Politics is broken, so what do we do?

Thank you George Monbiot!

If you live near Lightburn Park, (or one of the other parts of town), you could be part of a group with considerable influence on the future of this area and could oganise activities both there, at the Methodist Church Hall and in the local area.

British society is going through a transition and many believe that the present financial crisis could aggravate antisocial behaviour.

On the other hand it could mean that more people start to value each other again, working with their neighbours to improve social conditions, self confidence, a feeling of being in control and enjoying interactions with others that have been on the decline in recent years.

Many would say things have deteriorated in Ulverston over the last twenty years when self promotion and materialism have taken hold.

The police are very concerned about the trend towards the breaking of the law with impunity and a lack of concern for other people.

In the extreme, some parents go as far as stating that they don't want their own children in their house. Some battered wives resent 'interference' even though they are being beaten up by their husbands.

What I have always enjoyed about Ulverston is working with others in various groups.

In 1960s whilst working at Glaxo, I was leading Pathfinders in connection with St Judes and the Parish Church.

In the 70s with the Town Mill project to purchase and use as a community centre the Town Mill in Mill street when we raised the purchase price but not commitments for running costs.

Later on with the Carnival Activites in the Gill, organised by the team surrounding John Fox and Sue Gill who ran Welfare State.

Lastly in the 1980s I sunk about £50,000 of my own money to get a community centre going using the building what is now Oxfam which I converted from Stables' Carpet Shop.

When this failed , I went into London, trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths and taught in a secondary school in a tough area. This was followed by work as an IT consultant in both Primary and Secondary Schools when I promoted creativity and problem solving.

So I'm at it again, back in Ulverston, steadily building up and supporting two groups in the Town - one to discuss Philosophy, the other to encourage Pottery.

Now I'm hoping that others will want to get community groups going based in different parts of the town and with interests to suit them.

Nothing worthwhile can be achieved by me on my own. I am not seeking to lead but to enable those who want to do something to get together and decide what is best for their particular circumstances.

There's a very thoughtful article by George Monbiot which is being discussed immediately all across the country thanks to the internet. I endorse his view wholeheartedly on the failure of politicians and local government - basically - forget them - it's up to us!

So over to you!

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