Published in the Littlehampton Gazette November 22nd. 2012

TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING:Come twilight last Thursday, you had to be part Apache or a carrot eating rabbit to find my local polling station in order to cast a vote for the candidate standing as the area police commissioner. I admit unashamedly that, for the first time ever, I spoiled my ballot paper. I went to the poll, as I always do, determined to use the democratic right bestowed upon me by those who fought and died for such a right in  this super country, but, at that last moment, I rebelled. I spoiled the paper declaring that I did not believe that the office of police commissioner should be held by anyone who is associated on the ballot paper with a political party. I believe that politicising the police force in any way shape or form to be completely wrong and foolhardy. I have no regrets other than the one that forced me to make that decision. It was interesting, and slightly uplifting to discover the following morning that a great many of the electorate shared my views and had either stayed away from the polls altogether or had spoiled their voting papers with much the same comments as my own. The people here, I believe, have not spoken and that only a minority have whispered following, as they usually do, the party political line without any reference to the suitability of the candidate.

MANNERS MAKYTH MAN:I was in a charity shop the other day buying a book when a young boy came in and upon opening the door bumped into a middle aged man who was on his knees looking through a box of records. He shouted at the child who immediately apologised. The chap however was unrelenting and I intervened on the kid’s behalf. The man was still unforgiving. What a grump! What a way to treat a child. The boy and his mum left the shop, the former in tears, and I was embarrassed and saddened by the manner of the man who should have known better. In this day and age when many young people are so lacking in good manners, it was so refreshing to see a child who was polite and so sad to see his action so betrayed.