Cornwall Council is funding a therapist for people applying to the reviled family court for a new kind of child fostering.

Pauline Davies had the idea for her business after she applied to be a Special Guardian of her nephew, which means she will be his legal parent until he is 18.

Supporters say ‘Special Guardianship’ is a reform of the corrupt ‘family court’ system, because the real parents keep ‘parental responsibility’, and get visits with their kids, as long as the court-appointed parent agrees.

Critics dismiss it as ‘sticking plaster on a system that is bleeding to death’.

Childrens rights champion John Hemming MP, who named super-injunction wuss Ryan Giggs to the end of exposing the murderous effects of court injunctions on innocent people targeted by Social Services, told CCN: “If a child is subject to an SGO then they are not adopted.

“It is a sort of halfway house theoretically providing stability whilst to some extent allowing placement within the family.”

But he went on: “If you’re asking me whether it works – it depends what you define as ‘works’.

“The underlying problem is that the system of care proceedings is very unreliable.

“SGOs could be seen as a form of sticking plaster on a system that is bleeding to death.”

Childrens rights campaigner Yvonne Stewart-Taylor, a former local councillor of 17 years standing, said public money should be spent dismantling, not supporting, a system of child ‘protection’ that was beyond reform.

She told CCN: “If the unreformed ‘family court’ – a secret court with no accountability – is involved, no good can come of it.

“Children and parents can still be terrorised, so they will be, and any innocent people acting in good faith on the peripherary will find they’ve been duped.

“At a time of austerity, I am amazed the local council is considering funding an enterprise which is at best dubious, most likely pointless, and at worst thoroughly destructive.”

A mounting wave of shocking evidence emerging online has led many in the UK to support stripping social workers of their powers and prosecuting the most zealous officials of the ongoing ‘forced adoption’ scandal.

Some of the 27,000 parents whose children are taken from them in the UK every year are posting You Tube videos that prove SS officials are forcibly entering family homes and physically dragging families apart.

The unbearable scenes caught on camera show social workers snatching new born babies from the arms of hysterical mothers, and dragging screaming youngsters from their parents.

Social services snatch a baby from its mother

Social Services and police handcuff a young boy and drag him from his mother and father

Officials excuse such atrocities by telling the public the families were abusive.

In fact, social workers take children from completely innocent people all the time.

They use a subjective concept called ‘emotional harm’ that allows them to attack any family in which they decide a child might be in some vague risk they themselves imagine.

When we asked Pauline to give us a good reason for an official taking a child from its home, she said ‘neglect or emotional harm’.

And she explained that if a social worker went into a home and saw a child ‘not communicating’ or ‘staying in their room’, that might signify ‘emotional harm’ – and justify taking the child into care.

Campaigner Ian Josephs told CCN he takes around two thousand calls a year from parents whose children have been unjustly taken from them using the ‘emotional harm’ dogma.

He explained: “Special Guardianship has been around for around five years – it’s just another name for looking after a child.

“But it doesn’t make any difference to the way the whole thing is run, with forced adoptions, and children being taken to prevent ‘emotional harm’.

“So I think it’s a scam myself. Some people might be genuine if it’s an Aunt or Uncle. But it’s not a good or a bad thing, outside of the fact that the system it is part of is overwhelmingly bad.

Pauline insisted ‘Special Guardianship’ was a step away from this culture of ‘forced adoption’ because.

She pointed out that unlike adoptive parents, the ‘majority of the time’ Special Guardians were family friends, and the real parent had ‘Parental Responsibility’

But childrens rights campaigner Jonathan Stanesby, whose daughter Rosy is to give evidence before Parliament on June 12th arguing for the abolition of the family court system, said: “Parental Responsibility sounds good but it means nothing”.

“It’s just a word change.

“If the natural parents have parental responsibility – that may sound good, and make them feel better; but they’ll find, as seperated fathers with parental responsibility do, that it means nothing. Schools don’t recognise it. The court will not act.”

He went on: “I would love to see what would happen if instead of continually putting large amounts of money put into fostering and adopting children, that same amount of money was put into preventing them being adopted or fostered.

“Why are grants not given, and taxpayers money diverted to supporting a childs natural family – and in rare and extreme cases, perhaps even educating them and rehabilitating the child back to their family?

“I think that’s what needs to be done. There should be incentives to keep adoption rates low, not high.

“I can’t see any big difference between Special Guardianships and fostering that’s important. It’s still the family court. Children are being taken away for no reason whatsoever.

“That’s difficult for people to accept but unfortunately it’s true.”

He added: “I would imagine the scheme has come about because they realise there is no faith whatsoever in the family courts anymore.

“So they’re trying to change the wording so it looks better. It’s all very really similar to awarding parental responsibility to a seperated parent – which is meaningless.”

Cornish-born Kelly Skinner is seventeen. She suffered removal from her father, Jeff – with whom she now lives with her sister Stacie – at the hands of the ‘family court’.

The teenager told CCN: “The family court is completely corrupt.

“We don’t want cosmetic reform. We want them to give up, and hand themselves over to the public, so that we can decide how long to send them to jail for.”

So far Pauline’s therapy business has received £9,000 of public funding, with support from the council in the form of ‘Outset Cornwall’.

Cornwall’s new ‘Children and Young People’ supremo Cllr Andrew Wallis cheered the decision to fund the business on his popular blog.

He has made no criticism of his scandal-stricken departments appalling record on human rights since taking office.

The Porthleven Independent eagerly showed off a childs bunny he made with some children who had recently been taken into state care under Special Guardians.

He jovially asked blog readers: “So what is special guardianship?”, before parroting: “This is a legal procedure which was introduced as a new ‘permanence option’ for children in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (active from 2005).

“It is was way of giving a child who is unable to live safely with their birth parents the love and security of family life.”

“Once a special guardianship order is given, the child becomes part of that family until they are 18.”

He then adds: “Though and this is very important, the birth parents retain parental responsibility and is still part of the child’s life.”

Campaigner Yvonne laughed out loud when we read her the village councillor’s quotes.

She explained: “That is ludicrously naive. Sadly at the heart of all social service interventions in the UK is law that allows a local authority to take kids from their homes when neither the parents – or the child – want it.

“That is asking for trouble – to put it mildly – in practice, and of course deeply morally wrong in principle.”

Ian Josephs added: “The crucial question is can parents protest publicly if, in an adoption, a fostering, a special guardianship or any ‘family court’ case, the state takes their children away?

“Or can children speak out, if their parents are taken away, to live in care homes, and then their houses are reposessed to pay the bills they are sent by the local authority?

“Or can young children protest if they are grabbed and taken from their homes? When none of these people have done anything wrong?

“The answer to all of these questions is No. That is the problem. Special Guardianship will not solve that problem.

“The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that youre supposed to be able to protest publicly in a democracy. And in the ‘family courts’, you can’t, they will send you to jail.

“That means that we do not live in a democracy.

“So there is nothing attractive or good about anything social services do while that system lasts.

“Social services treat children worse than any murderer – Myra Hindley and Harold Shipman, they could phone out of jail, talk about their case, they had rights.

“Children who are taken into care or fostered, their mobiles can be confiscated, they are isolated from family and friends, threatened with jail if they discuss their case – they have less rights than murderers and rapists.

“That’s a simple fact. It’s not hyperbole. The system is all about money and nothing to do with welfare.

“The national fostering agency, set up by two social workers, has just been sold for 130 million pounds – so there’s big bucks in the child trafficking racket and it’s legal.

“It’s why 10,000 children disappear in Britain without trace every year – because they run away from social service care arrangements and don’t want the authorities to find them.”

What do you think? Maybe you know something about ‘special guardianship first hand’? Or social services, adoption or fostering? Do you think this initiative is going to help keep families together – or is it just another excuse to tear them apart? Let us know! Just post below!

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The 77 year old local woman died despite the best efforts of medics at Treliske Hospital.

A 78 year old man, said to be her husband but unconfirmed, and a 34 year old woman from St Columb, who was driving the hatchback that hit the couple’s car, were all treated for significant injuries after the crash.

It happened on Thursday evening at Summercourt, outside Newquay.

A police spokesman explained: “At approximately 8.16pm on Thursday 6th June 2013 Police attended a two vehicle road traffic collision on the A3058 at Summercourt Newquay.

“The vehicles involved were a silver Nissan Almera and a green Peugeot 307.

“The Nissan was being driven by a 78 year old man from Truro and also present within this vehicle was a 77 year old female passenger from Truro.

“This vehicle was travelling from the direction of Newquay towards the A30.

“The Peugeot was being driven by a 34 year old woman from St Columb.

“This vehicle was travelling in the opposite direction from the A30 towards Newquay.

“As a result of the collision all parties were taken to Treliske Hospital for treatment.

“In the early hours of Friday 7th June Police were informed that the 77 year old female passenger of the Nissan had died.

“A section of the A3058 was later closed to facilitate an examination of the scene. The closure was for approximately 3 hours.

“The drivers of both vehicles remain in hospital with serious injuries and next of kin have been informed.

“An investigation is under way to ascertain the cause of the collision and Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information can call 101 quoting log number 819 060613.”

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A world-acclaimed Cornish chef whose baked-while-you-wait pasties are the stuff of legend has spoken out against big business dominating the scheme to protect the name of our national dish.

Cornish Pasties get PGI status later this year.

The acknowledgement that the Pasty is a historic and cultural icon was welcomed at the time by the Cornish public and pasty-makers both big and small.

PGI means people in, for example, London, can’t stick – ooh – let’s say ‘chicken mushroom and rosemary’ in a sack of wet pastry and call it Cornish

From now on, there’ll be rules.

Unfortunately one of them is that you can’t ‘top-crimp’ a Cornish Pasty.

And ‘top-crimping’ is, according to Ann Muller of the Lizards ‘Anns Pasties’, as long a tradition as her own Cornish family line, which, on her mothers side, goes back to ‘time immemorial.’

Ann’s supporters have a petition up that you can sign, and celebs like 80s comic sensation Ade Edmonson and the Duchy’s very own Kernow King , are flocking to support her cause.

Ann explained: “The PGI outlaws top crimping and an awful lot of of Cornish Pasties are top crimped.

“The PGI is a great thing for Cornwall, but a lot of people don’t like the direction it’s taking.

“It’s as if it’s more suited to the needs of two or three big businesses to make cost-effective pasties they can market worldwide, than to respecting the history and culture of what is our national dish.

“Personally I don’t like the allowing of mince, or the allowing of machines – but then there’s always been a mince pasty available at some bakeries, so that’s not worth troubling over.

“But there’s no reason for them to outlaw crimping.”

The 59 year old grandmother of three went on: “Cornish people think – ‘Oh great, the PGI’, and it is good, but now because they’re bandying about this litany of ‘D-shape, side-crimp’, ‘D-shape, side-crimp’ it’s going slightly wrong.

“I don’t want to be the person that upsets everything – but it does seem they’re going to call Corporate pasties Cornish ,while small artisans are left out.

“I’ll be criminalised, really. Because I’m going to carry on calling my pasties Cornish and I could be fined, and even jailed. Which is ridiculous.”

The small businesswoman, who’s a fervent member of the Cornish Stannary Parliament, added: “Mind you – Ade Edmonson said he’d come and break me out of prison though, so hopefully I wouldn’t actually do any time.”

Food Trade Mags have been debating the finer points of the forthcoming PGI in detail, saying the new hard and fast rules will ‘dumb down’ the quality meal that small suppliers still make in the Duchy.

Ann explained: “These three big pasty sheds who have a say in the matter, they’re not even all that Cornish. Samworths isn’t Cornish.

“But because it’s called the ‘Cornish Pasty Association’ people think it’s ok.

“People are going to say loudmouth Anne is upsetting the applecart – but I’m not. The big boys are going to want to ship their real Cornish Pasties all over the world, and that’s good.

“But some of the rulings are ridiculous and patronising. For one thing, they’re banning us calling Turnips Swedes, which is like banning the French from calling potatoes ‘pommes de terre’ (trans: ground apples)

“In the ‘little book of the pasty’ sponsored by the big producers it says: “Along with the Scots, the Cornish are particularly quirky in calling a Swede a Turnip.”

Ann stormed: “First off, neither the Scots or the Cornish are ‘particularly quirky’, unless you’re from the home counties. So it’s incredibly patronising.

“But secondly Swede is slang for Swedish Turnip. In Cornwall we call Swedish Turnips – the big yellow ones – just turnips. The ‘Swede’ is an attribute – of a turnip. So we don’t call Swedes turnips at all; middle Englangers call yellow turnips Swedes.

“We are a nation in Cornwall and visitors love to come to Cornwall because we’re a bit different. You don’t go changing Cornish Turnips to swedes because that’s what it’s called in middle England.

“Nothing against the English – I’m married to an Englishman – but it’s a bit much.”

The petition to save top-crimping has nearly a 100 signatures so far online and you can sign it through the link in this article.

Facebookers from across the world are rallying to the defence of the ‘top crimped’ pasty.

Josephine Connelly posted: “Well, of course! Who needs a side crimp?

“They weren’t all tin-miners to need side crimps.There were hungry farmers and quarrymen, stonemasons and blacksmiths.

“My father made a little oven to keep the pasties warm at the side of his forge.at each quarry and stone-masons he sharpened tools or mended machinery. (Deadman’s Point; Trolvis, Longdowns; Brill, Constantine; Each man brought his pasty in a paper bag and brought it to the forge when he came to work in the morning. By lunchtime it was thoroughly warmed through.

“The paper bag, peeled back, served as a keep-clean holder and if you couldn’t eat it all, the leftover bit stayed in the bag until later.

“Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever seeing a side crimped patsy among them!

“In the kitchens I remember we also tried to get the slimmest and neatest over the top crimp.

“We had to eat every scrap – not that we wanted to leave any!

“A decent over the top integral crimp is much tastier and economical.”

What do you think? Is a top-crimped pasty not a Cornish Pasty? Let us know! Just post below!

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Cops have told the family of 35 year old Luke Atkins, a ‘vulnerable’ member of the community who lived in Falmouth, about the tragic discovery.

A police spokeswoman said: “Following a search by police divers, a body of a man was found in a quarry near Lanner on Friday 24th May.

“The next of kin of Luke Atkins have been informed.

“Formal identification has not yet been completed.”

The 35 year old went missing at the beginning of last week.

CCN readers helped in a wide physical and virtual search for him, before police found what they report is likely to be his corpse.

If you know anything about what may have happened to Luke, you can call 101, and quote log 673 of 21 May 2013.

There’ll be a full police inquiry and an inquest.

The official description of Luke is of his being 5 feet 8 inches tall and of proportionate build.

A spokeswoman said at the time of his disappearance: “Luke has mousey blond, shoulder length hair that is balding on top, with a full beard.

“He may have been wearing a green hooded fleece and almost always wears his hood up or wears a sun hat.

“He may be carrying a black and red rucksack.

One notable characteristic of Luke is that he walks with a pronounced forward lean.

We know he likes the coast so I would ask walkers and dog walkers to report anything that may assist us.”

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The un-named 43 year old is in hospital with a ‘massive haemorrhage’.

Two women and a traumatised student witnessed the macabre horror in Penryn on Friday.

The victim ran stark naked along Mutton Row in Penryn at around 8.45pm.

Then he climbed up on a wall, screaming and waving a large kitchen knife.

Staring at a terrified neighbour, the married local then carried out his agonising act of self mutilation.

Reporters spoke to the young student forced to witness the scene; he asked not to be identified.

The lad confirmed his quotes to CCN, adding; ‘I found the man’s penis later in a neighbours garden.

“Some people and even the local media have been pretty juvenile about what happened, so if I’d like to say anything, it’s that this was about the least amusing thing I’ve ever seen. I sincerely hope my neighbour recovers.”

The youngster told reporters: “I looked out my bedroom window and spotted him standing on a wall waving a big knife about.

“He looked me in the eye, started screaming and then cut, it was obvious what he was cutting but I didn’t stay to watch.

I bolted downstairs and locked the door, told my flatmate, who grabbed something heavy – a push-up bar – as we didn’t know what the man’s intentions were.

“I was shocked. It seemed he climbed on the wall so someone would see him.”

Paramedics found the victim “bleeding heavily”, lain unconscious in the house he shares with his wife.

Treliske say his condition is now ‘stable’.

If anybody has an informed angle on this extraordinary and horrific story, please feel free to post below or get in touch with us through any of the links on the homepage.

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Cornwall’s residents might be wondering why it has taken so long to form an administration at Cornwall Council.

The reality is that forming an administration that will actually work does take time.

For example no one party has an over all majority and even with just two parties getting together, it still does not guarantee the formation of an administration.

Why? Well, it is the full council of 123 which votes for a Leader, and to guarantee a preferred choice for Leader you need 62 votes. Without a Leader you cannot form a Cabinet, and with no Cabinet, there is no administration.

Furthermore, the first full council meeting is on the 21st; so that is the first opportunity for anything to be officially decided.

This is why for the last two weeks the various groups and parties have been locked in talks to find common ground that everyone can agree with. This in itself is not a simple task, but needs to be done or else the administration would quickly fail.

This cannot be allowed to happen as the cuts in funding and pressures that Cornwall Council faces in the next four years will need a lot of unity between the different groups for services to be delivered.

As the discussions have progressed, the smaller parties at the council felt it was up to the big-three to sort out the administration.

This left the Indy’s, Lib Dems and Tory’s to have more focused meetings, though still keeping the smaller parties informed. However, there is always a point when actual decisions have to be made as to who is in/out of any administration.

This came to a head last week when it was felt there was enough talking and agreements had to be reached.

On Thursday the big-three met in their individual groups during the day, with the Indy’s meeting at 4pm. The Indy Group gave the group leaders three options for the administration to take to the other group.

Sadly, the Conservative Leader did not feel the need to stay around to find out the result from the Indy’s even though the Lib Dems did. So nothing further could be discussed, which is very disappointing.

With time running out it was imperative that an agreement had to be reached by Friday. The Lib Dems and Indy’s reached agreement on who could be the preferred Leader and the Cabinet split which followed on from Thursdays discussions.

It just needed the Conservatives to either agree or disagree. This proved rather problematic, as the Tory Leader was not returning calls. Various messages were left, and deadlines were given for a response.

These past and still nothing firm was coming from the Tory’s. A final deadline was given.

With the final deadline fast approaching the Tory Leader finally responded.

Though, this was just a call to say more time was needed.

At that point, it was felt enough time had been given and now an administration would be formed without the Tory’s.

Even if more time had been given to the Tory leader, there was still no guarantee decision would come from her.

The now preferred administration being four Indy’s, four Lib Dems and the two remaining Cabinet positions coming from the smaller parties.

The preferred Leader of the Council is John Pollard, and the deputy-leader, being a Lib Dem, means Jeremy Rowe.

It is also likely the Chairman will be an Independent too.

For me I got the feeling that many in the Tory Group had more desire to be in opposition, but could not just put themselves into it for fear of being criticized for doing this and it would be better if they were ‘forced’ into opposition.

As you can only put up so many hurdles until there was no other option but to leave the Tory’s out.

Of course the Tory Leader was quick to put out a press-statement saying the offer was unfair etc.

However, I read it more as crocodile tears, rather than being really upset.

Roll on Tuesday as anything could happen before that!

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CCN today publishes the full transcript of Disability News Service Editor John Pring’s interview with ‘put down the disabled’ row Cllr Colin Brewer.

The extraordinary document will finally allow readers to decide for themselves if disgraced Cllr Brewer is mad, bad or just too naive to know not to plunge into debates about disability, disablement and abortion with hard-hitting journalists.

The small town politician’s latest foray into controversy has divided the Duchy, with a loud moral majority demanding he stand down, and a small knot of hardcore liberals defending his right to freedom of speech.

Would you say Colin Brewer is a threat to our health services? Or to the disabled?

It’s an astonishing conversation which led one Indy councillor to decide ‘he should stand down’.

Now you decide:

Telephone interview with Colin Brewer, 8/5/13

John Pring is JP, everything else is Colin Brewer

Talking about the incident in October 2011.“What I couldn’t get out because the lady (from Disability Cornwall) turned her back, it was very expensive. My concern was that children are being sent from Cornwall all over the country far away from their parents and carers, and is that what we wish for our children? My concern is that such facilities ought to be local. It fills in with the ideas of Whole Life. I thought that it would be cheaper to provide those facilities closer to home in Cornwall, or that could deal with Devon as well.

“Is their life of such low esteem that that might be it?

“I have never killed a fish in my life. I believe all life is precious, whatever animal it is.

“I had just been to a council meeting which was discussing finance. When you are talking about having to close toilets, facilities for everyone and perhaps the coastal footpath for everyone, then I have got to question individual budgets to individual people.

“People are not on this earth for very long. My main concern is planning and environmental and landscape. In that context, people are just transient.

“I have heard of terrific amounts of money being spent on specific individuals.”

JP: Disabled individuals? “I’m not sure.”

JP: Some people have very high personal budgets? “Yes.”

JP: What’s the solution to that? “The only way I can see it is more of a homes within the locality. When you look at people with mental health problems, for too long you have had all these massive institutions. Now at last people are beginning to see people with these disabilities in their locality… I really am not the ogre people are making me out to be.

“You are trying to make more of it than it was. I came out of a meeting talking about budgets very agitated.” He jad spoken to someone on another stand first. The he moved on to the Disability Cornwall stand. “I think there were three people there. I was agitated and made that stupid remark for which I will always be sorry.

“The fact is that I think to keep 10 toilets open would cost about £250,000. That’s a service to the whole of the community. This is my concern. It is a balance which has to be made.”

JP: As opposed to what? “As opposed to a service to one person. I know for instance of a lady with two dogs and she has three carers and she gets around, she has a frame. These carers are principally to walk the dogs. Little things like that that people are aware of. It makes me frustrated because I tend to think that it is money that could be better spent on someone else.”

JP: The council could provide funding of £250,000 for one person? “That comes into it. It is obviously part of the equation. You have to say when you are talking about something for economic development what is the payback. It is a major concern. You have limited budget and it is being cut all the time.”

JP: So when there are limited budgets you find it difficult sometimes to look at some of the big personal budgets being given to disabled people for social care and that is just for one person? Is that where the source of the concern is? “I don’t sit on any health committees but it is a concern. It is not only a concern of mine.”

JP: So it is a widespread feeling in the council that the higher and rising costs of social care mean that there is less money for projects that could benefit the wider community? “It is bound to be a concern. Because we are having to get rid of libraries, sports centres, and not maintain even our roads.”

JP: Should there be more abortions of disabled children? “I don’t agree with abortions. I am a Christian. All life is precious. It’s a dilemma that I have. It cannot be just me. I suppose it is an ethics question. If you were talking about getting rid of a person or a life it is not something I could condone.

“You will never believe it. Two weeks ago I walked up through a street and a retired doctor said I was perfectly right.”

JP: That some disabled children should be put down? “Presumably it would depend on the degree of the disablement.”

JP: What did you say to him? “I knew him. I was an acquaintance in the past. He is a medical man. He knows his business presumably.”

JP: There must be something to what he was saying? “If that is what he said, there must be.”

JP: But he was obviously advocating some kind of euthanasia? “All he said was I was right in my comment.”

JP: How do you balance those two things? “You just can’t.”

JP: He quoted some extract from The Way of Life, which he said he had never told anyone before but that he read every morning. It’s about doing good/no harm. “I try to abide by that.”

“The other problem is over-population. I see so many problems in the world regarding energy consumption, housing. We live in a finite environment. I am afraid that in a few generations we are going to be hit with terrible consequences of our breeding.”

JP: So what is the solution? “I think the Chinese had a way of doing it. One child family.”

JP: But then if you have a disabled child? “I really don’t know. No government is prepared to grasp it.”

JP: So the solution might be easing those out of life who might be less productive? “You mentioned abortion. Doesn’t this happen now anyway?”

JP: Do you think something might be done along the lines of the doctor? “If nothing is done we are going to have terrible wars or famine.”

JP: To ease out those unproductive members of society? “We have a tax system that encourages people to breed like rabbits. If we had a tax system that encouraged one child or maybe two.”

JP: Euthanasia might be a solution? “No.”

JP: Other people who agreed with you? “My ward is partial urban but terrific rural area with a lot of farmers. A farmer didn’t see a lot wrong with what I said because it is something they do every day. If they have a misshapen lamb they get rid of it, they get rid of it. Bang! If you go to a farmer’s funeral there is not a lot of weeping because they are used to life and death. It is something they deal with on a daily basis.”

JP: How did it make you feel? That you were right? “He’s certainly got a point. We are just animals. He’s obviously got a point.”

JP: You have some sympathy with him and the doctor? “Of course I have. You can’t have lambs running around with five legs and two heads.

“People have also said that whilst they have a great sympathy with these [families], there is always the problem when the parents or carers leave this world. What does happen? It is a worry.”

JP: They become a burden? “Yes. Who shoulders the burden after they have looked after them for so many years. But I think society is getting a lot more tolerant in that respect.”

JP: Has anybody else said they agreed with you? “Strangely enough I have been up to other towns and people have come up and shook my hand. Complete strangers.”

JP: How did that make you feel? “It made me feel that I am not the ogre that I have been painted. I think a lot of them is sympathy for me.”

JP: Sympathy? “I think humans are animals.”

JP: If other people are killing animals it is OK? “Do you eat meat? [That is] killing of an animal.”

JP: So the difference between putting down an animal who is severely disabled and putting down a child who is severely disabled is not that great then? “Yes, you seem to forget that we kill, we rule the roost.”

JP: There isn’t that much difference between putting down a lamb or a child with two heads? “I think the cost has got to be evaluated. It is not something I would like to do but there is only so much in the bucket. If you are talking about giving services to the community or services to the individual, the balance has got to be struck.”

JP: You might think then that if there was a child with two heads, that might be where the line is drawn. It might be kinder to put that child down? “Is that one child or two? I would hope that although I don’t like the idea of it, long before it is born that this problem is [stopped] and it will probably be aborted in some way.”

JP: And if it wasn’t? “Then if it wasn’t, then well, what happens?”

JP: The lamb would be put down. “It would be put down, smashed against the wall and be dealt with.”

JP: It might be as [...] for a similar thing to be done for the child? “That would be up to the decision of whoever is there at the birth. It makes me wonder that some children have been aborted, some abortions are so late that the child is there.”

JP: Those are decisions about putting down a child with that degree of impairment might well mean more money for the wider community? “It might. It probably will.”

JP: It does make an argument and a good argument for maybe ending the lives of some severely disabled children with severe learning difficulties? “I am not making that judgment. There may be a case. I haven’t a clue how much they cost. When people complain to me about the state of our finances, I say, well, we can’t afford to do it. We might be forced to close our beaches. That’s a service to us all. It is a dilemma and it is going to get increasingly a problem with budget cuts.”

JP: Between services for disabled people and…? “Between all services.”

JP: It does make an argument for putting down some severely disabled children? “Yes. That is why I keep as far away from health in the council as I can.

“I was a conservation man for Cornwall. Very much concerned with landscape and planning.”

JP: Does it frustrate you that with all the money spent on people’s lives, so little is spent on the environment? “We work according to the budget.”

Said he is currently off sick from the council. Had a series of strokes some time ago. “You’re liable to flare up.”

JP: Personality-wise? “Yes. People have said I have changed since those strokes.”

So – what do you reckon?

Let us know! Just post below!

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Some councillors are joining the crusade as a Facebook group entitled ‘hoax-quoting and the actual provenance of the golden-voiced actors apparent words are also unclear.

Wadebridge single mother Sarah Maguire, who came last in the democratic election Brewer won, is championing the cause.

Many of the deeply upset parents and relations of disabled children are joining the group and promising to attend the demo at Town Hall on May 24th at 10.30am.

Liskeard mum Josephine Wilding posted: “I currently live in Cornwall, and this despicable heartless man has been all over the radio and news today.

“Every time I hear what he has said my heart and stomach contract. The thought of us not having our youngest daughter Alaina, who has Spina Bifida, in our lives makes me ache.

“All I can say is that our children will grow up knowing they are loved and wanted, and to hopefully have the ability to ignore people who are ignorant and viscous. My child will be able to hold her head high and be proud.

“Pity you can’t do the same Colin Brewer.”

Mebyon Kernow Cllr Lance Dyer was also quick to ally himself to the protest.

He posted: “Things seem to be moving apace!

“I cannot see how Brewer can remain in place after this.

“If he is genuinely ill at present perhaps he will use that as a way of removing himself?

“The next couple of days could bring developments. I have emailed Paul Masters and will let you know the response.”

None of the protestors appear to accept the principle that a democratically elected politician is entitled to hold his post by definition of being democratically elected, or that as a free citizen they retain the right to hold and broadcast private views, however wretched.

Cornwall Council put out a comment explaining that it had not time for Cllr Brewer’s obnoxious personal opinions – but that he had won the election, and could only be removed by the people in his Ward.

A spokeswoman wrote: “The recently published comments which are attributed to Councillor Brewer are completely unacceptable and are contrary to the Council’s policy of supporting all people with disabilities.

“Such views have no place in local government. These remarks represent the personal views of Councillor Brewer who does not speak for the Council or the people of Cornwall.”

But the council then explained in detail that they couldn’t ‘sack’ politicians – only the public could do that – at the ballot box.

The spokeswoman went on: “In this case the Monitoring Officer found that there had been a breach of the Code of Conduct and determined that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction he could impose was to require Councillor Brewer to issue a formal apology.

“Mr Brewer was notified of this in November 2012 and subsequently wrote to the complainant apologising unreservedly for his remarks.

“The Council does not have the power to stop anyone standing for election.

“Both the qualifications for candidates and the reasons why an individual could be disqualified from standing for election are clearly set out in legislation.

“Mr Brewer was entitled to stand for election to Cornwall Council and was subsequently chosen by local voters to represent the Wadebridge East electoral division.”

They added: “The Council is committed to ensuring that all staff and Members receive appropriate training in equality and diversity issues. Equality and diversity training is mandatory for all paid staff and we staged specific workshops for all Members during the first week of their induction programme. Further training, on-going workshops and awareness sessions will also be available throughout the four year life of this Council.”

Brewer caused a fresh outrage when he gave an interview to Disability News Service.

In it he professed his Christianity, expressed support for the closure of large instutions for the mentally ill, and believed all life was ‘precious’.

He again excused his outrageous remark to Disability Cornwall’s Theresa Court at an equalities event – that ‘disabled children cost the council too much money and should be put down’, saying it was meant as a deliberate provocation to a politically motivated campaigner.

DNS editor John Pring admitted Cllr Brewers professions of moral rectitude and included his repeat apology.

But he naturally led on startling comments the local politician then made to him in what appears to have been a wide ranging discussion on the ethics of abortion, choice and disablement.

We’ve not spoken to John in great depth. But he did tell CCN he didn’t invite Brewer’s ill-advised remarks – which led to him talking about how deformed sheep were killed at birth, and how a local doctor had apparently professed some sympathy to him for the idea of abortion for the severely disabled.

He told how ‘like hundreds of other journalists’ he left the newly re-elected councillor a message and was surprised when he got a call back from him. There’s no recording of the conversation but John took professional shorthand notes, a transcript of which he has issued to interested parties.

The remarks below are pasted straight from Johns interview, which you can read in the original here.

Some readers may find the content disturbing.

In DNS’s interview, Cllr Brewer’s philosophy of life is portrayed as a kind of strange home-spun eco-fascism, with a liberal dose of Nazi-style eugenics thrown in.

The pioneering website exclusively reported:

(Cllr Brewer said): “People are not on this earth for very long. My main concern is planning and environmental, and landscape. In that context, people are just transient. I have heard of terrific amounts of money being spent on specific individuals.”

He said: “Who shoulders the burden after they have looked after them for so many years?”

Cllr Brewer originally flipped his lid in February 2011. He was at a council ‘equality and diversity event’.

Waylaid by disability campaigner Theresa Court, he snapped that disabled children cost the council too much and ‘should be put down’.

She complained to the council, he apologised at the authoritys request, and when the story was leaked it went national and sparked a wave of moral outrage.

Brewer stood down after liberal candidates talked about running against him.

Then he stood up again – and went for election: the opposition was split, or considered not credible , and the long-standing independent nudged in by 4 votes

Indy Cllr Andrew Wallis said he felt Cllr Brewer should now stand down because the views he expressed in the new interview were so unacceptable.

He posted on his popular blog: “Once you could have forgiven as people deserve a second chance (within reason) if there is a genuine mistake. And from that mistake you make amends.

“But after the second and in my opinion a far worse interview, he should stand-down. There is no other option. And I say this having seen the whole interview transcript which the journalist in question was kind enough to send me after I asked.

“It is not pleasant reading.”

What do you think of all this business? Is a fascist? Is Colin Brewer a fascist or is he just very honest and being taken out of context? Are people entitled to debate abortion and disablement? Should some views be illegal (as in hate crime), or should we all have total freedom of speech? And most of all – should Colin Brewer keep the post he’s been voted into – or stand down under the pressure? Let us know! Just post below!

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Firebugs started a devastating blaze that tore through a Newquay depot and burned out 37 coaches this week.

The inferno at Western Greyhound broke out around one am.

A number of school buses are believed to have been burned out, and the Truro Park and Ride was cancelled on Monday morning.

A police spokeswoman said: “Following investigations, it is now thought that the fire may have been started deliberately.

“Officers are appealing for anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area either in the late evening of Sunday, 12 May or the early hours of Monday, 13 May to contact them on 101, quoting reference GC/13/151″

The fire broke out at dead of night on Monday.

The spokeswoman went on: “At 0117hrs on Monday 13th May 2013 Devon & Cornwall Police received a report of a number of buses which were on fire in the Summercourt area of Cornwall.

“Cornwall Fire Brigade and Police resources attended the scene. This was a Fire Brigade led operation with police support. A large number of buses have been deystroyed by fire which will impact on the bus service provided in mid-Cornwall. There were no persons injured as a result of the fire.

“It is understood that there will be no park & ride service from Truro operating today.”

She went on: “The A3058 Newquay to St Austell Road will remain closed for most of the day between Summercourt crossroads and Brighton Cross roundabout. The Highways Agency have diversions in place.

“The cause of the fire has not yet been established and investigations by the Fire Service and Devon & Cornwall Police will continue.”

Fire Brigade spokeswoman Jenna Glendall said: “At 0105 this morning Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service received a call to a fire in a bus depot. On arrival crews found there to be nine buses involved and a diesel tank in the vicinity.

“Currently there are crews from St Columb, St Dennis, Newquay, St Austell, Perranporth are fighting the fire, with the assistance of the Water carrier from Wadebridge and the Control Unit from Launceston.

“At 02:37 hrs assistance for ‘Make Pumps 8′ was made, further appliances from Truro and Mevagissey were mobilised.

“The incident has been sectorised into two areas and currently five main jets, one hose reel jet are being supplied by one hydrant and an open water source.

“Along side the major appliances two landrovers attended and specialised equipment – Command Support Vehicle from Launceston, an Operational Support Vehicle from St Austell, and Water carrier from Wadebridge and a Welfare wagon from St Dennis.

“Once the fire was confirmed out it was established that a total of 37 Buses had been involved in the fire at Summercourt.

“This morning Cornwall Fire and Rescue service will be carrying out a fire investigation along with Police Scenes of Crimes officers to try to establish the cause of the fire.”

Western Greyhound are a key player in the provision of local transport.

The firm started out small and local and grew to their present size from humble beginnings in 1998.

The small company were embroiled in controversy in June last year when directors Mark and Marie Howarth dressed down CCN reader Rachelle Wilkinson in their local church because she came to us about the ‘hellish’ service.

Mark and Marie said they’d just tried to cool out a bad situation and were threatened by Rachelle’s boyfriend Steve

Rachelle said the respectable couple tried to used their position in the church to bully her into an apology, and let slip they didn’t want any bad publicity because they were selling the firm.

If you need to know what’s going on with a bus today and can’t find an answer on the Western Greyhound website, drop them a line on 01637 871 871.

Loads of people are also asking what’s going on on Facebook.

A spokesman for Western Greyhound said: “We would like to pay tribute to the fire crews who tackled the enormous blaze at our Summercourt base.

“They acted with great professionalism and saved the offices and workshops from being destroyed as well as saving some of the buses.

“We would also like to thank all our staff that, despite their shock and stunned disbelief at what had happened, worked to do everything they could to keep the wheels turning under the most difficult circumstances.

“They are all true stars! Well done! Thank you also to our customers who are currently facing inconvience, we are all working long hours to try and get everything back up and running normally as quickly as the situation allows.”

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Cllr Brewer is off permanently sick because of a ‘long term health condition’.

But he gave an interview from his home with a Disability newspaper, which has been reported this weekend as indicating he does genuinely believe it could be ethical to abort or euthanise severely disabled children.

The long standing independent has not yet lived down a remark he made in February 2011 to a disability campaigner at an ‘equality and diversity’ event.

He told Theresa Court of Disability Cornwall ‘disabled children cost the council too much money and should be put down’.

Later he said it was a deliberate provocation.

Now in an extraordinary outburst reported in Disability News Service ,Cllr Brewer goes back to the ill-starred topic and, in response to a series of questions on the theme, muses on the rights and wrongs of animal and human abortion of disabled progeny.

The resultant chat with journalist John Pring was written up on the Disability News website over the weekend and makes shocking reading.

John prefaced Cllr Brewers quotes by admitting the Wadebridge independent, who’s a practising Christian, believed all life was ‘precious’, wanted more facilities built for disabled people in Cornwall, and supported the reform of ‘massive institutions’ for the mentally ill.

But after that his 69 year old interviewee got into a wide ranging Peter Singer style debate about abortion and euthanasia that tabloid conservative media are this morning crucifying him for.

By the end of the chat Cllr Brewer had compared severely disabled new born humans to ‘two headed’ lambs, and gauged the cost of supporting one severely disabled child in terms of the upkeep of the Duchy’s lavatories.

His remarks below are pasted straight from Johns interview, which you can read in the original here.

The controversial Cllr’s philosophy of life is portrayed in the piece as a kind of strange home-spun eco-fascism, with a liberal dose of Nazi-style eugenics thrown in.

John exclusively reported:

(Cllr Brewer said): “People are not on this earth for very long. My main concern is planning and environmental, and landscape. In that context, people are just transient. I have heard of terrific amounts of money being spent on specific individuals.”

He said: “Who shoulders the burden after they have looked after them for so many years?”

Cllr Brewer originally flipped his lid in February 2011. He was at a council ‘equality and diversity event’.

Waylaid by disability campaigner Theresa Court, he snapped that disabled children cost the council too much and ‘should be put down’.

She complained, he apologised belatedly and privately, and when the story was leaked it went national and sparked a wave of moral outrage.

Brewer stood down after liberal candidates talked about running against him.

Then he stood up again – and went for election: the opposition was split, or considered not credible , and the long-standing independent nudged in by 4 votes

The disability lobby has not forgiven him.

A spokeswoman for Disability Cornwall said the comments were ‘frightening’.

She told DNS: “If the contents of this conversation are true, it proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the apology offered by Cllr Brewer was prompted, not by any genuine regret, but in fact by his own self-serving political ambitions.

“It is sadly no surprise to us that his views are echoed by others, but it’s particularly frightening these views may be held by those who have the positions and power to make life and death decisions.

“It is a sad indictment of our so-called ‘civilised’ society that disabled children are increasingly discussed within a context of affordability, as if they were goods on a shelf that can be picked up and discarded at will, dependent upon what’s in the public purse.

“Colin Brewer and others, it would appear, believe a disabled child has the same value as a deformed lamb and should be dealt with in the same way.”

What do you think of this apparently never-ending saga? Is Colin Brewer a fascist? Or does he just not spot a bad time to answer a discussion about ethics? Let us know! Just post below!

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