I am fed up with people who make massive statements without any facts to back them up and who make little contribution to local life.
That's the grumpy bit over. Now for the positive.
Most of you will know that I live in a village. It is now a large village and since we have been here it's size has probably doubled.
The reason we live in this village is because of its heart and spirit and the hundreds of good people who volunteer to run groups and organisations.
Every town, city and village in the country has stalwarts that make that town, city or village what it is. In Hethersett we still have a post office thanks to volunteers. We have sports clubs, youth organisations and groups covering the interests of all ages and all made possible by volunteers who give their time, their expertise and even their money to ensure that the fabric of the village works. Without these people our village would collapse.
Then we have the other side of the coin. People who like to point out the deficiencies of the village and how things aren't what they should be. People who do very little to support what is going on.
I would appeal to such people to roll up their sleeves and get involved. My motto in life has always been "if you don't like something, do something about it" or in the words of my all time hero Harry Chapin: "If in doubt do something."
Yes I don't mind poking my head above the parapet and getting shot at if it improves things in some small way. But back to Hethersett.
There has been criticism on social media over the past few days about the percentage rise in the parish's part of the council tax bill. I believe I am correct in saying this is the first rise for a number of years and actually in real terms amounts to relatively little. Using percentages can be confusing - 5% of £1000 is £50, 20% of £100 is £20. I would rather hear about increases in real terms rather than percentages.
As far as the parish council is concerned, local elections are coming up in May so plenty of opportunity for those unhappy about council tax increases to stand for the council and help make the decisions themselves in the future. Sadly I suspect that the number of people putting their names forward will be very small because of the huge amount of work involved without any pay whatsoever and along with no pay comes all the criticism and hassle.
I don't think there is a single group or organisation in our village that wouldn't welcome more volunteers. Of course I'm not averse to criticising things myself, but I hope that I'm not guilty of being over critical of things run by volunteers.
What annoys me is when people criticise volunteers without any intention of volunteering themselves. I guess my message is don't moan, do get involved.
I have in this rather serious blog exercised my right to freedom of speech and action which is seemingly something denied Gary Lineker by the BBC. Sadly I believe the BBC is now showing a decidedly political bias that is leading to an erosion of an individual's views. The backlash from sports reporters, journalists and celebrities says it all. Whether you agree with what Linaker has said or not is irrelevant, it is his right to say it that is under threat. Lineker today, who tomorrow?
Mind you football seems as if it's becoming more and more dull. Take the Championship match between Reading and Millwall which according to the stats had just one shot on target in the entire match and that was a penalty which brought a 1-0 win for Millwall. That must be a whole heap of dross served up as so called entertainment.
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Finally a bit of fun courtesy of Cousin Clive. How many of you are fans of the detective drama Endeavour?
In the current series, the part of journalist Dorethea Frazil is played by Abigail Thaw. She is the daughter of John Thaw who played the original Endeavour Morse. A Frazil is a particle of ice. Put that together and you have Dorethea Ice or D Ice and to de ice is to thaw. Prithee.