Contracts signed – Muirhouse building to get underway
The construction of three partnership centres in Edinburgh and West Lothian will start over the coming weeks after the financial contracts were agreed yesterday.
Day: April 5, 2016
Letters: History lessons must be learned
Dear Editor
The Conservatives have been in power for six years: in that time they have made the majority of people pay in so many ways for the financial crisis that was not of their making. The financial institutions, unscrupulous investors and some very dodgy dealers were the culprits – and they have got away with it.
The Conservatives have not only made the people pay but have also taken the opportunity to pursue their cherished aims of privatising as much as possible, changing society in favour of investors once again. Their main political objective is the breaking of local authority control of public services, initially financially – followed by privately-run services.
Their latest move in England – making all schools into ‘free’ Academies without any reference to the democratic principle of local council elections determined by the people.
Changing a school name is meaningless, but ‘free’ is a very divisive move. It will pit school against school for staff, grants and finding; it will be divisive on pay and conditions offered, divisive on schools in poorer and better-off areas.
So far this applies only to schools in England, but it is better to be forewarned.
This step into the past is very dangerous to all that has been struggled for over generations of activity to make society fair and caring, able to exercise it’s right to decision-making.
The Conservatives are proving over and over again they can never represent the interests of the majority of people.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
Forum aims to make North Edinburgh a rights-respecting community
North Edinburgh Young Peoples Forum launch Rights Respecting Community Charter
North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum has launched a Rights Respecting Charter in North Edinburgh. Their charter protects and enhances the human rights of young people and the Forum plans to encourage groups, organisations and individuals across the area to pledge their support by signing up.
NEYPF have been working on the project for a considerable time, trawling through UNICEF’s Charter on the Rights of the Child document and then selecting key articles for specific adoption across North Edinburgh.
Launching the document at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre recently, NEYPF’s Brandin explained: “The UK has signed the United Nations Charter on the Rights of the Child – this means that all children and young people living in North Edinburgh have rights, and NEYPF want these rights to be respected in our community.
“We enjoy many rights – to education, language, nationality – but not of all us enjoy all of our rights and some need strengthened. By signing this Charter you are agreeing to help make sure that all children and young people living in North Edinburgh enjoy their rights.”
NEYPF has selected the following as their key articles:
(15) We have the right to meet safely in our shopping centres, parks, community centres, clubs, libraries schools and sports centres – but bullying is still an issues in North Edinburgh which means that some of us can’t enjoy this right. Bullying is not okay and it will not be tolerated in this community.
Will you help us challenge bullying behaviour and support vulnerable young people?
(39) Children and young people who have been bullied or have suffered a bad experience have the right to be helped to recover.
Mental health can be an issue for us and we deserve better support and services. We need to talk more about mental health. We need earlier support before things get so bad they are in bits.
Children who don’t cause problems can become invisible and don’t receive praise or attention. These children need support to build their self-esteem and resilience so that they don’t experience bullying in the first place.
Will you help support children and young people earlier?
Continue reading Forum aims to make North Edinburgh a rights-respecting community