THE Queen's visit to Morecambe was indeed a good day, but was I alone in detecting a fly in the ointment, something ever so slightly rotten in the state of Lancaster? What on earth, I wondered, was a retired town hall official, one Charles Wilson, doing greeting Her Majesty and showing her around?

Don't misunderstand, I've got nothing against Mr Wilson personally, and I was glad to see him looking so well after his recent early retirement on the ground of ill health. The point is one of principle: our representative when the Queen visits should be one of those whom we have elected to represent us, not an ex-paid official or even a currently employed official. Mr Wilson does not represent us and never has. He simply made it to the very well paid top of the local authority rat race. I gather that the councillors gave in to pressure from officials to allow Mr Wilson to perform. How have we managed to reach the appalling situation in which officials believe that it is ever appropriate for them to take the lead on ceremonial matters such as this?

It just goes to prove what I have suspected for some time, that certain senior town hall officials, past and present, do seriously believe that they run Lancaster district and that the councillors are there to be persuaded by one means or another to do as they are told.

Well, it's time things were put right. This is still (just) a democracy.

Mike Ford Silverdale

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.