Town Twinning, the EU, and Sedbergh
Town twinning as a concept is nearly 100 years old. It has gone through a number of phases since the UK’s first town twinning arrangement in 1920, as the needs and the political state of the nations of Eurpope have changed. Sedbergh has had a twin town since 2004, by which time town twinning was seen by the European Union as an important tool in the bringing together of Europe's citizens, with a desire that they should learn about and promote the virtues and values of the EU as a concept. Town twinning is therefore politically-charged in some people's eyes and this affects Sedbergh (reluctantly) as much as it does anywhere else.
This page talks about the political issues a little bit.
- Brief history of Town Twinning in general
- How Sedbergh came to be involved
- What a Town Twinning arrangement is supposed to be
- How Sedbergh is fitting the bill
- Those who are against
- Those who are for
- Those who are indifferent
- Where we go from here
Brief history of Town Twinning in general
The following is quoted from the UK Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) website
Most town twinning arrangements were set up following the Second World War... Town twinnings and partnerships in Europe were a way of building friendship, bringing together people who had fought on opposite sides and of consolidating existing alliances. The concept of twinning began in Europe as early as the turn of the last century, with the first recorded UK link in 1920 between Keighley, West Yorkshire and Poix du Nord in France. The number of twinning links increased significantly after the War to aid the process of peace and reconciliation. They grew in number and flourished as young people came and went across the Channel. A second wave of enthusiasm for town twinning took place in the 1970s and 80s, following the UK's entry into the European Economic Community.
How Sedbergh came to be involved
Sedbergh decided to look at a town twinning arrangement in 2001, following a need to regenerate economic activity in the town, coupled with a realisation that the county of Cumbria was rather thinly represented in town twinning arrangements and a concern not to be missing out on possible benefits. A history of how Sedbergh found a twin town is on A History of Town Twinning in Sedbergh
What a Town Twinning arrangement is supposed to be
What do the authorities perceive as being the purpose of two towns being officially twinned?
The UK Local Government International Bureau (LGIB) says this:
“A twinning link is customarily defined as a friendship agreement involving co-operation between two communities in different countries, endorsed by both local authorities. The two twinned communities organise projects and activities around a range of issues and develop an understanding of historical, cultural and lifestyle similarities and differences. These activities involve a wide range of community members.”
The Council of European Municipalities says this:
“twinning [is] a vital means of bringing Europe’s citizens together across national frontiers, to help build a peaceful united Europe with grassroots support.”
The European Commission website says this:
“Twinning provides the opportunity to find out more about the daily lives of citizens in other European countries, to talk to them and exchange experiences, and to develop joint projects on issues of common interest, such as local integration, the environment, economic development, and cultural differences.” “There are calls for proposals for EU funding with objectives such as this:
“The action programme seeks to strengthen the dialogue between the European Union and its citizens with a view to encouraging the emergence of an active and participatory European citizenship. Its objectives related to this specific call are:
• To involve citizens closely in reflection and discussion on the construction of the European Union;
• To intensify links and exchanges between citizens from the countries participating in the programme;
• To promote and disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union;”
How is Sedbergh fitting the bill?
In some ways, it doesn’t matter whether Sedbergh fits the bill or not, since the reason for looking at town twinning was not to keep the authorities happy, it was to make us happier, but there’s no harm in seeing whether we can accommodate officialdom as well.
Setting aside the Council of Europe Municipalities’ “build a peaceful Europe with grassroots support” which seems a tall order indeed for anyone, we're not doing too badly. We are most certainly “develop[ing] an understanding of historical, cultural and lifestyle similarities and differences.” with activities that “involve a wide range of community members” (LGIB). When it comes to the European Commission’s stated requirements, finding out more about the daily lives of citizens of another European country is undoubtedly taking place, talking and exchanging experiences unquestionably likewise. As for “develop[ing] joint projects on issues of common interest, such as local integration, the environment, economic development, and cultural differences.” we start entering the realms of debate. Who says that local integration (whatever that may be) the environment, economic development, and cultural differences are issues of common interest? They might not be. The issues of common interest, will be those where the interest is in common. At present, we’re still in the stage of working this out with our twinning partner.
And then when we come to the funding criteria, we get rather into the clouds of official-speak. Should a twinning arrangement really be about “involv[ing] citizens closely in reflection and discussion on the construction of the European Union”? Sounds a bit intellectual to fit with the other objectives of closely involving disadvantaged and disinterested groups, for many of whom whom this might be regarding as a bit off-putting perhaps? And “To promote and disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union” We aren't quite clear, as a community, what these are just yet. Maybe it's early days for us.
Those who are against
Some people in Sedbergh are against the idea of town twinning. This seems primarily to be connecting with town twinning being favoured as a principle by the European Union (EU) and there are some who are adamantly against Britain’s membership of the EU, for example see the website of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which some of the gainsayers in Sedbergh are members of or supporters of. Were the EU not to exist, town twinning presumably still would, as it did before the EU was invented, and the UKIP does not appear to have anything to say in its publications about the topic of cooperation between the citizens of different countries aiding (or even hindering) local economic development. The people in Sedbergh who are enthusiasts for town twinning mostly try to sidestep the politics, though sometimes this is hard to carry through, especially when it is not clear what those who are against, are against, exactly.
Those who are for
Those who are enthusiastic about town twinning in Sedbergh mostly do not come from a political standpoint, the issues are much more about being delighted to have the opportunity to meet people from outside, learning about a different way of life, and hoping to contribute to the future economic development of our area. There may be some who have a pro-EU agenda, but if there are, this does not come out in meetings or events.
Those who are indifferent
It would be fair to say that the majority of the population of Sedbergh are, now that the television cameras have gone away, best described as indifferent about town twinning and doubtful that it is having any benefit for the town. It it one of the greatest challenges facing those who see town twinning as being a positive influence on the town's future prosperity, perhaps the greatest challenge, to demonstrate to the majority, just what the benefits could be.
Where we go from here
If there were no benefits to be gained from town twinning, then where we go from here should be nowhere. If there is benefit to be gained, then this needs to be made clear locally, so that any benefits are known about and widely believed in. The members of Sedbergh’s town twinning committee are well aware that town twinning is not an instant fix. It needs to be viewed over a period of time, with benefit being gained from a cumulative effect. It’s early days yet. Please keep looking at these pages and over time we hope to show those who are interested, and anyone who is keen on finding a bright future for Sedbergh locally, the ways in which our town twinning efforts are contributing to the well-being of the town. We expect it to be a cumulative effect.
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