“The public are apathetic and can’t be bothered to vote.” It must be right; it was exactly how I felt about elections, particularly local ones. Commentators, newspapers, television, wireless and most of all politicians, have this view. I had never found politics boring but I had also caught the ‘can’t be bothered’ disease. Continue reading Ryeview – July 2003
If we could have avoided BSE in cattle would we have? If we could have avoided n.v.CJD in humans would we have? If we could have avoided the loss of Ryedale’s water meadow habitats and flower meadows would we have? The answers are of course yes, yes and yes. Continue reading Ryeview – June 2003
Second homes are a blight on rural communities. Many places have so many of these empty houses that during the week and for many months of the year they become ‘ghost villages’. This is only the start of the problem. The well off arrive with a cheque book funded by a large South East salary: local people don’t stand a chance. House prices rocket out of the reach of the young and even the average waged. Our communities were vibrant with extended families representing all generations. Now the villages and dales have become residential areas for the elderly, middle-aged survivors and Executives. It is ‘ethnic cleansing’ driven by a lack of planning and greed. Rural families who have lived in villages for centuries let alone decades are being driven out. Continue reading Ryeview – May 2003
So Safeway is going to be taken over by another supermarket. Will it be Sainsbury, Morrisons, or Wal-Mart (Asda)? Does it matter? Continue reading Ryeview – January 2003
When asked am I an optimist or a pessimist my reply is that I am an optimist. “Things may not turn out as bad as I think they will!” Looking forward at this time of year it is only going to get colder and wetter. But NO. The 21st of December is the winter solstice. From now on the days are going to get longer. In only three weeks we will be in mid January. From then on it tends to get warmer. Continue reading Ryeview – December 2002
Farming, in parallel with the rest of society, has for 50 years gone ever faster down the ‘motorway’. Everyone is living on borrowed money which no-one will lend. Farming has been reduced from the second oldest profession to a low value commodity producer. Continue reading Ryeview – October 2002
It may not be appropriate to write a column that contradicts a fellow columnist. There are two reasons for putting pen to paper. The subject is very important for Ryedale and secondly, to put it simply, Paul Andrews has, in my opinion, got it wrong. (Ryeview August 21st?)
Along with many others he seems to believe that the proposed Yorkshire and Humberside Region would be controlled by the Labour Party. His reasoning being that Continue reading Ryeview – October 2002
Afghanistan lost the war. The ‘civilized world’ won. The next potential target for the ‘civilized world’ is Iraq. What makes me think that a second victory, let alone a war, may not be good news? Continue reading Ryeview – September 2002
There is an age when infants ask why? where? how? and infinitely many other questions. As age creeps on the questions become less and the acceptance level grows. Three weeks ago a report lifted me back into the why? level. It concerns people serving life sentences, the example being the case of Yvonne Sleightholme (Gazette and Herald 7th February 2002). Continue reading Ryeview – February 2002
My Ryeview this month was about the threat of global warming. The ‘alleged’ events of the last few days have changed the subject rather dramatically. Continue reading Ryeview – January 2002