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Statue call for Oldham giant

THE FRIDAY THING: IF ever Oldham is moved to erect a Union Street statue to highlight its debt to a local saint, then surely Norman Stoller - already a CBE and hopefully on the path to becoming Sir Norman or even Lord Norman - would be a prime candidate.

Norman never misses an opportunity to joke about his lack of physical stature and would probably tell us that the statue wouldn’t cost too much because it would not need as much stone as that of a taller person.

Norman, a truly

Date published: 17/05/2013

Oldham's former Dambuster, Bill Howarth.

Bouncing into the history books

This Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the daring war-time Dambusters raid which destroyed German dams in its industrial heart, and boosted Britain’s flagging morale.

Two...

Date published: 14/05/2013

Why not let the Queen write her own speech?

THE FRIDAY THING: THE Queen’s Speech is supposed to point us forward to the coming year in the soap opera that is politics UK.

It is supposed to set down a timetable for all the goodies that await us in the Government’s big sweetie bag.

But what we found in the sweetie bag, meant to sugar us all up ahead of the General Election in two years, was not...

Date published: 10/05/2013

Some more chillingly daft ideas from EU

THE FRIDAY THING: WE might at last have got rid of the snow storms, but it seems that nothing can save us from the storm of crackpot ideas coming our way.

The daftest wizard idea — it has a lot of competition for the title — is a device that can turn off your fridge, your freezer and even your oven and cooker without letting you know.

You will get no warning until you...

Date published: 03/05/2013

FA bites back over latest disgrace

THE FRIDAY THING: THIS is not a food review - unless you are a vampire, perhaps - but biting seems to be back on the menu in a big way.

Louis Suarez, a Uruguayan footballer currently playing for Liverpool, bit the arm of a Chelsea defender at the weekend which, even by football’s bizarre standards, was something of a first in this country.

Why Suarez bit his...

Date published: 26/04/2013

Out of order in court

THE FRIDAY THING: WE have rather got into the habit of blaming the failings of the legal system- especially the European courts, for protecting perpetrators rather than victims.

When it comes to turning the law into an ass, we need no help from across the Channel.

Two examples.

First: Mr Justice Wilkie said an Al Qaeda fanatic and potential suicide bomber should...

Date published: 19/04/2013

Plenty to ponder over Pickles planning pledge

THE FRIDAY THING: TORY MPs, fearful of losing their comfortable seats in the next election (and with Osborne and Cameron on their side they have every right to be fearful) are threatening to oppose Eric Pickles’ barmy plan to allow extensions to be built no matter what the neighbours think about it.

Up to now, such issues have been determined by council planning...

Date published: 12/04/2013

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

THE FRIDAY THING: WE all need friends, but nobody needs them more than politicians, especially the Prime Minister who is beginning to look like David no-mates Cameron.

The church has turned its back on the PM, NHS staff and patients are in a state of angry turmoil, and hard-up folk feel they will soon be getting poorer and may even lose a bedroom or two.

On top of...

Date published: 05/04/2013

Labour’s last laugh over the Glib-Dems

THE FRIDAY THING: IT should not have come as a surprise to any local politicians that the Liberal Democrats were up to dirty tricks in the recent council by-election in Royton.

Dirty tricks is one of the hallmarks of the party - just ask David Cameron and his Collision government cronies in London.

Anxious to win the by-election (it’s a long time since they won...

Date published: 22/03/2013

Driven to distraction by parking problems

THE FRIDAY THING: THEY have been talking about parking in Uppermill since the last horse and cart left the village because there was nowhere to load or unload and visitors got manure on their clogs.

After what seems like decades of talking about it, the parish council has finally come up with what it says is a solution.

It wants shoppers, workers and visitors to be...

Date published: 15/03/2013

Lib-Dems nowty over sex claims

THE FRIDAY THING: WELL, who’d have thought it? We are well used to allegations of sexual misconduct of one sort or another from the Catholic Church, but the Lib-Dems?

Who would have thought they had sexual shenanigans in them?

Not that it is altogether new. After all, there was Jeremy Thorpe, a Liberal party leader who was accused of some strange goings on....

Date published: 01/03/2013

What is dedicated server hosting and how can it benefit your business?

Dedicated server hosting is a web hosting system whereby the entire server is leased or sold to your company and you don’t have to share it with any other businesses. It also means that you can configure the hardware to suit your needs and also choose the type of operating system that you use – whether that’s Windows or Linux. Dedicated servers are usually provided without...

Date published: 01/02/2013

Project to go native is a tree-mendous idea

Dovestone conifers to be replaced by oak, birch and alder
FORESTRY work is set to transform the appearance of one of Oldham’s premier beauty spots.

United Utilities plans to replace 50 hectares of conifers around Dovestone and Yeoman Hey reservoirs in Greenfield with native trees such as oak, birch, alder, hazel, rowan, cherry, hawthorn, crab-apple, holly, aspen...

Date published: 01/03/2013

Money saving ideas – are you doing enough?

We all start to look at our finances in the first few months of the year. The festive season is well and truly behind us and with the new year comes thoughts of frugality. In the spring as ISA season comes around again it’s likely many of us will be reviewing our saving options, asking such questions as “what is this year’s ISA allowance?”, “what is a stocks and shares ISA?”....

Date published: 25/01/2013

Squeeze is a bit rich

THE FRIDAY THING: BEWARE! Tax is about to get even more taxing, thanks to the adulterous half of the Collision Government which, while being in a relationship with the Tories, is actually scrambling under the duvet with Ed Milliband’s Labour.

Not, I know, a pretty thought. But that’s politics for you.

Having cosied up together, Labour and the Lib-Dems are...

Date published: 22/02/2013

Home is not where the Tory heart lies

THE FRIDAY THING: IF the Government had given any indication that it had a sense of humour, we might be able to laugh out loud at the idea council tenants will have to move out of their homes or pay extra if they aren’t using all their bedrooms.

We might even be able to titter at the notion that people who don’t have a job should be prepared to work for nothing...

Date published: 15/02/2013

Do you know what you’re eating?

Presenter Alan “Big Al” Nield of 96.2 The Revolution writes for the Chron
IF there’s one thing this horse meat fiasco has brought to mind, it is the total uncertainty over what processed food suppliers put into the food we eat.

Most people enjoy the convenience of supermarkets without understanding the long-term inconvenience of them.

If you buy a...

Date published: 15/02/2013

What is the PM doing?

THE FRIDAY THING: DOES anyone really know what Prime Minister David Cameron is playing at? Does he know himself, do you think?

What Prime minister in his right mind — especially a prime minister who could well be neither in prime position nor a minister in a few months’ time — would push for a bill that he knew would alienate half his party and probably...

Date published: 08/02/2013

Host a Blue Day for Dr K

WATCH OUT FOR 20-PAGE NOSTALGIA SPECIAL

Is your school, office or workplace beginning to catch FA Cup fever?

Then why not hold a Blue Day for Dr K - show your support for Latics and raise money for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice at the same time.

Click for more information . . .

Date published: 04/02/2013

It’s time to make a special contribution

I am and always will be a great advocate of the police.

Last weekend saw a rather large and highly entertaining game of football at Boundary Park - but what I didn’t know was that a tenth of the officers on duty in Oldham that day were Special Constables.

I didn’t think I knew any specials, but how wrong I was. I actually know three in Oldham alone —...

Date published: 01/02/2013

The Chronicle’s Martyn Torr with Paul Nuttall (right)

Useless, toothless... we should pull out

Everything about the European Parliament in Strasbourg is big — the building, the number of MEPs (758), the budget, the bureaucracy. Chronicle reporter Martyn Torr spent two days...

Date published: 01/02/2013

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