The Gerrard Chronicles 2004 - The Campaign Trail

The 'Republic' campaign for an elected Head of State took an organisational step forward this year. Graham Smith replaced Ken as webmaster & inauguarated a necessary injection of youth into the outfit (which was why Ken handed over). Meanwhile, Ken was interviewed by an Austrian Radio youth programme about his presidential campaign & the young royals. We also took part in an educational film on Monarchy & Republicanism for Westminster University with Margaret Tyler, the extraordinary 'loyalest royalist', who's house is a museum of royal memorabilia.

We set up a savagely worded but non-party web site called “Concerned Citizens’ Campaigns” to highlight local problems that the Liberal PPC, who is deputy leader of the Council, has the power to fix but which she ignores for political reasons.

There were three obvious ones: the City Road Basin, where greedy developers want to build on the childrens’ playground; the City Road Crossing at Colebrooke Row, a death trap & another pedestrian killing zone where Liverpool Road meets the Town Centre & which an independent survey said, "Close!". We, the “Angel Association” & “Living Streets” co-operated on these.

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Avis has done all the non-web work, pushing very hard on the City Road Crossing & harassed the Council into at least saying they will do something, the evidence for which was not apparent by time we went to press. PPC Emily is also backing us. Avis has also successfully pursued the theatre developer to give a starting date for it in the New Year. He did commission a drawing of the theatre from Avis, as it might appear from Islington Green, for which she was adequately paid (right).