Campaign office:                               

41, Willow Walk

Crediton

Devon EX17 1DD

e-mail saveindependentjudo@tiscali.co.uk

Mr R Burles

DCMS

Sports Division

2-4 Cockspur Street

London SW1Y 5DH

August 27 2007

Dear Mr Burles,

You wrote to me on June 19 2007, “We do not consider the development of these arrangements for the UKCC in judo to be unreasonable and we now consider the matter closed.” Far from the matter being closed you have opened the matter wider – in your letter of August 22 2007 to Andy Davies ( a copy of which you sent to me) and particularly in your phone call to me August 23 2007.

A national award, which the UKCC is declared to be, must be – and unconditionally seen to be – free for all with no strings attached.

On February 13 2007, BJA Chief Executive Scott McCarthy stated, “We are working on strategies to evaluate and assess non-members so that they may be able to meet the minimum technical standards that will be set to avail of the judo UKCC coaching courses.”

You say the proposal is “to establish arrangements to ensure that members of individual martial arts groups” (that is, groups independent of a National Governing Body) “who have the necessary technical competence to coach safely, are able to access the qualification”. You continue “It is not unreasonable for the BJA to seek to establish such a system for those unknown to their organisation.”

Your phrase” those who are unknown to their organisation” (the national governing body), puts the millions of martial arts people not in the NGBs in a special lower category – a vast body seen as second-class citizens needing special dispensation even to seek permission to join the elite citizens selected for instant access to the UKCC because they have joined their NGB.

We say in the strongest possible terms that this is not only unreasonable but invalidates the UKCC as a national award. The UKCC cannot be both national, and therefore open to all who apply, and at the same time oblige non-members of national governing bodies (the vast majority) to go through a preliminary net.

The terms you set out in your approved scenario condemns the whole set-up as a sham.

It is doubtful if the UKCC is legally a national award, subject as it is to the blatant interference boasted for it by yourself and others.

We have had to keep to the fore, and will continue to do so, the extraordinary behaviour of authorities – government or acting for government – in response to genuine concerns.

Your “vexation” with our inquiries, attempts to close communication by yourself and others, the contradictions on your side, false statements, obstructions, failure to respond, about turns and waffle have been our constant experience during the eighteen months of our campaign for rights and common justice.

We are by no means alone as victims of the poor performance of yourself and others.

A leading journalist, Rachel Cooke, has just summed up her own experience (Sunday Observer August 26 2007). She, like us, tried to get sense out of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. She writes, “It would not be an exaggeration to say that (their) wimpish guff makes me feel physically sick.” If a highly professional journalist fails to get sense out of people of that eminence, what chance have we got?

Millions of pounds will soon be spent on chasing votes in a General Election. Prominent among these will be masses of people engaged in the martial arts in every town in the country. You will have to deal far more responsibility, and very quickly, with millions of people practising martial arts to overcome their rapidly rising fears and anger at the way their enjoyment and independence is being undermined.

The effects of Save independent Judo campaign have gone far beyond the limited question of judo. It is interesting that Paul Clifton, publisher of the UK’s top four martial arts magazines, has put the number of martial arts practitioners in the UK at several millions and a tiny fraction of these are in any NGB. Those not in the NGBs are as fully qualified and as competent as NGB people and regard their rights as equal to those in NGBs in access to the UKCC as anything else.

When the UKCC was first mooted, Richard Caborn MP, then Minister for Sport, said “It was vital to make the process consultative and inclusive.” Since starting the Save Independent Judo campaign eighteen months ago I have repeatedly insisted it is vital we are included in discussion regarding the development of the UKCC. On August 25 2006 the Minister wrote to me, “Your campaign has raised a number of issues about the development of the UKCC in martial arts in general.”

On January 30 2007 the Minister wrote again, “I would encourage you to meet with sports coach UK and the BJA as soon as possible.”

Despite promise of a meeting none has taken place. When I asked sports coach UK why they have refused the promised meeting, their Chairman Ian McGeechan writes, “Matter closed.”

When I complain to you and the Minister that sports coach UK refuse to enter into any fruitful discussion with me you write, “Matter closed.”

You then telephone me, open up the matter, and tell me how helpful you have been. When I ask why no talks have taken place you reply, “I can’t comment.”

I also reminded you that Mr McCarthy, Chief Executive of NGB for judo, had threatened  “consequences” for those organisations who refused to join the NGB, publicly called non-NGB people “outlaws and pirates” and accused non-NGB instructors of falsifying their qualifications. You brushed all this to one side saying,  “That was in the past.”

It is not in the past Mr Burles. Mr McCarthys' accusations, which he has never withdrawn or apologised for, are already having a damaging effect. Non-NGB judo people are being questioned by leisure centre managers about their qualifications. I also told you that another martial art NGB organisation was actively encouraging their members to identify non-NGB coaches in order that sports centres could  be advised that non-NGB coaches were not qualified. You respond saying this was a matter for the instructor to take up with the centre and legal advice my be required.

You pay no attention to the rights of the vast majority of judo and other martial arts practitioners, non-NGB people. I repeat: Those not in the NGBs are as fully qualified and as competent as NGB people and regard their rights as equal to those in NGBs for access to the UKCC as anything else. There is growing concern, and anger, among this population who see the judo UKCC, in a mess with inequality and narrow scope of suitability, as portents of disaster to come. Non-NGB people are not prepared to sit back and accept your ruinous policy.

You say “I am the policy official with responsibility for sports coaching within DCMS.” When I ask you to take responsibility and deal with the real issues I raise, acknowledged by the previous Minister, you either remain silent, become evasive, or waffle on about policy, National Source Groups, the NGB for judo being a limited company and sports coach UK being the lead agency responsible for implementing the UKCC.

To sum up, you have not been helpful. It’s been absolutely useless trying to get anything positive from you and your resistance to deal with the issues we raise has in part perpetuated the mess.

What is now needed is an honest-to-goodness new look, new think and new approach.

Yours sincerely,

John Goldman

Campaign leader

 Copies to:

 Rt Hon Gerry Sutcliffe MP Minister for Sport

Andy Davies, Saving Martial Arts & Your Right2Choose

Tom Hibbert MBE, Amateur Martial Association

Paul Clifton Publisher

Roger Knapman MEP

Angela Browning MP

Roger Berry MP