Henley By-election Result

Congratulations to Green Party Candidate, Mark Stevenson who has come third out of a field of twelve candidates in the Henley By-election, defeating the ruling Labour Party, the far-right BNP and the populist-right UKIP!

Result as reported by the BBC
* John Howell - Conservatives, 19,796 (56.95%, 3.46% increase on 2005 general election share of vote)
* Stephen Kearney - Liberal Democrats, 9,680 (27.85%, 1.84%)
* Mark Stevenson - Greens, 1,321 (3.80%, 0.54%)
* Timothy Rait - British National Party, 1,243 (3.58%)
* Richard McKenzie - Labour, 1,066 (3.07%, -11.68%)
* Chris Adams, UK Independence Party, 843 (2.43%, -0.07%)
* Bananaman Owen - Monster Raving Loony Party, 242 (0.70%)
* Derek Allpass - English Democrats, 157 (0.45%)
* Amanda Harrington - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party), 128 (0.37%)
* Dick Rodgers - The Common Good, 121 (0.35%)
* Louise Cole - Independent (Miss Great Britain Party), 91 (0.26%)
* Harry Bear - The Fur Play Party, 73 (0.21%)

This gives the Greens a very good start on the campaign for the Howden and Haltemprice By-election, where Shan Oakes is challenging David Davis.

Weekly Links - 22/06/2008

UK Politics News Stories
Lots of interesting, if sometimes a little depressing, stuff being reported this week. It seems all the millions spent by the climate change denial industry and the busy beaver efforts of their conspiracist right-wing errand boys on blogs and comments sections have not been in vain as a majority of Brits still "doubt the evidence" on climate change. Semi-reasonable comment (albeit from his establishment viewpoint) from Andrew Rawnsley here, but as usual the cynics, pessimists, liars and fascists are out in force on the comments section.

Meanwhile there is to be a much trumpeted "Green Energy Push" in Britain, but George Monbiot has picked out some of the flaws in the plan and its likely implementation. One thing I picked out was the lack of mention of the potential use of biogas from anaerobic digestion of food waste etc - let us hope that this is not a further signal of government "capture" by the big waste companies eager to incinerate 50% of Britain's waste and call this "sustainable" and "green" energy from waste. These firms have just managed to get the tame elements of the EU to pass legislation favourable to their plans in the face of Green opposition.

UK Royal financial reports are due out in the next few days, with the monarchist spin machine presenting it as "value for money" - the campaign group Republic is ready with the facts and arguments for an end to expensive and undemocratic hereditary offices of state. Republic are also running a campaign to challenge the oath of allegiance to the monarch.

Industrial
It is the British Isles Regional Organising Committee (BIROC) of the Industrial Workers Of the World (IWW) meeting this weekend, with preparations well under way for the international General Assembly of the IWW in London at the end of August. Before then, Wobblies internationally will be involved in a mobilisation to highlight the union-busting tactics of Starbucks. IWW members at Starbucks branches in the US have been under attack and now the IWW is linking up for action with the Spanish CNT union and the international organisation they are affiliated to the IWA/AIT (International Workers' Association) as a CNT member in Sevilla has been fired for union activity. The day of action is scheduled for July 5th.

It was the British public services union, Unison, conference this week and as well as warning the governing Labour Party over local government workers' pay they passed a motion on the situation in Palestine.

The RMT (transport) union has its' conference in Nottingham this week and there is a fringe meeting put together by the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group at 1.10pm at the Rope Walk Pub on Derby Road.

Green Issues


Despite all the campaigning by green groups over battery recycling the British authorities have failed to act and now face penalties under new EU legislation.

There is impressive mobilising and campaigning going on against incineration in various parts of the world, including the Basque country where 2000 demonstrated on the streets of San Sebastian last week. There was also a protest in Barcelona, Catalonia, where three weeks ago 1,000 people marched against a project from the Lafarge cement plant to burn different types of waste, including sewage sludge, tyres and solvents. The local "platform" against incineration also collected 6,200 signatures against this project.

Human Rights
The campaign for the freeing of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine continues, with a new petition. The speech given by actor Danny Glover at a vigil for the campaigner, and for freedom for Haiti is on You Tube here.

There is a demo supporting the long suffering opposition to the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe in London on Monday 23rd June. More from Action For Southern Africa here.

Blogs

Aled has a blog piece on Paul Mobbs' Energy Beyond Oil.

Derek reports that the Greens are likely to run a candidate in the Howden and Haltemprice by-election to give a voice to all those who support the former MP's stance on 42 days detention but vigourously oppose him on just about everything else and so could not bring themselves to vote for him. By voting Green people will be able to register opposition to the detention without trial moves without allowing a socially reactionary and economically neo-liberal Tory to present his party as the sole guardian of our rights and liberties. Elsewhere, Labour Left Dave Osler has taken Tony Benn to task for backing the Tory campaign.

Jack Ray is following the European football, Liam MacUaid and Dave Osler reflect on the anti-fascist event in London on Saturday, and the Socialist Unity blog reports on a call for the abolition of prescription charges.

Weekly Links - 09/06/2008

Another quick few links this week :

Here is a short experimental film on the subject of wind turbines from Duncan Kenning, a fine art student at University College Falmouth in Cornwall. Yeah, yeah, we know they won't solve the energy crisis alone and will not give security of supply/baseload etc, but I'm getting a bit tired of the "they are a useless waste of money" brigade. Latest is Noel Edmonds (yes, that Noel Edmonds! The poor man's Jeremy Clarkson - or the rich(er) man's Jeremy Clarkson given his penchant for choppers and fat cheques from his TV employers?) who is mouthpiece for something called the Renewable Energy Foundation, and has a doom and gloom piece in the Daily Mirror. Now Noel makes some worthwhile points, but I am a little concerned about where he is coming from and where he is going! REF have form, uniting all the opponents of wind energy around a dubious negativist prospectus. I am no fan of the energy companies and corporate spin, but the agenda of many of the "private backers" of REF is all too transparnet and none too appealing either. Like the larger debate on climate change, the wind energy debate in the popular media is unfortunately now a minefield of competing corporate interests, reactionary agendas and conspiracism.

In the blogs this week, Jim reflected on the candidacy of Barack Obama, as does Septicisle at Obsolete whilst Derek saw his ascension in a more critical light.
SUB have a report on the Keep Our NHS Public AGM from Norma Turner, World By Storm started a debate on this week's Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. (I'm for a No, but at least this appears to be a civilized debate. We shall see what happens later this week!)

Weekly Links - 24/05/08

Another quick selection of links for you this week during a busy period.

Blogs
Lots of comment everywhere about Labour's Crewe and Nantwich by-election disaster. As ever, perceptive comment from Green blogger Jim at Daily (Maybe)

From Jim's piece -

Hidden beneath the anger that New Labour had departed from Old/real Labour policies has always been that layer of voters who thought that was a good thing. Who wanted them to be less socialist, less working class, less orientated on the trade unions. More than that, New Labour persuaded a whole layer of people that it was the right and proper thing to do to desert those Labour traditions. There has been a gradual shift to the right in society, one that is becoming more obvious as Brown's government slowly crumbles and dies.

That means all we're left with is whether Labour are a more efficient, in touch Conservative Party than the Tories. And for a few years they were. But no more. As Harriet Harman said that "people are feeling the pinch". That's right. You for one.

Socialist Unity Blog have the Labour soft left Compass response to their party's defeat and an analytical piece by SUB uber-blogger Andy Newman.

Protest
The big protest against the Third Runway at Heathrow is coming up on 31st May - more from the Campaign Against Climate Change here.

Weekly Links - 19/04/08

I am very busy at the moment and over the next couple of weeks - hence the more infrequent nature of posting. Just time this week, then, to post a few links of interest.

The main continuing stories in the news have been the terrible disasters in Burma/Myanmar and China. In Britain the Burma aid effort is being coordinated through DEC, the Disasters Emergency Committee that links together major charities and aid organisations. The British Red Cross is coordinating a China Earthquake appeal.

Green Politics
A hard hitting new report on Climate Change was published last week and drew comment from the South East England Green Party Euro MP Caroline Lucas. Jim at Daily (Maybe)last week posted his final analysis on the London election results.

Blogging
Tim at Green Left Infoasis posted links to a range of interesting stories on Friday, including this article about John Cusack's film War Inc.

Derek Wall commented on the trials (and trial!) of infamous right wing Anglo-Irish blogger "Guido Fawkes" on the Socialist Unity Blog.

Weekly Links - 12/05/2008

Blogs
Critical Labour Left blogger Dave Osler has started a discussion on the class nature of Ken Livingstone's "progressive alliance" following Ken's latest Guardian article.

Green Left blogger Jim has an article on the Green-Ken "alliance" from the Green perspective (responding to the Independent publishing a critical letter on it from a "former" ultra-rightist, political tourist and all round dodgy individual), and also talks about Burma.

Sian Berry, the Green's Mayoral candidate posted her response to the result of the campaign on her New Statesman blog on Friday.

Meanwhile, GPEW Male PS Derek Wall posted an appeal for support for Zimbabwe's persecuted trades unionists on the Socialist Unity Blog.

Human Rights
The Amnesty International short film The Stuff Of Life exposing the reality of the torture known as "waterboarding" has been creating a real stir. You can watch it (not for the faint hearted or squeamish) here.

Nuclear Issues
An interesting analysis of some of the reasons why the British Government's enthusiasm for nuclear new build is misplaced by a member of the ruling party and former Cabinet Minister was published in the Guardian last week.

The Left
Former Soviet dissident and Socialist Boris Kagarlitsky had an article published by the CPGB this week giving his take on the choices facing the Left in Europe. Basically he diagnoses a fatal combination of utopianism and then disastrous alliance with the neo-liberal captured "centre left" in the name of "realism".

International
The Australian Green Left magazine last month had an article on the global food crisis and the role played in that by Biofuels.

Green Politics
The Crewe and Nantwich By-election is scheduled for next week on 22nd May and campaigning is well under way. The Greens have a young candidate, Robert Smith, fighting on a progressive platform with a focus on transport and the issue of the disaster that has been rail privatisation.

London Election Results

Congratulations to Sian Berry and the London Greens for fighting a very strong election campaign in difficult circumstances. The result was as follows:


Boris Johnson Conservative Party 1,043,761 42.48% Transfers = 124,977 Final Toatal 1,168,738
Ken Livingstone The Labour Party 893,877 36.38% Transfers = 135,089 Final Total 1,028,966
Brian Paddick Liberal Democrats 236,685 9.63%

Siân Berry Green Party 77,374 3.15%

Richard Barnbrook British National Party 69,710 2.84%

Alan Craig Christian Peoples Alliance and Christian Party 39,249 1.60%

Gerard Batten UK Independence Party 22,422 0.91%

Lindsey German Left List 16,796 0.68%

Matt O'Connor English Democrats 10,695 0.44%

Winston McKenzie Independent 5,389 0.22%

Very good coverage and comment on the London elections from Jim at Daily (Maybe) including breakdowns of the vote.

Greens Advance In Norwich

I will post on the London election results when we have them in full, but the good news is that the Greens in Norwich have achieved their short term goal of becoming the second largest party on the Council there. This bodes particularly well for their dynamic young general election hopeful Adrian Ramsay.

This is a triumph on many levels :

Finishing the night with an increased number of City Council seats from 10 to 13, Norwich Green Party has leapfrogged the Liberal Democrats to become the official opposition on Norwich City Hall, just 2 seats away from the ruling Labour Party. At the same time, the Greens have beaten Labour on local election vote share across the Norwich South Parliamentary constituency by approximately 2000 votes. For the first time, the Norwich Greens also won more votes than Labour across the entire city.

The political make-up of Norwich City Council is now:

Labour: 15 seats. Green Party: 13 seats LibDems: 6 seats Conservatives: 5 seats

Norwich City Council is in no overall control. Labour is expected to continue running a minority administration with the Green Party as the main opposition group.

Congratulations to the Norwich Greens, the Green Party councillors holding their seats and the new Green councillors, Samir Jeraj, Adrian Holmes and Peter Offord.

Vote Green This Thursday!

Whilst many of us across Britain do not have the opportunity to vote this Thursday, those who can vote in the elections in London and selected Councils in England and Wales have a chance to both improve their local political situation and send a message to the main political parties. This is particularly the case where people have the opportunity to vote Green. London Green Mayoral candidate Sian Berry and the candidates for the London Assembly have been working very hard to get the message across and this has been noticed and commented on in the mainstream media including favourable mentions in the Observer and the Independent.



Of course, now the Greens are steaming ahead, and particularly as they are steaming ahead on a popular left-of-centre agenda combining sustainability and social justice, the slagging and smearing will start in earnest, particularly from the far-from-squeaky clean Lib Dems who see the Greens as a direct threat. (A quick glance around the blogosphere and Internet shows this is already well under way.) However, every attack from the Lib Dems about how "leftist" the Greens are exposes their own unattractive drift to the right under "Cleggeron" and the Orange Bookers. It also gives the Greens the opportunity to set out just how our media-neglected social and economic policy agendas are based around social justice rather than the corporate welfare and schmoozing of the "big three". This will further help the Greens to move into the political space vacated by New Labour and build a stronger new base of support.

Weekly Links 27/04/08

A very busy week this week in the run up to May Day and the elections, but just enough time for a quick run around this corner of the blogosphere......

Plenty of stuff on the coming elections, particularly those in London.

Derek Wall at Another Green World pointed out that the Observer newspaper Leader this weekend, whilst ultimately backing Ken Livingstone, has favourable comment on the Mayoral campaign of Sian Berry and suggests a first preference for her!



Derek also blogged on the record of the Greens on the London Assembly.

Andy Newman at the Socialist Unity Blog has had a post critical of the SWP's Left List leaflet in London and another post praising the strategy of the Greens.

Stroppyblog highlights the News Of The World story on the far right candidate in the London Mayoral elections.

The Lenin's Tomb blog made a relatively rare excursion into environmental topics this week with observations on the implications of the latest news and predictions of Arctic thawing. He then spoils it in the comments by the usual predictable green-slagging, oh well, you can't have everything.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Anton Vowl at Enemies of Reason blog this week reported on the strange tabloid story of the mutant squirrels and the unpleasant undertones in the reporting. Always a pleasure to end, News at Ten style, on a fluffy animal story.....

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Last Few Days Of Election Campaigns

We are now inside the last week of campaigning for the London Assembly and Mayoral elections and local elections in some of the local authorities in England and Wales.

The media are predictably concentrating on the battle between the "big beasts" in the London Mayoral election, but there are battles going on around England and Wales that are intensifying as May 1st looms.

Here is a guide on how and why to elect more Greens in London.

Sian Berry's excellent Mayoral campaign continues, with growing support and endorsements.




The Vote Green Party site has the brilliant election broadcast video and a tool for locating your Green candidates around the country.

Left Greens Jim and Peter set out the electoral arithmetic for the Left in London on the Socialist Unity blog and argue the case for the left to boost the Green vote to defeat the far right.

New Links and Green Books

I have added a few new links to my links column, the first being Skeptical Science, an interesting and useful site set up by John Cook, an ex-Physicist who majored in Solar Physics at the University of Queensland. I have added it to my resources section. From the site intro -

Scientific skepticism is a healthy thing. Scientists should always challenge themselves to expand their knowledge, improve their understanding and refine their theories. Yet this isn't what happens in global warming skepticism. Skeptics vigorously criticise any evidence that supports anthropogenic global warming and yet eagerly, even blindly embrace any argument, op-ed piece, blog or study that refutes global warming.

So this website gets skeptical about global warming skepticism. Do their arguments have any scientific basis? What does the peer reviewed scientific literature say?

My other new link is in my left parties and blogs section, where I have added the very brave young anti-fascist Duncan Money's blog - Nation of Duncan.



Sian Berry's book, 50 Ways To Save Water And Energy is getting a boost from her high profile during the London election, which is a very good thing as the book promotes things that individuals can do to help save the planet, whilst also usually saving money - and Sian's profile shows that it is not all just about individual action, collective and political action are essential.

The Green Party Political Broadcast for the local elections aired on TV last night, and very good it was too. The Greens also have this excellent website up and running for the local elections - http://www.votegreenparty.org.uk/



Back on books and Lancaster Green Party City Councillor Anne Chapman has a book out entitled Democratizing Technology, published by Earthscan, which looks at risk, responsibility and the regulation of chemicals.

Italian Election : Anti-Politics and Reaction Hand in Hand

The Italian election results show a depressing picture of decline for the left and resurgence for the right, compounded by a weary anti-political mood. The Italian Green vote, whilst not large originally, appears to have declined very slightly, whilst the votes of the left parties they allied with in the "Rainbow Left" coalition declined precipitously.
More from Jim at Daily (Maybe) here.

The left in Italy have probably pleased no-one. First they cooperated in the centre left government coalition and lost lots of support due to the perceived compromise of principles, then they united outside the centre left coalition and lost support from those who favoured a more "popular frontist" strategy.

As ever, anti-politics and weariness and cynicism has fed not as anarchistic elements would wish into mass revolt, but mass abstention and disengagement, leading to a victory for a corrupt and reactionary right. This all brought to mind a discussion on Indymedia recently where "Stargrave" answered the arguments of abstentionists and immiserationists regarding their non-voting in the forthcoming London election which could see the victory of reactionary Tory Boris Johnson and the election of the first fascist assembly members:

It seems to me that the original post is arguing for a tactic and this position is being opposed from either a strategic or dogmatic position - i.e."Don't vote ever" or even the immiserationist "Let the right gain power as it will radicalise people". (a ridiculous strategy which current conditions in much of the world and the judgement of history have shown to be suicidal)
People need to get out of their bubbles and look at the effect of actions and tactics in the real world.
We DO NOT live in a society where there is a mass movement against capital, we ARE NOT on the verge of revolution. If that was the case then abstentionism might be arguable (though if it was the case there would probably arise an electoral expression of the movement that people might consider voting for) This is not to say we should not be building a mass movement, merely to state the FACTS as they stand.
We live in a situation where the global economy is taking a nose dive, ecological and social problems are escalating, and the main people benefitting from the growing alienation and disillusionment are the far right. To ignore this, and think that lifestylism or hiding in a purist ghetto are adequate responses is, quite frankly , juvenile and foolish.
To posit false choices "either vote or organise" is dishonest - why cant people vote (as a tactic, not a strategy - without buying into the "vote for this party and everything will be OK" arguments) to dinminish the chances of the fascists gaining a strategic advantage. As someone said above, the fascists gaining seats gives them further legitimacy, which means more sympathisers come out of the woodwork, more feel free to openly support them and their influence on the direction and tone of politics increases.
The mainstream parties and fascism are NOT the same, as anyone who has engaged in physical anti-fascism or studied history should know. From the point of view of the struggle, the more the fascists gain power and legitimacy, the more difficult it becomes to unite working people, the more organising is obstructed, the more repression comes down on our head and the more dangerous it becomes for people to express views in favour of our side.
The mistake made here by many has been made in France and Italy - where the far right now has a hold in many areas that were formerly dominated by the left. The rise of the right cannot be fought purely in physical terms, when they seek the "legitimate" route. If you do this you then become seen in the eyes of many of the working class as the "illegitimate" ones, attacking "freedom of speech" and promoting violence - as ridiculous as this may seem in the face of the rise of fascism. This is not to say that there is no place for physical anti-fascism - again it is a question of *tactics*, not strategy or principle.
So vote as a tactic, organise as a strategy. Look at the consequences of your actions and arguments.

Stargrave

The Italian election victory of Berlusconi et al adds further weight to the argument put forward by Stargrave, I hope those who plan to abstain or even worse, vote for the right in the misconceived hope of "punishing the imperfect left and provoking a popular left reaction" are paying attention!

Weekly Links - 13/04/2008

Peace Movement
One of the biggest UK news stories this week has been the stunning victory at the High Court of The Corner House and the Campaign Against The Arms Trade against the Government over the dropping of the BAE-Saudi arms deal inquiry. This has excited much comment across the blogosphere and elsewhere, and is now putting pressure on Gordon Brown to answer serious questions.
CAAT have announced a demonstration outside the BAE AGM on 7th May. They also have an online petition to the Prime Minister. Here is how the High Court victory was reported on the CAAT blog.

Meanwhile, in Wales a demonstration is scheduled for Saturday 26th April about the privatised St Athan Military Academy. Assemble at 1.30pm on the lawns opposite Cardiff City Hall for a March at 2pm.

Workers' Struggles
The teacher's strike planned for 24th April is gaining momentum, and Stroppyblog lists some of the marches and rallies planned around the country on the day. The Green Party Trade Union Group blog has a report from the recent NUT conference by Phillipe Harari, which concludes "this was a great Conference, showing the NUT at its best – united in fighting for a fairer education system within a fairer society."

The Blood Service Workers' demo at the NBS HQ in Watford took place on Friday.



Here are photos from other actions during the ongoing campaign.

In Health, there is much disquiet over the behaviour of Unison representatives in the lastest negotiations, particularly New Labour candidate-to-be, Karen Jennings - more from Martin Wicks' blog here, and Gill George (Unite union NEC member) here.

Green Politics
Green Party Mayoral candidate Sian Berry has blogged her reasons for standing on her New Statesman blog. Her percentage in the opinion polls has significantly improved since the start of the campaign.



Rupert Read has recently blogged a summary of the Norwich Green Party manifesto for the local elections there, where the Greens are challenging to become the main opposition Party. The London Greens also launched their manifesto this week.

International
London Green MEP Jean Lambert this week called for action on human rights in Bangladesh to ensure free and fair elections there. Green Human Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been speaking out on the situation in Zimbabwe, China and Tibet. Renegade Eye has stimulating posts on Zimbabwe and Lebanon.
Indymedia has a report that armed Canadian coastguards have stormed the Sea Shepherd ship, (in the area to obstruct the seal cull), and arrested the crew. Indymedia also has more news on the repression directed towards Mexico's indiginous community in the Oaxaca area.

Weekly Links - 06/04/08

Blogs
Jim, at Daily (Maybe) this week launched a survey of readers of his blog on the British political situation and also linked to the "Vote Match" site for the London Election.
On that subject, Liam Mac Uaid this week reported on his left group's statement on the London Mayoral election - calling for a first preference for Sian Berry, the Green candidate.
Duncan Money, one of the bravest current anti-fascist bloggers, reported this week on the latest foot shooting incident of one of the far rightists in London.
In a week that has seen day after day of barely concealed tabloid joy at stories which gave them the opportunity to play on the meanest and basest prejudices, Anton Vowl at Enemies Of Reason took a look at the pit of stench that is the current worst offending tabloid, The Express. At Obsolete, Septicisle also looked at the influence of the tabloid scum on topics such as privacy/data theft and cannabis classification.
Meanwhile, from Ireland, there is comment on Cedar Lounge Revolution blog in the wake of the Bertie Ahern resignation announcement.
From the US, Renegade Eye started a debate on Obama and US foreign policy on Monday.
Finally this week, news that the lefty blogger responsible for high traffic UK blog Lenin's Tomb is going into print.

Activism
Rising Tide called a day of action on polluting energy companies failing to address the challenge of climate change on April 1st, entitled "Fossil Fools Day".
There were a series of actions around the country, including in Nottingham, where E.On were targeted and blockaded, and in London where the Football Association were targetted due to their acceptance of prominent sponsorship by E.On.

Green Politics



Just love those Sian Berry posters!
The Green Party of The United States this week posted election news from Illinois and Wisconsin.
English Green MEP Caroline Lucas this week led a delegation to talk to EU Commissioner (Environment) Dimas about illegal logging and deforestation.

Labour News
Various interesting stories highlighted on Labourstart this week - amongst those catching my eye were a large protest against low pay and corporate greed in Slovenia, continuing industrial unrest amongst Nike workers in Vietnam, and repression of workers struggles in Egypt.

Greens Launch May Local Election Campaign

The Green Party of England and Wales have launched their local election campaign for the May 2008 local council elections.

The Green Party has launched its campaign for the May 1st local elections, with Caroline Lucas MEP, Cllr Adrian Ramsay and Cllr Darren Johnson AM paying a visit to Parliament.

The local elections are widely seen as a barometer of support for the general election, and, Greens are set to make gains that will demonstrate that they are on the road to Westminster. Both Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay will fight seats in which the Greens already lead Labour on local vote share, having overtaken them since 2005, and Darren Johnson has slashed the Labour lead in Lewisham Deptford.

The Green election campaign will promote 5 key policies to promote social and environmental justice, including free school meals and free insulation.

After the Westminster launch, Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay made their way to Norwich, where they will launch the campaign to make the Greens the second party on the council, a position they missed out on last time by just one vote.

Caroline Lucas said of the launch: "Green councillors have already introduced life-changing and life-saving measures like free insulation, and 20mph zones. By voting Green on May 1st, you can vote for more socially and environmentally just, more democratic and more competent local government.

"When people elect Greens, they like what they get. That's why we're constantly gaining more councillors, and it's why we'll make big gains next month.

The local elections coincide with the London Mayoral and Assembly Elections where the Green campaign is well underway, with Sian Berry, the Green Mayoral candidate, beginning to forge ahead of the "others" in opinion polls in an election which has so far been treated by the media as a battle between the big three parties. Sian's posters are really good and can be downloaded for your own blog, website, networking site etc here.

More on the Greens' local councils campaign launch from the BBC here.

Weekly Links 01/04/08

Various posts worthy of note from fellow green and left bloggers over the last week:

Green Party London Mayoral candidate Sian Berry turned her spotlight on the Liberal Democrats' candidate Brian Paddick in her New Statesman blog.

Derek Wall has been supporting the campaign of Bristol Green Party Councillor Charlie Bolton and others against the destruction of the Bristol-Bath cycle route.

Peter Tatchell continued his coverage of events in Pakistan-controlled Baluchistan.

Caroline Lucas commented on the Canadian seal cull.

Jim at Daily (Maybe) blogged on the situation in Tibet and the debate in the West.

Molly at Gaian Economics commented on the Tata motor industry take-over.

Green From Below picked up on the Qollasuyo Declaration on climate change from the Climate and Capitalism blog.

Unity against the Right in London

Lots of comment across the British blogosphere and elsewhere about the developments in the London Mayoral campaign this week. Sian Berry, the Green Candidate and Ken Livingstone, the "maverick" Labour Party encumbent have both asked that their voters second preference the other left of centre candidate. To me this seems an admirable display of the kind of left unity that this blog promotes. It in no way suggests that the Greens are uncritical of Mayor Livingstone, still less that they are uncritical of the current trajectory and policies of his Party which is neo-liberal and imperialist. Sian Berry said as much in her statement. What it does say is that the Green candidate and Party members in London are aware that if she is not elected, there are significant differences between the two main contenders, Livingstone and Johnson, that mean Greens cannot stay neutral if their preferred candidate is knocked out in the first round. It also puts down a marker that the Green Party should be the first choice for previous Labour voters who are dissatisfied with their former party and want to send a strong message without giving succour to the neo-liberal Lib Dems and reactionary Tories. The London election in May presents a serious challenge to the left. If we are not careful we will see the reactionary and most likely incompetent Johnson as mayor with an assembly containing members of the far-right BNP. This is a situation that we must do everything we can to prevent.

Ken presents a number of problems for truly progressive voters, in terms of both policies and record, but compared to Boris he is a paragon of leftist virtue. Sian would undoubtedly be a better choice than either of them.

The best method left of centre voters can use to avert the BNP getting a significant foothold in the assembly via the proprotional list, the electoral system in operation, is to give their votes to the Greens - a party committed to social justice, environmental protection and sustainability.

More discussion on SUB, (the Socialist Unity Blog) here, and at the Daily (Maybe) here.

Meanwhile Liam MacUaid (of Respect Renewal, who are not running a Mayoral Candidate) gives you your chance to state your own preferred preferences in the race here.

Green Wins Top Students' Union Post

Congratulations to Aled Dilwyn Fisher, whom I have met on a number of occasions and have found to be a very committed, hardworking and eloquent advocate of Green and ecosocialist ideas. Aled has been elected General Secretary of the London School Of Economics Students' Union - Results here.

I am sure Aled will serve the students of LSE very well and continue to be an excellent ambassador for many of the ideas and movements that I try to promote and discuss on this blog.

More on Aled's victory and record at Derek Wall's blog here.

Well done Aled!

Blogs on Sunday 02/03/2008

A big Happy Mothers Day to mothers everywhere!

I am pleased to welcome a new lefty-green blog into the blogosphere this week - green from below - who has a refreshingly open, non-sectarian and honest approach, articulated in the Disclaimer -

This blog will contain occasional political commentary and opinions from a broadly eco-socialist perspective.

Please note however, that I’m no expert on most of these matters and am merely throwing my/an extra view into the ring. I may well be wrong!

Equally, publishing or linking to the work of others should not be interpreted as unconditional or uncritical support from here.

It should also be noted that I do not intend to impose these opinions on the reader. It is up to them to draw their own conclusions, not act upon mine.

green from below also posts up the original Ecosocialist Manifesto and Bookchin's What Is Social Ecology ?

I am happy to add the new blogosphere comrade to my Fellow Bloggers column.

Around other Brit left green blogs this week Derek Wall at Another Green World reports on the call to ExxonMobil to respect Venezuela's sovereignty which he and various other well known figures from the British left have recently signed.

Jim at Daily (Maybe)has this week blogged on the forthcoming Convention of The Left that I mentioned last week, along with a thoughtful article on Cuba and reflections on the Prince Harry stories.

Noel, at the Green Room blogs on London Greens' preparations for the London Mayoral and Assembly elections in two months time.

Student Medic at Life Is Complicated recently blogged a report of attending Green Party Conference for the first time.

Over at Gaian Economics Molly reflects on rampant capitalism as practiced in Britain and Portugal.