WEZZIE GEZZIE’S SPLASH REHASH

By Phil Supplements

SAD times at The Westmorland Gazette – once Cumbria’s finest local newspaper – but long ago put out to pasture by owners Scroogequest.

The ‘Wezzie Gezzie’ in Kendal has just splashed on a story that a week ago led its “sister” paper, The Crumberland News, Carlisle.

Time was when The Gazette wouldn’t dream of copying a competitor’s front page that had been in circulation for a week.

But anything goes under Scroogequest!

“Today The Westmorland Gazette joins with Cumbrian farmers in calling for the Government to rethink its inheritance tax plans,” thundered the Gazette’s page one lead this week.

On November 22nd, The Crumberland News splashed with the same story: “The Cumberland News is standing with Cumbria’s farmers as we call on the Government to rethink its crippling farm tax plan!”

The Gazette version is mutton dressed as lamb and well past its sell-by date.

It puts the once-proud Kendal paper a whiffy week behind The CN and nearly a FORTNIGHT after the actual farmers’ march on Westminster.

How did this ever pass the smell test? Indeed, does a smell test even exist anymore. . .

The article and inside feature, were at least, comprehensively done.

Coming as they did from Maureen Hodges, the formidable farming editor of The Cumberland News, who will no doubt have silently recoiled at having to RE-HEAT old news for the paper down the road short of a splash this week.

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