Am I Being Critical?

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Grandad
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Am I Being Critical?

Post by Grandad »

I well remember in my early school the occasions when the City Mayor would visit and come around the classrooms and engage in conversation with the children about their ambitions, happy at school etc. HE, and it was always a HE, would be an upstanding and respected member of the community, probably in business and proudly wearing his chain of office that he would let the odd child wear for a few moments. Good fun but somebody we respected.
The title of Mayor has now been elevated to 'Lord Mayor' in my city and last Wednesday at the Mayor Making, my neighbour, next door but one, was installed in the office.
He has been a Councillor since May 2011. I don't know too much about his activities as a councillor but I do often see him cleaning graffiti off road signs and the like. He also regularly goes around the streets with 'Pick stick and plastic bag' picking up the smallest piece of litter.
This is all very commendable and I am sure the sort of community activity that got him elected BUT is it appropriate behaviour for The Lord Mayor. At least he doesn't wear his chain of office when street cleaning. :lol:
I have pixelated the faces but this is him street cleaning outside my house this morning. Not something I would do, better to use his influence as a councillor to get the council to do a better cleaning job. I would add that commendable or not, I wouldn't do it.
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I tolerate him but he is not my favourite neighbour. Shortly after his 2011 election he saw me outside my house talking to one of the student house landlords. Within minutes he emailed me asking what we were talking about. I emailed back 'What's that got to do with you?'

Am I being too critical of this community minded (sorry, self promoting) neighbour???
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:gg:
Mad Dilys
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Mad Dilys »

No, got him sussed I reckon. ;)
Smile! It confuses people
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Horus »

I don't think he should become Mayor for his social activities, but I must confess to having a litter picker in my car boot and in the favourite places where I walk with Annie I have been known to clean up a few bits of litter left by the lazy brigade who lob a can into the hedgerow or drop a wrapper of some kind. Not much more than I can put into a supermarket carrier bag and put into the nearest bin when I get back to my car, having said that I doubt if anyone would observe me actually doing it.
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Far better than our Mayor who won't lift a finger to do anything and who has openly stated (day after being elected) he can't help us citizens with anything.

I think if the man is cleaning his own area and has always done so then Okee Dokee keep on doing it. Might be his only way to get out of the house and relax ??? but I get your point that as a Mayor he probably should be a little more aware of how his actions & behaviours reflect on his elected position.
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Ruby Slippers »

You have to admire someone who will actually get his hands dirty and not expect to sit back and watch others, though. Litter picking is very big where I live and in the surrounding villages. The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts all go out and do it and also a lot of the junior school kids. The Scouts also make containers out of empty plastic bottles, fill them with 'poo' bags and fix them to trees etc for the dog walkers.
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Horus »

I admit to being one of those people who get really angry at the attitude of (I have to say) the younger generation when it comes to littering. Yes councils are responsible for collecting litter and general street cleaning, but it is people who drop litter and leave rubbish not the council. When I was young (many years ago) we were bombarded with public information in various forms that told us to not drop litter. “Take your litter home” “Don’t be a litter lout” all were phrases I remember and it encouraged me (and still does) to put litter in a bin or take it home. Compare that to today, stand outside any shop and watch people buy something and then just drop the packaging, usually cellophane from cigarette packets or chocolate wrappers. Even some dog walkers are as bad, they clean up after their dogs then leave a plastic bag hanging in a bush for ‘The Poo Fairy’ to collect, it makes me mad. Why bother to even bag the poo, they would be better just leaving it for the weather to deal with, instead they bag it up for the next hundred years or so. Stop your car at the top of any road junction and look at the increased amount of litter in the grass verges or hedgerows left by drivers who just open their windows and dump the contents of their cars, fast food wrappers and drinks containers.

To ignore litter as being someone else’s problem is not the answer, we must teach by example that it is unacceptable and we are not prepared to live in garbage. I once remember passing a group of lads who were out in the country and I heard one say he was gagging for a drink as the day was very hot. I offered the group a couple of small cans and told them to share it between them. To be fair they were polite and thanked me very much. On passing the same group on my return they all said hello and I stopped to chat and then casually said “I hope you put your litter into that bin?” They looked a bit sheepish and one of them skipped off to a bush, retrieved the cans and took them to the bin. I smiled and said “good lads” as I waked on hoping they may have learned something, we need another anti-littering public programme to get the message home once again.
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Grandad »

I guess I don't particularly like the little man. He should be called Pinocchio because he has an ever increasing long nose :lol: He will hide behind a bush in his front garden and if a tradesman stops at a nearby house he is straight over to enquire about his business.
He also has a habit of just walking HIS territory with a camera and recording anything that he doesn't like such as untidy student bins, or a parked student vehicle that has not moved for a few days. (There is no parking on campus and some vehicles do not move for weeks)
Maybe I am being critical but he is such a nosey individual that I can't really LIKE him. :(
:gg:
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Horus »

That's a different matter Grandad if he is also an obnoxious git as well as being the Mayor. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Not too sure I'd like it if neighbours came over to talk to workmen here but my not liking it is more out of a sense that I'm paying by the hour and the workmen will stand and talk and I'm not paying for talking!!

I realize I'm banging on about the homeless etc but here most neighbourhoods have formed Block Watches run via the Police. At our Block Watch meetings the Police have told us repeatedly to BE involved with your neighbours, BE the nosey neighbour so that you do know what is going on in your neighbourhood, BE the one to take a photo of a car parked forever in a no park zone and get to know what is going on. IF you see somebody who looks sleazy looking at your neighbours house walk up and say "hi" and start talking to them. IF they are up to know good the last thing they want is somebody looking at them and getting a good look. If you're lucky you've just thwarted a potential possible crime and have kept these people moving on and aware that the neighbourhood is "aware" and "involved."

Here the mantra is to be out there doing all what your little Mayor is doing. Here that is now seen as being involved and pro-active in your neighbourhood. Helps to get to know your neighbours and know what is happening on your street. Personally I can't say this is wrong so I'm sure your Mayor is on track with what is happening here. Kinda wish he was living next door to me and watching my house all the time. Wouldn't bother me in the least ;) I could probably get some $$ taken off my homeowners insurance ;)
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Re: Am I Being Critical?

Post by Grandad »

I accept all you say LLL but there is a limit between being vigilant and being a PITA (that's a pain in the ar*se). He takes being vigilant to new levels :lol:
:gg:
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