On another forum that keeps getting mentioned here and is not helping this site much if people are clicking away, a call has gone out to rally the troops.
If you've read my bit on Northwood House and followed the posts in the forum you'll know what's going on there.
One particular post in this forum from Chorlton caught my eye. He says:
“France when they feel they've been hard done by, the whole country takes a stand. We did the same once through the unions, but 'The Iron Lady' sorted that out and we haven't had the backbone since to stand up against the so called leaders.”
Anyone who lived through the '70's will remember spending the evenings in darkness because of power strikes, having to bake their own bread because of the bakers strikes and of course the never ending British Leyland strikes. The next decade saw the strike that ended the unions limitless, or so they thought was limitless, power, the miners.
The trouble with this sort of action is it is the majority who suffer for the minority who have no links to the industries concerned other than being consumers. This doesn't in most cases lend support to the cause but resentment.
The call to arms by the people who are trying to save Northwood is totally different. This is not a bunch of tree huggers trying to save a piece of history, it goes much deeper and effects all Council Tax payers.
We moan that we pay too much for this or too much for that and yet we do little to rectify the situation. The elected Council are in charge of our money, not unlike a board of directors of a large company with loads of shareholders. If you rely on company shares as part of your income, then you want to know that your money is making money for you. In the case of taxes you want to know that the services provided by the elected are giving value for the amount you pay.
Over the last few years there has been a lot of Island tax payers money disappearing. The Niton Undercliff nightmare is just one example and now we are happily informed that we in essence have been ripped off by the Farrell company.
But to top it all, to fund this miss management of our money we are forced to pay an increase in Council Tax and take a drop in services.
The last big protest the Island saw was over Vestas. This was a hiding for nothing, going up against a firm. We live in a so called democracy so whatever a private firm decides no amount of protest will make a difference. Where as if enough people speak out against an elected leader action has to be taken.
As democracy stands, we give the elected individual 4 years to prove their worth and then vote them in or out. This is ludicrous, this person has been trusted to manage our money and yet for 4 years they can do as they please and have the benefit of being part of the elite top earners, while the majority of the electorate suffer on a pittance.
To semi-quote Chorlton again, there is no accountability in politics, the buck is just passed onto the next administration, who then blame the last when their plans backfire.
Isn't it time we made a stand?
