General Discussion

Hello, my name is Michael Clayson and I am one of the Independent Candidates for Dawlish Town Council.

This is a reply to the earlier thread “What do the Voices of Dawlish plan to do” started by Hells Bells.

I'm sorry if Hells Bells thinks we have been "shameful" in not replying. Could I just ask that we all keep a sense of proportion?

I've been out knocking on literally hundreds of doors and it’s been good to speak to people face to face. When you add in the people I’ve spoken to at our public meetings in the Manor, Holcombe, Cockwood and the Warren and our five Saturday street stalls you begin to see just how many conversations have been going on.

A reasonable person might think that if Hells Bells has one of our leaflets he or she could easily have rung the telephone number on it or sent a message via the email address shown. There is even an old fashioned postal address, so anyone who really wants answers to questions has every opportunity to contact us directly.

I understand of course that what Hells Bells really wants is a debate, and here we have a problem. It may be old fashioned of me, but I don’t think it is healthy for the election process to debate behind pseudonyms. You only have to look at some of the other threads on this site to see how quickly it can degenerate into wild accusations or intemperate comments that create more heart than light.

So my challenge to Hells Bells (And anyone else that wants to join in this discussion) is to come out into the open and declare yourself in the same way that I have, then we can have the debate.

Well said Mr Clayson, i suspect that Hells Bells is a Tory or Liberal voter/candidate , who wanted to bad mouth the independants to hopefully cost them votes.

Good luck to all the independants, lets see the wrotten 3 main parties thrown out of this town.

I hope that there's a big turnout for the IVFD tomorrow. The desire for change is evident throughout the town - let's hope that those who are always moaning manage to get off their backsides and vote for an independent-thinking candidate. If you're able to vote, but don't vote - then you have NO right to moan. Good luck to all IVFD candidates tomorrow.

Mr Clayson - how disappointing that you and your fellow candidates didn't warrant the Shutterton area worthy of a canvassing visit or even a leaflet - Thanks

Good luck to Mr Bailey

Thank you Mr Clayson for taking the time to reply, eventually.

My turn - I hoped to start a debate possibly involving several members of this forum, I hoped for some genuine feedback, I had genuine questions that I would have liked answered. Maybe my style of posting is too flippant and that didn't really come over - but that's my style and I'm sticking to it!

One of the beauties of internet forums for me (and I belong to a couple of others) is the anonymity they afford. Especially when posting within a very local forum. I have on occasion (not here though) posted a view entirely opposite of my own to see if it can further a debate never with malicious intent. I don't want to have to defend a view in the middle of the Strand while I'm shopping!

I don't see why it would be a problem to debate/question without you knowing who I am? If that is the case then why have others been granted that privilege? Vanguard for instance signed his name at the end of a posting recently - if he's happy to do that on that occasion then why not on all?

Just out of interest in the Town Council elections I only picked 4 candidates, Mr Clayson may be interested to know that he was one and two others were IVFD.

Finally, I was not a candidate for the elections trying to cause trouble and as for party politics I strongly believe that they have no place in local government at Town Council level and would rather they were avoided in District Council too. After all, isn't that why the IVFD stood?

Hells Bells