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Fed up of travellers

TINA Robins presents a very fair appreciation of the facts surrounding the recent visit to Lydiard Park by a group euphemistically referred to as ‘travellers’.

What amazes me is that anyone today is at all surprised at the manner of the travellers leaving and the mess they left behind, as the fact is that almost every time a group of travellers arrives in Swindon they leave a trail of rubbish which council tax payers have to pay to clear. Regrettably a mealy mouthed statement from SBC suggests the travellers left “without incident, although they left some items behind”.

What they left behind, a pile of human excrement, makes fly tipping seem quite tame in comparison. Indeed in an earlier edition of the Adver we were told a ‘council team was on standby to clear whatever mess they left’ – how generous of the supposed cash-strapped borough to provide an onsite cleaning service for people who contribute nothing to the council coffers.

Would that a council team was available in other areas of the town to clear the detritus of regular living - but we are told ‘money is tight and other services take priority’.

Cllr Tim Swinyard in a hand-wringing exercise worthy of a modern day Micawber states what the travellers have done ‘is appalling’ and falls back on the hackneyed phrase “our hands are tied”. Finally, in a demonstration of political sophistry he declares “it is just incredibly difficult” but in time honoured fashion added “we think a review was possible” to which comments I imagine award-winning Adver journalist Barrie Hudson could add his own brand of down to earth satirical humour.

There really is a way to deal with the issues created by travellers.

1. Don’t let them stay. They are travellers, their very nature is to be itinerant. They really don’t give a fig about the people of Swindon.

2. Ignore any assurances they give as to what nice people they are and that they won’t cause any trouble or leave any mess. They will leave a mess, it’s what they do and they really don’t care.

3. If they are not going to move on, as soon as they arrive make them pay a refundable deposit to pay for any damage they cause and any clean up operation which may be necessary.

4. If they don’t pay up immediately, force them to move on, after all they are committing the crime of trespass.

5. But if they are allowed to stay and it shouldn’t ever be to their timescale, don’t allow them to leave before an assessment of what remedial work is required to restore the location to its pre-arrival condition.

6. Seize property if no money is forthcoming. Impounding a nice car or two will help concentrate their minds and maybe persuade them to either clean up themselves or pay the council to do the job.

I’m sure some nice person responsible for traveller liaison will tell me that none of the options are feasible which is about par for the course. However, a council which can scam motorists for £500,000 per annum (see front page 10 May) can surely find a way to reduce the cost to the overburdened taxpayer; perhaps it could be one of the “tough decisions I’m prepared to make”, a phrase often used by leader of the council David Renard.

I think many people in Swindon are fed up reading how travellers arrive, leave a mess and then leave and we pick up the bill.

DES MORGAN, Caraway Drive, Swindon

Lack of brotherly love

RE Gill Harris’s article “They’re behaving like right burkas.” (4/5/17). Apparently she cannot tolerate the ‘vilification of our Muslim brothers and sisters.’

Of course ‘vilification’ and ‘criticism’ are interchangable terms.

Are we infidels also brothers and sisters to Muslims, Ms Harris? No!

The Koran tells us so. Islam states that Muslims are a superior people with a superior religion. And of course men are considered superior to women, including you, Gill Harris. So, it’s rather a lopsided relationship between you and a Muslim ‘brother,’do you not think?

“It’s not our place to ban other people’s cultural or religious practices when they cause no harm whatsoever to anyone.”

No harm? One can assume from her statement she is in agreement that Sharia law also is a good thing operating here and we should “just calm down and let live”.

An estimated 30 Sharia Courts operate in the UK. They have garnered fierce criticism, especially for their treatment of women seeking religious divorces, who make up the core clientele. In 2001, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Sharia is incompatible with liberal democracy, but does nothing while the net is slowly tightening.

Sharia downgrades women. Men only need to say “I divorce you” and the women are booted out of home, while the man is free to find another wife or wives. The children usually stay with the father.

For Muslim women to get divorced they need the sanction of clerics. Without it they risk being labelled adulterers (not the man, you notice). Sharia law consists of making women entirely dependent upon men.

As one judge said: “Under Islam, we should reconcile marriages even if there is violence.”

In several Muslim countries child marriage is allowed, following the example of Mohammed. Even in Britain it is suspected that child marriages are happening. According to Ms Harris, however, we really ought to leave well alone.

But back to the burka. It tells me that those who wish to wear it here have no intention of segregating. So why come here?

A clue: London alone has 500 mosques built upon the ruins of Christian churches. Get the symbolism?

In a far more cohesive society we would largely be free of domestic terrorism, Islamic radicalisation, predatory sex gangs, Sharia law and the burka. We would not have to endure endless debates about ‘British values’ because the overwhelmingly majority would be British.

Many Britons now feel like aliens in their own land - don’t look to Gill Harris to fight for your ever decreasing freedoms!

JEFF ADAMS, Bloomsbury, Swindon

Help small businesses

MANY small businesses have seen large rises in their business rates bill as a result of this year’s revaluation. This threatens jobs, living standards and community life in our area. Local authorities do not set business rates, but the Government is expected to give £1,595,000 over the next five years to Wiltshire Council so they can help those effected. It’s up to Wiltshire Council to decide how this money is spent.

We’re asking Wiltshire Council to sign up to FSB’s Small Business Principles to make sure those who need it get help. We are calling on the Councils to commit to focusing this money on micro and small businesses, particularly those hardest hit by the revaluation; commit to distributing funds as early as they can and refunding those who overpay; proactively approach those in need; make any application process as simple and straightforward as possible; and pass a motion making clear the Council understands the impact rates have on businesses in our area.

Small local businesses help make our area a great place to live. The Council now has money available to help them. They must use it.

MARY WEBB, FSB Wiltshire Chair

Campaign apology

IN answer to her letter “no one to vote for” I would like to apologise to Amanda Dingle. I was that Green Party candidate who did not leaflet her house.

The Green Party is not a well off party and we were restrained from putting a lot of resources into the parish elections because we had to divert all our resources to the snap general election. In fact I paid for our leaflets myself. I could not afford for leaflets for the whole Ward so we were doing targeted leafleting and canvassing. We had leafleted shoppers on the Saturday previous to the election at Gorse Hill crossroads and the Monday before we had leafleted parents picking children up from the school. On the day before the election I was in fact leafleting in the vicinity of Ipswich Street, I had just finished Omdurman Street when I was taken ill and had to return home. Once again I apologise.

I did try to reach people via a Facebook page “elect Steve Thompson for Gorse Hill” which I hoped would reach most people in Gorse Hill, this had limited success, it obviously didn’t reach you. I have now reduced it to a thank you note and will take it down in a week or so.

If, Ms Dingle, you wish discuss this or Green Party policy in person you can contact me on that page.

May I take this opportunity of thanking the over 400 people who did vote for me on Thursday.

STEVE THOMPSON, Norman Road, Swindon

Who’s being childish?

IN the early evening of May 5th I was sat having a glass of beer in my local The Beehive when someone brought over a copy of that day’s Adver and showed the letter by Bill Williams (Letter Was An Insult) in which Bill castigates Adam Poole and labels Adam as childish for referring to UKIP supporters as ‘kippers.’

This is the same Bill Williams who constantly refers to Remainers as ‘Remoaners’ and the European Union as the ‘European Disunion.’ With such references, aren’t you being childish yourself Bill?

MARTIN WEBB, Swindon Road, Old Town

Carry on voting

RIGHT-winger, President Trump, is having great difficulty getting his policies into law.

If our left-winger, Jeremy Corbyn, was Prime Minister he would have even greater difficulty getting his policies into law.

When it comes to the crunch, there are more powerful forces in democracies than the voters. I sometimes think every letter I have had published has had more influence than any vote I have cast.

That said, carry on voting, I do!

MAX NOTTINGHAM, St Faith’s Street, Lincoln