The Bells.

Standing in The Square this morning, trying to hold a conversation with someone, I was just glad I dont live in that area and have to pit up with the church bells every week. I have never understood the attraction of standing in the Belfry pulling dangerously heavy bells on the end of a rope in combina\tions of sound that usually sound exactly the same to the uninitiated. Bellring seems to attract the same sort of obsessives who you can usually find on  station platforms taking down the numbers of passing engines.  Personally, I always thought that Steadman Triples was a cocktail which would be  probably more useful then some sort of ringing method.

Still I suppose its all part of english culture.

Like Morris dasncing.

and dont get me started on Morris Dancing.

Stunted Growrh.

Accordubg to the latest statistics, growyh in the UK in the second quarter of the year amounted to a measly 0.2%. According to the Chancellor Of The  Excheuqer the warm weather in April and the Royal Wedding are partly to blame for the poor performance but most people know that the real reason lies else where and the reason is quite simple.

If peole are libing ion fear of losing their jobs, having their benefits or pensions cut are facing rises in the cost of petrol, deisal, food, gas and electricity they are not likely to be flooding into the high street . This is of course, only the beginning, 

Neighbours.

Iy seems that the longstanding problems of anti social behavior of one soet or another  at the top end of Wyndham Road continue to rumble on.  Rarher then certain individuals rushing to judgement on some of their neighbours and turning to the police or the local council as first resort to resolve problems it might be better for the local community themselves to organise to negotiate resolutions to local problems. Involving the authorities in neighbouhood disputes at an early  stage often only makes attitudes harden.

The Gallery.

Nice to see that the work on The Gallery, The house at the bottom of Fore Street seems to be nearing completion.  The completed work will certainly enhance the look of the lower Fore Street- Square area of the village which is still unfortunately spoiled however, by the look of the derelict Londis building

Amy Winehouse.

Anyone who followed her career, even at a distance, could see that there was only lokely to be one outcome as has now been the case. Another great talent lost to drugs and booze,  Sadly, some people just self destruct and rhere is littke anyone can do to prevent it.  That however, should not prevent us from trying to support people in our own community suseptible to such addictions ib the hope that such support enables them to get the dtrength necessary to turn their lives around.

Norway.

The first thought of many when they heard anout the atrocities in Morway was that it was the work of Al Queda, or some other brand of Islamic extremists.  It turns out however, that the perpetrator was an extremist of rge european far right described by police as a "christian fundamentalist". 

In reality, the the difference between the islamic fundamenyalists and the type of far right extremists who carry out these sort of atrocities are not that great. Both are extreme examples of attempys to reject the modern world and to return to some mythical golden age. The islamic fundamentalists want to reestablish the caliphate that dominated the Muslim world in the period after the death of rge prophey Mohammed and extend it world wide whilst the european far right want to re establish nation states of pure celts and Aryans, nations that in reality, never existed outside the imaginations of the racist cranks who created much of the inrellectual basis for 19th century europwan imperialism.  Both sets of extremists hate the most visible signs of ever more rapid globalisation ny resorting to ever more violent and destructive acts.

We, in Britain, have seen both the destructive acts of boyth Islamic fundamentalism and the fringes of the Far Right. Before 7/7  there was David Copeland and over the years many other plots by people with connections to the Far Right  have been n uncovered. The only way to isolate and demobilise both sets of extremists is to isolate and defeat the idealogies that underpin them.

Cornish Times

The theme for the street market this year is supposedly all things Devon but the live music outside the Lamb Inn on street market this year will be provided by The Cornish Wurzells ( thats the way they spell it) a Wurzels tribute band . Should be a great accompliment for those of us who like to drink up our cider on street market day.

Heave Ho

Good to see last week, that the mighty men (amd yje one co optrd woman) of the Lamb Inn Yug O war team are well into their practising ahead of the annual contest which is always the highlight and climax of our annual Street Market.  In addition to the usual teams will we see an entry from the reopened Ruffwell which is, after all, within the Silverton bounderies ?.

Time will tell.

A Good Read.

I  am just reading : Downfall ; The Tommy Sheridan Story: by Alan McCombes the sorry tale of how a talented, but fayelly flawed individual, was prepared to destroy the political mpvemeny he had spent a good paty of his adult life building in order to try to protect the imade of himself that he had created for the media.   McCombes also shows gow Sheridan was encouraged down the road to self destrudtion by a babd of allies who were at best deluded  and at worst driven by opportunism and the urge to settle old scores. The book is clearly written and a warning to those who would be seduced by celebrity culture. 

Lord Of The Flies.

It seems to be a bad summer for flies this year. I seem to have hordes of the little horrors invading my kitchen at the moment. Not pleasent at all.

Can You Dig It ?.

Word has it that there havebeen atcheolofical investigations on the site of the old Village Hall.  Given the centrality of the old hall to the village and its age I would have thought that it was well worth an investigation.  Perhaps when they finish investigating and fill in the diggings they could bury the clowns who pressed for the hall to be demolisged in the first place.