Did one hear that the Portugese Police now consider they acted too hastily naming the Mc.Canns as ‘Aguido’? Even so the child is still missing and none should forget that to be so.

HIDING ONES LIGHTS UNDER A BUSHELL?
Salisbury District COUNCILLORS for Tisbury and Fovant Ward.
Once again both the Nadder Valley Web Site and Focus the ‘Community Magazine’ deprive the local Electorate of the information that the Ward is represented jointly and severally by not ONE, but by TWO District Councillors. There is no division of responsibility between the Tisbury Parishes and the rest. Some years ago I sought to point out that we had then both Mrs Jose Green and J.H. as our duly elected Councillors. Why was it that Focus made mention only of J.H. when in Office? Why is it that now one sees only Councillor Richard Beattie listed? Being something of a boor, one again mentioned to Focus that our Ward had returned not one but two District Councillors in May last year. This drew the response that if Richard Beattie was the one, which the name of the other? Mrs Green is a long standing resident of the Tisbury and Fovant Ward, and been its Independent District Council for many years. She is now the Chair of Western Area Planning.

Should any wonder at the Apathy of the Electorate? I have no wish to be invidious but Councillor Green has topped the Poll twice in succession. Why is the casual observer deprived knowledge of such information?

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
Whilst mentioning the Nadder Valley Web Site, how pretty its New Front Page. It is not immediately obvious what goodies are to be uncovered by clicking the red of TISBURY on the map. Surely one should be able to enter the name of either Tisbury Parish Council into ‘Google’, and see precisely that, rather than just the detail of several local shops and that ubiquity ‘Papalscope‘.

It would be interesting if a ‘hit counter’ was inserted onto the Parish Councils’ entries, so as to assess how many of us are able to find and hopefully read the Parish Minutes. Put other Parish names into ‘Google’ and you can read all about them. Try Swallowcliffe!

Focus is a Church Publication, that most buy not only to be supportive, but so that one may read its ‘Whats on’ Yellow Pages. Maybe any suggestion that it is a Community Magazine would be disingenuous, when those ‘Freebies’, The Nadder News and the Blackmore Vale are the publications of first resort.

COUNCIL HOUSING.
In this village, so undoubtedly it is the same elsewhere, now privately owned ex. Council and MOD housing resells for c.£200,000. This represents an excellent profit for any former tenants who originally bought their Homes off the Council for well under £10,000. It would be interesting to be told what percentage of those original purchasers paid the money 'Up front' and what percentage relied on a Council Mortgage.

‘VISION NEWS’ had an interesting item this week.
Social Housing Provision in Salisbury
Nick Radford, from Vision News TV, Salisbury ’s Community internet news station, talks to Tim Elliot, Vice Chairman of South Wiltshire Defend Council Housing Association about the future of Social Housing. I commend the interview to you, for the substance of it touches upon the cynical sell off of Council Housing after the 1979 Parliamentary Election. (What did happen about that Councillor since arraigned in Westminster ?)

Nick Radford’s interviewee gave statistical data concerning the result of a Poll that proposed the transfer of ‘Council Houses’ from the Salisbury Council to an Housing Association.

I do not recall as a Community Charge payer being consulted by the Salisbury District Council whether the ownership of such housing should or should not be transferred to a Housing Association. All said and done Social housing is no more owned by the tenants of such accommodation, than it is by those of us who are less fortunate. Whichever way the Tenants voted in a Poll is but one factor to be taken into consideration.

It must surely be the responsibility of Our Elected District Councillors to decide on the future management of the Council Housing Stock. Should not their decision be based on what is the better interest of the whole Community, rather than be unduly obsequious to the views of those who have a more immediate vested interest.

As things stand Salisbury District Council will soon become but a part of a Unitary Authority. That Authority would be quite as likely to install the needy of Swindon in one of ‘Their’ Salisbury Houses, as install a Salisbury Family in need of a Home.

The current Chant of Tisbury Folk is ‘Tisbury Social Housing for Tisbury Persons’ there is resentment that ‘Our Housing Stock’ is often now the Home of Salisbury Folk. The truth of the matter is that our Tisbury Council Stock belongs not to Tisbury Parish, but to The Salisbury District Council as a whole.
As is now so it will be in the times of Unitary Authority.

INTERNET FRAUD
One is constantly admonished by the Constabulary concerning the naiveté our Fiduciary and other Security.
Why is it that Bank Cards bear a Security Code number on the Reverse side so that all who legitimately or illegitimately handle the card are able to see it. Wherein the security if when ‘ordering on line’ one is required to give its last three digits to a third party, any of whom if so minded could immediately put the information to personal advantage.

My Correspondent Prince Ondongo of Nigeria, oft requests that very information, that he too might credit my account with undreamed of wealth. It seems churlish to deny him ,what needs so freely to be given to others. Unfortunately cyberspace has become as a Vipers nest. A recent foray into Car Insurance Quotes on line attracted a number of ‘age related’ offers that had never previously been so profusely present. Having the suspicious mind one has been encouraged to develop. One suspects that the system leaks.

ENGLISH HERITAGE has been ‘getting stick’ for cutting down the Brushwood surround of Old Sarum. ‘Loss of an amenity, which other leafy glade may we and our dogs ramble’ the locals ask. ‘Public Consultation’ the cry. Those unfamiliar with old Sarum might believe that some ancient forestation was being felled , rather than that brush wood was being culled, not for the first time even in my limited use of the site. ( Yes I too had a dog).

Surely even the humblest Gardener knows that where any sort of weed is allowed to grow unhindered, it will cause damage to any structure ( for such is Old Sarum) that its roots grow through. Are we to have our own ‘Ancor Wat ‘or What ? If this was to be so, English Heritage would be accused of the Vandalism of neglect, if not near Criminal irresponsibility.

THE BISHOP OF ROCHESTER is alleged to have received anonymous phone calls to his home telling him that he will not live long if he continues to criticise Islam. It is reported that Muslim and Church Leaders joined forces to condemn such a threat. Was it not ‘Multi Culturism’ that the Bishop was against. Has that form of words become synonymous with the Islamic Faith? The implication in the reportage is that some Muslim had threatened the Bishop. Who knows but the probability is that this threat came from some Person or Persons unknown who wished to give the Islamic Faith a bad name. Many people espouse a Politically Correct attitude in life, but express a different point of view in private. Nobody asked me whether I wished to be multi-cultural; as I wrote previously I have enough trouble being mono-cultural, if cultured at all. Who started this nonsense in the first place, was that too a Thatcherite Rallying Call.