Alan's Green Thoughts

I have loved the song Greensleeves for quite a few years now. However, with much talk of feminism in the news, especially over the good efforts of Feminist Initiative in Sweden and with actress Emma Watson's speeches on the importance of feminism and equality in our society, I feel it would be wise to write a new version of Greensleeves, particularly for men who have failed to treat their lovers properly or with fairness, like a young man from my home county of Hertfordshire who was caught cheating on his girlfriend; the news got out far and wide. (NB: I do treat women I love properly and with respect, in case you ask) Take Me Back, My Lady Greensleeves: Alas my love, I did you wrong, By failing to show true love and fairness. But I have seen the error of my ways, And from you I seek forgiveness Please, please, my lady greensleeves, Now I truly appreciate your charms, Please, please, my lady greensleeves, Take me back, into your loving arms. I truly miss all th...

Yesterday, by a huge majority of 524 to 43, Britain's MPs voted in favour of military intervention in Iraq (Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond suggested intervention in Syria as well, but this would be illegal) regarding the threat of Islamic State (IS) fighters in northern Iraq. As before, the three main parties sided with each other for the most part. Shockingly, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, the Most Reverend (he is unworthy of this title in my opinion) Justin Welby, stated that 'this action is the right course of action' even when the legacy of the Iraq war shows that this is the wrong course of action to take-we need to address issues back home and how IS arose in the first place. British and US imperialism were responsible for those recent wars of the Middle East, and it is well known they were really starting those wars to steal vast quantities of oil under the excuse of fighting for 'humanitarian reasons', which is another actual reason why those ai...

Readers, there were two local by-elections featuring Green candidates yesterday, in case you missed them. The results from said by-elections were as follows: Epping Forest, Epping Hemnall: Liberal Democrat 607 (43.3%, +0.8%), Conservative 386 (27.6%, +6.5%), UKIP 339 (24.2%, -1.4%), Green 69 (4.9%, +0.6%). Somerset County Council, Frome North: Conservative 1,111 (46.5%, +10.8%), Liberal Democrat 836 (35.0%, -2.3%),Labour 163 (6.8%, -3.9%), Green 139 (5.8%), Independent LD 139 (5.8%). Although the Lovelace by-election in Guildford did not feature a Green candidate, I feel compelled to comment on it nevertheless, for this reason. There was a 45% swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat in that ward, which is otherwise safely Conservative (with low potential for UKIP). The issue of potential housebuilding on greenbelt land, strongly prized by most Surrey voters, is believed to be the prime cause for the off-scale swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat here, as well as th...

Over the last few days, there has rightly been much talk on the subject of further devolution within the United Kingdom, especially within England which unlike Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland has never had any regional assemblies or an English Parliament. (A proposal for a North East assembly was overwhelmingly rejected 10 years ago, and plans at the time to create more assemblies were cancelled. Labour was in power then and the North East region is the most solidly Labour region of England psephologically) Although it is obvious that the parts of England need more power, 'English votes only on England-only laws' is not the correct solution and it will clearly benefit the Conservative Party at the expense of the other parties in the House of Commons, without actually devolving real power to local level in England. The United Kingdom, especially England, is one of the most centralised nations in the world, and changing it from a centralised nation into a federal nation s...

Readers, I would like to thank everyone who came along to People's Climate Marches on Sunday 21st, the Autumnal Equinox of 2014. I am pleased to say that the People's Climate March in London had an attendance of 30,000 and counting, even if this did not match that of the People's Assembly March held at the summer solstice. The fact that millions of people around the world, including famously UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon, marched in 160 nations worldwide for climate justice and to demand action on artificial climate change makes up for that. Earlier, Amnesty International, who I am a member of, stated that 'environmental rights are human rights'. In case you are perplexed by this statement, here is why environmental rights are human rights as well: 1.We all have a right to food, water, and shelter. We need to protect our planet and conserve and reuse resources in order to maintain this fundamental right and need. 2. We have a right to life as well-just as w...

Yesterday, New Zealand held its most recent parliamentary election, which as expected elected National Party leader John Key to another term of office as Prime Minister of New Zealand. Although each of the parties in the election only gained or lost one or two seats apiece for the most part, these small changes brought large consequences. First, the National Party increased its seat total from 59 to 61, giving it an overall majority in the New Zealand legislature all by itself. (however, Mr. Key is likely to still ask United Future and the libertarian right ACT party for confidence and supply as he did last time). This partly happened because of the turmoil the New Zealand Labour Party is in right now-its leader, David Cunliffe, is much less popular than John Key, who among leaders of Commonwealth countries is not that controversial or hard right by the standards of the day, compared to Stephen Harper or Tony Abbott. The Labour Party only lost two seats to be fair, but one particul...

Even though Scotland voted to stay in the United Kingdom, the strength of the Yes vote in areas that are normally solidly Labour, combined with increasing resentment of the three major parties (Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative) and a need for major change and devolution across the whole of the United Kingdom, gives hope for the various centre-left to left-wing nationalist groups within the United Kingdom. The groups in question are the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and Mebyon Kernow. (It may also be worth talking with Yorkshire First, as their vote share was better than average in North Yorkshire in this year's European elections compared to other parts of Yorkshire and the Humber). Given that the Green Party is unlikely to field a full slate of candidates across England and Wales (the Scottish Green Party may not field a full slate either) it would be wise, given how divided the right is in the UK (there are four right wing parties of significance) and that the Green Party is in th...

Yesterday, as you all know, the voters of Scotland were asked, 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' And unfortunately, by a rather significant majority, more significant than exit polls predicted they voted..... No. Apparently the result in Fife, heavily in favour of 'No', (45% Yes, 55% No) which has a population of just over 300,000 (the third highest of Scottish local authorities) was the final decisive factor. The heavy pro-union result across Edinburgh, with an electorate of 378,000, second only to Glasgow in terms of electorate, (only 38.9% voted for independence there!) was even more decisive for confirming a 'No' result, in my opinion. One important thing that must be noted is this: which council areas were least in favour of independence, and which were most in favour? As it turns out, only four council areas in the whole of Scotland voted Yes to independence Council area:           ...

Now that nominations for the Heywood & Middleton by-election and the Clacton by-election have finished, I can reveal that the Green Party is thankfully standing in both by-elections, with Abi Jackson in Heywood & Middleton and Chris Southall in Clacton. Here is who we have to face in terms of opponents in Heywood & Middleton: UKIP: John Bickley (contested Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election earlier this year) Conservative: Iain Gartside (lives in nearby Bury North, one of only two Greater Manchester constituencies to be represented by a Conservative MP) Labour: Liz McInnes (lives in Rossendale & Darwen) Liberal Democrat: Anthony Smith (he might save his deposit this time when the Liberal Democrats have lost so many so far in recent by-elections) And here are our opponents in Clacton: UKIP: Douglas Carswell (no comment needed!) Liberal Democrat: Andrew Graham (used to be mayor of Bishop's Stortford, near to where I live now) Official Mon...

Hello, readers, while many of you have been busy with affairs in the UK, three German states, all in former East Germany, held Landtagswahlen (elections for state parliaments), and Sweden held its 2014 general election yesterday. I will go first to the elections of the German states of Saxony, Brandenburg, and Thuringia respectively. Saxony: This election actually concluded two weeks ago, but I thought it would be best to group it with the Brandenburg and Thuringia landtag elections for convenience. There was a relative lack of change for four of the main parties in that landtag-the CDU only gained 1 seat, Die Linke lost two (including one of the only two non-CDU held Direktmandaten, and the SPD gained four but thankfully could still not overtake Die Linke; the Greens meanwhile unfortunately lost one seat; the seats in the landtag itself were reduced from 132 to 126 for an unknown reason. As expected, the right-wing, anti-euro party Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered a state...

With only five days to go before polling day of the Scottish independence referendum, and with polls still relatively close, all is heating up on the independence debate, in mainstream and non-mainstream media alike. I still firmly believe (despite living in England) that Scotland should become independent, by the way :) I also believe that the equivalent of 'Home Rule' for Scotland will not be good enough any more than 'Home Rule' would have been for Ireland had that come about rather than outright independence. Home Rule would still mean in practice being under the mercy of those banks and corporations which Jim Sillars rightly railed against recently,having to have the Queen as the head of state rather than an elected president, not being able to establish a new consensus more suited to Scotland's needs, and not having true independence from the Westminster establishment . Back in the 19th century when Home Rule for Ireland was debated, attempts to secure it ...

Hello, readers, if you are watching, the results from yesterday's local by-elections featuring Green Party candidates were as follows: Carlisle City Council, Castle: Labour 364 (38.4%), Conservative 212 (22.4%), UKIP 208 (22.0%), Liberal Democrat 121 (12.8%), Green 42 (4.4%). Cumbria County Council, Castle: Lab 389 (37.7%), Con 245 (23.7%), UKIP 235 (22.8%), Lib Dem 112 (10.9%), Green 51 (4.9%). Newham LBC, Beckton: Lab 1006 (51.0%), Con 584 (29.6%), UKIP 215 (10.9%), Green 70 (3.5%), Lib Dem 43 (2.2%), Christian Peoples' Alliance 33 (1.7%), TUSC 21 (1.1%). Out of these by-elections, the Beckton by-election was notable because of the death of its prominent councillor, Alec Kellaway. Mr. Kellaway had a rather chequered political history during his time in Newham: -For eight years he was an SDP/Liberal Democrat councillor in Newham, and for a brief period the only opposition councillor to Labour in Newham. -In the Newham North East by-election of 1994, Alec Kellaway ha...

Hello, readers. I would first of all like to inform you that my new twitter account is @watermelonalan in case you do not already follow me. Secondly, I am very pleased to say that Essex Green Party activist Chris Southall, who stood for Clacton in 2010, will be standing for the Green Party in the Clacton by-election of 2014. Despite the attention UKIP and the Conservatives are getting in terms of media coverage of this by-election, I believe that we should be at least able to beat the Liberal Democrats (and better yet save our deposit this time, given how well we are polling nationally), who had one of their worst performances in England in 2010 in this seat. With only five days to go before nominations close for the Clacton by-election, it will be interesting to see who else throws their hat into the ring. After all, it already appears on this by-election's Wikipedia page that there will be at least seven candidates standing. On a small note, the Heywood and Middleton by-el...

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to blog post #200 of Alan's Green Thoughts! I hope that so far you have enjoyed reading my blog and I will continue to keep up with news on green issues, socialism, democracy, history, and the like. However, as some readers have pointed out, I have made a few mistakes on this blog from time to time. Although I generally try to correct them before my blog posts reach you, a few inevitably sneak through the net. I would like to make the following corrections and additions regarding my blog: Blog post #8 'The real reasons for there being a deposit requirement in UK Parliamentary elections': Simone Wilkinson stood on a joint ticket (Women For Life on Earth and Ecology) not just an 'Ecology Party' ticket. (correction) Blog post #13 'Well done these Young Greens': The male and female co-chair roles do not actually exist, as the Young Greens constitution simply says that of the two co-chairs, 'one must not self-def...

I should have posted this on Friday 5th September, but I was at Green Party conference then and I had limited internet access (it costs me a lot of money to use the internet on my mobile phone and as it is not a smart phone I cannot really write blog posts on it :( ) The results of local by-elections from 4th September that featured Green candidates were as follows: Oxford City Council, Carfax: Labour 168 (44.2%), Liberal Democrats 101 (26.6%), Green 63 (16.6%), Conservative 24 (6.3%), UKIP 24 (6.3%). Shepway District Council, Folkestone Harvey Central: UKIP 287 (27.9%), Con 224 (21.7%), Lib Dem 198 (19.2%), Lab 196 (19.0%), Green 96 (9.3%), TUSC 29 (2.8%). One important point needs to be made on the Carfax by-election- it was essentially rigged so Labour could win it easily, as my fellow Greens hold the other two Carfax council seats. Labour deliberately moved the writ to make sure the by-election was outside university term time so they could avoid losing it (the majority of ...

Hello, everyone, I am back from Green Party conference in Birmingham, which I really enjoyed-thank you to everyone who came along :) As I have much to say and much to do over the next few days, I will summarise what, in my personal opinion, were the best and worst points of the Birmingham Green Party conference. Good points: 1. I finally got reunited with two fellow Greens I first saw at a Young Greens Summer Gathering in Gloucestershie last year-they were Julia Lagoutte and Kate Billington, who I also helped out in the conference quiz. I am particularly pleased that Julia's mother, Diana, is Green PPC for Hereford & South Herefordshire, a marginal seat which should give us some traction :) 2. I was re-elected to the Equalities and Diversity Committee by my fellow Greens for another year. This means I can continue my hard work on issues surrounding disability and mental illness. 3.  The Green Party Disability Group re-launch was a great success-thank you,Paul Weaver. ...

I am heading off to the Autumn 2014 Green Party conference in Birmingham tomorrow morning. I will be leaving by coach from London Victoria coach station at 9 am sharp tomorrow to reach the conference in Birmingham by midday. Now the final timetable has been confirmed, here are my personal recommendations for Green Party conference fringes that I believe you should attend: Any day: If you are a conference first-timer, please attend at least one of the conference first-timer sessions, the earlier the better. Friday: General election training session at 6.30 pm, Adrian Cadbury room-especially if you are a prospective parliamentary candidate. Saturday: Green Party Disability Group relaunch, 2.30 pm, Conference 3. Of the 6.15 pm fringes, I recommend either the anti-TTIP fringe or the fringe on everyday sexism, which are in rooms Conference 1A/B/C and Room 145 respectively. And of course, please come to our conference quiz at 8 pm if you can :) Sunday: A Green Voice-Meet Your ME...

Let the people arise (first two verses to the tune of 'God Save Our Queen'; this is a parody of our national anthem, and includes tunes from the other nations of the British Isles i.e. Scotland the Brave, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Ambhran na Fiann):  (first and second verses to tune of 'God Save Our Queen') 1. Let us all save Britain, Our noble island of Britain, From misery and pain! Let us be victorious, Happy and glorious, And overthrow the elite's tyranny over us! We'll save Britain! 2.People of Britain,arise, Scatter the Establishment, And make them fall! Confound Cameron's politics, Frustrate Miliband's old tricks, Stop Farage's racist right-wing fix, We'll save you all. (third verse to tune of 'Scotland the Brave') 3.So, let us march from London to Inverness, Together we will undo the bankers' mess! For if we can get the people to turn left, We can put an end to the elites' grand theft! (fourth verse to...

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who took part in anti-TTIP leafleting activities on Saturday 30th August, in 610 various locations across the nation. I would like to also thank 38 Degrees for organising it so we can raise awareness of how dangerous TTIP is and why we must persuade governments across the EU to stop it ever coming into force. Secondly, on the Rotherham child abuse scandal, I must say that the reason behind these child care scandals of the past few decades and the failure to respond to them adequately and timely are due to systematic problems that occur all across Britain-not just in Rotherham. It is not just our practices and checks that need to change, but also our culture that fails to value the well-being or development of children enough, and which does not value sufficient standards of accountability or fair responsibility, both are which are needed when we strive to protect our children. Finally, the results of Green Party Executive (GPEx) election...