Its a Mad World

Now I am the first mouse to admit that sport leaves me a bit cold. It just does not excite me, but I can appreciate when a team or an individual does well. Also I am aware that for many sport is important and locally, within the region, Football is the local religion. Therefore I can understand that the resignation of Kevin Keegan as manager of Newcastle United is news for some. However, on the BBC local news tonight it was the first story and the report lasted for well over ten minutes. As was the case the previous night too.

Now had it been a slow news day I could almost understand this as they have twenty five minutes to fill. But the real main story was all but ignored, we are facing some severe weather overnight and there will flooding. This follows a day of heavy rain where in parts of Yorkshire, in our region, has already been flooded. In the local news that was not mentioned at all. In fact I had to look at the Environment Agencies web site to discover that my local river is on flood watch and that means it could flood. Further there are three locations in the region where there is the risk of serious flooding. None of this reported in the local news because of this non story.
Somewhere, someone, has made a serious error of judgement in the BBC. While the story of the managers resignation is worthy of mention, in reality it is not the most important item of news, in fact to me it looks more like a child that thrown its ball out of its pram and is refusing to play. Therefore for the last three days the local news has been dominated by this insignificant story.
Where was the real news? What else is happening in the region? As it is the local BBC news is normally carries a lengthy sports report every day and while I don't always want to see and here a menu of bad news, I do want to discover what is going on locally.

Well that little rant is over, and talking of local issues some time last week a leaflet was pushed through my door from the local council regarding a “Master Plan” for the village. There were to be exhibitions regarding this in the local community centre. Thus I wanted to see what was planned.

While I was pleased to see that the local authority has not made any definite decisions and are looking at what the local community wants, rather than imposing something upon the area. I was hardly through the doors of the exhibition when I had one of the council officers pouncing on me.
I suspect that he regrets this now. It was not that I have very strong opinions regarding what should happen to and in the village, in fact while there are things I would like to see, I think that it has to be what the majority within the community want that prevails. Also I wanted to see what the parameters are and then think about what could be done to make improvements that benefit all and not just my prospective of how I would like to see the world. You can be sure that any suggestions I make will be environmentally and socially aware, but I still need time to think on the issue.

However, it was that this council officer is the person that accredits private landlords and properties within the local authority area, that generated my forceful opinion As I have previously posted I have had serious problems with landlords in the past. Not only that but it was the unlawful support of private landlords over and above the needs of tenants that was at the centre of my difficulties. It was in fact the very department that this council officer now heads that allied its self with my former landlord that prolonged and deepened my problems. I gave this council officer my opinion and made it clear that I felt that there were some aspects of their system that were deeply flawed. It was a not a hostile discussion, but I was not willing to blindly accept the positive spin that he was trying to place on the situation. Having had an appalling experience with his department and the Private Landlords Association, I made it clear that I just do not trust these organisations.

This, however, opened the discussion as to why I felt that way, after briefly describing my experience, he told me that there have been substantial staff changes and that the former head of his department was now gone.

While I can understand him trying to defend the organisation he works for and systems they operate, but the council still seems to think that they have to pander to the wishes of property owners to get them to let their properties. When in fact property owners need to let their flats and houses. Thus the council could force landlords to clean up their act. They have the powers to do it, they just don't use them.

Anyway, it was useful to discover that many of the changes that I, at the time I was having my problems, was saying were needed have been implemented by the council. It is just a shame that they felt they had to do this secretly rather than publicly as that would have demonstrated that they were genuinely trying to resolve a problem they created.

While it may not be obvious there is a link between the two items I have posted about here, that of what is worthy of being called news. With the Newcastle United matter it was worthy of comment but just that. The real story was the floods. With the council had they announced that they were making changes to the way that they dealt with Private Landlords and tenants that would have been good news for all. But it appears that the irreverent stuff gets reported while what really matters doesn't. It truly is a mad world out there.