Another Referendum

It’s interesting how a Referendum seems to bring out the worst in everybody.  There’s been three years of planning and consultation, ample time for everyone to see what is proposed, and plenty of information available for people to make up their mind.  But do people look at what is in front of them?  Of course they don’t.  One person against it actually admitted to me that she hadn’t bothered to look at it; she was just against it.  The people who are against it have started a campaign and circulated leaflets with dire warnings of the consequences of voting for it; those for have circulated their own leaflet answering all the points made.  There have been public outbursts; one on social media in the last few days between the ‘leaders’ on opposite sides got very nasty.  Higher authorities have felt they needed to get involved, and with that a warning that laws could be being broken; indeed, that the police are keeping an eye on what is going on.  Frankly, it’s all a mess.

Sound familiar?  No, it’s not that other little matter that’s going on at the moment.  It’s the Referendum on acceptance of the village Neighbourhood Plan, and if it gets voted down then it could become an effective free-for-all for unscrupulous landowners and builders.  We go to the polls tomorrow.