00:00So, Julian, were you surprised at the number of people here today?
00:04Well, not really. I mean, it's a massive issue for the local community here,
00:07and, you know, there were probably ten times as many who would have wanted to be here,
00:11but maybe couldn't because they were working or away at the moment.
00:14So, no, I think it shows the depth of feeling.
00:18So there was a big strength of feeling, and it was sort of...
00:22I think the point you were making is that we might have to look on
00:26beyond getting the line repaired on cost grounds.
00:30But that did spark a bit of backlash that we shouldn't really accept that.
00:34Well, look, I totally get that, and in retrospect,
00:38it probably wasn't the time and place to talk about the future
00:42if the road isn't replaced, because there are people there
00:46whose lives have been desperately affected,
00:48and they've got to be our top priority, and I do understand that.
00:52But I felt it was important when you've got the businesses there
00:54talking about what's the future, that there is a possibility
00:59that there can be, you know, the phoenix can rise from the ashes.
01:03And I think we've got a great opportunity of turning it into one of the best places
01:07to come to in the whole of the South Hams if the road isn't mended.
01:11So, yeah, and I get it that people, that's not what they want to hear,
01:15but sometimes, you know, we've just got to be honest about it,
01:19and I think it's much better that we start that conversation
01:22with all these people here, albeit, you know,
01:26I think it was probably slightly misplaced with all the people.
01:30And on a political side, you also mentioned that,
01:34or Caroline mentioned, I can't remember which of the two of you,
01:36but that it's not perhaps a priority for the Labour government
01:40in this area that's unlikely to become Labour.
01:43Yeah, look, it's been successive governments
01:46when we talk about the infrastructure down here.
01:48I mean, Caroline, no, Sarah Wooderston did incredibly well
01:52getting some funding, but, I mean, that's just a drop in the ocean,
01:55if we're honest.
01:56The kind of resources that we need down here,
01:59we're just not getting.
02:01You know, what do we do about that?
02:03If it was ever thus, we've got to work harder.
02:06You know, we've got to work harder.
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