Persons Of Influence.

for the second time in a few months, I was approached by someone who referred to me as a 'man of influence' in this place. I have certainly never sought such status and am a bit nervous as to what this might entail. Does this mean that people in the village hang about waiting for my opinion on everything from the international financial crisis to dog fouling on Fore Street ?. If so, this influence business is going to be a heavy burden to bear. Being a man of influence doesnt seem to have had much effect on the fate of the old hall site, or the need for more affordable and sheltered housing, or much else as far as I can see except getting Brittany Fox into the Brownies so perhaps this influence lark isnt what its cracked up to be. The only real influence I would wish to have would be to make other people become people of influence in the community by getting them to become active in the village in whatever capacity best suits them. As someone else said in a very different context 'everyone has their part to play'.

If I am a 'man of influence' by writing this blog, my good friend Mrs Frost must therefore be a woman of influence by the amount of ideas she has contributed over the past ten months and that should also be recognised. Perhaps what we need are more women developing the confidence to become 'women of influence', from all walks of village life especially younger women and parents both single and in partnershi[ps. Too often in places like this it is the voices of the 'men of influence' that create a very one sided view of things.

We should not forget also, that on the blog we have the 'dogs of influence'. They have their own agenda about which they say nothing.