The Cost, to us all

Cllr Kate Dean Lib Dem, Aberdeen Council Leader, Not out begging for funds. Although perhaps she should.

Now we have touched on the traveller sites many times but now the true cost to the tax payer is starting to reach the voters and the madness of our SNP/Lib Dem council who are hell bent on wasting tax payers money on politically correct schemes. Now we know that the council is making cuts to services and increasing charges to fill a £27 million black hole in the council’s revenue fund, it is the tax payers who will bare the brunt of these cutbacks, so why is the council hell bent on wasting money on people who pay little or no taxes at all.

It has been revealed this week that the council are looking for private land to buy or let for four new traveller sites around the city. Experts have predicted that it will cost over £1 million for the land and a further £168,000 a year to run and maintain the sites.

The running costs will be a continual price that Aberdeen tax payers will have to burden, a cost to supplement the lifestyle of people who do not contribute much in return as regard to taxes. That is why they live the travelling life, because they can exist for a relatively cheap price compared to the heavily taxed house dweller.

Now as I have said before their are decent travellers, but it is down to responsibility, the hard pressed tax payer should not be forced to pay for any group who do not wish to belong to the Work, Pay Taxes, Work, Pay Even More Taxes herd that most of us are in.

Yes provide a decent site for the real travellers who do pay rent, but 4 sites that is excessive, too expensive and not fair on the tax payer.

You can read the newspaper article here.

They Are Back, Travellers Hit Kingswells.

Our Mess Making Friends Return To Kingswells

As if by magic and my last post , rogue travellers have yet again set up site at Aberdeen's biggest park and ride site.
Last year this meant that security guards had to be hired at a cost to the tax payer of £1000 a week, the toilets at the site were also locked a lot of the time to prevent abuse of the facilities by the travellers. One of the workers at the site was threatened , and the number of people using the site dropped, so yet again less money coming into council coffers. After these travellers left last year (after a good few months) the council were then faced with a large clean up bill to remove building and garden waste.
So I am sat at home waiting for the usual leaflet to drop through the door, or the knock of doom, which usually results in some fluorescent jacketed man aggressively telling me that my gutters need doing, or kerbs turned. I would hate to think about how someone elderly could be intimidated into accepting some of the services on offer, and how much they would pay just to have the security of closing their own front door.
But yet Aberdeen City Council still see fit to pursue 4 more halting sites for these none tax contributors to society.
Why cant they provide a field in the country, rather than sites near to our towns, where our vulnerable are within easy reach of whatever money making scheme the travellers are involved in. We at Aberdeen First don't mind the traditional travellers, but what we do mind is these society drop-outs who are more often than not involved in criminal activities, or at best very dubious money making schemes.
We the tax payers should not be paying for them. It's their choice of lifestyle, if they want to live within city limits they should get a house, job, and pay taxes like the rest of us, it's called personal responsibility. It's time the council removed the tax payer funded crutches that prop up these lifestyles at the expense of other law abiding, tax paying citizens.

You can read about our new guests here.

Traveller sites Or Doonies Or Bon Accord Baths Or Glencraft

Traditional Gypsies

Now here at Aberdeen first we do not have a problem with what you would class as traditional travellers, I even remember them as a kid in Aberdeen knocking doors asking if you wanted any tools sharpening. My father would give them his push mower and hedge shears to sharpen. A few hours later the items would be returned sharpened to such a high standard my father used to look forward to the return of these honest travellers the following summer.

The so called travellers we have now are not of the same ilk. Most (although not all) are people who have chosen to take leave of the responsibilities that we all share in society. They choose to live a life that sees them contribute nothing to society, their way of life is a wholly selfish one, a complete take, take existence from the society they spurn and have no conscience about.

The revelations in the news about the organised crime at the official Travellers’ site in Elgin, will probably come as no shock to most of us. Most areas in Aberdeen will have had leaflets pushed through their door offering various services from garden work, roofing and glazing. Most of these leaflets will have a fake address and only a mobile number as a contact. These leaflets and pressurising cold calling do result in business for the so called travellers. Unfortunately its the most vulnerable in society who get taken in or pressurised into accepting some of the services on offer. The resulting rip off of hundreds or even thousands of pounds for little or no work done at all is well reported in the media.

If further evidence as to what is happening is required, just think back over the last year about how much tax payer funded council clean-ups have taken place, removing rubble and whats classed as building and garden waste. The aftermath of illegal work and untaxed earnings, and we wonder why they have expensive 4 x 4's.

Now taking into consideration Aberdeen council cutbacks, are the council still going to push ahead with their plans for more traveller sites at a cost that will run into hundreds of thousands, I think that most Aberdonians would be against these plans. The priorities of Aberdeen city council leave a lot to be desired, and it would seem they have little thought about the people who voted them into power and pay their taxes for the services and facilities that are under threat. Perhaps they can ponder over this when they are on their 50k trip to Stavanger.

You can read about some of the people our councillors want to spend your money on here.

Petition reaches 1200+

One of the farmers showing children how to feed a lamb
Another priceless moment for another child

The fight to save Doonies is gathering pace with well over 1200 signatures on the online petition already. You can add your name to ever growing list here. I would like to thank everyone that has signed the petition already, and also the local press for giving a voice to the worried residents of the North East. Also giving the fight to save Doonies a boost is the councillors who have had the guts to sign the petition. I will let people read the list for themselves as I do not want to turn the fight to Save Doonies into a political one. All I will say to the councillors that have signed is thanks, the residents of Aberdeen and the press will notice.

This is purely a fight to see right win over wrong. A matter of conscience, in respect of our children's education, enjoyment, and the character building humility that you gain from looking after and bonding with animals.

You can read some of the press articles here, here, and here. I would like to draw your attention to this comment from the council (it's in the third link above) (A council spokesman said they were looking at a range of sites as well as auctions and markets for the animals, which include horses, sheep, ducks, hens and pigs.) The most worrying word in this is Auction, because this means the animals will be sold to the highest bidder, and as already acknowledged by a friend at Thainstone mart most will end up as meat.

There has only been a few enquiries for the hand tame animals at Doonies, these lucky ones will find a home, but the vast majority if sent to auction will end up at the abattoir.

This is due to their being no market for rare breed animals, so their only value at auction is as meat.

That's why we must win this fight to keep Doonies open, we value the animals for what they are in the eyes of our children. And that is as big lovable pets that teach them more than books can ever do.

There are always emotions involved when it comes to animals, and that for me, in this day and age where everything is used then discarded with is a good thing. I want children to grow up being caring, thoughtful, and respectful towards animals. Without these basic traits of humanity instilled at a young age I fear we are heading for a future generation of cold, thoughtless, self indulgent citizens.

Doonies rightly teaches children where eggs an milk comes from, but what it teaches and gives them in respect of their own personality, and respect for other living creatures is PRICELESS.

£100,000 is it really worth losing Doonies over. Why not cut back on one expensive trip abroad, and a little bit on hospitality, we the citizens of Aberdeen would happily pay more to visit Doonies as part of the deal. So how about it Councillors, will you give the citizens who voted for you what they want. For the sake of our children I hope so.

Public meeting to save Doonies this THURSDAY 13th MARCH, AT THISTLE HOTEL ALTENS, AT 19.30PM. Please try and come along.

Doonies Farm... The Real Story...

The true story of why Aberdeen City council wants to close Doonies farm is starting to emerge. I cannot disclose all of Aberdeen Firsts sources, needless to say the true picture of what is really happening leaves a really bitter taste in the mouth.

We have been repeatedly told by the council that Doonies has to close to save £100,000, and that the animals will not be slaughtered, we have also been told that the 210 acre site that Doonies occupies will remain greenbelt.

I can categorically state that the public are being lied to on all accounts.

1. Doonies may well save £100,000 when closed, but when you take into consideration that the admission price has remained the same for over 7 years, this figure could be drastically reduced, most people I have spoken too would happily pay double to visit this attraction.

Also Aberdeen City Council actively (and rightly so) promote and publicise every other attraction in the North of Scotland, but you will be hard pushed to find anything highlighting Doonies farm. Why? is this a deliberate attempt to keep visitor numbers low. This added to the lack of road signs giving directions to Doonies really adds weight to the theory that the council do not want Doonies to be a success. Why has the council refused to provide classroom's with an exhibit area for school visits. This would have a knock on effect of publicising Doonies, as most children would want to visit again with parents.

2.We are told that the animals will not be slaughtered. This is a lie, I have contacted various people in the know. Their has only been a couple of enquiries from rare breeders in England. There is no market for rare breeds in the North East of Scotland.

This means that the vast majority of animals will be taken to auction, where the various bidders will know that the animals up for auction are non returnable. This means that they will offer low prices and the animals will end up slaughtered on a meat hook. It is common practise for none returnable lots to be divided up between bidders so that they face no competition, thus resulting in the animals being sold off cheap as their is no reserve price.

Their are over 350 animals at Doonies and the first, Lambs, Calves, and piglets have been born. All now face being culled. This is particularly galling when you consider that most of these animals are tame and are more like pets. I know the farmers at Doonies are really upset and distraught at seeing animals they have cared for and hand reared being prepared for slaughter. These animals trust human beings and the sheer wickedness that will result in their slaughter will long lasting effect on many a child.

Please help save us from the abattoir, Mum with new born Calf

3, We are told that the 210 acres that Doonies occupies will remain green belt. This is also a lie. All the land surrounding Doonies was originally green belt, this has all been sold off for industrial use. It is well known to council, planners and resource staff that there is a lack of industrial sites within the boundaries of Aberdeen. Although not public, Doonies land will be sold off to the highest bidder in the hope of raking in some of the money that has been mismanaged by Aberdeen City Council.

All in all the residents of Aberdeen have been lied to. We stand to lose a valuable resource that gets used by disabled centres, community groups, the young, the old and visitors to the north of Scotland. This is in despite of what looks like deliberate council policy to run down the farm through lack of investment and publicity over the years.

Aberdeen first would like to see Aberdeen Council put the effort in to make this wonderful farm viable, and to treat this wonderful resource with the respect it deserves. Farms such as Doonies are revered in places such as London, and other built up areas, for giving children the chance to see, experience, and touch animals that otherwise they would never come into contact with.

Do we really want our children growing up wondering where milk and eggs come from, or do we want them to experience the cultural and farming heritage of the North of Scotland, whilst gaining insight and knowledge about the welfare and treatment of animals.

Doonies first Lambs of 2008 (already hand tame), will they be slaughtered

Please sign the online petition here. Help save Doonies from the BUTCHERS at Aberdeen City Council.