Ms Foley, I would like to state publicly how appalling your behaviour towards Shirley Burnham, the 61-year-old campaigner of Save Old Town Library was today. After the Princess Royal's visit, you publicly snarled rudely a suggestion that she had no right to protest at your council's indefensible cuts, glaring at her as if she was not fit to be walked on by you.
Shirley, who unlike you is not paid an allowance for the work she does for the community, had just stood patiently outside the library for hours while you and you colleges had a posh lunch with royalty inside. She was there attempting to provide future generations with a decent
library service and to promote life-long learning, community and culture.
You were there to promote yourself.
She is a hard working local campaigner who deserves the utmost respect and joins a long list of strong community-minded women including Jean Saunders (Coate Water), Martha Perry (Mechanics Institute), Marilyn Harrison (Animal rights), Emma Bushell (Human Rights, Poverty) and Deb Joffe (Climate change) to name just a few. These women represent Swindon, working for their community fighting injustice - unpaid and seldom thanked. They are an inspiration and their hard work and sprit should be praised.
You, with your rude and disrespectful behaviour should not. It is not just MPs who fiddled their expenses that the public are angry with. It is people like you that put people off politics. Shame on you.
You said "there is an opportunity for the Old Town community to take on the running of the library to solve the problem.", but this is what they pay you for. If you are not up to the job, then stand down. I can think of someone much better to take your place.
Jenni Miles
Chair, Swindon Green Party & Governor, Lethbridge Primary School.
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I would have thought that providing easy access to books for those who can't afford to flash their credit cards around Waterstone's is about the most basic provision society can make towards educating its citizens.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a family with little money and went to a crap comprehensive school. Without the time I spent at my local library I don't think I would have made it to university.