Corbyn Victory Makes Role of Greens More Important

Leading Greens Caroline Lucas and Natalie Bennett have welcomed the victory of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.

These are very interesting times.

We Greens will continue to have more influence outside Labour than we would have within - we need a distinct voice on Climate Change, the most important issue of our age. Caroline Lucas has held out the hand of partnership to Jeremy and we wish the labour left well, but they still have a massive mountain to climb in the face of an overwhelmingly right wing PLP and councillor base.

The Green surge was partly responsible for Jeremy's rise IMO, with the raising of left green policies to debate in the election and engagement of a new generation. Now Greens must continue to use our leverage to push for commitments on electoral reform and climate change. This is crucial, as without electoral reform, if the establishment manage to defeat or more likely sabotage the Corbyn movement to reclaim Labour from the Blairite cuckoos it will be back to neo-liberal business as usual. With electoral reform Tory majority governments will hopefully be a thing of the past (24% of the electorate and falling?) and radical left and green views will be much much harder to push to the margins where FPTP and neo-liberal "consensus" in the corporate media have managed to contain them for so long. The left wing lever that the Greens, and to some extent the SNP and Plaid have applied to Labour can be continued and strengthened and a progressive alliance will be able to take on the Tories and their corporatist backers effectively across all the country and all its diverse sections.

If we play this right we can park our ecosocialist tanks on the lawns of the establishment and the corpocracy and build the kind of Parliamentary/extra parliamentary alliance that is required for the next stage....This will not be easy, mind. The ruling class can see the threat. Expect dirty tricks from the corporate media/foreign and domestic intelligence services.....

The fact that Caroline Lucas and the SNP and Plaid may now be able to attack the Tory Corporatist agenda in concert with a Labour Party Front Bench is immensely encouraging however.  The fightback just stepped up a gear.  A key aspect of the coming period will be to unite forces on the ground to fight things like fracking, Trident replacement and the anti-trade union bill.  There is everything to play for.

"Rise like lions out of slumber, 
Ye are many, they are few...."

Three excellent books to read to understand politics before the election

Three books are doing very well in the bookshops at the moment in the run up to the General Election in the UK on 7 May.  This is a really good thing if it means people are getting a more accurate view of the issues and the system we face than that offered by the supine (oligarch owned and controlled) media and the muck-raking tabloids.

The three books are the paperback versions of Owen Jones The Establishment - and how they get away with it and Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything  and finally Caroline Lucas' account of her time as an MP since being elected as the sole Green MP in the UK in 2010 - Honourable Friends

I urge anyone wanting to prime themselves about the big questions facing us, the obstacles the establishment throw in the way of even the most modest attempts at change and the absolute necessity of quite radical and far reaching change to read these three books before they vote!

Big Green Comedy Gig

Some big comedy names lined up for this gig supportive of the campaign to re-elect Caroline Lucas.

Vote Green 2015

New book: VOTE GREEN IN 2015

Green Party Included In Election Book Series

The Green Party is pleased to announce its inclusion in the Why Vote book series, aimed at introducing the general reader to party policies ahead of the general election 2015. In the Greens’ edition, out on 29 January, Deputy Leader Shahrar Ali has recruited some of the Greens’ leading thinkers and activists to explore how the party provides a credible left-wing alternative to Labour in 2015. 

Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly Member said: 

“Green politics in the UK has been gaining rapid momentum in recent times. Membership and public support for the party is growing and voting Green is becoming a viable option for more and more people. Read Why Vote Green 2015 to find out what makes the Green Party tick and what its vision for the future looks like.” 

Among the contributors are Molly Scott Cato Green MEP for the South West on Economy, Sarah Cope, Chair of Green Party Women on Women's Politics, Deputy Leader Amelia Womack on Young People and Politics, Adam Ramsay on Constitutional Reform, and former Labour minister Tony Clarke on International Affairs. 

Baroness Jenny Jones, writing of the three crises in the Foreword, said: 

“Increasing numbers of people are mobilising against climate change. Increasing numbers of people reject the austerity agenda. Increasing numbers of people see the inadequacies in our political system. These people often think that all the parties are the same and that there is no one to vote for. Fortunately, they are wrong. The Green Party sees the crises clearly and has the policies to address all three of them.” 

Shahrar Ali, Green Party Deputy Leader and editor of Why Vote Green 2015 said: 

“It’s vital for Greens to be included at every turn, from the leader debates to an election book series. I feel proud to share with you our party’s key policies, commitments and ambitions in the voice of some of our leading spokespersons and activists. Why Vote Green 2015 creates a compelling case for the Greens as a party of government.” 

Dame Vivienne Westwood said: 

“There’s absolutely no other choice but Green. The others are all the same.” 

NOTES 

1. Full list of chapters and contributors: Foreword – Jenny Jones, Green Values - Shahrar Ali, Climate Change - David Flint, Economy - Molly Scott Cato, Education – Martin Francis, Women’s Politics – Sarah Cope, Welfare – Noel Lynch, Home Affairs – Peter Cranie, Young People and Politics – Amelia Womack, Constitutional Reform – Adam Ramsay, Housing – Tom Chance, Transport – Caroline Russell, Environment – Shasha Khan, International Affairs – Tony Clarke, Animals – Caroline Allen.

2. Why Vote Green 2015 https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/why-vote-green-2015

New Version of Green Left Website

Green Left  (The anticapitalist current in the Green Party of England and Wales) have an excellent new Website up and running that can be found here - Green Left
Meanwhile the elections are on for the leader and deputy leader of the Green Party with some very good candidates such as Peter, Romayne, Will, Richard and Alex.  Good luck to all of them.

Green Progress

A good Green showing in local elections across the country and excellent Green Party progress in Norwich and Brighton in the face of sustained attack from both Labour and Conservatives and feeble rearguard action from the tarnished Lib Dems:

Norwich results


Brighton Results

A shame about the AV referendum , but with FPTP voting for the foreseeable future the Greens, especially in England, now carry much hope and responsibility as the untarnished left-of-centre alternative in areas where the Lib Dems are crumbling and Labour are vulnerable or unable to make headway. Join us!

5th May - Say YES! (And Vote Green if you get the opportunity!)

On 5th May there is the opportunity to make a small change in the UK's voting system. However, if the vote is no this will be presented by the whole media and establishment as showing that there is no appetite for any change from First Past The Post in UK general elections and Proportional Representation will be off the agenda for possibly a political generation. Anyone who wants PR should vote YES to AV.

The Tories are changing the boundaries for elections so that they will get even more of an advantage under FPTP - Labour votes are concentrated in urban areas and the North - Tory voters are more spread out in rural and suburban zones and the South. The new boundaries will mean more seats fall to the Tories or become "Safe" Tory seats. AV would at least balance this change.

Some have been arguing that progressives and the left should vote No to "spite Clegg" in the hope this will cause the Lib Dems to leave the coalition or some such unlikely "Turkeys Voting for Christmas" scenario. Putting aside that voting YES is likely to "spite Cameron" and upset the Tories - (the Organ Grinders rather than the irritating monkeys!) - it seems to me that basing your vote on a change (that could lay the ground for further change, will be fairer and allow more of a clear picture of smaller party support) on personal animosity and short term vengeance seems to me politically immature to say the least.

So, Vote YES, and if you can - vote Green, and elect local councillors with principle who will not be mouthpieces for the Coalition vandals.

Peter Allen Presents The Green Challenge In Oldham East And Saddleworth

Peter Allen is the Green candidate in Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election on 13th January and is standing on a radical Green platform opposing cuts and redundancies and for left of centre unity. Peter is gaining support from many traditional Labour and Lib Dem supporters in the face of the scandal which led to the by-election and the craven surrender to Toryism of the Orange Bookers in the "Coalition". In addition, various campaigns and parties of the left who are not standing in the by-election are giving their support to Peter.
This is all very welcome, and Greenman sends his best wishes and support to Peter's campaign.
More from the local Party website for Oldham Green Party here:
http://www.oldhamgreens.org.uk/#/about-peter-allen/4546565953
Vote Green - The real alternative!

Caroline Lucas - Magnificent On "Any Questions?"

Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party and newly elected MP for the Brighton Pavilion constituency was on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? this week with Douglas Hurd, Simon Hughes and Roy Hattersley. Caroline came over brilliantly, was cheered to the rafters by the audience and was praised by the other guests. She also clearly got over the Green Party's radical left of centre position and how it contrasts very strongly with the big three and their shoddy compromises.
Enjoy!
BBC Iplayer recording here
I hope Party Office have a got a good supply of new members' packs in !

Trident Replacement?

We have yet to hear, but I guess we might hear very little now from the Lib Dems in coalition government about opposition to Trident replacement. Their policy was a little like their Iraq war policy in any case (They opposed the war until it started , then "supported our boys", whilst loudly trumpeting at subsequent elections that they had been the "anti-war party". For Lib Dems anti-war presumably means until it starts then.) They said they were anti- Trident replacement, to win the anti-nuclear and peace vote and to be seen to be making savings, whilst quietly saying that they were really interested in a "cheaper alternative". So that is alright then - Lib Dems are only in favour of cheap weapons of mass destruction.
Nevertheless, the Lib Dems policy in the election campaign (presumably now quietly dropped) launched a lot of anguished shrieking about "deterrence" in a world of dangers from the big two establishment parties and the establishment media.
I had this thought the other day about the so called "Deterrence" argument.
The argument for deterrence implies that your potential enemies must be convinced that if attacked, your country will respond with devastating nuclear force. However, anyone who would launch a nuclear attack potentially killing and maiming millions of people would be by definition a war criminal and by implication a genocidal maniac and sociopath. So an ememy must be convinced that your defence is in the hands of genocidal maniacs. And the only way you could really convince their intelligence services of this would be to have people in post who were indistinguishable from such maniacs - such that *no-one* could tell whether they were or not. Otherwise deterrence would not be credible. So in effect, deterrence means handing over your defence to genocidal maniacs - the sort of people who might launch a nuclear attack in any number of circumstances! I do not think most people realise this implication and think this would be a very scary realisation for most people, if they really thought about it.
(Although of course, the British Independent Nuclear "Deterrent" is neither fully British, Independent or a Deterrent - how do you deter suicidal terrorists?)
With the importance the British establishment places on "British" nuclear weapons, one wonders how most of the countries of the world can live from day to day, being in constant fear of nuclear attack or blackmail as they must be, "unprotected" by "their own" nukes? Or then again, perhaps they are not in constant fear, save a lot of money and do not live with expensive and redundant Imperial hangups.......

The new political landscape

This is written shortly after the final non-postponed result from the British general election came through, so is a first response, things may change and develop over the next days and weeks.

The Green Party of England and Wales have made a truly historic breakthrough. On a night where all left and progressive forces suffered dramatic setbacks and most minor parties of any complexion failed to make much progress, GPEW saw the election of the first Green MP - Caroline Lucas, the new MP for Brighton Pavilion. I pay tribute to the hard work and determination of Caroline and my fellow Greens in achieving this. We were forced by the unfair electoral system to focus massively on just three seats. The relatively poor results of many of the other Green candidates are probably related to this (along with "Cleggmania", tactical voting and the higher turnout for the main parties). Nevertheless, it paid off and the Green Party now has an unprecedented platform for growth and political advance as well as Caroline having the opportunity to offer real help to the people of Brighton.

Another reason for celebration on the night was the wreck of the hopes of the fascists in Barking and Dagenham - not only failing to take a seat, but losing all their council seats in the concurrent local election as well!
The broader picture is still uncertain, (though we can be certain that whichever combination of the establishment parties takes power, we - the ordinary working people, students, disabled, pensioners etc are going to be asked to pay for the banker's and governments errors and greed). But the hung parliament situation opens up a vista of opportunities and threats.

There is the potential, perhaps, for the rise of a broad based movement to demand political change encompassing at the very least electoral reform and an elected second chamber. We will see over the coming days whether existing large internet based campaigns can begin to be translated into street protest.

The position of the Liberal Democrats means that they are asked to bring about electoral reform or suffer the consequences - whoever they ally with, the exposed and compromised position this will put them in may lead to them getting battered at the next election (that may be sooner rather than later). Any alliance with the Tories will be a great driver of Lib Dem voters and supporters into the arms of the Greens, the Welsh and Scottish Parties and/or Labour. An alliance with Labour will likely split off part of the Lib Dems' suppport to the right.

Meanwhile the international sovereign debt crisis rumbles on accompanied by calls from various representatives of the global elite for governments to make the workers pay. The most extreme example of this is currently in Greece. The resolution and even trajectory of that conflict remains in the balance.

Those on the green and progressive left in Britain must keep their wits about them and seek to rally all the defensive potential of workplace and community organisations - unions and associations - for the inevitable coming stuggles. In comparable situations in the 1970s there was significant risk of covert or even overt action by the secret state and more extreme elements of the ruling class (the Wilson plot, private armies etc etc) Though the risk of this may be less in the absence of them facing or fearing any comparable major organised threats from the left or workers organisation, we still need to be on our guard and remember that in mobilising and organising for the inevitably necessary defence of jobs, services and pensions we are also drawing together those forms and forces (trades councils, workplace organisation, local networks) that will be essential defensive and offensive bodies if elements of the ruling class begin to reach for more repressive and "permanent" solutions to the problems of their system. We do not know how severe the economic crisis may become and into what startegies and tactics this may drive some of those who seek to maintain or build their power over the rest of us.

In the short term we must give practical solidarity to those workers and others already moving into dispute and conflict with the employers and the state.

Good luck to that small band of radicals and progressives that have managed to get elected to Parliament - Caroline Lucas, John McDonnell and a few others - let us hope they can cooperate to give a Parliamentary voice to the opposition to the neo-liberal consensus on who is going to be made to pay for the crisis and the best ways to approach the Climate Emergency.

There is much work to be done!

Where You Can Vote Green This Week!

South West Region (Green Party of England and Wales)
Bath Eric Lucas
Bridgwater and West Somerset Charles Graham
Bristol East Glenn Vowles
Bristol North West Alex Dunn
Bristol South Cllr. Charlie Bolton
Bristol West Ricky Knight
Camborne and Redruth Euan McPhee
Central Devon Colin Matthews
Chippenham Samantha Fletcher
Devizes Mark Fletcher
East Devon Sharon Pavey
Exeter Cllr. Paula Black
Filton and Bradley Stoke Jon Lucas
Forest of Dean James Greenwood
Gloucester Bryan Meloy
Kingswood Nick Foster
Newton Abbot Corinne Lindsey
North Devon L'Anne Knight
North Dorset Anna Hayball
North East Somerset Michael Jay
North Swindon John Hughes
North Wiltshire Phil Chamberlain
Plymouth, Moor View Wendy Miller
Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport Tony Brown
Salisbury Nick Startin
South Dorset Brian Heatley
South East Cornwall Roger Creagh-Osborne
South Swindon Jenni Miles
South West Devon Vaughan Brean
St Ives Tim Andrewes
Stroud Cllr. Martin Whiteside
Tewkesbury Matthew Sidford
The Cotswolds Kevin Lister
Tiverton and Honiton Cathy Connor
Torbay Sam Moss
Torridge and West Devon Cathrine Simmons
Totnes Lydia Somerville
Truro and Falmouth Ian Wright
Wells Chris Briton
West Dorset Cllr. J. Susan Greene

South East Region
Ashford Steve Campkin
Banbury Alastair White
Beaconsfield Jem Bailey
Bracknell David Young
Brighton, Kemptown Ben Duncan
Brighton, Pavilion Caroline Lucas
Canterbury Geoff Meaden
Chatham and Aylesford Dave Arthur
Chesham and Amersham Nick Wilkins
Crawley Phil Smith
East Worthing and Shoreham Susan Board
Fareham Peter Doggett
Faversham and Mid Kent Tim Valentine
Folkestone and Hythe Penny Kemp
Gillingham and Rainham Trish Marchant
Gosport Claire Smith
Gravesham Richard Crawford
Henley Mark Stevenson
Horsham Nick Fitter
Hove Cllr. Ian Davey
Isle of Wight Bob Keats
Lewes Susan Murray
Maidenhead Peter Forbes
Maidstone and The Weald Stuart Jeffery
Mid Sussex Cllr. Paul Brown
Milton Keynes North Cllr. Alan Francis
Milton Keynes South Katrina Deacon
Mole Valley Rob Sedgwick
New Forest East Beverley Golden
New Forest West Janet Richards
Newbury Adrian Hollister
Oxford East Sushila Dhall
Oxford West and Abingdon Chris Goodall
Portsmouth North Dr. Iain Maclennan
Portsmouth South Tim Dawes
Reading East Rob White
Reading West Adrian Windisch
Reigate Jonathan Essex
Rochester and Strood Simon Marchant
Runnymede and Weybridge Jenny Gould
Slough Miriam Kennet
South West Surrey Cherry Allan
Southampton, Itchen John Spottiswoode
Southampton, Test Chris Bluemel
Tonbridge and Malling Steve Dawe
Tunbridge Wells Hazel Dawe
Wantage Adam Twine
Wealden Cllr. David Jonas
Windsor Derek Wall
Witney Stuart MacDonald
Wokingham Marjory Bisset
Worthing West David Aherne

London
Barking Jayne Forbes
Battersea Guy Evans
Beckenham Ann Garrett
Bermondsey and Old Southwark Tom Chance
Bethnal Green and Bow Farid Bakht
Bexleyheath and Crayford Adrian Ross
Brent Central Dr. Shahrar Ali
Brent North Martin Francis
Brentford and Isleworth John Hunt
Bromley and Chislehurst Roisin Robertson
Camberwell and Peckham Jenny Jones
Carshalton and Wallington George Dow
Chelsea and Fulham Julia Caroline Stephenson
Chingford and Woodford Green Lucy Craig
Chipping Barnet Kate Tansley
Cities of London and Westminster Dr. Derek Chase
Croydon Central Bernice Golberg
Croydon North Shasha Khan
Croydon South Gordon Ross
Dagenham and Rainham Debbie Rosaman
Dulwich and West Norwood Shane Collins
Ealing Central and Acton Sarah Edwards
Ealing North Christopher Warleigh-Lack
Ealing, Southall Suneil Basu
East Ham Judy Maciejowska
Edmonton Jack Johnson
Eltham Arthur Hayles
Enfield North Bill Linton
Enfield, Southgate Peter Krakowiak
Erith and Thamesmead Marek Powley
Feltham and Heston Elizabeth Anstis
Finchley and Golders Green Donald Lyven
Greenwich and Woolwich Andy Hewett
Hackney North and Stoke Newington Matt Sellwood
Hackney South and Shoreditch Polly Lane
Hammersmith Rollo Miles West Central
Hampstead and Kilburn Beatrix Campbell
Harrow East Madeleine Atkins
Harrow West Rowan Langley
Hayes and Harlington Jessica Lee
Hendon Andrew Newby
Holborn and St Pancras Natalie Bennett
Hornchurch and Upminster Melanie Collins
Hornsey and Wood Green Pete McAskie
Ilford North Caroline Allen
Ilford South Wilson Chowdhry
Islington North Emma Dixon
Islington South and Finsbury James Humphreys
Kensington Melan-Zahra Ebrahimi-Fardouee
Kingston and Surbiton Chris Walker
Lewisham East Priscilla Cotterell
Lewisham West and Penge Romayne Phoenix
Lewisham, Deptford Darren Johnson
Leyton and Wanstead Ashley Gunstock
Mitcham and Morden Smarajit Roy
Old Bexley and Sidcup Jonathan Rooks
Orpington Tamara Galloway
Poplar and Limehouse Chris Smith
Putney Bruce Mackenzie
Richmond Park James Page
Romford Gerry Haines
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner Graham Lee
Streatham Rebecca Findlay
Sutton and Cheam Peter Hickson
Tooting Roy Vickery
Tottenham Anne Gray
Twickenham Stephen Roest
Uxbridge and South Ruislip Mike Harling
Vauxhall Joseph Healy
Walthamstow Daniel Perrett
West Ham Jane Lithgow
Westminster North Tristan Smith
Wimbledon Rajeev Thacker

Wales
Brecon and Radnorshire Dorienne Robinson
Cardiff Central Sam Coates
Cardiff North Christopher von Ruhland
Cardiff South and Penarth Matt Townsend
Cardiff West Jake Griffiths
Ceredigion Leila Kiersch
Monmouth Stephen Millson
Newport West Pippa Bartolotti
Pontypridd John Matthews
Swansea East Tony Young
Swansea West Keith M Ross
Torfaen Cllr. Owen Clarke
Vale of Glamorgan Rhodri Thomas

West Midlands
Aldridge-Brownhills Karl MacNaughton
Birmingham, Edgbaston Phil Simpson
Birmingham, Ladywood Peter Beck
Birmingham, Northfield Susan Pearce
Birmingham, Selly Oak James Burn
Coventry North West Justin Wood
Coventry South Stephen Gray
Kenilworth and Southam James Harrison
Ludlow Jacqui Morrish
Meriden Dr. Elly Stanton West Midands
Mid Worcestershire Cllr. Gordon Matthews
North Herefordshire Felicity Norman
North Shropshire Steve Boulding
Redditch Kevin White
Rugby Roy Sandison
Shrewsbury and Atcham Alan Whittaker
Stafford Mike Shone
Stone Damon Hoppe
Stourbridge Will Duckworth
Stratford-on-Avon Karen Varga
Sutton Coldfield Joe Rooney
Warwick and Leamington Ian Davison
West Worcestershire Cllr. Malcolm Victory
Worcester Louis Stephen

East Midlands
Broxtowe David Mitchell
Chesterfield Duncan Kerr
Daventry Steve Whiffen
Derbyshire Dales Josh Stockell
Erewash Lee Fletcher
High Peak Peter Allen
Leicester East Mo Taylor
Leicester South Dave Dixey
Leicester West Geoff Forse
Northampton North Anthony Lochmuller
Northampton South Julie Hawkins
Nottingham East Benjamin Hoare
Nottingham South Matthew Butcher
Rushcliffe Cllr. G. Richard Mallender
South Holland and The Deepings Ashley Baxter
South Northamptonshire Marcus Rock
Wellingborough Jonathan Hornett

East Anglia
Bedford Ben Foley
Braintree Daisy Blench
Brentwood and Ongar Jess Barnecutt
Broadland Susan Curran
Bury St Edmunds Mark Ereira-Guyer
Cambridge Tony Juniper
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Cllr. Andrew Stringer
Chelmsford Angela Thomson
Clacton Chris Southall
Colchester Peter Lynn
Epping Forest Simon Pepper
Great Yarmouth Laura Biggart
Harwich and North Essex Chris Fox
Hertsmere Arjuna Krishna-Das
Hitchin and Harpenden Richard Wise
Huntingdon John Clare
Ipswich Tim Glover
Luton North Simon Hall
Luton South Marc Scheimann
Mid Bedfordshire Malcolm Bailey
Mid Norfolk Timothy Birt
North East Hertfordshire Rosemary Bland
North Norfolk Cllr. Andrew Boswell
North West Norfolk Michael de Whalley
Norwich North Jessica Goldfinch
Norwich South Adrian Ramsay
Peterborough Fiona Radic
Rochford and Southend East Andrew Vaughan
Saffron Walden Reza Hossain
South Cambridgeshire Simon Saggers
South East Cambridgeshire Cllr. Simon Sedgwick-Jell
South Norfolk Jo Willcott
South West Norfolk Lori Allen
Southend West Barry Bolton
St Albans Jack Easton
Suffolk Coastal Rachel Fulcher
Watford Cllr Ian Brandon
Waveney Graham Elliott
Welwyn Hatfield Jill Weston
Witham Cllr. James Abbott

Yorkshire and Humberside
Batley and Spen Matt Blakeley
Beverley and Holderness Bill Rigby
Bradford West David Ford
Calder Valley Kate Sweeny
Colne Valley Chas Ball
Dewsbury Adrian Cruden
East Yorkshire Mike Jackson
Haltemprice and Howden Shan Oakes
Huddersfield Andrew Cooper
Kingston upon Hull North Martin Deane
Leeds North West Martin Hemingway
Leeds West David Blackburn
Richmond (Yorks) Leslie Rowe
Scarborough and Whitby Dilys Cluer
Scunthorpe Natalie Hurst
Sheffield Central Jillian Creasy
Sheffield, Hallam Steve Barnard
Sheffield, Heeley Gareth Roberts
Shipley Kevin Warnes
Wakefield Miriam Hawkins
York Central Andy Chase

North West
Barrow and Furness Dr. Chris Loynes
Bolton South East Alan Johnson
Bolton West Rachel Mann
Bury South George Heron
Carlisle John Reardon
City of Chester Tom Barker
Copeland Jill Perry
Fylde Philip Mitchell
Halton Jim Craig
Hyndburn Kerry Gormley
Lancaster and Fleetwood Gina Dowding
Liverpool, Riverside Tom Crone
Liverpool, Wavertree Rebecca Lawson
Macclesfield John Knight
Manchester Central Gayle O'Donovan
Manchester, Gorton Justine Hall
Manchester, Withington Brian Candeland
Morecambe and Lunesdale Cllr. Chris Coates
Stalybridge and Hyde Ruth Bergan
Stockport Peter Barber
Stretford and Urmston Margaret Westbrook
Warrington South Stephanie Davies
Weaver Vale Howard Thorp
West Lancashire Peter Cranie

North East
Gateshead Andy Redfern
Newcastle upon Tyne Central John Pearson
Newcastle upon Tyne East Andrew Gray
Newcastle upon Tyne North Anna Heyman
South Shields Shirley Ford
Tynemouth Julia Erskine
Wansbeck Nic Best

Northern Ireland
Castlereagh Martin Gregg
North Down Steven Agnew
South Down Cllr Cadogan Enright
South Belfast Adam McGibbon
Strangford Barbara Haig

Scotland (Scottish Green Party)
Aberdeen South Rhonda Reekie
Argyll and Bute Elaine Morrison
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Alis Ballance
Dundee East Shiona Baird
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow Kirsten Robb
East Lothian James Mackenzie
Edinburgh East Robin Harpur
Edinburgh North and Leith Kate Joester
Edinburgh South Steve Burgess
Edinburgh South West Clare Cooney
Glasgow Central Alistair Whitelaw
Glasgow North Martin Bartos
Glasgow North West Moira Crawford
Glasgow South Marie Campbell
Gordon Sue Edwards
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Donnie Macleod
Midlothian Ian Baxter
Ochil and South Perthshire Hilary Charles
Ross, Skye and Lochaber Eleanor Scott
Stirling Mark Ruskell

Well done to all these candidates for giving the voters a real choice - and good luck!

Matt Sellwood For Hackney North and Stoke Newington

A very good interview by my fellow ecosocialist and blogger Matt Sellwood on the Red Pepper site.

From the interview:

What are the issues that you are particularly interested in as a candidate?

My personal focus is on issues of economic equality, particularly given the appalling levels of inequality within Hackney North. I have worked particularly with the local Keep Our NHS public group, to oppose the egregious and continuing privatisation of our health service. I am also national spokesperson on housing for the Green Party, and do a lot of work on supporting investment in housing to create local employment, improve conditions and move modes of housing provision towards more cooperative models.

I am also passionate about withdrawal from Afghanistan. During the Iraq War I broke into RAF Fairford and sat on the runway to stop B-52 bombers taking off, and I’m only sorry that we couldn’t build a bigger movement of direct action at that time. The foreign policy of the Labour government over the last decade should, alone, be enough reason for socialists to abandon it immediately. It makes my blood boil.

More here

Good Luck Matt!

April 10th - We Won't Pay For Their Crisis!

There is a major demonstration scheduled for London on April 10th in the probable run up to the General Election - a general election where all 3 main pro-capitalist parties are signalling their intentions to make cuts in public services and welfare. The protest, originating in the National Pensioners Convention, is backed by all main unions, coaches are being organised by Trades Councils and union branches from most areas of Britain.
Assemble 12 noon for 1pm Temple Place, Embankment, London.
Rally in Trafalgar Square.
Lets show the politicians we are not going to pay for their incompetence and the bankers' gambling! Let us remind them that whoever is in power after the election, we are not going to let them reverse what remains of the gains made by working people in Britain since the Second World War.

The RMT's Bob Crow on the demo - here.

The Beginning Of A Long Struggle In Notts

Greens and Wobs from Nottinghamshire joined trades unionists, community campaigners, service users and members of left Parties in a protest against the forthcoming Notts County Council cuts programme on Saturday 20th February. The small but angry protest in Mansfield Market place appeared to attract a crowd of between 1 and 2 hundred (not bad for a small market town)but speakers were keen to stress that this is just the start of a campaign of resistance and protest against the Tory Council's attacks on jobs and services. The idea of a County wide anti-cuts campaign was floated, to work alongside the Trades Council and unite the various concerned groups.

A second protest is planned outside the Council budget agreement meeting at County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham on Thursday 25th at 10am.

The Independent newspaper had a headline earlier in the week that a survey conducted by them had shown at least 20,000 Council jobs across the country to be lost in the near future due to cuts programmes, and this is just the start. These cuts come whilst the main parties are gearing up for a general election and so are not as keen as they might be to be seen to be making deep cuts that affect public services. We can imagine what is to come after the general election.

Now is the time to build the links and solidarity, the organisation and communication between workers, campaigners and community groups that will be needed in the coming struggle.

Birmingham Greens Demonstrate Left Unity In Action

The Green Party in Birmingham has voted to stand aside for Salma Yaqoob in the coming Parliamentary elections, the Steering Group of Green Left has agreed the release of the following statement:

Green Left welcomes the decision of Birmingham Green Party to stand aside in the parliamentary constituency of Hall Green to let Salma Yaqoob of Respect contest the general election there. The decision, which was endorsed by 86% of Green Party members in the area, is another step in forming an alliance between those forces on the Left of British politics campaigning against war, privatisation, the ongoing march to environmental disaster and Fascism. We regard this as an historic step in the campaign for the next general election and for progressive politics in this country.


Joseph Healy

Sue Tibbles

Co-Convenors

Green Left

More from Joseph, Derek on Socialist Unity site and Jim at Daily (Maybe).

Green Billboards To Confront Labour in Brighton

Greens launch billboard campaign to run during Labour conference


The campaign for the Greens to win Brighton Pavilion stepped up a gear this week, with 14 billboards going up around Brighton and Hove, timed to coincide with the Labour Party conference in Brighton.

The billboard campaign has been devised by the Green Party's retained ad agency, glue London.

In the ads the Green Party's slogan for the Pavilion campaign - "Labour is old news in Brighton" - accompanies an image of a tired-looking Gordon Brown made out of newsprint. Other versions of the ad show Jack Straw and Peter Mandelson.

The advert observes that twice as many people in Brighton (31%) voted Green in the recent European elections as voted Labour (15%) - and that the Conservatives also finished far behind the Greens, on 22%.

The Greens' campaign director for Brighton Pavilion, Paul Steedman, said:

"We're going all out to win in Brighton Pavilion. Caroline Lucas is an exceptional candidate. We have hundreds of volunteers committed to helping the campaign. On the doorsteps, where it really counts, people are telling us that they're sick of Labour, that they don't trust Cameron, that they want the positive change we're offering."

"Rigorous Green policies for more jobs"

Caroline Lucas, candidate for Brighton Pavilion, said:

"I will be putting forward rigorous policies for more jobs, and better pay for nurses, cleaners and shopworkers, not just City slickers; for an NHS that doesn't leave people in Brighton - or anywhere else - without healthcare because they can't afford prescription charges or dental fees; for a rail network that works - and that people can actually afford to use. I will stand up for all of Brighton's communities, and we're going to show that politics can be about a fair deal for everyone."

Paul Steedman added:

"In Brighton Pavilion, it's a straight fight between the Greens and the Conservatives. Every election in the city since the last general election has demonstrated this. The Conservatives are desperate to stop a Lucas victory. They don't want the only female leader of a political party in parliament, breaking up their old boys club. The Conservatives say they'll hold a splashy 'primary' contest to grab headlines, but it will leave our broken political system unchanged.

"I'm confident Brighton voters will see through this charade to the slash-and-burn Conservative policy of service cuts that will apply, whoever they select."

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/imagelibrary/straw-billboard.jpg

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/imagelibrary/mandelson-billboard.jpg

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/imagelibrary/gordon-brighton-billboard.jpg

Green Electoral Victory In Scarborough

Green Party activist Nick Harvey, (who has done a lot of campaigning on issues like public transport in his area) has won a stunning by-election victory in the rural Hertford Ward of Scarborough Borough Council.

13/8/09 result:

GREEN, Nick Harvey, 894
Con 356
Ind 94

Turn out 32.69%

This was a Green gain from the Tories, despite a big Conservative last-ditch polling day effort.

2007 result (The first time Nick stood)

Con 732
Con 709
LD 591
GREEN, Nick Harvey, 508
BNP 212

The Green Party now holds 3 seats on Scarborough Borough Council, the other 2 being in Stepney Ward within Scarborough itself. In a second by-election in Scarborough on the same night an Independent took a seat from the Liberal Democrats.

Best Ever Green Parliamentary By-Election Result

Congratulations to Green candidate Rupert Read and the Norwich Green Party on achieving the best ever Green result (in percentage terms) in a British Parliamentary by-election:

Green party campaigners were today celebrating their performance in the Norwich North by-election after more than tripling their vote, compared with the 2005 general election.

The result is the best performance ever for the Green Party in a Westminster by-election.

Rupert Read for the Green Party received 9.7% of the vote, up from 1,252 in 2005 to 3,350 today.

In comparison to 2005, the votes of Conservative, Labour and LibDem parties all went down. The Labour and LibDem vote also fell as a proportion of the turnout.

Adrian Ramsay, opposition leader on Norwich council, and the Green Party's deputy leader, said: "This was our best by-election result ever. Our best previous result was 7.4% in the Haltemprice and Howden/David Davis by-election. We started from a low base (2.7% in the 2005 general election), and we trebled our vote. On the ground, we had roughly £12,000 to spend, compared to the £100,000 that the Tories have apparently spent."

"Rupert Read ran a positive campaign, on issues such as the NHS, renewable energy, transport and living wages, and we are very pleased with the level of interest we've generated. With new members and supporters, we can now concentrate on Norwich South for the general election."

On the issue of the coming general election, Ramsay said that: "Norwich South will be different from Norwich North, since two-thirds of Norwich North was outside of Norwich City. The Greens have led local election vote share in Norwich for the last three years running, and we are the official opposition within Norwich City."

Rupert Read, the by-election candidate, added that: "The Norwich North campaign was done on a fraction of the budget of the large parties, some of which deluged residents with countless leaflets. We are pleased to have done so well without that kind of overkill."

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Full results, with % change from 2005:

Chloe Smith (C) 13,591 (39.54%, +6.29%)
Chris Ostrowski (Lab) 6,243 (18.16%, -26.70%)
April Pond (LD) 4,803 (13.97%, -2.22%)
Glenn Tingle (UKIP) 4,068 (11.83%, +9.45%)
Rupert Read (Green) 3,350 (9.74%, +7.08%)
Craig Murray (Honest) 953 (2.77%)
Robert West (BNP) 941 (2.74%)

2009 turnout: 45.76%, down -15.33% on 61.09% in 2005

It is particularly heartening that the wheels came off the Lib Dem by-election machine after they started launching smear attacks on the Greens. In contrast to the increase of over 7% in the Green vote since the the last election, the Lib Dems slumped by over 2%. This does not bode well for the Lib Dems who seem to have put all their eggs in the basket of competing for soft Tory votes via the Blairism of Clegg and his Orange Book chums. We see a pattern of more and more voters (and activists) who identified with the radical wing of the Liberals or old Labour finding a new home with the Greens.

Stunning Green Victory In Hove By-Election

Great news from the South coast:

Hove election win opens way to Westminster victory


Greens in Brighton and Hove are jubilant at winning the strategically important Goldsmid by-election in Hove, taking the seat from the Tories.

The result sees the election of the first Green councillor, Alex Phillips, from Hove to Brighton and Hove City Council and deprives the Tories of their majority on the council.

Caroline Lucas, national Green Party leader, said, "This is a spectacular win.

"It signals an unstoppable surge to elect the first Green MP at Westminster, whenever Gordon decides to go to the country.

"With this result, we're on the threshold of taking Green politics to the heart of Westminster."

Alex Phillips said, "Thank you to all the voters who put their faith in me. It's a ringing endorsement of Green policies and the work of Green councillors locally.

"I will be hardworking and unswerving in my task of representing local people and delivering positive Green change."

"Hopefully this means we can put pressure on the Tories and concentrate on our policies of a 20mph speed limit and introducing a living wage, which is more than the current minimum wage."

Councillor Bill Randall, convenor of the Green councillors on the city council, said, "With my council colleagues, we'll be reviewing the options and consulting our membership to ensure that we get the best, greenest deal for local residents. Between us we will do what is right in these very difficult times."

Alex won 38.5% of the votes -an increase of 17% over the last time the seat was contested with a swing of more than 12% from Labour to Green.

Full result

GRN 1,456 - 38.5% (+17.6%) GRN GAIN FROM CON

CON 1,104 - 29.2% (-0.9%)

LAB 816 - 21.5% (-6.8%)

LD 280 - 7.4% (-7.32%)

UKIP 129 - 3.4% N/A (others 6% last time)