Saving Andover.
Introduction.
This page was inspired by the Andover Advertiser headlines of the 20th April 2012 in which Tony Hooke launched an incentive to “Save our town”. I was a little surprised by this, because I had long ago came to the conclusion that the politicians had left very little worth saving !.
The article did have the effect of flushing a couple of minor ‘wannabe’ politicians out of their holes, in the hope of getting their photo’s taken. I imagine that they later got their wrists slapped for publically aligning themselves with anything that high-lighted the miserable failures of their own political party. I am not picking on any particular party here, because these days they are all the same depressing shade of grey, snouts in the trough, morally and intellectually bankrupt. Still, there is little point in dwelling on the subject because they all belong to a protected and exclusive club called “The Establishment”.
The establishment is a very large lethargic, mindless, lumbering and unchangeable dinosaur. The central controlling brain is so small that it probably does not even know it is extinct yet. One day the public will wake up, notice the smell and bury it. Until that day, the general incompetence of the establishment will continue to grind UK into a state of abject unhappiness and obscurity… and everything is ‘normal’.
I used to think that our only hope was in the younger generation, but unfortunately we parents brainwashed any originality out of them at an early age, then handed them over to the ‘system’ for further mind control ‘adjustment’, before re-creating them in our own failed image.
Is there any way of bringing about meaningful change ?. Whatever has been tried in the past has failed and left us with the present problems; ‘more of the same’ will not work either. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results. When I look at the state of UK, I understand what he meant. To bring about change we will need more than just hope. I think we need a ‘miracle’ !.
The story about the king and his clothes made of ever lasting cloth is rather apt here, because it is easy to fool oneself into believing that things are other than they really are. It is not just a matter of being honest to others, but you also have to be honest with yourself. If the king is naked then you have the courage and integrity to say so !.
At first glance Andover’s problems may not appear to be too severe, if we compare them with those of some other towns … on the other hand they could be worse !. Tony Hooke’s suggestion of teaming up with other similar town initiatives is a good idea, because it gives a more realistic idea of the size of Andover’s problems.
Personally I do not think that is going to be enough. No longer are we just a small town in Hampshire, or even UK, we are now a small town in EUROPE , so the question is …. how does Andover compare with similar towns in the EU ?. For example, how does education in Andover compare with education in a small town in Holland, for example ?. I think you will be shocked by the answer, especially if you are a parent. (See ‘Child Poverty in Andover’).
So, I do not think that Andover’s problems simply amount to just a few empty shops, because the real underlying causes run deep. and they are the ones that need to be addressed. Empty shops are only an effect and not the cause of the dilemma.
The reason I got interested in Tony Hooke’s effort to bring about change, was that we both agree on what may make change possible. This is one thing that did not come out in the Advertiser articles, because no-one cared to ask.
Articles.
Future articles ?.
Future articles ?
PS. If you would like to have your say on any of these subjects, I have opened a ‘Saving Andover’ forum, which can be accessed using the FORUM button on the home page.