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6.
February Famous Faces. No 3.
Born: 1st December 1930 Died: 7th February 1985 English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers of the ‘60s. Born Terence Edward Parsons in Shoredi tch, London, he was affectionately nicknamed "the singing bus driver"
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Grumpy Git
At the time of writing the country has been virtually paralysed, courtesy of a prolonged spell of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall. North to south, east to west, it appears no region of the country has been spared the appalling conditions. As ever the tabloid headline and opinion writers have had a field day. Top of their list for criticism are the perennial offenders, the gritting lorry-drivers, the teaching profession, and the refuse collectors unable or unwilling to tackle the frozen narrow streets and back alleys. From my perspective much of this criticism is unwarranted and shows breathtaking ignorance in some cases. The depth of snow, and the extent of the plummeting temperatures meant the gritting operation was always prone to difficulties. In a cold snap unprecedented in over thirty years it is not surprising that the demands for grit may have outweighed supply on occasions. I also witnessed some heroic attempts by gritter drivers to clear often treacherous roads. Having said that it did become something of an obsession to me that very few, if any, of the wagons, all fully-laden, actually appeared to be spreading any salt. Surely our councils would not stoop to such levels to fool their council tax-payers ? Next on the list of media targets were our headteachers and teachers who had the temerity to close schools when there were clear health and safety implications for staying open. Yes I hate the ambulance-chasing culture that prevails in this country as much as the next man. However, exist it does. And you can bet your life if any little Johnny or Julia had slipped in the playground and sustained a fracture, their parents would be looking up “No win, no fee” in the Yellow Pages. More insulting is the inference that these school closures were born out of laziness by a profession yearning for yet longer holidays. I know of one local school where staff made hazardous journeys from out of town and all managed to get to their school. Yet the majority of the children who could all commute on foot failed to make it. Lazy parents more like. What this Siberian period did show was that in general we do not take well to cold spells. Roads and paths are still death-traps despite a gradual thaw. Old people cannot get out. Shops failed to take, and make, deliveries. Schools shut, businesses run on skeleton staff, and hospital accident departments overflowing with broken limb victims. If ever there was a need for a fund to be made available, it has been in recent days. The government of course will not release extra cash given our enormous deficit. We need to think outside the box if we are to make sure we can grit even the side-streets, open schools in any conditions or at least set up an online learning service for those genuinely cut-off, hire extra part-time medical staff for our hospitals, and ensure our vulnerable people receive vital food and medication. And I think I might have found it. We need to scrap the winter fuel payments for the aged and immediately give a chunk to young families. The extra money would enable them to use taxis to get their kids to school with the added necessity of a hearty breakfast. We could pay our gritter drivers a premium for their bravery in tackling minor roads and streets and ensure we have enough salt to do so effectively. Now I know many of the blue-rinsers will be reaching for their quills and ink as I speak . But most of them have thousands stashed away under the mattress or in some tax-free bank account. They don’t need a state subsidy. And besides when did a couple of bloody blankets ever come to four hundred quid ? Yes there might well be the odd casualty but surely this is nature’s intention when it decides it wants Lancashire to become Lapland for a month? I believe it’s called survival of the fittest. It works in the animal kingdom so why not here ? And a few less old people around would free up our overworked doctors and nurses and reduce some of our interminable waiting lists. Sadly, with the pensioner voice being louder and stronger than ever, with the electoral consequences of all that, we are unlikely to ever see a government so brave. And that lack of imagination and courage is what this month makes me seethe!
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