Guest blog by Guestropod
Anyone following the Kensal Rise Library correspondence on Wembley Matters
LINK would be struck by two things:
1. the level of interest in the matter
2. the desire to communicate that interest and the related opinions to
councillors, with
the implicit
expectation that the elected representatives would respond to them.
A similar level of interest and
a similar expectation of a response to their concerns also seems to
have characterised the involvement
of Copland students in their opposition to the dismantling of their school and
its takeover by the Ark academy business. This opposition was ultimately
expressed in a letter which followed up a petition signed by well over 400
students and addressed to Brent Council's Head of Children and
Families. Apparently, none of these students had participated in any
similar action before and many would have been unaware that it was possible for
them to do so. I would imagine that the experience was worth a term's worth of
Citizenship lessons.
The original petition was
‘lost’ by Brent council and further copies had to be provided.
A copy of the follow-up letter went to every
Brent councillor.
LINK
Out of the 60+ councillors who were sent the letter, I gather
that a grand total of 3 (THREE) managed the courtesy of a reply, (2 Lib
Dem, 1 Labour).
Anyone teaching in Brent at the
2010 General Election would have been impressed by the level of interest shown
by 6th form students keen to
use their vote for the first time. The mock election staged at Copland and
organised by Mr Allman was supported by local and national politicians and
enthusiasm for the breath of fresh air and honesty which Nick Clegg appeared to
be offering was palpable. Within a few months most of these students were in
further education. And grants were tripled. A more effective way of
disillusioning a generation of new voters is impossible to imagine.
None of those kids who
signed the Copland anti-academy petition have the vote, so presumably they can
be ignored. Those Copland 6th
formers who voted Lib Dem in 2010 did have the vote, but they were ignored and
betrayed anyway. Those contributing to the Kensal Rise Library discussion on
Wembley Matters and elsewhere no doubt all have the vote, probably used it last
time and are likely to vote again on May 22nd. It’s good to see the faith they
seem to still have in the democratic process and in their elected
representatives’ responsiveness.
I would hope
that Copland's current and past students could share that faith. But I can
also imagine (and sympathise with) the reasons why they might not.
