Tony and Julie Fuller, of Green Street, Sunbury, planted a tree in Cedars Park after their only daughter Samantha died, aged 28. They wanted to pair it with a plaque …A lovely gesture, and one you see quite a lot in Britain’s parks. Trees or benches, little unobtrusive plaques marking a life well-lived, and thereby giving back something to the community.
… but are broken-hearted after being told the council would no longer allow memorial plaques because people had complained that they were depressing.I think of myself as fairly hardened and cynical, so it’s nice to know I can still be shocked. I suppose.
“I questioned it because they are all over the place, but they said ‘we don’t allow them now’.”Which makes no sense. If you are going to capitulate to these puling ninnies over future memorials, why are you not going around removing the existing ones?
Is it because you fear being lynched?
“I was talking to somebody in the park and she said she reads all these plaques saying that it’s nice that the family have done something. Who would complain?”Well, it seems there are a lot of people around whose desire never to see anything disturbing or uncomfortable is regarded as trumping everyone else’s freedom of action, but then, a better question would be, ‘Who on earth would even listen to such self-absorbed mewling, much less heed it?’
Step forward one Jackie Taylor:
Jackie Taylor, head of Streetscene at Spelthorne Borough Council, said: “Two or three years ago, and probably as a result of lots of complaints that we had, we decided we would stop allowing memorial plaques to remember people.Ah, of course. Because it's up to the council to allow things.
“At the end of the day our parks and open spaces are to be used by everybody and people don’t like that around every bench or tree there was another plaque remembering somebody who died.No, not 'people'. Just a handful of sad bastards that probably shouldn't be allowed out without a minder.
“We don’t have an issue with somebody planting a tree but it doesn’t have to be there with a plaque.
“The trees are there for the people to remember for themselves and we have done the same now with memorial plaques on benches.”I really don’t know who is worse, the sort of people that would take the time & trouble to complain about this, or the likes of you, who not only listen but agree, and so enable them to further the decline of politeness and respect in our society.
All the while sucking at the public teat as you do so…
Next they'll be complaining that the trees spoil the view!
ReplyDeleteInsensitive and shameful. What's next on the agenda, Spelthorne Borough Council? Shifting the local war memorial somewhere it won't offend Sunbury's faint-hearted, depressive hysterics?
ReplyDeleteHave they emptied the local cemetery of all those depressing gravestones?
ReplyDeleteI nominate our suspended plod chief, Mark (Wannavehiclecontract) Gilmore, for a special thumb-hanging, Julia. A hat trick of ignominious departures began with Norman Bettison and a thoroughly dodgy temporary Chief, John Parkinson.
ReplyDeleteGilmore's ten word appointment speech stunned the region: “West Yorkshire Police 'as a grate reputashun, but fer wot?"
I do hope it will be for backside kicking and thumb suspension. Preferably from a respectable height and alongside his champagne-socialist mentor.
White bicycles chained to the lamppost which collided with little Abigail, teddy bears tied to railings which little Tarquin ignored. These are the depressing monuments, depressing for the tawdriness, the sheer fact that they look worse each day. Trees tend to get better, benches become an amenity. Are these people our leaders, if so, sensible people need to speak to them every day. If only to drown out the voices of the idiots who normally have their ears.
ReplyDeleteYou want pointless people plaques placed positively prolificly.
ReplyDeleteMelvyn, have you forgoten your medication again?
ReplyDeleteandy 5759 has hit the nail on the head; plaques, a product of careful planning and emotional restraint, are clearly elitist manifestations of repression and, as such, have no place in a society where the accepted memorial is a spontaneous improvised shrine.
ReplyDelete"Next they'll be complaining that the trees spoil the view!"
ReplyDeleteDon't give 'em ideas!
"White bicycles chained to the lamppost which collided with little Abigail, teddy bears tied to railings which little Tarquin ignored. These are the depressing monuments..."
A thousand times, yes!
"...where the accepted memorial is a spontaneous improvised shrine."
ReplyDeleteOverwhelmingly, to the undeserving.