tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15872495475338766462024-03-13T22:46:21.704-07:00Green DespatchesRed Pepper's unofficial despatches from Green Party ConferenceRed Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10680008177354361739noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-81863714984754493282010-08-02T16:09:00.000-07:002010-08-02T16:11:26.620-07:00Birmingham Conference 10th - 13th Sept.Just to flag up that the Birmingham conference will from Friday the 10th to Monday the 13th of September. You can get your cheap early bird discount by booking online <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/conference.html">here</a>. For those thinking about the executive elections held at the same time you may be interested in <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/conference/gpex-candidates">this page</a>.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-25354431777618559162010-02-24T08:48:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:00:14.800-08:00Last Finchley Post (honest)A few posts that I missed last time, or hadn't been written... Let me know if I've missed anyone off - I'm sure I can't have spotted everything.<br /><ul><li>The <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/287964">Digital Journal</a> on our gay marriage policy.<br /></li><li><a href="http://weekisalongtime.blogspot.com/">Jo Anglezarke</a> on her first conference.</li><li><a href="http://gayleodonovan.blogspot.com/2010/02/manchester-green-candidate-proposes.html">Gayle O'Donovan</a> on Robin Hood.</li><li>Phillip Booth on <a href="http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/conference-robin-hood-tax.html">the same</a> and on <a href="http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/conference-greens-support-billys-move.html">bankers bonuses</a> and <a href="http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/conference-caroline-lucas-speech.html">Caroline Lucas'</a> speech.</li><li><a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/bologspot-working-again-green-party.html">Richard Lawson</a> on the gap between rich and poor.</li><li>The <a href="http://gptublog.blogspot.com/2010/02/migrant-workers-fringe-at-gpew.html">trade union</a> fringe has been recorded.</li><li><a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/election-video-at-green-party.html">Joseph Healey</a> Speaks and <a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/spring-conference-in-london.html">reports</a>.</li><li><a href="http://h0wgreenismyvalley.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/no-guardians-in-finchley/">How Green is my Valley</a> sums up her conference.</li><li><a href="http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2010/02/green-party-conference-days-34-a-sensible-health-policy/">Bright Green Scotland</a> on Health Policy.</li><li><a href="http://gptublog.blogspot.com/2010/02/greens-edge-to-left.html">Sean Thompson</a> on the Greens edging to the left.</li><li><a href="http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl/blog/spring-conference.html">Caroline Lucas</a> reports.<br /></li></ul>Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-19931785339336429852010-02-21T12:16:00.000-08:002010-02-21T13:08:10.138-08:00Conference reportsThe lack of wifi in the venue has held back regular round ups but better late than never!<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/87061">The Morning Star</a> devoted a fair bit of space to conference in Saturday's paper.</li><li>This includes pieces on <a href="http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/87058">the living wage</a>, and on <a href="http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/87057">pensions</a>.<br /></li><li><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61I4CE20100219">Reuters</a> reported our focus on the economy.</li><li>The <a href="http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/5019909.Green_Party_conference_held_in_Finchley/">local press</a> reports conference.<br /></li><li>Barnet Green Party was taking <a href="http://www.barnetgreenparty.co.uk/photos/">photos</a>.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>Caroline Lucas had a whole article in the <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/158903">Daily Express</a> of all places. Excellent!</li></ul><ul><li><a href="http://petercranie.blogspot.com/2010/02/conference-summary.html">Peter Cranie</a> blogs on his time at conference.</li><li><a href="http://philobiblon.co.uk/?p=3232">Natalie Bennett</a> on the sex work fringe.</li><li><a href="http://stuartjeffery.blogspot.com/2010/02/spring-conference.html">Stuart Jeffrey</a> comments, and reports on <a href="http://stuartjeffery.blogspot.com/2010/02/greens-have-new-health-policy.html">health policy</a> changes.</li><li><a href="http://mattsellwoodforhackney.blogspot.com/2010/02/maximum-wage.html">Matt Sellwood</a> on the maximum wage policy.<br /></li><li><a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conference-passes-marriage.html">Joseph Healey</a> on our marriage equality policy.</li><li><a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conference.html">Richard Lawson</a> writes an early report.</li><li><a href="http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-spring-conference.html">Adrian Windisch</a> with photos and comment.</li><li>Alisdair Thompson on <a href="http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2010/02/green-party-conference-day-1-science-and-inequality/">science</a> and <a href="http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2010/02/gpew-conference-day-2-first-a-tragedy-then-a-farce/">Friday's debates</a>.<br /></li><li><a href="http://greensuccess.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/greens-begin-winter-conference/">Green Success</a> looks forward to the debates and comments on <a href="http://greensuccess.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/caroline-lucas-were-going-to-westminster-to-make-a-difference/">Caroline Lucas' speech</a>.</li><li>There are also my comments on <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conference-animals-science.html">science, animals and health</a> as well as <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2010/02/party-conference-fair-is-worth-fighting.html">fairness</a>, also there's a <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conference-day-one.html">day one</a> and <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2010/02/conference-catch-up.html">day two</a> report.<br /></li></ul>The conference <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23gpconf">twitter feed</a> was quite the success by the way and we'll be using the same collaborative tag for every conference from now on. If I've missed off any articles or posts you'd like me to mention please leave a comment with a link. Thanks.<br /><br />There is also the official version at the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/">national website</a>.<br /><br />On an unrelated note...<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jsEZr3s1aBA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jsEZr3s1aBA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-22055134480146050912010-02-18T14:06:00.001-08:002010-02-18T15:39:55.936-08:00Finchley Green Party Conference 2010Well, we've just had day one of the last conference before the general Election. Here's a quick round up of what some people are saying about it;<br /><ul><li>Joseph Healey was <a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conferene.html">looking forward</a> to conference.<br /></li><li>Jim Jepps has a round up of the <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2010/02/green-party-conference-day-one.html">conference motions</a>.</li><li>Camden Greens on our <a href="http://camdengreenparty.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/green-party-adopts-marriage-equality-policy/">gay marriage</a> policy.<br /></li><li>Follow us on the <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23gpconf">twitter hashtag</a>.</li></ul>Report in the <a href="http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/5016587.Green_Party_conference_kicks_off_at_artsdepot/">Finchley Times</a>.<br /><br />The real blogging will start tomorrow I reckon. Let me know if you've written a post that I've not highlighted.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-24834142995697415822009-03-30T06:50:00.001-07:002009-03-30T07:01:23.127-07:00When is an economist not an economist<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Q_cCDEqDWA/SdDQrR3NzuI/AAAAAAAAAMY/0TqL8oFU8OI/s1600-h/economist+abducted.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Q_cCDEqDWA/SdDQrR3NzuI/AAAAAAAAAMY/0TqL8oFU8OI/s320/economist+abducted.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318980601872502498" /></a><br />I had a rather unpleasant experience last week at the Welsh Economics Colloquium, a gathering of research-active economists in Wales. I was only able to attend for the final day but had quite forgotten how detached from the real world many economic researchers are.<br /><br />In fact, economists in Wales are fairly empirical (for which read that they do take the workings of the world itself into account), but the keynote address was by a Manchester-based economist who spent an hour of our time outlining a mathematical theory about optimal currency areas without mentioning the present financial crisis at all and with barely any relationship to the euro.<br /><br />Having spent several years on the national steering group of the anti-euro campaign there were a wealth of questions I could have asked but the paper was so enclosed in its own theoretical bubble that there was simply no way in. This economist publishes in the highest-level journals, which only confirms my suspicion that they deliberately exclude any work that has any thing to do with reality because that reality proves the inapplicability of the theories of conventional economics.<br /><br />As Mark Blaug put it: 'Modern economics is sick. Economics has increasingly become an intellectual game played for its own sake and not for its practical consequences for understanding the economic world. Economists have converted the subject into a sort of social mathematics in which analytical rigour is everything and practical relevance is nothing.'<br /><br />The level of response to my own presentation - about the excellent potential of Wales as a green economy - was much lower than I would encounter in a political setting, or from those involved in the Transition Town movement. It barely rose above the level of guilt-tripping - 'Why do you live in Stroud and work in Cardiff?' being an example question. The arch-theoretician asked a question so abstract that my mind failed to comprehend it. I do remember that it began 'If you had been alive a million years ago, when the temperature was 10 degrees hotter than it is now . . .'<br /><br />Over the years I have moved from claiming venehmently that I am not an economist, to feeling comfortable using the title 'green economist' to actually think that maybe I might be an economist. After this experience I feel sympathy with Hazel Henderson revulsion from the economics profession. Too many economists are happy to draw large salaries, paid for by people shovelling chips in McDonalds, for creating work that has no value and no relevance.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12845612174674783187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-79553336218594567212009-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:002009-03-25T07:56:57.493-07:00Final round upConference is over and I'm sure over the next couple of days there'll be some snippets and thoughts coming out. As new ones come in I'll add them here, but right now many bloggers will be making their way home looking forward to the sleep of the righteous.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://anglobuddhistcombine.blogspot.com/2009/03/conference-finito.html">Matt Sellwood</a> gets in first with his final thoughts. </li><li><a href="http://thelifeofmrandyc.blogspot.com/2009/03/back-from-conference.html">Mr Andy C</a> is back from conference, feeling the warm glow of electoral success.</li><li>He also posts the text of the <a href="http://thelifeofmrandyc.blogspot.com/2009/03/conference-passes-motion-on-gaza.html">Gaza emergency motion</a>.<br /></li><li>Sue blogs on the emergency motion she proposed on <a href="http://greenladywell.blogspot.com/2009/03/joan-ruddock-sabotages-fuel-poverty.html">fuel poverty</a>.</li><li><a href="http://philobiblon.co.uk/?p=2948">Natalie</a> on maternity services.</li><li>And Natalie again, this time on <a href="http://philobiblon.co.uk/?p=2951">the growth economy</a>.<br /></li><li><a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2009/03/conference-report.html">Joseph Healey</a>'s conference report.</li><li><a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-party-conference-blackpool-spring.html">Richard</a> has some post match analysis.<br /></li></ul>Meanwhile deputy leader Adrian Ramsay calls for a <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2009-03-23-ramsay.html">radical agenda</a> for public services and banking. His speech also received press attention in <a href="http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED23%20Mar%202009%2011%3A11%3A54%3A697">Norwich</a>.<br /><br />Rowan Pelling mentions us in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/rowanpelling/5045412/Would-Marie-Antoinette-really-have-graced-the-Aperitif-Bar-in-Blackpools-Imperial-Hotel.html">The Telegraph</a>. Hurrah - Telegraph finally acknowledges we exist!<br /><br />Emergency motions passed on;<br /><blockquote>Supporting student occupations over Gaza<br />On the medical centre behind the British Library<br />Funding for rape crisis centres<br />The Fuel Poverty Private Members' Bill<br /></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Final info on motions - check out <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/conference/2009/greenpartyconferenceguideweb.pdf">conference documents</a> (pdf) for texts.<br /><br />DO4 "prioritisation of motions" fell<br />D03 "additional synopsis" passed<br />DO1 and D02 "members' subs" withdrawn<br />C17 "Northern Ireland" passed<br />C16 passed<br />C15 "criminal justice" passed (minor textual change)<br />C14 "geo-engineering" passed with both amendments<br /><br />Also for those inclined to the detail of motions;<br /><br />B10 Tourism VP (which is where we overhaul and update an entire section of policy)<br /><br />A1 fell<br />A2 withdrawn<br />A3 fell<br />A4 passed<br />A5 passed<br />A6 passed<br />A7 passed<br />A8 passed<br />A9 passed<br />A10 fell<br />A11 fell<br />A12 passed<br />A13 passed<br />A14 fell<br />A15 fell<br />A16 passed<br />A17 passed<br />A18 passed<br />A19 passed<br />A20 passed<br />A21 passed – but it just duplicates TM063<br />A22 passed<br />A23 passed<br />A24 passed<br />A25 passed<br />A26 withdrawn<br /><br />Whole paper as amended passedJim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-10793175251785307092009-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:002009-03-21T15:32:37.024-07:00Sellwood's view....Just a few brief thoughts from Conference as I sit here in my tiny hotel room, listening to the intriguing sounds of a Blackpool Saturday night.<br /><br />1) It's really nice to be at a Conference when I don't have any official duties, where there isn't anything enormously contentious being discussed, and when I've been in the Party long enough to know over half the people in the venue. I've been mostly wandering around, having cups of tea, organising informal meetings with people, and doing favours for those who look more harried than me. An excellent way to do Conference, I think!<br /><br />2) Some good motions have been passed, and some useful fringe meetings put on. In particular, motions CO1 (deepening the Green New Deal) and CO2 (adopting European Green Party migration statement) were both progressive, helpful and overwhelmingly supported. As ever, the fringe meetings have illustrated the great depth of knowledge available in the Party - with sessions on 'reframing Green politics' (featuring a video appearance from my old boss, George Marshall) and 'beyond the Green New Deal' particularly intriguing. Although it should be said that the latter was absolutely terrifying - the figures on how deep a hole capitalism has dug itself into are very very very worrying indeed.<br /><br />3) I've also spent some time, as is my wont, critiquing the things that we need to do better as Greens. I asked a couple of questions at GPEX Question Time, mainly revolving around my favourite subject of internal democracy/transparency/accountability. I was promised, directly, that GPEX minutes would start to go up onto the members website, and that a new and widely publicised GPEX announcement elist would be set up. I wait with baited breath. As well as this, the still somewhat timid (in comparison to what needs to happen, though obviously still miles ahead of any of the mainstream parties) Green New Deal proposals need a lot of work - both in terms of radicalising them so that we ensure a massively better deal for the poorly paid* and in terms of democraticising them so that we use this opportunity to call for economic democracy in the workplace.<br /><br />4) Of course, it wouldn't be Conference if I wasn't worked up about at least a few things. One of these is D04, due to be discussed on Monday. This would introduce a provision whereby motions introduced by 'official Party bodies' would have primacy in prioritisation over motions introduced by grassroots members. Clearly, this cannot be allowed to pass and I will be speaking strongly against it. The other thing is a throwaway line by the Chair of GPEX in answering a question, which bodes ill for my blood pressure at Autumn Conference. It sounds very much as if he is intending to bring a motion to that conference proposing 2 year terms for all members of GPEX. Those who remember my (failed) fight against 2 year rather than 1 year terms for our Leader/Deputy Leader will not be surprised to hear that I am already determined to oppose such a measure, should it appear.<br /><br />Well, I suspect that is all my poor, strained wireless connection can stand. I'll try to post another update on Monday!<br /><br /><em>* Which, of course, is one of the best ways to stimulate the economy...not that New Labour would realise this in a month of Sundays.</em>Matt Sellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03065263755893515703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-29643358693159236842009-03-21T07:13:00.000-07:002009-03-21T17:13:18.387-07:00Saturday's update<span>More video from the leader's speech</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>from the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7955679.stm">BBC</a>. Accuses the government of lying on climate change.<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />From the national site;</span><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2009-03-20-we-must-stop-the-bnp.html">We must stop the BNP</a>. </li><li><a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/210309-britain-needs-elected-greens.html">Britain needs elected Greens more than ever before</a>.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogging;</span><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.adrianhollister.com/archives/69-Caroline-Lucas-points-out-Labour-Madness.html">Adrian Hollister</a> on Caroline Lucas' speech.</li><li>A personal points from Richard Lawson. <a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-train-to-conference.html">Going up</a> and in his <a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-lindan-hotel.html">accomodation</a> and then <a href="http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/hope-rears-its-tousled-head-at-green.html">attending conference</a>.<br /></li><li><a href="http://petercranie.blogspot.com/2009/03/hello-from-conference.html">Peter Cranie</a> says hi.</li><li>Stuart Jeffrey on the <a href="http://stuartjeffery.blogspot.com/2009/03/dollar-should-not-be-reserve-currency.html">finance motion</a>.</li><li><a href="http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-party-spring-conference-blackpool.html">Adrian Windisch</a> has some initial thoughts.</li><li>Jean Lambert's blog also has a bit of a <a href="http://re-electjean.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-conference-and-migration.html">conference update</a>.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Motions;</span><br /><br />Emergency motion against Heathrow - passed.<br />Tourism paper - passed.<br /><ul><li>Amendments passed - 4 to 9, 12, 13, 16 to 25</li><li>Amendments fell - 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 14, 15, 26<br /></li></ul>C13 "carbon caputre and storage" falls<br />C12 "monetary policy" passed with amendment 1<br />C11 "international finance" passed<br />C10 "solar power" passed<br />C09 "intellectual property" passed<br />C08 "women in business" passed<br />C07 "zero carbon Britain" refered back<br />C06 "climate policy" refered back<br />A2 and A3 passed<br />CO5 "Maternity services" passed with amndment 1<br />CO4 "Gender and asylum" passed<br />CO3 "Domestic abuse" passed<br />CO2 "Migration" passed<br />CO1 "Campaigning for an alternative economic strategy" passed with amends 1, 2, and 4<br /><br />You can look up conference documents <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/conference/2009/greenpartyconferenceguideweb.pdf">here</a> (pdf) for the wording of motions, etc. As before let us know if you have links for the round ups.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-89165228374438825682009-03-20T16:31:00.000-07:002009-03-20T17:04:17.729-07:00Blackpool conferenceWe're not doing a full blogging experience from Blackpool this conference. However, I thought it might be handy to do the occasional round up just for those who drop by on the off chance.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Key links</span><br /></div><br />A few key links first. You find the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/conference.html">Party Conference section</a> on the national party's website useful. There's also the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news.html">news section</a> where I'm sure the press office will be posting up hot stories for your delectation.<br /><br />Then there is the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/conference/2009/greenpartyconferenceguideweb.pdf">conference guide</a> (pdf), which includes all the motions and amendments that are going to debated at Blackpool.<br /><br />Some party members are "twittering" from conference. Check it out <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23gpconf">here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogging</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Even on day one there's already been some blog responses to conference.<br /></div></div><ul><li><a href="http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/2009/03/blackpool-by-sea.html">Joseph Healey</a> is (or should that be was?) looking forward to conference.</li><li><a href="http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-party-conference-blackpool.html">Derek Wall</a> is hoping the conference isn't going to get too corporate.</li><li>Even though I'm not at conference I've blogged on the <a href="http://jimjay.blogspot.com/2009/03/all-power-to-people.html">economics resolution</a> and why it's so important to call for the nationalisation of the energy industry.</li><li>Matt Wooten posts up his notes, references and further reading from his fringe on <a href="http://greenwordsworkshop.org/node/10">political strategy</a>.</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the news</span><br /></div><br />There was some coverage of the first day of conference;<br /><ul><li>The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7953641.stm">BBC</a> has a good clip and extensive quoting for Caroline Lucas' opening speech.</li><li>The <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/caroline-lucas-we-cant-ignore-green-issues-just-because-were-in-a-recession-1649498.html">Independent</a> leads with the Greens approach to recession.</li><li><a href="http://www.politics.co.uk/news/environment-and-rural-affairs/greens-we-were-right-all-along-$1281967.htm">Politics.co.uk</a> says we were right all along. I know.</li><li>This is Somerset bigs up local Green <a href="http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/clevedon/news/government/Congresbury-GP-leads-Green-economy-debate/article-785693-detail/article.html">Richard Lawson</a>, showing that a national conference can be turned into local press.<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let us know, leave a comment</span><br /></div><br />Please do alert us to anything we should be linking to about Green Party conference that we've missed. There'll be one or two more round ups depending on how much is out there to shout out about.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-22469163166768878732008-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:002008-09-14T17:55:02.565-07:00The New Knife on the Streets?A rather belated post from me on the RSPCA fringe on Dangerous Dogs at conference can be found on <a href="http://greenladywell.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-knife-on-street.html">my blog</a>. What Clare Robinson from the RSPCA and Sgt Ian McParland from the Met's Dog Support Unit said certainly chimed with experiences in my ward in Lewisham. Was really pleased that organisations such as the RSPCA came along to the Green Party Conference this year, and hope it will become a regular event in the party conference calendar for many more NGOs going forward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-2983756229190688632008-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:002008-09-09T10:16:21.670-07:00Elections, elections, electionsSo, I guess I should go through the results of the other elections before I collapse into sleep...<br /><br />First the postal ballots for GPEx... (turnout 34.7%)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chair...</span><br /><br />Jim Killock 914<br />James Humphreys 1,592<br />RON 34<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Equality and Diversity...</span><br /><br />Shahrar Ali 579<br />Maya De Souza 1,547<br />Linda Duckenfield and Lyndsay McAteer 396<br />RON 27<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">External Communications...</span><br /><br />Tracy Dighton-Brown 1975<br />Richard Eden 505<br />RON 54<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And the other election result I have to hand... SOC!</span><br /><br />There are five posts for this rather important internal committee that essentially overseas much of the democratic process of the party. There were nine candidates of whom four were elected before RON kicked in.<br /><br />The four were Payam Torobi, Mark Hill, Pippa Lane and Jim Jepps - which means only one of the previous five has continued into this year - and he has to step down in Spring unfortunately as he will then have been on the committee for three years.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-42366775250467869752008-09-08T13:18:00.000-07:002008-09-08T13:26:46.174-07:00A radical, feminist partyAfter a workshop with a guest speaker on the final day of the Green Party conference today, I asked the speaker (who had better remain nameless since I didn't ask her if I could quote her) how different she'd found it to other party conferences that she attended. "You're a lot more radical," she said.<br /><br />And of course she's right. You start to regard such radicalism as "normal" after a few days at conference - and not realise how views about basic fairness and equality are still regarded as radical in the "outside world".<br /><br />But sometimes it can be very pleasing. I moved, with the support of our new leader Caroline Lucas, among many others, the following emergency motion:<br /><blockquote>The Green Party conference notes that in October Westminster MPs will be voting on an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. It notes that women in Northern Ireland, through the rulings of the parliament in London, have suffered daily discrimination in having to travel to England to pay for an abortion. It notes that it is the poor, the young and the otherwise disadvantaged for whom this presents the most difficulties, but that for all women this means delay that results in abortions that are carried out later than would otherwise be necessary. <br />Conference calls on MPs to support amendments extending the same access to abortion that has been available to women in England, Scotland and Wales to the women of Northern Ireland.</blockquote><br />That motion was not only passed by conference, but passed by an overwhelming majority, with only a very few hands raised in opposition. <br /><br />It's not an easy topic to raise and get attention paid to. As soon as you mention any issues associated with Northern Ireland a great many journalists and political types roll their eyes and change the subject, and then if you combine that with abortion – a subject that tends to sink into conversations of uncomfortable silence – you're really fighting a battle.<br /><br />But the Green Party is prepared to take on the difficult issues, the challenging issues - one reason why I'm involved with it, when I can't imagine being involved (and never have even previously considered getting involved) in any other party.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-54388238436035300842008-09-07T05:40:00.000-07:002008-09-07T05:57:19.278-07:00The Age Of Stupid<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EoTyT83rQD0/SMPPeikoRsI/AAAAAAAAAYY/f-sf7mn6RO4/s1600-h/ARCHIVE_WV_FOAM_XG1.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243262514772854466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EoTyT83rQD0/SMPPeikoRsI/AAAAAAAAAYY/f-sf7mn6RO4/s200/ARCHIVE_WV_FOAM_XG1.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.oneclimate.net/2008/06/26/selling-of-the-age-of-stupid-2/">As Sue mentions below, "The Age of Stupid" was shown last night at conference.</a> It was a very impressive film. It will be released in early 2009.<br /><br />It's time to start calling up the local arty cinema to get them to schedule it/look out for it.<br /><br />The film stars <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPIY7SrKdsg">Pete Postlethwaite as a lone archivist,</a> in a platform in the midst of a raging sea, in 2055. The ark-ive contains the world's art, two of each animal, and the digitised knowledge of humanity in humming Matrix-hatchery-esque servers.<br /><br />The set-up is a faux documentary, narrated by Postlethwaite asking why we didn't act earlier, which looks at six case-studies in 2008 (an aspiring medical student in the Niger Delta; a French mountain-climber mourning over glaciers; a wind turbine project manager frustrated with NIMBYs; Iraqi refugees in Jordan - the idea of climate wars; a retired oil worker who was a local hero during the Katrina aftermath; and a Indian Stelios setting up a low-cost airline).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.crudemovie.net/page/press_release_17_july_2008_pete_postlethwaites_new_climate_movie_screens_parliament">What's also interesting is that the film was "crowd-funded" ... 280 investors gave between £50 and £5000 and each own a percentage of the film.</a> This gives the filmmakers complete editorial freedom, plus control of the distribution. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/jun/27/filmandmusic1.filmandmusic">All profits will be shared between the investors and crew,</a> who worked for massively reduced rates.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spannerfilms.net/">The folks to contact for more information about screening the film, and its widespread distribution, is Spanner Films.</a><br /><br />Photo credit: <a href="http://www.puritymedia.co.uk/">www.puritymedia.co.uk</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-18827634003362776312008-09-06T17:25:00.001-07:002008-09-06T17:33:28.261-07:00Media Coverage of ConferenceI thought I would start this post that others can add to, to analyse the media coverage of this conference, given that 'the media expect us to have a leader' and 'we will get more media coverage if we have a leader' were some of the arguments made by those in favour of moving to a leadership structure (myself included). I've not had chance to see much, but the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7602202.stm">BBC coverage</a> seemed pretty reasonable, although I found myself more interested in working out what the people wandering around behind Caroline were doing in <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7602163.stm">this interview</a>. What other coverage has there been, and how does it compare to previous conferences? I realise that the real test will of course be over a longer time period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-84296056142938464292008-09-06T16:45:00.000-07:002008-09-06T17:22:50.576-07:00New Deputy Leader in Women's Toilets Shocker!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/councillors/photos/AdrianRamsay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/councillors/photos/AdrianRamsay.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>There's a great story doing the rounds at conference about women washing their hands after going to the toilet, then looking up in the mirror to see a giant-sized Adrian Ramsay beaming back at them. The backdrop featuring Adrian on the elections stall was somehow bizarrely being reflected into the toilet mirrors. The offending backdrop was promptly moved around to avoid unduly alarming any more female conference-goers.<br /><br />This is the first post I've managed this conference, mostly because as I'm on conferences committee and have been involved in organising this year's event, I've spent a lot of the time running around like a headless chicken. My main responsibilities were stalls, evening entertainment, conference guide (though <a href="http://philobiblon.co.uk/">Natalie </a>did most of the work there) and organising the volunteer rota. As a result I haven't taken part in as many sessions as usual, though I did manage to catch Caroline's speech, the panel discussion with Ken Livingstone, Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, which was v entertaining, and the excellent Green New Deal discussion today, which others have already blogged about.<br /><br />I'm not aware of any major disasters so far at conference, although there have been a few things that could have gone more smoothly. The first three hours of registration were a hectic nightmare, as there was no time for registration before the first workshops began, and people were already queuing to register when we arrived at the building and were trying to set up front of house etc. Things calmed down by mid-afternoon yesterday, but not quite the stress-free arrival many conference-goers may have hoped for.<br /><br />There was also a slight breakdown in communication between myself and the producers of <a href="http://www.crudemovie.net/">Age of Stupid</a> which was due to be shown Saturday evening - I thought it was confirmed, they didn't, so when I rang just to make sure they were on their way at 7pm and they weren't, there were a few frantic minutes, but they rose to the occasion and got someone round in a taxi to the venue with the film, so we were able to show it, albeit a little later than planned and with an interruption for a fire alarm (it never rains . . . ). Anyway, it was an excellent film, and I'd highly recommend it. Loved the clips in it of Green Party placards at the climate change demos too!<br /><br />There's been an awful lot of guestimating for conference committee to do this time and financial risk if we messed it up (that's probably always the case). How many sandwiches should we order (we would have had to pay for any spares, in the event we needed a few more), would the lecture hall be large enough to deal with the increased attendance (mostly yes, though about a dozen members couldn't get in for Caroline's speech), would conference-goers manage to drink the minimum £500 spend at the bar or would we have to make up the difference (an emphatic yes, they can drink that much no probs), would we get enough people attending to cover the additional cost of the venue (hopefully yes).<br /><br />One of the things that I'm most pleased about and think was a success this time is the stall area. We've had more stalls than ever before, with a wider range of organisations represented, than ever before.<br /><br />I would appreciate feedback on the conference as I'm sure would the next conference committee - Scott has mentioned not liking the hall layout - we've had a mix of responses to it, probably slightly more than half positive. Personally I think I prefer it to the bingo hall layout - more focussed and less shuffling around. And yes, sorry about the sandwiches, but we do have Planet Organic and a number of other places near the venue, including a reasonable cafe in Russell Square, so do explore the surrounding area if you don't manage to beat the sandwich rush tomorrow.<br /><br />And the beaming Adrian in the ladies loos? Conference committee would like to reassure conference-goers that this was purely accidental, at not a planned attempt at building any deputy-leader cult of personality!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-50076264414946942572008-09-06T13:44:00.000-07:002008-09-08T08:25:30.054-07:00Open Democracy article about Caroline's victory as Leader<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1587249547533876646&postID=5007626441494694257" net="" blog="" theme="" read="" 2008="" 09="" 06="" leader="">click here to read it</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-60969127779596452772008-09-06T13:24:00.000-07:002008-09-06T13:40:52.379-07:00Saga of a grumpy manI am, it must be said, becoming a bit of a cynic about Green Party Conference in my old age (I reckon London 08 must be my 12th Conference....nothing compared to stalwarts like Darren Johnson or Elise Benjamin, but a fair few nonetheless). I was fully expecting to go along to SOAS and spend my time mostly whingeing, with a healthy side portion of grump.<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised! OK, so there are still a few people at Conference who would make you change train carriages if you met them in real life - but they seem to be getting less and less prevalent. And perhaps it was just the day I chose to attend, but the debate seemed to be radical, sharper and more focused than I can remember it being in the past. I suspect that part of this may be due to collective relief at having mostly passed through the storm of the leadership changes unscathed, and at finally being able to talk about 'getting out there' to change the world...but part of it also seems simply to be that there are more energetic and interesting people out there in the Party at large, doing a greater amount of activism than before. This, I think, is a good thing.<br /><br />So as to lend some structure to my rambling discourse, perhaps I should lay out what I actually did today:<br /><br />- Arrived bright and early at 10 am for the Reports from various internal Party bodies. Clearly I didn't arrive at 9 am for the workshops on this reports, that would be insane. As always, an intriguing insight into the inner workings of the Party bureaucracy - and useful to shine a light on them...for example, being able to press the Executive on the rather democratically dubious plans to set up a fundraising/donations Scrutiny Committee whose members will be entirely appointed by GPEX!<br /><br />- A fascinating panel discussion on the 'Green New Deal' report, featuring a pretty stellar line up....Pettifor, Lucas, Juniper, Leggett and Hines. All of them were, as expected, very interesting - although I must admit that Ann Pettifor's response to my query about the need for anti-capitalist thinking was a bit perplexing. I don't think that Keynesiansim is revolutionary, although apparently she does! Intriguing nonetheless, and my criticisms of the report are very much on the margins...I agree with 99% of it.<br /><br />- Then, after some quality mingling and catching up with people from around the country, it was Caroline's keynote speech. I must admit to my shame that I had been planning to give this a miss. After all, I thought, I have seen Caroline speak umpteen times by now. I'll go and have a nice cup of tea while everyone else is doing the standing ovation. Matt Follett, to his credit, hoiked me into the hall at the last minute...and I'm glad he did. Caroline was absolutely excellent, and the atmosphere was electric. She hit all the right notes, and I was reminded yet again of why she really is one of the most impressive politicians of her generation. She's got a big task - becoming leader of a Party with negligible infrastructure that often does not want to be led...but if anyone can pull it off, she can.<br /><br />- Then, after the commotion had died down, some policy discussion...the most interesting of which was the minimum/maximum wage motion. I came into this genuinely undecided, with people I respected on both sides of the debate...but ended up siding with the (losing) maximum wagers. This was mostly because the arguments being put forward against the maximum wage concept seemed to be very flimsy pragmatic constructs to me. People arguing against the original motion had proposed an amendment for a surtax on the super-rich, and yet at the same time were suggesting that we needed to vote down a maximum wage because it would scare off disillusioned Tory voters. Quite what they will make of the surtax alternative in the shires, they didn't quite explain! Not to worry though...the debate was helpful, lively and respectful, and we ended up with a decent policy, even if it wasn't the one I would have ideally chosen.<br /><br />By this time I was cheery, but also knackered....so I stayed for the first bit of the hustings for GPEX (a few contested elections this year, at least) and then took my leave. Substantially less grumpy than when I had arrived, and buoyed up about the possibilities for the Party in the coming two years.<br /><br />Make no mistake, we face an uphill struggle. Even standing still in the Euros will be a test, let alone gaining seats for the excellent Rupert Read and Peter Cranie. But before this Conference, I would have said it wasn't possible. After it....I dare to dream. <br /><br />Matt Sellwood<br />(a grassroots member finally after seven years, and it feels good!)Matt Sellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03065263755893515703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-69668684956875887822008-09-06T08:45:00.000-07:002008-09-06T09:07:14.457-07:00Regional Tables, PR and Fundraising- So far, grumble grumble, I don't like the venue for conference this year. I'm not going to say I hate it, since, well, buildings have feelings. But in past conferences, there's been a cafe with food in the building. And, in the plenary hall, we've had tables for people to meet others from their region, and we don't this year. The plenary tables seem to be, especially, a good way for Young Greens to network. Bring back the regional tables, and I'll turn my frown upside down!<br /><br />- I had an interesting chat with the "Unlock Democracy" stall about PR. I asked if people who had more PR than England (i.e. in England, we only vote PR for Euro elections) favour PR for Westminster. He didn't know. It's something to look into. Their steering group has Labour, Lib Dem and Green members, but the Tories seem to show nada/no/zilch interest in PR. To secure PR in Westminster elections, or at least in all local elections (not just in Scotland), we're going to have to rely on the Lib Dems and a hung parliament (i.e. using a promise of PR in local elections to secure their support in a coalition government, whether that is Lib Dem-Tory, or Lib-Lab). PR in local elections in Scotland has led to 8 local Green councillors in Glasgow and Edinburgh combined.<br /><br />- The report from our Treasurer was interesting this morning. Don't get me wrong. Khalid Hussenbux has been a star. But, due to some penetrating questions about the "Westminster Fund," it came to light that the party has hired a fundraiser as an independent contractor. There will be a five-person panel set up to scrutinise any donations proposed/accepted, but there has been (by whom?) a decision not to elect people to this panel, and the fellow is already employed without a panel put in place. The idea is to raise a substantial amount of money from people who are not currently members. This is a great idea! Our entire elections budget is the same as what the Tories spend in one target constitutency! We need more fundz to be able to secure 4 MEPs and 2 MPs over the next 2 years. But, there had been no detail in the entire report from GPEX and in the Treasurer's report specifically. Fundraising needs to be more transparent. Heck, if this had been more widely known, it could motivate grassroots members who feel the party needs more funds to compete on a more equal playing field.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-56564872396942650832008-09-06T08:14:00.000-07:002008-09-06T08:31:50.067-07:00Things I've not yet blogged aboutThe last two days have been a bit hectic and more importantly it's been difficult to blog - I'll try to sort that out. Just to fill you in on a few things I've not yet discussed;<br /><br />- The leadership hustings (which seems weird to discuss now the election's over) including great speeches by Adrian and Caroline and a disappointingly... strange... speech from Ashley who hasn't quite recovered from telling the world on his blog that he wanted to have dinner with Hitler and his subsequent inability to explain <span style="font-style: italic;">why</span>.<br /><br />- Women only meetings. Almost the first thing to happen at conference was a dispute about two women only meetings that are timetabled for today and tomorrow. This is the women in name group (which is a caucus for women in the party) which starts in less than an hour and the launch of "Green Party Women" tomorrow afternoon.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sharar</span> Ali, well known face and dapper gent of the party, put it to conference that as an open and inclusive party the Greens should not be excluding members from any meetings it holds at conference. It was one thing to say groups should have a right to get together but another to say that a members conference <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">was</span> not entirely open to the members attending.<br /><br />Rupert Read and Molly Scott Cato gave good speeches on the rights of groups to have their own space and organise <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">separately</span> at times - in the wider context of the wider party.<br /><br />However I think it was Hazel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Dawe</span> who swung the crowd when she got up and argued that she had not got involved with the women's group precisely because she felt it excluded members. she felt that the "concrete ceiling" in society that presented a barrier to women's advancement did not exist in the Greens, who, in her words, "promote and enable women".<br /><br />I surprised even myself by abstaining in this vote after hearing the argument and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Shahrar</span> (who is standing for the equality and diversity post in the party) won the day my a small, but healthy, margin. So today's meeting will remain women only - as that is established practice in the group - but the launch of the new group would not exclude men, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">particularly</span> as their would be an associate membership category for supporters.<br /><br />I still haven't convinced myself either way on this but I'm really glad the debate was raised.<br /><br />- Much more importantly I was given a 9/11 truth movement leaflet on my way in to conference. It boldly proclaimed that if I dismissed David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Icke</span> I would be dismissing the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">entirety</span> of quantum physics - which sounds like something I do not want to do. Actually, unlike the US party the UK Greens are mercifully free from this sort of rubbish and it really stood out that this was a lone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">leafletteer</span> on the fringes of the party with no support or resonance among the members.<br /><br />- Lastly I'll just mention Jean Lambert who I think is a massively overlooked resource in the party. Not <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">because</span> she's a hard working <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MEP</span> who does tremendous trade union and refugee work in particular, but because her speech <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">opening</span> conference praised Hugo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Chevez</span>, talked of the need for a global vision for a global city (in this case London) and denounced eloquently the "liberalisation" of public services, the arms trade, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">BNP</span>. Her whole approach was probably best summed up in the way she tackled GM.<br /><br />She didn't talk about mutant plants or messing with nature she talked about GM being about corporate power and that we have to oppose them to both protect <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">diversity</span> and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">livelihoods</span> of the most vulnerable around the world.<br /><br />What a star.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-49461554246355380182008-09-06T07:49:00.000-07:002008-09-06T08:13:30.733-07:00Progressive taxation: maximum wage?There's been some really interesting debates taking place so I'm playing catch up here - but I'll try to get round to everything that others don't cover *eventually*.<br /><br />Just come out of the first session voting on substantive policy (rather than agreeing end of term reports, conference agenda, etc.). Motions are prioritised by members' ballot so the items that most members are interested in discussing comes first in the agenda, it's part of a really interesting set of systems that allow members more control over their conference than any other party.<br /><br />First motion was proposed by London's MEP Jean Lambert and was on trade union reps in the workplace. This is one of those motions that essentially has complete consensus and there isn't even a speech against.<br /><br />Talking about the right of trade unionists for proper facility time it also describes the rights of workers to determine the policies and standards in their workplace - which includes the establishment of environmental reps who would have powers equal to those of health and safety reps.<br /><br />With some unions going greener and greener it's important we find ways to empower those rank and file trade unionists in the workplace to make their place of work safe and environmentally sound.<br /><br />Which brings us on the second motion in the batch and one that was slightly more controversial. The ominously named CO2 motion (in that it came second in section C) Pete Murray put forward his proposals for a minimum/maximum wage.<br /><br />In fact the title does not do the motion justice as it also makes important points about the European working time directive and for the increasing of the UK's minimum wage in accordance with Europe's decency threshold - all good stuff and undisputed. But it's when we come to the concept of a maximum wage (or 100% taxation rate as the motion puts it) that there was more dispute.<br /><br />Darren Johnson, one of our London AM's who won the backing of the FBU with his campaign for a decent living wage for fire station cleaners, put forward an amendment taking out the maximum and replacing it with a more general call for progressive taxation, ie a tough new top rate of tax that would levy perhaps 70 or 80% taxation on the highest earners.<br /><br />There were good points made on both sides but personally I was in favour of the amendment. As Johnson said a 100% is completely pointless in that previous attempts have found simply massive scale avoidance that rendered the rate fruitless and brought in no revenue.<br /><br />I had been considering speaking to this but in the end it wasn't necessary. If I had spoken, this is roughly what I would have said. That a maximum wage does nothing that progressive taxation plus judicious use of windfall taxes does not do more effectively. Whilst the Green Party certainly does need a clearer economic policy - and I think the Green New Deal is part of developing that - a maximum wage is a sledgehammer rather than a sophisticated tool.<br /><br />It's actually simpler to use the formulation that if you earn more you pay a greater proportion of your income as tax. As a propaganda tool that can pressure the powers that be a maximum wage is pointless, a call for a just taxation system does not. When the row about the ten pence tax rate erupted it was because it was patently obvious that doubling the amount of tax the lowest paid in the country pay was completely unfair.<br /><br />The work Darren and others have done in boosting the wages of the lowest paid is the best and most positive message to send out there - and an example we can follow right now. A maximum wage policy that would require a green party government to enact is simply abstract propaganda that wouldn't win over even one soul to the cause of fighting the corner of the lowest paid.<br /><br />Having said that once the amendment passed (taking out the maximum wage) we were left with a very good and worthwhile motion which passed without any problem what-so-ever. Just to hammer the point home this was then followed by passing policy on the right to rent for those who've houses have been repossessed and free school meals that would ensure a <span style="font-style: italic;">"minimum requirement that all children are provided free of charge with a balanced, nutritious lunch including local and organic non-GM food, free from additives."</span><br /><br />Good session.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-45033949353825056602008-09-05T12:18:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:39:40.212-07:00"A Challenge to the membership of the Green Party of England and Wales..."Conference attracts leafletteers. Some of these leafletteers are special. This from an anti-Lucas leaflet published by the "Whole Truth Coalition":<div><blockquote>And before you simply dismiss David Icke (whom the Green Party "establishment" likes to demonise, please consider that in doing so you'd be refuting the findings of modern Quantum Physics and a mass of political and historical evidence, plus the collective knowledge and wisdom of the indigenous peoples around the world who have oral traditions going back thousands of years.</blockquote>The leaflet, written by a disgruntled individual who left the party for fear of a leadership plot, warned members against the dangers of Lucas' "establishment" values.</div><div><br /></div><div>I find this distinctly encouraging. Importantly, because it's written by an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">ex</span>-member; the lunatic fringe has left the party. We've long had trouble presenting ourselves as a sane and sensible option for voters, partially because of conspiraloons like the Whole Truth Coalition. Now they're actively against us, it'll be easier to shed that image.</div>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14772876227046527350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-16865107364997544132008-09-05T12:14:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:36:18.986-07:00Leadership election results!The results are in and the Green Party of England and Wales has it's first ever leader and deputy leader.<div><br /></div><div>On a turnout of 37.9% (up from 20% for the principal speaker posts last year) of the 7,565 members I can announced that the results are as follows;</div><div><br /></div><div>For leader;</div><div><br /></div><div>Caroline Lucas 2,559</div><div>Ashley Gunstock 210</div><div><br /></div><div>And for deputy;</div><div><br /></div><div>Adrian Ramsay 2,785 </div><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations to the candidates. In her acceptance speech Caroline spoke of the "honour and responsibility" leading the party in a period when there is "such a vacuum in the mainstream parties" who have no answers for the extra-ordinary problems facing the world today. </div><div><br /></div><div>Green politics she said was essential to counter "the politics of paralysis".</div><div><br /></div><div>Ashley, conceding defeat gave warm praise to his opponent. He also described himself as a "Green Party member and will do my best to make the leadership work - but you never know I might be back."</div><div><br /></div><div>Adrian Ramsay, accepting the post of deputy leader said that up until this point he had been concentrating on building the party in Norwich but we were gaining ground all over the country. Adrian left us with the thought that son we'd have seats in Parliament and the opportunity to put policies into practice.</div>Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-27778746268754962082008-09-05T01:17:00.000-07:002008-09-05T01:21:08.519-07:00Charles Clarke and Adrian Ramsay - watch Monday's space...Has it honestly not occured to Charles Clarke that what is needed is not a change of Leader in the Labour Party, but a huge change of policy-direction?<br />Here in Norwich [from when I am setting off in 30 minutes for Conference...], in Charles Clarke's own seat, the Labour Party is in free-fall, in 4th place in the seat [at this year's local elections], while the Green Party is in first place. Our experience on the doorstep suggests that this is not because of Gordon Brown nor even because of Charles Clarke -- it is because voters are fed up with New Labour, and want a real change; so they are flocking our way.<br />Perhaps this is why Mr. Clarke has spoken out so dramatically: because he is now seriously worried that he will lose his own seat. But his prescription for how to save his own skin will not work: under any Leader, Labour is now a Party on the way out. It's the policies (as well as the economy), stupid...<br />All this adds a piquancy to Adrian Ramsay's acceptance speech as our Deputy Leader (assuming that he isn't beaten by RON - a safe assumption...), on Monday. I am reliably informed (i.e. by Adrian!) that a well-rounded and full-on challenge to Mr. Clarke will form a backbone of his speech...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-44184360794238130142008-09-03T06:27:00.000-07:002008-09-03T14:38:31.037-07:00Leadership's time comesIt's good to be back with a Green Despatch...<br /><br />I concur with Jim's sentiments. This is a <span style="font-style: italic;">historic </span>Green Party Conference; there's no other way -- no better way -- to describe it. [See my recent Total Politics post on the meaning of this Conference, <a href="http://www.totalpolitics.com/blogs/campaignsblog.php/2008/08/27/green-party-inaugural-leadership-contest">here</a>]<br /><br />Those of you who have read my recent 'Daily Politico' entry on the <a href="http://b.tinyurl.com/66bbrv">Total Politics site</a> will already be aware of how much this whole Leadership thing has meant to me... Now is our chance to start to make it work. I expect that the first-ever Leader's speech will be full-to-capacity, over-subscribed; when was the last time that that happened at our Party Conference?<br /><br />There's something happening here, and what exactly it is will pretty soon become clear... I can't wait!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587249547533876646.post-85138865124007539812008-09-02T12:18:00.000-07:002008-09-02T14:10:58.414-07:00Historic Green Party Conference Starts This Friday<span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes, and we're bloggin</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nYzLjNEUdPk/SL2pQYvh8UI/AAAAAAAAB54/C1AofIuRC_s/s1600-h/gp_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nYzLjNEUdPk/SL2pQYvh8UI/AAAAAAAAB54/C1AofIuRC_s/s200/gp_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241531640313934146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">g it!</span><br /><br />From this Friday (until Monday) <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/nextconference">Green Party conference</a> will be taking place in SOAS, in London for the first time in more than ten years.<br /><br />That's not why it's historic though - it's going to see the election of the Party's first ever leader and deputy leader in its history.<br /><br />There's also lots of other conference business of course fringes, voting, debate, plenaries and lots of discussions and mingling in the cafes and bars.<br /><br />You can read the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/files/conference/2008/Timetable_AutumnConf_2008SOAS.pdf">timetable</a> and the <a href="http://www.greenparty.org.uk/files/conference/2008/Autumn_2008_final_agenda_webvsn.pdf">agenda</a> at the Party website.<br /><br />Over the next week and a bit you'll be able to read posts here from members of the party attending the cofnerence. These include Lewisham councillor Sue Luxton (who's also on the conference arrangements committee so it wilol be interesting to hear the insider gossip), prospective MEP Rupert Read, LSE student leader Aled Fisher, and myself Jim Jepps - and many others - we hope!<br /><br />Stayed tuned.Jim Jeppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.com5