TIME FOR DEBATE.

Les gives his views on discussions

I have at least two favourite TV programmes, one is Question Time the other is Dragons Den, more about that one another day, but if we consider such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Eastenders. and that horror of horror, Deal or no Deal, well the mind boggles, I couldn't watch those programmes if I were paid.

So what's so marvellous about Question Time? well it's a discussion programme where the panel and the audience express opinions, something which in my view doesn't take place in this part of the world, sorry that isn't quite true, there are some discussions going on but that's mainly about such as whether her up the road is having an affair with the Milkman, the Insurance Man, the Rent Man, just a minute you can ruled out the Insurance Man he disappeared from sight years, and do we still have the rent man coming round? could be but I never see one. I think as usual, I digress.

Back to the question of discussion, the problem is, well at least as far as I'm concerned, all I'm doing is to repeat myself. I've said it all before, and that is as far as it goes, a subject may well be acknowledged but never addressed, never discussed. We have always lived in an ever changing world, which has become smaller, I remember the days when the distance between Methwold and Downham was 12 miles, now it's only six miles, not because the places have moved but the mode of transport has.

What I don't understand is why when we consider all of the changes that have taken place over the years, shops, etc, closing, why we couldn't have seen these changes coming and considered the problem before it got here. A year or so ago I completed, 'a 5 year spell' of going to Methwold Chapel every Sunday, I never did pay much attention to the sermons I was too busy looking round to see only 5 or 6 of us there, seeing the paint peeling off the walls, freezing to death in the wintertime, seeing cobwebs that had been there so long they should have been awarded long service medals, I wanted to sit round a table asking, 'what the heck are we doing about this?' but it never happened, in the end I had to hoist the white flag and call it a day.

I don't understand why debate appears to be a dirty word in these parts, I haven't the faintest idea whether I have anything to offer in addressing the problems we have in this world of ours, but surely I, and others, can only but try, unless of cause we just haven't got any problems, we are in fact living in utopia, well if that's the case, Brother, you could have fooled me.

Methwold

Les Lawrence