Alan's Green Thoughts

Evening Mood: As the sun's bright rays prepare to rest, From the duty of both light and shadow, I hear the night call of the vivacious firecrest, To its nest-mates does it then fly, And to my dear friends I likewise follow. The cosy atmosphere of our homes, The lively greetings in our public houses, The calmness of the trees in our forests and avenues, When the evening mood settles we either are as quiet as a mouse, Or outside we become loud, as for another night we prepare to roam. Sometimes we are settled, wanting peace, wanting to sleep, But other times we just want to be free and lively, Having been confined at work and for hours hearing an answerphone beep. Within the evening mood stress shall cool down and we shall become calm, Rest, recreation, and relaxation their own healing balm. So bright is the moonlight, so good is the sound of silence, When we are at rest and at calm for this evening, Going through what our body and mind are enjoying, In this ev...

Recently, Conservative MP Malcolm Rifkind, who after being caught in a sting operation by Channel Four will stand down as MP for Kensington ( not Kensington and Chelsea, as some broadcasters have erroneously stated; Kensington and Chelsea was actually abolished via boundary changes in 2010; Chelsea was moved to Chelsea and Fulham in those boundary changes) claimed that it was 'unrealistic for MPs to live on £67,000 per year' (the current salary for all United Kingdom MPs) His remark only shows how out of touch he, and many other MPs (prominent MPs with very lucrative second jobs include Edward Garnier, Conservative MP for Harborough, and former Labour PM Gordon Brown, who is standing down from Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath this year) is with the people of Britain-the average wage is only £26,000 per year, and due to the serious income inequalities that exist within Britain the majority earn less than this average rather than more. With £67,000 per year, a person easily could ...

A few weeks ago, the Independent ran an article on the gender balance of currently selected PPCs by major parties, with the Green Party having the highest proportion of female candidates (34%) and UKIP (unsurprisingly) having the lowest proportion of female candidates (11%). Given that only 23% of British MPs are women, this is important information to help Parliament become more representative of actual British society. However, balance of gender in terms of PPCs is not the only measure of diversity-ratios of white: non-white candidates, LGBT vs. non-LGBT, and candidates with disabilities: candidates without disabilities also need to be considered in trying to represent as many sections of our society as possible. Also, with more candidates selected since then (and with the SNP and Plaid Cymru almost having full slates at this time), a re-evaluation is important anyway. Gender balance-how many women are among currently selected PPCs? Conservative: 133 out of 6...

Following on from yesterday's blog post on general election predictions, I will now cover in depth (certainly more depth than a certain Iain Dale has done!) the 18 Northern Irish constituencies and the possibilities within. The political situation and potential in Northern Ireland is generally the most interesting even when still operating on sectarian unionist-nationalist lines, due to the different ways each side's vote can be split and the increasing prominence of non-sectarian parties (other than the Alliance Party). Belfast East: This constituency, the only one to have ever been won by the Alliance and the least nationalist in all of Belfast (not a single SDLP or Sinn Fein candidate has even saved their deposit in Belfast East), will probably be the most hotly contested of all the Northern Irish constituencies. Naomi Long has a relatively good record as an MP, but the Democratic Unionists will try their hardest to win this marginal seat back (their new candidate, Gavin...

Six months ago, I wrote a run-down on how likely the 60 most marginal Conservative seats and also the 25 most marginal Liberal Democrat seats would be lost or held by the respective incumbent parties. However, in the last six months, there has notably been a decline in the support of both Conservative and Labour (although this varies from constituency to constituency in practice) and pleasingly the Green Party has been able to maintain a steady support base of 7-8% (in one or two polls, we have even polled 10%!). Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats' support and UKIP's support has been flat-lining, as both parties have been consistently polling 6-7% and 14-15% respectively over the last few months. Also, since Scotland voted 'No' in the independence referendum which took place a month after I made that last prediction of marginal seats, I will now factor Scottish constituencies into this new prediction. With more and more candidates coming forward, not just for the five...

Readers, the results from yesterday's local by-elections were as follows: Cambridgeshire CC, Bar Hall: Conservative 787 (46.0%, +0.6%), UKIP 251 (14.7%, -7.4%), Liberal Democrat 238 (13.9%, +5.4%), Labour 235 (13.7%, +0.1%), Green 200 (11.7%, +2.3%). Harlow BC, Mark Hall: Lab 586 (42.6%, +8.2%), UKIP 353 (25.7%, -12.2%), Con 334 (24.3%, +4.5%), Green 55 (4.0%), Lib Dem 47 (3.4%, -4.4%). Changes are since May 2014. Shropshire UA, Oswestry East: Con 629 (47.5%, +17.0%), Lab 247 (18.6%, -10.2%), Green 231 (17.4%), Lib Dem 218 (16.5%). Given that none of these wards were that favourable to the Green Party, I believe that once again that we are maintaining our steady support and expanding our horizons. I am pleased to say that with 415 Green PPCs in England and Wales, we are rather close to our '75% of constituencies' target as we speak, and there should be at least 500 Green candidates in constituencies across the United Kingdom by the time the general election campaign...

In the run-up to this year's general election, it has been noted that historic regions are not being given fair hearings regarding electoral broadcasts. Specifically, regional party Yorkshire First stated that it is unable to get a political broadcast because 89 candidates nationally are needed for any party (except for parties exclusively standing in Scotland or Wales) to obtain one, but there are only 50 constituencies in all Yorkshire's ridings (the other four in the Yorkshire and Humber Region, Brigg & Goole, Cleethorpes, Great Grimsby, and Scunthorpe, lie historically within Lincolnshire). Other regional parties, such as the North East Party and particularly Mebyon Kernow, are also unfairly affected by this normally fair sounding regulation, which should only be used for parties intending to stand nationally rather than in just a particular historic region. I am of course a Green Party member, supporter and activist, but I believe in fairness and better choice ...

Readers, love may be in the air this month, but we need to love our planet as much as we love each other. Let me start on flowers. Roses are expensive due to high demand, and there are other lovely flowers also in season at this time of the year. Marigolds, lilies, tulips and sunflowers make good and more cost-effective substitutes for roses in romantic bouquets, for example. When buying chocolate as a gift, try to buy Fairtrade or otherwise sustainable chocolate-Thorntons and Lindt are examples of commonly given chocolate brands you should avoid if you want your romantic weekend to be ecologically sound. I recommend Divine, which is Fairtrade and is well-made. I can also say that some vegan/vegetarian restaurants can make great romantic locations. And as for romantic breaks away (in case you have not prepared; there is still time if you look around carefully enough), many eco-friendly options exist (look on http://www.ecofriendlytourist.com/index.php/site-map/short...

Readers, today is National Voter Registration Day, and polling day for this year's general election is now just three months away. If you have not yet registered to vote, please do so ASAP-please remember that you will need your National Insurance number to newly register to vote. As a young person myself (I am 23 years of age and turn 24 next month) and Green Party activist I know how important the votes of people like us are in determining the outcome of the next general election, and the long-term future of British politics. The Green Party, now fielding nearly 400 PPCs at this time of writing across the UK (including SGP and GPNI candidates) still ranks high among voting intentions of voters under the age of 25, and I believe it has the right policies not only for my generation, but also for ensuring that future generations can survive. I also call on as many people with disabilities to register to vote as possible, and as soon as possible, because we need to make o...

Readers, in the latest update on politics in British Commonwealth nations, the state of Queensland in Australia-which has produced some particularly notorious political figures in Australian history, especially the late Johannes 'Joh' Bjelke-Petersen-held an election two days ago, and in another substantial blow for Tony Abbott, the Liberals were defeated heavily by Labor. In fact, (now ex-) Premier Campbell Newman, notable for his anti-biker legislation to win over right-wing populist voters, lost his own seat of Ashgrove (which he had himself won from Labor in 2012, just for the record) albeit on a lower swing than average. There is a chance, however (since at this time of writing some divisions' results are in doubt), of Labor not quite being able to win a majority in Queensland's legislative assembly and possibly having to gain confidence and supply from either independents or the two Katter's Australian Party MLAs (who both kept their seats even though KAP fiel...