Supposedly I have finished writing my book MILTON DREAMS THE CITY THAT NEVER WAS...
FIRSTLY....
THE MILTON KEYNES WALK OF FAME
I once suggested to a couple of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Council Members
that there should be a Milton Keynes Walk Of Fame and that it should be located
outside Jim Marshall’s former music shop in Queensway, Bletchley. They liked
the idea but, like me, knew it was never going to happen. WHY NOT ?
Jim Marshall is Milton Keynes
representative on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. His star is there along with
2.689 others stretching for a mile and a quarter along Hollywood Boulevard. The
very first star was set down in 1955 with John Wayne’s name upon it.
As I hope I have explained in
this book, the history and culture of Milton Keynes is widely diverse and
reaches far, far back into history. I am not suggesting that we should have
ancient names like Queen Boudica on our walk of fame but start on 1st
January 1967. Why this date ? It was on
this day that Harold Wilson’s government announced an area of land in North
Buckinghamshire was to be designated for the construction of a new city – The New
City Of Milton Keynes !
The Hollywood Walk Of Fame was
part of a regeneration project for a rundown area of Los Angeles. I would not
exactly call Bletchley’s Queensway rundown but it is hardly a sparkling jewel
is it ? It isn’t just the physical stars but the aura and magic the stars put
out which is important. I have been to Los Angeles, I have been to The
Hollywood Walk Of Fame but I was just a tourist there with many thousand like
me. I am not sure that Queensway, Bletchley could cope with thousands of
tourists but it could cope with – Milton Keynes could cope with celebration of
individuals our walk of fame would generate. It would be an inspiration to future
generations and citizens of Milton Keynes.
Ley Lines. We have the
original three Ley Lines of Silbury Boulevard, Midsummer Boulevard and Avebury
Boulevard around which the entire new city was built. We have the ley line of
love upon which Milton Keynes Crematorium is built, it is hard to thing how a
more beautiful and loving location could be conceived for families in their
times of grief. The Milton Keynes Walk Of Fame would too become a ley line.
How many other cities up and
down the country have their walks of fame ?
None spring to my mind. Let’s make The Milton Keynes Walk Of Fame happen,
something to help make our dream come true – MILTON KEYNES THE CITY THAT TRULY
IS.
And now.....
RECYCLE MK
When The
Centre MK opened the management released a 7” vinyl single: You’ve Never Seen
Anything Like it – Central Milton Keynes. I am listening to it now as I write
this chapter. SHOPPING AS IT SHOULD BE.
Sadly, a tear is in my eye as I write. Please help me change that from a tear of sadness to a tear of joy.
The song
flopped, I don’t think it even made it into the top one thousand ! However,
every word and every note in the song perfectly describes what was then the
biggest indoor shopping centre in Europe. Central Milton Keynes – Shopping as
it should be. Coaches came from far and wide bringing people to experience The
Centre MK – Shopping as it should be.
It must be
ten years now since I shopped at the Centre MK and I have no plans to shop
there within the next one hundred and ten years. Shopping as it never should be.
Milton Keynes
Council claims it wants to be the greenest local authority in the world by
2050. The Centre MK is probably now the biggest climate cowboy in all of Milton
Keynes. While I would never shop there any longer I do pass it on my way each
morning to the studio of Radio CRMK. That is at stupid o’clock in the morning,
hours before any shops are going to open and yet the entire centre is a blaze
of lights. At any time of the day this probably has the biggest climate
footprint of anywhere in Milton Keynes. Overnight Central Milton Keynes is
probably wasting more electricity than all the rest of the borough put
together, within this The Centre MK is beyond doubt the number one offender.
That alone, for me and I hope for everyone, is reason enough not to shop at The
Centre MK.
People’s
shopping habits have changed, sadly the Centre MK has failed to keep up with
these changes.
The Bin Men,
our refuge collection operatives, are the hardest working people anywhere in
Milton Keynes. Next time you see one of their green and white iconic trucks at
work stop and watch the orange coated bin men who run from home to home,
enthusiastically doing their job. If every person in Milton Keynes worked half
as hard as our bin men we would be living in Utopia.
There are two
bin sacks our refuse collection operatives throw like Olympic athletes into
their trucks, black sacks with rubbish inside and clear plastic sacks
supposedly containing material that is to be recycled. Supposedly. Milton
Keynes Council’s recycling system is so confusing many, if not a majority, of
those clear plastic recycling sacks have items within them that can not be
recycled. Some of those items will be contaminating that which could have been
recycled meaning it will now have to follow the route of the black sacks.
NO ! NO ! NO
! It is NOT Milton Keynes Council’s
recycling system which is at fault. NO IT IS NOT SO DO NOT BLAME THE COUNCIL ! Blame the government if you like. With any
failure that is where the buck stops. The system is broken.
I try so hard
to make my own home a beacon of success when it comes to recycling but I
honestly do not have a clue what can and can not be recycled. I am attacking The Centre MK for being a
climate cowboy but as I put the sacks outside my home each week on Bin Bag Thursday
I am every bit as big an offender. We need a very firm policy where in big
letters on every product you can but from anywhere, including the Centre MK, a
choice of two phrases:
ALL PACKAGING
AROUND THIS ITEM CAN BE RECYCLED – BUY ME
THE PACKAGING
HERE CAN NOT BE RECYCLED – DO NOT BUY IT
We could then
move to a retailing policy of if it can not be recycled then you can not sell
it !
That really
would be shopping as it should be.
You’ve never seen anywhere like it – Central Milton
Keynes
There’s never been anywhere like it – Central Milton
Keynes
You’ve never seen shopping as it should be until you’ve
been to Central Milton Keynes
There’s never been anywhere like it – Central Milton
Keynes
You’ve never seen anywhere like it – Central Milton
Keynes
You’ve never been shopping as it should be until you’ve
been to Central Milton Keynes
CMK – wouldn’t mind shopping all day
Big shops – small shops – no traffic in the way
Sunny CMK – wouldn’t mind staying all day
As soon as you see it you’ll like it – Central Milton Keynes
You’ll find everything inside it –
Central Milton Keynes
You’ve never been shopping as it
should be until you’ve been to Central Milton Keynes Central Milton Keynes –
shopping as it should be
The Centre
MK, you were once the nation’s number one shopping location. What are you now
? A has been which thinks if it keeps
its lights shining all night the astronauts on the International Space Station
may spot you and drop by on their return to Earth !
Turn your
nocturnal illuminations off. Adopt a policy of IF YOU CAN NOT RECYCLE IT THEN
YOU CAN NOT SELL IT. Recycle yourself, re-release your fab little song and return
to SHOPPING AS IT SHOULD BE.
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