THE MIDDY

SCANDAL
The most intriguing story of the week is the rather mysterious: "Priest in hiding after allegations from his past come to light". Dr Eamonn Casey, 78, one time Bishop of Galway, has gone into hiding.

Astonishingly, until this he was chaplain of the Princess Royal Hospital. Well, I can tell you for what he was infamous for, and why he moved away from Ireland in the first place...to Ecuador of all places! Later, in 1998, he would move to the south east of England.

Father Casey, a Catholic priest, has a son! He had a lovechild with his housekeeper, Annie Murphy. The Church did what it usually does when confronted with potential scandal; it tried to cover it up. Annie Murphy went to live in the US and church funds to the value of US $115,000 were sent over to keep her quiet. And she did...for twenty years. Then in 1992 she went public and the bishop resigned.

What is curious is that all this is in the public domain, although to think we had such a famous person unbeknown in our midst and now have lost him is a bit of a disappointment. So, what are the "allegations"? My God, he hasn't got more children, has he?!

BULLYING
What a laughable response to a very serious issue we had. There is a national anti-bullying campaign underway at the moment. At St Wilfred's School, for example, pupils made a human chain around the school and chanted "Say No to Bullying". And what good was that supposed to do? Obviously no more than the selling of blue wristbands which Oathall did.

Oathall actually had a bullying victim kill himself a year or two ago. He had been bullied for years. The school claimed that the group of boys who made his life a misery had stopped doing so. Oh, yeah? So why did he hang himself, then? I'm sure, if his tormentors were still at school now, they would be wearing wristbands or making human chains; the school doing absolutely nothing about the problem.

In Norway, schools can be found negligent and their head teachers jailed if they tolerate bullying. Now, I bet that gets results.

MID SUSSEX MATTERS

COUNCILLORS
How nice of the district council to tell us how much our councillors earn. Sorry, I meant to say, "claim as expenses". I know how upset our councillors get if you suggest they benefit financially from serving on the council.

Members Allowances are listed for 2004/05. How forgetful of them not to give us details of the latest figures available, that of 2005/06, when they are already published on the council website! Their basic allowance has increased from £4,140 to £4,370. However, for some particular members things look very rosy indeed. Take leader, Christine Field, her payment for this post has increased from £10,350 to £20,000. Don't worry, she still gets her £4,370 and travel expenses, aswell. Cabinet members payments have been rounded up to the nearest five figure sum, from £7,245 to £10,000.

But why is none of this printed in the council's latest issue of Mid Sussex Matters? Could it be because the truth is so shameful?

PARKING
As of 23 January the number of traffic wardens employed by MSDC will increase from 4 to 13. Councillor, Gordon Marples, says: "This change will help us to reduce congestion, improve safety and tackle the growing problem of parking abuse, both 'on-street' and in our car parks." Parking abuse in car parks? Eh, what?

He also suggests that they may introduce Controlled Parking Zones: "residents would be able to purchase permits to park in controlled zones." Well, that's nice. So now you might have to pay for the privilege of parking outside your own home.

The reason we have a parking problem is of the council's making. They had the nerve to grant permission for housing on a section of the Cyprus Road car park, reducing capacity. They never think to make more parking capacity. When new housing is developed they don't think to make room for cars. On new estates, that the developers were able to get away with building only single garages on luxury homes, is their fault. Then they act surprised when people park in the road.

What will traffic wardens do? Make more revenue for the council, of course.