David.
"The EKLR is a wonderful project staffed by volunteers and apprentices"
That is a fact.
"Politicians piggy backing like this is exactly why so many people are turned off"
That is only true to those who are not aware of the good work and important support that certain politicians are actually giving to projects, like the Apprentice Scheme, we are running at EKR.
All.
With moving the Miners Statue, with the Kent Miners Festival and with East Kent Railway , we have received very good and very important support, from members of All political parties, who are able to rise above political issues and work together for the good of our community.
I will always blame Thatcher and her Tory henchmen for destroying our communities and I will never forgive them, ever, but that was 30 years ago.
If I turned down help from MP's & Ministers, who are in office today, I would be letting down those in my community who need their help.
The fact is, if I chose not to work with our MP, Charlie Elphicke because he is a tory and I am an ex-miner, we would not be where we are today at EKR and many other community projects in this area, would not be where they are today.
DDC officers and MP Charlie Elphicke, have brought these Ministers to EKR, to talk to the EKR Apprentice Scheme Management Team, our training partners Arc Academy UK and our youth apprentice's, to see for themselves how they can help to keep this scheme going and to help us broaden it, so that we can offer the same help to different age groups, in the future.
Yes, we are still waiting for some of that to happen, nothing happens overnight but I can say that EKR is on the move, in the right direction and that is thanks to many people, who can put politics aside because they do care about their communities.
I am not naïve enough to think that politics is not behind much of their actions & decisions but that does not concern me.
Results and benefits for our communities, are the only things that concern me, today.
The only reason Kent Miners fought so long and hard (not just in the strike but for nearly 100 years) was to keep their pits open to try and ensure the survival of their communities for their offspring and for their next generation.
Politics closed our Collieries and as hard as that is to accept, we must keep fighting for the survival of our communities, for the youth and for the next generation, who still needs our support.
Not everything is about politics.