T H E O A K S
A message from Rev David Brammer: Rector's ReflectionsBlessedBad-tempered, I stepped outTo breathe in lifeand a leaf, upon my shoe, fell, silent.This week I experienced righteous anger, my righteous anger against an injustice inflicted upon the community of Acton. Strong stuff, I know but it is what I witnessed in the chambers of the Town Hall as the councillors debated the merits or other of the proposed Oaks Development which backs onto the graveyard. As some of you may know I was not opposed to the development per se, but I was passionately opposed to this development plan and was asked to speak against it in the chambers. Now I am not going into the merits or criticisms of the proposal here, of course there are two sides to any debate, what angered me was the underhanded way in which the decision was made. Basically in my view the Labour party councillors on the committee had been ‘whipped’ to vote for the development running roughshod over all the very well argued points by all parties against the proposal. Those dissenting voices included our two non-voting central Acton Labour councillors and a large body of the public within the local community. As we left the chamber with the members of the public in the gallery aghast at what had taken place, the vote 7-6 in favour of the development, I felt like shouting ‘here is your thirty pieces of silver’. I also felt conned into believing that, against my better judgement, on this particular issue our elected political leaders would listen to the community. Sadly it was business as usual. Cynically I am aware that the opposition want to score points in this debate, politics is politics but no wonder people are disillusioned. Call me naive but are not our councillors and MPs elected to represent us the people who vote for them, not the interests of big business and multi-nationals? (Yes David you are naive). Yet as I stepped out into the street on a remarkably mild October night, I breathed the air in through my nostrils and exhaled through my mouth the pollution of what had occurred and thought it is the politicians who need rescuing from their own mendacity before their humanity is lost within the mire. David
David Buckingham ● 4712d33 Comments ● 4699d