Corbridge calling...… Corbridge calling.... Is Tory Nick Oliver the new Lord Haw Haw, king of fake news?

In a crowded field, Tory Nick Oliver, the twice bankrupt Cabinet Member for Corporate Services (that's finances to you and me) is staking out a strong claim to take over the King of Fake News mantle from the increasingly embattled council leader Peter Jackson. In an age where Northumberland's social media has been infected by the fake news virus, we're calling out the fake news purveyors and their toadies on social media. Whether it be fake profiles or fake 'independents', UKIP bailers or Lib Dem 'sell outs', Nick Oliver is certainly leading the way.

Here's a list of Oliver's favourite 'fake news lines' (We've nicknamed them the 'Fakies and there will be an awards ceremony to be held in the Ashington Hole) 

1.   There was a loss to the tax payer for the stand Ashington Football Club - even the auditor wouldn't back his claim up and his only ally in this claim was the increasingly shrill Chair of Audit who describes herself as an independent which shows she's not lost her sense of irony or her love of Ice Cream parlours. 

2.   The Chair of Arch was chauffeured around Cannes at the tax payers expense - The chair wasn't even in Cannes and the taxi was paid for by a private company - cue more shrill comments from the Ice Cream loving 'independent chair of audit'. 

3.   Labour created a £65m black hole - not even the auditor claims that the last administration created a 'financial blackhole' - in fact is created the opposite - £88m in reserves and £1b investment programme which increased revenue to the council at a time where Oliver's government were cutting council grants by over 85%. 

4.   There is no legal action alleging bullying, intimidation and corruption (or to give it its technical name misfeasance in public office) against the Leader, Oliver's Cabinet colleague and the Chief Executive - Lord Haw Haw once claimed 'that the people of England would curse themselves for preferring ruin from Churchill than peace from Hitler' - we all know how that ended up and its time local Tories woke up to the fact that they are faced with serious and potentially criminal charges. Instead of hiding behind the council tax payer who will pick up the bill for defending the serious allegations against the 'Core Strategy Three' why don't they just address the allegations lodged against them? Why not let the public decide on who is telling the truth?  

5.   There is a criminal investigation into Arch - Northumbria Police statement 'There is no criminal investigation into Arch' - Nick Oliver and his 'Neopolitan flavoured mukka the 'independent Chair of Audit' have regularly claimed that 'they can't speak about the evidence they've got, seen or imagined' yet they're quick to make claims without the evidence. When oh when will they end their illegal £500,000 witchunt? Not before the 2021 local elections we fear. 

6.   Arch once bought a £58 bottle of wine at Cannes - Oliver faces a future where a £58 bottle of wine will be described as value for money compared to potentially unlawful breaches of contract costing millions, dodgy and prejudiced investigations designed to smear their Labour 'demons' costing hundreds of thousands and a systematic politicisation of so called independent and non-political officers. Context is everything so when the legal action Oliver denies exists ends up costing the tax payer over 21,500 bottles of £58 wine, we'll see what his mea culpa is. 

7.   We're releasing this information about Active/Arch/Council finances because we're the most transparent council - The last council meeting ended up with a scene described as a cut from a Carry On film. Maybe the title could be Carry On Cover Up as the legal advice which stopped the meeting had a gag order placed on the legal advice. Councillors were warned they could not talk about the legal advice. Oliver has consistently made contradictory claims without any evidence. 

If ever there was a fitting metaphor for this scandal racked Tory regime is the news that the work being carried out on County Hall (which Peter Jackson infamously claimed only needed a £500,000 lick of paint) had caused the air conditioning to pack up. 

We hope that the £17m plus being pumped into a building which was described as 'clapped out' will keep the air conditioning on in the future while Ashington continues to be reminded every day of Tory failure with a massive hole. 

One wag claimed that Oliver was seen furiously digging in the Ashington 'hole'. For credibility's sake, one hopes that Oliver stops digging and takes a vow of silence as the facts are presented to the public of Northumberland by the growing number of external agencies who are taking an interest in Peter 'The Con' Jackson's first 150 days.

The sad thing is for 'Lord Haw Haw' and his co-conspirators is that they've done lasting damage in their short time and cost tax payers many millions and that really is no laughing matter.