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Political Friday Five
Apr. 6th, 2018 10:22 am1) Have you ever written a letter to the editor of your local newspaper?
I don't think so, though I have written several to national newspapers. I don't think any of them were published, though.
2) Have you ever called one of your elected officials to tell them your views on an issue important to you?
No, though I regularly write to my local MP, and in the past have written to various Prime Ministers and Chancellors. The first political letter I wrote was to Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and had made some comments about how Oxford and Cambridge were prejudiced against state school applicants. At the time I was teaching in a grammar school in Chatham, and it was already incredibly hard to persuade our bright girls to want to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. All his comments did was make that even less likely to happen. Which made me very cross indeed.
3) Have you ever testified during the citizen speak-out portion of a local government meeting?
I am not quite sure what the UK equivalent of this is, but in any case the answer is no.
4) Have you ever participated in a protest or demonstration?
Not intentionally, though I was once caught up in a student protest by mistake the day before my finals started. Bill Clinton was in Oxford to get an honorary doctorate and the police were corralling the protesters (I have no idea what they were protesting about). I couldn't get back to my room to work and I cried.
5) If so, were you arrested for doing so?
No! After about half an hour, the police let us all go. I still like to blame Bill Clinton for my poor degree result, though I admit that some of the fault may possibly be my own for not really doing any work for about 18 months in the middle of the course.
I don't think so, though I have written several to national newspapers. I don't think any of them were published, though.
2) Have you ever called one of your elected officials to tell them your views on an issue important to you?
No, though I regularly write to my local MP, and in the past have written to various Prime Ministers and Chancellors. The first political letter I wrote was to Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and had made some comments about how Oxford and Cambridge were prejudiced against state school applicants. At the time I was teaching in a grammar school in Chatham, and it was already incredibly hard to persuade our bright girls to want to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. All his comments did was make that even less likely to happen. Which made me very cross indeed.
3) Have you ever testified during the citizen speak-out portion of a local government meeting?
I am not quite sure what the UK equivalent of this is, but in any case the answer is no.
4) Have you ever participated in a protest or demonstration?
Not intentionally, though I was once caught up in a student protest by mistake the day before my finals started. Bill Clinton was in Oxford to get an honorary doctorate and the police were corralling the protesters (I have no idea what they were protesting about). I couldn't get back to my room to work and I cried.
5) If so, were you arrested for doing so?
No! After about half an hour, the police let us all go. I still like to blame Bill Clinton for my poor degree result, though I admit that some of the fault may possibly be my own for not really doing any work for about 18 months in the middle of the course.