Democracy creates governance for the majority, but this leaves minorities disenfranchised, disinherited, disabled, discredited and unsatisfied!

Society needs all sorts of functions to be fulfilled. Some jobs are more in the spotlight than others, but some mundane tasks are important, like remembering to flush the toilet.

As a youngster, I remember a cousin growing up with both parents as school teachers. He didn't grasp the essentials of behaviour and so spent a lot of time "standing in the corner", which was a normal punishment in that era. When his problem was diagnosed he went to an appropriate school and emerged into adulthood as a quiet and methodical man with a great care for animals and plants. He had productive jobs caring for animals and in garden centres. He must have been a huge asset in those jobs - reliable, steady and with no ambition for promotion - just wanting to do well at what he was good at. He died in his seventies, fondly remembered for his creative support in the parish youth club as one of the quiet, simple and caring people on whom so much depends.

There are many in our midst who have "special needs", as it is now termed. They will never be a voting majority, but still need to be supported and absorbed into our complex society in whatever role can fit. "Special Educational Needs" costs more than twice as much per child as normal education, but we can put up with the extra cost of drink or drugs-related behaviour to the NHS and the police - and the even greater cost of imprisonment. Being an organised and caring society has costs.

"The needy" who should catch our attention are the parents and guardians of children with special needs. The children themselves are often happy doing what they do - it is the parents who have the difficult task of looking after them, compounded by the problems of obtaining the specialist help that is needed. A friend with an autistic child went to a seaside spot with a shingle beach thinking they could set up a target and throw stones. The child got out of the car, and was happy throwing gravel in the car park without bothering to walk to the beach.

But parents have a huge struggle for teachers to realise that unusual behaviour can indicate a serious problem, then struggle again to secure an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), also maybe the need for occupational therapy. Places in specialist schools are massively over-subscribed and there are children and young people who are missing years of education because there is nothing available for them.

The County Council is under pressure from people nagging about potholes in the road as well as the support needed for care homes and special educational needs. I just discovered that "WOKE" means "alert to injustice in society", but seems to be dominated by problems of racism. All these things need attention; some of them come down to us ordinary folk in what we do; other items need more government funding and our County Council's attention - but it is OUR government spending OUR money - so it still needs to be us, the ordinary folk, ranting and banging on about issues.

Do we need to choose between racial equality, roads without potholes, properly funded care homes and well organised support for kids with special needs? Why can't we have them all?