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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2017/nov/26/letters-improving-local-democracy-avoid-future-grenfell-towers
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| How true local democracy could avoid future Grenfells | How true local democracy could avoid future Grenfells |
| (6 days later) | |
| In her account of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower (“The sadness doesn’t stop”, The New Review), Emma Dent Coad rightly states that two fundamental changes are needed. First, that homes need to be treated as places to live in, rather than as a potential source of investment income and, second, that people should be paid a proper living wage, so that they would not have to rely on in-work benefits to maintain family income levels. | In her account of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower (“The sadness doesn’t stop”, The New Review), Emma Dent Coad rightly states that two fundamental changes are needed. First, that homes need to be treated as places to live in, rather than as a potential source of investment income and, second, that people should be paid a proper living wage, so that they would not have to rely on in-work benefits to maintain family income levels. |
| There is one other change that Ms Dent barely alluded to, but that is most necessary. She described Kensington and Chelsea council as a “one-party state”. In order to ensure proper levels of public accountability and a truly representative local democracy, councils such as Kensington need to be elected under a proportional voting system, such as has existed in Scotland for the last 10 years. | There is one other change that Ms Dent barely alluded to, but that is most necessary. She described Kensington and Chelsea council as a “one-party state”. In order to ensure proper levels of public accountability and a truly representative local democracy, councils such as Kensington need to be elected under a proportional voting system, such as has existed in Scotland for the last 10 years. |
| Would the disaster of Grenfell Tower have been prevented had local government been more democratic and tenants’ grievances been heeded?Nigel BaldwinPortsmouth | Would the disaster of Grenfell Tower have been prevented had local government been more democratic and tenants’ grievances been heeded?Nigel BaldwinPortsmouth |
| Blame austerity, not schools | Blame austerity, not schools |
| Terence Conran (“This much I know”, Magazine) states: “Schools no longer instil in students the pleasure of making things. Education has turned children away from practical skills.” What he does not appear to know is that, sadly, much of this is a direct result of current education policy, which is squeezing out creative subjects through performance measures (eg the EBacc), lack of funding and the shortage of specialist teachers. | Terence Conran (“This much I know”, Magazine) states: “Schools no longer instil in students the pleasure of making things. Education has turned children away from practical skills.” What he does not appear to know is that, sadly, much of this is a direct result of current education policy, which is squeezing out creative subjects through performance measures (eg the EBacc), lack of funding and the shortage of specialist teachers. |
| Those of us in school leadership are struggling against the tide and could do with more backing from people of influence such as Conran, rather than suggesting it is the fault of schools. Maura CasselsDeputy headteacherWaldegrave school, Twickenham | Those of us in school leadership are struggling against the tide and could do with more backing from people of influence such as Conran, rather than suggesting it is the fault of schools. Maura CasselsDeputy headteacherWaldegrave school, Twickenham |
| Inaction over racial abuse | Inaction over racial abuse |
| Two cheers for the article published last Sunday (“Chinese in UK report most racial abuse”, News). This was described as the “first study of its kind to be undertaken”. In 2008, I led a research team at the University of Hull that produced a report on racism against the Chinese population, funded, ironically, by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which came to the same conclusion. | Two cheers for the article published last Sunday (“Chinese in UK report most racial abuse”, News). This was described as the “first study of its kind to be undertaken”. In 2008, I led a research team at the University of Hull that produced a report on racism against the Chinese population, funded, ironically, by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which came to the same conclusion. |
| In 2015, I led a research team at Durham University, which also concluded that Chinese suffered the greatest levels of racial abuse among minority ethnic groups, often because of their geographically isolated position within the labour market. These findings have been with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and government for some time but I have not noticed any action. So, to get a third cheer, could the EHRC and the government follow up these findings, confirmed again, with action and could journalists check their facts before making claims that do not stand up?Professor Gary CraigWilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and EmancipationUniversity of Hull | In 2015, I led a research team at Durham University, which also concluded that Chinese suffered the greatest levels of racial abuse among minority ethnic groups, often because of their geographically isolated position within the labour market. These findings have been with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and government for some time but I have not noticed any action. So, to get a third cheer, could the EHRC and the government follow up these findings, confirmed again, with action and could journalists check their facts before making claims that do not stand up?Professor Gary CraigWilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and EmancipationUniversity of Hull |
| No one voted for this | No one voted for this |
| The panic William Keegan detects among Brexiters must surge once it is accepted that the government has no constitutional or legal authority to take the UK out of the single market (“Brexit lacks credibility – but Remainers lack leadership”, Business). | The panic William Keegan detects among Brexiters must surge once it is accepted that the government has no constitutional or legal authority to take the UK out of the single market (“Brexit lacks credibility – but Remainers lack leadership”, Business). |
| No one voted to quit because no one could. The referendum ballot paper invited voters to advise the government on their preferences for remaining in, or leaving, one specified entity – the EU. It made no mention of the single market, which the government’s accompanying official guidance clearly distinguished as a second, distinct entity. It warned of risks of losing “full”, and having “less”, access to it. In other words, leaving the EU would have only a contingent and limited, not automatic and absolute, impact. | No one voted to quit because no one could. The referendum ballot paper invited voters to advise the government on their preferences for remaining in, or leaving, one specified entity – the EU. It made no mention of the single market, which the government’s accompanying official guidance clearly distinguished as a second, distinct entity. It warned of risks of losing “full”, and having “less”, access to it. In other words, leaving the EU would have only a contingent and limited, not automatic and absolute, impact. |
| Voters could state their preference for leaving the EU at a clearly stated risk of losing some, but not all, access. For Brexiters to manipulate this carefully qualified consequence into a case for a possible “no deal” outcome is a usurpation of democratic process. | Voters could state their preference for leaving the EU at a clearly stated risk of losing some, but not all, access. For Brexiters to manipulate this carefully qualified consequence into a case for a possible “no deal” outcome is a usurpation of democratic process. |
| A soft (Norway-style) Brexit is thus the only legitimate target if the government wishes (in spite of increasingly alarming omens) to pursue leaving the EU. (Rescission of the triggering of article 50 is a legitimate option.) The government’s overriding duty is surely to secure the economic wellbeing of the nation and do nothing unnecessary to prejudice this. Abandoning the single market is not legally necessary. | A soft (Norway-style) Brexit is thus the only legitimate target if the government wishes (in spite of increasingly alarming omens) to pursue leaving the EU. (Rescission of the triggering of article 50 is a legitimate option.) The government’s overriding duty is surely to secure the economic wellbeing of the nation and do nothing unnecessary to prejudice this. Abandoning the single market is not legally necessary. |
| David CrawfordNorwich | David CrawfordNorwich |
| Taking a stand on Brexit | Taking a stand on Brexit |
| I am astonished at the Observer’s attitude to the EU. Reading your editorial of 12 November (Enough of this shambles…), I became increasingly convinced, as did my wife, that you were leading up to a denunciation of the whole Brexit misadventure and would advocate that we withdraw article 50, as Lord Kerr and others have said we are perfectly entitled to do. | I am astonished at the Observer’s attitude to the EU. Reading your editorial of 12 November (Enough of this shambles…), I became increasingly convinced, as did my wife, that you were leading up to a denunciation of the whole Brexit misadventure and would advocate that we withdraw article 50, as Lord Kerr and others have said we are perfectly entitled to do. |
| Then all you came up with was that the process should be prolonged and implementation delayed: “This is not to say the decision to leave the EU should be reversed.” But increasing numbers of people believe it should be reversed. Nick Clegg, for example, has argued persuasively that it should, and could, be in his book, How to Stop Brexit.J Peter GreavesLondon SE3 | Then all you came up with was that the process should be prolonged and implementation delayed: “This is not to say the decision to leave the EU should be reversed.” But increasing numbers of people believe it should be reversed. Nick Clegg, for example, has argued persuasively that it should, and could, be in his book, How to Stop Brexit.J Peter GreavesLondon SE3 |
| Grenfell Tower fire | Grenfell Tower fire |
| The Observer | The Observer |
| Race issues | Race issues |
| Schools | Schools |
| Brexit | Brexit |
| letters | letters |
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