Monday, 10 June 2013
'Search for Christchurch'
The poem I referred to as being part of the opening ceremony for our new library is called 'Search for Christchurch' It was commissioned by Dorset County Council, written and performed by Elvis Macgonagall (Dorset performance poet). It will be included in the next edition of The Courier.
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Had another thought, hence post made just now has been removed, and replaced below. WHY has a 'poet' from Dundee had to travel around 520 miles to open a Christchurch library? Who paid his travel expenses and accommodation - I guess it was the Council Tax payers? I would be interested in hearing about this - if necessary under the FOI regulations, and for the information in my original post below. You say it was ‘Commissioned’ which obviously also requires payment.
MY ORIGINAL POST: “Thanks for your reply, Ray. He's hardly Hardy, is he? From his website: "Stand-up poet, armchair revolutionary and recumbent rocker, Elvis McGonagall is the sole resident of The Graceland Caravan Park somewhere near Dundee where he scribbles verse whilst drinking malt whisky and listening to Johnny Cash."
Can I ask, in these difficult times, how much he was paid for this, bearing in mind the necessary cuts which have had to be made in various areas and the regular references to austerity and economy. Or was it just to make this library project seem groundbreaking and modern? I do know there are two good reviews on hs website - from The Guardian and from The Scotsman!”
We obviously have Hardy from Dorset and Austen and Dickens from Hampshire. Might it have been cheaper to have a local amateur dramatist reading a few excerpts, possibly with some children's literature added - or even a few short plays, perhaps from Dahl to appeal to the kids? They’d have done it FOC to support the community.
Sorry, have tried to be more supportive recently but this is not on!
I think you will find he is now a "resident" of Dorset which of course is not the same as being a native of Dorset.
Though in his defence, I must add that Mr MacGonagall at least puts something back into his adopted community. On the other hand, in my experience the majority of those who migrate to the area for no other reason than to die contribute very little, aside from moaning about what their council tax is spent on. This is despite the fact that they will consume more local services than they have ever paid for.
Thanks for your encouraging comment. McGonagall's website needs to be updated! I now look forward to reading his poem with some eagerness ...
Whoa your asking me questions that I have no idea how to answer. The whole thing was arranged, paid for by DCC when I talked to the poet he explained that he lived in Purbeck and was a Dorset poet. Maybe not Hardy but unfortunately he was not available!
Whoa your asking me questions that I have no idea how to answer. The whole thing was arranged, paid for by DCC when I talked to the poet he explained that he lived in Purbeck and was a Dorset poet. Maybe not Hardy but unfortunately he was not available!
I am a little annoyed by Somerford1962's facile bigotry against those who, not being born in Christchurch, have reached retirement age and who have come to live here "where time is pleasant." He says, for example "The majority of those who migrate to the area for no other reason than to die ..."
Well, of course, in the end we all die. But is Somerford1962 therefore suggesting that there should be some form of internal migration control? Perhaps internal passports, as in that great model of freedom and equality the Soviet Union? Is he suggesting that once pension age is reached it should be an offence to move house? Or should everyone live in Council houses and move only when they have permission - perhaps from an apparatchik such as Somerford1962?
His next mistake is to claim "[they] contribute very little, aside from moaning about what their council tax is spent on" Now this really is silly. If Somerford1962 had taken the trouble to visit the Druitt Hall for its 60th birthday he'd have seen an awful lot of people over retirement age, most of whom aren't natives of Christchurch, running various stalls, working for local charities, striving to keep a community facility open - just as happens at Mudeford Wood and other centers.
Those who run lunch clubs for the elderly help with youth work, run support groups, - 90% are retired and 90% are from outside Christchurch. And, of course, a pensioner from (say) Lancashire area who comes to live in Christchurch doesn't spend his/her pension in Lancashire: they spend it in Christchurch, creating jobs in the local economy. They pay their income tax and their VAT as well as their council tax - and if they complain about the waste of their money it is their money, not the Council’s or the Government's. They’re entitled to grumble at spending money on a not-terribly-well-known Scots "poet" with a political agenda (who may not be commercially viable and might therefore have to rely on State subsidies at a time when social spending for all groups is in short supply)
I think Somerford1962 should put aside his rose-tinted spectacles and he will realise that the elderly people in Christchurch - wherever they come from - make a huge contribution not only to the Borough's voluntary sector but to its economy. If you hate Dorset so much, have you considered moving up the road into Hampshire.
The economically inactive migrants wield an influence way out of proportion to their numbers, they are a drain on local resources and with a few exceptions put very little back. That is the conclusion I have come to having spent a lifetime living in the Borough. Would I like to see controls on migration? In a perfect world, yes! But we don't live in a perfect world. One thing that needs to happen is for the council to stop marketing the town as a place to retire to and they could begin by dropping the "Where Time Is Pleasant" slogan. There should also be a moratorium where all future applications to build blocks of retirement appartments are concerned. Christchurch doesn't need more sheltered housing schemes for migrants, it needs affordable housing for local youngsters. And sorry to disappoint you but I don't intend moving anywhere. I was born here, this is my town and I will continue to express my opinions however unpalatable incomers find them.
Somerford 1962. If you have such strong views on "migrants", why don't you see if the public support you by standing for election as Councillor at the next election in 2015. Surely that would determine whether you are talking sense or just a single voice bi*ot.
Great idea, Barry. It will also give him a chance to tell what he has already done and show what he will do for the community.
I probably will when I reach the minimum age to stand for office in Christchurch, which I believe to be 70 currently It will be a good way of supplementing the meagre pension that my employer is currently trying to claw back from me. Incidentally,I am only voicing the concerns of many local people. Why is it bigoted to hold strong anti migration views but not bigoted to hold strong anti immigration views?
Oh my goodness! Where did you hear it was 70 - have you ANY evidence for this? LUDICROUS statement, which actually makes you look bigoted, perhaps stupid or, more probably, scared and just looking for an excuse. Lots of the Councilllors are well below 70. I know one with young children still at primary school.
Regarding pay, the money paid a year ago is in the public domain: search for it. I found it and put all of it into Excel. The average pay is £364.35 monthly. This includes a few who have much higher pay (and travelling, which many do not claim). If we use the median, most Councillors get around £285.05 monthly. I have some friends who are councillors. If I want to ring them the best time is about 0600, or after 2100. There is a HUGE delivery of documents delivered every Friday, often hundreds of pages, most of which need to be read before the coming week's meetings.
I wish you luck with your perceived sinecure, Somerford1962. Hope you enjoy it. I suspect, however, that your expectations would not be realised and that you would actually turn out to be a rather poor Councillor!
I would be much happier if we could find a commonality to do with contributing to making Christchurch an even better place to live work or visit. So we may have our differences but lets try to move on. Thanks for all your contributions.
A voice of support for Somerford 1962, His Comment about the minimum age of councillors being 70 I believe to be tounge in cheek, the point being Christchurch could be better served if they had some younger blood on the council, I have been to council meetings at the town hall and it is a bit like walking into the communal lounge area at a nursing home with the average age well over 70, albeit a few younger members. Younger people often do not have the time to be a little rewarded public servant, its a shame, still Somerford as a lifelong local you opinion is as valid as anybody's, I may not agree with all you say but I do not believe you are a bigot , I agree that resources should be put into giving local homes to local youngsters and not forcing them out of the area in favour of more affluent elder people.
Thank you for your kind words Sir, and yes my comment was tongue in cheek but was not without a grain of substance. The council would indeed be better served with younger blood and even more importantly, with local blood too! I cannot for the life of me understand how incomers can possibly know better what is good for Christchurch than the folk who have lived all of their lives here.
Thanks, Somerford1962. Not asking for a polemic or vitriolic comments, but just a fact. By your criterion should all WARD Councillors have to have lived in their ward all their lives? What do you think? It would seem to be a logical extension of your argument.
I certainly think all those standing for election should live in the ward that they wish to represent. I also think in areas, such as Christchurch, where there are large numbers of migrants that all candidates for local government should be resident for a minumum of at least twenty one years before they are allowed to stand.
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