Daily Echo - SHA's members are not good listeners

SHA's members are not good listeners
ON the subject of a fluoridation referendum I personally think that it would at least answer the question as to what the state of public opinion really is.
The SHA are almost certainly of the opinion that the people who completed the self-completion survey are not representative of the population as a whole, and put a lot of emphasis on their own MORI poll, which I personally think that even if it is more representative, does not necessarily constitute a random sample, as I question very much if every member of the sample population has an equal chance of being selected.
As I already drink bottled water I am unlikely to be directly affected by whatever happens, but I personally do not think it is right for people's health needs to be dictated by a quango who have little other involvement in the local community, and have not shown themselves to be the best of listeners.
With regard to the fact there was no one from the SHA board to receive the open letter signed by 170 people, I could perhaps understand it if the majority of board members had other commitments on the day.
However they all presumably knew that the petition was being delivered, and that some of the people delivering it would be travelling reasonable distances. Therefore I very much believe they should have made provision in advance for at least one member of the group to be allowed in to deliver it. The SHA have put a lot of store on scientific arguments in dealing with this issue, but many people who signed this open letter (many of them well respected in the local community) have a scientific background.