CASUAL VACANCIES.
Those of us not attuned to our new circumstance may have been surprised to hear that following our May 2009, Elections for the Wiltshire Unitary Authority, Notice of a Casual vacancy arising there on, was posted on July 16th. 2009.

After delving in the recesses of the Internet, one discovered that a well respected 82 year old Conservative Councillor for the Southwick Division, one Tony Phillips OBE. had died whilst gardening on the 22nd June. Apparently he had planned to stand for re-election in May 2013 thus to complete sixty years as a Councillor, if not 62. I for one would have liked to have met this gentleman. RIP. Wisdom still comes with old age, or so it behoves me to believe.

The late Tony Phillips was a manifestation of North Wiltshire, whilst we in Tisbury are by comparison Southerners. They to paraphrase Chamberlain
‘Are a people of a far away Country whom we know nothing of’. Thus we had better not flatter ourselves that they know anything of Tisbury, let alone West Tisbury.

This Notice of a Vacancy seeks to know if there are two Southwick Electors, who think it worthwhile calling another Election, or whether the seat is better filled by co-option. I really hope there is an election otherwise the majority party will probably co-opt some re-cycled ‘May Day’ reject from elsewhere. One may wonder what the Conservative Party has done with that old slogan.
‘One needs a local Resident to represent one, rather than any outsider?’

Locally, The Unitary Authority Election in May 2009 had a likeness to a game of Musical Chairs. The then former C.Cllrs. Mrs B. Wayland, and Tony Deane , and District Cllrs. Mrs Jose Green, and George Jeans, and Richard Beattie; each one way or another engaged in a soft shoe shuffle that ousted former District Councillors Mrs C. Spencer, David Parker, and Peter Edge of Wilton from their Public Service. Such are the rules of the game, for did not the Evangelist relate,

' Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.'

For many years Wilton was represented on the District Council by the said Peter Derek Edge, a Wilton businessman. He as ever standing as a Liberal Democrat was defeated at the Unitary Authority's Poll by Tisbury's sitting Parish Councillor and immediate past joint District Councillor ,Richard Beattie. Edge losing the seat to him by all of twenty two votes. Know from Personal experience how he may feel. Councillor Beattie will leave his mark on the Unitary Authority and those in Rural Circumstance will benefit from his strident representation of 'our' cause in the new Council.

The Votes in the Wilton and Lower Wyle Division were; Conservatives 614, Liberal Democrats 592, Labour 89, Uk Independence Party 264. Such was the expressed opinion of the Division.

What might have happened had there not been a Labour Candidate Standing ? Would there have been 89 votes less cast, or would these adherents have cast their vote in favour of the Conservative?Possibly that would have been less than likely. What matters it now, for sure as 'eggs is eggs' ( X=X if you see the correlation) had Labour given its support to either the UK.Independence Party or the Liberal Democrats, then this seat would not have gone to the Conservatives, which might have been in their political interest, nor would Tisbury have been deprived of its now resigned popular Parish Councillor.

Were all those votes cast for the UK. Independence Party a complete waste of time? However well intended , such intervention in local Governance swung the result not only in 'Wilton' but elsewhere, that apart were those votes ineffectively cast? There are no end of Conservatives who would prefer Independence. If any feel strongly on the matter, maybe he or she should pro- agitate from within any Party that has a realistic chance of success. I could name one Political Party that might benefit from 'New Think', or even just a little more 'Think'.

So Southwick has had the misfortune to lose its recently elected Unitary Councillor, Tisbury lost a Parish Councillor to Wilton, and too West Tisbury is seemingly short of another. Have no idea of the state of Play, no doubt someone will be elected to the County, and others will be co-opted to either of our Parish Councils, there eligible to hold unelected office as a Parish Councillor until May 2113.

WHAT OF THE AREA'S BORED ?
Today I saw a notice on a Parish Notice Board advising of the Public Meeting held in Mere on July 14.th. of Our Area Board.... Bastille Day, there's a thought now. Who elected that lot ? Does it have a membership, or is it a public bun fight? I do recall there being talk of the matter at a meeting in the Hinton Hall on Wednesday the 18th June 2008. Is this the 'Community Area Partnership' then mentioned?
'Papalscope' commented at the time,
'There was an air of scepticism amidst the Audience, even so when a show of hands was called, the majority was interested in investigating the matter further, mysteriously some who voted against the idea, signifed an interest to pursue the case, which had been presented with all the enthusiasm, that one might expect to hear of a Recruiting Pyramid Salesman.'

Well what happened after that? I may have heard, again after the event, that there had been some other meeting. Is this again a matter of POOR COMMUNICATION. Not everyone attends the BOOT INN. We need a PARISH WEB SITE, and we still need a decent Notice Board with open access. The Pandora site has recently sprouted a Tis Bus lollipop board, and still the Telephone Poles are bedecked with 'Pin Up's' None of them a patch on how such things were when I was a lad.

WHEN DO WE NEED IT? WE NEED IT NOW PLEASE.

We also need a COMMUNITY NEWS LETTER, Focus seems inadequate to our Civic Parish's Needs. 26th July 2009