A glass half full rather than one half empty

I try to always look on the bright side of life as in the Monty Python song. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.
I work with other members of the community of Gilberdyke to maintain or improve conditions where I can. My philosophy is that to achieve change you have to stand up and be counted.
I am a current member of the Parish Council and was for a while the chairman of Giberdyke Flood Action Group which was set up by the Parish Council following the June 2007 floods to determine why the village suffered so heavily. I worked with other members of the Flood Action Group, the Parish Council and Mason Clark Consultant Engineers to determine where the problems lay and press for remedial action to the appropriate authorities.
A report was produced and used to "persuade" the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board to desilt the main drainage dykes between the village and the River Ouse (previously last done in early 1980s), also the Parish Council forwarded the report to East Riding of Yorkshire Council and requested that body to take effective action to clear the drainage systems within the village.
A major part of the problems within the village were attributable to failure of Riparian owners to maintain (regularly cleanse) the dykes adjacent or within their properties, Deliberate infilling of some of these dykes and unauthorised culverting using totally inadequate pipe sizes. The solution to this should be simple you would think? Sadly one or two of those individuals who had directly contributed to the problems have spent the period from the discovery of the obstructions in challenging the proposed remedial works at every opportunity and throwing sand in the gears.