7 DAYS OF HUNGER-STRIKE GETS ZERO RESPONSE FROM REV SIAN YATES, CHRIS ROYNON, NIGEL CARTER-KING, IN MOUSEHOLE SCHOOL DEBACLE.JUST TO CLARIFY... The basic game being played here is evasion. Stalling, to use up the 'consultation time'. This is done by replying late, if at all, to letters, then failing to answer the questions originally asked. This initiates another letter and more time wasted... cynical, cyclical and futile. Chris Roynon to Jeremy Schanche, 5th May 2016, excerpt: "As discussed, I decline your offer of a public debate. I do not think it appropriate to debate with a self elected spokesperson. If you wish, I can arrange for a member of staff to minute any meeting we have and, subject to us all agreeing the minutes, you can use them as you wish."
Jeremy Schanche To Chris Roynon, 6th May 2016, excerpt: "Openness and Transparency: As regards the recording of open dialogue, it works like this: Each party swears to be truthful. Each party makes their own recording in whatsoever form they chose. Each party is free to publish the entire unedited debate in any media. If any party believes their words have been misquoted or misrepresented, they take action. This is the basis on which Derek Thomas has asked me for a debate, and it is standard operating procedure in public life. The debate over the future of Mousehole School will take place in public. All attempts to stifle and suppress that debate will undermine your case."
{I recently had that debate with Derek Thomas MP and it can be seen here:
I wrote to Rev Sian Yates, Vicar of Protestant Penzance and Managing Director of the persona ficta Penlee 'Academy' 'Trust' on 10th May, posing her some questions. To this day, she has not answered me or responded in any form whatsoever. {Matthew 22: 36-40:}
On 26 May 2016 I wrote to Sian Yates, Chris Roynon and Nigel Carter-King (Secretary/Governor Mousehole School) asking them to at least swear that procedure had been carried out in full accordance with the law. Curiously, no-one would give such a promise!
My letter to Chris Roynon of 9th June was never answered at all.
On 14th June, I again wrote to Chris Roynon and pointed out that due to delays from MSG and CC FOI Office, who referred almost all my questions back to Mousehole School, I was in the absurd position of beginning my enquiries on the last day of my 'official' right to do so. I requested that the 'public consultation-period' be extended to give me a chance to start asking some questions.
A week later, on 21st June, Chris told me that they would not extend the consultation-period.
On 7th July, I posted two dozen (24) posters outside the gates of Mousehole School and around the area. (This was meant to coincide sympathetically with the Teachers' Strike, but I got the day wrong! Hey ho, that what happens when you don't follow mass-media so much...) I also sent Chris a declaration on 7 July, saying that if he wouldn't meet me for a talk within a week I would be forced to take 'industrial action'. Surely this is the voice of a man who wants to talk to another man.. I've spent countless unpaid hours on this case that could have been spent elsewhere. All my attempts to communicate with MSG/PAT are on this blog. I swear that I've been sincerely trying to open a dialogue since 21st April and the evidence is there to prove it, as blog is my witness.
Chris Roynon's response to this final, heartfelt appeal from me for dialogue was to totally ignore it and utterly fail to respond to me in any way whatsoever. According to Chris though, he's been willing to talk to me all along!
On July 18th, having still had no response from the elusive Chris, I put out a statement to MSG/PAT that I had started a on hunger-strike on July 15th, and would uphold the strike until they were ready to start talking: http://savetheholyheadland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/hunger-strike-mousehole-school-2016.html In my naivete I imagined that I'd get a phone-call in the next day or so, saying 'why not drop in for a chat', but after seven days on hunger-strike, Chris is continuing his inflexible policy of ignoring me. This suits his purpose, after all, why do you think they call it 'forced academisation'? What advantage could he or Sian derive from talking to me? How would it help forward their plan?
On Thursday 21st July, The Cornishman printed their piece about my Hunger Strike. Sadly, they didn't mention the fact that some of the Board of Directors of PAT are multi-millionaire trawler-owners - and this is nothing to do with money, right? Having read in our local paper that Chris is now claiming he's 'open' to talk to me, I emailed him at 11:24am today, asking him to make contact with me. Chris knows I've been on Hunger Strike for a week now, and knows I'm desperate to talk to him. Did he bother to lift his phone and call my mobile or home number? No. Did he put a note in my child's book-bag, saying he'd love to meet and talk? No. Did he email me? No. The ignorance continues. It is obvious to any critically thinking person whos's studied the evidence, that Chris Roynon, Sian Yates, and all, have no wish to talk to me whatsoever. Chris Roynon's implication in The Cornishman that it's me who's declining dialogue is ridiculous, cynical and perhaps a little calous, under the circumstances - still, there is money at stake here...
Tomorrow is the last day of term. The forces of business and 'academisation' are totally determined to push ahead and 'academise' Mousehole School by September, when the holiday is over and the children return to school. Chris' tactics have totally undermined any attempt at discussion, investigation, representation etc. I'm after some proper process in this case. Apparently MSG voted in March to push for 'academisation'. Legally the parent-governors are tasked with representing the wishes of the parents and community. To fulfill this duty they would have needed to establish the views of the parents by ballot before taking the decision any further. MSG failed to do this public duty. Chris and Sian still ain't talking, time is getting late and I'm getting a tad peckish.....
Email To: Chris Roynon, Head Teacher, Mousehole Primary School, Cornwall, Britain. 21.7.2016 11;24am
Dear Chris,
I've just seen in the paper that you claim you want to meet me and talk. Curiously, I feel the same. Perhaps you would like to approach me and propose a possible time when we can all get together with our representatives and finally begin the democratic process.
You know how to reach me.
Bon appetite!
Jeremy
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Email To: Hazel Murray, Reporter, The Cornishman, Penzance, Cornwall, 21.7.2016 (Day 7)
Dear Hazel,
I have to be honest and say I wasn't happy with the article. The headline dilutes the impact of the strike by renaming it 'No solids', as opposed to 'Hunger', which is actually what it is. In para one "hunger strike" is put in inverted commas, this implies a relativity to the use of the term. Para three says I struck because Mousehole plans to join Penlee 'Academy' 'Trust' - this is false. I struck because MSG (Mousehole School Governors) and PAT are failing to respond to me. With time ticking away and MSG/PAT totally ignoring me, I had to make a move, an attempt to break this absurd stalemate.
I didn't actually set up the Mousehole School Preservation Society, it's merely a label to help people find my campaign on the internet.
It's not The Cornishman's fault however, that you printed a false statement from Chris Roynon. He claims I was verbally offered a meeting. This is false.
Initially I offered him a meeting, which he declined, as I was proposing a serious formal debate for the public record, youtube etc. He didn't want to do that. When I suggested that I could set up some public meetings for discussion, he dismissed the idea sarcastically, accusing me of trying to be a 'self-elected spokesperson', rather than a democrat trying to initiate dialogue which is how I see my role in this. Eventually, he counter-proposed a meeting on ridiculous terms - they were not happy for me to simply go and have a recorded discussion. They wanted editorial control over the discussion and were not happy for me to freely record and print verbatim what was said. I then replied to Chris and the 'governors', again proposing discussion, but this has never been responded to in any meaningful way. All the evidence is on my blog.
Who gets the last word in a newspaper article carries a lot of weight. In the article about the anti-nuclear demo, The Cornishman gives the last word to tory MP Derek Thomas, who sees the atom bomb as a tool for peace. In our 'no solids' article, the last word is given to Chris, and the last sentence is false.
Funilly enough, I started my own paper, The Limpet, after I read the first article by The Cornishman describing a demo I'd put on for Save The Holy Headland. I felt the article trivialized the action. This makes it very easy for typical readers to form a negative image of an action and ridicule it.
Well, sorry to be so negative about the article, but at least I'm being honest.
Best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Jeremy
