Page 5 - tmp

www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE July 2021 5

A region of Supermarket’s AS I SEE IT, DEMOCRACY IN ACTION - FROM PAGE 2

other, closer to the election, offering
The first of the two pieces of election
Seeds of Hope
me an outline of what his candidacy
material I mentioned above was ac-
excellence We have been planting up some would bring. There was nothing at tually a Residents Survey. I wanted
Campaign
to cooperate with it - I really did.
all to inform me of the aims, aspira-
But I found I couldn’t. I was asked
tions or hopes of the other candi-
What a pleasure it was to read the The communications from here of the Sunflower seeds we gave dates. I had to go online to find out specific questions about existing
anything about them at all.
areas of provision and asked to rate
page of this month’s Ilkeston Life are typical of the area. Join the M1 away to Oliver House Nursing Maybe this reflects a degree of them, or score my participation in
about the wonderful things that and go south the next time you Home in Kirk Hallam during our demoralisation in the Labour camp them. Many of the questions were
Erewash has contributed to this have to change gear you are on the Seeds of Hope Campaign. and limited campaigning resources also about national provision or the
Country and to the world. North Circular,ready to bring ex- The residents held a competition elsewhere. A notable feature of the local counterpart to this and there
Erewash is a typical part of the cellence to London. Go north and to see whose was the tallest. We last three elections in Erewash has were questions about priorities and
East Midlands, a region of excel- the whole nation is in easy reach. helped re-pot them outside ready been the robust campaigning by voting intentions. In a way it was
lence and very much underappre- At least four very good airports are for the heads to form. the Labour team but this has not very comprehensive but it was also a
ciated. in our area or very close to it. It was lovely to help them and see translated into success at the polls. box ticking exercise: a questionnaire,
Historically the east Midlands has The excellence of Erewash should their happy faces. In fact the Conservative majority has in other words. And with these,
been a centre for lace, furniture, not surprise anyone who lives here Fay Stainsby grown each time. This must have an whilst they consult, the designers of
pottery and many other things. or is associated with the area. My Morrisons Ilkeston Community eroding effect on morale. the form are still setting the agenda.
Currently we have Rolls Royce, wife and I had eleven addresses Champion And on the doorstep the responses All these issues go much deeper than
the world’s greatest engineering before we came to live here and may not be exactly encouraging. the tick boxes floating on the surface
They may also be more reflective of
of them and I was concerned that in
company, if you work you Rolls we can and do say that the people national issues than local ones and answering some of the questions I
Royce you bow the knee to no- round here are far and away the inclined to be severely uncompli- would be agreeing that some things
body. We have at least six excel- nicest we have lived amongst. mentary of politicians in general! were more important than others
lent universities. My apologies to the businesses According to what I was hearing, or were alternatives where all would
In Leicester we have a space cen- and trades that I have omitted. the experience could be that when rightly find their place in a fully
tre of excellence. There are items Regards to all, pressed on local issues, some voters integrated approach.
from this area on the moon and David Stephenson would resort to pointing out that If I want a conversation about all
who knows where else. in their view politicians are ‘all as these things based on the impres-
bad as each other’ and ‘only in it for sions people have of the measures
Can you help Ilkeston Rutland CC themselves’. So that’s not exactly and services that most impact their
heart-warming.
lives where do I go for that? Council
raise money for a defibrillator? However you look at it there doesn’t meetings? Would the agenda there
seem to be much engagement with allow for that? In terms of local
My Uncle had his life saved arrest during a televised game. actual local issues. Maybe this is a democracy, everything is well organ-
because a wonderful lady had the These machines do save lives. commendation of sorts: ‘everything ised and well run with people giving
foresight to start CPR and knew If you can spare a few quid, please is already being done as well as it can of their time and doing their best
there was a defibrillator close by. help Ilkeston Rutland Cricket Club be and we are happy with it, or we with very often little recognition for
This is something that has come raise the money to get one of these simply go with our party affiliations it. And yet in some ways much also
to light again following the awful life saving kits at the top rec. and more general concerns’. But at speaks of disengagement.
events at the weekend when Den- Please see their Facebook page for Kath, a resisent of Oliver House nurs- what level is this actually democra- A conversation with the disengaged
mark footballer Christian Eriksen details of how to give. ing home with Morrisons Community cy? In what way am I encouraged to - with Mr and Mrs Non voter - really
collapsed following a cardiac Andrea Elton Champion Fay Stainsby. get involved? may then offer the best way forward!

126 x 172mm Ilkeston Life Advert (Pre-Need).indd 1 13/11/2020 16:13