Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

RESPONSIBILITY

What are we responsible for? Most of us would embrace accountability for our own lives. The majority of us accept responsibility for our children and wider family, although you would be surprised at how many men I have met over the years who seem happy for the taxpayer to raise their children for them. Those of us who own our own properties know that if we don’t maintain them, nobody else will.

But what about the street in which we live, are we responsible for that? The state of our community, our village, our town, is that anything to do with us?

The welfare system in our great country has many plus sides to it. It is good to know that when we fall, there is a safety net to catch us. It is helpful to have professional services delivered by the local authority. But there is a downside too. We have created a climate in which we have sub-contracted our sense of responsibility for our community to others. If there is a problem, someone else will sort it out: the council, the government, the professionals, anybody but me.

A fellow MP tells the story of a constituent who kept contacting his office about some weeds growing at the top of his drive, just inches away from the end of his private property. He would dutifully contact the council to no avail and the criticism from the homeowner increased. My friend decided to act. Armed with bucket and trowel, he swooped on the street in question, and spent the two minutes necessary to remove the offending dandelion leaves from the roadside. He reported to the constituent that the problem was no more.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” gasped the astonished resident, “that’s the council’s responsibility.”
Well, it in one sense it is. It is what we pay our council tax for, isn’t it? But when there is a small problem we can easily solve, shouldn’t we step forward? Haven’t we lost something when we so strictly restrict ourselves to our own boundaries?
There are some notable exceptions. There is a valiant band of troopers out there who lead the scouts and guides, run youth clubs, raise money for charity and help out with needy neighbours.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, November 18, 2004