Brum (#third city): No place for old wo/men

 "Birmingham is a young city". This is the mantra chanted by the bizarre claque of self-appointed "influencers" who seek to constantly big-up the UK's third city. But what does the phrase even mean?

Since the town was only granted city status in 1889 it is, indeed, a young city - lacking the pedigree of Athens, Rome etc. But what the Brum B*llshitters actually fail to say, of course, is that the failing metropolis has a youthful, often unemployed, population whose median wage (where applicable) is much lower than the UK national average. It also has a vibrant student cohort merrily racking up debt before they disappear to more exciting places, leaving the talentless dross to settle in dreary places like Kings Heath and "trendy" Stirchley - "lol" - moaning about paying off their student loans.

Meanwhile, left-wing teachers churn out a steady stream of unemployable young folk. This betrayal is producing the highest number of young NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) for any English city outside - much larger - London.

Third city Birmingham, as a local authority, is ranked first out of total spending of benefits at £4.1bn (yes, billion) - a benefits bill per resident of £3,521 (and that's an increase of over 25% in just two years!)

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If you want to see Birmingham prosper again please join the Facebook Group:

Bone-idle Brum (Third City)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1959797294728440?locale=en_GB

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Whilst merrily bankrupting the city council Labour (together with the Mayor of the West Midlands, elected by just 11.17% of the population) also set about destroying the road infrastructure and the local economy with various ongoing anti-motoring measures. This insanity is being continued by the Lib Deb/Green/Indie Coalition of Chaos with the proposed 20 mph speed limit, and even the idea of splitting the city in half by closure of the taxpayer-owned A38 tunnels!

Of course, some pedestrianisation is welcome in most cities (although the concept is less appealing in reality given the widespread use of powered cycles) but now the leftist craze is to drive motorised delivery and other vehicles right out of whole areas of city centres. If you want to see the sheer folly of this just go to Wolverhampton. Take a walk down, say, Victoria Street. You will feel very lonely.

The left is increasingly desperate to expedite this nonsense since it knows that the dawn of the age of autonomous vehicles is nearly upon us, and that this will severely dent their pathetic arguments about pollution, road safety etc. (which are, in any event, merely smokescreens for more anti-capitalist repression).

Crow is old enough to remember when buses ran through Birmingham city centre. Despite the fanaticism of the local left on the subject of buses it has spent zillions instead on expensive and, perforce, rigid tramway systems. Coupled with the expansion of "pedestrian" areas, buses are forced further and further away from the city centre. The "spine" of the old city centre - Corporation Street, is partly bus free. 

This may be ok for Brum's fabled youths - save that thousands say they are unfit for work by reason of physical and/or mental illness - and it does beg the question why these idlers need to be in the city centre in the first place? But Birmingham City Council has put a resolute two fingers up to us older folk, and to the disabled, who must walk/wheel further and further through the throngs of pan-handlers, shoplifters etc. to get where they want to go.

Take the 50 bus route which now terminates at the side of Selfridges. This is the Google map for walkers from the 50 stop wishing to walk uphill to the Council House:

Twelve minutes (one route through the private shopping centre which is not always open) or 12/15 minutes via public streets. As a reasonably fit old git I think this is optimistic. 

And now, leftist agitators are campaigning to make this situation even worse. The monomaniacal w*****, Darren John, and his claque (which includes, incredibly, the pathetic management of the National Trust) want to close Station Street RIGHT NEXT TO A MAJOR NATIONAL AND REGIONAL TRANSPORT HUB (New Street Station). Station Street services a number of bus routes (links to stories on the NT's scandalous involvement in this insanity are shown below).

The message from the politicians is not just the nonsensical "we are a young city" but "we are a young city and f*** everyone else". No, no, no!

An aside:

The Birmingham Leftists are  cock-a-hoop about the 4,000 job losses at SUV and luxury vehicle-maker, Jaguar Land Rover. 

AI generated image

Another aside:

One on seven new cars is sold pursuant to a disability finance programme. But the hate-filled left wants disabled folk to give up vital mobility and use, er, buses. Yeah, right.

* https://crowmultimedia.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-national-trust-brum-conspiracy.html

** https://crowmultimedia.blogspot.com/2026/03/national-trust-brum-conspiracy-2.html

 iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

LEGAL NOTICE (CM Version 1 - 7th February, 2026)

We cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where we refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Crows passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “In The Public Domain aka The Sandwell Skidder” (at thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com and we shall use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We are pleased to receive comments via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com, or on X via our publishers @CrowMultimedia. We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Ian Crow Multimedia

Kings Heath: Pip Bradley's Silence: York Road #2

Three days ago Crow explained that the useless Labour Council which bankrupted the UK's Third City, Birmingham, and was finally kicked out in May, had destroyed vital infrastructure in one of Brum's suburbs to enrich their cronies. The hapless reds had closed a road leading directly off the High Street in Kings Heath, but despite allowing local business to expand onto the street under licence, they had clearly not collected proper payments and were not enforcing the law against their pals.

They were also charging pathetically low rents for companies to rent the road for markets and events. Whilst most UK markets are run by Council's themselves or via contracts with private operators, someone called Pip Bradley (who is also involved in the Kings Heath Community Centre scandal - more anon) has, incredibly, set up a "Community Interest Company" (CIC) to operate markets. A CIC is supposed to be a sort of company which uses profits to fulfil its supposed social enterprises, but which is not a full charity and so not susceptible to charity law. Companies House has accepted that Bradley's outfit is somehow for the public good. The downside of not being a full charity is that a CIC has to pay UK Corporation Tax on profits (like a normal business). That's tax that the local leftists want to grab for lots of "free things", and for the never-to-end subsidy on The Albatross Line etc. In the last accounts Bradley's Birmingham Artisan Markets CIC paid just £1,102 in Corporation Tax* which isn't going to pay much for lots of free stuff!

Following the publication of the blog, Crow was contacted by a well-known local figure who alleged that not only was Labour favouring Bradley's company, but was also REDUCING the already pathetically low rent to it as it was supposed to be a "social enterprise". Crow duly wrote to Bradley as follows:

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

I have put up a blog post today which mentions your Company (link below).

From figures supplied by Bham City Council (BCC) it appeared that companies like yours were only paying around £163.80 for licences to operate markets on York Road.

I have received an allegation that, in fact, your "non-profit" CIC is the beneficiary of a hidden subsidy from the taxpayer in that BCC bizarrely charges you only around £54.60 per licence. Is this true?

Turning to your latest accounts (y/e 30/06/25) you state that BAM has no employees.Yet "administrative expenses" are claimed in the sum of £37,956 which, of course, has the effect of greatly reducing your Corporation Tax liability.

For "administrative expenses" expenses should I read "pay" for one or more individuals? Please clarify this item?

I am away for two days and so it would be helpful if you could reply by, say, noon on Friday at the latest.

https://crowmultimedia.blogspot.com/2026/09/birmingham-labours-crony-socialism-york.html

Bradley has not replied. She has said nothing on the licence fees nor on how much she is extracting from the "social enterprise". Let's hope some of the councillors in the latest Council circus will start looking into the fees actually being charged and try and collect a, er, market rent. Given their first shambolic months in power, I wouldn't hold your breath ...

Bradley has been heavily involved in the Community Centre grab where, curiously, the new organisation wants to operate "markets". She has been held out as some sort of business guru, and she clearly knows how to make a few bob for herself via the current "system". But she does also run a normal capitalist, "for profit" Limited Company, Pip's Hot Sauce Limited.

Crow would like to tell you about that but unfortunately the latest accounts are overdue:

Again Crow wrote to Bradley:

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION - PRESS ENQUIRY

Further to my earlier email on a different subject I note that Companies House publicly states that Ms Bradley has failed to file the annual accounts for her above Company.

The accounts were due on 31st July, 2026. I am aware that Companies House occasionally makes mistakes but can you confirm if the accounts have now been filed and, if so, when?  

Alas, no comment again. At least she will have to pay a minimum £150 fine, although if the Council doesn't now act to protect taxpayers, she can easily recover that from stallholders in just three markets! Socialism in action - kerching!

* Bradley should also be paying income tax on the dosh she takes out of the business.

ADDENDUM 23rd September, 2026

Crow is continuing to investigate this alleged “Community Interest Company”  (CIC). It is interesting to note that when Bradley set this up, the idea was that her markets would be very much food orientated rather than the fora for the sale of twee tat that they have become.

Bradley claimed in the legal documentation setting up the alleged CIC that the supposed “community benefit” was that she and her co-directors (see further below) would “provide advice, support, mentorship and guidance for those wishing to set up, or existing, micro FOOD businesses”. Also Bradley would provide “training and educational activities to provide access for communities to artisan and healthy food in Birmingham”.

Of course, this “advice” is readily available on the internet via the National Market Traders Federation and/or from thousands of other sites.

Quite honestly, anyone who requires detailed mentoring to set up a market stall is probably not a suitable person to run a business. Even Crow has managed it!

Bradley certainly displayed a masterclass in the writing of bullsh*t within the legal documentation with this:

[BAM would] break down the untrue idea that certain foods and the way of approaching the food we eat are not for everyone equally. [WTF? - Ed]

Bradley claimed she would “like” to offer “community cookery courses” and boasted of actually running an unspecified number for two organisations. Once again, cookery courses are ubiquitous on lamestream media, through to TikTok and YouTube, and why the folk of KH are apparently so inadequate they need more of them is not explained.

By “community” Bradley probably means “the poor” although they are massive consumers of social media. They are also folk who rely on food banks etc to exist and eschew highly-priced “artisan” posh nosh. In fact, the community Bradley targets is very much the bourgeoisie. She needs people with MONEY to buy rubbish prints and clothing items emblazoned with “Bab”, and other cutesy crap.

Food retailing has become merely one aspect of the supposed “community” offering, and her website boasts instead of her markets supplying the following absolutely essential products instead:

Handcrafted jewellery, Home Decor, Arts & Prints and Natural Skincare Products.

Compare and contrast this with another local CIC - Moseley Farmer’s Market - just up the road and which sells regionally-sourced, er, FOOD.

Moseley FM has just published its latest accounts and they make another interesting comparison. We have seen elsewhere (eg. with Suzanne Carter at Our Scene CIC**) that CIC’s are a great way for leftists to divert public money to give themselves a very tidy income.

Birmingham Artisan Markets boasts of having no [zero] employees and Crow queried whether the “administrative expenses” in the CIC’s accounts were, in fact, actually pay to Bradley and any co-directors. We already pointed out that whilst local leftists keep screeching about “taxing the rich” to pay the exponentially increasing benefits bill etc, Birmingham Artisan Markets didn’t pay much in Corporation Tax in the one year for which it has produced accounts despite a healthy profit. By paying Bradley & Co in the way that she has arranged things, she has also avoided having to pay another tax - Employers National Insurance contributions. So much for “community benefit” LOL!

Curiously there have been a number of directors coming and going at Bradley’s company, but during the year for which the accounts were produced there were just two - Bradley herself and one Heidi Laughton (who has since resigned her directorship).

Out of the administrative expenses, Bradley and Laughton took £23,485.61 for themselves (although Crow assumes the bulk went to Bradley). Just up the road - a genuine community food market - Moseley Farmers’ Market CIC - had four directors for the year of its latest accounts and they paid themselves (drumroll please) - nothing. Yep, they paid themselves a flat zero pounds and the small surplus they actually made paid for the Moseley Christmas Tree and lights. Now that IS a CIC operating with a true community ethos.

Interestingly, Bradley’s market competes (possibly unfairly) with vendors of gifts etc in the High Street (like Enki) whereas the good folk in Moseley record that:

Local traders and their association have been consulted to ensure that stall holders permitted to attend the market do not compete with their businesses.

Another gold star!

Investigations continue as to the amount of licence fees Bradley’s operations are paying to Birmingham City Council which, of course, remains in dire financial straits.

My original post above was met with the usual abuse from many local leftists. One person who took to social media to criticise Crow, and to laud Bradley, was a person who describes herself as “Miss Nicola Nobu”. She neglected to mention during her rants that she was, in fact, one of the, er, original directors of Birmingham Artisan Markets CIC! 

Finally, in Crow’s original post (04/09/26) Bradley was given some free mentoring and advice to the effect that this self-proclaimed business guru should file the overdue accounts for her for-profit company, Pip’s Hot Sauce Limited. Happily, Bradley finally got round to filing her late accounts on 12th September. Another community service from Crow Multimedia!

ADDENDUM 26th September, 2026

There are some who don't know my history and think I am somehow going to be upset and run away in the face of abuse and name-calling. Anyone who knows what I have been through writing The Sandwell Skidder will know that in the last 13 years I have faced death threats, threats to burn my house down, real physical threats culminating in one actual assault, a sustained campaign of police harassment, malicious communications trying to get my wife sacked from jobs/charity trustee positions, Lawfare intended to bankrupt and even imprison me, horrendous social media trolling of me and my wife, and much more. I am a journalist and don't mind if people disagree with my articles, and want to join in sensible debate.

Recent attacks - many simply babyish in a local Facebook Group have been pretty incessant but reflect badly on the authors, particularly when leftists use fake/anonymous accounts to spit their dummies out of the pram.

One thing I have said already to those attacking me in respect of this piece is that I specifically gave Bradley the opportunity to comment before I wrote the article and she declined to comment. Thus I have used information which is already in the public domain (and I can say that I have some interesting info come in, which I am actively investigating. Watch this space.)

I do not generally correspond with anonymous cowards but made the mistake of doing so yesterday. Someone hiding behind the name ChubbyPersimmon1069 tried to lecture me on what CIC's are (although I explained what they are above) and what "administrative expenses" are (I did accounts courses when I was a solicitor and my wife and I have run businesses for 22 years and so I think I, er, get it!) The rant then became abusive. This xxxx then demanded several times that the "pay" figure I gave in the first addendum herein was somehow inaccurate and this anonymous ranter began demanding that I produce evidence of the figure. I was actually out yesterday but did respond that the figure is in the actual accounts signed off by Bradley herself. 

It appears that this person is incapable of reading and claimed that he (and I imagine that it is a "he") "couldn't find it" to which I replied, "It in [sic] the accounts you anonymous joke." Having answered the question he then replied, "You dodge questions like a limp dick politician ...". He then claimed to have looked at the accounts and that the figure "is not there".

For the benefit of this thick moron, whoever he is, here is a screenshot of the entry signed by Bradley from the accounts:

** https://crowmultimedia.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-thurd-sector-1-our-scene-cic.html [2024 post]

LEGAL NOTICE (CM Version 1 - 7th February, 2026)

We cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where we refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Crows passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “In The Public Domain aka The Sandwell Skidder” (at thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com and we shall use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We are pleased to receive comments via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com, or on X via our publishers @CrowMultimedia. We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Ian Crow Multimedia

Birmingham Labour's Crony Socialism: York Road #1

Our sibling blog, The Sandwell Skidder, has spent well over a decade exposing countless examples of supposedly socialist Labour Councillors enriching their cronies at the expense of us taxpayers. Alas, they are not the only ones preaching an anti-capitalist creed which, happily, excludes themselves and their pals. The great LTN/York Road scam in the dismal Kings Heath area of Birmingham is a case in point where Labour, at the time bankrupting the UK's third city* (formerly, its second city), closed off a busy side street to enhance the business interests of numerous pals.

It must be remembered that under Labour, the Council singularly failed to address the astonishing levels of economic inactivity in the third city - now the highest of any BIG city in the UK.  Whilst the beggar-ridden sh*tty centre shows signs of an ugly renaissance, the suburbs look distinctly peaky. A stonking 42.8% of Birmingham's neighbourhoods rank within the top 10% most deprived areas nationally, yet this is of no consequence to Labour, nor to its leftist, anti-capitalist, successors since May, 2026. These councillors are determined to destroy the road infrastructure (before great technological advances kick-in) and to dismantle the capitalist system in favour of state control. Yes, the people who bankrupted the city (and their fellow travellers) want increased, dictatorial, economic control. What could possibly go wrong?

York Road has been closed off to traffic to the delight of local leftists (overwhelmingly white and bourgeois), but not to all traders in the street. One told Crow how this had adversely affected his business, and he believes Labour/Leftists wish to drive his untrendy shop out of the street in favour of something more twee and "right on". Another, a pizza place targeting a more mass market clientele, took to social media to complain that his delivery crew could not get to his shop, and that when the street was full of King's Heath's brahmin lefties [sic] they remonstrate with, and harass, his delivery staff. He went so far as to accuse these unpleasant individuals as "rascists", and he too opined that these anti-capitalists wanted to drive his business away - to be replaced with something more "artisanal" (and, presumably, owned by a co-op).

The Kings Heath cronies of Labour make hay while the sun shines by taking over the street completely - massively extending their premises' footprint. The Birmingham Artisan Market - closely associated with local Labour figures - holds periodic markets selling kitsch tat, and events take over the whole street such as the local Pride event. This is a giant windfall for some local hospitality businesses. (It should be said that some of the businesses regularly encroach onto the blocked-off road on many occasions, seemingly when no authorisations has been given for them to do so.)

Oh well, you will say, at least the bankrupt Council will be raking in fees and rents from all this stuff so that much-needed funds can be raised for the provision of frontline services. Sadly, er, no.

Despite the frequent use of the road by businesses the disastrous (then) Labour Council says that it only issued 6 (yes, six) Temporary Pavement Licences for York Road and the Hare & Hounds between 2nd April, 2025 and 30th April, 2026. Given that Crow has personally seen the street covered in tables on very many more occasions than that during the period in question, it is blindingly obvious that Labour are not enforcing the collection of fees from their cronies. The businesses have done very well from this, but the taxpayer has only received £2,100.00 from the licence system in Labour's last year in office.

It is not the Council that usually operates the markets in the street but a private market operator (Bham Artisan Markets for one) who seek to make profit from what they extract from stallholders (mostly small, or even micro businesses) and what they pay to the taxpayer via the Council. Event organisers can be private or the notorious local BID (Business Improvement District [sic]) which is a Labour-front organisation in which a number of York Road businesses are highly influential.

The usual rent the hapless Council has been charging (with a very limited number of higher exceptions) is, we shit ye not, £163.80!  WTF?

For municipal year (01/04 - 31/03) 2023/2024 the taxpayer was deprived of the use of key infrastructure but received just £1,310.40. And it gets worse - in 2024/2025 the market operators and event organisers paid just £491.40.

(Unlike many market operators, Birmingham Artisan Markets does not advertise its stall fees on its website, but the Council itself says that it is receiving very low amounts from them for the whole market. Kerching!)

In 2025/2026 - with some rents for the whole public road still as ridiculously low as £163.80 but a few more events - the taxpayer received just £2,020.20 over a whole year!

There we have it - public infrastructure destroyed and in three years the taxpayer only received £5,922.00 - and don't forget this sum will be much reduced by the money spent paying council (public) employees to organise the bookings and collect the payments etc. (although, as above, there is clearly a deliberate policy not to collect full payment from crony businesses).

For context, the head of the Council paid service is reported to receive (including gold-plated pension contributions) £397,097 per annum. No wonder Labour bankrupted the fxxxxxx Council!!!!

*  Crow understands the arguments of the likes of Prof Bailey and former Labour Leader [sic]. John Clancy that Brum was only declared to be in the local government version of bankruptcy due to a miscalculation of the pension fund deficit, but the fact remains that Brum was served with a s114 Notice in 2023, and the disastrous Labour administration placed in Government "special measures".

iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

LEGAL NOTICE (CM Version 1 - 7th February, 2026)

We cannot list every previous mention of individuals referred to in the entirety of this blog. Where we refer to a specific story please follow the supplied hyperlink since this forms legal justification for later comments. Similarly references to “posts or Crows passim” and to earlier posts mean any individuals concerned about purported defamatory or otherwise unlawful material must read later posts in the context of earlier posts. Full information can also be supplied within a reasonable time upon application via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

We may also add hyperlinks or references to content in our associated blogs, “In The Public Domain aka The Sandwell Skidder” (at thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com) and Rotten Council Governance - Legal Review (at rottencouncils.blogspot.com). Reference to content in those blogs also forms part of the context, meaning of, and justification for, contents in this blog.

In most cases we try to give the subjects of these blog posts the opportunity to comment on our journalism pre-publication to ensure the accuracy of our work.

Every now and again we make a genuine error and get something wrong. If an error in the blog affects you please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com and we shall 

use our best endeavours to remove offending material and/or publish appropriate corrections forthwith (together with an apology, if applicable).

We are pleased to receive comments via email to iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com, or on X via our publishers @CrowMultimedia. We are happy to publish any sensible commentary and offer a right of reply where applicable. We can also publish “guest” posts on mutually agreed terms.

If you consider that anything written is defamatory or otherwise unlawful please email iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com or telephone 07470 624207 forthwith. If your complaint has merit we shall endeavour to make immediate amends.

Ian Crow Multimedia

WMCA - incompetence or cover-up?

When Crow was making a formal Standards Complaint against "Mr 11.17%", Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, the link to the Monitoring Officer at West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was not working. Accordingly that complaint was sent to an email account already in use between Crow and WMCA.

The complaint was sent on 25th June, 2026. On 23rd July WMCA claimed they had never received the Complaint which was untrue as Crow received an automated response on 25th June. This was pointed out to WMCA on 5th August quoting the "case reference number" supplied by WMCA itself.

On 17th August, WMCA again claimed they could not find the Complaint and asked for it to be sent again. Crow sent the Complaint again on 17th August. It is now 25th August and the Monitoring Officer has STILL not even acknowledged receipt of it.

This is the organisation which is being given enormous new powers. They don't really fill one with confidence do they?

[If you are interested in trying to help the Birmingham area's economy improve and to contest Leftist attempts to make the city over 50% welfare dependent, please join the Facebook Group: "Bone-idle Brum (Third City)".]

Crow Multimedia

Brian Killner's final journey

On Thursday 20th August we said farewell to Bri at Lodge Hill Crem in Birmingham. Brian Killner had been living in this area since he moved up from Surrey in 1981. A few folk couldn't attend on the day and sent apologies, and this post is intended primarily for them - although please keep reading as there is an important announcement at the end!

There was a good crowd to see Bri - "The Man with the Braces" - on his way and to celebrate his life. I know the family members were almost overwhelmed to see all the folk who turned up to honour him. Bri's sister, Brenda and husband Frank, niece Donna and nephew, John, thank each and every one of you .

And there were some long distance travellers like Grant Melrose from Chorley, and Ed & Kate Thompson from those badlands on the Welsh Border. Lyndsey from the Old Joint Stock was actually on holiday in Weymouth, but travelled back for the day which was a superb tribute. Ditto Jim and Anna.

Anyone who knew Bri will remember his great bond with Blind Phil and how much he helped Phil over many years. It was so good to see Blind Phil's son who, with his wife, travelled up from Kent. As Young Phil told me, "there was no way I was going to miss this", and he insisted in helping the pall bearers take Bri into the chapel. He would have loved that.

Logistically, everything worked very well thanks to the efforts of Dani and Grace from the Central Co-Op, Maypole, and civil celebrant, Joan.  xxx

The "first half" concluded with a splendid reading of Stanley Holloway's "Brahn Boots" by Dave Hackney.

The intention on the day really was to note the joy that Bri brought into the lives of so many. The music, and Dave's reading, seemed to perfectly fit the bill.

There was a showing of 25 pictures of Bri on the big screen, and they are shown below the subscription here. A larger reel of pics was shown at the wake.

The wake was held at The Welly, in association with the Old Joint Stock, which kindly provided the buffet. Thanks to Carlton, Michael, Lyndsey and all at the OJS and, of course, to the legendary Nige Barker, Dave Moorhouse, Matt and all at The Welly - with Simon Brabazon as the excellent "Liaison Officer".

Many of us all knew Bri as "Special K" - quite simply because he WAS special. He would also have loved the banner The Welly put up for the wake.

Cheerio old chap, and thanks for everything.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

At the funeral and wake donations were kindly made to a charity close to Bri's heart - The Injured Jockeys Fund. Since Bri was "the Big Cheese" at The Welly's charity Cheese Nights, the event of WEDNESDAY 2nd SEPTEMBER will be held in his honour, and in aid of his chosen charity too.

The funds raised will be added to the funds collected so far and a grand total will be sent to the Injured Jockeys Fund. The final figure will be published after the Cheese Night and so (a) please attend, and (b) please give generously!

The Wellington pub is, of course, in Brum City Centre at 37 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B2 5SN.

LET THEM EAT CHEESE!

Crow Multimedia

iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

Covid-era social distancing!

Birmingham's Legal "Talent" - Angels or Scumbags?

 Mr X died on 23rd July. He had serious physical illness and, latterly, succumbed to mental health problems too. He began to give his limited income away to the homeless, some of whom tried to take advantage, including by moving into his flat. He mentioned to friends that he had “employed” someone allegedly named Alicia to be his “housekeeper”. He also claimed to have “employed” two people in a new business venture.

He was seen drinking in Birmingham City Centre with a woman he described as his “niece from Halesowen”. He told friends about his day out too. A couple calling themselves “Alicia and Michael” sent various emails to him calling him “uncle”. “Alicia” seems to use at least two made-up names. It is not known how much cash Mr X gave this pair. Needless to say, X did not have a niece in Halesowen.

Old friends had never heard Mr X speak of Mr Nathan Saunderson but this young man claims to be an old friend of X’s having met him “in the pub a few months ago”. It would have been self-evident that X was not a well man. Yet Saunderson, who describes himself as a “Solicitor’s Apprentice” at the firm of Shoosmiths in Birmingham, managed to get hold of X’s Lloyds Bank details and stated in writing to X, “just been down to the local branch and they’ve told me your accounts closed down - apparently some sort of tax fraud and moving monies through charity.” (Mr X was not involved in illegal activities. His accounts did face temporary stoppages seemingly due to excessive cash withdrawals.)

Nathan Saunderson

It is not known how Saunderson presented himself at the Bank and whether he used his employment status to get it to divulge information. And quite why Lloyds chose to discuss confidential account details with a third party is unclear. For his part, Saunderson says that he obtained X’s bank details since X wanted to borrow some money from him. Quite why that involved visiting the Bank and soliciting private information is not explained.

X had a very long connection with a well-known Birmingham city centre pub. But as his health declined he became abusive towards his friends. During one manic spell, X tried to set up a charity event at the pub and paid for the hire of private rooms via an online booking system. When the whole thing went wrong X erroneously claimed that the manager of the pub owed him £200. He made this false allegation on social media too. This conduct arose, of course, from his ill health.

On 21st July, 2026 whilst X was in hospital and incapable of managing his affairs, Saunderson and another man entered the pub at 9.30pm and demanded repayment of the non-existent £200 debt. They claimed that they were representing X which they most certainly were not. The staff felt intimidated and were distressed by the incident. The other man was a qualified Solicitor, Michael Harrigan, also employed by Shoosmiths.

Michael Harrigan

When questioned by someone representing X’s bereaved family, Saunderson confirmed that he and an unnamed person (now known to be Harrigan) had been in to “ask” about the (non-existent) debt and added in writing, “That was the extent of our involvement, and we didn’t pursue the matter any further.” By this time Saunderson had been informed in writing that X had died and he was aware that his actions were being questioned.

Incredibly, on Thursday 6th August, 2026 Harrigan and Saunderson went back into the pub and aggressively tried to collect £200 in the full knowledge that they certainly had no authority from X’s estate to do so. The staff report that Harrigan was particularly aggressive. The staff had to bundle the pair out through the door. They say they feared for their own safety and again found the behaviour of this pair to be very distressing.

On the following day the pub reported the two incidents to West Midlands Police. But, according to the Police, physically threatening and verbally attacking the staff of a pub in respect of a non-existent debt (which Harrigan and Saunderson had no authority to collect anyway) is NOT a criminal offence but “a civil matter”. Noting that WMP routinely investigates nasty tweets etc. as “harassment”, this seems absolutely incredible particularly when the staff feared actual violence - not just once but twice!

A spokesperson for Shoosmiths Solicitors, Sophie Cowen - Head of Responsible Business and Talent Acquisition, said: “my understanding is that this is a personal matter relating to the individuals you identified. They are acting in a personal capacity and are not representing Shoosmiths in connection with the matter you raised.” So that’s alright then …

iancrowmultimedia@gmail.com

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Moseley/KH Heroes of the Left #Part 1

If Moseley and Kings Heath's Leftists were not so dangerous they would be comical. But some do such brave and sterling work that they do need public recognition. This is the first in an occasional series giving credit where it is due.

Munich 1942/3

A small group - calling themselves 'White Rose' - starts handing out leaflets calling for opposition to Hitler's Nazi Germany. Six men and one woman - most in their twenties - were beheaded with a guillotine following arrest by the Gestapo.

Moseley/Billesley 2026

The boondocks of Billesley are, no doubt, very dangerous places and so all due respect to Moseley's Miles Hesketh for undertaking the treacherous task of handing out Green Party leaflets there.

Miles took to social media showing himself on the mean streets with said leaflets under the following, too modest, asseveration:

"Doing my bit to fight fascism!"

Sir, we are resurrecting this defunct award in recognition of your selflessness, humility and courage. Many congratulations.

Crow Multimedia