Somewhere to go

The news over the last two weeks have shown that we all have an appetite for certain basic human rights. These include the right to freedom, the right to democratically elect our leaders and the right not to get shot at by leathery-faced lunatics in dark glasses.

Another right, often overlooked by short-sighted local councils, is the right to go.

Given that we elect and pay for these councils, one would imagine they have our best interests at heart. Sometimes, it seems, they forget our most basic needs in the desire to cut costs. Yes, I’m talking about toilets. Or rather, the Westmorland Gazette has been talking about them.

Kendal has followed the rest of South Lakeland in closing down public loos. This is particularly cruel in Kendal where, thanks to the splendid traffic system, you may have spent several hours cooped up in a car, looking for somewhere to park. And it’s one more thing to help deter anyone from visiting the town.

Fortunately, in a move worryingly close to the Big Society waffle from David Cameron, local organisations have come to the rescue. Some of the shops, pubs and attractions in town have offered to make their loos available to the public.

So this was the main subject of the cartoon ideas, submitted on Wednesday afternoon to the Gazette’s news desk. The other was the intriguing news that 1980s post-punk bombshell Blondie is going to be headlining this year’s Kendal Calling music festival. Something of a coup. But given her age, I hope the toilets will be open.

As usual, you can find out which of the sketches made it’s way onto the front page by buying the newspaper or popping over to my website.