I always knew my views were likely to get me blacklisted one day. I just didn't expect it to be my views on Shotley Gate. For the first time in six months, I visited 'My Shotley' last night, the parish council website which I was asked to create/edit back in 2004 (which is the kind of offer you can't refuse. Except that I did), and it turns out they've removed their link to my Shotley Gate page.

However... they haven't removed the mention of it. It's still listed as "Phil Gardner's View of Shotley Gate", but they've slapped a "[link removed]" sign after it, as though I've violated some kind of moral decency code, and whilst they're forced to acknowledge my existence, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to link to me.

Despite moving to Brighton, my website still exists, and it's still 'Phil Gardner's view of Shotley Gate', so there's no reason not to link to it... unless they're uncomfortable with the views I express. But hey, isn't that the whole point of having views? That you say what you think, rather than what everyone else thinks? And wasn't it my Shotley Gate page which made them ask me to be their webmaster in the first place? Of course, that was before I started speaking out against the local NIMBYs, and saying that actually building a local shop might not be such a bad thing after all. Which is the kind of opinion you can be shot for in Suffolk.

Anyhoo, it's all very mysterious, so I think I'll e-mail them for clarification. I'm sure they'll be happy to explain. Personally I think it all changed when I slagged off Laurie Mayer. That man has powerful friends.

In other news, I saw the film 'Saw' (I took the title as an instruction) last night, having opted to buy the DVD for £5 at Asda on Tuesday, rather than following Lisa's advice and spending £9.90 on a bottle of 'No Snax' instead. Admittedly 'No Snax' allows you to "spray away the little hunger", but at ten quid a bottle, I just know I'd develop a grand-a-week habit within a fortnight. So I went for the DVD instead. And I have to say it was superb. I'd recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach and a love of intestines. And as for the twist at the end, I think it even beats 'The Game' to the title of 'Phil's Phavourite Philm Phinale'. It was outstanding from start to finish.

Of course, having enjoyed two hours of movie mayhem, I then deeply depressed myself by going on the internet and discovering that it was written and directed by a couple of 26-year-old Australians, one of whom was in Neighbours in 1996, and who wrote this, his first movie script, just so that he could get an acting job. They're now both millionaires and still in their twenties. I think I might as well give up now.