I heard recently that David Cameron's favourite TV programme is the US TV drama series, 'The Wire'. The series, which ran for five seasonsm revolved around the efforts of the Baltimore police department to defeat the drugs trade in that city, whilkst at the same time bayyling against internal police politics and political corruption.
What the series illustrated well was that the so called 'war on drugs' is ultimately unwinnable. No sooner is one drugs network dismantled then another one moves in to fill the vacuum, Given the size if the international drug economy, the state, even the US with its mass of police departments, FBI, CIA, DEA and the rest can only fight a war without end, costing bullions of dollars and tens of thousends of lives, as is being brutallyillustrated at the moment in Mexico in the struggle between the Mexican state and the drug cartels and amongst the cartels themselves. In Britain, the same struggles go on at a much lower level but, apparently with as litle chanve of success. Even in a village like Silverton mosty people have friends or aquaintences who engage in the use of illegal drugs for recreational purposes.
Twelve years ago, when I lived in Scotland, the Scottish Socialist Party called for the legalisation of cannabis and thedecriminalisation of other drugs such as Heroin, and was widely attacked in the scottish press for doing so. In the years since, drugs decriminalisation gas become policy in countries such as Switzerland and Portugal, and allied to active medical intervention to break users from addiction has led to a fall in overall drug use in those countries. These policies have now recieved support from the Global Commission on Drug Policy that includes former UN secretary General, Kofi Annan, Former US secretary of State, George Schultz and Sir Richard Branson. Unfortunately it seems, that the current US administration, undeer constant threat from yje christian, conservative, fundamentalist Right. and the British government, as usual, in thrall to its American masters, seem to see no alternative but to keep going down the road to nowhere where drugs policy is concerned., What Cameron should learn from 'The Wire' is that the War On Drugs not only has failed, but untimately corrupts all those who involve themselves in it.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
Silly Fuel
It now seens that there is to be no tanker drivers strike over Easter. The recent fuel buying panic must be one of the few occasions in modern history where a government has actually gone out of its way to generate panic amongst its citizens. The irony of course is, that had there actually been a strike, government ministers and senior civil servants would probably have been the last people to be affected as no dout, they have contingencies to cober such situations,
I suspect that one of the reasons for the panic may well have been that there has been an almost continual decline in the number of fuel outlets in recent years. Gone are the days when Silverton had Brady's or West's Garages to turn to. Now its the Speedway Garage on the Exeter road 2 miles away and thats it. I expect the recent panic will have done the sale of Bicycles no harm at all.
I suspect that one of the reasons for the panic may well have been that there has been an almost continual decline in the number of fuel outlets in recent years. Gone are the days when Silverton had Brady's or West's Garages to turn to. Now its the Speedway Garage on the Exeter road 2 miles away and thats it. I expect the recent panic will have done the sale of Bicycles no harm at all.
Kicking Them where It Hurts.
Occasionally, we comment on events beyond the parish bounderies and today isone such occasion. I feel the victory of George Galloway in The Bradford West by election overnight deserves some comment.
I make no secret of the fact that I have little time for Gallowat as a person. Whilst I am sympathetic ro his views on Palestine and on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when it comes to actually building movements in support of the causes he supports, Galloway is congenitally incapable of doing so. Every cause becomes a vehicle for Galloway the self publicist and an opportunity for him to tour the world accepting hospitality from some of the most dubious leaders on the planet. Whilst I have no time for US foriegn policy, I do not, asa Galloway seems to, consider that every leader who opposes US and its allies, military adventures are necessarily heroes of the anti imperialist movement.
Its also worth noting that, when it comes to actually influencing events through the political process, Galloway has proved a consistant failure. He was not noted for being a sucessful leader of Dundee City Council and was a poor constituancy MP both in Glasgow Kelvin, and after his expulsion from the Labour party as Respect MP on Tower Hamlets. He built few effective alliances when in parliament, preferring to operate as a one man band His Respect party has never developed as anytghing more then a support network for his ego and has mainly been the preserve of activists from the Muslim comminity. There seems no reason to think he will be any more successful as the MP for Bradford West then he has been elsewhere.
What then does the Bradford East by election tell us ?. The columnist, Steve Richards, speaking on Radio 4 this mornung, saw Galloway's victory as a continuing part of growing mass disillusionment with the main parties that has been slowly growing for years and is illustrated by the Nuck Clegg phenomenon at the last general election and the rise of the SNP on scotland. I think you also have to add to that, the continuing success of the Green Party in establishing iyself in some areas The success of UKIP in the european elections as well as, unfortunately, the election of two BNP mep's at the same time. There is a growing anger, I believe, both on the left and the right of the political spectrum at a political establishment that increasingly appears to be interested in talking to itself and consulting the piblic only to the extent of getting the answersit has already determined. It is also an establishment that has no interest in any agenda that deviates from pro finance capital, pro US agendas.
From a Left perspective, there is a crying need for an anti austerity, anti war party that will formulate and develop alternative economic and social policies to those on offer at the moment. Most other european countries have such parties who have had greater or lesser electoral succes, but admittedly the British electoral systen is heavily weighted to the rise of political parties beyond those established already. Bradford West afain shows potential for support for such a party, but the record of Galloway and his allies gives little hope that his victory will aid the processes that would allow such a party to emerge.
I make no secret of the fact that I have little time for Gallowat as a person. Whilst I am sympathetic ro his views on Palestine and on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when it comes to actually building movements in support of the causes he supports, Galloway is congenitally incapable of doing so. Every cause becomes a vehicle for Galloway the self publicist and an opportunity for him to tour the world accepting hospitality from some of the most dubious leaders on the planet. Whilst I have no time for US foriegn policy, I do not, asa Galloway seems to, consider that every leader who opposes US and its allies, military adventures are necessarily heroes of the anti imperialist movement.
Its also worth noting that, when it comes to actually influencing events through the political process, Galloway has proved a consistant failure. He was not noted for being a sucessful leader of Dundee City Council and was a poor constituancy MP both in Glasgow Kelvin, and after his expulsion from the Labour party as Respect MP on Tower Hamlets. He built few effective alliances when in parliament, preferring to operate as a one man band His Respect party has never developed as anytghing more then a support network for his ego and has mainly been the preserve of activists from the Muslim comminity. There seems no reason to think he will be any more successful as the MP for Bradford West then he has been elsewhere.
What then does the Bradford East by election tell us ?. The columnist, Steve Richards, speaking on Radio 4 this mornung, saw Galloway's victory as a continuing part of growing mass disillusionment with the main parties that has been slowly growing for years and is illustrated by the Nuck Clegg phenomenon at the last general election and the rise of the SNP on scotland. I think you also have to add to that, the continuing success of the Green Party in establishing iyself in some areas The success of UKIP in the european elections as well as, unfortunately, the election of two BNP mep's at the same time. There is a growing anger, I believe, both on the left and the right of the political spectrum at a political establishment that increasingly appears to be interested in talking to itself and consulting the piblic only to the extent of getting the answersit has already determined. It is also an establishment that has no interest in any agenda that deviates from pro finance capital, pro US agendas.
From a Left perspective, there is a crying need for an anti austerity, anti war party that will formulate and develop alternative economic and social policies to those on offer at the moment. Most other european countries have such parties who have had greater or lesser electoral succes, but admittedly the British electoral systen is heavily weighted to the rise of political parties beyond those established already. Bradford West afain shows potential for support for such a party, but the record of Galloway and his allies gives little hope that his victory will aid the processes that would allow such a party to emerge.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Road Works.
Hopefully, there will be less road rage in Wyndham Road, and elsewhere in the village, now that the highways department are undertaking a serious programme of 'patching'. One of the drawbacks to Wyndham Road becoming a bus route has been the dteady deterioration in the condition of the road surface due to the constant use of heavy buses on the road, Hopefully, the 'patching ' operation wil be enough to prevent weakened road surfaces fturning into potholes over the coming months and tears. Given the current cutbacks in local government spending, it could be the last serious road repair work we see here for some considerable time.
New Photo's.
In honour of Spring I have added some new photo's of the village and hope to add some more soon. I have added some photo's ftaken around the village plus some that were taken at the start of the Silverton Mile. Later in the year, I am hoping to repost some of the photo's that first appeared on the 'Silvertonia' blog between June 2008 and August 2009.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Spring Comes To Silverton.
The sun is out, The temperature is rising the daffodils are in bloom and it looks as though spring has come to Silverton. I am hoping to have some photo's of Silverton in spring on the blog within the next few days, also, some photo's of places that are mentioned here, especially for the benifit of our readers from outside the village.
Silvertonians On Stage.
Its good to hear that a number of younger Silvertonians aquitted themselves well in the production of Les Miserables at Clyst Vale Community College last night, Its good to see younger Silvertonians getting noticed for some staged drama, rather then for some of the other drama we have become rather too well known for lately.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Spooky.
I notice that I seem to have regular readers in The US, Russia and a follower called Smiley . I hopr that this is not a case of various intelligence agencies filling in their time and seeking to justify their budgets by monitoring the random musings of some bloke in a small Devon village by claiming that this blog throws light on the more general mood within the UK.
It Does not.
It Does not.
Party Suggestion.
Returning briefly to the Section 30 issue, I have suggested elsewhere, that when, as we hope, the section 30 order is lifted in August, we should organise a village party to celebrate the lifting and to invite the media along to show the world that the village is putting iys troubles behind it.
On the other hand, of, for some reason, the order is not lifted, we could organise a 'Rock Against The Section' event with bands like Idiom.'
Come to think of it, perhaps it would be more fun.
On the other hand, of, for some reason, the order is not lifted, we could organise a 'Rock Against The Section' event with bands like Idiom.'
Come to think of it, perhaps it would be more fun.
Community A ClassIssue.
In a comment on the Express and Echo website today in regard to the Silverton section 30 affair a correspondant commented that they would rather live on Exeter's notorious Burthouse Lane estate then in our own dear village. This attracted some amused responses on the 'What's On In Silverton' facebook page, including a somewhgat ironic comment from yours truly, but there is an interesting contrast involved here.
Thr Burthouse Lane housing estate is a large public housing estate that lies on the south side of Exeter, It was largely vuilt in the post war period to house those who were noved out of Exeter's historic West Quarter after it recieved heavy bomb damage during the blitz by the Luftwaffe during the second world war. It was fhe result a rather nore drastic form of slum clearence then elsewhere, but it has, in common with estates like Pollock or Castlemilk in Glasgow the fact that often close knit, working class communities were uprooted and moved to outlying estates. Over the years after the war, and in the period since, Burnthouse Lane aquired, sometimes rightly and sometimes not, a reputation for being a hotbed of crime and not the sort of place one would venture at night. Whats interesting is that, over the years and for all its undoubted troubles, Burnthouse Lane has retained a sort of community solidarity and self organisation that many other similar areas lost long ago.
As described on this blog previously, Silverton lost its old sense of community long ago and, because of the transient nature of much of its current, and increasingly middle class population, is forever engagrd in a struggle to hold on to a new one. There seems to be little continuity to what happens in the village these days with many having little, or no knowledge of what went on here before they came. Much of the automatic denigration of Estates such as Burnthouse Lane, noth here and elsewhere often has distinct class overtones but its not the black and white situation that some would have us believe.
Thr Burthouse Lane housing estate is a large public housing estate that lies on the south side of Exeter, It was largely vuilt in the post war period to house those who were noved out of Exeter's historic West Quarter after it recieved heavy bomb damage during the blitz by the Luftwaffe during the second world war. It was fhe result a rather nore drastic form of slum clearence then elsewhere, but it has, in common with estates like Pollock or Castlemilk in Glasgow the fact that often close knit, working class communities were uprooted and moved to outlying estates. Over the years after the war, and in the period since, Burnthouse Lane aquired, sometimes rightly and sometimes not, a reputation for being a hotbed of crime and not the sort of place one would venture at night. Whats interesting is that, over the years and for all its undoubted troubles, Burnthouse Lane has retained a sort of community solidarity and self organisation that many other similar areas lost long ago.
As described on this blog previously, Silverton lost its old sense of community long ago and, because of the transient nature of much of its current, and increasingly middle class population, is forever engagrd in a struggle to hold on to a new one. There seems to be little continuity to what happens in the village these days with many having little, or no knowledge of what went on here before they came. Much of the automatic denigration of Estates such as Burnthouse Lane, noth here and elsewhere often has distinct class overtones but its not the black and white situation that some would have us believe.
Another International Reader.
I always like to say hello to our international readers, so a big hello to our newest visitor, from Malaysia.
Additionally. I note this evening that we have had two views from India. Welcome to the club.
Additionally. I note this evening that we have had two views from India. Welcome to the club.
A Smal Light In A Dark World.
One good point that emerged from a pretty crap budget was thar Osborne decided not to increase duty on alcohol. As regular readers of this blog will jbow, we have for some tine been pointing out the detrimental effects of increasing taxation on alcohol in terms of the way that tax increases impact on theBritish pub, Sadly. the chancellor did not also find some way of levelling the playing field when it comes to the big supermarkets selling cheap boozr, but I suspect that we may see something along these lines when the government unveils its new alcohol strategy later this year.
Personally, the budget had little impact as far as mt life is concerned but I suspect that things may well be different when the next round of public sector spending cuts come along. Having begun to attack somewhat wealthier pensioners then myself, I would expect that Osborne will be soon messing around with other things that make life tolerable such as the bus pass and the winter fuel allowance. The people I really feel sorry for are those aged fifty and under who seem to be neing prepared for the day when they will have to work tikk they drop.pub. Sad;
Personally, the budget had little impact as far as mt life is concerned but I suspect that things may well be different when the next round of public sector spending cuts come along. Having begun to attack somewhat wealthier pensioners then myself, I would expect that Osborne will be soon messing around with other things that make life tolerable such as the bus pass and the winter fuel allowance. The people I really feel sorry for are those aged fifty and under who seem to be neing prepared for the day when they will have to work tikk they drop.pub. Sad;
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Beering Up.
According to The Campaign For Real Ale, quored on the radio this morning, this tear, for the first time, more beer will be sold through shops then through local pubs. CAMRA use this to call for a freeze on neer tax in tomorrows budget and their statement seems to be part of a growing realisation that where pubs are concerned, the endless tax increases are having the effect of throwing the baby out with thebathwater by destroying the local pub as a vital component of Camerom's much vaunted 'Big Society'.
in Silverton, we are lucky to still be able to sustain three pubs and this blog has pointed out in the past the role of the Public house in controlling alcohol consumption. , This blog expects and asks for little from the ConDe, voalition but support for the call by CAMRA for a freeze on beer tax would be a small step in the right direction.
in Silverton, we are lucky to still be able to sustain three pubs and this blog has pointed out in the past the role of the Public house in controlling alcohol consumption. , This blog expects and asks for little from the ConDe, voalition but support for the call by CAMRA for a freeze on beer tax would be a small step in the right direction.
And Yet More.
Today, The Daily Mail and The Metro, koin the coverage of our dispersal order. The Right Wing press seem to be having a field day with this. I suspect it is because it plays into the Tories 'Broken Brotaon' agenda, the subtext being that if you can get this sort of gehaviour in 'the quintessential English village' that is Silverton, you can get it anywhere and that no where is safe without a few more doses of social control of one sort or another.
How nice to be part of someones political agenda.
How nice to be part of someones political agenda.
Monday, 19 March 2012
When Will It Ever End ?,
Just when you might think that its safe to by the papers again, Today, The Daily Telegrah decided to give the dispersal order story one more outing. I am not hoping to post a link to this as I dont want to give this load of old nonesense any more pubkicity then it deserves, but one featore of The Telegraph story is noteworthy.
Rather then sending a photographer down, or even reprinting the, by now well known picture of The Square, The Telegraph decided to illustrate their story with a photograph of a bunch of kids sitting on a wall somewhere, certainly not Silverton, wearing trainers certainly a bit too 'urban' for these parts. The Telegraph has a reputation for being a serious newspaper but its a reputation that is certainly not going to be enhanced by publishing this particular load of reheated old mince accompanied by a photo with no connection at all to the story or its contents.
Lazy journalism at its worst.
Rather then sending a photographer down, or even reprinting the, by now well known picture of The Square, The Telegraph decided to illustrate their story with a photograph of a bunch of kids sitting on a wall somewhere, certainly not Silverton, wearing trainers certainly a bit too 'urban' for these parts. The Telegraph has a reputation for being a serious newspaper but its a reputation that is certainly not going to be enhanced by publishing this particular load of reheated old mince accompanied by a photo with no connection at all to the story or its contents.
Lazy journalism at its worst.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Happy St Patrick's Day.
Given that the number of people in Silverton with Irish connections of one sort or another seems to be increasing all the time, it seems only right that we wish all those with friends and family across the water a happy St Patrick's Day. I am sure the Guinness will be flowing in the pubs tonight even amongst those whose only connection to the Emerald Isle is a taste for the black stuff.
The Guinness will of course, taste better, for some, if Ireland beats England at Rugby, but time will tell on that subject.
The Guinness will of course, taste better, for some, if Ireland beats England at Rugby, but time will tell on that subject.
Friday, 16 March 2012
The Silverton Mile.
Should you be in the Silverton aewa tomorrow ,ormimg and see groups of people moving through the village behaving more strangely , or dressing more outrageously then usual, You will be observing, not the aftermath of some wild all night party, but The Silverton Mile.
The Silverton Mile will commence at 10.30pm from outside the Primary School and participants will go around a designated course. Participants may cover the course by running, walking, dancing, crawling or, presumably by doing handstands. Any sort of dress is acceptablr, although I would think that the weather is still too cold for too much undress. Ebtrance fee is £1.00, proceeds to Sports Relief. All welcome to take part.
The Silverton Mile will commence at 10.30pm from outside the Primary School and participants will go around a designated course. Participants may cover the course by running, walking, dancing, crawling or, presumably by doing handstands. Any sort of dress is acceptablr, although I would think that the weather is still too cold for too much undress. Ebtrance fee is £1.00, proceeds to Sports Relief. All welcome to take part.
Sunlight.
Interesting to see that solar panels are now being installed in all the Mid Devon District Council owned properties in the area. Given the rapidly rising cost of gas and electricity nationally, anything that contributes to cutting the costs of fuel use can only be a good thing. Being in a privately rented flat I , unfortunately do not benefit from this but good luck to those who do.
One drawback to the solar panels at the moment is that we seem to be covered by an almost constant cover of cloud. This has been one of the dullest starts to march that I can re,e,ner. Let us hope that some strong sunlight soon penetrates the gloom to get these solar panels working at full strength.
One drawback to the solar panels at the moment is that we seem to be covered by an almost constant cover of cloud. This has been one of the dullest starts to march that I can re,e,ner. Let us hope that some strong sunlight soon penetrates the gloom to get these solar panels working at full strength.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Congratulations.
Congratulations tony nephew, Micheal Carroll on his recent marraige to Amrita. Wisely, in my view, the couple had a quiet wedding at Gretna Green and did a honeymoon tour of scotland including Glasgow and Ayr.
It is to be hoped that they have a long and happy life together.
It is to be hoped that they have a long and happy life together.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Another One Bites The Dust
So, despite the objections of the Parish Council, permission has now been granted by Mid Devon District Council for the conversion of the old Londis shop and the flat above to be redeveloped as a house. This means that Silverton's most historic outlet has finally bitten the dust. It is a remarkable fact that as the population of the village has increased the number of retail outlets in the village have consistantly declined. The growth of the supermarkets and the rise of internet shopping have killed off most of the retail outlets in rural areas even in an expanding community like Silverton.
What replaces the shops ?. On the case of the Londis site it looks as though it will be the sort of hopusing that will be nought by those on the bottom rung of the property ladder who will probably be here today and gone tomorrow. people to whom Silverton will just be a short stop on the career ladder, most of whose names we shall probably never know and whose connrctions with the village will probably be minimal. Thats what happens in the commuter belt and we can see it happening on the grand scale with Cranbrook, near Broadclyst. If planning decisions are to be returned to local communities through legislation like the Localism Bill a priority of local councils that they take account of community stability through giving priority to affordable housing for those with local connections.
What replaces the shops ?. On the case of the Londis site it looks as though it will be the sort of hopusing that will be nought by those on the bottom rung of the property ladder who will probably be here today and gone tomorrow. people to whom Silverton will just be a short stop on the career ladder, most of whose names we shall probably never know and whose connrctions with the village will probably be minimal. Thats what happens in the commuter belt and we can see it happening on the grand scale with Cranbrook, near Broadclyst. If planning decisions are to be returned to local communities through legislation like the Localism Bill a priority of local councils that they take account of community stability through giving priority to affordable housing for those with local connections.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Bloggers Note
Several hunfred people have accessed this blog in the past few days. mainly for news about the life, death and funeral of Andrew 'Lux' Luckham. Blogs like this can sometimes give a more personal and detailed view of stories such as this then can be found in the mainstream media. Hopefully, some of those who have passed through will have taken the time to read a vit more of what is here and will have learnt a little more about Silverton, irs history and people. Maybe some will also have taken a look at our friends at the 'Whats On In Silverton ?' Faceboom page or even the website of Silverton Parish Council.
Overall, I hope that all these internet outlets have provided a more balanced view of our community then that which has been provided by sections of the media of late and that, if you have not visited us before you might think about visiting us in the future.
We dont bite.
Often.
Overall, I hope that all these internet outlets have provided a more balanced view of our community then that which has been provided by sections of the media of late and that, if you have not visited us before you might think about visiting us in the future.
We dont bite.
Often.
Moving on.
And so, after the drama and mixed emotions of the past few daysm Silverton begins to return to normal. The thoughts of many turn towards spring and the activities that go with the season, clearing out the garden, spring cleaning and doing the DIY jobs that were neglected over winter, On the pub scene, the darts and xkittles seasons move on towards rgeir comclusion and in the wider comminity, the planning steps up a gear for the summer events, for those interested, the Jubilee festivities and for street market. , Mothers Day and Easter draw ever closer and the nights become ever shorter.
So, the village moves on, but recent rvents, the public meeting and, more particularly the funeral, will nener be forgotten by those whowere affected by them.
So, the village moves on, but recent rvents, the public meeting and, more particularly the funeral, will nener be forgotten by those whowere affected by them.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Sunflowers For Lux.
Someone from the village told me thgis evening that they had been to the crash site at Offwell where Lux died, and planted some sunflower seeds. The reasoning was, that picked flowers die but that sunflowers can provide a more permanent memorial.
Lux Srnd Off Video .
A short video clip of the bikes escorting Lux out of Silverton Square has been posted by Tom Parker on the 'Whats On In Silverton ?'. Facebook page.
Good work, Tom.
Good work, Tom.
Friday, 9 March 2012
A Grand Send Off.
St Mary' The Virgin's Church in Silverton, was packed to the doors this afternoon for the funeral of Andrew ;Lux' Luckham. Estimates of attendence in the church range between 250 and 350 with pronanly about another 100 outside. The coffin was taken into the church to the sound of 'Baker Street' by the late, Gerry Rafferty. The congregation was made up of a cross section of those who knew 'Lux' in life,His family, people from Silverton, from Henyock and Culmstock, where he had livedrecently, , and from the world of Motorcycling. Representitives of clubs and groups attending included Satan's Slaves MC , The Billy Boys, The Motorcycle Action Group and a number of independent bikers.
Rge address was given by the Rev Alan MacDonald, who stressed in his address, 'Lux's ' love of life, his sense of humour and his love of motorcycling and fishing he said that 'Lux' lived life to the full until it was cruelly snuffed out on a february morning on a Devon road'; The coffin left the church to the sound of ' Bat out of Hell' by Meatloaf.
The final jouney to the cremetorium began in the square where about 70 bukers formed up behind the hearse and moved off to the applause of the mass of Silvertonians and others assembled there. In the hours afterwards, The Lamb Inn was packed for the celebration of the life of 'Lux' a celebration that continues as this is being written.
It was appropriate that someone that was loved by so many should have got such a grand send off from the village where he was brought up and in the pub where he spent so many happy hours. His passing has left many poorer , but we know that he will always be with us in spirit.
Donations for' Lux' which are to go to the Devon Air Ambulabce, should be sent to LeRoy funeral directors of Alpington Road, Exeter. Full address can be found at their website.
Rge address was given by the Rev Alan MacDonald, who stressed in his address, 'Lux's ' love of life, his sense of humour and his love of motorcycling and fishing he said that 'Lux' lived life to the full until it was cruelly snuffed out on a february morning on a Devon road'; The coffin left the church to the sound of ' Bat out of Hell' by Meatloaf.
The final jouney to the cremetorium began in the square where about 70 bukers formed up behind the hearse and moved off to the applause of the mass of Silvertonians and others assembled there. In the hours afterwards, The Lamb Inn was packed for the celebration of the life of 'Lux' a celebration that continues as this is being written.
It was appropriate that someone that was loved by so many should have got such a grand send off from the village where he was brought up and in the pub where he spent so many happy hours. His passing has left many poorer , but we know that he will always be with us in spirit.
Donations for' Lux' which are to go to the Devon Air Ambulabce, should be sent to LeRoy funeral directors of Alpington Road, Exeter. Full address can be found at their website.
Today's Funeral.
In the past few days, daily traffic to this blog has more then trebled. Further analysis shows that most of the increased has been generated by the obitury for Andrew 'Lux' Luckham. This blog will be attempting to cover the funeral and the following celebration of the life of 'Lux' as best we can and , a report, hopefully, with some photographs, will be appearing over the weekend.
Leave Us Alone.
I understand that yesterday The Sunday Express was contacting people in the village in an attempt to work over the dispersal order story one more time. A simple messahe to The Express and any others who feel inclined to dig this up again. Its old news, enough damage has been done and the village is moving on. Leave us alone.
Dead Bush.Blues.
Rgere is a dead bush in 'the little rec' in Silverton Square. Because 'The Little Rec' is in a conservation area, Devon County Council required a photograph of said bush before it could be removed. The photograph was supplied but DCC then ruled that it was unacceptable because it did not show the exact position of the bush in 'The Little Rec' and a new photograph would need to be submitted.
So, whilst some beaurocrat in the depths of County Hall is spending his days studying the locations of dead bushes in minute detail. in the real world Devon County Council are slashing social care budgets to the bone.
Youy couldnt make it up.
So, whilst some beaurocrat in the depths of County Hall is spending his days studying the locations of dead bushes in minute detail. in the real world Devon County Council are slashing social care budgets to the bone.
Youy couldnt make it up.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Who Watches The Neighborhood Watch ?. War
Over last weekend, someone stole the Neighborhood Watch sign from the wall outside Nettleworth House in Church Road. This raises the question who, watches the Neighborhood Watch when the Neighborhood Warch is watching ?.
Community.
At the meeting ob tuesday, parish councillor, Simon Steer, stated that one of the reasons for the recent problems in the village, was because Silverton had lost a sense of community. I think that this view has a great deal of validity although I think that the loss of community happened several decades ago and its worth looking at the reasons why.
If Silverton has lost its sense of community its worth looking at the development of the village in its historical contect/
Silverton has probably stood in iys current location for somewhere in the region of 15, 00 years, since the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, although there are a few indications that there might have been earlier settlements in the area as indicated by the at the site, north of the village, known as 'Pigs Park'. Silverton was probably, first a small collection of farms that developed into a way station on the road between Exeter and Tiverton where horses could be fed and watered before the long clomb up over the hill now known as Christ Cross, and later as a small market town. The settlement was mainly along the main stret and a few lanes that ran off it, plus a few fatms. probably nothing much changed for over a thousand years with a settled population mainly working on the land. The population of Silverton Parish grew slowly to about 16. 00 ny the mid nineteenth centurym but declined somewhat during the agricultural depression of the 1870s. Silverton was bypassed by the new section of the main Exeter to Tiverton road which was built in the waely 1830s. After this its market function went ionto decline and died out.
In all this time the community would have remained reletively stable with people marrying eiyjer within the village or, marrying partners from meighbouring communities such as Bradninch or Thorverton. We know that 'Navvies' working on the new road in the 1830s had lodgings in the village and undoubtedlt some stayed on, as did those who came to build the Exeter-Tiverton railway line in the 1870s. A number of these came from south wales and some of their names are to be found in the village today in the names of French and Davies Closes. These additions to the community were not such as to make a major change in the nature of the population. During the later part of the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries there was a steady shift in employment away from the land and into the paper mills at Silverton, Hele and Stoke Canon. , Better transport links also meant better access to employment opportunities in Exeter and Tiverton.
So, by the middle of the twentieth century we have a well settled and reletively syable community where most people worked together and often were related. Community activities involved a very large percentage of the community, even after the expansion of council housing in the village that took place largely between the nineteen twenties and the nineteen sixties in the area then known as Lily Lake with some addition of social housing at the top of Coach Road and the top of Wyndham Road in the nid nioneteen seventies. During those periods, nearly all social housing was let to local people.
The big changes begin in the late 1960e with the building of private estates at Sulverdale and Applemead which marked the beginning of a steady influx of people from outside the village and often from outside the county. It was at this time that the first complaints about the breakdown of community negin to be heard and the nature of the community changes even more during the 1980s with the development of the large private estates in the lower Wyndham Road and Hederman Close off Park Road. The nature of the community is further changed by the sale of social housing, initiated by the Thatcher government which meant that former council houses were sold to outsiders and chanhes to social housing allocation policy which meant that housing remaining in council hands could, and often was allocated to those in need of it from mid devon as a whole, and sometimes well beyond. Many of the newcomers worked in Exeter and the nature of their employment, mainly in administration meant that the character of the village moved steadily from neing mainly that of the manual working class to being nore middle class, but that many of the newcomers, by nature of their work tended to be only resident in the village for a seletivelt short time. Thisv trend was intensified by the rapid decline and near extinction of Paper making in the 1990s. By the turn of the century many of the old village families no longer existed or, had been driven to the edges of village life. Attempts were made to shore up Silverton as a community, notably through the Silverton Weeks of the 1970s and the Street Markets that begab in the early 1990s both with some success but with Street Market depending on its survival more om people from outside the villasge rather then from those within.
The question then arises for Silverton, as for many other similar communities with a similar location close to a big city is how do you achieve, and retain, a sense of community solidarity in a community whose social inks have been changed so radically, often in the space of under one life time and whose social composition will almost certainly continue to experience rapid change, probably brought about by more housing construction It is this struggle to maintain a sense of community that underlies much of yje unease around the perceptions of anti social behaviour that have plagued the village in recent months and I suggest that it is an issue that will define much of the thinking about village life in the years to come.
If Silverton has lost its sense of community its worth looking at the development of the village in its historical contect/
Silverton has probably stood in iys current location for somewhere in the region of 15, 00 years, since the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, although there are a few indications that there might have been earlier settlements in the area as indicated by the at the site, north of the village, known as 'Pigs Park'. Silverton was probably, first a small collection of farms that developed into a way station on the road between Exeter and Tiverton where horses could be fed and watered before the long clomb up over the hill now known as Christ Cross, and later as a small market town. The settlement was mainly along the main stret and a few lanes that ran off it, plus a few fatms. probably nothing much changed for over a thousand years with a settled population mainly working on the land. The population of Silverton Parish grew slowly to about 16. 00 ny the mid nineteenth centurym but declined somewhat during the agricultural depression of the 1870s. Silverton was bypassed by the new section of the main Exeter to Tiverton road which was built in the waely 1830s. After this its market function went ionto decline and died out.
In all this time the community would have remained reletively stable with people marrying eiyjer within the village or, marrying partners from meighbouring communities such as Bradninch or Thorverton. We know that 'Navvies' working on the new road in the 1830s had lodgings in the village and undoubtedlt some stayed on, as did those who came to build the Exeter-Tiverton railway line in the 1870s. A number of these came from south wales and some of their names are to be found in the village today in the names of French and Davies Closes. These additions to the community were not such as to make a major change in the nature of the population. During the later part of the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries there was a steady shift in employment away from the land and into the paper mills at Silverton, Hele and Stoke Canon. , Better transport links also meant better access to employment opportunities in Exeter and Tiverton.
So, by the middle of the twentieth century we have a well settled and reletively syable community where most people worked together and often were related. Community activities involved a very large percentage of the community, even after the expansion of council housing in the village that took place largely between the nineteen twenties and the nineteen sixties in the area then known as Lily Lake with some addition of social housing at the top of Coach Road and the top of Wyndham Road in the nid nioneteen seventies. During those periods, nearly all social housing was let to local people.
The big changes begin in the late 1960e with the building of private estates at Sulverdale and Applemead which marked the beginning of a steady influx of people from outside the village and often from outside the county. It was at this time that the first complaints about the breakdown of community negin to be heard and the nature of the community changes even more during the 1980s with the development of the large private estates in the lower Wyndham Road and Hederman Close off Park Road. The nature of the community is further changed by the sale of social housing, initiated by the Thatcher government which meant that former council houses were sold to outsiders and chanhes to social housing allocation policy which meant that housing remaining in council hands could, and often was allocated to those in need of it from mid devon as a whole, and sometimes well beyond. Many of the newcomers worked in Exeter and the nature of their employment, mainly in administration meant that the character of the village moved steadily from neing mainly that of the manual working class to being nore middle class, but that many of the newcomers, by nature of their work tended to be only resident in the village for a seletivelt short time. Thisv trend was intensified by the rapid decline and near extinction of Paper making in the 1990s. By the turn of the century many of the old village families no longer existed or, had been driven to the edges of village life. Attempts were made to shore up Silverton as a community, notably through the Silverton Weeks of the 1970s and the Street Markets that begab in the early 1990s both with some success but with Street Market depending on its survival more om people from outside the villasge rather then from those within.
The question then arises for Silverton, as for many other similar communities with a similar location close to a big city is how do you achieve, and retain, a sense of community solidarity in a community whose social inks have been changed so radically, often in the space of under one life time and whose social composition will almost certainly continue to experience rapid change, probably brought about by more housing construction It is this struggle to maintain a sense of community that underlies much of yje unease around the perceptions of anti social behaviour that have plagued the village in recent months and I suggest that it is an issue that will define much of the thinking about village life in the years to come.
The Lamb Inn Shed.
Its probably worth a short explanation for our international readers of what is meant by The Lamb Inn Shed. When The Lamb Inn was bought by the current owners, Alan and Janr Isaac in 1999, they had a bew function room and Skittle alley constructed attached to the pub and it is now used for a wide range of activities including Skittles matches, wedding, christening and funeral parties and meetings. It has become, over the past 13 years a vital part of Silverton life.
The Meeting.
A short report on the meeting held on tuesday evening to discuss the issues around the recent incidents of anti social behaviour in the village and ways to divert younger people from such activities in the future.
About 50 people attended the meeting facilitated by the parish council and held in The Lamb Inn Shed. The meeting was chaired by the chair of the parish council and representitives of the police and mid devon district council and devon county council departments were in attendence. police sergeant, Paul Roberts from the Tiverton policing team gave the background to the recent imposition of a dispersal order and explaining what the aims of the order were. This is to allow police to disperse people they consider likely to cause trouble before it starts. He reported that although there had been a sharp rise in reported crime and anti social behaviour percentage wise in the months preceding the dispersal order, numbers remained small and overall the village remains a safe place to live,
The meeting then opened up to a general discussion around ways forward and there were a number of useful contributions from the floor. including from the few younger members of the community who attended, notably from Ben Rice. Ben pointed out that much of the trouble had enenated from a slightly older group within the village and from their friends from outsude Silverton. Other contributions concentrated on the provision of facilities such as the reconstruction of the BNX track and better use of the facilities of The Community Hall for youth activities. A positive aspect of the meeting was provided by some people with experience of youth work volunteering to help move things forward and to that end a contasct group was established.
On the whole, I thought that the meeting did about what could have been expected of it in being the start of a process rather then providing any magic bullet solutions. With hindsight, I also think that the attendence of the police probably prevented certin issues within the village being discussed as openly as they might otherwise have been.
About 50 people attended the meeting facilitated by the parish council and held in The Lamb Inn Shed. The meeting was chaired by the chair of the parish council and representitives of the police and mid devon district council and devon county council departments were in attendence. police sergeant, Paul Roberts from the Tiverton policing team gave the background to the recent imposition of a dispersal order and explaining what the aims of the order were. This is to allow police to disperse people they consider likely to cause trouble before it starts. He reported that although there had been a sharp rise in reported crime and anti social behaviour percentage wise in the months preceding the dispersal order, numbers remained small and overall the village remains a safe place to live,
The meeting then opened up to a general discussion around ways forward and there were a number of useful contributions from the floor. including from the few younger members of the community who attended, notably from Ben Rice. Ben pointed out that much of the trouble had enenated from a slightly older group within the village and from their friends from outsude Silverton. Other contributions concentrated on the provision of facilities such as the reconstruction of the BNX track and better use of the facilities of The Community Hall for youth activities. A positive aspect of the meeting was provided by some people with experience of youth work volunteering to help move things forward and to that end a contasct group was established.
On the whole, I thought that the meeting did about what could have been expected of it in being the start of a process rather then providing any magic bullet solutions. With hindsight, I also think that the attendence of the police probably prevented certin issues within the village being discussed as openly as they might otherwise have been.
Increasing Traffic
I notice that views of this blog rose to 35 yesterday, a record. Dont know why so much interest at the moment, but we shall do our best to hold the audience.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Renibder
Public Meeting.
Anti Social Behaviour And Ways Foewaed.
7.30pm. Tuesday Mar 6th.
Lamb Inn Shed, Silverton.
ALL WELCOME.
Anti Social Behaviour And Ways Foewaed.
7.30pm. Tuesday Mar 6th.
Lamb Inn Shed, Silverton.
ALL WELCOME.
International pt 2
On the latest stats for the blog, I note that this blog has recently been read, beyond these shores, in Australia, Franve, Germany, The United States and Russia. You wonder who in Russia is interested in the doings of a small Devon village. Who knows, one day we may wake up and find that Silverton FC has been bought by a Russian oil billionaire, or that newlt elected President, Vladimir Putin is popping in for a holiday stay at The Three Tuns.
If any of our international friends would like to make themselves known, please feel free to use the comments section.
If any of our international friends would like to make themselves known, please feel free to use the comments section.
Thought For The Day.
I wonder what really does the most damage in the village. a few kids in hoods hanging around the bus shelter and occasionally getting a bit lairy, or the incessant rumble of the rumour and gossip machine.
The gosip machine is always at work, Nost of the time its like background noise that no one takes much notice of, but at times of stress and tension it can become destructive. None of us are innocent of occasionally fuelling the machine but some people seem to almost make it a profession. Tese are usually the obsessional curtain twitchers, the over judgemental, those with little else to fill there time and those who my late wife used to describe as 'The know all's who know F**k all'. Nost of then are essentially, 'sleekit', to use a good scots word and are expert at presenting a smiling face whuke preparing to stab victims in the back.
Silverton has its fair share of these people, nut rather then hanging out at the bus shelter they can be found around certain pubs and shops. They dont get dispersal orders and are usually immune from any sanction at all. This is the dark side of the word'community'. but as much a part of village life as the Street Market, the Twinning Committee or the Drama Group. In this respect, Silverton is no different from any other village or, indeed any other human community since homo sapiens walked off the plains of Africa. unpleasent as it all is, it is as impossible to wish away as old age and death.
The gosip machine is always at work, Nost of the time its like background noise that no one takes much notice of, but at times of stress and tension it can become destructive. None of us are innocent of occasionally fuelling the machine but some people seem to almost make it a profession. Tese are usually the obsessional curtain twitchers, the over judgemental, those with little else to fill there time and those who my late wife used to describe as 'The know all's who know F**k all'. Nost of then are essentially, 'sleekit', to use a good scots word and are expert at presenting a smiling face whuke preparing to stab victims in the back.
Silverton has its fair share of these people, nut rather then hanging out at the bus shelter they can be found around certain pubs and shops. They dont get dispersal orders and are usually immune from any sanction at all. This is the dark side of the word'community'. but as much a part of village life as the Street Market, the Twinning Committee or the Drama Group. In this respect, Silverton is no different from any other village or, indeed any other human community since homo sapiens walked off the plains of Africa. unpleasent as it all is, it is as impossible to wish away as old age and death.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Spare A Copper.
Funny how media concious the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary are these days. On the day that the media circus hit town a couple of Devon and Cornwall's finest could be seen patrolling the streets and chatting to anyone they could find, whilst on friday night, no less then four police persons could be found in the village complaining that their time would be better spent in Tiverton or Cullompton.
What the police dont seem to grasp is that people are'nt stupid. They are not impressed by police on every street corner because of media attention that they know will Disappear once the media attention shifts elsewhere. All they really want is a copper with a regular presence in the village over a prolonged period, who knows the people of the village tey serve and are not goping to be relocated because of the changing priorities of the new crime commissioners, a Chief Constable or because some new Home Secretary decides that community policing would be better dome by G4S.
What the police dont seem to grasp is that people are'nt stupid. They are not impressed by police on every street corner because of media attention that they know will Disappear once the media attention shifts elsewhere. All they really want is a copper with a regular presence in the village over a prolonged period, who knows the people of the village tey serve and are not goping to be relocated because of the changing priorities of the new crime commissioners, a Chief Constable or because some new Home Secretary decides that community policing would be better dome by G4S.
Lemmings.
Like nany others in the village, I was surprised last thursdat morning to turn on the early morning BBC radio programme 'Good Morning Devon' to find that Silverton was headline news. It appwaes that Radio Devon had picked up on the story first published in the locasl papers some weeks ago, regarding the dispersal order that had come into force in the villagr following recent inciodents of anti social behaviour. Radio Devon slanted the story to try and emphsise the 'shock/horror' value of a 'picture postcard village' neing plagued by a wave of anti social behaviour. The chair of the parish council and assorted villagers, appeared on the programme speaking for and against the order and it was the subject of the Radio Devon phone in programme at lunchtime the same day.
What we then had was the rest of the local broadcast media acting like a pack of lemmings with BBC and ITV camera crews and reporters running around the Square trying to get interviews with anyone who appeared to be interested in talking to them and even filming a couple of the local youth sitting on a bench. All followed the Fadsio Devon 'picture postcard' line with no real analysis or understanding of the fact that most of the events that led to the imposition of yje dispersal order in the first place, are little different then events that have been paty of the life of communities like Silverton for decades, if not centuaries. Given that the order has been in place for weeks and that the anti social incidents had dried up, this was a classiv non story blown up to fill in the space on the news programmes on a 'slacj news day'. This was all but admitted in an echange of eMails between Sue Banks, of this parish, and Mark Tyler, the owner of Radio Exe on Facebook the day following.
A few things come to mind arising from this situation. The Silverton story was an example of journalism at its laziest and worst. A non story was inflated to fill in a few minutes on a news programme without any of the media outlets involved being inclined to find an original angle. If they can cover a story like the Silverton dispersal order in this fashion, how many other, more serious stories, get treated in the same manner. Additionally, an issue within the village which most had thought was in the process of being resolved, has now been stirred up again to no ones benefit and there is no doubt the belief in the South West generally that Silverton is now one of the crime capitals of Devon.
One can only hope that the media will give as much attention to the ongoing work being done in the village to deal with the underlying problems that led to the imposition of the dispersal order in the first place, but giben the notoriously short attention span of the media I shall not be holding my breath.
What we then had was the rest of the local broadcast media acting like a pack of lemmings with BBC and ITV camera crews and reporters running around the Square trying to get interviews with anyone who appeared to be interested in talking to them and even filming a couple of the local youth sitting on a bench. All followed the Fadsio Devon 'picture postcard' line with no real analysis or understanding of the fact that most of the events that led to the imposition of yje dispersal order in the first place, are little different then events that have been paty of the life of communities like Silverton for decades, if not centuaries. Given that the order has been in place for weeks and that the anti social incidents had dried up, this was a classiv non story blown up to fill in the space on the news programmes on a 'slacj news day'. This was all but admitted in an echange of eMails between Sue Banks, of this parish, and Mark Tyler, the owner of Radio Exe on Facebook the day following.
A few things come to mind arising from this situation. The Silverton story was an example of journalism at its laziest and worst. A non story was inflated to fill in a few minutes on a news programme without any of the media outlets involved being inclined to find an original angle. If they can cover a story like the Silverton dispersal order in this fashion, how many other, more serious stories, get treated in the same manner. Additionally, an issue within the village which most had thought was in the process of being resolved, has now been stirred up again to no ones benefit and there is no doubt the belief in the South West generally that Silverton is now one of the crime capitals of Devon.
One can only hope that the media will give as much attention to the ongoing work being done in the village to deal with the underlying problems that led to the imposition of the dispersal order in the first place, but giben the notoriously short attention span of the media I shall not be holding my breath.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Andrew 'Lux' Luckham 1963-2012
Alyhough he was only 48, Andrew 'Lux' Luckham, who died as a result of a motorcycle accident at Offwell on February 26th, seemed to have been part of the Silverton scene for ever. 'Lux', as he was known to all, was brought up in Silverton by his parents, Ray and Jean Luckham, along with his sidter, Angela, , and attended Silverton Primary School and Broadclyst Community College. after leaving school he worked mainly in the construction industry and had been working in the Chard area at the time of his death.
'Lux' had two som's, Karl and Dean, from his marraige to Sharon Pitts (now Parry) but after the break up of his marraige moved around the mid Devon are quiye frequently, whilst retaining close links with Silverton. He also lived, for a short time in Portugal. Recently he had been living in the Cullompton area.
I first came across 'Lix' in the early 1980s when he was part of a group of young bikers who hung out in The New Inn, now The Silverton Inn. It was at this time, November 1981, that 'Lux' tried to save his friend, Mark Trebble, who had been critically injured in a motorcycle on School Road, Sadly, Mark sied in hospital the same night, but 'Lux' recieved an award for his actions on that evening from the Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.
As a life long nenber of the motorcycling community 'Lux' became known throughout the westcountry and well beyond, liked and respected by all who knew him in that world. It is perhaps fitting that he died as he would probably have wanted, taking part in a bike run with his mates.
'Lux' will be best remembered in Silverton as a gentle giant with a dry, but sometimes wicked, sense of humour who was a friend to all. He will be remembered by many as a regular, in recent years, at The Lamb Inn and indeed, was in The Lamb Inn with his current partner, Sharon Jones, on the afternoon before he died.
It was quite usual to hear people in The Lamb at the weekends asking if 'Lux' was likely to be in. Sadly, he will be in no more. We know, however that although he may well be no longer physically there with us he is with us in spirit. hopefully, all who can, will be raising a glass to him in The Lamb after the Funeral next friday.
We send out condolences to his Mother, Jean, Sister, Angela, sons Karl and Dean, partner, Sharon Jones and all his many friends and aquaintances everywhere, He leaves a big gap, but will always be remembered by those who knew him. RIP.
'Lux' had two som's, Karl and Dean, from his marraige to Sharon Pitts (now Parry) but after the break up of his marraige moved around the mid Devon are quiye frequently, whilst retaining close links with Silverton. He also lived, for a short time in Portugal. Recently he had been living in the Cullompton area.
I first came across 'Lix' in the early 1980s when he was part of a group of young bikers who hung out in The New Inn, now The Silverton Inn. It was at this time, November 1981, that 'Lux' tried to save his friend, Mark Trebble, who had been critically injured in a motorcycle on School Road, Sadly, Mark sied in hospital the same night, but 'Lux' recieved an award for his actions on that evening from the Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.
As a life long nenber of the motorcycling community 'Lux' became known throughout the westcountry and well beyond, liked and respected by all who knew him in that world. It is perhaps fitting that he died as he would probably have wanted, taking part in a bike run with his mates.
'Lux' will be best remembered in Silverton as a gentle giant with a dry, but sometimes wicked, sense of humour who was a friend to all. He will be remembered by many as a regular, in recent years, at The Lamb Inn and indeed, was in The Lamb Inn with his current partner, Sharon Jones, on the afternoon before he died.
It was quite usual to hear people in The Lamb at the weekends asking if 'Lux' was likely to be in. Sadly, he will be in no more. We know, however that although he may well be no longer physically there with us he is with us in spirit. hopefully, all who can, will be raising a glass to him in The Lamb after the Funeral next friday.
We send out condolences to his Mother, Jean, Sister, Angela, sons Karl and Dean, partner, Sharon Jones and all his many friends and aquaintances everywhere, He leaves a big gap, but will always be remembered by those who knew him. RIP.
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