May 26th, 2009 (From The Northern Echo)

May 26th, 2009

10:01am Tuesday 26th May 2009 in

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LITTLE MAN IN THE STREET

Adjudicator, Ombudsman,

which masters do you serve ?

Not the public, that’s for sure,

have you lost your nerve?

You should be independent,

completely in control,

Not a slave to government,

that is not your role.

In all my life, I’ve never seen,

such dire adjudication,

Contrived delays for years,

not days, extreme prevarication.

Ignore the facts, ignore the truth,

keep your masters sweet,

In fact, ignore your duty,

to the little man in the street.

If he complains for far too long,

will not give up his battle,

Just serve an order for Distraint,

and take away his chattel.

The job is done, the battle won,

he has nowhere to go,

Except to court, the costly route,

and as your masters know.

Once in the dock, the lawyer’s clock,

ticks at a faster pace,

He'll lose his house, his shirt, the lot,

win or lose the case.

So back to you, he has no choice,

upon you he should rely,

He begs, he pleads, he curses you,

but you will not reply.

But, Adjudicators, Ombudsmen,

you’ll find you can’t relax,

He’s under strain, but will not refrain,

from spreading all the facts,

TV, the Press and Parliament,

he needs to ‘go to town’,

You betrayed the trust he put in you,

you’ve really let him down.

He may be just a little man,

but a man who’s straight and true,

You cannot hide the rogues who lied,

no matter what you do,

So, accept the truth, regain his trust,

you really must not cheat,

The citizens of this country,

and the little man in the street.

David Royle, Gainford

THE SUN

The sun shines fiercely

Down on the May flowers.

But when the stormy grey

Clouds float in its path,

It runs across the shimmering

Sky and hides behind them,

Until the wind gently pushes them on

And they dance across the

Heavens once more,

Leaving that great

Ball of fire and light,

To sweep its shining rays

Across the world,

To bring the dawn,

But when evening shadows fall,

The sun slowly descends,

Over the edge of the

Peaceful land. Flooding rainbows

Everywhere. Finally, the sky

Turns deep navy,

And the sun, shining for us

One last time, little by little,

Slowly, softly, she fades away.

Bethany Hitchen, aged 11, Bishop Auckland