Jon O'Connor (@joc321) header
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Education worker for 45+ years Sunflower House team member Impatience changes things sometimes. All views mine own.

Folkestone, England
Joined May 2010
Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)Photo by Jon O'Connor (@joc321)
“Politics needs to stand up against abuse of power wherever it exists” Agree with you entirely on this @campbellclaret Disregarding gerrymandering, racism, misogyny, bullying, financial & moral responsibility among many signs of turning a blind eye in the pursuit of power.
Especially in light of developments today I hope the suggestions that @uklabour are planning a U-turn on Section 40 (the only incentive left from Leveson for the press to sign up to a recognised regulator) are not true. The government is repealing it in the Media Bill 1/3
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There is almost always a way. It’s all about listening and looking for solutions and opportunities. #GraceHill #Folkestone
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Trump picks WWE co-founder Linda McMahon for education secretary “She has little background in education…” Celebrity Government USA, the latest reality entertainment show. I can’t bear watching it. bbc.com/news/articles/c8rl8k…
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It’s the red tape that families & vulnerable people face in getting help & support which really needs cutting. @Kent_cc Are you going to follow suit? @tonyvaughanMP @FH4Labour @ShepwayGreens @f_hlibdems A campaign for Christmas?
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President Trump could use desk made in Kent “It was made at Chatham Dockyard from the Timbers of HMS Resolute, a Victorian ship that played a key role in the history of polar explanation.” I could do with some polar explanation at the moment. #oneworld bbc.com/news/articles/c78d4v…
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One of the most infectious & uplifting narratives about teaching as a public service you could wish to read. Honesty & humour is a great mix. #purplefingers #schools
An Announcement: "All Good Things..." 🧵 Margaret and I came out of retirement back at the very start of 2022. At that time, schools were struggling with staff shortages and the then Education Secretary launched a campaign to encourage retired teachers back into classrooms. 1/
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Increasingly angry voices on @facebook supporting the #GraceHillLibrary campaign in #Folkestone. Notably many of the library professionals who worked there. @kentlibraries & political leaders should listen to them & the local community. #libraries @Kent_Online @bbcsoutheast
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Every single word.
Tony Benn’s five key questions: “What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? How do we get rid of you? And if you can’t get rid of the people who govern you, you don’t live in a democratic system.”
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We’re all in agreement!
Folkestone’s library service should remain in the town’s Grace Hill building. This is our response to the public consultation on @Kent_cc’s proposal to find an alternative town centre location for the library.
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This our lovely local movie house. It is so special!
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One-word Ofsted grades for schools to be scrapped Possibly a real political moment. A rejection of crude snapshot judgement and soundbites where these are completely and utterly inappropriate. bbc.com/news/articles/c4gv0y…
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Couldn’t agree more - third sector provision is the last remaining social safety net, strained to the limit. Social capital is undervalued and needs factoring into strategic planning for the next few years…
To build safer communities we need a rethink. As long as local charities are forced to compete for short-term grants measured by superficial outcomes rather than any sustainable long-term benefit, we will lose their huge community knowledge & waste their community building power!
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Jon O'Connor retweeted
The. statements, "I am not political" and "I will not be political" and "I've never been political" are political statements. Be wary of those who use them. #Politics #Disinformation #Language
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Jon O'Connor retweeted
The night Britain stood up to far right racist fascist thugs who attacked our police, set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers and looted shoe shops, lush and even ran of with trays of sausage rolls 🎵 We are Brighton who are you 🎵 We are many you are few 🎵 Refugees are welcome here 🎵 Tell me what community looks like 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 Say it loud, say it clear 🎵 Whose streets? Our streets 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 Refugees are welcome here 🎵 Tell me what community looks like 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 Whose streets, our streets 🎵 Tell me what community looks like 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 Whose streets, our streets 🎵 There are many many more of us than you 🎵 There are many many more of us than you 🎵 This is what community looks like 🎵 There are many many more, many many more, many many more of us than you Contrary to populist opinion and rhetoric, most Brits are not racists, most Brits are welcoming, most Brits understand that without immigrants our services like the NHS would collapse, most Brits understand the richness diversity of cultures brings to our communities, most Brits are good decent people, and we should always remember that the minority of racist far right thugs - who have even been egged on by populist leaders including some who now sit in our parliament today - do not represent wider society. We, the British people, are much much better than that 👏 Love, not hate. Peace 🙏
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Jon O'Connor retweeted
Bigots who’ve built entire careers inciting precisely the evil we’re witnessing did not ‘warn’ of it. The only honest ‘warnings’ came from people who explained what would happen if we kept giving racist liars newspaper columns, TV & radio slots & season tickets for Question Time.
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Jon O'Connor retweeted
Anti-social behaviour, youth violence, school absenteeism, the mental health crisis, an overwhelmed NHS…all symptoms of one issue; the loss of community, belonging & hope. So, let’s invest in a new generation of early years & youth centres, & the work of local community groups!
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Don’t know what you got till it’s gone.
Campaigners in #Folkestone continue to resist proposals by @kentlibraries to close the people's library at #GraceHill without fully exploring all options to retain the building with a professional library service for local people - as was intended when it was first built.
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There’s a hideous assumption for most of us that people in positions of responsibility know what they’re doing. Hmmm. Prepare to be disappointed. Work out their motivation. And call them to account.
Trebles all round for the Thames Water execs who have achieved the impossible. A company with 16M captive customers & a guaranteed income stream but which is burdened with debt, has failed to invest & whose stock is now officially junk. Genius. thetimes.com/article/89e8ba6…
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No surprise there. One will always blame the other it seems to have been going on for years. If they had spent money and time carrying out regular maintenance work, I believe we wouldn't be at this stage. Libraries are a lifeline for the community.
No Saving Grace? @kentlibraries consultation on closing #FolkestoneLibrary off to a rocky start as @fstonehythedc flatly contradict @Kent_cc claims of negotiations for a new site. @anthonymv1 and @lisanandy are invited to take a close look at suggestions of misleading information
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