Happy New Year, Gordon
HER MAJESTY the Queen, the most dignified lady in her Kingdom, must be seething at the political clap trap written for her by Michael Foster's party spin doctors and presented as The Queen's Speech (Observer 19/12/08) in what is supposed to be an announcement of great, visionary, steps forward but is nothing more than an apology for 11 insufferably long years of New Labour's corrupt mismanagement of our economy and legislation.
So, Dear Father Christmas, please may we have a reversal of 'Prudence' Brown's follies of disposing our 'rainy day' gold reserves at knock down prices - and now it's raining he borrows £3 trillion against a falling tax revenue!; the total failure of their FSA to administer the financial services; depressing the exchange rate (which reflects confidence in governments and investments); removing government contracts from Post Offices forcing their closure; destroying Parliamentary Sovereignty through the Human Rights Acts and EU legislation; signing the Lisbon Treaty without their promised Referendum - the Irish, French and Dutch get two goes, we get none!; taking this country to war and reneging on the supply of equipment, aircraft carriers, helicopters and aeroplanes to our armed forces – and then sell our munitions companies to foreigners - have they learnt nothing from the Falklands and Gulf Wars?; withdraw trial by jury and then subject citizens to trial without habeas corpus in foreign countries under the EU Arrest Warrant; of automatic fines on a whim by petty local government workers; of debasing our whole judicial process by shackling magistrates and Coroner's Inquests (that of Dr David Kelly springs to mind); of keeping the police off the streets through excessive form filling while giving them bonus points for meeting political targets...
..And then Michael Foster has the audacity to say governments should not interfere with the operation of the police force!
Michael also claims the once proud, independent, professional civil service should be independent of government, yet it was his very government who wilfully politicised the civil service, who wilfully distorted and misrepresented statistics for political gain (remember Keith Vaz MP over the EU jobs fiasco? - remember the grovelling apology from Tony Blair?)...
I could go on, but it is Christmas and the season of goodwill to all (including politicians) and especially poor Rudolph. Give him extra oats!
So, Dear Father Christmas, please let Mr Foster MP enjoy his extended Christmas holiday, then get him to go and take Mr Brown and his motley crew of cronies with him, so that they can enjoy their gold plated windfall tax free pensions, golden handshakes and insult our intelligence no more!
Have a merry VAT-reduced Christmas and a happy, if poverty-stricken, over-taxed, jobless, New Year to one and all!
BARRY M JONES
Bixley Lane, Beckley

Unsightly building
I WOULD like to follow up on the letter I sent to the Rye Observer on July 11 2008. Six months on Love Lane residents still have not had the unsightly primary school building screened by trees. However, RDC have managed to dig up a large section of the river bank by the footpath to Tillingham Avenue and plan to plant large mature trees. How ironic is that? The very thing we have been asking for! What purpose will they serve other than hide the riverbank?
I run a small bed and breakfast and although it is nice to see the children playing, the school building remains an eyesore.
The riverbank is an attractive feature that many of my guests would walk along.
Although we are outside of the conservation area surely the RDC would wish to preserve the natural environment especially as Rye relies on tourism.
WENDY WRIGHT
Love Lane, Rye

Let's look forward
THE Robertsbridge Post Office is becoming an Icelandic saga, quiescent for a time then erupting, rolling on from one generation to the next as misunderstandings and animosities develop and shift.
I am a member of Salehurst & Robertsbridge Parish Council (the PC) but write as a private resident of the village and not representing the PC.
(1) There is near-universal support for the need to keep a Post Office in the village, and gratitude that the Postmaster has been willing to keep it going in difficult financial circumstances.
(2) My experience is that this view is shared by every member of the PC.
(3) Rother District Council (RDC) decides planning matters.
It routinely asks the PC for comment. Sometimes RDC does what the PC suggests but often it doesn't: RDC considers a wider range of matters than the PC does, just as the PC has to take a wider view than an individual applicant does.
(4) When Royal Mail decided to withdraw the mail-sorting function from Robertsbridge the Postmaster moved the Post Office across the street from its long-established location to his other business premises (where it had already been temporarily after the 2000 flood). The Postmaster then needed to sell the old premises. To help this he sought planning permission to change the use of the old premises from shop to residential.
(5) It was on this point, change of use of the old premises, and on this point alone, that the PC was asked to comment by RDC.
(6) Most of the buildings in the High Street have been shops at one time or another. Times have changed and only a dozen still are so. During the last two decades about 200 new houses have been built in the village. During the same time the total number of shops has diminished. There is a real danger that the village is drifting towards being merely a dormitory.
(7) RDC has recognised that the same danger applies across the whole rural area. A few years ago it adopted a nationally recommended policy (as EM13-15) that in the rural area change of use of a premises from shop to residential should be resisted and allowed only if there is evidence that it is no longer viable as a shop. The most likely evidence is that realistic but unsuccessful attempts have been made for a longish (but unspecified) time to sell the property as a shop. Once this policy was formally adopted RDC had to follow it or be open to legal challenge.
(8) RDC seems to have concluded that there was not yet sufficient evidence that the old Post Office premises were not viable as a shop, and refused permission for change of use.
(9) The Postmaster appealed against this decision and by the time of the hearing ten months after the RDC refusal the Inspector judged that enough time had passed without a sale or even a serious enquiry to grant the appeal.
(10) A new year is a time for looking forward. A major new Development Framework for the RDC area to take us to 2026 has been available for consultation but has aroused little interest. It will affect us all. Is it not time to turn our attention to the gathering pack of wolves at the door and stop worrying about who burned the toast at breakfast?
R.S.CLYMO
High Street
Robertsbridge

No adequate cover
WITH regard to the Conquest Hospital being in crisis, I think the problem stems as much from poor resource planning as much as the volume of admissions.
My former husband, who has cancer, was admitted on Boxing Day and had to spend two days on the Medical Assessment Unit with only palliative care, as there is no proper weekend/holiday cover provided by specialist doctors who are able to make decisions as to treatment and ward allocation.
This blocks beds in the MAU and slows down the care and treatment process.
My former husband was moved from Bexhill hospital and the duty staff and locum doctors at the Conquest, in addition to being at a loss as how to deal with him, were not passed his full medication records, there was no continuity of care, so vital antibiotics which he should have had were not given.
I had to inform staff as to his condition, the nature of his infection, and the name of his specialist.
If shops can ensure that there is a staff rota to ensure proper cover at weekends, why do hospitals have to rely on a scant number of staff, often non-specialised, rather than make sure that there is adequate cover and treatment available at all times? Doctors and consultants are paid handsomely, so surely missing a few weekends should be no problem. Alas for the NHS pen pushers, illness does not conveniently occur on weekdays between 9am and 5pm.
CHRISTINA BURTON
Springfield Road
St Leonards-on-Sea

A life destroyed
TO the person who killed my beautiful much-loved cat,"Marmalade", whilst driving over Doleham ditch bridge, Doleham Hill, in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday December 16.
Have you given any thought over the festive season to the precious life you destroyed, or for me his heart-broken owner ?
Was he just a nuisance in your way as you tore up Doleham Hill ?
The New Year should be full of hope and new beginnings, but because of your reckless driving mine will be filled with just memories and tears.
Was getting from A to B really so much more important than an animals precious life?
DOLEHAM RESIDENT

Force at a stretch
I WAS like many others, saddened to hear about the move of local community support officer Dan Bevan from Rye town centre.
I agree with the letter last week from Mr Booth who infers that Rye's loss is Rye Harbour, Playden and Iden's gain.
Unfortunately this is yet another example of our police force stretching itself to cover gaps left by insufficient resources.
If only the Government would drop once and for all its policy on the introduction of ID cards.
The Liberal Democrats are firmly of the view that the billions of pounds that this scheme will cost should be directed towards dedicated community policing, so that it would be possible for there to be an experienced and locally-aware pool of officers, as well as PCSOs like Dan Bevan, in every area.
If you would like to sign the Lib Dem petition against ID cards, please do so online at:
www.libdems.org.uk/noidcards
NICK PERRY
Parliamentary campaigner
Hastings & Rye Liberal Democrats

Window of opportunity
I AM writing to express my acute disappointment at the result of the Christmas Window Display on the theme of 'a letter to Santa'. Albeit Penny Royal's display was interesting it didn't express vast imagination.
Comparatively speaking Cassiel Art in Wish Ward was clever, innovative and forward thinking. I would recommend that it is very worthwhile a visit particularly for children as it is not only a magical display but there is free Turkish Delight for visitors.
The fact that the Ice Queen is wearing my step-daughter's wedding dress, the make-up is done by my wife, the gallery is run by my other step-daughter and I made the white hanging basket outside, is absolutely nothing to do with it.
CHRISTOPHER RUSSELL
Mason Road
Rye

Same principle?
THE Editor defends (Rye Observer, 26.12.08) the paper's use of a seven year old (summertime) photo of Rye High Street: "a stock picture…. Used for illustrative purposes only - fairly common practice in the newspaper industry".
Can this be the same Editor who, just months ago, was indignantly reporting national paper's use of a nine year old photograph, depicting Hastings as seedy and unsafe?
Different approaches, yes: the Observer's article was positive and upbeat, whereas the other piece was derogatory. But, nevertheless, the principle is surely identical in both cases?
CYNTHIA REAVELL
Friars Bank
Guestling

Worthwhile cause
WE would like to thank all the people who supported the Cards for Good Causes shop in Rye again this year and made it such a success. The shop was open from October 30 to December 19 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) 10am to 4pm.
We would also like to publicly thank the volunteers who gave up their time to serve in the shop. It would not have been the success it was without their help.
The charities whose cards are sold through Cards for Good Causes receive 79p in every pound for all cards sold which is why it is such a worthwhile cause to support.
CIRO AND VICKIE NOCERA
South Undercliff
Rye