April showers

Well, this week it's my vowed aim to get away from being too serious - probably. At least away from anything too controversial - probably.

I was with my wife and one of our kids at some NHS clinic thingy this week, and a test was given to our offspring and the person said to them "Don't worry, there are no right or wrong answers, everyone's different!" And it was one of those moments where I knew what she was saying re the particular task, but what she had said I just had to note down there and then. It was one of those sentences that seem to be the strap line of th3e age in which we are living - there are no right or wrong answers about life, and the answer you do give is still right, because hey, we're all different! It got me thinking - thats the problem isn't it: the post modern shift away from saying that there is no right or wrong, and its okay to be different. These are the values which now major in our culture in regard to faith and belief, philosophy, expression of self, behaviour, and yes in bringing up children. In fact in virtually everything. There are no longer absolutes being taught or stated. Not so of course within the Christian world!

This last week I came to the realisation that in the town in which I live, there are seemingly no longer any Police. Even the local police station is closed on various days, due to cuts. You never see any Police on the streets anymore, and even those funny peculiar PSO's (the gift of New Labour) have now been been cut back, due to financial realities. Now, minor crime and street dis-order is returning to our towns. We have been given a new "low priority number" 101, which we can now phone if we're concerned. Whereas last year local Police were telling me to dial 999 regardless "to just log it" ....."for statistical purposes", now the new number puts me through to a switchboard in Portishead, I think. Actually, its bit amusing. If I dial 999 from my mobile in Somerset, i get put through to a police operator in Hampshire, who then expreses complete amazement about why this has happened, and "where is that then Sir?". So instead I dial 101 and get a nice recorded voice, which then goes into a waiting stack (I think it plays music) [what should they play?] (Gilbert and Sullivan - "A policeman's lot is not a nappy one [nappy one]). So I'm trying to report some street violence from some drunk young people who are jumping in front of cars, banging on local shops fronts, jumping on and off waiting buses and being fairly crude to everyone, and get told that my call has been given the highest priority possible. But as I explain to my daughter, there's unlikely to anyone on duty except one office has to cover a  50 to 70 mile radius. So, what's the point? And, why are we paying our taxes for local Police funding when there are none to be seen for miles. Ah, but there's CTV - don't get me started!

Finally, as a local school governor who takes his kids to school, I'm desperate to do anything to help. If I seen drains that need clearing of leaves, or leaves that need sweeping up, then surely I should do what any right minded person should do? Get a broom and sweep them up? But oh no! I have to have a risk assessment done! My local head teacher patiently explains to me, that the government hasn't actually done away with the all this litigation rubbish, and in fact I still need to be trained in how to clear up leaves, just in case!