Eighteen months before the election, it all began, a handful of us huddled in the Art Room in Redruth, plotting change.. We’d all read the inspirational Flatpack Democracy and wondered… could we do the same here, to our council in our little patch of the world?
We met a few times. Although it was clear people wanted change, it was also clear that no one, including me, was quite ready to throw their hat into the ring. Despite reading the book, no one really understood what it would actually involve, or the level of commitment.
“It was clear everyone there knew the town, but mostly their own little corner of it, and being so similar, it was hard to see how they truly represented the wider community”
As one of the two ethnics in the room, who regularly worked and drank in the local pubs, I was concerned that everyone there was a certain “type” of person. I wondered whether their representation would be any more representative than what we already had. There was also a lot of fear about upsetting some of the current incumbents. It is hard… but as they say, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.
Then it all fizzled out…
Fast forward, and the elections were looming. There had been some changes at the council, some of which, from the outside, people questioned. We met again, this time in the pub where I work. The pub locals wondered whether any of the people looking to run for the council were actually residents of Redruth, as they’d never seen them before. Some of the incumbent councillors, who had been invited, spent a surprising amount of time and energy explaining how much work it was to be a councillor, in a rather unencouraging way. And then there was the presence of a member of the council staff, which felt unusual… almost like they were there to keep an eye on things. I’m still not entirely sure what that was about.
“We were plotting change, while I ducked back and forth to the bar, pulling pints and putting my two pence in — hoping no one would come in and want a drink.”
By the end of the night, six hands had gone up. It eventually became four, and that’s when things really started to get interesting…
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