I THOUGHT a reader’s recent letter expressing concern that this journal favoured a local councillor over other political individuals is way off track.

He must remember that without local support in their local paper, no one would know who they were and they all enjoy automatic entry over the likes of myself because it’s never my image I want to highlight – but reality.

For all the free space they enjoy I’d love to be judged alongside anyone of them, especially Sir George Young, who in some 18 years of being our MP has on average filled up at least a year’s copies of our local with pictures and nothing of real help to the community compared to the likes of myself.

In a recent issue Sir George was involved with local apprenticeships!

I really had to smile. One can read through copies of our local over some 40 years of my lone efforts on the need for apprenticeships, yet never any support from Sir George or the local authority.

A few weeks ago while visiting a site inquiring if they employed apprentices, I was called an interfering knowit- all. So I donned a helmet, climbed their ladder, took a brick trowel from the commentator, and after a few minutes reliving being an apprentice, was offered an immediate start. I’m now 81 years old.

Everything I’ve written in my local I’ve done simply because, like many others around like me, I’m for real.

And I challenge any local or national politician of today to call my bluff.

Gerald Stoodley, of Turin Court, Andover