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Why has democracy lost its way?
• I ASK myself “whatever happened to democracy?” so often these days.
After all it is supposed to be a government by the people for the people.
I see the merger of Edith Neville and Frank Barnes schools with pupils, parents, teachers and school governors of both schools against it. And the enlargement of South Camden Community School – with very strong local feelings against. Yet they are still going ahead.
So are the plans for Brill Place to have a Medical Research Centre which will put local people at risk from virus escape.
Yet planning permission had been granted for this to be for housing and community facilities. This was overruled by the government.
All these and many more leave me wondering if democracy has become a government by the people for the rich and powerful.
DAVE HOEFLING
Werrington Street, nw1
Listen to the people
• IS it not somewhat ironic that our Tory councillors can berate the Metropolitan Police Authority for not listening to local people’s views about the redevelopment of, in particular, Hampstead police station yet along with their Liberal Democrat allies they are prepared to ride roughshod over the equally strong feelings of staff, parents, governors and pupils of Edith Neville School?
Surely the principle is you either believe and support local democracy or you do not.
Obviously not all residents of Camden are treated equally in the democracy stakes.
As in George Orwell’s 1984, some residents are more equal than others when it comes to supporting (or not) their views.
Mick Farrant
Oak Village, NW5
Against progress…
• MAY I politely suggest that in your terse editorial on Camden Council’s decision to relocate the Frank Barnes School for the profoundly deaf alongside Edith Neville primary school in Somers Town (A triumph of political bigotry, July 24), you got your bigotry muddled up with your common sense.
To me if you have a falling down school that governors and staff describe as never having been fit for purpose even when first built 30 years ago, and that “really needed rebuilding” 10 years ago (Jean Beith’s letter, Dedication, same issue) it is not bigotry to rebuild it sooner rather than later. That is common sense.
When you have an organised boycott of the council’s efforts to consult and co-operate with the school’s parents and pupils, that is not common sense. It is bigotry.
And if you look at the words attributed to Cavendish Elithorne, vice-chairman of governors at Edith Neville in your report of July 24 (where he argues that Edith Neville children and the deaf pupils of Frank Barnes are peculiarly unfit to be co-located because they cannot speak English), you’ll see the language, not of common sense, but of unimaginative, repulsive bigotry at its intolerant and negative worst.
I am sorry to find the New Journal fighting against progress in educational provision in Camden. I’d hoped for better from you.
Robin Young
Bedford Avenue, WC1
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