I’ve written a fair few posts about the trial implementation of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood (EBLN), with this being the most recent one I published: The East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood saga rolls on... 12.12.24. I’ve also written a lot of posts about ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ and ‘fifteen minute cities’ which are linked to on this page:
Bristol is essentially a Tale of Two Cities: there's the Capital of Woke in the historic core of central Bristol, all hand-knitted yoghurts and over-priced artisan products, and then there are the northern, eastern and southern suburbs (like the banlieu around French city centres) where the economically and socially deprived denizens live, aka "the working classes". No western fringe, as that's across the Avon Gorge into Somerset countryside.
I lived in central Bristol twice, first in the mid-1980s and again in the 00s. In the 80s we had the St Paul's riots 2.0 and some horrific social problems in the housing estates in the northern and southern fringes. A friend of mine worked as a housing officer back then and related eyewitness accounts of the local yoofs in the suburb of Southmead trapping a puppy in an upturned shopping trolley out of sheer boredom and setting fire to the poor thing for fun.
Since then Bristol has steadily gentrified from the centre outward. So much so that the council and policy makers seem to have forgotten that working class people actually still exist. My story from the 00s relates to my then neighbour who worked as special education officer or such for the council, meaning basically working with the kids who got expelled from school for violence and other misdemeanours that meant no "normal" state school would take them anymore. Her job entailed travelling all over Bristol to see these kids and make sure they engaged. For that she needed her own transport in all weathers. As a lady in her late 50s and asthmatic that meant a car, a bike not being an option for her needs. Too bad the council's then transport policy did not see it like that, but the traffic plans, parking restrictions and other such obstacles meant that she could no longer carry out her work and retired early.
I've related these two anecdotes to try and highlight the discrepancy between the laptop class bubble living and working (from home or their local coffee shop) in central Bristol and those people in the surrounding working class areas. The two are like different species. Unfortunately policies are only made by one lot.
Thanks for these insights which illustrate perfectly the bubble the policy makers (and their supporters) live in. A bubble that stands in stark contrast to the reality of most of the suburbs and the satellite towns such as Keynsham where I live. One day, the isolated and deprived suburbs will reach breaking point...that's when things will start to get 'interesting'...
The greens (though all the partys have their hands in this) have been saying this will happen, 'its needed for the expansion of Smart City developements' as one of them said the other week in the local media. Its clear they want to pull out all the tricks to get this one going.
Smart City developments are interconnected to EBLN & other schemes here (As well as elsewhere). These schemes as opposed to reducing cuts & costs for working class communities, have been at the top of the council and their corporate buddies agenda. Using big and small tech companies, international finance, as well as gullible or captured charitable community organisations in the process. Targeting working class communites with free tech in an effort to propagandise Smart City developement and make it appear like it is 'people led change' ,
as opposed to the top down corporate tech-finance-state partnership & imposition that it is - Connecting Bristol, The One City Plan and others all seem to be a part of this process, all encouraged by the local council & the political partys as expected.
Both local uni's, as well as, Voscur, Bristol Energy, Knowle West Media Centre, and others like Bristol Digital Futures were envolved in this process, and probably still are trying to smooth support for the kinds of impositions that Barton Hill residents are facing. Of course the council bods and others love to use 'the environment' to justify these schemes,
Studies in to emf radiation show that Smart Tech infrastructure is disrupting & killing bees, birds, and amphibious life, as well as increasing risks of lukemia and lymphoma in children and adults alike, according to Arthur Firstenberg's studies (From The Invisable Rainbow Book) as well as scientific reports from Sweden & elsewhere.
This class system doesn't care about harming us or the environment, the global ruling class have their own fake green tech agenda. Arrogantly as always, they want to fool us in to accepting whats going on around us. Or polarise the crap out of us in the process, if we don't.
The 'Bristol is Open' project put sensors and trackers in lamposts, in the 1st phase of smart city infrastructure ( This was under Paul Wilson - project manager, back in 2016. These projects amongst other things are monitoring human behaviour within Bristol Smart City.
The disruptive processess (EBLN, ULEZ, etc) are all attempts to study & steer human pyschology towards goals more beneficial to authoritys smart city, plus encourage the affluent in to the city, electro-gentrification.
Its not nessesarily the 'wokes', though it seems that power would like us all to keep arguing around this instead, it's power/gov/corportions that are always manipulating, dividing, & stiring the shit. The roll out of modulators/road blocks, more tech, smart houses & 4iR infrastucture is helping the expansion & evloution of the digital state, or networked state, this is what big tech, finance, and government fantacize about.
Using their smart tech & monitorable e-transport is a part of this 'study' and push.
The fake excuses of protecting the the environment is their justification for projects like EBLN, ULEZ, CAZ, Smart Cities, & other schemes.
But what about if area to area, street to street, we dont want this swindle?
Solidarity with all Barton HIll residents opposing EBLN.
(Try not to get dragged down by those trying to divide you, or council cronys trying to disrupt & disorientate your struggle. Keep Sticking together through thick & thin.)
Working class autonomy & self organisation makes more sense than council control!
Bristol is essentially a Tale of Two Cities: there's the Capital of Woke in the historic core of central Bristol, all hand-knitted yoghurts and over-priced artisan products, and then there are the northern, eastern and southern suburbs (like the banlieu around French city centres) where the economically and socially deprived denizens live, aka "the working classes". No western fringe, as that's across the Avon Gorge into Somerset countryside.
I lived in central Bristol twice, first in the mid-1980s and again in the 00s. In the 80s we had the St Paul's riots 2.0 and some horrific social problems in the housing estates in the northern and southern fringes. A friend of mine worked as a housing officer back then and related eyewitness accounts of the local yoofs in the suburb of Southmead trapping a puppy in an upturned shopping trolley out of sheer boredom and setting fire to the poor thing for fun.
Since then Bristol has steadily gentrified from the centre outward. So much so that the council and policy makers seem to have forgotten that working class people actually still exist. My story from the 00s relates to my then neighbour who worked as special education officer or such for the council, meaning basically working with the kids who got expelled from school for violence and other misdemeanours that meant no "normal" state school would take them anymore. Her job entailed travelling all over Bristol to see these kids and make sure they engaged. For that she needed her own transport in all weathers. As a lady in her late 50s and asthmatic that meant a car, a bike not being an option for her needs. Too bad the council's then transport policy did not see it like that, but the traffic plans, parking restrictions and other such obstacles meant that she could no longer carry out her work and retired early.
I've related these two anecdotes to try and highlight the discrepancy between the laptop class bubble living and working (from home or their local coffee shop) in central Bristol and those people in the surrounding working class areas. The two are like different species. Unfortunately policies are only made by one lot.
Yep. Tell.me about it...
Thanks for these insights which illustrate perfectly the bubble the policy makers (and their supporters) live in. A bubble that stands in stark contrast to the reality of most of the suburbs and the satellite towns such as Keynsham where I live. One day, the isolated and deprived suburbs will reach breaking point...that's when things will start to get 'interesting'...
For a council to be this desperate to pursue their agenda they must be absolutely, well, desperate. It's beyond astonishing.
Did they learn nothing from a statue in a harbour?
The greens (though all the partys have their hands in this) have been saying this will happen, 'its needed for the expansion of Smart City developements' as one of them said the other week in the local media. Its clear they want to pull out all the tricks to get this one going.
Smart City developments are interconnected to EBLN & other schemes here (As well as elsewhere). These schemes as opposed to reducing cuts & costs for working class communities, have been at the top of the council and their corporate buddies agenda. Using big and small tech companies, international finance, as well as gullible or captured charitable community organisations in the process. Targeting working class communites with free tech in an effort to propagandise Smart City developement and make it appear like it is 'people led change' ,
as opposed to the top down corporate tech-finance-state partnership & imposition that it is - Connecting Bristol, The One City Plan and others all seem to be a part of this process, all encouraged by the local council & the political partys as expected.
Both local uni's, as well as, Voscur, Bristol Energy, Knowle West Media Centre, and others like Bristol Digital Futures were envolved in this process, and probably still are trying to smooth support for the kinds of impositions that Barton Hill residents are facing. Of course the council bods and others love to use 'the environment' to justify these schemes,
Studies in to emf radiation show that Smart Tech infrastructure is disrupting & killing bees, birds, and amphibious life, as well as increasing risks of lukemia and lymphoma in children and adults alike, according to Arthur Firstenberg's studies (From The Invisable Rainbow Book) as well as scientific reports from Sweden & elsewhere.
This class system doesn't care about harming us or the environment, the global ruling class have their own fake green tech agenda. Arrogantly as always, they want to fool us in to accepting whats going on around us. Or polarise the crap out of us in the process, if we don't.
The 'Bristol is Open' project put sensors and trackers in lamposts, in the 1st phase of smart city infrastructure ( This was under Paul Wilson - project manager, back in 2016. These projects amongst other things are monitoring human behaviour within Bristol Smart City.
The disruptive processess (EBLN, ULEZ, etc) are all attempts to study & steer human pyschology towards goals more beneficial to authoritys smart city, plus encourage the affluent in to the city, electro-gentrification.
Its not nessesarily the 'wokes', though it seems that power would like us all to keep arguing around this instead, it's power/gov/corportions that are always manipulating, dividing, & stiring the shit. The roll out of modulators/road blocks, more tech, smart houses & 4iR infrastucture is helping the expansion & evloution of the digital state, or networked state, this is what big tech, finance, and government fantacize about.
Using their smart tech & monitorable e-transport is a part of this 'study' and push.
The fake excuses of protecting the the environment is their justification for projects like EBLN, ULEZ, CAZ, Smart Cities, & other schemes.
But what about if area to area, street to street, we dont want this swindle?
Solidarity with all Barton HIll residents opposing EBLN.
(Try not to get dragged down by those trying to divide you, or council cronys trying to disrupt & disorientate your struggle. Keep Sticking together through thick & thin.)
Working class autonomy & self organisation makes more sense than council control!