Democracy in action

It all started with a chance meeting between Lenka and some suits from the Council on the Canal. Plans were afoot to put gravel on the Lancaster cycle path. We thought that cycling on gravel would be worse than cycling on tarmac, and so I set up a simple online petition. At the time of writing, there are 73 signatures (one guy signed twice, but I can't complain).

I also thought that I would write to the local newspapers. I like reading the letters pages on local newspapers, so set out to make my letter suitably pompous, as befits such letters pages. I wrote to the Lancaster Guardian (the broadsheet), which completely ignored me. I also wrote to the Lancaster & Morecambe Citizen, which not only printed my letter, but also printed Lenka's letter directly beneath it. I appreciated that, as it gives readers the impression that two people were sufficiently motivated to independently contact the press in the same week. Alternatively, a more adept reader might suspect a stage-managed stunt, but it's too late now.

Anyway, this week there are two more letters in the Citizen (maybe or maybe not from the same residence...). Clearly we have touched a nerve and have unearthed a burning issue to rank alongside the Palestinian Question (which, strangely, is another very popular topic in the Lancaster & Morecambe Citizen). As Lenka's out of town and I hate to leave a debate hanging in the air I will have to make a reply of some sort. A problem is that I was really hoping that someone from the Council would also write in this week, as Officials are much easier to attack. I'm also really busy (writing this counts as therapy). Still, I've never abandoned a cause yet and I'm interested to see where this will end...