JUST when I reach the age where I was hoping to give up fighting idealistic battles I find the benign incompetence of the Lib Dem council replaced

JUST when I reach the age where I was hoping to give up fighting idealistic battles I find the benign incompetence of the Lib Dem council replaced by the malign arrogance of a bunch of Thatcherite Conservatives who were voted in by accident, the electorate expecting those nice cuddly Cameron types.This may well turn out to be the most undemocratic council I have seen over half a century of watching. Their contempt for the press and the refusal of some of the councillors to talk to their electorate is bad enough, but a spin-off of that is that the voices of those non-elected and self-interested little quangos that meet all over Weston, costing us a fortune in coffee and biscuits, become much louder than they should be seeing as they only represent themselves.Now I find that the local police are censoring the press by not passing on details of incidents. This seems to be about 'preventing fear of crime' and is a particularly stupid approach as it lets rumour run free. A series of unpleasant incidents near my house has been much inflated by rumour, and it is hard to protect my wife, myself, or my property if I am not informed that there is a threat.Those hordes of loud mouthed alcoholics and junkies that presently wander around central Weston are being looked after far better than the residents. The balance is going wrong and those in charge need a kick up the backside and a reminder of where their salaries come from.BRIAN AUSTIN - Alma Street, Weston