The Dorset Echo has started a brand new weekly column, giving councillors the opportunity to talk about the issues they care about and what's great in their community. Here is a contribution from Cllr Christine James, who represents the Westham North ward.

Following on for the two previous elected members who have contributed in recent weeks to a ‘councillor’ column I thought that I would be slightly different and NOT write about my ward or one of the many good deeds I have performed over almost 16 years. Too many to recount. Rather a few words about the madness that is appearing before us in many forms every day.

So, it’s no longer PC to play, or sing certain Christmas songs as some element of it may offend one of the sexual genders we now need to recognise. ‘Baby its cold outside’ is deemed sexist and controlling? Fairy tale of new York; upsetting some section of the very extensive gay community. Wedding and engagement rings that are given with love and tradition make the statement that ‘men’ are in control; apparently? Telling our daughters they are pretty will make them vain, and excludes other girls. Naming a town or village with a hint of ‘masculinity’ means we may be doomed to live shackled to some chauvinistic culture for infinity. The world has gone more than a little bonkers. These are just a few of the mad issues that have been aired in recent months via TV, social media and any other way that can be forced upon us.

But, like most ‘sane’ and open minded people I take all this with a huge pinch of salt. And the ability to close the door on such bunkum. Surely there are more serious issues to concentrate on? Food banks, child poverty, empty homes in many towns, masculine or not that could be put to better use? Christmas is approaching fast, we all need to look at how lucky the majority of us truly are and find the guts to put a real wrong right. Helping a family eat, seeing a child smile and feel safe, saying hi to that lonely person we ignore. That deserves air time and not the loopy, overly sensitive PC brigade who might cry after reading this.

Are you a councillor? If you would like to contribute, email your column to newsdesk@dorsetecho.co.uk

We have also started a 'Prime Minister for a day' column, where our readers tell us what they would do if they were running the country. To contribute to this, email newsdesk@dorsetecho.co.uk