New Milton Advertiser 15th Jan 2021

16 · Friday 15th January 2021 Letters

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It was late afternoon on a bitterly cold day. There were very few shops open, no market stalls left, few pedestrians, vir - tually no traffic and only four parked cars. To make matters worse for the car owners, a traffic warden was patrolling the area issuing parking tickets. Whilst I acknowledge there is no parking on a Saturday because of the market, if there is no market and no traffic this can only be a money-making operation by New Forest Dis - trict Council. These are difficult times and I ask the people in charge to show some compassion and common sense and not enforce the parking tickets issued last Saturday, and on future Saturdays, until life returns to normal. Brian Russell, Lymington Friends focus on the future of correspondent’s comments on Mr Pasmore’s New Forest Notes drawing attention to the Rural Payments Agency consultation on the future of the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) and asks: “One wonders where the organisations who claim to care about the Forest are. Do they not have an opinion?” (Letters, 8th January). May I assure your readers that the Friends of the New devote excessive attention to measures that are planned to cut national expenditures 50% by 2023 and terminate the scheme by 2027. More importantly, thereafter BPS will be replaced by the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Government policy is to provide “public money for public goods” – in other words to pay for what people value and markets do not provide. These include thriving plant and wildlife, landscape beauty and heritage, adaptation to climate change, clean air and water. Crucially, farmers will not receive public money for keeping animals. New Forest commoners must expect to receive only market prices for cattle and ponies sold and to prove – not merely assert – that grazing animals benefits the Forest. The Friends of the New Forest are focused more on looking to the future, beyond short-term changes as BPS is phased out. The critical issue now is how ELMS is implemented in the New Forest. methods to be employed. For that reason, the distortionary effect of headage payments on animal populations should soon be yesterday’s problem. The Friends are monitoring developments closely and you may be sure that we will comment on the outcomes as and when it is necessary. John Ward, Chair – Friends of the New Forest Write to your MPs and support the sewage bill SIR – I know this sounds a dry subject, if you will excuse the pun, but the Sewage (Inland waters) Bill is important for all our rivers that feed into the harbours surrounding the Solent and for the Solent itself. Given the appalling record of Southern Water over recent years of excessive pollution incidents discharging diluted raw sewage into our rivers and estuaries, Solent Protection Society – through its council members and its members – is urging our local MPs to support this bill at its second reading this month. We would also urge members of the public to write directly to their MP as well to ask them to support this Bill. David Sizer, Chair – Solent Protection Society the Forest SIR – One of your Forest most certainly do. But it is essential not to Defra’s Test and Trials programme is key to the process of deciding the

earlier EU budget contribu - tions. The deal excludes ser - vices; once 80% of Britain’s EU business. Services necessitate freedom of movement as did the social, scientific, education - al and security collaborations which have ended. There will, however, be hundreds of thou - sands of visas to meet seasonal labour and NHS staff short - ages. Same goes for any trade deal with India. There will be no bonfire of regulations. European standardisation has eclipsed a swamp of outdated and con - flicting standards with fewer and better standards; valid internationally and mandatory in the EU. Global Britain is rid of environmental obliga - tions it would never flout and standards it won’t dare flout or Johnson’s deal is vitiated. Mr Gallagher is spot on about soon-to-be obsolete flags. If aversion to this jingois - tic stupidity brings Irish unity and Scottish independence, Kingdom of Britain will be the result. There will be no United Kingdom, no Great Britain and no Union Jack but a blue passport. Johnson said his deal is full of fish. I thought him full of something else. H. Fletcher, Address supplied High time for metric o’clock SIR – Now that the UK has independence, and Boris Johnson has taken back control, let me suggest a 10-month calendar year. Five months with 36 days = 180. Five months with 37 days =185. Total = 365. If we had a 10-hour day, between midnight to the following midnight, instead of the present 24 hours we could have, say, 10 seconds to a new minute, 100 minutes to a new hour and 10 hours to a full day. The measurements between each section would, of course, be different to what we now use. That would mean 1,000 minutes day. At present it is 1,440. Why not have metric time? Richard Grant, Burley Unanswered bin questions SIR – There are some impor- tant unanswered questions regarding New Forest District Council’s wheelie bin and food caddy proposals/ The first of which is who will pay for them – NFDC or house - holders? If the latter, what will the cost be? Even more important, as NFDC will in effect be transfer - ring the rubbish sorting work from council employees at the depot to householders, will it be compensating us in the form of an appropriate reduction in our council tax? Peter Brown, Lymington Giving a ‘Gong for Goodness’ SIR – There must be dozens of local unsung heroes who have carried out remarkable and selfless acts of kindness and compassion since Covid has been with us. I think your paper should run a “Gong for Goodness” column so that people can nominate someone for public recognition. My nomination would be a young lady call Mahala Smith, who works in the Lymington Community Association. She has consistently gone beyond the call of duty, week after week communicating with peo - ple who need that reassurance that someone cares. Her good will and optimism have shone a bright light in Lymington, and she continues undaunted. I might add that I am not a relative! Just someone who sees goodness where normally it would go unnoticed. Roger R. Walling, Highcliffe Sad sight in the high street SIR – What a sad sight Lym - ington High Street was last Saturday.

show more respect for the road conditions. Or there might be a case for a commoner or driver, following an accident, to sue HCC for damages and then they might wake up to the problem they are causing. There may also be a case to look again at the fencing of the strategic unfenced routes, the B3054 and B3078, as there would be no excuse for commuters to travel across the Forest on unfenced roads, as there would be a reasonable alternative. Driving on the fenced roads has never diminished my ap- preciation of the New Forest. E. Holtham, Holbury Time to tackle crash deaths SIR – I was sad and disap- pointed to read once again, this time on the front-page headlines, of the continuing animal deaths on Forest roads (A&T, 8th January). It really is about time that this problem was properly tackled, and prosecutions brought against motorists who are obviously driving without due care and attention. I noticed the contradiction where the Roger Penny Way is described as a “well known black spot” – not that well known, then, if so many ani - mals are killed, and usually by locals rushing about. I fail to see how anyone can - not see a pony standing in the middle of the road. A “thor - ough investigation”, if carried out properly, would conclude that the vehicle was being driven without due care and attention, which is an offence. To say that a vehicle was not speeding means only that it was not going faster than 40mph, which in itself would be ridiculous at night on a “well known blackspot”. Unless there are sensible consequences, the killing of Forest animals will never stop. Ges Brown, Bransgore Believing in the UK after Brexit SIR – People like Mr Basham (Letters, 8th January) still have this yearning to be part of the EU and cannot see how we can manage without being part of that state. I say, start producing prod - ucts with “Made in England” on them instead of finding simple items such as Wilkinson Sword shaving blades being made in Germany. Let us change laws such as human rights which, with the help of EU, means we cannot get rid of criminals – criminals who are looked after better than the victim. When we voted to leave we did not think there had to be a deal and if the letter writer thinks four years is not long enough for an agreement then how long does he think it should have taken? I presume until we never leave. Get a life, Mr Basham – we have left, we believe in our country, we love our country. We know we can make it with - out being part of a state. Britain had more control in the EU SIR – Your correspondent Mr Basham (Letters, 8th January) probably knows that so-called Brexit was never about parlia - ment’s sovereignty. Boris Johnson went down to the wire to deny MPs time to scrutinise his deal. He knew most were stuck with constit - uents who judge the EU by the sort of drivel he once wrote for a day job and by his cant about sovereignty. MPs knew who he would blame for the consequences of no-deal if they objected. Johnson’s deal is courtesy of the equally sovereign govern - ments of the EU27. Britain had more control in the EU. The EU27 have no incentive to buy anything British whilst newly-inflicted bureaucracy is hobbling trade in both direc - tions. Britain’s costs for being marooned outside the Customs Union will hugely exceed its Glad Brown, Ashley Heath

Set up cameras across the Forest SIR – Words cannot express how my husband and I feel about the amount of pain these beautiful animals have endured after being hit by cars, driven in most cases without care, across the New Forest’s roads. We have an idea: a vehicle 40mph limit will be read as 50 – or more. Indeed, we have witnessed this. We lived in Richmond-on- Thames until recently relo - cating to this delightful area, where wonderful animals are free to roam in their own territory.

Efficiency of the Covid jab SIR – We went to Miford hos- pital on Saturday to have our first Covid vaccination. We would like to express our appreciation of the total efficiency displayed through - out the whole process but, even more, for the care shown and the particularly friendly and relaxed atmosphere that was created and upheld by all concerned. In this awful time the experi- ence provided a current lift and created hope for the future. Thank you. R and J Memery, Brockenhurst Question of vaccine priority SIR – I am one of the town’s “oldies”, so in line for early vaccination, although I’ve not heard a peep out of my surgery as yet. However, going against my own hopes for immunisation, I wonder whether priority is be - ing given in the right direction. Firstly, care home residents are virtually “cocooned” with no visitors or contact with the outside world, so would presumably be as safe as it’s possible for them to be. Secondly, aged people like myseIf only go out and about when we have to and don’t gather in large numbers. I would have thought that vaccines should first be made available to those who are Motorists certificates, so are absolutely aware of how to read the road, and agree that 40mph is much too fast. Human nature will always push the boundaries and a registration number could be picked up by camera on en - tering the area, then again on leaving, which would enable the speed to be accurately read and the appropriate action taken if necessary. We both drive and hold the Institute of Advanced

having to cope with their daily lives and feeding their families, risking infection each time they visit a supermarket or phar- macy, queue for the bank or a coffee. Surely it is they who need to be provided with early protec - tion? Sorry folks, but it makes sense to me. Phyllis Inglis, New Milton A poem about our local MPs SIR – (With apologies to Wil - liam Shakespeare.) When shall we three meet again? Not in the lockdown we so disdain. Chope, Lewis, Sir Desmond Swayne, How can three share half a brain? Is lockdown trivial for PM? SIR – I was, along with most thinking people, disgusted by Desmond Swayne’s remark in parliament that lockdown rules were “pervaded by pet - tyfogging malice” (A&T, 8th January). But I was also appalled, having checked the meaning of pettyfogging in the dictionary (“placing undue emphasis on petty details, petty or trivial”), to hear the Prime Minister answer: “Pettyfogging, yes. Malice, no.” On Richmond Park there are herds of deer and it’s a favourite place for running, cycling and just enjoyment, but most importantly there are speed limits of 30mph and in some places 20mph – restrictions which are strictly adhered to. So I ask: should we have similar speed limits within the New Forest’s roads? Jane Massey, New Milton Dave Moylan, Christchurch

Stan Wooldridge snapped Teddy at a ‘fairy house’ at Ladycross Inclo - sure, near Brockenhurst. Please send photos to news@adt.press

vulnerable they were. So sad, the horses killed. Miss C Bedford, Holbury Don’t salt the unfenced roads SIR – I cannot understand why Hampshire County Council continue to put salt down on the open Forest roads. It’s not as though they do not know of the problems with the animals congregating on the roads, lick - ing the salt. When I was a member of the New Forest Consultative Panel this was raised many times over the years and we were as- sured that alternatives would be used. If I emptied a bag of cab- bage and carrots in the road to feed the animals, I would be prosecuted. What’s the difference? Perhaps it would be better not to put anything on the unfenced roads. With adequate publicity it would slow the traffic down so that drivers

Does this really mean the Prime Minister thinks the rules around lockdown are “petty” or “trivial” or was it yet again another of his “jokey”, off-the- cuff remarks without giving it any thought? We hear too many of these. Bridget Craig, Ashurst Slow down and be animal aware SIR – My parents lived at Alderholt until June last year. Every evening I left theirs, I had to drive across the Forest towards Totton, eyes watching for horses, cattle and deer – deer by the herd. See one by its white tail end, slow down and await others to appear; hazard lights on to make other drivers aware. Deer jump out. Horses, cows – they are already in the road. So yes, slow down and be aware! Many a time over a few years I saw them licking the salt on the Forest roads, knowing how

Christian Comment “TRUST in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). in others. It is a bewildering time. The events over the past year have sent ripples and waves

of free will is that mankind do not always make good choic - es. When this happens, God works all things to the good. His way always triumphs in the end. God gave us free will, but he did not give us the spirit of fear. He constantly asks us to trust in him and to be of good courage. Do not despair when worrying or terrible things unfold. “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (Hebrews 13:14). Our hope is not in this world. Our hope is in Heaven.

We find ourselves in strange and troubled times. Even the stoutest of hearts has been tested in the last year. Coro - navirus has brought great distress and suffering to many and has shone a light on the nature of mankind. We have seen acts of great selflessness, charity and consideration. We have seen people risk and lose their lives in the service of others. We have seen many people quietly sacrifice their usual liberties to keep their commu - nities safe. We have also seen selfish and foolish behaviours

through people’s sense of reality. Most people simply do not understand what is happening. Perhaps no one completely understands what is happening. Maybe the only thing you can hope to understand is that you will never fully understand. God’s ways are not our ways. He does not cause the bad and dark things in this world. He gave every human free will. I think this is because you cannot have love in a relationship unless there is freedom. However, the consequence

Rev. Dr Caroline Wilkins, New Forest Franciscans