Avon Council & Scouts

Here is a copy of the article i posted about on Friday. A few people have
asked for me to do this. To repeat, this article was in the Evening Standard
of 3rd March 1995. I can confirm that this is a accurate copy of the articl=
e
apart from the cartoon that headed it up.
To describe this:-
Imagine a boy scout dressed in long shorts, wide brimed hut with a worried look
on his face giving the Scout salute being held around the throat so his legs are
off the ground by a very well built female that is towering over him. She has
bisceps that wouldn't look out of place on Popeye and a menacing look on her
face, dressed in a similar uniform to the boy.
It has a credit on it of McTrusty.
**article text ** Be Prepared for anything!

Avon County Council has "axed" grants to the Scout movement and awarded them
instead to a "lesbian group". The Bristol Young Lesbian and Bisexual Womens
Group (whom God preserve) is receiving the princely sum of GBP2,320, while the
Scouts get nothing. It is hard to understand why the Scout movement (the point
of which, surely, is self-reliance, building your own tents and making fire
without matches) should want to receive public money. Amusing as it might be to
sit around the jolly old camp fire rubbing two burnt sausages together and
joining in the chorus of "Two, two, the lily-white boys", it is not the sort of
activity that requires funding from the taxpayer.
The Scout organisations (patron HRH The Princess Margaret) are very rich. They
can easily afford to buy the necessary kindling, toggles, woggles and other
items of regalia from the munificent benefactions of their founder,
Lord Baden-Powell, who (even when immured indoors) preferred to sleep with his
legs sticking out of a window in the belief that it made his legs hairier.
Lesbian groups, by contrast, are the traditional beneficiaries of public money
in this country. Tracey Pike, spokesperson for the Avon group, explained:
"Its not to promote lesbian sexuality, but its for girls who are unclear about
themselves."
That is BGP2320 of taxpayers money well spent, surely?

**end of article** note I have had to use GBP for the GB pound sign

Having reread this for the umpteenth time (GB slang for many times) I'm not
sure if this guy is writing this "tongue in cheek". Even so I will still
write to him to voice my feelings as I wasn't the only one to see it as a
slight to the "Scouts". As you can see GBP2320 is not a large sum by any means
its just that the way the article was written annoyed me somewhat.

|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Rod Keen. Akela of the Apache Pack. Std disclaimer applies |
| 3rd Harpenden. United Kingdom. to all comments made above |
| HR Systems. Iveco Ford Truck Ltd. |
| e-mail to Rod@ivecoft.demon.co.uk |
| |
| Why when I use the Internet can I never spell or type correctly? |
| Maybe 'net software should come with an in built spell checker ;-/ |
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