Hang your heads in shame
Published on 29th March 2007 in Letters
Sir - Last year I moved back to Goole and I think for the first six months my brain and senses were in shock.
I simply wasn't prepared for the levels of squalor, vandalism and anti-social behaviour that Goole suffers or the huge number of European migrant workers that have moved here. This is no longer the town I grew up in.
If you speak about these problems you can expect two reactions. Firstly, some people will say: "Well, everywhere is like this." I travel a lot around the country and everywhere is NOT like this. Most towns which, like Goole, relied on heavy industry for jobs, have been regenerated over the last fifteen years. Goole is undoubtedly the most deprived area for a town its size that I am aware of.
Secondly, other people will say: "If you don't like it, go back where you came from." Well, this IS where I come from and I'm very proud of that. I find the state of my home town deeply upsetting so I've been trying to find out why it's like this and last week I think I found the answer.
I received the Labour Rose and Liberal Democrat newsletters. The Labour headline was 'The Fib Dems' and the Liberals headlined with 'Labour in Disarray'. Both newsletters concentrated on criticising and jeering a their opponents, whilst ignoring the problems of Goole.
The photographs showed the same faces who had been in charge when I left in 1996, just after the Michael Wheaton fiasco had made our town a national laughing stock.
The government, police and parents have recently joined forces to eradicate gang culture from our children's lives. What chance do we have locally when our politicians behave like two groups of squabbling schoolchildren? There is something deeply disturbing watching adults behaving in this way. These people are making vital decisions on our behalf and in my opinion are completely responsible for the mess that Goole is in.
After their latest newsletters they should hang their heads in shame.
Paul Thompson
Montrose Drive, Goole