Ten years ago this town was different. There used to be a sense of pride in how we handled things around here. Back when people still cared about the little guy and not just lining their own pockets.

Last night, Dartmoor prison became yet another blight on our landscape as news broke that it's been leased by the Ministry of Justice despite known toxic gas hazards. MPs have been left to condemn this decision, which comes with an outrageous cost of £100 million to taxpayers.

It’s not like these kinds of missteps are new. Just last year, we saw another waste of money on a poorly thought-out initiative from the government that was supposed to be a quick fix but turned into more of a headache than a help. And it wasn’t the first time either.

I’ve lived here for forty years now, and I remember when things were done with care and consideration. Not just slapped together in some kind of panic because someone's ego needed padding or their job was on the line. This isn't about partisan politics - this is about common sense. What happened to that?

The pattern repeats itself every few years like clockwork, whether it’s a new administration trying to look strong or an old one desperately hanging onto power. But what does change year after year is how much we’re willing to let them get away with.