12/05/2014 Midlands Today


12/05/2014

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been told that Rolf Harris indecently assaulted one of his

:00:00.:00:00.

daughter's It is business as usual. We get on

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with the running of the football club.

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We'll be asking if there are any potential bidders out there.

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Also tonight, another major development in football.

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West Bromwich Albion have announced head coach Pepe Mel has left

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the club after just four months at the Hawthorns.

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Disappointing sales overseas for the Staffordshire digger maker JCB.

:00:38.:00:39.

But it's still recorded strong financial results.

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As long as our market show continues to grow, that is the key `` our

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market share. A Radio Ham tribute

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in his home city of Birmingham to the comedian Tony Hancock who would

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have been 90 today. He was a very quiet man. I think he

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was very concerned with getting it right.

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And it looks as though we're perched on the brink

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How good could it get? Find out in the forecast later.

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Major developments today at two of our Premier League football

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clubs, with Aston Villa put up for sale by their American owner and

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West Bromwich Albion parting company with their Spanish head coach.

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We're live at Villa Park and the Hawthorns this evening

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And we start with Aston Villa. Nick Clitheroe's there for us.

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Randy Lerner wanting out after almost eight years is not

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Several weeks ago he said he would make clear his future plans at the

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end of the season. The only thing we are waiting to learn is whether he

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had already agreed a deal to sell the club or he was putting it up for

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sale. Today we found out which of those it was going to be.

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When Aston Villa's season finished with defeat at Tottenham yesterday,

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it not only brought down the curtain on a miserable

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campaign, but also it seems on Randy Lerner's ownership of Aston Villa.

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The American owner put out a statement this morning full

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of emotion, saying, I owe it to Villa to move on and look

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Now he's appointed the Bank of America Merrill Lynch to look

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for a buyer, although there's no suggestion of an immediate deal.

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The chairman has clarified his role. It is very much business as usual.

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The chairman remains in place, as does the manager, obviously. We have

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the season to prepare for. Lerner felt like a breath

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of fresh air when he arrived He spent ?62.6 million

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on buying the club from Doug Ellis. In total,

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he's believed to have spent But after a series of top`six places

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under Martin O'Neill, Villa have finished each of the last

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three seasons in the bottom six. That's led many fans to welcome

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his decision to sell up. It is what the club needs. Something

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needs to change. I was at Tottenham yesterday. Discontent all of the way

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through. It is the best thing. Great news. Take the club forward. Hope

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for better things. If someone invests loads of money, it would be

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great. But it could take a long time to sell it.

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But Lerner has definitely left his mark on the club.

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He may have reined back on his early transfer spending, but there were

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also big improvements to parts of the ground and a groundbreaking move

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to use Villa's shirts to promote the Acorns children's charity.

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It is clear that Randy Lerner loves the club. He had the crest tattooed

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on his ankle. Eight years of being in charge have taken their toll

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though. He said that the last seasons have been week in week out

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battles and he has clearly had enough of them.

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Just over three miles away from Villa Park is the home of

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West Bromwich Albion who this afternoon announced that head coach

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Pepe Mel had left the club after only four months in charge.

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Albion just avoided relegation from the Premier League

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and chairman Jeremy Peace is under fire from some fans.

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It was very short. Pepe Mel's rain began in January and now he is

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heading home, despite having kept them in the Premier League. It was

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obvious his poor command of English might be a problem. Likewise, his

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desire to rapidly change their style of play. Rumours about his future

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have been gathering momentum in recent weeks so it was no surprise

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when the decision came earlier this afternoon. The head coach was

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calling for clarity and just before 3pm the chairman delivered. They had

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parted company by mutual consent and no one was the least surprised. At

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Friday's press conference, Pepe Mel sounded like a man who knew his

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future was elsewhere. If it is my last game, I have enjoyed it. If it

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proves to be your final game, how will you look back on your time

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here? TRANSLATION: I will look back on it very positively. I have learnt

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a lot of things about how things are done differently and I have learned

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more English. Smiling through adversity, his English may have got

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better, but his team did not. A home defeat confirmed the inevitable

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conclusion that Pepe Mel was not the right man to motivate a side that

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had missed out on relegation by just three points. Pepe Mel's time at the

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hawthorns will finish with defeat. The statement said it had been a

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disappointing campaign and lessons have been learned. The search for a

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new head coach has now begun. They aim to find a suitable candidate to

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enable the club to be more competitive next season. This life

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song supporter is disheartened. `` lifelong. He wants the chairman to

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engage with the fans and has launched a campaign to come up with

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a shared vision. This is not about getting rid of the chairman or the

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board. It is a question of getting them to listen. I think some form of

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forum for the fans or representation within the club would be extremely

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helpful. It may be a longer term plan, but it would be lovely at some

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stage in the future to have a representative of the fans on the

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board. Four months ago, the club gambled on Pepe Mel. He delivered,

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keeping them in the Premier League, but the confidence was not matched

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by those who run the club. We have had plenty of comment. We

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have. Plenty of comments on our Facebook page will stop a broadly

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similar theme. The Albion fans seem to like Pepe Mel but they are

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calling on the chairman to invest substantial amounts of financial

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backing. On Facebook, someone said that the previous head coach should

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not have been sacked. He says that Pepe Mel had met his target. Another

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man said, you cannot blame him. His hands were tied. A shambles of a

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season. Luke has sympathy for Pepe Mel. He is obviously a lovely guide

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which just makes this mistreatment by the board seem even more...

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Especially when you consider it along with the other issues the club

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is suffering from. Another man says he will do well someone `` somewhere

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else. Next season could be even harder than the one we have just

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had. With me now is Dr Steve McCabe from Birmingham City University's

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business school. What are your thoughts on Randy Lerner? Here is

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sick of the losses. He has deep pockets, but it is not never`ending.

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You get the impression he was out of love with the English game. I wonder

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what he will do about the tattooed. The losses, there is an old adage in

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football, you can make a small fortune as long as you start off

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with a large fortune. There is talk of 200 million. It seems about

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right. Whoever comes in will have to add in 100 million to bring in new

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players over the summer. Coping with the ongoing losses, it is not a good

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business to make money on. It is the money you need going forward. Every

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football fan wants the club to succeed. In Champions' League, you

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are up against the likes of Man City. They have billionaire owners.

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Are there any potential bidders? There is a question about a Texan

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oil millionaire. Who knows. Birmingham City sort of up for sale,

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West Bromwich Albion, they'll getting rid of their coach, and

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Coventry City in a mess. A turmoil in this region, horrendous. Pretty

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poor show. Most other British cities have the glamour clubs. We do not

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seem to have that. Can people ever make money out of football clubs? It

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is hard to see given the amount of money you have to pay for the top

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players. Randy Lerner selling Aston Villa, what will the timescale be?

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You would want to have it done as soon as possible to be ready for the

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next season. Thank you very much indeed.

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Camera, lights, action ` the new feature film made in

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Could it bring more production this way?

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The Staffordshire digger`maker JCB says it's disappointed that business

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opportunities linked to infrastructure projects at the

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World Cup in Brazil have failed to materialise.

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It comes as the company announces a 14% fall in annual profits.

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It sold fewer machines overseas than expected last year.

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But UK sales were up by 50% meaning it's still been one

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of the most profitable years in its 68`year history.

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Dad Andy, mum Claire, mother`in`law Gwen, son Mike,

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A family`run plant hire firm in Brereton in Staffordshire.

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They've just bought six new JCBs because local house builders are

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A vast increase in enquiries, people saying they are fully booked for

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months ahead. This demand has helped the

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Staffordshire digger`maker achieve JCB moved fast in an effort

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to conquer overseas markets. Factories were built in emerging

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economies like India and Brazil, but it now appears that demand for

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these machines is levelling off. The World Cup in Rio de

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Janeiro is one case in point. The hosts have been scrambling to

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get stadiums ready, Everyone expected a boost from the

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World Cup. The stadiums have been built and they are ready, but the

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surrounding infrastructure in terms of roads and hotels has not really

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happened. JCB has 22 factories worldwide. 11 are in the UK. Later

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this year, production will begin at this plant in India at a time when

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demand in India is falling. India is going through the general election.

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The build up to that over the last 12 months, there has been a

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wait`and`see attitude from our customers. We are very optimistic

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that when the new government comes to power, the market will grow

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again. The expansion will cost the company ?150 million.

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It's a sign of confidence, but overseas markets are volatile.

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JCB are closely monitoring the ongoing political tensions with

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Ukraine and how it might impact upon sales.

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It's a good job Britain's builders are back and busy.

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A new campaign's been launched in Birmingham to encourage more

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The city currently has nearly 300 children waiting to be fostered.

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Denise Slator used to be a lorry driver,

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but for the last seven years, she's been fostering babies and toddlers.

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She's one of 600 foster carers in Birmingham, but the city council

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When they are offered steady, secure, loving homes, they often

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blossom in that cares. It is that we support our foster carers to

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provide. In ten days' time, voters will go to

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the polls in European and local Five years ago,

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the British National Party came close to winning a European seat

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in this region with 9% of the vote. But since then,

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the party's struggled, as BBC Radio Stoke's political

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reporter Phil McCann explains. 2009 and 122,000 people

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in the Midlands vote for the BNP The party was riding high with 16

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councillors in the Midlands, They won support partly by being

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visible in communities, helping run bingo clubs like this one in

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Abbey Hulton, which got them votes. What about immigration? Yes, good

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point. I do not agree with all of these people coming in.

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But over the last few years, things have been going wrong for the BNP.

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It's had a cash crisis after losing a legal challenge to its all`white

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membership policy and it's been beset by internal disagreements.

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So, back at the bingo, does the BNP still have support today?

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If they want to send them back, I am with them. British people should be

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put first. Don't you think we have got enough in this country?

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Now the British National Party has no councillors in Stoke`on`Trent

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The BNP rose to power on the back of Labour Party supporting working

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class vote. That has gone with the Conservative government in power.

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UKIP have the benefit of those votes.

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for racially`aggravated harassment after comments he made about black

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But they're still out pounding the streets looking for votes.

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Our view of mass immigration to Britain is that it is an illegal

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process, it is illegal. It has never been sanctioned by the British

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people and it is a project of social engineering, social change on a

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national level, involving vast numbers of foreigners. It should

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have been taken to the people. But people who sympathise with

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the BNP's messages may now find lots of other anti`immigration

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and anti`European parties to choose And Phil is in our Stoke studio

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for us now. Do the issues that prompted people

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to vote for the BNP five years ago still concern

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voters in Stoke`on`Trent, Phil? Well, we saw there that there are

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still a lot of people in Stoke`on`Trent and across the West

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Midlands who are concerned about immigration. There are also a lot of

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people who want the UK to leave the EU. The BNP's one of their main

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policies is that they Europe and immigration. There have

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been split in the BNP. Also, the Labour Party is thought to benefit

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when the BNP is not doing so well because it picks up protest votes

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against the current government instead.

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Film making in the West Midlands is worth ?20 million to the region.

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But can anything be done to bring yet more production here

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Most film making still happens in London,

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but six directors here have come together to make a feature`length

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You get to a point when you realise business to the West Midlands.

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You get to a point when you realise you are just as alive as anybody

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It is interesting to see how these else.

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It is interesting to see how these things work. I am a big film buff

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myself. Checking In will premiere tonight

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in Wolverhampton. This may be a low`budget feature,

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but it has big ambitions Burton Albion boss Gary Rowett is

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hopeful that they can hang onto their one`goal lead in the second

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leg of the League Two play off. Adam McGurk scored the only goal of

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the game just before half`time after The home side were reduced to ten

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men after an hour when Ian Sharps was sent off

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for a second bookable offence. Really pleased and relieved proud of

:19:53.:20:07.

them. Disappointed with the sending`off. But we saw it out

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pretty well. Shrewsbury have appointed

:20:12.:20:12.

Micky Mellon as their new manager The former Fleetwood boss will be

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assisted by previous manager And the Worcester Wolves

:20:15.:20:18.

basketball team have become British They beat Newcastle 90`78 in the BBL

:20:19.:20:22.

play`off final at Wembley Arena It's their second piece of

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silverware this season, having won Today would have been the 90th

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birthday of the Birmingham`born He was one of the biggest stars

:20:32.:20:43.

in the country with his own show It started first on radio

:20:44.:20:48.

and then transferred to television, with such classic episodes as

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The Blood Donor and The Radio Ham. And it's The Radio Ham

:20:53.:20:55.

which inspired a special celebration today outside the house where he was

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born, as Ben Sidwell reports. For most people, it would be an odd

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way to celebrate someone's birthday. But for the Coventry Amateur Radio

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Society, there was nowhere better to be than on the drive of the

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home where Tony Hancock was born. They are going to let me loose on

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the airwaves. Let us see if we can make contact. This is GX two. Why

:21:31.:21:45.

are you doing this? Indeed. A very good question. We remember the

:21:46.:21:52.

sketch. What better way than a group of radio amateurs on the drive at

:21:53.:21:53.

the birthplace of Tony Hancock. Just for today,

:21:54.:21:56.

the society have been given a special call sign, GB8TH, for Tony

:21:57.:21:59.

Hancock, of course, to communicate Alan Florence was one

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of the sound engineers during Tony Hancock's audio recordings of

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The Blood Donor and The Radio Ham. Unfortunately, on the recording, the

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only time it broke down was Tony Hancock choking to death with

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laughter so they had to stop the recording.

:22:26.:22:26.

For some, this street in Hall Green in Birmingham was so special they

:22:27.:22:30.

It was an added value. It made it for me, the fact I could live in the

:22:31.:22:40.

road where Tony Hancock was born. How are you? Do me a favour. Go to

:22:41.:22:47.

my mother pot asked her to make me a bread pudding. Which? my mother's

:22:48.:22:55.

and ask her to make me a bread pudding.

:22:56.:22:56.

And fittingly, rather than birthday cake, these

:22:57.:22:58.

radio hams marked Tony Hancock's 90th with a piece of bread pudding.

:22:59.:23:03.

Tell me it is going to pick up later in the week for the weather?

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We have a pressure chart showing all of the showers breaking out and then

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the pressure builds from the south`west from midweek onwards.

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This will kill them off and bring back balance to the region and the

:23:24.:23:28.

weather. The MS chart shows us how the temperatures will alter `` the

:23:29.:23:35.

air mass chart. Temperatures up by three or 4 degrees. In summary, I

:23:36.:23:42.

can say that things are picking up from midweek and as we approach

:23:43.:23:45.

mid`May. Looking warmer by Wednesday. Currently in Birmingham

:23:46.:23:50.

at least, we are looking at the sunshine breaking through nicely.

:23:51.:23:55.

That is not the case everywhere. We are still seeing some fairly heavy

:23:56.:23:59.

showers breaking out across some parts of the region before they

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start to fade away in the early hours. Still a lot of cloud and

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temperatures will be held up to around seven or 8 degrees. Not

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particularly cold overnight. It will be dry and fairly sunny tomorrow. A

:24:13.:24:16.

brief period of sunshine. Things will turn wet through the latter

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part of the day. The showers will rumble in from the North stopped

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they could be heavy at times with thunder as well. `` the latter part

:24:25.:24:31.

of the day. The showers will rumble in from the North. Light to moderate

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north`westerly winds. The high pressure starts to building from

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tomorrow night and we see evidence of that in the showers beaten off

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and then much drier conditions taking over. The cloud will be

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breaking as well sufficiently to send temperatures low enough for

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perhaps a touch of grass fast. Calder tomorrow. `` grass frost.

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Calder tomorrow. Much drier for the second half of the week. Huge

:24:58.:25:00.

strides towards warmer conditions. Tonight's headlines from the BBC:

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Nigeria's missing schoolgirls. A video which appears to show more

:25:07.:25:08.

than 100 of them is released And a dramatic day in the Premier

:25:09.:25:11.

League as Aston Villa are put up for sale and West Bromwich Albion

:25:12.:25:16.

part company with their head coach. Dominated by two of our Premier

:25:17.:25:26.

League clubs. We cannot go without saying well done to Stoke City for

:25:27.:25:30.

the highest ever finish. Terrific season.

:25:31.:25:32.

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