Cllr Samuel Ramsden

105 Followers
74 Following
139 Posts

Councillor, Helston South ward. Previously Green Party, now sitting as an independent - still progressive, still green, but done with political parties.

Ocean conservationist. Shark enthusiast. Plastic Free activist. Former engineer. Qualified compsci and infosec expert. I run everything on Linux.

Proudly Cornish-Irish. Disabled and autistic. I don't like bullies or hypocrites.

He/him.

Helston Council rolesChair, Finance Committee / Member, Staffing Committee
Conservation Group rolesChair, Plastic Free Helston
Community rolesVice Chair, Helston-Plougasnou Twinning Association / Trustee, Downsland Trust

Plastic Free Helston will be joining forces with Plastic Free Falmouth to hold a Mass Unwrap at Falmouth Sainsbury this Saturday, October 7th, between 12pm and 2pm!

We'll be talking to people about how to more easily reduce single use plastic from their life, and letting customers leave needless plastic packaging from their purchases in the store with us so that we can return them directly to Sainsbury to deal with!

I've just been informed my PIP review is due, and sent a bloody great form to fill in by mail. When I phoned to explain my dyspraxia means I need to write with a keyboard I was basically told tough, do it anyway or be sanctioned. *I* can't read my handwriting. Even in the 90s my school knew to get me special dispensation to use a word processor for my exams. I can read fine, excellent spelling, but dyspraxia affects fine motor skills so using a pen for more than a quick signature is a nightmare.
It really is disgraceful that the DWP refuse to provide a way to submit benefits forms digitally. Especially disability benefits forms, where, you know, some people have very good reasons they may not be able to do a lot of handwriting. I'm convinced it's a deliberate choice on the DWP's part, since they are absolutely determined to make disabled people's lives as difficult as possible. Even Cornwall Council allow people to submit benefits claims online. There's no good reason for this, at all.

It's been so long since I last looked at Mastodon that it took it 10 minutes to remember who I was and prepare my timeline...

Probably won't be an issue going forwards though because Twitter is so screwed at this point there's very little incentive to go back to it. Expect to spend more time here.

So upset by recent events that I can't even tell if it's February or March any more.

I'm away from the internet for a while.

Part 3 of 3.
Part 2 of 3.

As I mentioned last night, on Monday I took the decision, after years of being conflicted about it, to resign from the Green Party.

I apologise in advance for having to post my full statement as images, I realise this excludes people with visual disabilities, but I don't know how to get around Mastodon's character limits another way.

If requested I can provide a PDF compatible with screen readers by email.

Now that polling in the Long Rock, Marazion and St Erth by-election for Cornwall Council is closed, I can finally say that I resigned from the Green Party on Monday.

It wasn't an easy decision, and it is in protest at a number of things I can no longer reconcile. I'll go into more detail in a statement tomorrow.

I will be continuing as a Helston councillor, but sitting as an independent.

I don't know what to say about Brianna Ghey that hasn't already been said more eloquently, more movingly by trans friends and acquaintances who are better placed to know. Whose voices matter more right now.

But I am reading. I won't forget. I won't forget the pain. You have to remember, when you hope never to see it again.

And I won't forget things others have said. Nasty, pernicious, heartless things. I don't know how, or when, but I have to believe that eventually there will be a reckoning.