“I am still amazed that you don't grasp the simple fact that there is no money.

If we don¿t; have 1.4% of the money that we had last year. Then we can¿t spend it this year.

It's not a difficult concept for you to grasp if it¿s your own money.

However for years we have lived under a government that taught us not to take responsibility for ourselves and that it is acceptable to spend vast sums of money that we don't have.

You can complain as much as you like, but we don't have the money, and we can no longer afford to borrow the money.

The world has moved on, reality has come back.

I am still waiting for someone to recommend what service we should cut in Gloucestershire? Yes our national government could pull out of the Afghanistan campaign. But in this situation our County Council has to make some very tough decisions on how to spend our money.

Yes complaining about the pay of the senior executives in the council is fair and I share your views.

But we keep coming back to the same issue. We have no money and can no longer afford a library in every population centre.

The sign of a civilised society is not that it has a library in every town, village and hamlet. It is that it is able to maintain its infrastructure. If we don't act now to reduce our burden of debt, we like Greece and Ireland, will lose control of our own fiscal policy and our sovereignty.

So I will see you on Sunday at the Car boot sale where I will be buying some more cheap books. After all I am a civilised man who enjoys a good read.”

“or...hand me a map, pick a department, I will throw a few darts at it and then CUT - GCC style of economics.”

“As has already been mentioned the total cost of running all the libraries is just 1.4% of the total County Council budget - pretty good value for money in my opinion. It does not take much of a grasp of economics to work that out. I do not think I am the one that needs to learn about economics. I pay my taxes too and I want the library service the council has to provide. Perhaps you would like to come to our meeting Mr Feckless and we can discuss this with the many people that DO value our library service. Meanwhile I suggest the government ask Vodafone et al for the few billion dollars they owe.”

“The total cost of running all the libraries is just 1.4% of the total County Council budget, so there are no significant savings to be made here in any case. Removing the mobile library service to homes for the elderly is simply barbaric. We should all be ashamed if we allow this to happen.”

“The £495,000 is only just for four!!!!!!!!!

How much more is spent around this County!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“QUOTE....I choose my taxpayers money to be spent on schools, hospital, police and fire service, and our armed forces. I can no longer afford a library in every small village.

So you would choose to spend millions on our troops being overseas in a war that technically should not have been started in the first place!!!!!
It is no wonder that you are calling yourself feckless.

QUOTE....The one thing you do not find in libraries these days are plethoras of books.

I do not know what Library you go to if in actual fact that you do purely because of this statement!!!!!!!!!

QUOTE....When you do pull your head out of the sand you will find that you are in Greece, Ireland, Portugal or Spain

Oh now you are on about overseas Countries that the present central government are being asked to bail out !!!!

QUOTE....Johanna, please tell the readers what services you are planning to cut in order to keep the country running? If you can¿t make the choice, don¿t except people to vote for something we can¿t afford.

Do you think that we can afford to pay executives of this County in excess on average £495,000 per-annum for the privilege of sitting behind a desk!!!!!!!!!!!!
That could be a start instead of losing any services wouldn't you think or is this too much for you to handle!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Keep your head in the sand Johanna, and the big nasty world of economics will pass you by.

When you do pull your head out of the sand you will find that you are in Greece, Ireland, Portugal or Spain.

Then again, whilst your library is still open you could sign out a book on economics.

However most of the libraries I have visited lately have CD's DVD's free papers and magazines, and scores of people using the internet to email their mistress, use Facebook, or shop on eBay, all of which are not very enlightening.

The one thing you do not find in libraries these days are plethoras of books.

I choose my taxpayers money to be spent on schools, hospital, police and fire service, and our armed forces. I can no longer afford a library in every small village.

Johanna, please tell the readers what services you are planning to cut in order to keep the country running? If you can¿t make the choice, don¿t except people to vote for something we can¿t afford.

Welcome to the adult world of financial responsibility.”

“The full letter of complaint about the consultation can be found at the Friends of Gloucestershire website here http://foclibrary.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/counsultation-plans-a-sham/
You can also make your voice heard above the simplistic nonsense from the Feckless Eddies of the world by downloading and signing our petition here

http://foclibrary.wordpress.com/county-wide-petition-launched/”

“Nice to see comments finally working again.”

“When you sign the petition, also indicate which other council service is to be cut in order to save the library.

if you can't suggest a cut , don't sign the petition”