Sir - I respond to letters by Gill Barratt, and Name of Headley Down, in last week’s Herald, plus excellence manifest in the Olympics (and in BBC coverage thereof). If we in Britain are to do as well as participants in Beijing, we shall have to acquire some confidence.

     As indicated by Gill Barratt, our people are let down by their leaders. She says that residents of Bordon and the surrounding villages are being bullied. The same sort of thing goes on near Hindhead. A meeting was recently arranged by Hindhead Together (compare Waverley Borough Council, The National Trust, Highways Agency, Surrey County Council, Haslemere Town Council, SEEDA, Surrey Hills AONB Board and Natural England). Elaborate plans for Hindhead were unveiled, to my mind inappropriate and premature: the tunnel won’t open much before 2012, a long time in the future. I suggested to a representative of Waverley Borough Council that some form of persuasion must be being applied by developers to councillors, and received the shocked reply that imputation of dishonesty was totally unacceptable, and that I could write to the Chief Executive if I wanted reassurance. It seems that we too need to find ways of applying pressure on our leaders.

     The letter from Headley Down expresses intelligent views about the future potential of the old A3. The senselessness of the plan to close it will become ever more clear.

     Our leaders and their acolytes overlook oft expressed common sense points about this plan.

     Most people, like the young working mothers and fathers who live around me at Thirlestane Court, don’t have time to think about plans. They would like to, but pressures of modern life give them no chance. Bodies like Hindhead Together therefore have a clear run. A few older people like me do have time, and we write for the Herald, thinking as we do so that we are fighting for our young friends. As things stand, there are so few of us that (sooner or later) we can easily be ignored.

     Much of what goes on appears to be a result of fear. Our leaders often manifest fear, notably of losing positions of power. Some leaders enjoy being bossy, self-indulgent because they really know better. Given caring and responsible leadership, people would volunteer energies and skills to help deal with problems. Nothing is more satisfying than working powerfully as part of a group, whether or not one’s efforts are immediately recognized.

     We can all lead by example, not necessarily from the front. Many young people have no idea of the power of a smile from them. Let’s remember Salman Rushdie’s question: What sort of an idea are you?

Dr Charles Warner
Hindhead