Telford pull yourself together

As a business owner in Telford, I am as worried about our town being vandalised as anyone, and let’s face it, the whole country is on tender hooks, but as a town we need to pull ourselves together.

The English Defence League have a right to protest, that is what living in Britain entitles you too, the same as Unite Against Fascism have a right to counter protest, but what have they done to us so far? Both groups are known for trouble, and businesses, quite rightly, are protecting their properties, but we have not yet had any problems, and keep going on about it and saying how much we are in fear, is wrong.

We need to welcome these two groups and allow them to express their opinions, maybe if we allow them to do this in a reasonable manner we won’t get any trouble, but all the doo gooders who are already predicting doom and gloom are not helping the situation.

As a town we somehow seem to want to be involved, I personally think the local football club and police have scored a massive own goal with the AFC Telford game, they have been tinkering for so long and now they cancel it, what was wrong with a bit of pre-planning and moving the game to the Friday night or the Sunday afternoon, surely that stance says, you can have your protest but you aren’t doing it around a football game? However our weekend won’t be spoilt.

The police have had a tough week, and I am sure locally it hasn’t been helped by calls from the public when anybody with a hoodie walks past a house being reported, we have to get some perspective, we have to support the police in these times of disorder. To close the local town centre last night, I believe, was a PR exercise, an exercise for two reasons, one was to say look at us and feel sorry for us losing business, and also to say, the centre is easier to police in one place, so Asda have to stay within the building, because let’s face it, there was no creditable threat.

Personally tomorrow I am off to the Shrewsbury Flower Show, so will be well out of the way, that is not because I expect trouble, but because I simply want a quiet family day, if you are thinking of going “for a look” in Wellington, then don’t, because you more than likely will get dragged into whatever is going on, these are two political groups, let them get on with it, let the police do their job, and I am quite sure that if we treat them right, they will respect our town, make their point and go home.

If you do go looking for trouble, I hope that you get what punishment you deserve, after the week the police have had, I am sure they are well prepared tomorrow to ensure that Telford stays a safe down, if you have a business in Wellington that is affected, as a business owner I am thinking of you.