My view of our present Government and Cabinet seems validated by the German Chancellor’s comments recently. She certainly sees Mrs May as a very lightweight irrelevance.
Perhaps we should anticipate extensive financial restructuring during the term of the next parliament – possibly covering more in four or five years than has happened in the last half century.
As predictable black-holes will have to be plugged, colossal savings can (and no doubt will) be made by a total overhaul of the Government machine at all levels. Present costs cannot be justified and maintained.
However, although Neil Bingham’s letter (“Criminals should be hit harder”) highlights difficult social issues, it overlooks why so many criminals seem to hold our law in contempt. Could it be that they are aware of such blatant self-interest in local and National Government personnel, that lead them to consider honesty and integrity to be outdated concepts? Does it appear that if you hold your nerve and smile sweetly while permanently lying, you might get away with virtually anything? Do they believe that corruption is so endemic that other crime can be overlooked?
Fortunately, considerable information exists (publicly in both local and national press, and via Freedom of Information legislation) to review all aspects of incomes, expenses, property transaction and tax records etc, particularly with MPs, county councillors and district councillors to facilitate any future enquiry.
At parish level, I was surprised to read that the district council has pre-empted a decision to approve an application for the current representatives of the village football club to “steal” the field from the parishioners as a whole. I say surprised because (as a genuinely elected parish councillor as compared to being merely co-opted like all the other mates, relatives and business associates) at the last general meeting when I asked specifically, the football club in its latest form (as the planning department is fully aware) doesn’t even have an established lease for the field, much less any right to presume to own it and build on it.
Parishioners may question the existing parish council’s fitness for purpose? I cannot trace any attempt that it has made to communicate with, inform, consult and co-operate with the electorate on this issue.
Having studied John Hayes’ ‘manifesto’ I would suggest that if he seriously expects to retain credibility in our community as a whole, bearing in mind that the average public attendance at parish council meetings is nil (it is actively discouraged), he gives this matter urgent attention, and ignores misinformation from his regular sources.
As he did nothing to oppose the plans to build a biomass plant in Wardentree Lane, he has a lot of ground to make up.
Pinchbeck
