End of the pier show

摘要

This national obsession with economic growth is, Diary fears, getting out of hand. As a case in point, Diary points west to Bumham-on-Sea, Somerset, where Cllr Louise Parkin suggests the locals must stop poking fun at outsiders to make theseaside town more tourist-friendly. Cllr Parkin wishes to impose a ban on residents making use of the derogatory term 'grockle', a New Forest import word denoting foreigners (see illustration). Tourists are the life blood for many businesses here and we should be welcoming them with open arms and encouraging them to visit, not calling them this outdated term.'