Week ending 1st May

Stalin Lives! award of the week goes to the Boston Borough councillors who blocked Boston's sole BNP councillor David Owens from committee membership. They used a rule that said sole representatives of a political party are not recognised as being a political group. We wonder if, for example Councillor Owens represented a "Make Boston a better place" party, his colleagues in the chamber would be so opposed to letting him sit on a committee or two. He rightly pointed out that he was elected by the people - and it is they who are ultimately being denied representation. We applaud the councillors who - regardless of what they might think about the BNP - lent their support to Councillor Owens and spoke in favour of change. We are not surprised to find at least a familiar name or two from the BBI speaking in favour of the status quo ... just disappointed.
Please go back to the drawing board award has to go to Boston Mayflower Housing Association for the vile creation that they call Maurice Mayflower. Whoever dreamed up this jaundiced, goggle-eyed, toothless, spooky excuse for a mascot - and then put what appears to be a black traffic cone on its head - should be made to wear the costume at all times by way of punishment. If we're going to create mascots, logos, symbols or whatever, for heaven's sake let's try to come up with something decent for once. Maurice makes the Standard's Boskat look halfway respectable.
Quote of the week. Comes from Lincolnshire Police on the occasion of payback time for the people of Fenside following the seizure of drugs and cash in Operation Xantia. It was described as " a real test of community intelligence gathering, tension monitoring and diffusion through direct engagement with local residents." We think that this means battering a few doors in at six in the morning, though if anyone else wants to offer a translation, we'd be pleased to print it. On the same subject, why Operation Xantia ... as far as we can find out it's the name of a not-too-reliable Citroen car. What's next .... Operation Mondeo ... Micra ... Transit? The list is endless.
Loss of initiative award goes to Boston Target columnist George Wheatman. In two of his pieces in this week's irrepressibly dull "Nowhere's a Thought" feature, he bemoans the fact that the owners of Pensioners' Hall have not been heard from in the ongoing story about the decision by Age Concern to seek new premises - and he asks why MP Mark Simmonds has his constituency newspaper printed in Surrey, rather than in the constituency. Well you're the journalist, George and although the general thrust of your contributions seem dominated by sport, and trapped 60 or more years in the past, we believe that telephones existed even then. Why not make a few calls and get the questions answered.
In your dreams award again goes to the Target for a letter in the issue of 22nd April. The writer praised the Bypass Independents in no uncertain terms. "They are ... proving very responsible managers ... we are better informed than before ... responsible approach to management" - the letter simply oozes adulation. What a shame that the final line was apparently omitted .... "I am sorry that this letter is written in crayon, but I am not allowed anything sharp in here."

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