Alan's Green Thoughts

  Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR, died yesterday. Like many of his contemporaries behind the former Iron Curtain, Mr Gorbachev grew up in humble surroundings, his parents working on collective farms in rural Russia. He rose through the ranks of the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) to reach the Politburo in 1980, just five years before he became Secretary-General (de facto leader of the USSR). He was expected to succeed Yuri Andropov upon Mr Andropov's death in 1984, but Konstantin Chernenko was selected instead. Mr Chernenko died the following year and Mikhail Gorbachev finally achieved the position he needed to implement his reform programme, under the terms glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring"). Ironically, in trying to modernise the USSR with those reforms, he brought about its demise. Not only were Russians increasingly tired of the whole planned economic system, but leaders in other Iron Curtain countries (especia...

 Readers, the results of British local by-elections that took place during August 2022 were as follows: (4/8/22): Luton UA, Dallow: Labour 1,486 (53.6%, -11.7%), Liberal Democrats 1,076 (38.8%), Conservative 154 (5.6%, -7.6%), Independent (Schiemann) 58 (2.1%). [Other Independent did not stand] Shetland UA, North Isles (1st preference votes, all candidates were Independents): Robert Thomson 680 (68.6%), Sonia Robertson 106 (10.7%), Gary Cleaver 100 (10.1%), Maria Williamson 92 (9.3%), Stewart Douglas 13 (1.3%).  (11/8/22): Bridgend UA, Bridgend Central : Independent (Easterbrook) 716 (46.8%, +2.2%*), Labour 590 (38.6%, -4.1%), Conservative 150 (9.8%, -2.9%), Green 40 (2.6%), Liberal Democrats 34 (2.2%). Independent gain from Labour. Spelthorne BC, Laleham & Shepperton Green : Conservative 810 (55.5%, +23.4%), Liberal Democrats 578 (39.6%, +23.3%), TUSC 71 (4.9%). [Greens, UKIP, and Labour did not stand] Wychavon DC, Dodderhill : Conservative 199 (48.9%), Green 176 (43.2%),...

  Readers, the results of British local by-elections from the second fortnight of July 2022 were as follows: (20/07/22): Basildon BC, Nethermayne : Independent (Larkin) 909 (62.7%, -10.4%), Conservative 233 (16.1%, +8.9%), Labour 169 (11.7%, -0.2%), Liberal Democrats 102 (7.0%, +3.8%), Reform UK 37 (2.6%). All changes are since 2019. (21/07/22): Lancaster BC, Harbour : Labour 555 (47.9%, +4.5%), Liberal Democrats 479 (41.4%), Conservative 124 (10.7%, -2.6%). [Morecambe Bay Independents did not stand] North Warwickshire DC, Hartshill : Conservative 351 (53.3%, +4.9%), Labour 307 (46.7%, +13.0%). [Greens did not stand] South Staffordshire DC, Penkridge North East & Acton Trussel : Conservative 388 (47.8%), Liberal Democrats 378 (46.6%), Labour 45 (5.6%). (28/07/22): Colchester BC, Lexden & Braiswick : Conservative 1,372 (63.7%, +9.4%), Liberal Democrats 621 (28.8%, +10.6%), Labour 161 (7.5%, -3.7%). All changes are since 2021. [Greens did not stand] North East Derbyshire DC, ...

David Trimble, latterly Lord Trimble (or Baron Trimble of Lisnagarvey, to give his official title when he was in the House of Lords), the first First Minister of Northern Ireland who like John Hume played an instrumental part in ensuring peace in Northern Ireland via the Good Friday Agreement, died earlier this week. Although Lord Trimble, who led the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) for 10 years was initially elected as a more conservative, traditional unionist leader, he eventually realised, having initially opposed any power sharing between unionists and nationalists for years, that brokering a peace agreement involving both sides of the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland was the only way Northern Ireland could move on from its past and forge a new future. Previous attempts at a Northern Ireland Assembly had failed before following the collapse of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1972, but Lord Trimble knew that a permanent Assembly, following the Northern Ireland Forum of 1996, was ...

  Readers, the results of British local by-elections from the first fortnight of July 2022 were as follows: (7/7/22): Camden LBC, Hampstead Town: Liberal Democrats 919 (40.9%, +20.1%), Conservative 620 (27.6%, -11.8%), Labour 559 (24.9%, -15.0%), Green 104 (4.6%), Independent (Livingstone) 44 (2.0%), National Housing Party 1 (0.0%). Liberal Democrat gain from Labour. Chesterfield BC, Hollingwood & Inkersall : Labour 747 (48.5%, +15.1%), Independent (Rhodes) 676 (43.9%, -9.2%)*, Green 118 (7.7%). Labour gain from Independent. [Conservatives and Liberal Democrats did not stand] Epsom & Ewell BC, West Ewell : Residents' Association 549 (43.4%, -28.9%), Labour 395 (31.2%, +20.4%), Conservative 205 (16.2%, +8.3%), Liberal Democrats 117 (9.2%, +0.3%). Hackney LBC, De Beauvoir: Labour 758 (41.5%, -15.8%), Green 731 (40.3%, +21.3%), Liberal Democrats 133 (7.3%, -6.6%), Independent Network 83 (4.6%, -4.9%), Conservative 82 (4.5%), Women's Equality Party 27 (1.5%). Milton Keyne...

  Readers, the results of British local by-elections from the last fortnight of June 2022 were as follows: (23/06/2022): Harlow BC, Bush Fair : Labour 594 (47.1%, +2.6%), Conservative 482 (38.2%, -6.5%), Green 109 (8.6%, +1.0%), Harlow Alliance 76 (6.0%). Labour gain from Conservative; all changes are since this May. [Liberal Democrats did not stand] Kingston-upon-Thames LBC, New Malden Village (deferred election) *: Liberal Democrats 1,217/1,184/1,182 (40.7%), Green 867/Kingston Independent Residents** 724/703 (29.0%), Conservative 467/372/327 (15.6%), Labour 436/429/374 (14.6%). Neath Port Talbot UA, Port Talbot (deferred election): Labour 914/898 (62.2%), Plaid Cymru 367/244 (21.0%), Independents (Davies, Isherwood) 246/171 (14.3%), Green 46/25 (2.4%).  Shropshire UA, Highley: Liberal Democrats 630 (54.5%), Conservative 279 (24.1%, -9.5%), Labour 239 (20.7%, +7.3%), Green 9 (0.8%). Liberal Democrat gain from Independent, where no other Independent defended the seat. Waverle...

The US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organisation (this organisation is based in the US state of Mississippi, of which Jackson is the state capital), which critically has the effect of overturning Roe v Wade [1973] (which guaranteed a constitutional right for women to have abortions) and Planned Parenthood v Casey, meaning that many protections on abortion rights in the US have been removed overnight and many states will seek to strip relevant protections. Although it is a decision concerning the rights of unborn children and the rights of women, it goes wider than that. Here is why: 1. It is reflective of a polarised and divided society that could split in the near future. The majority of US states with "trigger laws" surrounding significant abortion restrictions are south of Washington DC; the majority of US states that still retain the death penalty are also south of Washington DC (and those states with the strictest abortion laws in the USA...