Burnley chooses controversial new logo (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)
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Burnley chooses controversial new logo
12:54pm Friday 9th October 2009 in News
Burnley chooses controversial new logo
BURNLEY is to get a new logo as part of a £110,000 re-branding scheme to improve the town’s image.
The ‘visual expression’ consists of a computer-generated, three-dimensional image of lots of multi-coloured, tangled circles.
Council bosses have now spent £400 seeking to register the logo across five trademark classes, so it cannot be used by other towns.
It will be displayed at gateways to Burnley, on literature, and a website to make the image instantly identifiable with the town.
The design has split councillors’ opinions, with some describing it as ‘exciting’ and others comparing it to a ‘deformed insect’.
The new logo is part of the work being done by Burnley Vision Board after it secured £300,000 of funding from the North West Development Agency (NWDA).
Its programme of work includes a £110,000 scheme to re-brand the town.
Burnley Vision Board is made up of representatives of organ-isations including Burnley Coun-cil, Burnley Football Club, Burnley College and Aircelle.
It is believed that the different coloured circles are intended to represent the different aspects of the town.
The red is supposed to represent the urban part of Burnley, while the green symbolises the rural areas.
Coun Gordon Birtwistle, leader of Burnley Council, said he was a fan of the logo, saying it signifies the town’s ‘intertwining’ qual-ities.
He added that the town had beaten stiff competiton from others who had been interested in using the logo.
“The re-branding has gone really well,” he said.
“Burnley might have been a mess eight or nine years ago, but this shows we’re on the up.
“It’s bright and unusual and really exciting. I think it’s a brave choice, but I haven’t heard anyone with a bad word to say about it.
“We now have a Premier League football club and we want to be a Premier League town as well.”
Labour Coun Tony Lambert said: “I have no problem with the logo at all. I think it’s presentable and a good idea actually.”
But Conservative Coun Jonathan Gilbert said the money spent on the logo could have been used for ‘more important’ matters.
He said: “The logo is not the best I have seen. Animated it looks like some kind of deformed insect.
“Is it dynamic? I don’t think so.
“I don’t think it looks particularly professional, or business-like. That’s my reaction to looking at it.
“In terms of re-branding, it’s important to get the message across, but it is more important to tackle social and economic issues on the ground.”
YOUR VIEWS ON NEW IMAGE
Jerry Sanders, 63, of Ighten Hill, Burnley said: “It looks a little futuristic but very messy.
“We should have the Burnley coat of arms as our symbol not something that looks like a kid’s scribble. It would be better to have something we could be proud of.”
Sally Howard, 31, of Burnley, said: “It is a bit bizarre looking and I’m not really sure what it is trying to represent. It will make people think that Burnley is messed up which is not nice at all.”
Kevin Durkin, 38, of Deerstone Avenue, Burnley, said: “It’s definitely different but I wouldn’t have it as a town logo. The Burnley crest would be a lot better. The council would be better spending the money elsewhere.”
Caroline Mckavett, 17, of Barley said: “It is rubbish. It is just a load of squiggles which makes me think that Burnley is a place where there is chaos. It definitely does not represent the people of Burnley.”
Maxine Davis, 42, of Barley said: “As a design I quite like it but the images of disorder and chaos that it conjures up is not very nice. I am into graphics so I appreciate that a lot of work has gone into it but they could have done a lot better.”
David James, 62, of Brownhead Road, Burnley said: “It doesn’t mean an awful lot. It is just a load of scribbles and people will think Burnley is a mess. I hope they haven’t spent too much on it. They would be better using something which symbolises Burnley like the new college.”
Comments(78)
Ian_G
says...
1:14pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Whoever is responsible for this or involved in it need their P45s issuing.
Absolutely insane.
benny_090
says...
1:22pm Fri 9 Oct 09
The local council could have easily approached young inspirational design students who could have used this a graded project, they wouldn't have charged for the logo, it would have been much better (ie a large quantity of entries for residents to choose from) and the students could have used it in their portfolio's...
I imagine someone with too much time and money on their hands and no design knowledge is behind this..
its a mess.
john the boss
says...
1:23pm Fri 9 Oct 09
keep going round in circles and end up in a right mess,
DavidBurnley
says...
1:32pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Kevin, Colne
says...
1:34pm Fri 9 Oct 09
The issue with a corporate logo is not the message that the designer intended to convey but how the creation is interpreted in the field.
If the comments from ordinary citizens in the above article are typical then we can already say that the logo is a failure.
Not one of them said: "Ah yes, I can see it clearly. It represents the intertwined and cohesive nature of our town, with the red signifying the urban core, the green the rural and beautiful hinterland, and blue the flowing River Burn and the tranquilty of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal."
I suspect that something very similiar could have been produced by a 3 year-old at a playgroup in Ightenhill - for nothing.
Mike Costa
says...
1:36pm Fri 9 Oct 09
'kin hell. The lunatics really have taken over the asylum.
How did they come up with this? Did they give a group of 4 year old some coloured crayon to play with?
Is this a 3 year olds attempt to draw a moo-moo?
slammer
says...
1:41pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Or Friday afternoon at five to five?
That is a whoopsie if I ever saw one.
raymack
says...
1:45pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Well this caps it all.
I award the first prize for complete stupidity to the clowns who thought up this so called symbol,shared equally with those who approved it.
DavidBurnley
says...
1:55pm Fri 9 Oct 09
spongsdad
says...
2:00pm Fri 9 Oct 09
raymack
says...
2:02pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Fortunately I have just found an old envelope with 6 different doodles on the back.I am quite willing to sell these at the knockdown price of £55K each,or if pushed....thirty bob.
raymack
says...
2:13pm Fri 9 Oct 09
But of course,politicians never ask the people what they think!
ClaretRover
says...
2:39pm Fri 9 Oct 09
I can assure you that council officers do have IQ's above 15 which is why we are as much disheartened with our management as most of the town. Most of us are ratepayers here too.
£110,000 for something that my cat could have done better. It seems that they are too busy trying to turn Burnley into some form of mini-Manchester to notice what the borough really needs - industry and employment rather than an army of work-shy dole scroungers.
One more thing. Will Gordon Birtwistle please stop trying to piggy-back on the back of the hard graft at the football club with his comments about premiere town. In any case, it is rumoured that he is or was a season ticket holder at that other place (Ewood Perk). Perhaps he can verify this with the local electorate.
Burnley council has good officers that are let down by out-of-touch management, mor interested in serving Whitehall than the people of Burnley, and in improving their own CV's so that they can move on to bigger and better authorities.
DavidBurnley
says...
2:56pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Back Room BEP
says...
3:24pm Fri 9 Oct 09
http://www.ngw.nl/in
t/gbr/b/burnley.htm
Burnley Arms Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on 17th December 1975.
The shield retains the former Burnley County Borough pattern of an engrailed red chevron on gold and a black wavy chief. Three red roses indicate the three Lancashire authorities comprising the new Borough. The wavy line on the chief represents the river Brun. On the chief the two The bees represent the industry of Burnley and Padiham and the wheat represents the rurality of the former Burnley Rural District.
The crest is derived from that of the former Burnley County Borough Council. The punning stork of the Starkies, prominent in Padiham and the Burnley Rural area, rests a claw on the DeLacy knot, the badge of the DeLacys, who held Burnley and 'Blackburnshire' in medieval times. The stork stands on a hill surrounded by cotton plant.
The purple lion from the DeLacy arms provides the supporters. As in the crest of the former Burnley Rural District Council, he is differenced with a collar showing the well-known black stars on white, from the shield of the Towneley family, long associated with the Burnley area. Each lions rests a foot on a black shuttle from the arms of the Shuttleworths, seen in the Padiham device and the Rural District Council crest.
The motto - Hold to the Truth - is derived from that of the Towneleys -Tenez le Vraye.
Literature : Image and information provided by Laurence Jones
Inter-Rossiter
says...
3:29pm Fri 9 Oct 09
MerlinTheVoiceofReason
says...
3:32pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Waste of money, should have consulted with the people of Burnley first, could have asked local artists/designers or schoolkids to come up with ideas as part of a competition ...
Back to the drawing board please!
ganja man
says...
3:33pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Seems as though someone on artificial substances may have produced this "art"
Wikidi
says...
3:34pm Fri 9 Oct 09
andy1
says...
3:40pm Fri 9 Oct 09
burner
says...
4:16pm Fri 9 Oct 09
donkeybrain
says...
4:36pm Fri 9 Oct 09
john the boss
says...
5:01pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Back Room BEP
says...
5:03pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Frankly, it is hardly a symbol in which one would take great pride in wearing on one’s chest or enough to make the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand up when seen flying in the wind.
Create something inspiring, or at least bloody relevant. I’ve got it – the town’s crest!
jogalot
says...
5:15pm Fri 9 Oct 09
I'm glad you're on the up but this logo shows that you're still messed up. It will take years to untangle that mess!
Haven't you heard? Everything is going wire-less now. A stand-alone crest would have been better.
Back Room BEP
says...
5:39pm Fri 9 Oct 09
On the Blackburn subject, rumour has it that banjo scene from Deliverance was filmed in a modified pub on Ainsworth Street and the act of sodomy took place on the wooded hills overlooking the River Darwin on the outskirts of town.
Another tale states that the only casted actors were those taking part in the actual boat trip, all the others had been locals which had been found wandering around the Ewood area of town one cold Saturday afternoon. The banjoist later went on to become Major of Blackburn and commented on receiving a pie and half a bag of chips as payment during the musical scene of the, specific to Blackburn only, cult classic.
Michael@ClitheroeSince58
says...
5:44pm Fri 9 Oct 09
steep
says...
6:24pm Fri 9 Oct 09
The sign at Gannow top highlights the fact that there is a new university, why not utilise their skills.
The voices on here are correct. The council have become over excited like a child being given spending money, and have rushed out and blown a chunk on something that will undoubtebly be put on the shelf and thrown away at some point.
Use the existing coat of arms for the basis of any rebranding. Don't forget that this coat of arms will have been used when the town was a thriving and rich industrial town.
Kernal Knut
says...
6:52pm Fri 9 Oct 09
It must be the doodling of a small child.
Money well spent?
As suggested on here, let the design students and school children with an interest in art & design come up with something. I believe the outcome would be more in keeping and a hell of a lot cheaper, or is it too late.
Unbelievable!!!
beam-me-up
says...
7:12pm Fri 9 Oct 09
With these out-of-touch elected members.
Your
Lunatic Rate-payer
Old Timer
says...
8:10pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Can't the idiots who run the asylum realise if this goes through the thoughts of the contributors it must hit the minds of those outside the
town. We already suffer "the Dingles" humiliation and now this.
Why not give the people of Burnley a chance to contribute their own ideas of a logo for consideration... and that would be for nowt.
Quoting the council leader..
“It’s bright and unusual and really exciting. I think it’s a brave choice, but I haven’t heard anyone with a bad word to say about it."
Obviously he hasn't read our thoughts and to think there is a chance he might represent Burnley in Westminster... Dear oh' dear.
burnleyvoter
says...
8:44pm Fri 9 Oct 09
The council needs to be thinking like the rest of us and should only be spending on absolute necessities. If they thought like this permanently we wouldn't have to pay so much council tax and we'd all be better off.
time.team
says...
9:49pm Fri 9 Oct 09
FREDF2009
says...
10:09pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Old Timer
says...
11:02pm Fri 9 Oct 09
We are not a city and Burnley has it's limits in what appears to me the actions of Empire builders who have their eyes on higher positions much to the financial disadvantage of the rate payers. It is an insult to the people of the town including students and businesses who appear to be the last in consideration and consultation by Burnley Borough Council. on how we should be presented.... and another question. Ask Councillor Birtwistle what are they going to do with the Derby pub that they paid all that money for and at present is a huge billboard with I believe Burnley's "tangled mess" already on show.
Come to think of it, if so we must have already paid £400 for these bits of tangled ribbon.
Rational
says...
11:35pm Fri 9 Oct 09
Better Burnley, Burnley the Place to be too. Yes, Burnley is a Better place to be and achieved so much so we dont need a tangled mess to try and say that. Just combine the two former mottos , dont waste any money ask us the public and post "YES we've done it! Burnley is a better place to be" much more down to earth and true
wrinkles
says...
3:11am Sat 10 Oct 09
Rational
says...
9:31am Sat 10 Oct 09
1riversider
says...
12:00pm Sat 10 Oct 09
On a serious note though, the person who authorised the spend, and then the result should be sacked on the spot for gross incompetence.
Any student from any school in Burnley could have done better for £50.00 prize.
This almost makes me feel sorry for the people of Burnley
shellywelly
says...
12:03pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Mikeee47
says...
12:20pm Sat 10 Oct 09
The towns in poverty and they spend this kind of money, on a logo, you can't make this up.
Does anyone of authority read these comments?
Why are we the people of BURNLEY not asked what we want for OUR town, Councillors are ellected to work for us NOT council Officers dictating.
Someone please get a grip. you might as well get the kids from the primary schools to run BURNLEY councill they'll do a far better job, and better educated too.
Muppets. & thats all I have to say about that.
RamsgreaveRon
says...
1:42pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Lifeinthemix
says...
4:17pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Welcome to the minds of Common Purpose!
.
This is exactly what they do everywhere they get power. Common Purpose are but the slaves of Capita Symonds, capita represents the Crown.
.
Lancashire is being attacked...were are the people, were is the action against this?
.
Exactly there is none in the world of the money and the politic, all bought and paid for....that means it is left to we the people to stand against this and mean it.
.
You know how to contact me.....
Burnleyite36
says...
4:55pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Darren Reynolds
says...
6:18pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Looking at all these comments I had to return again to ask the Lancashire Telegraph to present them to Councillor Birtwistle and Burnley's Chief Executive to show the anger of many people at this logo
No need, Old Timer, I've already done it. Only a few councillors were aware of this project and the rest of us (I'm a councillor) are split about it.
The one thing I really want to stress is that this was NOT a Council project. It was NOT paid for by the Council. It was NOT run by the Council. It was NOT the idea of the Council.
That doesn't improve the logo (I think it's awful) but please don't blame your councillors. We want your tax spent on cleaning up, making Burnley a place people want to live and work, and attracting investment. Just goes to show what happens when unelected people are put in charge of large sums of money.
Old Timer
says...
6:55pm Sat 10 Oct 09
below is the paragraph from the LT to which I refer... and if that money has been spent by the council they have approved and been financially involved in this representation of Burnley....
"Council bosses have now spent £400 seeking to register the logo across five trademark classes, so it cannot be used by other towns".
many thanks for coming on and explaining your point of view in this
"Tangled Mess" debate.
Darren Reynolds
says...
8:06pm Sat 10 Oct 09
"Council bosses have now spent £400 seeking to register the logo across five trademark classes, so it cannot be used by other towns".
Well, you're right about that part, but again, such small sums of money don't come to councillors for decisions. If they did we'd be involved every time the council places an order for loo paper.
RamsgreaveRon
says...
9:10pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Money well spent there then. I could see how everyone would want to use it.
Gobbin
says...
9:28pm Sat 10 Oct 09
Longtimerover
says...
9:40pm Sat 10 Oct 09
I am convinced that I made the correct decision if that's what Council Members chose to spent local people's taxes on !!!!!!
God help those who are left.
Old Timer
says...
10:01pm Sat 10 Oct 09
denial that Burnley Council were not involved in the financial backing of the "Tangled Mess" and gave a quote from the LT. which stated,.
"Council bosses have now spent £400 seeking to register the logo across five trademark classes, so it cannot be used by other towns".
Councillor reynolds was proved wrong and he replied......
Well, you're right about that part, but again, such small sums of money don't come to councillors for decisions. If they did we'd be involved every time the council places an order for loo paper.
Councillor Reynolds ...Have you not learned about accountability even one sheet of loo paper has to be accounted for when you are dealing with public money???? and £400 is £400. You are the elected custodians of our rates.
Sorry to go on about this but it is a serious issue for discussion.
Mikeee47
says...
11:24pm Sat 10 Oct 09
This is how expences are fraudulently claimed. Everyone seems to have forgot about that one.
KITTY USSHER, are you reading?
Old Timer
says...
12:03am Sun 11 Oct 09
I think Kitty, Kitty, will probably be tucked up in bed at this time of night, as she should be with a loving family. Incomers do not realise that we in Burnley, born and bred, are willing to keep quiet until the time comes for us to show our strength... and it certainly has shown by the response to this particular subject. I hope the same response comes from the people of Burnley when they decide to who will represent us in Westminster.
Izanears
says...
11:50am Sun 11 Oct 09
Izanears
says...
11:56am Sun 11 Oct 09
raymack
says...
1:08pm Sun 11 Oct 09
Who pays? :-
The State,comprising all its agencies has No money of its own.It only has income raised by a multitude of taxes levied on citizens and their actions.Any money borrowed or printed is ultimately a cost laid at the door of the citizen.Therefore ALL spending by any local,county or national government is a cost borne by the citizen,whether directly or indirectly.
Who is responsible:-
Darren Reynolds
your quote:-
The one thing I really want to stress is that this was
NOT a Council project. It was NOT paid for by the
Council. It was NOT run by the Council. It was NOT
the idea of the Council.
News quote:-
The new logo is part of the work being done by
Burnley Vision Board after it secured £300,000 of
funding from the North West Development Agency
(NWDA).
Its programme of work includes a £110,000 scheme to
re-brand the town.
Burnley Vision Board is made up of representatives of
organ-isations including Burnley Coun-cil, Burnley
Football Club, Burnley College and Aircelle.
My comment:-
Well Burnley Council were complicit in this project,and your reply is disingenuous
The imposition of this logo,without their consent,on the citizens of Burnley is a humiliation.For which,directly or indirectly,they have had to pay.
raymack
says...
1:10pm Sun 11 Oct 09
News quote:-
He added that the town had beaten stiff competiton
from others who had been interested in using the
logo.
My comment:-
So truthfully,this logo does not represent Burnley as such,it does in fact represent ANY town.
RamsgreaveRon
says...
2:11pm Sun 11 Oct 09
richard a
says...
4:53pm Sun 11 Oct 09
I still agree though a school/college competition for a design would have been cheaper and more representative of burnley
Eileen Dover
says...
5:49pm Sun 11 Oct 09
fkhan wrote:Unfortunately when you get a story of this nature you get comments from the likes of this person who has absolutely no grasp of this subject. Of course you could employ some bin men with this money however if the brand succeeds in changing the terrible national image Burnley has then you will begin to see business invest in the area bringing money into the economy and jobs to the area - an example of how a successful brand can transform an area can be seen down the road in Bolton. Alas the 10 Bolton binmen they could have employed would not have done this.
What a waste of taxpayer's money particularly in the current economic climate. £110,000 would have kept 5-10 people in jobs for a year!!
raymack
says...
6:34pm Sun 11 Oct 09
Kindly refrain from erecting strawmen.
fkhan did not say "binmen",
The post was "£110,000 would have kept 5-10 people in jobs for a year!!"
As this money was for the promotion of Burnley,it would be reasonable for these people to promote Burnley.One or two of whom could be tasked with running a competition to find a suitable logo from those submitted by the citizens of Burnley,the others to actively promote Burnley.
I am not aware of a successful brand/logo transforming Bolton,perhaps you can support your statement with references/premises.
Eileen Dover
says...
9:22am Mon 12 Oct 09
raymack wrote:Alas, you are missing the point again. This 100k isn't just for a logo (the LT would never understand this hence why it dumbs it down to look like it is just for a logo) it is for a long term strategy to market the town in a positive way to deal with the negative image it has. Your idea of involving local people assumes they will understand what outsiders think and what would make them change their attitude? You really need to understand the complex nature of placebranding to ensure what you come up with will appeal to people from outside - and of course you will never please everyone, for example I think having a crest as your symbol such as Blackburn has is old fashioned and paints an image to an outsider of an inward looking town worried about the future. Take a trip to Bolton and see their brand or even Salford's - you will then see that it is more than a logo (even if that is all a local LT reporter can undersyand it to be).
Eileen Dover, Kindly refrain from erecting strawmen. fkhan did not say "binmen", The post was "£110,000 would have kept 5-10 people in jobs for a year!!" As this money was for the promotion of Burnley,it would be reasonable for these people to promote Burnley.One or two of whom could be tasked with running a competition to find a suitable logo from those submitted by the citizens of Burnley,the others to actively promote Burnley. I am not aware of a successful brand/logo transforming Bolton,perhaps you can support your statement with references/premises.
RamsgreaveRon
says...
11:47am Mon 12 Oct 09
cazbly
says...
12:12pm Mon 12 Oct 09
raymack
says...
3:12pm Mon 12 Oct 09
Please read my post again.
I did not say,and neither did fkhan,nor did the LET,that the £110k was for the logo alone.
The LET stated:-
BURNLEY is to get a new logo as part of a £110,000 re-branding scheme to improve the town’s image.
....................
............
In fact I clearly said that this money was for the promotion of Burnley (which is a reasonable interpretation of rebranding ),However,so that there is clarity to the news item I have e-mailed Jon Livesey to ascertain the cost of the logo,if known.
Alas,you yourself are missing the point.Please refer to the earlier post of:- benny_090 @1:22pm Fri 9 Oct 09
With 1 in 5 young people unemployed nationally,and with suitably qualified,energetic and eager to get involved,young people in the Burnley area,this would have been an excellent opportunity for them.
The second point I would make,is that to simply impose a logo on the citizens of Burnley,without their input,is to disenfranchise them with all the negative aspects this engenders.And this is the exact opposite of the desired result,and would not be what outside employers would be looking for.
There is a graphics department within Burnley Council,with qualified people,who could have done this themselves,or acted as mentors to my proposal to employ local people to carry out this task.
As you have failed to supply any references/premises to substantiate your claim of the success of the Bolton logo,I take it that this is simply your opinion.
I will post Jon Liveseys reply when I receive it.
Old Timer
says...
7:14pm Mon 12 Oct 09
it has certainly has caused a stir, Burnley's Chief Executive was on Granada reports tonight (Monday)defending a decision made by someone within the council to commission the logo.
raymack
says...
7:50pm Mon 12 Oct 09
Thank you for that information,I was not aware of it.
If the people responsible for this,failed to have the vision to see the opportunity it presented,then I would question their suitability for the posts they hold.
While it is perhaps too late to remedy this,I would hope that when other opportunities arise for the people of Burnley to demonstrate their skill and professionalism,that they are seized with both hands.
It would help if the LET,kept people informed of proposals/plans,prio
r to their implementation,and thereby receive feedback/ideas.
midas
says...
8:08pm Mon 12 Oct 09
.
This isn't disenfranchisement or a logo being imposed on the people of Burnley, the logo was chosen by the businessmen who make up the majority of the interested party.
.
Its another example of a newspaper not doing a proper story, just doing the hatchet job.
.
We can't stagnate, we need inward investment and need to show off Burnley as a forward thinking, relevant and worthwhile place to invest in, at the moment we are no different from Accrington and Colne.
Kevin, Colne
says...
8:20pm Mon 12 Oct 09
I suspect that there is a growing literature on place branding but perhaps therein lies the clue: the place remains dominant in the branding not the other way around.
Some of the best place branding has come about not through a conscious top-down, imposed brand emblem or logo but through something of distinction that a place is famous for, or some other distinctive emblem or artefact that has stood the test of time.
No one on this board or interviewed on televsion could equate this logo to Burnley or what it is meant to signify so how, pray, will those outside the town?
Rational
says...
8:39pm Mon 12 Oct 09
seem to be justifying the tangled mess!
raymack
says...
9:36pm Mon 12 Oct 09
You said:-
"This isn't a council project its a business project to which the council is only a part. Its about giving Burnley a brand image not replacing the town crest (which is used by the council)."
1)As I stated earlier,:-
Burnley Vision Board is made up of representatives of
organ-isations including Burnley Coun-cil, Burnley
Football Club, Burnley College and Aircelle.
Well Burnley Council were complicit in this project,
2) I am not questioning whether Burnley should or should not,have a logo,or what that logo should be.I am criticizing how this has been carried out
raymack
says...
9:38pm Mon 12 Oct 09
@Midas
You said:-
"This isn't disenfranchisement or a logo being imposed on the people of Burnley, the logo was chosen by the businessmen who make up the majority of the interested party."
Wiki:-
Disfranchisement (also called disenfranchisement) is the revocation of the right of suffrage (the right to vote) to a person or group of people, or rendering a person's vote less effective, or ineffective. Disfranchisement might occur explicitly through law, or implicitly by intimidation. Indirectly, it may occur when certain groups are not properly registered to vote, either on purpose or because of serious technical (computer) problems. These people are willing to vote, but can not exercise their right, due to registration.
My comment:- Neither I nor any other citizen,other than the Burnley Vision Board have had the opportunity to vote on this.Consequently it has been imposed.I would agree that I do not have the RIGHT to vote on this matter,however if you wish to have the support of the citizens of Burnley,they should have been encouraged to participate.
raymack
says...
9:39pm Mon 12 Oct 09
You said:-
"Its another example of a newspaper not doing a proper story, just doing the hatchet job."
I respect your right to hold any view you wish,but on this particular news report I feel it was a reasonable report,factual in content and with a variety of views both positive and negative
It was always likely to be contentions,so I do not know how I would have improved on it.I would be interested ito know why you feel that this report is a hatchet job.
raymack
says...
9:42pm Mon 12 Oct 09
You said:-
"We can't stagnate, we need inward investment and need to show off Burnley as a forward thinking, relevant and worthwhile place to invest in, at the moment we are no different from Accrington and Colne."
My comment:-
Yes,I agree with you.
In order to attract investment you have to demonstrate that the town is worth investing in,which brings me back to my original proposal.You have to start somewhere,and if this had been handled differently,it would have been a good start in demonstrating the skill,energy,and motivation of a successful project,carried out by local people,with the participation of the local community
midas
says...
12:10pm Tue 13 Oct 09
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When I speak to our office down south they have little if any idea about Burnley other than its got a football team. Its all "Coronation Street" land to them.
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The use of a town crest is both old fashioned, historic, backward looking, shows a lack of innovation and perhaps most importantley is already used by the council and the football club. This is a new all encompassing business brand, not an old fashioned shield. Who are the De Lacys? what relevance do they have to the future of Burnley. The same question could be asked about the Towneleys.
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@raymack - complicit in a project, being part of a partnership doesn't mean the Council have control. I would imagine that Aircelle and Barry Kilby have more sway in that group than the Council.
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As you point out you haven't been disenfranchised, this isn't a project upon which you would have a "vote" nor is it one in which you should have a referendum. The Council have been elected to represent the town, thats what you vote for. Why should the citizens have been encouraged to participate? are the citizens encouraged to participate in other areas of business? This isn't about local involvement in an inward local project, isn't this a group of Burnleys biggest businesses coming together to see how they can promote the area and thus promote their own businesses?
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Hatchet job - how much did this logo cost? The Board consists of how many different organisations? why have you only got quotes from the 3 political parties, one of whom, by law, has to criticise whichever political party is in power. Why not get a quote from the CEO of Aircelle or any of the other major businesses and see why they chose the logo, the businesses with marketing departments who might have been able to explain the rationelle. The implication is that the Council have spent £110,000 of council tax money on this logo and you know that isn't the case.
raymack
says...
1:24pm Tue 13 Oct 09
Thank you for your reply.
Some of the points you highlight,I have already covered.
Some,such as the Burnley Vision participants being asked for their views I would accept as valid.
I also agree with the "Coronation land" comment,and that has been the case for many years.
You have presented the Business view well,and I understand it.But there is a lot more to Burnley than business.So there is no misunderstanding,let me make it clear,I am a strong advocate for free markets and capitalism,and an equally strong critic of big government.
That I do not have a vote on this matter,does not mean I should not have a vote,and yes,I am an advocate for referenda at local,county and national level.
I have not change my overall view of how this should have been handled.
I have not received a reply to my e-mail to Jon Livesey LET
I feel this is an appropriate point for me to leave the matter for others to form/express their views.
jon626537
says...
11:12am Wed 14 Oct 09
http://twitpic.com/l
h2s9
fkhan says...
1:01pm Fri 9 Oct 09