Not being one to get involved with the impossible, it was, however, stress relieving to note that fate has smiled on the ‘ignored’, in the shape of an amazing turn up for the book; namely another council, West Devon, saved the population of the South Hams a steady ratchet up of Thatcher’s open-ended council tax, as well as – no double in the scheme of things Governmental – being trapped into paying for a multi-million pound new council headquarters, as Follaton House is already heaving at the seams stuffed up with a kaleidoscope of bureaucratic shackles enough to dishearten Churchill himself.

Let’s earnestly hope that the business aspirations of the South Hams District Council in its plots against what is left of Kingsbridge Quay, will be fortunate to flounder completely by some other happy visitation from fate.

If not, I recommend one and all to hold a prayer vigil on the quay in supplication to Our Almighty God, since it may need a miracle to save our quay from their ‘creeping urbanisation’.

Good show to those who bothered to write to our esteemed newspaper, but I do have to go through the ritual of reminding everyone that the Local Government Act, 2000, makes quite sure that any petitions to councils about serious matters are likely to get instantly vetoed by the executives on the council, in that such protests may well be contrary to Whitehall policy.

This is why your important letters wind up facing the buffers at the terminus in 101 Fore Street, Kingsbridge – forever! Local democracy is like a brand new car for Christmas, but on opening the bonnet – oops, no engine!

Here’s hoping the crippling spell our areas have endured for decades with the toxic Tories will be broken one day – from Ray Mawby to the present ‘Doctor No’ – all the bad news seems to be traced back to the gormless, greed-fuelled, public school Conservatives. Gloom.

Barry Vaughan

Townsend Close

West Alvington