Sunday morning saw church even fuller than usual with lots of children as it was Sunday School prizegiving and St. Anne’s was pleased to welcome the Reverend Steven Harvey the Headmaster of Bury Grammar School ( Boys ) to award the prizes.
Yesterday, I noticed a distinct chill as I made my way over snow topped hills towards the office. I was not surprised to see that Bury had been overlooked by the Government as a recipient of extra help to try and improve anti-social behaviour – part of the Government’s ‘Respect Agenda’.
All the residents in Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington who constantly have their lives made a misery by the lack of respect for others displayed by a minority of mainly young people may well be disappointed at this news. My response to them is that this initiative is as usual little more than a gimmick and I guess that the residents of Bolton and Manchester – both of which are beneficiaries under this latest plan – will see little improvement. What we need is is more police on the streets not more gimmicks.
Last night I attended a meeting of the Conservative Councillors Group at Bury Town Hall.
7 thoughts on “No respect in Bury?”
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David Nuttall 
Thank you for your post Jamie,
At the last election Labour pledged to recruit 24000 more Community Police Support Officers. Now that pledge has been scrapped and reduced to 16000 so there will be over 400 fewer across Greater Manchester.
‘I’m sure Planet Blair is totally crime-free – with 24-hour police protection for him and his family, how could it be otherwise? But the ordinary citizen knows that crime is out of control because criminals are not being properly punished. Why Home Secretary John Reid wrote to judges only last week begging them not to lock anyone up. ‘Until this government builds more prisons so criminals can be locked up and puts more police on the street to catch them, Britain will continue to see rising and uncontrollable criminal activity. Blair and Co should be utterly ashamed of their disdain for the safety and protection of the people of the UK.’ What do you think?
Mr Nuttall,
Every time I shake my head and declare the ongoing chaos in the Home Office couldn’t possibly get any worse, a little voice of reason pipes up in my ear: “Oh yes it can!”
And guess what – that little voice of reason is invariably right.
Whether it is losing 1,000 foreign offenders last year who should have been deported at the end of their sentences, allowing convicted killers to stroll out of open jails, or the latest scandal of losing hundreds of British criminals who have committed offences abroad but haven’t been tracked since they came back to the UK, the beleaguered department stumbles from bad to worse.
It doesn’t seem to matter whether successive “hard men” – David Blunkett, Charles Clarke or John Reid – are in charge, the department seems institutionally incapable of operating with even the minimum of efficiency.
If the entire department was abolished, could the public be any less safe?
And isn’t it odd that if you get parking ticket, forget to buy a TV licence or are a couple of weeks late with your car tax, the authorities will have no problems tracking you down and will pursue you without pity to the ends of the earth.
But rape a child, murder an innocent member of the public or enter the country illegally, and they will have no idea of where you are and show little interest in finding out.
It clearly shows what their priorities are. Is there any wonder contempt for the criminal justice system is at an all time high? Why isn’t David Cameron making more noise about all of this? Instead he seems more keen in pandering to liberals.
This man has a point. Are you really voicing the concerns of local residents or scaremongering because law and order is such a sensitive issue?
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. I am not suggesting that there are not places which experience greater problems than those found in Bury North but equally as our local Councillors in Ramsbottom and Tottington will testify there are, unfortunately, a minority of individuals whose conduct on occasions does cause problems for other people. As the Conservatives’ Parliamentary Spokesman for Bury North and a resident of Tottington I am merely voicing the concerns of local residents in these areas.
Correction: That should read leather on willow
Dear David,
It’s heartening to note that you were not surprised to see Bury had been overlooked by the Government as a recipient of extra help for anti social behaviour. It suggests that there may be some sanity lurking in that Tory grey matter yet.
What a shame you go on to prove otherwise in a foolish rant about the lives of those in Ramsbottom and Tottingham being made a misery by young people. Are these the same places that are constantly being described as highly desirable places to live? Are you referring to the Ramsbottom that Anthony Wilson describes in The Guardian as ‘a desirable suburb for young creatives in Manchester’? The same Ramsbottom that has seen property prices shoot up in recent years? Or the same sleepy village of Tottington where sometimes the most noise you’ll hear is the sound of willow on wood from the local cricket team? And where Andrea Coen of WDC Estate Agents in the village says that properties are selling within 24 hours of going on the market?
Do these really sound like areas blighted by rampaging anti-social youths? Demoralised areas desperately in need of help? No, so please don’t bleat about not being earmarked for extra help when there are plenty of places suffering from REAL problems that are an urgent priority.
Your sour remarks smack of a typical hectoring Tory. Get some perspective David and join the real world.