Since Friday 15th July I have been on
hunger-strike in an attempt to get a response from those involved in the
attempted conversion of Mousehole Primary School in Cornwall into a so-called
'academy.' I wish to talk to Chris Roynon, the head-teacher and Rev Sian
Yates, vicar of Penzance C. of E. Church and Managing Director of Penlee
'Academy Trust' (PAT). There has been a lamentable lack of response from
those who wish to impose these changes on our school. Letters have gone
unanswered, debate has been rejected and the wishes of the public have been
ignored. The governors (MSG) of the school have a responsibility to
represent the views of the parents, and the community. The
almost total failure of the governors to respond at all is simply dereliction
of duty. I also feel that Rev Yates should respond to my appeals, and not
ignore me. How can you love your neighbour if you won't even talk to him?
I don't think it's right for people to
remove democratic rights to representation, change the nature of the school
into a business model, and railroad the whole process through with a cynical
disregard for the wishes of the parents, children and community and not
even be prepared to discuss it.
Therefore, until the aforementioned
people are ready to enter into discussions with me and my legal-assistant, I
will uphold the strike.
Please see my interview with human-rights whistle blower Harold Hempstead, the man .who exposed the murder of Darren Rainey by prison guards in Florida, 23.6.2012.
Key proponents of scheme to capitalise Mousehole Primary School refuse to give their word that the law has been followed and upheld.
It has emerged that none of those responsible for the proposed/imposed monetisation and capitalisation of Mousehole Primary School are prepared to give their word that they have upheld the law whilst pursuing their secretive, capitalist plot.
This is all about money, dear readers, let's not be confused about the basic facts of the case. The Board of Directors of Penlee 'Academy' 'Trust' includes various multi-millionaire speculators, rubbing along with fish-mongers, techies, 'educationalists' and God's representative in protestant Penzance as the figurehead. Yet when approached for an assurance of legality, the Godly one not only refused to give her word that she has been acting lawfully whilst fronting PAT, but did not deign to respond at all. The Lord moves in mysterious ways indeed.
Head-teacher of Mousehole Primary, Chris Roynon would not give his word either, which is a tad worrying, although he did at least answer the letter - he said he was taking legal advice!
Sadly, Nigel Carter-King, long-time Secretary/Governor of Mousehole School and insider to the capitalist designs on the school's future has also failed to affirm the lawfulness of his actions, or even to respond at all.
Many questions remain unanswered in this continuing debacle, but an increasing number of parents are waking up to the fact that democracy is something you get by fighting for, and are starting to demand representation, although they seem to accept the inevitability of the imposition - well, you can't honestly call it a proposal can you, as that word implies an element of choice, doesn't it?
Personally I don't accept 'academisation' as inevitable, as I believe the project has been pursued in an improper manner and runs counter to the needs, wishes and interests of the people. Given a fair chance, this could easily be proven. Also, there is still a great deal that can be done to oppose this proposed course of events that has been presented as 'inevitable' and written in stone - as if the 'authorities' had a divine right to force their will on the parents and the community. When you find something morally reprehensible, you have no choice but to work against it and try to preserve what is known to be good and true, like Mousehole School. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
PERHAPS THE MAIN QUESTION WE SHOULD BE ASKING IS: WHO STANDS TO GAIN FINANCIALLY FROM THIS?
SECRET PLOTS OR DEMOCRATIC INCLUSION IN OUR SOCIETY?
Last time I asked some public officials to take the oath, they also refused. That was the case of Treloyhan Woods, Carbis Bay, West Cornwall - an absurdly corrupt and rotten case, signed off on false evidence by Roger Harding, John Pollard and their Cornwall Council lawyer. With a combination of weak-strategy from the protest-group and rampant corruption from the 'authorities', the property 'developers' predominated and down came the woods and in went the cement mixers. Those officials knew the case was going to the High Court, so there was no way they were going to perjure themselves when brought to account.
The victory of Capital over nature and democracy that happened at Carbis Bay no doubt encouraged other land-grabbers - Poltair Woods between Heamoor and Madron is the latest victim of blind selfishness. The large area of heaped-up trunks of mature beeches, still bearing their soft, spring leaves, is a sight to bring you bitterness. What a graphic illustration of the Anarchist graffiti I've seen around Penzance lately - Capitalism Is Violence...
Back in Mousehole the scheme to 'academise' Mousehole School has been quietly constructed for over five years yet the parents and community were given a mere eighty-five days in which to organize any challenge to what amounts to the most fundamental upheaval in public education in over a hundred years.
When you compare the vast amount of time that the proponents of the scheme bestowed upon themselves to secretly organize their plan; with the miniscule time-period doled-out to the parents and the general public to react, it is clear that this strategy is adopted to effectively neuter any realistic possibility of resistance. This highlights the undemocratic, non-transparent and fundamentally unjust atmosphere in which 'academisation' is conceived and birthed.
If there was a genuine, people-led and pupil-led need to monetise public education through pseudo-academisation then why has the process been conducted in almost total secrecy? Like a vast iceberg that only shows one inch above the water-line, this 'academy' disaster has lurked stealthily for years beneath the surface of free public scrutiny, only to suddenly rear up without any real warning at all and threaten to wreck a perfectly fine and much loved vessel.
Where is the openness? Why were you and I not consulted five years ago if it was such a fine and marvellous plan, such an obvious and self-evident boon for humanity Why the secrecy? Why the evasions? The unanswered letters, the refusal to engage in free public debate, the refusals to take the oath of truth? Why the general unwillingness to engage and discuss and most of all, why the obsessive desire to push the scheme through, when it has lost the backing of central government, local government, the local MP, the people etc. etc..
This is about money. I smell thatcher's ghost and it's not a very nice smell at all.
"A conspiracy of silence speaks louder than words."
Good to see you taking an interest in our woefully neglected Scilly transport system. I was very interested to hear of the letter that you quoted in The Cornishman, from the tourist who had suffered so much during their travels.
As one with a passing interest in the harbour-side district of Penzance I would certainly appreciate being able to read that letter, or a photocopy of it, myself. Little documents like this form an invaluable part of local history and have great social value. I wonder if you would mind sending me a suitably redacted copy of this letter for my own study? You mentioned that you had several similar letters in your possession. Copies of these would also be greatly appreciated for their historical value. Names, addresses and personally specific details would of course be removed by you in the interests of privacy. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter of 'disclosure in the public interest.'
Looking forward to our interview.
Good wishes, Jeremy Schanche, Save The Holy Headland.
Email to Derek Thomas MP: Re: Scilly Tourist Letter
Dear Derek, 8th June, 2016
Not meaning to nag, but it has now been over two weeks since I contacted you about the above matter, so this is just to remind you of your promise to answer my communications promptly.
Best wishes, Jeremy
----------------------------------------
8th June 2016:
Thank you Jeremy
I've been giving this request some thought and I will not be forwarding the letters to you.
The letters I have received are letters written to me from individuals and they raise concerns about the service and treatment they received from individuals and commercial companies. They also complain about the infrastructure itself which is the area I attempted to raise via the Cornishman so that we can knuckle down and draw up a plan to improve the experience for passengers.
I feel that forwarding these letters would be a breach of trust both with the authors but also the stakeholders concerned who are seeking to address the issues raised.
Having said this, you refer to maintaining an archive and I will keep the correspondence and make them available to you once the issues have been resolved or when I cease to be the MP (whichever is sooner).
Derek Thomas
Member of Parliament for St Ives
-------------------------------------------
Open message to Derek Thomas MP, 8th June 2016:
Re: 'Stinging Letter' / The Cornishman / 12th May 2016
Dear Derek,
Thanks for responding to my request to see the letter/s in question. Considering the letter that you referred to in The Cornishman, the 'stinging letter', you obviously had the permission of the author to base a major local news story on their letter, so they are obviously more than happy for the story of their letter to go public. You argue that the fact that the letter complains about the 'service' at Penzance Harbour means that it would be a 'breach of trust' to forward a copy of the letter to me. This is illogical as the fact that the letter complains about Penzance Harbour is the very essence and substance of your 'news story' and was published with the letter-writer's blessing - according to your version of events. So, if the letter-writer is quite happy for their letter, specifically the 'stinging letter' which made headlines in The Cornishman and attempted to reopen a closed controversy in Penzance, to be the basis of a news-story, it would logically be no breach of trust to forward me a redacted photocopy, with all names, addresses and any other personal details removed. The photocopy of the envelope could be redacted except for the postmark.
As this matter is clearly of great public concern, I challenge you to provide the evidence to back up the political move you are trying to pull. If, contrary to clearly established public interest, you cannot or will not provide the evidence, then I will be challenging you further on this, so perhaps it's best to just comply with my perfectly just, reasonable and lawful request at this stage, rather than letting this spiral into some kind of 'Lettergate' that might not reflect too well on you.
Your claim that I might be able to see the letter at some point in the distant future is of no interest to me.
Over to you.
Best wishes, Jeremy Schanche, Save The Holy Headland
I will not be sending you the letter regarding Penzance Harbour as you request for the reasons described in my previous email.
My concern is to improve the experience for passengers and the management of freight to and from the Isles of Scilly. This is important because the current situation harms the livelihood of businesses owners both in West Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly. I can assure you that any action I have taken is intended to address the concerns outlined in the letter you refer to.
I completely agree that issues relating to Penzance Harbour are of public interest and I will be taking time to ensure everybody concerned has the opportunity to contribute to any future debate and to be heard.
Open message to Derek Thomas, Tory MP for West Cornwall, 14th June 2016:
Dear Derek,
Re: 'The Letter' (Stinging)
You can't simply avoid the issue without responding to the points I made about the 'letter.' I made an analysis of your reasons for concealing the 'letter' and proved them to be logically untenable. When we met in the street you claimed you wanted to engage in genuine dialogue, so please Derek, I'd like you to respond to the reasoning I set out in my last message, because I am extremely interested to establish the provenance of a document upon which you are basing certain actions that affect the people. Therefore it is obviously of interest to the public to see the document, or at least establish that it does indeed exist.
At the moment, it's just me asking for proof. The numbers could be made to increase and soon many more people might be asking for proof and then you would need to provide logical and tenable arguments to support your position.
Please reconsider your position and put this matter in the open for all to see. It's what the people want and that's democracy, isn't it?
Over to you.
Best wishes,
Jeremy
Save The Holy Headland
---------------------------------
20.6.2016
Dear Derek,
I await your response to my proposal of 14th June regarding the letter.
Re: Failure to Investigate Tax Avoidance by the Greedy
Dear Derek,
When we had our little street-meeting you mentioned that I was breaking the law by putting up socialist posters in public. I responded by reminding you that the Conservative Party were involved in plenty of illegal activity, at which you smiled knowingly. I see you have just voted against investigating the off-shore tax avoidance schemes of your plutocratic capitalist bosses. Whilst these jokers rob society, they snidely point the finger of blame at the poor, the uneducated and the young. This is what conservatism is all about - protect the rich and greedy and let the ordinary people suffer. That's why I put up socialist posters - at least I break the law honestly.
Please give your reasons for voting down this investigation and protecting the super-rich exploiters of society. Why are you not protesting at the illegal maltreatment of the unemployed and the unwell, when the UN is investigating your Party's crimes against the disabled? Should not a Christian follow the example of Rabbi Jesus and side with the poor? Perhaps you think you can side with the poor and the super-rich simultaneously, but this is untenable and illusory. You are involved in a class-war and you are on the front line - for now. All you have done in office is attack the poor and help the rich. You are practicing your Party's philosophy to perfection.
Yours sincerely,
Jeremy -------------------------------
Update: 23:6:2016:
From: Derek Thomas MP, 21.6.2016:
Thank you Jeremy
However, I will not be sharing the letter with you.
I'm not sure if it is related but I understand you are
concerned about the harbour and you are keen to ensure it and the surrounding
location is treated sensitively. I want to assure you that, whilst I am keen to
ensure the harbour area is 'fit for purpose' and is well maintained, I am very
aware that we must tread carefully and take into account local concern and
opinion.
I have no preferred plans for the development of the harbour
area. I do believe we must do something to improve the area for all concerned
including reducing congestion which I hope you would agree with.
Regards
Derek Thomas
Member of Parliament for St Ives
---------------------------------------
22.6.2016
To: Derek Thomas
MP
Re: 'Stinging Letter'
Dear Derek,
What saddens me is that public officials, from police
chiefs, to head-teachers, to MPs, to planning officers, to school-governors, to
diplomats are all fundamentally unwilling to enter into dialogue with members
of the public. I'm not talking about form-letters and
circumlocution-tactics, I'm talking about dialogue. I pointed out to you
that your reasons for concealing the 'letter' that you claim exists, are
spurious and do not stand up to enquiry. You are unwilling to discuss the
matter but merely repeat that your mind is made up, without being able to
justify your reasons. This is not dialogue, but evasion, the favourite
meat of the bourgeois political-class, who have no desire to engage with
the people in any meaningful way whatsoever. Why would the capitalists
want to waste time engaging in a dialogue that would publicly challenge their
rapacious agenda? Particularly when they have no intention of acting on
anything the public say, unless forced into a corner by overwhelming pressure
of public-opinion?
How about the interview you claimed you were so willing to
conduct when we last met, are you still keen to proceed with it? If so,
let me know please. I think an exchange of ideas could be very edifying
for all concerned.
Best wishes,
Jeremy
---------------------------------
From the office of Derek Thomas MP, 23.6.2016:
This Saturday as you may be aware is Penzance Mazey Day.
Derek Thomas is hosting Coffee and Cake this Saturday lunchtime in his office
following the main morning parade.
The constituency office remains open every Saturday morning
including this Saturday from 9.30-1.00pm each week for those wanting to call in
person or telephone for assistance.
Derek warmly invites you to join him for Coffee and
Cake this Saturday 12.00-1.00pm
The office is located on the second floor of the Wharfside
shopping Centre, Penzance.
We look forward to seeing if you are able to make it.
For further details or information please contact the office
who will be happy to assist you.
Simon Jones
Constituency Manager
Office of Derek Thomas MP
Member of Parliament for St Ives
---------------------------------------
Well, there you go... Derek may not want to show me the 'stinging letter', but at least he's invited me round for cake and coffee, which is nice. I almost feel guilty for wittering on about the bourgeois, capitalist-class politicians and their cynical rightist agenda, but hey,someone's got to do it and anyway, I've gotta get my fun somehow.
On a more serious note, I've just received the following letter from MSG, the Governors of Mousehole School:
It would seem that, despite being given no time in which to even begin to look into the process of 'conversion to academy status' and check its propriety and legality, the time for talking has been declared over and we now move on to the next stage. The future of Mousehole School hangs in the balance. Whether it can continue to exist as Mousehole School remains to be seen. With public apathy and acquiescence running at nearly one hundred per cent, the chips are stacked heavily towards the capitalists, but nothing is yet certain and their plan can still be rejected. The governors can still refuse to cooperate with this ill-thought-out and unjust plan and throw it out. Check back with this blog to follow developments.
Hallo friends. Personally I am against privatization of public assets. I was extremely unhappy to receive the news that the ‘powers that be’ intend to go ahead with the Conservative Party’s plan to commodify education and turn Mousehole School into a so-called ‘academy’ within a mere six months. This has been presented as a fait accompli, or, if you prefer American, a done deal. This is not the case.
Since time is so short I feel it is vital for anybody who does not wish our school to be ‘academised’ to start organizing against the plan immediately. On 20th April I posted this notice outside the school gates:
DO YOU REMEMBER VOTING TO SELL OFF OUR SCHOOL?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ENGAGE IN A DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGE TO THIS RIGHT-WING POLICY?
IF YOU ARE SYMPATHETIC, OR PARTICULARLY, IF YOU WISH TO DEVOTE SOME TIME TO HELP ORGANIZE THIS CAMPAIGN, PLEASE CONTACT JEREMY SCHANCHE:
savetheholyheadland@yahoo.com
I also wrote an open letter to Mr Chris Roynon, the Head Teacher at Mousehole, which I copied to various other people:
Society is not an object for sale. The institutions of society are not a business-opportunity. Or are they…..? You decide - it’s your World, after all - but it’s a bit like the lottery - you can’t win if you don’t join in.
Update: 12:01 Thursday 21st April: As I mentioned at the start of this
blog-post, yesterday I put up some notices on the wall outside Mousehole School,
hoping for a response. Nearly twenty
four hours later no-one has responded to the signs, no official has acknowledged
my message, except one. My first
response from anyone in the World to the Mousehole School Preservation Society’s
inaugural press-release arrived exactly forty six minutes after being sent and came from Lucy Powell MP, the Labour Party’s Shadow Secretary of State for
Education! Nice to start at the
top. :-)
To:Jeremy Schanche21.4.201612:01 Dear Jeremy, Thank you for writing to me about the Conservative Government’s announcement that they intend to force all primary and secondary schools in England to become academies.I appreciate the time you have taken to share your concerns regarding the academisation of your local school, Mousehole Primary School. As Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, I have always maintained that the Government’s obsession with academisation at all costs is wrong-headed and is pursued at the expense of school improvement. Labour will fiercely oppose the Government’s programme to force all schools to become academies. This move is a top-down, costly reorganisation of our schools, which nobody wants and schools don’t need. The anger from parents and teachers against these plans is growing.
There is little evidence that academisation in and of itself leads to
school improvement. There are some excellent academies and some excellent
community schools, there are some poor academies and some poor community
schools. No school has a monopoly on excellence and no school has a monopoly on
not doing so well either. We need to build an education system that helps
provide an excellent education for all children rather than pitting one type of
school against another as the Conservatives are doing.
The Tories’ obsession with schools structures, at the expense of what
really matters in classrooms – the quality of teaching – completely misses the
point. The vast majority of non-academies affected by this policy will be
primary schools, over 80 per-cent of which are already good and outstanding.
These plans for forced academisation of all schools are evidently ideological
and not about school improvement.
The Tories approach to education risks fragmenting vital community links
with our schools. Ministers are silencing the voices of parents, school
governors and the local community. Their plans to remove the requirement to
have parent governors is deeply concerning. The Conservatives’ view parents as
part of the problem rather than as allies in the fight for a better education
for all children.
There are real concerns about the accountability of some academy chains
as Ofsted have warned. The government have repeatedly failed to give Ofsted the
powers to hold academy chains accountable for financial management and
standards.
At a time when schools are facing budget cuts for the first time since
the mid-1990s the plans to force all schools to become academies will cost
£1.3billion, money that could be better spent driving up standards.
The Government has failed to address the real issues facing our schools,
be it the shortages of teachers, the mounting pressure on school places, the
widening attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off
peers, or the real-terms budget cuts that schools are facing. At the same time,
teachers and parents are trying to navigate their way through huge changes to
exams and assessments, and the Government is already way behind schedule on
delivering GCSE and A-Level specifications due to be taught from this
September.
The white paper does nothing to address these big challenges facing
education and shows just how out of touch the Government are.
Labour will stand up for children and parents and oppose these plans. We
will seek to build an alliance with parents, heads, local Government leaders,
both Labour and Conservative, against these plans. Rather than cutting parents
out of the picture, we want to put local parents and communities at the heart
of decisions when it comes to their children’s schools.
Once again, thank you for getting in touch with me. I led Labour’s
opposition debate on this and this is an issue that the Labour Party will
continue to pressure the Government on and I welcome your support. I will
keep a record of your details for future correspondence and if there is any
further information that you want to share with me then please do.
Best wishes, Lucy Powell ----------------------------------
April 21st 2016 at 4:12pm
To Jeremy Schanche:
he received your letter and is writing you back thankyou for writing him we do need help here in florida with this inmate abuse going on and my brother I always pray will somehow find a way out of this prison system since he is a federal witness in the death of Darren Rainey I am dumbfounded as to why he remains in d.o.c custody and not federal custody but it has always been my deepest hearts desire to have him set free now we fight for inmates and not his freedom because he beleives it is Gods will and thinks that is why he is there he certaintly did not do the crimes convicted of and even if he did he definetly shouldnt have received a165 yr sentence but thats another situation and right now Floridas entire prison population is in trouble I thankyou sooooo much for even blogging about Darren Rainey my hope is that the world knows you can't kill people because they are under your control you can't kill people period but to torture and kill someone because you can and know people will cover for you is the worse kind of evil ever.I pray that Darren Rainey can soemhow rest in peace and that through our fight he will find justice we wont give up thanks again for everything hope to hear from you soon
I’d like to welcome you to this blog where I am fortunate enough to be able to indulge in Free Speech - In Saudi Arabia, Camoron’s ally, bloggers are publically flogged and imprisoned for ten years - in China, Camoron’s ally, bloggers and free speech activists simply disappear into the Lao Gai….. I appreciate my free speech and I try not to take it for granted. People die in wars ostensibly defending freedoms like this - I think the troops who fought in yesterday’s wars, back in the twentieth century, would very much like us to live out our liberty not in passive acquiescence but in dynamic involvement. If freedom is worth dying for, then should we not live for it? If we claim that free speech is one of the cherished hallmarks of British culture, western culture and international culture, then should we not practice free speech in real life?
So hey, welcome to my ranting-shop, one and all …..
Since time to resist so-called ‘academisation’ is extremely short and since cultural-resistance is not top of everybody’s to-do list, it seems expedient to address the issue directly, rather than d’reckly.
My first step in launching this campaign has been to seek support from other parents. I’m happy to explain my personal views to almost anyone, almost anytime, but my job is not to try to make up people’s minds for them. So rather than, at this point focusing all my energy on propagandizing against‘academisation’, I am rather seeking the involvement of like-minded people - if there are any! Quickly organizing the voice of opposition is a priority in West Cornwall, as elsewhere, since the sheer scale and suddenness of the challenge demands a dedicated and focused movement to counter ‘academisation’. I’ve mentioned Mousehole School as this is the one with which I have a personal connection going back to the last century (crikey, I’m old!). Anyway, although I’ve used the term Mousehole School Preservation Society, I imagine a possible network stretching the entire length and breadth of the Shyre of West Penwith, from sea to shining sea…. Local groups could be autonomous whilst cooperating in solidarity with each other, pooling resources, knowledge and tactics, perhaps under the umbrella-term Stop School Sell-Outs Campaign. (SSSOC!)
I should clarify another point. This blog, as I’ve said, expresses my own opinions. The Mousehole School campaign was initiated by me off my own bat (as we like to say in Britain, for some reason) and I have never been a member of any political party. For many years I refused to register, let alone vote, but times change and a lot of disenfranchised people are getting involved with politics again now for obvious reasons. I think Corbyn is the best thing to happen to British politics since I was a kid. He’s an honest man, that’s why he creates a wave of dissonance that ripples through the delusional culture we like to wallow in. I’m a member of Momentum Cornwall West, a group that seeks to promote Jeremy Corbyn’s values - because they’re not just his values, they’re ours - and Momentum is an organization that campaigns against ‘academisation’, so it is highly likely that Momentum members will play a role in this campaign locally, but it is in no way exclusive and anyone who shares our wish to protect schools, hospitals and other public institutions from capitalization is welcome to get actively involved. So, to chop a long tale short: please contact me if you agree with these aims and please pass on the word about Mousehole School Preservation Society. I can’t get my face into facebook so none of my material goes up there unless someone takes it upon themself to put it there, so please feel free to. It’s DIY style round here, if you want it done, do it yourself… Ober da!
Here's a copy of the letter I wrote on 26.4.16 to Mr Chris Roynon, Head Teacher of Mousehole Primary School, in West Cornwall, Great Britain, inviting him to a one-to-one formal debate:
Well, Spring is in the air and May is just around the corner..... May Day is traditionally the day the World honours and celebrates the incredible courage of the countless workers who gave their blood, and their lives, struggling to give the ordinary people a better life. Even in today's mediatized, neutered and manipulated Britain, workers are taking to the streets, having found no justice through official channels. When I say workers, I'm talking about the Junior Doctors, surely some of society's very most valuable workers, on whom our very lives depend. Part of the problem is that the government are trying to enforce an untenable contract onto a group of people who are not fools, namely the Junior Doctors. The other part of the problem is that the minister in question is a lying Hunt:
Anyway, because right-wing erosion of the institutions of our nation has reached the point where many people feel that their backs are now well and truly against the wall, things are starting to happen. What are you doing on May Day? Why not give thanks to the doctors by standing together with one intent and showing them that the care they give us goes both ways. Please feel free to join our demonstration at West Cornwall Hospital, 1.30 - 3.00pm on Sunday 1st May, International Worker's Day. We Love Doctors. The NHS is the living epitome and embodiment of British socialism at its finest. If you've ever had any help from the NHS then you owe thanks to the red lefty pinko socialist puppets of Moscow like Bevan and Atlee who gave it to you; and being polite is another British tradition so come and give thanks to the NHS.... Hope to see y'all there! Gwerinieth Kernewek Yw!
The Poster and these flyers can be printed out and distributed, thus marrying the ephemeral internet with the physical world....
I thought it best to inform the law, as these events have been known to draw a crowd.....
And just for the record, here are the flyers I have been giving out at Mousehole School playground, where my child is a pupil:
Finally here are some flyers for my paper, The Limpet:
If you enjoy this blog,please spread the word, print and disseminate these critters, it's all for nature, democracy and free speech. If you hate this blog, you could print some out and tear them up! Do what you like :-)
You know very well that the vote was not against allowing
unaccompanied children into the UK. The Government's response is far more
responsible and more likely to be effective in helping children and vulnerable
people.
There is no reference to Jesus bring proud of anyone in
scripture and I'm not sure that he does pride.
He does unconditional love for which I am grateful.
How best does the UK help unaccompanied children? The Government will commit to resettling up
to 3,000 vulnerable people in addition to our commitment to resettle
20,000 Syrians under the Syrian resettlement scheme (the majority of whom will
be children).
Processing refugees in Greek reception centres. The Government is offering 75 expert
personnel to help with processing and administration of migrants, act as
interpreters, provide medical support and provide vital equipment and
medical supplies.
Helping unaccompanied children. Teams are to be sent to Greece to help
unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and those trained to tackle people
trafficking.
Search and Rescue in the Mediterranean. Three Border Force vessels has been assisting
the Hellenic Coastguard to conduct search and rescue missions, and a Royal Navy
vessel as part of the NATO mission in the Aegean.
Refugee Fund. A £10 million
Refugee Children Fund will be used to work with host authorities to care for
and assist unaccompanied or separated children in Europe and the Balkans. This
includes identifying vulnerable children, providing for their immediate
support, referral to specialist care, and helping find solutions such as family
reunification.
Family reunion. The
Government has seconded additional resource to quickly identify children who
qualify for family reunion to improve the number of children being
reunited with family in the UK. Regards,
Derek Thomas , Member of Parliament for St Ives
---------------------- Here's my reply to Derek, 27.4.2016:
Hallo again Derek,
I'm just looking into this case and if what you say in your recent message is true, then you need to sue The Independent newspaper right away, because they give the clear impression that people like you, and your fellow conservative-reactionaries are responsible for rejecting 3,000 Syrian children who would otherwise have been given a refuge here from British, American, French, Russian and daesh interference, as well as internal repression in their home-country.
And now, I have just looked at today's Guardian and, curiously, they tell the same tale as The Independent, funny eh? Now, who shall I trust, those two newspapers, or a tory MP.....?
On the basis of the above reportage, I say you are directly responsible for those 3,000 children being rejected by Britain. Perhaps that unconditional love of yours doesn't extent to people with brown faces.
I was wondering when we'd get on to the topic of 'spirituality'. Let me ask you a question - if 3,000 Syrian orphans came to the border of His land, would the Prince of Peace say "Go hence, my little ones, for this is not thy kingdom and ye shall continue to wander in the wilderness and find ye succour there and feast ye upon thorns and bitter herbs?" or would He have said "Come ye forth my dear little ones, come into my arms and let me give ye food for thy bellies and drink for I see that ye be hungry and sore thirsty. Let me give ye love and kindness for I see ye are motherless and fatherless. Let me be thy guide, as I see ye have no guide. Let me be thy rock, as I see ye be without a rock and without shelter in the wilderness. Come ye hence, my little ones and fear not." Which one sounds like the Lord to you, Mr Christian Member of Parliament?
Two thousand years ago, a bookbinder made a terrible mistake for which we are still paying. He bound together part of the Jewish holy scripture, which deals with a mentality of vengeance and punishment; with the Four Gospels, which deal with a mindset of forgiveness, tolerance and above all, redemption for sinners. When your central scripture tells you to simultaneously smite and forgive, you have painted yourself into a nice little philosophical corner haven't ye?
The other funny thing about your religion is that in the Old (Jewish) Testament, it very clearly states that the Jews are the chosen race, nobody else. Are you Jewish? If not, you're backing the wrong horse, aren't you? My Granny was half-Jewish so I guess at least a part of me is going to Heaven - I wonder which bit.....
Since you've got a posh job up London, maybe instead of saying "He does unconditional love", you should try saying "He loves unconditionally". But since your party is simultaneously attacking public education whilst undermining our national tongue by promoting the use of newspeak, I guess the integrity of word-significance is not something you care for. The things your party calls 'academies' are not in fact academies - check your dictionary. For those who laugh and say it doesn't matter I say it matters a great deal, because devaluing, co-opting and distorting the true meaning of words is a political attack on culture itself, far worse than devaluing money. In politics, words are used to persuade the minds of others, often with murderous consequences.
Anyway Derek, when you get to that old St.Peter's Gate up in the sky there, and you knock on that big old silvery old gate and old Peter come's a peepin' round the jamb of the gate and looks you up and down, and looks you in the eye, don't be surprised if old Peter asks you "Brother Derek, didst thee give succour to the little children, as our Lord hath commanded thee, and didst thou open thy gate, my little son Derek?"
See you around Brother Derek.
From Jeremy
--------------------
I've just received the following letter from Chris Roynon, Head Teacher of Mousehole School. It is his response to my letter of 21st April, but sadly, it does not actually address the points I made in my letter. This is deeply disappointing as I am used to this treatment from politicians, but was hoping for real dialogue in the case of my child's educator.
I also received the following mass mail-out materials:
Moron this story as it unfolds.... :-)
--------------------------- I got sent an American petition about Syrian Refugees which I thought I'd forward to Derek, as he cares so much for them. I added a note:
Dear Derek, 27.4.2016
Look at it like this, if you will. I understand that Great Britain is a small and extremely crowded country. I understand that many people are hostile to the idea of increasing permanent migration of foreigners to Britain, for whatever reason. I understand that Britain is militarily involved in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and I believe that we owe the citizens of those nations a debt of protection if we assume the right to take military action in their lands. If the western powers claim to be bringing stability and democracy to the playground, er, region, then instead of the two extremes of (A) Accepting anyone in the World who is fleeing war, terrorism, torture and fascist oppression of whatever brand etc. etc. into Britain permanently - OR - (B) - Totally and callously abandoning the children, orphans and miserable refugees of our war to capricious fate; could we not go for a middle-way approach whereby we take refugees into Britain on a temporary basis whilst our armed forces secure the area for peace, democracy and freedom etc.. (if possible) and then resettle the refugees, with generous and practical aid, back in their own country where they would no doubt prefer to abide?
I should be billing you for all this advice.
Later, Jeremy
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Update: 29.4.16
A couple of emails went out from me to Derek Thomas about the 3,000 Syrian orphans. I was furious that he'd turned away these children and told him so. He sent me something back, but it was cut and paste, and seemed - surprisingly - to lead attention away from the issue of the children in question. I won't print all this correspondence - you'll no-doubt find his version at his own propaganda-channel. Anyway, today I bumped into Derek in town for the first time and after quite an emotional stand-off in the street about the Syrian children etc. we soon broke through to the heart of the matter and I accused Derek - rather loudly I admit, but not without sincerity - I accused him of denying me my representation in the British Democracy by failing to reply to letters. This had been thorning me for a long time and was my greatest complaint against him as, if someone won't reply, how can you talk? After both throwing out various utterances, we began to reach accord and assured each other that we were both keen on a genuine dialogue. He promised to answer an outstanding letter about the war and we agreed to conduct a face to face interview for my little newspaper, The Limpet, pretty soon. After a year of attacking Derek in The Limpet, it was good to finally meet the human behind the right-wing policy and it was a fascinating and intense experience to talk to the man. When he first approached me I had just put up a May Day Demo poster, which he said he liked better than my last one... After our spontaneous street-meeting I said I would shake his hand but mine was covered in glue from the poster and we might stick together if I did.
Afterwards I felt a strange elation, like someone who's just been enfranchised for the first time, after a long and weary struggle. Sparks flew, but some kind of warmth was kindled by the mere act of talking. However, as the Bible say, by their deeds shall ye know them. By their deeds.
Democracy being worked out face to face in the streets of Penzance is a vivid flash-back to the classical Athenian tradition. I told Derek that I needed an on-the-record dialogue and as a politician he knew what I was talking about, but he still agreed to do it, which is more than some people seem prepared to do. Well Dimo-Kratia - rule by the people - is not a domesticated and docile beast but something more spontaneous, direct and alive, something that ripples with life like the population itself. If an MP can go head to head in the street with his fellow man, why can't a school-teacher?
I'm Jeremy Schanche, British artist and activist. This blog features my paper, The Limpet. Here I write about human rights, the environment and politics. Please see my articles about Harold Hempstead and Florida Department of Corrections, with more at Harold Hempstead Caged Crusader Wordpress.com.
I have another blog that's completely different - it's where you'll find The Caterpillar, a journal of collage, poetry and surrealism that is remixed as The Caterpillar Dub - the world's first Dub newspaper. Both of these can be found at:
http://yecaterpillar.blogspot.com.
In October 2024 I published my first paperback book of fiction - The Horned Whale or An Morvil Kornek by Jeremy Schanche - available at various bookshops and at Amazon.
ISBN: 9780993490903.
175,710 words.
£15.
Contains the mystery novel - The Kramvil, plus two novellas, poetry and glossaries.
