Update 2010 No. 2
Published 29th December 2010
Dear Summerway Friend,
I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas, coped with all the consequences of it being a white one and are enjoying the best of health. I still have most of my Christmas cards to write and send! L
Here, it feels like I’m with Alice and the Red Queen – “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”. Lewis Carroll understood the emotion for sure. This year is drawing to a close so fast that far too much on 2010’s ‘to do’ list will be C/F to join 2011’s proposed projects as items B/F.
• Newcourt Travellers’ Site. 60 Exeter citizens were permitted to observe the Executive
Committee meeting at the Civic Centre on 23rd November and 160 were excluded, remaining
in the reception area. The Committee voted 8-
(Click here) for details and the beginning of a dialogue with the Chief Executive.
• A Welcome Meeting. Following my letter to Mr Bostock, which received a reply from Ms Bindu Arjoon (Assistant Chief Executive), I emailed (a response) to Ms Arjoon’s letter to her. Her subsequent verbal suggestion that we meet in the new year has resulted in a confirmed meeting to talk things over scheduled for 10th January. I’m hoping Ms Arjoon will become the first ECC officer to grasp the situation faced by the volunteers and children of the Summerway Junior LTC. Closed minds so far!
• Council Decisions. The Express & Echo quoted Pete Edwards, ECC’s leader, as saying, “The council has made a decision and that is it. I understand the strength of feeling but the decision has been made.” (view quote) Democracy seems stuffed! Summerway suffered similar arrogance.
• Freedom of Information. A FOI request to ECC concerning the footpath/cycle track linking Willow Way and Pinhoe Road was made in June 2009. The response was inappropriate, so the request was resubmitted in August 2010. Documents were received in September which I am eager to examine in detail, but other more pressing commitments have higher priority. Item C/F to 2011 !!!
• Website and Videos. Not before time, the website ‘Text Search’ MS Word document has been updated, and now stands at over 3MB. Viewings of our YouTube videos continue to tick over, no doubt partially due to the little cards I hand out to all and sundry on a daily basis. They make an interesting item of conversation with strangers and friends. Total now exceeds 22,000 viewings.
• The Watchers. Unsurprisingly, each time an update is published, a small number have become undeliverable. Addresses do occasionally lapse, usually with a change of ISP, and contact is lost if the new address has not been notified. The mailing list grows vigorously, however, as far more new Watchers are added than old ones are lost. Please let me know if you change your email address.
• Royal Mail Bullying. Large businesses which do not wish company policy to be questioned are expert in holding customers and the public at bay. This allows those in top management to do as they please irrespective of morality. I have prepared the ground for my next step in attempting to influence Royal Mail policy for the good of its customers. I’m waiting for a suitable time to act.
I hope you are looking forward to the New Year with as much eager enthusiasm as we are. With Poppy and so much else to keep us occupied, life is anything but dull. As another year rolls by, I wish you good health, a mind at peace and God’s richest blessings throughout 2011.
With warmest regards,
Jim.