The Editor

The Petersfield Post

High Street

PETERSFIELD

GU32 3JR

1^st August 2008

Dear Graeme,

I was delighted to see the response to my letter about the plan to give Margaret Thatcher a state funeral. Still, set fire the long grass, my old Dad used to say, and out will rush the Tory backwoodsmen.

Mike Houlden has a grand take on matters, and yes, Mike, when all else fails, just substitute opinions for facts - good practice. To be fair to Attila the Hen, it was under the Major stewardship that Hesletine effectively destroyed the mining industry in this country, but it was a continuation of Thatcherite policy. Britain became a net importer of coal overnight. Every other country in Europe supports their deep coalmines and new technologies allow control of carbon footprint, so, yes, reopen the mines.

Whilst having due regard John Challis’ views, I find them just bluster. Thatcher tried out the hugely discredited poll tax in Scotland quiet thoughtlessly as a political experiment. She had no moral nor political majority there, but this meant little to her. Read Malcolm Riffkind on the matter. She effectively destroyed the Conservative party in God’s Own Country – no bad thing some might say.

Now Stephen Hugh-Jones is a different kettle of fish and I am flattered to be taken to task by such an eminent journalist. Actually, Mr. Hugh-Jones’ memory is selective, if not defective. Thatcher’s poll ratings were tumbling badly when she and John Knot withdraw H.M.S Endurance from the South Atlantic. This was the signal the tottering Galtieri regime needed to invade the Islands - at least that’s what is being taught in modern history lectures at UK universities today - and the result was that Thatcher siezed the opportunity with both hands. I do not dispute that the recovery of the Falklands was an act the British people wholely endorsed - quite right - but the Great She Elephant reveled in it and used the ‘jingoism’ that the successful campaign produced to get another term in power. To suggest otherwise, Stephen, is indeed a ‘flat and offensive falsehood.’ Read the various biographies of her ministers and heads of our Armed Forces - you may even have contributed to them. And please don’t draw me on selling off of state assets. You’re wrong there as well. I work for one and I have a different view to ‘Economist’ laissez faire philosophy. Stephen claims he’s not a Tory. Well, from his writing, he ain’t no Whig either.

So a state funeral for Magaret? No, I think not. And as one supporter bluntly remarked to me, why not out-source the whole function to the Indian sub-continent. It would be a lot cheaper and fall in line with ‘market forces’ that Mr. Hugh-Jones bangs on about.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Millar

I see my old mate Hambarn has had another go at the letters page in the Post, but he was telling me last night at the bash in the Rose Room - which really was rather good; fair play his is Worship - anyway I digress, what Hambarn said was that the letter got rather badly subbed. "Worry not" said I 2as a fearless defender of free speech, I shall carry it on the Blog. I'm sure they won't mind!" So here's the unexpigated version, dear reader. And I think I'll get old Vespasian to forward it on to a few people.

Tickety-boo for now, Dears.

Dear Sir of Madman (he wrote)

Oh goodness, dear old Paul Hawes has been persuaded to throw his curlers out of the pram. I love it! You can imagine the mewling, the high-pitched ululation, the spitting of nails and the scream of the Nazgul!! “Who is Andy Millar and why does he have an opinion?”

You’re right, Paul, it is indeed free speech, but apparently not welcome if one dares to challenge the narrow, ill-argued pedantry of a small minority of local traders and if one has, so to speak, the temerity to ask why the Emperor has no clothes on. I wonder which one of the two ‘long-standing and successful traders’ put you up to writing your testy letter? Oh, I’m sorry for owning a thesaurus. My Mum bought me one when I passed my ‘O’ levels and I wouldn’t ever be without it. The difference is I update mine every few years, so I have a modern take of on the world. Should I lend it to either of the retailers, perhaps? Anyway, I’ll try not use any big words.

The arguments they deploy are ill founded, ambiguous, certainly prejudiced and, in one case, have more than a whiff of personal history. The majority of people in Petersfield do NOT want full-pedestrianisation. What is wanted is the reduction of vehicular traffic through the centre of the town - stopping forty-two tonne artics, for instance, blocking the High Street to deliver packets of birdseed - increased social and commercial use of our excellent Square and from time to time, the use of surrounding streets to compliment appropriate festivals and holiday festivities.

Come on, Paul, you’re a progressive sort of bloke; get your friends to come into the 21^st century. They could contribute so much instead of whining (didn’t need a thesaurus to get the right word there) because they haven’t had the foresight to be in at the beginning of these super changes that are surely taking place.

Oh, as a post-script, my dear wife asks where, in this more inclusive age, are the disabled access facilities at Lyndum House and further down the High Street? Refer to Matthew 7: 2-4.

Yours sincerely,

Etc Etc

(Argh ! Not him again, they cry!!)

I’ve got to write about the attitude of some traders to the issue of the development of the town centre. I believe they are calling themselves the ‘Association of Petersfield Traders’ this month. They do drag their prejudices around with them, don’t they, like Jacob Marley and his chains and their arguments are really a load of old Jorrocks.

First of all Trevor Towner’s assertion that businesses have been fleeing the High Street and did so in spades when the High Street was redesigned some years ago. My family have lived here for nearly 25 years now. I am pushed to remember the alleged dozen or so that were forced to the wall because of the works at that time, badly managed and controlled though they were by the County Council. Most traders will say, if you press them, that it is pernicious local taxes and ridiculous commercial rents that punish businesses. I cannot recall any serious changes at the south end of the High Street. Surely it has pretty well always been service businesses at that end of town. There’s only one I can recall that moved and that was Pickets and Pursers. They moved to a pedestrianised area in Rams Walk. Speaks volumes doesn’t it?

And then Tiffany Lewis, who with her sister, runs a first-rate ‘haut-couture’ ladies emporium on the High Street, expressing in your mighty organ last week her bemusement, confusion and anger at the Petersfield Tomorrow meeting. Without rehearsing her complaints again, it will be obvious to all that the presentation the ladies saw there has been in that format at various meetings and venues for the last six months at least. So where have they been hiding? They can hardly say they have positively contributed to the discussion.

What really amuses people is that there all only a dozen or so parking spaces on the High Street, all restricted to thirty minutes with three disabled slots. So from the argument of Messrs Towner and Lewis, if they depend on these spaces for trade, then presumably their clientele stooge around endlessly waiting for an available slot, then dash in to make a purchase and speed out of town again, thus avoiding the just wrath of our Dot. I ask you, does anyone know of any woman, shopping for clothes who does not take at least an hour and a half over the decision? And if they really do rush into Trevor’s fine shop, grab a diamond brooch and vanish from Petersfield, what good has it done the rest of the traders?

And now we hear from ‘another place’ – and congratulations to them for producing a really sensible piece about the development of Petersfield town centre – that Vernon Peake may be withdrawing for Petersfield Marketing Ltd and that entity might be forced to fold. His comments timely comments on the apparent lack of co-ordination have also been accurately recorded and surely these must act as prompt for more constructive action.

If Mr. Peake is standing down at the end of this year, one can hardly blame him, for all the grief PML have had from the petty minded. He and his team at Petersfield Marketing Limited have worked hard to promote the image of our town, despite suffering the slings and arrows of the same vociferous band that seem to be committed to having Petersfield stay in the 20^th century.

And it means that if PML are to fold up, how sensible for Phil Haines, Jon Berry et al, under the umbrella of Petersfield Tomorrow to take on that depth of knowledge and experience to keep on pressing for the much demanded improvement to the way in which our Square and town centre streets are put to. It makes perfect sense to most people.

This pedestrianisation issue is completely – and one must suspect – deliberately misleading. The issue has been thrown up by a small vocal ginger group, for reasons that are completely opaque to the rest of Petersfield. And when they cannot get their way in open debate, they sulk off to form another splinter group, then claiming to be more representative. Run that one past me again, I’m missing something here, I think. I’ll bet there have been more businesses associations formed in Petersfield in the last twenty-five years that companies have gone to the wall and I’ll bet the Towners were in all of them.

Pedestrianisation is a red herring. Read the local press, Trevor, Tiffany, listen to what Petersfield Tomorrow are saying. What the majority of the town’s people want is better use of our superb Square, removal of heavy vehicular traffic and from time to time, the use of surrounding streets to compliment this. Please do not use the word ‘Pedestrianisation’ without absolutely understanding what the majority of people want in the town. Failing that, we could always form a ‘Petersfield Yesterday Society’ to keep you happy.

Roll on the café society, off now to camp in the long grass at Penns Place to see what's happening in the People's Palace!

Big kiss to you all,

Rhino