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Harry sipped at her wine in the sunshine and enjoyed her pasta. It was a lovely little restaurant Alex had suggested, slap bang in the centre of Crown Estate of course. The man wasn't subtle.
"So are you going to help?" he pushed.
"I don't know Alex. There doesn't seem to be much of a story here, not really."
"But they are up to something?"
"Who are they? and what are they up to?"
Alex waved his arms at her, "isn't that what you are supposed to find out?"
"Look Alex, if Crown Estate weren't in a historical part of town with a huge government protection order on it, it would have been bulldozed long ago."
"But..."
"No buts, yes it's pretty and yes there's a community there, but the place is a ghetto. Half the people there are refugees from the collapse of Yugoslavia, infant mortality is higher than anywhere else in Illyria, as is the crime rate. The place isn't quite the slum it's being painted, I'll give you that, but it isn't functional."
"Then why aren't we being offered a sensible alternative."
"Because the City Council is crap. They're in a tail-spin about its historical status, and what should replace the apartments once they are rebuilt, and so no one is doing anything in the hope that the problem will go away. `City Council is a bit Crap' is not a headline that sells newspapers."
"So all I'm getting is the photo shoot?" Alex scowled at her.
"Honestly Alex, playing up the historical angle is your best card. Push the rennovation angle, is there anyone interested in renovating the blocks?"
"Don't know, I'd not really thought about it."
"Well, if you want to save the estate then you need to give that sub-committee on the historical parts of town an alternative to demolition and rebuilding. Some kind of renovation scheme or plan is the way to go."
"Do you know anyone who might be interested."
"I'm a journalist Alex, not your campaign manager. I'm just telling you that you don't have a story. If, on the other hand, there was a viable alternative to demolition and it was being ignored then you would have a story."
"What about the dodgy construction thing?"
"I'll look into that, it might be a story, but just because that tower block is being built on the cheap isn't going to save your estaste."
Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for the man, he looked so crestfallen. "Cheer up Alex, the whole thing is so wrapped up in red-tape it'll be years before they actually do anything."
Alex shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Harry sipped at her wine in the sunshine and enjoyed her pasta. It was a lovely little restaurant Alex had suggested, slap bang in the centre of Crown Estate of course. The man wasn't subtle.
"So are you going to help?" he pushed.
"I don't know Alex. There doesn't seem to be much of a story here, not really."
"But they are up to something?"
"Who are they? and what are they up to?"
Alex waved his arms at her, "isn't that what you are supposed to find out?"
"Look Alex, if Crown Estate weren't in a historical part of town with a huge government protection order on it, it would have been bulldozed long ago."
"But..."
"No buts, yes it's pretty and yes there's a community there, but the place is a ghetto. Half the people there are refugees from the collapse of Yugoslavia, infant mortality is higher than anywhere else in Illyria, as is the crime rate. The place isn't quite the slum it's being painted, I'll give you that, but it isn't functional."
"Then why aren't we being offered a sensible alternative."
"Because the City Council is crap. They're in a tail-spin about its historical status, and what should replace the apartments once they are rebuilt, and so no one is doing anything in the hope that the problem will go away. `City Council is a bit Crap' is not a headline that sells newspapers."
"So all I'm getting is the photo shoot?" Alex scowled at her.
"Honestly Alex, playing up the historical angle is your best card. Push the rennovation angle, is there anyone interested in renovating the blocks?"
"Don't know, I'd not really thought about it."
"Well, if you want to save the estate then you need to give that sub-committee on the historical parts of town an alternative to demolition and rebuilding. Some kind of renovation scheme or plan is the way to go."
"Do you know anyone who might be interested."
"I'm a journalist Alex, not your campaign manager. I'm just telling you that you don't have a story. If, on the other hand, there was a viable alternative to demolition and it was being ignored then you would have a story."
"What about the dodgy construction thing?"
"I'll look into that, it might be a story, but just because that tower block is being built on the cheap isn't going to save your estaste."
Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for the man, he looked so crestfallen. "Cheer up Alex, the whole thing is so wrapped up in red-tape it'll be years before they actually do anything."
Alex shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure."