the existing users losing their sports and leisure facility but about Wasps finding an ideal training base and prospering.

Why they would protest about the College group selling off a facility that is haemorraging money is beyond me.

[RBB]

+1

[RBB]

And lo and behold, who is in the thick of it all https://twitter.com/Lesreidpolitics?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[Neils]

No real surprise there then.

[Steve from Cov]

Absolute loser.

[BG]

Are you sure that's him?

I imagined Les Reid (by the name) to be much older?

[jamestaylor002]

Are you sure that's him?

I imagined Les Reid (by the name) to be much older?

+1 , I wasn't expecting him to look like that

[Neils]

Are you sure that's him?

I imagined Les Reid (by the name) to be much older?

+1 , I wasn't expecting him to look like that

+1  Imagined him as a bitter fat little sh1t. Wait - that is what he is!!