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"Deus Lo Volt!"


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"But simple as the tale is there is hardly better historic training for a man than to set him frankly in the streets of a quiet little town like Bury St. Edmunds, and bid him work out the history of the men who lived and died there. In the quiet, quaintly-named streets, in the town-mead and the market-place, in the Lord’s mill beside the stream, in the ruffed and future brasses of its burghers in the church, lies the real life of England and Englishmen, this life of their home and their trade, their ceaseless, sober struggle with oppression, their steady, unwearied battle for self-government. It is just in the pettiness of its details, in its common place incidents, in the want of marked features and striking events, that the real lesson of the whole story lies. For two centuries this little town of Bury St. Edmunds was winning Liberty to itself, and yet we hardly note as we pass from one little step to another little step how surely that Liberty was being won."

John Richard Green (1837-1883), grandfather of British social and cultural history.

Green, J. R., (1876), Stray studies from England and Italy, Macmillan & Co., London p.218-9

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Council Leader Griffiths and Local Legend

After several months of silence, Council Leader John Griffiths broke cover with a new announcement about the Cattle Market development in April. He's had a lot to hide from lately. There has been the destruction of the Manor House Museum in a piece of planning stealth designed at securing some bureaucrats a nice new building on Western Way. But even this has been temporarily eclipsed by the desecration of graves in the name of health and safety. But then an authority which doesn't respect its own heritage is hardly likely to have respect for its dead. Thus, his grin seemed a little forced which might be the reason his picture was omitted when the claims were repeated in the Bury Free Press which (naturally) promoted the story of chain shops planning to open in the Cattle Market scheme as somehow a good thing for Bury St Edmunds.

Or perhaps the forced look reveals the ever-growing similarity to a ventriloquist's dummy. For certainly the lines seem more attributable to Steve Bryson of Halogen than they do to Cllr John Griffiths. Examples:."the news represents another major milestone in the redevelopment of the Cattle Market, and underlines once more our commitment to the vitality of the entire town centre.." And "..The whole project has taken an exciting and significant step forward".

The "Excitement" New Speak

"Excitement" and "exciting" are favourite words for New-Labour spin doctor and the Government Minister out of his or her depth with an unpopular policy, the corporate official trying to inflict unpleasant changes on other people. Its use works on the assumption that the public are only guided by emotional responses and seeks to encourage an emotional response in the victim whilst discouraging logical analysis. On other occasions it's the only thing they can think of when a policy is wholly unjustifiable.

Another recent example came from Cllr Farmer - Bury council-leader-in-waiting - who tried to pass off the destruction of Manor House Museum as an "exciting" development. No doubt the White Star Line would have tried to pass off The Titanic as an "exciting experience for passengers" had Mr Bryson's outfit been around in mid-April 1912.

Well John we did warn you that you'd taken the poisoned cup. And it should be noted that neither the High Court, the Local Government Ombudsman nor the District Auditor are known for their tendency to get "excited" when bad decisions are brought to their attention, not least the spiralling costs or the announcement that the Cattle Market development might only last 30 years. Even the Bury Free Press had to run that one (See Bury Free Press April 27 2006).

In the meantime, Councillor Griffiths is tries to make signing a contract with a dress shop sound an exciting thing. But then you don't actually read them, do you John ?

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