Confusing And Misrepresented Empires

An elderly relative of mine recently made a nostalgic journey through Esh Winning and Ushaw Moor. Being in deep thought she did not take in much of the journey but did look out of the car window when between St. Lukes church and the village crossroads. The absence of her old school to the left and then the cinema to the right startled her. ‘’Is this Ushaw Moor?’’ It was not a rhetorical question, she was baffled for a few seconds.

‘’The people are different now’’ she said. She went on to say that there was no community. No togetherness. 

I realise that the days when most people seldom left their villages are long gone and that is good and natural. There is a big world out there and it is healthy to want to experience it and develop without being stuck in old familiar ways, so let us stop fretting about the end of Ushaw Moor’s cinemas and the demise of a school. Let us also stop fretting about lost community; many a person has gained friends from participating in hobbies, voluntary work and long life learning and those friends do not have to live within a mile of us do they?

What is it like to live in Ushaw Moor today? Apart from the occasional visit my only direct experience of the village was during the 1950s. Back then if family support was constructive and encouraging, the future held promising opportunities for the young person. That was especially true if parents were aware of the value of education and encouraged their children to succeed. Exposed to inspirational teaching and armed with parental support, diligence and ambition, there was a chance to escape the life threatening pit of despair – the colliery.  Education and a warm and loving family were so important.

On the subject of education, and coming to the here and now, the education minister Michael Gove can help more of Durham’s pupils to make a mark for themselves but he does not help as much as he should. His negative comments about manyschools in County Durham do not help them or his image. It is a pity because I am fairly sure that he is a sincere man that has lost his way. His ideal history lesson is of concern: his view of the British Empire is one of glory and he wants it taught that way, but his view is wrong. You can dress it up as much as you like but in reality the British Empire involved much exploitation and butchery. Students  deserve better and I believe he is having second thoughts. I hope so because it will enable more people to understand the past, and maybe help them to make better sense of the present.

WB