Isn’t it time to end the Sovereign Harbour Slanging Match?

Over recent weeks the ‘Letters’ pages of the local paper - the Eastbourne Herald - has seen a number of unreasoned and unpleasant retorts.

In an attempt to redress the balance, I wrote to the editor myself and today my letter appeared.

Read on to find out what I said…

“What started out as a reasonable question about attendance at Council meetings has seemingly degenerated into a personal vendetta. To my knowledge no Councillor was named in the original letter from Ian Weeks, but for some reason Cllr Bloom has taken it as a personal sleight – I guess if the cap fits?

The very unfortunate personal circumstances that he has recently experienced and continues to cope with in what is a very public role have no doubt affected him and my sympathy goes out to him and his family.

However, that should be no excuse for some of the inappropriate comments that have been made.

Whilst conventional Residents’ Associations may be able to focus on social niceties, it has been necessary for the SHRA to be more active politically to lobby for the rights of the majority that had seemingly been forgotten by the formal governance mechanism.

Like Councillors, SHRA Committee members also have a public-facing role, and those that volunteer should be applauded as it is only a minority that are willing to stand up and be counted.

Politics should be about reasoned debate, not slagging-off someone just because they have a different point-of-view.

So please can we stop the bickering and start working towards the common goal of making the Sovereign Harbour area of Eastbourne the type of place we all bought into when we moved there.”