869 people have now signed the petition for North Somerset Council to switch the street lights back on in Clevedon folloing the death of Edward Heal http://tinyurl.com/6rxsudg

ACTION & CONSEQUENCE
From published notes, Clevedon Town Council (ref: MInutes of 421st Meeting 18May2011 11/127) David Shopland proposed a motion to oppose the street lighting switch off but it was defeated by twelve votes to five. Without objection, North Somerset Council (NSC) went ahead with the planned switch-off. So responsibility for any direct consequences must lie initially with those councillors who voted for the switch-off. That is, those elected to represent the interests of Clevedon residents. Mr Heal, a young soldier home on leave, died during a night out. The local press has chosen to link the two events as action and consequence, but there are factors yet to be revealed. In all the comment published so far, some revision by reporters wouldn't go amiss.
• The decision to switch off has been justified by NSC's senior councillor quoting a savings target and date. He omitted to show the workings! What, no challenge on credibility?
• Local press misquoted the target date as 2104 instead of 2014. Check detail before rushing into print, but perhaps the prime intention was to lay responsibility for the young man's death upon NSC. Get the numbers in the right order first. Since the accident it's been reported that Kenn Road has now become dangerous. Oh, naughty road! It's just a hard surface for the passage of traffic, not a living entity!
• Not yet mentioned is how his mum may have felt during that evening, waiting for him to come home. No doubt she'd already had all the worries about him throughout his basic training. No doubt she knew what to expect when he got home that night as well. Having had youngsters growing up I know all about that. It's not nice wiping up vomit and the rest when your kids are rendered incontinent by booze.
• No mention of pubs allowing excessive consumption, or at least making sure the kids can get home safely, and no mention of 'be seen and be safe' so that our local kids learn about self preservation.
• No attempt to persuade youngsters to act safely at night. It appears to be a hobby amongst some youngsters to get drunk and then walk in the middle of the road at night, in dark clothing, doing screamy shouty things. How weird is that?
• The young soldier was home on leave, having earned every penny of his pay in ways which would make many Clevedon youngsters a bit upset. The pub(s) he attended that night were more than happy to take his hard earned pay and fill him up with alcohol. How much he drank we won't know until the coroner's verdict, but local word is that he was unable to stand or walk (i.e. legless) when he left the 'Bristol' pub. So was he left to fend for himself from then on? Who's really responsible? Local press played it down by reporting him to have 'just gone out for a quiet pint with his friend that night'. Mr. Heal suffered a needless death but the press appears to be using the tragedy to bang the drum about street lighting, or the lack of it. If the press see the accident as an excuse for a campaign against NSC then I suppose it's easy, but who's really responsible?
What stops the local press slamming those who sell alcohol, since so many kids are getting smashed as a pastime? Of course, the ones who sell it advertise in the local papers, don't they? So is the main priority Takings and Profit For All Concerned? If so, it's not just councillors that need to examine their consciences but some targets aren't so easy to hit. If you're going to 'bang the drum' on the subject then tighten it first. Further comment from the local press please, but let it be balanced and fully informed before printing.

Thanks for your comment, 1133tt. What do you mean by partition? I suggest you try 'petition'. When I went to school we had to learn the meaning of words and their spelling!
No doubt the petition is well intended, but you may be surprised to know that people in the real world do read the papers, even little local ones. But you're right. What they print isn't always gospel. You have your views and I have mine.Having had bladder cancer found early, I now realise the dangers of (a) smoking and (b) alcohol.
It's well known that many youngsters have a standard reply to anything they're told; two words starting with one F and ending with two. I've raised two kids and they're now geting problems with their own growing up. Attitudes change with experience so may you live in interesting times!