Tony Porter Ponders: No tractors on News at Ten, no timeline for Yvette

Is the BBC news trustworthy? I realise that the unbiased news from the BBC is not quite as unbiased as they make out, but if you work and get home after 6pm and the only news you watch is the BBC News at Ten then, you would be unaware of a mass protest in the centre of London by farmers on Wednesday. They filled Whitehall drove around the Houses of Parliament and had speeches.

GBNews, who are the polar opposite to the BBC reported it at length, had ‘reporters’ there and interviewed many. The BBC, instead, did multiple reports, for about half the programme, on Syria and the aftermath of the overthrow of the regime there. I am by no means belittling the events there with all the hopes and fears for the people affected, but the BBC is the British Broadcasting Company, BRITISH, our news should be covered on the BBC1 half hour bulletins first and if they want to talk at length about world events, do it on News24.

The esteemed Yvette Cooper MP, our Home Secretary, would not give a timeline on the stopping of small boats crossing the channel during, ironically, a BBC interview. Meanwhile Dame Angela Eagle also would not give a date or target as to stop the boats. I talk to a great number of people daily and politics is often discussed and the majority of folks want the boats stopping, I realise that will never 100% happen, not until the people on them are immediately returned to France or another county, but a drastic reduction is needed. People often forget that the boats are only a small number compared to legal migration and that should be easier to reduce.

Meanwhile in Wigan, the end of the year is seeing a flurry of activity in the town centre, much noise and contractors at the Civic Centre, the former Debenhams is being stripped out for Stack and even The Galleries wasteland has had plenty of action with the new access road and removal of concrete from the lower floor of the old precinct, soon to be New Market, I expect it will be completed by the end of next year at the latest. With its new barriers up and lighting throughout the site, including in the subterranean service yard, things are deffo looking up, or down in that case.

I have heard that the Body Shop, erm, shop may be opening soon with a new business, I cannot wait to see who it will be and what they sell, that would mean all units inside are open, excluding the Debenhams store, though that will be within a year, and the shuttered clothes shop. Thing is how many shops and cafes will still be open this time next year in Wigan, Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley? I fear many will close before April and more not long after, I know hours will be cut for many staff and some may lose their jobs. All this thanks to a disappointed Rachel Reeves, disappointed after UK economy fell for second time in two months, strap yourself in Rachel I fear we about to hit the first big drop of a rollercoaster of a ride, Nemesis, though I fear there will be no way out after we go underground.