Alan's Green Thoughts

Scientists have recently declared that the Holocene era, where all settled agricultural and later industrial human civilisation developed, has given way to the Anthropocene era due to the fact human impacts have left a permanent mark on Earth: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/29/declare-anthropocene-epoch-experts-urge-geological-congress-human-impact-earth Worse still, there is evidence to suggest that with pollution levels already past 400 ppm, with potentially as much as 75% of all Earth species set to become extinct by 2300, with critical Arctic ice melting more rapidly than ever before, this era could possibly be the Earth's last. So what do we all need to do fundamentally to make sure this era is not the last? Three key examples: 1. Phase out any use of crude oil-based products. This is not only important in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also for preventing any further pollution of our oceans by plastics and plastic-based products, which ...

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's only MP, has been broaching the subject of Progressive Alliances again publicly, even though Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has given no indication that he will change his mind, and nor has Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron shown any real interest. A look at recent histories of progressive alliances, not just in Britain but also in Europe, shows that the idea is not all it is cracked up to be: 1992, Green Party-Plaid Cymru in Wales: This was primarily responsible for electing Plaid Cymru MP Cynog Dafis in Ceredigion (otherwise a reliable Liberal/Liberal Democrat seat) but otherwise did not give much help to either party given that it only occurred in a few other Welsh constituencies and did not substantially increase Plaid Cymru's vote from 1987. It collapsed by 1995 and has never been revived since even though it could have been successful in the long-term. 1996-2007, Olive Tree in Italy: A very wide tree this was as well, comprising the ...

Brian Rix, aka Lord Rix, former Mencap chair and disability rights campaigner, passed away earlier today. He was not only well-known for his acting, especially in farcical Whitehall comedies of the 1960s and 1970s, but more importantly in my opinion for his tireless work campaigning for the rights of people with learning disabilities, especially after his first daughter, born in 1951, was diagnosed with Down's syndrome. Back then, children with learning disabilities still had no educational or vocational rights and some were still being sent to long-stay hospitals even as they were going into decline in the long-term and even as the ableist science of eugenics was being disowned by many. He was secretary general of Mencap for eight years starting in 1980, and later chair and president of this organisation right up until his death. In those 36 years of Brian's campaigning, we have come a long way on the road to understanding and acceptance of people who have le...

Readers, the results from local by-elections from 11th and 18th August featuring Green Party candidates were as follows: 11/08/16: North Ayrshire UA, Irvine West (1st preferences): SNP 1164 (37.5%, +0.7%), Labour 1029 (33.1%, -7.1%), Con 639 (20.6%, +8.6%), Socialist Labour 131 (4.2%, +2.6%), Green 94 (3.0%), Liberal Democrats 48 (1.5%, -3.2%). Labour gain from SNP at stage 6. 18/08/16: Gravesham BC, Pelham: Lab 494 (46.2%, -4.5%), Con 325 (30.4%, -3.4%), Lib Dem 101 (9.4%), UKIP 91 (8.5%), Green 35 (3.3%, -12.3%), English Democrats 24 (2.2%). Kent CC, Gravesham East: Con 1758 (36.0%, +10.2%), Lab 1538 (31.5%, -5.5%), UKIP 1272 (26.0%, +2.1%), Green 209 (4.3%), Lib Dem 110 (2.3%, -1.6%). Conservative gain from Labour. Richmondshire DC, Catterick: Con 228 (41.8%, +1.4%), Lib Dem 203 (37.2%), Independent 112 (20.5%), Green 3 (0.5%, -15.4%). Wandsworth LBC, Tooting: Lab 1467 (58.5%, +13.3%), Con 644 (25.7%, -2.2%), Lib Dem 267 (10.6%, +4.7%), Green 116 (4.6%, -6.8%), SDP 15 ...

We are now just three months away from the US Presidential election, with Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump fighting out such a heated contest bloated with hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate money and private donations, with a little bit of grassroots donations thrown into the mix. Out of all recognised democracies, the USA is the most infamously two-party of them all, with such strict requirements for minor parties to even get onto ballot papers (these vary by state, however) and with no limits on campaign spending meaning that other parties have no realistic chance of competing with the Democrats and Republicans, even though among minor parties the Libertarian and especially the Green Party are gathering more support than ever from a growing field of American voters tired of the same old Punch and Judy charade and the endless amounts of negative campaigning from both the Democrats and Republicans. This has been exacerbated by Bernie Sa...

The results from the two local by-elections of yesterday featuring Green Party candidates were as follows: Ashford DC, Beaver: UKIP 373 (42.1%, +11.6%), Labour 243 (27.4%, -3.6%), Conservative 240 (27.1%, +0.2%), Green 31 (3.5%, -3.8%). Brighton UA, East Brighton: Lab 1488 (57.5%, +11.1%), Con 514 (19.9%, -2.6%), Green 286 (11.1%, -8.5%), UKIP 152 (5.9%), Lib Dem 116 (4.5%, -3.4%), Independent 31 (1.7%). Even though Brighton's Labour Party's meetings were suspended during the by-election campaign in East Brighton amidst Owen Smith's challenge to Jeremy Corbyn, Labour actually managed a swing of nearly 10% against the Green Party even though our candidate was a respected activist within the area. Meanwhile, in Ashford, UKIP made a surprise gain caused by dissatisfaction with many working-class Labour voters over Jeremy's leadership of Labour even though UKIP is in flux at the moment with its own leadership election. The Conservatives made no headway in either of th...