Category: Letters to the Editor

Hi Sonja, I couldnt agree with your correspondent more of ” Quality not quantity”. We’ve had the door knocker abused on about a dozen occasions over the last two weeks. If we get a visit tonight, then maybe I could supply a headline for tomorrow’s “Thame News.net”.
“Former Thame Festival chairman arrested for brutal attack on election canvasser”.
Do you have the main protagonists home addresses so I could return their important election material to them personally, so it can go on their council tax bill, and not mine! I find it absurd that they talk of “Green issues “, and their concern for the environment, when they are flushing out this rubbish on a daily basis. Hypocrisy does not begin to describe their ill-considered attempts to get to Westminster.

Yours from beneath a mound of election babble.

Bob Davies

Dear Sonja

Like Mrs Bristow, I too have expressed concern about the amount of paper being delivered for the by-election. With the exception of the Green Party None of it seems to be on recycled paper. All this ?literature? seems to do is to denigrate the other main parties.

I am also fed up with being pestered by telephone. I have taken numerous calls and told them my views several times. What is all this costing?

With one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, I am disappointed that votes for other parties will make very little difference. However, it is really important that we do vote. One only has to look at other countries to see how lucky we are to live in a democracy where no one need fear reprisals for casting their vote.

We can use our votes to show what is important to us and keep pushing for proportional representation that would force parties to work together rather than run each other down all the time.

Cathy Gaulter-Carter

SINCE the Henley By-election was called two weeks ago the residents of South Oxfordshire have been bombarded by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with flyers, leaflets, letters (typed and handwritten!), newspapers and glossy magazines.
Within hours of the announcement of John Howell as Conservative candidate the first document came through my door.? This was followed by a further four arriving on the following five days.

I have received copies of the Oxfordshire News, which claims to be a newspaper for South Oxfordshire. After a few seconds reading, however I soon realise that this is nothing but more election material from the Liberal Democrats.

John Howell has sent me glossy magazines, newspapers, letters from David Cameron, letters from Boris?it goes on and on.

The most infuriating and amusing document to come through the letter box was the lovely blue envelope, hand written with a nice 2nd class stamp on the front. Who can this be from, I thought, perhaps some correspondence from aunty or grandma?but no such luck, inside is a letter from guess who Stephen Kearney!

Apart from the annoyance there is the very serious issue of waste.? When you are dealing with such large quantities it is little comfort to be told that it has come from a sustainable source.

The 13 publications which I have received from the Liberal Democrats weighs a total of 118 grams, the Conservatives have sent 10 which weigh in at 108 grams. There are 42,300 households in the Henley Constituency, so when you had up all this paper it comes to a total of 9.5 tonnes. Lets also take into account the amount of ink used, the energy used to print all this election material and delivery across the constituency.? How can John Howell say “Vote Blue, Go Green? It really is a contradiction.

I was delighted to see that the Green Party have sent just one A5 leaflet to every household which totals just 15 kilos of paper. This is a party who are obviously far more confident about what they have to say.

John Howell and Stephen Kearney must be feeling very insecure to feel the need to contact their constituents so frequently. Remember lads – it’s not quantity its quality!

Mrs L Bristow
Secretary of the Dorchester Carbon Project

Dear Sir
I have just purchased a bike to increase my fitness level and work off a few pounds and would like some bike companions to help motivate me and make it more fun. This would be for the Thame and surrounding area.
Kind Regards
Russ Hewer
07967053089, or 1844 202690

LETTER TO THE EDITOR RECEIVED TODAY: “My husband David and I came to your office and bought tickets for Saturday’s concert (10/05). Just wanted to say it was superb. Lovely programme, choir and orchestra in excellent form, and wow, what a trumpeter! James Arnold’s performance in the Hummel concerto was brilliant – a very exciting piece.
But for me, the highlight of the evening was the Stabat Mater, one of very favourite choral works. Difficult to sing, maybe, but the choir rose to it all magnificently, bringing out both the pathos and the Rossini’s irrepressible tunefulness. Well done! The four soloists were sublime and the final quartet, followed by that marvellous AMEN brought tears to my eyes!

Vivien Leeming

Hi there,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know I am so glad that someone is providing a proper local news service to Thame. I think thamenews.net is a real asset to the town, where papers like the Thame Gazette are unable to really get under the skin of the town. As the letter from Norman Brand says on the site I hope that more people discover Thame News, I will be spreading the word that’s for sure!

I wonder why it has taken me so long to find you guys – I will be reading this now instead of the Thame Gazette!

Sam Osborne

DEAR Editor, having read your reports of the Town Meeting I agree with Mike Welply’s praise of your thorough and wide-ranging service. I have long thought that in doing this Thame News does what local newspapers traditionally did before the advent of free newspapers.
I do not imply criticism of newspaper journalists who are probably not numerous enough or for whom the time and column inches are not available for them to get to grips with their areas. Community links and the plethora of volunteer and organisational groups to be found anywhere and not least in Thame are what make life worth living and, in reflecting them in our town, Thame News is also richly nourishing them. I hope that increasing numbers of people discover, read, value and use Thame News.

I write from experience, having spent a lifetime in the middle reaches of journalism and learned my craft in the weekly newspapers of forty years ago, when my job depended on going out and getting the stories to fill my pages. It was those stories which made people buy and read the papers.

Norman Brand

Dear Sonja, Thank you for mentioning Cicely’s fund and Mary’s swim. Her donations website is:
www.justgiving.com/maryblyth

Henry Blyth

DEAR Editor, Hallelujah! We have a plan ? now four weeks old, and about to be delivered! Starting with history, I refer to the town clerk?s letter clarifying the process for ?The Count?. It was very reassuring that at least in this process there could be no interference by anyone in the Town Hall, or others.

C.H. was not the only one who had concerns about this matter. These concerns stem from the total contempt with which the town clerk and all architects of the plan treated the majority of participants that were promised a say in the process but were totally excluded without notification. I will not go into details of all the disgraceful shenanigans that were employed then, as well as in the ?Yes? campaign, as those concerned will know exactly what I?m referring to.

However, as none of this will give us a better plan, we must put it all behind us and look to the future, support those entrusted with the plan?s delivery, and hope for the best!

I noted that the ?Yes? campaigners have made a start which, although rather late, should be welcomed by all those sidelined. I refer to the Jeanette Matelot-Green?s statement that the 24% of ?No? voters should now be listened to.

Also, although this has not yet been confirmed by those entrusted with delivering the plan, the proposal to put 85% of all affordable/social housing on site ?F? and ?The Elms? and the remaining 15% on ?C? & ?D?, seems to me a very welcome one. The common sense of this proposal is really far sighted. Those who would normally occupy such dwellings are also those more often reliant on public transport of which there will be no shortage on those sites, in contrast to sites C & D which will have none at all.

We hope there will be more ?good? ideas followed by ?good? decisions as ?the plan? is delivered.

Oliver Dyroff

DEAR Editor, Hallelujah! We have a plan ? now four weeks old, and about to be delivered! Starting with history, I refer to the town clerk?s letter clarifying the process for ?The Count?. It was very reassuring that at least in this process there could be no interference by anyone in the Town Hall, or others.

C.H. was not the only one who had concerns about this matter. These concerns stem from the total contempt with which the town clerk and all architects of the plan treated the majority of participants that were promised a say in the process but were totally excluded without notification. I will not go into details of all the disgraceful shenanigans that were employed then, as well as in the ?Yes? campaign, as those concerned will know exactly what I?m referring to.

However, as none of this will give us a better plan, we must put it all behind us and look to the future, support those entrusted with the plan?s delivery, and hope for the best!

I noted that the ?Yes? campaigners have made a start which, although rather late, should be welcomed by all those sidelined. I refer to the Jeanette Matelot-Green?s statement that the 24% of ?No? voters should now be listened to.

Also, although this has not yet been confirmed by those entrusted with delivering the plan, the proposal to put 85% of all affordable/social housing on site ?F? and ?The Elms? and the remaining 15% on ?C? & ?D?, seems to me a very welcome one. The common sense of this proposal is really far sighted. Those who would normally occupy such dwellings are also those more often reliant on public transport of which there will be no shortage on those sites, in contrast to sites C & D which will have none at all.

We hope there will be more ?good? ideas followed by ?good? decisions as ?the plan? is delivered.

Oliver Dyroff