{"id":554,"date":"2015-04-06T17:49:44","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/?p=554"},"modified":"2016-08-19T09:21:33","modified_gmt":"2016-08-19T09:21:33","slug":"paul-manuel-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/?p=554","title":{"rendered":"Paul &#8220;manuel&#8221; Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0039.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-533\" src=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0039.jpg\" alt=\"scan0039\" width=\"690\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0039.jpg 1213w, https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0039-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0039-1024x679.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Manuel, a character from the BBC sit com <a title=\"Fawlty Towers\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fawlty_Towers#Episodes\" target=\"_blank\">Fawlty Towers<\/a>.\u00a0 In one episode <a title=\"communication problems\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Communication_Problems\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;communication problems&#8221;<\/a> , his boss Mr Fawlty attempts to make the waiter lie about a bet he has placed. Any similarity between any fictional and real characters are purely coincidental.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s6EaoPMANQM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>CONVERSATION WITH PAUL SMITH SMBC CONTEXT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>National Grid and contractors were at Sheepwash Local Nature Reserve and the surrounding area undertaking <a title=\"NAT grid works\" href=\"http:\/\/www.whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?p=5622\" target=\"_blank\">works on their overhead lines\u00a0 <\/a>in Spring 2014. There had been a supposed liaison between John Satchwell and National Grid (according to Chris Moore and\u00a0Matt Darby some months earlier), but he had totally failed to communicate with those present at that meeting that this site was a Local Nature Reserve and that any damage they caused whilst on site would need to be rectified, as well as not damaging some of the habitats.<\/p>\n<p>This would need Matt Darby and others to later have meetings on site with National Grid- another example of how the senior parks manager\u00a0does not involve any discussions with his staff- or put Council interests on this site first. A number of complaints were made to the council about the contractor\u2019s behaviour on site, leaving gates unlocked in particular as well as that picked up by the council rangers themselves.<\/p>\n<p>On the day after raising issues with Paul Smith about a vandalised lock on an internal gate at the site to stop off road bikes, which he noted to fix, imagine my surprise to find National Grid contractor staff angle grinding off the whole gate. I queried what they were doing and contacted Paul Smith who spoke to them, only learning that they had been given permission to do this by whoever they had had the meeting with. Sandwell Valley staff claimed to know nothing about this. Obviously Paul Smith was left red faced that just hours earlier he was attempting to fix a gate, and now someone had come along with council permission to remove the entire bloody thing!<\/p>\n<p>This conversation involved reporting some issues, as well as attempting to ask him what he knew about the goose culls.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>HE IS AFTER ALL THE NATURE CONSERVATION OFFICER FOR SANDWELL.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Conversation with Paul G Smith 22\/7\/14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7 minutes 10 seconds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>KEY PARTS CONCERNING THE GEESE ISSUE ARE IN ENLARGED TEXT. The transcript of the conversation, recorded in two parts is detailed below <strong>*1\/2<\/strong> denoting the split.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Hiya<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>IC These, erm Western Power, do you know what they\u2019re doing down here, messing around by the pumphouse?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Western Power?&#8230;.. No not unless there\u2019s some sub- contractor to National Grid. I haven\u2019t \u2026I wasn\u2019t aware of them particularly being on site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC They seem to be digging some trench where they put that wooden fence.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS It must be to do with (national Grid), I\u2019ll try and fInd out, they must be sub- contractors to National Grid I would think.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC I just hope they lock the bloody gates, I think I\u2019ll go out that way, see if they\u2019ve shut em.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Yeah, yeah, erm I mean we haven\u2019t , erm National Grid have been ok since we mentioned about keeping the gates locked, so I don\u2019t know who this lot are, erm , well give me a call back if they\u2019ve left the gates open, and I\u2019ll get onto National Grid, they must have details of contact numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC I don\u2019t suppose you know anything about this goose business do you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS No, as I say, again, I\u2019ve been off, I haven\u2019t\u2026\u00a0 what\u2019s happened?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC Well 70 odd geese have disappeared off Victoria Park Tipton, like they did last year (by the pest control company)..<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS (INTERJECT) (Yeah I did hear about last year.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC Now last year it was alleged, and <a title=\"MATT DARBY AND THE GEESE\" href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/20130710_093021.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Darby sent me a picture of them unloading them out at Forge Mill lake<\/a>, so I very much doubt if Natural England have given them any licence to have let them do that, so I think it was done because I\u2019d found out about it. This year John Satchwell claims they were \u201crelocated\u201d again to Sandwell Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS Right<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC Now looking at the numbers there I don\u2019t think so and you know there\u2019s a particular bird on there , a hybid cross like the one on Dartmouth Park, that certainly isn\u2019t there, erm, and others that have come from elsewhere, but not the 70 plus increase, so I suspect that they\u2019ve destroyed them and used them for biomass as United Utilities did in\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS Yeah I don\u2019t know nothing about that, I\u2019ll ask Matt if he knows anything. Nothings been said to me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC Well Chris Moore said he didn\u2019t know anything about it, so if they\u2019ve brought them to the park farm or the other, Forge Mill farm, and then picked up by somebody else, would that be theoretically possible?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS Well (not without), well I\u2019m based at Forge Mill I\u2019d have noticed something like that,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC Well this was last week so\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS Well I wasn\u2019t here, erm no I\u2019ll ask around, but I\u2019ve certainly not heard of anything, nobody\u2019s said anything\u2026 no I\u2019ll try and find out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC You can\u2019t ever remember any report being written about anything like this, about relo.., erm exterminating or culling geese?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS No , No , nothing\u2019s ever come past me, I ought to be told..<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC (INTERJECT) (Well I should think so)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS No I\u2019ve not heard anything about it<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC See they usually set you blokes up as the fall guys, talking about \u201cbiodiversity\u201d and all of this business<strong>*<span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">1\/2<\/span><\/strong> and it just seems to be people at the top making decisions, without any consultation. I mean there are alternatives to this and I know they\u2019ve tried egg pricking, what have you, but this is a disgusting thing to do. There\u2019s some <a title=\"Funday\" href=\"http:\/\/voice21.justyouth.org.uk\/news\/tipton-community-fun-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">park funday <\/a>on in a couple of weeks time organised by this <a title=\"Chairman of the neighbourhoods Scrutiny board, which &quot;considered&quot; our petition.\" href=\"http:\/\/cmis.sandwell.gov.uk\/cmis5\/Committees\/CurrentCommittees\/20142015\/tabid\/126\/ctl\/ViewCMIS_CommitteeDetails\/mid\/577\/id\/5989\/SelectedTab\/Members\/Default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Councillor Khatun <\/a>and I just wonder whether it\u2019s all in aid of this?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS I really don\u2019t know Ian, nothing\u2019s come my way, I mean I\u2019m certainly against anything like that, It\u2019s not been done with anybody consulting me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC So that\u2019s the park friends group that know nothing about it, no one\u00a0at the valley knows nothing about it, the nature conservation officer knows nothing about it.. it seems like one man has taken it upon himself to exterminate, getting a load of pest controllers company, probably with public money and exterminating them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS Well I don\u2019t know but it would be very difficult to do without people noticing. As I say, I don\u2019t know nothing about it. You know I\u2019d be totally against that. I know nothing about it I\u2019ll see if anyone\u2019s heard anything, but if you\u2019ve spoken to Chris and he doesn\u2019t know, I can\u2019t see anyone else knowing. I\u2019ll ask around, see if anyone else knows, Sandnats, they might have heard something, No I don\u2019t know about that.. Anyway let me know if there\u2019s any gates left open and I\u2019ll\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC If you ever need a walk around..<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Yeah I\u2019ll try and get that sorted out, has the scaffolding all gone now?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC It\u2019s gone along with that toilet they\u2019d left behind for a few days, I put a couple of those metal 25kg weight things behind the fence because they were obviously going to be chucked in, some of the sandbags have been chucked in the river anyway, and those height barrier things , to weigh them down, sort of thing, erm but there\u2019s still some clamps left last week where the EA (ENVIRONMENT AGENCY), had mowed, but I managed to intercept them stopping them going all the way because there\u2019s still swans on the river, so they\u2019ve mowed to the edge of the bend.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Yes well we\u2019ll arrange a site visit and make sure everything&#8217;s going to get reinstated that they took out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC But the EA were late in cutting that apparently because of these National Grid, and they said they gave them a week to put all these stones and that on the pumphouse, but they still haven\u2019t done it.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS I\u2019ll try and find out about that as well. Alright then Ian, thanks for that, and I\u2019ll be in touch soon and have a site visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>IC Alright<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">PS Alright then, cheers, bye bye.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>PART 1 OF THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE HEARD BELOW.<\/p>\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-554-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-1-of-2.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-1-of-2.mp3\">http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-1-of-2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>PART 2 OF THIS CONVERSATION CAN BE HEARD BELOW.<\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-554-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-2-of-2.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-2-of-2.mp3\">http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Voice003-Part-2-of-2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>DISCUSSION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is clear that when asked about his involvement in any discussions and report concerning culling of geese, Paul Smith repeatedly states that <strong>he knows nothing about this<\/strong>, nor had any involvement in any council report. Compare this with the statement issued by Steve Handley Streetscene Director at Sandwell council in <a title=\"reference to Paul Smith\" href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/scan0034.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">a freedom of information request reply dated 17<sup>th<\/sup> November 2014.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cOfficers within the council have appropriate qualifications and experience to advise on such matters and discussions and actions on alternative control methods have taken place\u2026. One of the officers spent a number of years working for the wildlife trust and two colleagues have degrees in Environmental studies.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the case of the officer who he refers to working in the wildlife trust, I believe that he is referring to Paul Smith- whose statements made in this phone call conversation to myself do not support Mr Handley\u2019s claims at all.<\/p>\n<p>Following the revelations from the independent investigation concerning officers conduct and lying, it is clear that Paul Smith was one of those lying. Let us look in detail at his comments of August 2014, compared to the statements attributed to officers in the February report, a mere six months difference.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">IC &#8220;You can\u2019t ever remember any report being written about anything like this, about relo.., erm exterminating or culling geese?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 18pt;\">PS &#8220;No , No , nothing\u2019s ever come past me, I ought to be told..&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"LIES\" href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0047.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">PAGE 10 INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION POINT 2<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080; font-size: 24pt;\">&#8220;2. In 2013 whilst not being involved in the Cabinet meetings they had been consulted about culling and were aware that culling was to take place and were in agreement with it.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>PAUL SMITH IN QUOTES <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: x-large;\">&#8220;I really don\u2019t know Ian, nothing\u2019s come my way, I mean I\u2019m certainly against anything like that, It\u2019s not been done with anybody consulting me.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: x-large;\">&#8220;&#8230;&#8230;As I say, I don\u2019t know nothing about it. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">You know I\u2019d be totally against that.<\/span> I know nothing about it I\u2019ll see if anyone\u2019s heard anything&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"MORE LIES\" href=\"http:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/scan0048.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION PAGE 19 <\/span><\/span><\/a>POINT 11<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080; font-size: 24pt;\">&#8220;They were in agreement with the culling as they recognised that it was necessary and the deception was the only error which had been committed. &#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I have to say that of the three Sandwell Valley officers implicated in this deception, the one that I am most surprised at and disappointed with is Paul Smith. He seemed like a long suffering genuine inoffensive guy, and a someone who tried to do things, against opposition from the likes of Darby and Moore, who rarely ever attended meetings but sent him to take the flack.<\/p>\n<p>But lies are lies, and in this case I have no sympathy for his predicament at all, and there can be no excuse for the treacherous deceit which he obviously played along with. It is a fool who follows like a sheep those committing wrongdoing, and there is the old clich\u00e9 adage, but one of the truest ever committed to the English language that;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000; font-size: 24pt;\"><em>&#8220;All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.&#8221; (Edmund Burke)<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rNeM7mXdXwI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u00a0Manuel, a character from the BBC sit com Fawlty Towers.\u00a0 In one episode &#8220;communication problems&#8221; , his boss Mr Fawlty attempts to make the waiter lie about a bet he has placed. Any similarity between any fictional and real &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/?p=554\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1352,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions\/1352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}