Following the article in the last issue of Muther Grumble about the UK Club in Loret del Mar, Spain, and the dealings of a certain Darlington councillor, Mark Nayman, we have a few more discoveries to reveal.

It was recently reported that Treasury officials have been called in to investigate an alleged illegal currency deal.

This followed a statement by Mr Eddie Rush (the club manager and one-time partner in Bondgate Insurance, Cllr Nayman's company) that he "and another investor took the money out of the country (G Britain) knowing it was illegal, on behalf of the other investors, to avoid tax".

Bearing in mind Cllr Nayman's previous statement that "I am not a partner in the club, in fact I have no financial interest in it whatsoever", and that he "just happened to be on holiday when I heard about the trouble (financial) and called in at the club to help smooth things over", we can read on.

Among the people alleged by Mr Rush to be investors in the club are Councillor John Biagioni (Liberal, Darlington Council), Councillor Mark Nayman (Labour, Darlington Council), Mrs Margaret Nayman (Cllr Nayman's wife), Mr Hyman Nayman (Cllr Nayman's brother), Mrs Rita Stoggell (Cllr Nayman's sister).

One of the reasons given by Mr Rush for the failure of the club was that it opened at Easter and nobody told the investors that there were no British tourists in Spain that early in the year.

A new hostel in Newcastle is planned to open in about 3 years. It will have ten beds for drug addicts and eighteen for alcoholics. The area it will cater for includes the whole of County Durham and Newcastle.

Considering that at the present time, in just 2 towns, there are at least 30 registered addicts, i.e. 11 in N/cle and another 20 in South Shields (which has the largest ratio of addicts per population outside London) plus the fact that 18 x 10 would be a little nearer the amount of alcoholics, this gesture at easing the problem is like the proverbial pee in the ocean.

If you know who is responsible for such planning in the region please give them a shake as they must be asleep!

"If anything goes wrong blame the workers", seems to be the most recent battle-cry of industry. Ford and Chrysler are blaming the poor quality of their vehicles on the production line workers (though no mention is made of poor materials, plant machinery and the boredom and frustration the workforce has to suffer). Just after the bank holiday, Watsons Carriers of Spennymoor, immediately set the police on to an employee when 12 parcels of drugs went missing.

Watsons Carriers are the biggest delivery service in the north-east and employ about 150 men. The firm has a huge warehouse piled high with all kinds of goods and is obviously a tempting target for those seeking to supplement their income by illegal means. Also, with the warehouse being so big, it is easy to misplace a few parcels. Yet when the 12 parcels didn't turn up at the chemist they were destined for, the management immediately presumed that the delivery driver had stolen them.

So the police were called in. They questioned the driver, Gordon Ball, and then searched his house, ordering him and his mother to stay in the downstairs room even though they had a right to witness the search. Nothing was found.

The next day the 12 parcels were found in Watsons' warehouse. They had not been in the right place and had been overlooked when Gordon's van was loaded.

However, both the police and Watsons management refused to apologise to Gordon, after all he is only a worker, and it's bad for industrial and police / public relations if the managers and the police chiefs admit to being wrong, so the drivers, loaders and mechanics walked out and threatened to do so for one day in every week until an apology was forthcoming.

But, in typical union style, the local shop stewards stepped in and claimed to have "smoothed things over", i.e. got the men back to work without an apology. Still, there's hope that the men won't listen to their leaders.

Darlington Claimants Union are now nicely settled in at 5 Chancery Lane. They are in possession of a duplicator which is available to good causes for a small contribution to their funds.

It is rumoured that a certain gentleman recently returned from the East where he discovered a tasty brand of tea. Being a cuppa connoisseur he was showing off his prize brew to a friend over a pint at his local one evening when two long-haired gentlemen stepped forth from the crowd and escorted him to the nearest police station.

Our hero tried to explain the merits of the particular brew to the two policemen who said that they had heard the tale before and would seek an expert opinion. Meanwhile they lodged him for the rest of the night.

The following morning our hero was released with apologies after having to suffer the lowly brew that is renowned in such establishments.

Recently, Newcastle Socialist Women's Action Group advertised a meeting they were holding in the Bridge Hotel. Most of the posters they stuck up, inadvertently found themselves covering C&A posters advising people to buy their clothes there - thus lining the coffers of one of the most fascist firms to survive the second world war.

During the eventual meeting, a little man from the store delivered a message claiming about £25 compensation for damage to C&A's posters. People at the Bridge weren't amused and now C&A employers are advised not to quench their thirst there. Naturally SWAG are not feeling inclined to part with their money.

A week or so after South Shields Trades Union Council had distributed an anti-armed forces recruitment pamphlet to school leavers and the young unemployed (the pamphlet was reproduced in the last MG), the Navy held a recruitment campaign in the town. When questioned by a local newspaper reporter about whether or not he knew of the campaign, one officer said of course he did, but it was about not joining the army, and he agreed with that - the navy was different - shiver me polarises!

MG has some copies of the anti-recruitment leaflet so if ya want one please contact us.