"In the next year or so, the UK is going to have to decide how to meet its electricity needs for the next half-century. It's an incredible opportunity for renewables but my fear is that it may be missed."
Graham Sinden, of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Renewables can plug UK energy gap
Oliver Tickell's article in today's Guardian spells out the case for renweables, based on a report from Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute. There's a lot more work to do, but hard evidence like this is vital to campaigners if we are going to stop a new generation of nuclear power stations.
Creating a storm for Electoral Reform
Last night's meeting at the House of Commons is already being called "historic" by OpenDemocracy's Anthony Barnett. By my count there were over 200 people in Committee Room 14 to hear activists from all parties and none supporting electoral reform.
Polly Toynbee kicked off, calling for a "spirit of revolution" rather than a detailed argument about voting mechanisms - "don't d'Hondt me!". She played on Labour's "choice" agenda by arguing that support for genuine choice in the workings of our democracy should be a prerequisite for any politician talking about choice in other areas of policy.
Billy Bragg warned of the huge problem of party political tribalism, pointed out that we need arguments that will convince Tories to back proportional representation. He reminded the meeting that, whatever headway we make in the Commons, Lords reform is already on the agenda for this parliament and creating a more proportional and more democratic Lords would increase pressure for a more democratic electoral system for the Commons.
Labour MP Martin Linton called first-past-the-post the "least sophisticated voting system in the world" which went out of date 150 years ago when elections started to have more than two candidates.
LibDem strategist Chris Rennard argued that our current rotten electoral system requires tactical voting and this leads to a very negative form of campaigning, which most democrats feel uncomfortable using. ("Not that this discomfort has stopped the LibDems using negative campaigning very effectively," he didn't add.)
Peter Tatchell called for a new Chartist movement, pointing out that all previous electoral reforms, from the right to vote onwards, have been won by popular campaigns on the streets not just in the corridors of power.
Several floor speakers emphasised the need to include local elections in our call for reform and Jason Buckley of tacticalvoter.net mentioned that many people who had been in touch with him were worried about the far right getting seats under PR.
Hackney Green Mischa Borris answered this by pointing out that the way to beat the BNP under PR is the same way as you beat them under the current system - you take them on rather than letting them set the agenda, just as Hugh Muir pointed out yesterday.
At around this point the chair asked if there were any Tories present and two guys from Conservative Action for Electoral Reform and the Campaign for Conservative Democracy spoke up and received a round of applause just for being there. The chair of CCD then made himself even more popular by declaring that he not only agreed with Peter Tatchell, but that he'd happily join him chained to the railings of Downing Street if it came to it.
Closing comments focused on the need to support any change that moves us in the right direction, such as Lords reform or preferential voting on current constituency boundaries, which would at least remove the need for tactical voting - even if it doesn't address proportionality.
Martin Linton reminded us that first-past-the-post doesn't just affect election results, but also the way parties govern - focusing on the views of apolitical swing voters in marginal seats rather than the majority of the population. And in local government, fptp leads to one-party states.
Billy Bragg returned to the issue of the BNP reminding people that under PR the positive protest vote becomes viable and pointed to the success of the Scottish Socialist and Greens and the lack of far-right activity north of the border.
The post-meeting session in the pub was a good chance to catch up with a wide variety of people. The Green Party was well represented as was the ex-youth cnd mafia from 10 years ago. Most of my time was spent talking to various bloggers, including the Honourable Fiend and Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads and backingblair fame.
Polly Toynbee kicked off, calling for a "spirit of revolution" rather than a detailed argument about voting mechanisms - "don't d'Hondt me!". She played on Labour's "choice" agenda by arguing that support for genuine choice in the workings of our democracy should be a prerequisite for any politician talking about choice in other areas of policy.
Billy Bragg warned of the huge problem of party political tribalism, pointed out that we need arguments that will convince Tories to back proportional representation. He reminded the meeting that, whatever headway we make in the Commons, Lords reform is already on the agenda for this parliament and creating a more proportional and more democratic Lords would increase pressure for a more democratic electoral system for the Commons.
Labour MP Martin Linton called first-past-the-post the "least sophisticated voting system in the world" which went out of date 150 years ago when elections started to have more than two candidates.
LibDem strategist Chris Rennard argued that our current rotten electoral system requires tactical voting and this leads to a very negative form of campaigning, which most democrats feel uncomfortable using. ("Not that this discomfort has stopped the LibDems using negative campaigning very effectively," he didn't add.)
Peter Tatchell called for a new Chartist movement, pointing out that all previous electoral reforms, from the right to vote onwards, have been won by popular campaigns on the streets not just in the corridors of power.
Several floor speakers emphasised the need to include local elections in our call for reform and Jason Buckley of tacticalvoter.net mentioned that many people who had been in touch with him were worried about the far right getting seats under PR.
Hackney Green Mischa Borris answered this by pointing out that the way to beat the BNP under PR is the same way as you beat them under the current system - you take them on rather than letting them set the agenda, just as Hugh Muir pointed out yesterday.
At around this point the chair asked if there were any Tories present and two guys from Conservative Action for Electoral Reform and the Campaign for Conservative Democracy spoke up and received a round of applause just for being there. The chair of CCD then made himself even more popular by declaring that he not only agreed with Peter Tatchell, but that he'd happily join him chained to the railings of Downing Street if it came to it.
Closing comments focused on the need to support any change that moves us in the right direction, such as Lords reform or preferential voting on current constituency boundaries, which would at least remove the need for tactical voting - even if it doesn't address proportionality.
Martin Linton reminded us that first-past-the-post doesn't just affect election results, but also the way parties govern - focusing on the views of apolitical swing voters in marginal seats rather than the majority of the population. And in local government, fptp leads to one-party states.
Billy Bragg returned to the issue of the BNP reminding people that under PR the positive protest vote becomes viable and pointed to the success of the Scottish Socialist and Greens and the lack of far-right activity north of the border.
The post-meeting session in the pub was a good chance to catch up with a wide variety of people. The Green Party was well represented as was the ex-youth cnd mafia from 10 years ago. Most of my time was spent talking to various bloggers, including the Honourable Fiend and Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads and backingblair fame.
ELECTORAL REFORM
BILLY BRAGG
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Call this democracy?
Robin Grant of perfect.co.uk neatly summarises the growing call for electoral reform and plugs tonight's Electoral Reform Society/Make Votes Count meeting in the House of Commons.
ELECTORAL REFORM
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
George Monbiot: Junk Science
George Monbiot's Guardian column today does a great job of pointing out just how desperate the climate change deniers are and what lengths they will go to "prove" that climate change is not happening.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Friday, May 06, 2005
Results
I'm not a councillor, but we did score our best ever result in Islington North, our best ever result in Islington South, our best ever council by-election result and our highest ever vote in Highbury West, so the outcome is "disappointing, but still a good result".
Those results in full (with inexplicable gap resulting from my first attempt to hand code a table within a blogger post):
Nationally, the result is apparently "fantastic", but tinged with the disappointment that we didn't get our first MP this time round.
Those results in full (with inexplicable gap resulting from my first attempt to hand code a table within a blogger post):
| Highbury West By election | ||||
| Name | Party | Votes | %age | |
| Theresa Debono | (Lab) | 1669 | 39.2% | |
| Jon Nott | (Green) | 1043 | 24.5% | |
| Iarla Kilbane-Dawe | (LibDem) | 711 | 16.7% | |
| Tim Newark | (Local) | 437 | 10.3% | |
| Simon Phillips | (Con) | 394 | 9.3% | |
| Islington North | ||||
| Name | Party | Votes | %age | change |
| Jeremy Corbyn | (Lab) | 16,118 | 51.2% | -10.7% |
| Laura Willoughby | (LibDem) | 9,402 | 29.9% | +10.9% |
| Nicola Talbot | (Con) | 3,740 | 11.9% | +1.1% |
| Jon Nott | (Green) | 2,234 | 7.1% | +0.9% |
| Majority | 6,716 | 21.3% | ||
| Turnout | 31,494 | 53.9% | +5.1% | |
| Islington South | ||||
| Name | Party | Votes | %age | change |
| Emily Thornberry | (Lab) | 12,345 | 39.9% | -14.0% |
| Bridget Fox | (LibDem) | 11,861 | 38.3% | +10.2% |
| Melanie McLean | (Con) | 4,594 | 14.8% | +1.1% |
| James Humphries | (Green) | 1,471 | 4.8% | +4.8% |
| Patricia Theophanides | (UKIP) | 470 | 1.5% | +1.5% |
| Andy the Hat Gardener | (Loony) | 189 | 0.6% | +0.6% |
| Chris Gidden | (Ind) | 31 | 0.1% | +0.1% |
| Majority | 484 | 1.6% | ||
| Turnout | 30,961 | 53.6% | +6.2% |
Nationally, the result is apparently "fantastic", but tinged with the disappointment that we didn't get our first MP this time round.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Labour voters switch to Greens
Some very positive last-minute signs, with the discovery of more Labour to Green switchers today.
One of the Guardian's panel of floating voters lives in Islington North and has decided to vote Green, he reveals in his final posting.
And a voter I called on early in the campaign, who told me he was going to vote Labour in the local by-election, stopped one of our canvassers this evening to say that having been canvassed by the Labour candidate, he was so unimpressed that he was switching his vote and would now be voting Green.
I'm off for an early night as tomorrow will be a very long day. By the next time I post, I'll know the result...
One of the Guardian's panel of floating voters lives in Islington North and has decided to vote Green, he reveals in his final posting.
And a voter I called on early in the campaign, who told me he was going to vote Labour in the local by-election, stopped one of our canvassers this evening to say that having been canvassed by the Labour candidate, he was so unimpressed that he was switching his vote and would now be voting Green.
I'm off for an early night as tomorrow will be a very long day. By the next time I post, I'll know the result...
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Labour floundering
There was much hilarity at Arsenal tube station today as we assembled to start our evening canvassing session. Labour's General Election candidate, Jeremy Corbyn, was there with a film crew in in tow - they got some great footage of people taking Green leaflets and turning down the offer of Labour ones.
Those who did take a Labour leaflet were in for an amusing read. Labour's candidate claims to have been "committed to environmentalism" for over 20 years - it's a shame that Labour's commitment to the environment didn't surface while they were running the council and only makes it onto their leaflets when they are about to lose one of their few remaining seats to the Green Party.
As usual, most of their leaflet is dedicated to attacking other parties rather than putting forward their own policies. Interestingly they manage to attack us both for being a single issue party only concerned with the environment and for not mentioning the environment during the campaign.
They also attack another candidate for having no policies on Council Housing, care for the elderly or schools - all issues which Labour have not addressed in any of their leaflets.
The final attack, if it can be called that, is a quick summary of the Green Party's policies on asylum, fair trade and progressive taxation. They are quick to reassure voters that Labour priorities include a plentiful supply of cheap, imported electronic goods (it is not clear how this fits in with their "Green" action plan).
Those who did take a Labour leaflet were in for an amusing read. Labour's candidate claims to have been "committed to environmentalism" for over 20 years - it's a shame that Labour's commitment to the environment didn't surface while they were running the council and only makes it onto their leaflets when they are about to lose one of their few remaining seats to the Green Party.
As usual, most of their leaflet is dedicated to attacking other parties rather than putting forward their own policies. Interestingly they manage to attack us both for being a single issue party only concerned with the environment and for not mentioning the environment during the campaign.
They also attack another candidate for having no policies on Council Housing, care for the elderly or schools - all issues which Labour have not addressed in any of their leaflets.
The final attack, if it can be called that, is a quick summary of the Green Party's policies on asylum, fair trade and progressive taxation. They are quick to reassure voters that Labour priorities include a plentiful supply of cheap, imported electronic goods (it is not clear how this fits in with their "Green" action plan).
Two days to go
I've not had time to sit at a keyboard in the past three days as we've spent the whole bank holiday weekend calling back on people who were out the first time we called.
As usual the closer the election gets, the more helpers come out - we had 18 different people out canvassing in Highbury West over the weekend, with a similar number out delivering leaflets and letters to voters. Over the three days we called on almost every street in the ward and spoke to many more Green voters. The mood in the ward is really positive - people keep telling me on the doorstep that they hope I'll get in and that they think we've got a really good chance based on their conversations with friends - which confirms what our canvass returns say.
There are two more days of canvassing and then the big day itself, when we have to work even harder to make sure that our voters turn out to vote. Every time I bump into the Labour candidate on the street, she tells me that she's looking forward to a rest when the campaign ends. Either this means she doesn't think she's going to get elected, or she thinks that being a councillor will be easy. I'm under no such illusion - the real work starts on Friday when, hopefully, I'll have the responsibility of representing Highbury West as Islington's first Green councillor.
As usual the closer the election gets, the more helpers come out - we had 18 different people out canvassing in Highbury West over the weekend, with a similar number out delivering leaflets and letters to voters. Over the three days we called on almost every street in the ward and spoke to many more Green voters. The mood in the ward is really positive - people keep telling me on the doorstep that they hope I'll get in and that they think we've got a really good chance based on their conversations with friends - which confirms what our canvass returns say.
There are two more days of canvassing and then the big day itself, when we have to work even harder to make sure that our voters turn out to vote. Every time I bump into the Labour candidate on the street, she tells me that she's looking forward to a rest when the campaign ends. Either this means she doesn't think she's going to get elected, or she thinks that being a councillor will be easy. I'm under no such illusion - the real work starts on Friday when, hopefully, I'll have the responsibility of representing Highbury West as Islington's first Green councillor.
Friday, April 29, 2005
The first Green MP?
An excellent article in today's Independent following Keith Taylor around Brighton Pavillion, the no.1 Green Party target seat. There's a real chance that we'll make the breakthrough this time and as we've seen on councils up and down the country and in the Scottish Parliament - once people elect one Green, they tend to elect more.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
College Hustings
An excellent lunchtime hustings at the Finsbury Park campus of City and Islington college. There was strong support from all candidates for the local newspaper's campaign to stop the deportation of the college's star student to Liberia.
No surprises really, but the Tory candidate did get heckled and booed when she tried to claim that her party isn't racist. Does she think that we haven't seen their billboards and press adverts?
I spent the afternoon and evening out canvassing. I'm now regularly getting stopped in the street by people telling me they're going to vote for me and wishing me luck.
The day ended on a very sad note as I have just found out that a cyclist was killed in a collision with a lorry on Drayton Park this morning.
No surprises really, but the Tory candidate did get heckled and booed when she tried to claim that her party isn't racist. Does she think that we haven't seen their billboards and press adverts?
I spent the afternoon and evening out canvassing. I'm now regularly getting stopped in the street by people telling me they're going to vote for me and wishing me luck.
The day ended on a very sad note as I have just found out that a cyclist was killed in a collision with a lorry on Drayton Park this morning.
10 best ways to waste a councillor's time
When deciding that I really did want give up my evenings and weekends to become a local councillor, one of my inspirations was Jonathan Myerson's excellent Guardian column about his experiences as a councillor, Lambeth Talk.
Today's column, 10 best ways to waste a councillor's time, seems designed to put off aspirant councillors, but I feel strangely re-inspired by it. He gives the impression that being a councillor can be a thankless task, endlessly trying to solve impossible problems - but I know from his previous columns and, more importantly, from Green councillors I've spoken to around the country, that there is a huge satisfaction in helping people solve the kind of seemingly small problems which can make a huge difference to your quality of life.
As we enter the last week of the campaign I've taken some of my annual leave from work so that I can devote my full attention to making sure that Highbury West has a Green councillor on May the 5th.
Today's column, 10 best ways to waste a councillor's time, seems designed to put off aspirant councillors, but I feel strangely re-inspired by it. He gives the impression that being a councillor can be a thankless task, endlessly trying to solve impossible problems - but I know from his previous columns and, more importantly, from Green councillors I've spoken to around the country, that there is a huge satisfaction in helping people solve the kind of seemingly small problems which can make a huge difference to your quality of life.
As we enter the last week of the campaign I've taken some of my annual leave from work so that I can devote my full attention to making sure that Highbury West has a Green councillor on May the 5th.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Greenpeace protesters scale Prescott's roof
I listened with extra interest to the breakfast-time news today as someone I work with went off yesterday to take part in a Greenpeace action and I was keen to know what they were up to. As you probably saw or heard, they were installing solar panels on John Prescott's roof to help him play his part in reducing CO2 emmissions.
Franz Ferdinand play for Greens
Not only has our Party Election Broadcast been filmed by Alex Cox, but it has just been announced that the soundtrackis being provided by Franz Ferdinand.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Private deals block Jamie's school dinners
Proper school meals hit the headlines again today in the Guardian. The Guardian article mentions the Scolarest contract in Islington schools which is the subject of a local Unison campaign to bring school meals back in house. I have signed up to support this campaign which is completely in line with Green policies of high quality local food for schools democratic control of education rather than contracting out to private companies.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Road safety
I was out this afternoon at the junction of Tollington Road and Hornsey Road, where Transport for London have promised to improve the pedestrian crossing, following our campaign last year. Whilst discussing how dangerous the crossing currently is, we witnessed a cyclist being knocked from his bike as a car swang round the corner.
Fortunately the cyclist was uninjured, but it did emphasise not just how dangerous the crossing is, but also the dangers caused by the gyratory system which has turned Tollington Road into a racetrack. The works on the pedestrian crossing can't start soon enough. And our long-running campaign to restore Tollington Road to two-way working will need to step up a gear once the election is over.
Fortunately the cyclist was uninjured, but it did emphasise not just how dangerous the crossing is, but also the dangers caused by the gyratory system which has turned Tollington Road into a racetrack. The works on the pedestrian crossing can't start soon enough. And our long-running campaign to restore Tollington Road to two-way working will need to step up a gear once the election is over.
Show of Respect?
I've just noticed that Respectwatch have switched their blog to use the same green-tinted blogger template as me - is this coincidence or a subtle hint?
Labour are getting worried
You can always tell when traditional politicians are getting worried - they stop talking about their own plans and start attacking the opposition. And Labour are very worried in Highbury West. Their leaflet contains no less than five articles attacking their opponents and only two talking about their own policies. As is usual with this kind of negative politics, the attacks have little grounding in reality.
It is interesting that Labour have chosen to attack us on education. Perhaps they fear that our plans to increase education spending, scrap tution fees, improve pupil teacher ratios and concentrate classroom time on learning rather than testing will be more popular than their own ideas. This is after all the party that privatised Islington's Local Education Authority and school meals, and the party which allows private companies to run state schools teaching creationism rather than science.
The Green Party on the other hand would end the involement of private companies in the running of our schools - education should be for learning, not for profit. And Greens would reduce the amount of testing and league tables, putting the money into improving education for all pupils, not just those attending selective or private schools.
It is interesting that Labour have chosen to attack us on education. Perhaps they fear that our plans to increase education spending, scrap tution fees, improve pupil teacher ratios and concentrate classroom time on learning rather than testing will be more popular than their own ideas. This is after all the party that privatised Islington's Local Education Authority and school meals, and the party which allows private companies to run state schools teaching creationism rather than science.
The Green Party on the other hand would end the involement of private companies in the running of our schools - education should be for learning, not for profit. And Greens would reduce the amount of testing and league tables, putting the money into improving education for all pupils, not just those attending selective or private schools.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Housmans Bookshop
I took a night off from campaigning to wear another of my hats and chair a meeting of the board of Housmans Bookshop. It was pleasing to note that Chris Rose's book How to Win Campaigns, which was launched at Housmans last week, got a two page feature in yesterday's Green edition of the Indepedent, which also featured an interview with Darren Johnson.
FBU support Green candidate
Great news that the FBU have chosen to support Darren Johnson in Lewisham because he was the only member of the London Fire Authority to vote against cuts in fire engine numbers in inner city areas like Islington. The other parties have all jumped on this bandwagon, but it is good to see our support being recognised and reciprocated.
"Vote Green" says Monbiot
Voting LibDem sends a mixed message to the government says George Monbiot in his Guardian column today.
By choosing the Lib Dems, you are sending an equivocal signal. Are you voting for them because you think Blair is too rightwing, or because you fear old Labour might resurface? Are you choosing them because you are a liberal Tory who detests Howard, or is it because you can't make up your mind, and they represent the middle position? There are, in other words, too many reasons for voting Lib Dem. Your voice is lost in the noise of conflicting intentions, and your decision becomes unintelligible. Whoever takes power after the next election cannot be sure why the votes fell the way they did.
If, on the other hand, you were to vote Green ... you would send an unequivocal signal about the kind of politics you are rejecting and the kind of politics you are embracing.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Progress
Another good day canvassing yesterday - there's a really positive feeling on the doorstep that Islington will have its first Green councillor on May the 5th.
There are more Green posters up in Highbury West than all the other parties combined and more are going up every day. I keep coming across LibDem voters who are planning to vote Green tactically because they recognise that the LibDems have no chance in Highbury West. But what is surprising is the reaction of the "Corbyn Greens".
This is our name for the group of ex-Labour voters who vote Green at every election, except the General Election. However, this time a significant number are telling us that however much they respect Jeremy Corbyn, they can't bring themselves to put their cross next to any Labour candidate this time and they'll be voting Green in both the General Election and the by-election.
It looks like we may be on track for our best ever General Election result as well as our first councillor on May the 5th.
There are more Green posters up in Highbury West than all the other parties combined and more are going up every day. I keep coming across LibDem voters who are planning to vote Green tactically because they recognise that the LibDems have no chance in Highbury West. But what is surprising is the reaction of the "Corbyn Greens".
This is our name for the group of ex-Labour voters who vote Green at every election, except the General Election. However, this time a significant number are telling us that however much they respect Jeremy Corbyn, they can't bring themselves to put their cross next to any Labour candidate this time and they'll be voting Green in both the General Election and the by-election.
It looks like we may be on track for our best ever General Election result as well as our first councillor on May the 5th.
Friday, April 15, 2005
6,000 Rover workers face redundancy
The Rover saga looks like it's coming to an end with the Guardian reporting 6,000 reduncancies.
What makes me so angry about this is the persistent lack of vision from both Labour and Tory governments. Rather than using state subsidies to prop up industries based on obselete technology we could have been investing in the technologies that will dominate the 21st century. Instead Germany and Denmark have stolen a march on us and are now the world leaders in producing solar panels and wind turbines, while we are locked in a race to the bottom trying to compete with the Chinese by cutting jobs and lowering the pay and conditions of those who remain.
If governments of either party had taken the threat of climate change seriously in the 1990s and invested in renewable energy, we would now have profitable manufacturing industries, providing jobs and exports, to take the place of what were once flagship companies like Rover.
British engineering was once the envy of the world and could be again if the government took a long-term view and invested in the kinds of technology that everyone will need if we are to cut energy usage to a sustainable level.
I had hoped that my union the Transport & General Workers Union would be looking to the future, following a commitment from Jack Dromey, when he was standing for his current post of Deputy General Secretary, that the union would work with the Green Party to promote sustainable industry.
However, it seems that the links between the unions and the Labour Party are as strong as ever, no matter how many times Labour betrays the trust of working people in this country.
What makes me so angry about this is the persistent lack of vision from both Labour and Tory governments. Rather than using state subsidies to prop up industries based on obselete technology we could have been investing in the technologies that will dominate the 21st century. Instead Germany and Denmark have stolen a march on us and are now the world leaders in producing solar panels and wind turbines, while we are locked in a race to the bottom trying to compete with the Chinese by cutting jobs and lowering the pay and conditions of those who remain.
If governments of either party had taken the threat of climate change seriously in the 1990s and invested in renewable energy, we would now have profitable manufacturing industries, providing jobs and exports, to take the place of what were once flagship companies like Rover.
British engineering was once the envy of the world and could be again if the government took a long-term view and invested in the kinds of technology that everyone will need if we are to cut energy usage to a sustainable level.
I had hoped that my union the Transport & General Workers Union would be looking to the future, following a commitment from Jack Dromey, when he was standing for his current post of Deputy General Secretary, that the union would work with the Green Party to promote sustainable industry.
However, it seems that the links between the unions and the Labour Party are as strong as ever, no matter how many times Labour betrays the trust of working people in this country.
Polls Apart 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
"You have the best ties"
Back to College Green for the launch of the London campaign. Almost all of our 50 London candidates were there, the highgest number of candidates we've ever stood in London. The staged photo is a line of candidates holding posters which spell out "Vote Green".
The Times photographer spends most of his time trying to catch people holding the letters in the wrong order or spelling out other words. He also takes a lot of pictures of my tie and tells me that we're much better sports than the other parties, whose media managers are constantly trying to stop him getting the pictures he wants of candidates relaxing between the staged shots.
The Times photographer spends most of his time trying to catch people holding the letters in the wrong order or spelling out other words. He also takes a lot of pictures of my tie and tells me that we're much better sports than the other parties, whose media managers are constantly trying to stop him getting the pictures he wants of candidates relaxing between the staged shots.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Manifesto launch
More good coverage in the national media for yesterday's General Election Manifesto launch. And a lot of positive comments on the BBC website.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Purity or power?
There's an excellent editorial in today's Guardian about the power shift within the Party - from the unelectable "purists", who care more about theory than action, to those who are serious not only about Green politics, but also about getting elected to positions where we can implement Green policies.
The Guardian are wrong, however, to suggest that it is necessary to abandon local autonomy in order for more Greens to get elected. In fact it is our autonomy that enables local parties such as Islington to be sensitive to local issues. Not for us the daily press release from head office with a few blanks to fill in the name of the constituency. Our campaigns are run by local activists based on local knowledge. It is precisely because Greens do politics differently that we are about to elect our first Islington councillor in Highbury West on 5th May.
The Guardian are wrong, however, to suggest that it is necessary to abandon local autonomy in order for more Greens to get elected. In fact it is our autonomy that enables local parties such as Islington to be sensitive to local issues. Not for us the daily press release from head office with a few blanks to fill in the name of the constituency. Our campaigns are run by local activists based on local knowledge. It is precisely because Greens do politics differently that we are about to elect our first Islington councillor in Highbury West on 5th May.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Posters
Another good day's canvassing yesterday, Green posters are spreading across the ward and I've still not seen a single opposition poster.
I met the Conservative General Election candidate who was out leafleting. She was gracious enough to admit that they have no chance of winning here and kind enough say she hoped I'd win. If only all Conservatives were like that.
I met the Conservative General Election candidate who was out leafleting. She was gracious enough to admit that they have no chance of winning here and kind enough say she hoped I'd win. If only all Conservatives were like that.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Local press
I'm the only candidate quoted in the article about the by-election in the Gazette. I'm profiled in today's High & I and get a couple of mentions in the Tribune.
Labour have finally selected a candidate, but not early enough to make all the local papers, so that's two editions of the biggest circulation local paper that they've missed coverage in - unbelievable, considering that they chose the timing.
Labour have finally selected a candidate, but not early enough to make all the local papers, so that's two editions of the biggest circulation local paper that they've missed coverage in - unbelievable, considering that they chose the timing.
press coverage of yesterday's launch
My bike illustrates Ann Treneman's sketch in the Times. And Paul Ingram whizzing past the Houses of Parliament on one of the poster bikes accompanied Simon Hogart's sketch in print editions of the Guardian.
There are also good articles on BBC News, politics.co.uk and the Independent.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
People, Planet, Peace
I was down at Westminster this morning blog/for the launch of the three national campaign themes - People, Planet, Peace.
There was a fantastic mood on College Green with more journalists than I've ever seen at a Green Party event - including the sketch writers from the Times and the Guardian.
Despite the presence of the promo-bikes, there was a lot of interest in my Brompton folding bike and I was kept busy riding back and forth and folding up my bike for the photographers.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
A good weekend in Highbury West
The first weekend of the by-election campaign is over and I've just sent our first leaflet off to the printers. Most of the weekend has been taken up with canvassing and we're getting a very good response on the doorsteps. We're the only credible party to have declared our candididate so far and in addition to the numerous expressions of positive support, I've had both Conservatives and LibDems saying they'll vote tactically to get rid of Labour.
Our posters are starting to appear around the ward, but even the outgoing Labour councillor hasn't got round to putting up a poster yet. The weather has been fantastic all weekend, but forecasts suggest we'll getting very wet during evening canvassing sessions this week.
Our posters are starting to appear around the ward, but even the outgoing Labour councillor hasn't got round to putting up a poster yet. The weather has been fantastic all weekend, but forecasts suggest we'll getting very wet during evening canvassing sessions this week.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Local press coverage
The first coverage of the by-election made today's papers, the announcement having come too late for yesterday's Gazette. The High & I just ran a notice that Mary Creagh had resigned and decided not to mention candidates. Interestingly, although Labour called the by-election, and were the only party to know for sure that they'd be doing so, they will be the last to select a candidate - now there's forward planning for you.
The Tribune ran a story about the two declared candidates - me and a candidate campaigning against road safety measures and the CPZ in his street (we don't yet know if the real tories will stand aside to support him).
The Tribune ran a story about the two declared candidates - me and a candidate campaigning against road safety measures and the CPZ in his street (we don't yet know if the real tories will stand aside to support him).
affordable homes for all?
Labour today announced their plans for affordable homes for all, but there are two major flaws.
The first is the plan to create a million more homeowners - it sounds great in principle, but the effect a million less homes available to rent. And affordable rented accommodation is already in very short supply in areas like Highbury.
The second problem is that their pledge to build new homes doesn't match their record over the past eight years. As Polly Toynbee and David Walker note in their assessment of Labour's record Better or Worse:
Green councillors across the country are securing high levels of affordable housing in new developments - in fact a landmark case won when the Greens co-ran Oxford City Council means that local authorities can now force developers to include 50% affordable housing in new developments.
As a Green councillor I'll be working for a 50% afforable housing target in Islington.
The first is the plan to create a million more homeowners - it sounds great in principle, but the effect a million less homes available to rent. And affordable rented accommodation is already in very short supply in areas like Highbury.
The second problem is that their pledge to build new homes doesn't match their record over the past eight years. As Polly Toynbee and David Walker note in their assessment of Labour's record Better or Worse:
under Labour "fewer homes were being built, both private and social, than for years. Not surprisingly, the number of families accepted by councils as homeless and in need of emergency accommodation more than doubled from 40,000 families in 1997 to 90,000 in 2004 - and these were only those at the extremity of housing need."
"Spiralling house prices meant fewer people now moved out of the shrinking amount of council and social housing to make way for others because fewer of them could now afford to make the jump into buying their own homes."
Green councillors across the country are securing high levels of affordable housing in new developments - in fact a landmark case won when the Greens co-ran Oxford City Council means that local authorities can now force developers to include 50% affordable housing in new developments.
As a Green councillor I'll be working for a 50% afforable housing target in Islington.
Guess who Prints the BNP's Newsletter?
I found this article about a group of racist hypocrites masquerading as a political party on the website of The Muslim Directory. The story was originally published in the Daily Telegraph.
You can read the whole article here.
The far right British National Party, whose leader Nick Griffin was recently arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after he denounced Islam as a "wicked, vicious faith", is secretly using an Arab-owned company to print its monthly newspaper, The Telegraph revealed.
The Voice of Freedom, the BNP's official publication, which regularly describes Islam as a "dangerous" religion, is published at a printing works in Essex owned by a company in Saudi Arabia and staffed almost entirely by Muslims.
The disclosure, following a Telegraph investigation, will be seen by many as evidence of the BNP's hypocrisy and will stun even its own members...
You can read the whole article here.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Highbury West by-election
I've just found out that we'll be facing a Council by-election in Highbury West on 5 May as Mary Creagh has resigned her council seat in order to fight Wakefield in the General Election.
Highbury West is one of our best wards and we narrowly missed getting our first councillor elected there in 2002. I now find myself in the position of fighting two elections - most likely on the same day - as I have long been selected as a candidate for Highbury West.
Based on the 2002 result we need to convince about 80 Labour voters to switch in order to elect Islington's first Green councillor. Given the work we've been putting in year-round we're confident that we can do this. We're helped by the fact that Highbury West is somewhere that the LibDems do appallingly badly. They came a poor third in 2002 and in last June's elections to the London Assembly and the European Parliament.
Here's my first press release of the by-election campaign:
Highbury West is one of our best wards and we narrowly missed getting our first councillor elected there in 2002. I now find myself in the position of fighting two elections - most likely on the same day - as I have long been selected as a candidate for Highbury West.
Based on the 2002 result we need to convince about 80 Labour voters to switch in order to elect Islington's first Green councillor. Given the work we've been putting in year-round we're confident that we can do this. We're helped by the fact that Highbury West is somewhere that the LibDems do appallingly badly. They came a poor third in 2002 and in last June's elections to the London Assembly and the European Parliament.
Here's my first press release of the by-election campaign:
Greens confident of winning first councillor
Islington Green Party announced their candidate for the Highbury West by-election today. Jon Nott, 32, stood in the Highbury West in the 2002 council elections when the Green Party narrowly missed out on their first Islington councillor. Jon also stood for the London Assembly in June last year and again the Green Party were the clear challengers to Labour.
"Only the Green Party can beat Labour in Highbury West," says Jon. "We are the only party working for Highbury residents all year round and this is reflected in the level of support in recent elections."
"Highbury West has suffered badly from the way the Council has mismanaged the Arsenal stadium move. Residents deserve someone who will speak up for them on the Council and only the Green Party provides the real choice for real change."
"The Green Party is the only party to oppose the further privatisation of Islington's schools and the only party offering a real solution to transport problems. Greens on the London Assembly and in the European Parliament are already delivering improvements for Highbury West residents - electing a Green councillor will make a real difference."
The LibDems came a poor third in Highbury West in both the 2002 Council elections and last years' London Assembly and European Parliament elections.
Jon is a former Vice-Chair of CND, whose headquarters are in Highbury West, and has lived in Islington for five years and worked for a human rights campaign based in Archway since 1998. He lives with his partner and her daughter.
The Highbury West by-election has been called for Thursday 5 May following the resignation of Cllr Mary Creagh. Mary Creagh is standing down to pursue her political career in Wakefield, where she will stand at the General Election.
Notes:
1. The Green Party was only 148 votes short of winning their first Council seat in Highbury West in 2002. The Liberal Democrats were over 600 votes behind.
2. In Highbury West Jon Nott was the clear challenger to the winning Labour candidate in last June's election to the London Assembly.
Labour - 784 (32.5%)
Green - 565 (23.5%)
LibDem - 371 (15.5%)
Conservative - 288 (12.0%)
Monday, March 28, 2005
Honest politics
The weekend's revelations about the Tories plans for huge cuts in public spending might be dominating the agenda, but they aren't the only party trying to mislead voters.
The papers are full of articles by ministers and their friends arguing that a vote for progressive anti-war candidates (or the LibDems) will not teach Labour a lesson, but will lead to a Tory government - completely missing the point that most tactical voting is done on a seat by seat basis. In fact there are several sites such as So Now Who Do We Vote For which are set up precisely to help you work out how best to vote tactically and ensure that you don't let the Tories in.
Interestingly, the Tories are paying for ads in the Islington Press telling people that a vote for the LibDems will let Labour back in. As the Tories have no prospect of even coming second, let alone winning it seems that they are afraid that tactical voting could cost them their deposits and are desperately trying to shore up their core vote.
Of course, the past masters at misleading voters are the LibDems and their graphs. The latest Islington North graph is a classic example and follows the text book advice: "Does a strong third party challenge make a nonsense of claims that it's a two horse race? Simple, just leave them off the graph - the voters won't notice."
The misleading LibDem graph
and the real figures, showing the extent of Green support in Islington North.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Canvassing
Yesterday was our first day of election canvassing. Until now we've been keeping up our year round issue-based canvassing - talking to people about local issues that we've been campaigning on and taking up casework on their behalf. Over the past few weeks more and more people have been assuming that we were electioneering and with the announcement less than a fortnight away we've decided to make the switch.
Canvassing some streets is like calling on old friends. Many of the residents are people we've spoken to several times over the course of the year's canvassing and they're happy to talk to us about the election precisely because we don't just come round when there's an election on.
Unsurprisingly a lot of people are undecided at this stage. Although we've been thinking about the election almost constantly for months, for most people it's only just coming onto the radar. The signs are good though - a lot of Labour voters can't bring themselves to vote for Blair and there's a lot of dissatisfaction with the LibDem council - we're offering the option to vote for rather than against something. Add in the fact that we polled over 20% in Islington North in last June's GLA and Euro elections and we seem to be on track for a significant increase in our vote.
Canvassing some streets is like calling on old friends. Many of the residents are people we've spoken to several times over the course of the year's canvassing and they're happy to talk to us about the election precisely because we don't just come round when there's an election on.
Unsurprisingly a lot of people are undecided at this stage. Although we've been thinking about the election almost constantly for months, for most people it's only just coming onto the radar. The signs are good though - a lot of Labour voters can't bring themselves to vote for Blair and there's a lot of dissatisfaction with the LibDem council - we're offering the option to vote for rather than against something. Add in the fact that we polled over 20% in Islington North in last June's GLA and Euro elections and we seem to be on track for a significant increase in our vote.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Critical Mass
Just back from the monthly Critical Mass cycle ride, followed by a quick meeting with Malcolm, my Election Agent, to sort out the weekend's canvassing.
Critical Mass is one of those things where it's difficult to describe the appeal until you try it. A load of cyclists meet up on the South Bank on the last Friday of the month and ride around for the evening. There's no fixed route, no destination, just the chance to see what central London would be like if the primary mode of transport was the bike rather than the car.
Although at its root the Mass is making a political point about the need for traffic reduction and an end to our oil dependence, when you are actually riding it turns into a very social occasion. I spent most of the evening chatting to Chris Asbhy, the previous Green Party candidate in Islington North, Matthew Tempest, a Guardian journalist who I first met when he was reporting on Green Party conference and Matt's wife.
Jesse, who I know from my involvement in Housmans Bookshop and Peace News was also there distributing flyers for the World Naked Bike Ride in Hyde Park in June. I like their slogan "STOP indecent exposure to vehicle emmissions", but I'm not at all sure about the practicalities of naked cycling.
I leave the Mass outside Buckingham Palace as they head south and I make for King's Cross for my meeting.
Critical Mass is one of those things where it's difficult to describe the appeal until you try it. A load of cyclists meet up on the South Bank on the last Friday of the month and ride around for the evening. There's no fixed route, no destination, just the chance to see what central London would be like if the primary mode of transport was the bike rather than the car.
Although at its root the Mass is making a political point about the need for traffic reduction and an end to our oil dependence, when you are actually riding it turns into a very social occasion. I spent most of the evening chatting to Chris Asbhy, the previous Green Party candidate in Islington North, Matthew Tempest, a Guardian journalist who I first met when he was reporting on Green Party conference and Matt's wife.
Jesse, who I know from my involvement in Housmans Bookshop and Peace News was also there distributing flyers for the World Naked Bike Ride in Hyde Park in June. I like their slogan "STOP indecent exposure to vehicle emmissions", but I'm not at all sure about the practicalities of naked cycling.
I leave the Mass outside Buckingham Palace as they head south and I make for King's Cross for my meeting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Make My Vote Count
I've just signed up as a supporter of the electoral reform campaign Make My Vote Count.
This is a campaign run by Make Votes Count and the Electoral Reform Society to promote a fairer voting system.
"The present winner-takes-all voting system frequently gives governments exaggerated majorities and leaves a tiny minority of voters in marginal seats to decide elections. A fairer voting system would produce a more representative parliament and make everyone's vote count equally."
They are running an online petition to be delivered to the new government after the election and have options to email all your candidates telling them of your support for a fairer voting system.
Sadly, not all the links on their website were working when I visited so I couldn't look at their campaign blog or their candidate profiles, but I've signed up for their email list and I'll post here when their site becomes fully functional.
This is a campaign run by Make Votes Count and the Electoral Reform Society to promote a fairer voting system.
"The present winner-takes-all voting system frequently gives governments exaggerated majorities and leaves a tiny minority of voters in marginal seats to decide elections. A fairer voting system would produce a more representative parliament and make everyone's vote count equally."
They are running an online petition to be delivered to the new government after the election and have options to email all your candidates telling them of your support for a fairer voting system.
Sadly, not all the links on their website were working when I visited so I couldn't look at their campaign blog or their candidate profiles, but I've signed up for their email list and I'll post here when their site becomes fully functional.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Kelly stays vague on school food
Despite Blair's warm words about Jamie Oliver's feed me better campaign to improve school meals, it seems that Education secretary is doing her best to sound like she's taking action without making any commitments she can be held to after the election.
You would almost think she cared more for the opinions (and profits) of school catering companies like Scolarest than the children and parents whose interests she's supposed to look after.
You would almost think she cared more for the opinions (and profits) of school catering companies like Scolarest than the children and parents whose interests she's supposed to look after.
Monday, March 21, 2005
More racists attacks from the Tories
Michael Howard is playing the race card again. And again he forgets to mention that the "problem" he sees is actually a result of Tory policies.
Councils used to have a duty to provide sites for travellers, but the Tories abolished that responsibility when Michael Howard was Home Sectretary. Now Tory Councils like Brentwood refuse to provide council owned sites and refuse to help identify sites that travellers can purchase (at no cost to the taxpayer). The inevitable result is that travellers have to park up illegally, providing the Tories with an ideal opportunity to hurl racist abuse and sterotypes at travelling people.
Even the local Tory candidate admits that the anti-immigration posters run by the Tories a few weeks ago were "insensitive", but it seems that the Tory leadership are set on whipping up imagined threats for the Daily Mail to rant about. It just goes to show that the Tories don't change their spots and however pleasant individual local candidates are, a vote for the Tories is a vote for racism and xenophobia.
Councils used to have a duty to provide sites for travellers, but the Tories abolished that responsibility when Michael Howard was Home Sectretary. Now Tory Councils like Brentwood refuse to provide council owned sites and refuse to help identify sites that travellers can purchase (at no cost to the taxpayer). The inevitable result is that travellers have to park up illegally, providing the Tories with an ideal opportunity to hurl racist abuse and sterotypes at travelling people.
Even the local Tory candidate admits that the anti-immigration posters run by the Tories a few weeks ago were "insensitive", but it seems that the Tory leadership are set on whipping up imagined threats for the Daily Mail to rant about. It just goes to show that the Tories don't change their spots and however pleasant individual local candidates are, a vote for the Tories is a vote for racism and xenophobia.
Friday, March 18, 2005
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Today, on the eve of Stop the War's protest on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, we launched the Green Party's first ever billboard campaign. In case you can't read the smaller text on the jpeg it says "The war in Iraq was illegal. Labour lied. We will end conflict by launching peace and human rights agreements, not missiles."
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Islington Pensioners' Forum - Labour self-destruct
The first official hustings today. The Pensioners' Forum is always a great gig - you're guaranteed a good argument, but unusually it wasn't the LibDem council coming in for most of the flack.
Emily Thornberry, Labour candidate for neighbouring Islington South & Finsbury, self-destructed in spectacular fashion during her introductory remarks. She mentioned that she would be speaking to Gordon Brown this afternoon and wondered if she could pass on the thanks of Islington pensioners for the one-off £200 Council Tax rebate he announced yesterday. The answer was a resounding no. Well, could she tell him "thanks, but it's not enough"? Again, no.
Instead of seeing that she had misjudged the mood of the meeting, Emily ploughed on regardless - "So, should I tell Gordon that pensioners in Islington don't need the extra £200 and he should take it back?" At this point the meeting briefly descended into chaos as the pensioners told Emily what she should say to Gordon Brown (in essence, restore the earnings link and give us a decent basic pension, not loads of means tested top-ups).
After that the rest of the meeting seemed quite calm with a few surreal moments as the Tories pledged to restore the earnings link and cut pensioners' Council Tax. Don't they realise that pensioners are all old enough to remember the Tories idea of fair local taxation - it was called the Poll Tax.
Emily Thornberry, Labour candidate for neighbouring Islington South & Finsbury, self-destructed in spectacular fashion during her introductory remarks. She mentioned that she would be speaking to Gordon Brown this afternoon and wondered if she could pass on the thanks of Islington pensioners for the one-off £200 Council Tax rebate he announced yesterday. The answer was a resounding no. Well, could she tell him "thanks, but it's not enough"? Again, no.
Instead of seeing that she had misjudged the mood of the meeting, Emily ploughed on regardless - "So, should I tell Gordon that pensioners in Islington don't need the extra £200 and he should take it back?" At this point the meeting briefly descended into chaos as the pensioners told Emily what she should say to Gordon Brown (in essence, restore the earnings link and give us a decent basic pension, not loads of means tested top-ups).
After that the rest of the meeting seemed quite calm with a few surreal moments as the Tories pledged to restore the earnings link and cut pensioners' Council Tax. Don't they realise that pensioners are all old enough to remember the Tories idea of fair local taxation - it was called the Poll Tax.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Budget
I listened to the budget with extra interest today. Brown's "budget for pensioners" comes the day before I am due at my first official husting - at the Islington Pensioners Forum. And it was good to see Labour stealing some Green policies for their budget, even if they are watered down.
But the main theme of the budget seems to be opportunities missed. Despite all the Labour rhetoric on climate change there is a paucity of action. Freezing fuel duty and setting aside £30bn for new roads will hardly reduce the 25% of CO2 emmissions caused by car traffic.
The headlines will no doubt focus on the "election giveaway" for pensioners, but as usual the devil is in the detail. Take free local transport for example. The Green policy of free LocalPlus travel includes local travel and travel to the nearest major town or city. In rural areas, thousands of pensioners will find that Labour's poorly thought out scheme means that they can't travel to their usual market town because it's over the county boundary and not included in their free pass.
But the main theme of the budget seems to be opportunities missed. Despite all the Labour rhetoric on climate change there is a paucity of action. Freezing fuel duty and setting aside £30bn for new roads will hardly reduce the 25% of CO2 emmissions caused by car traffic.
The headlines will no doubt focus on the "election giveaway" for pensioners, but as usual the devil is in the detail. Take free local transport for example. The Green policy of free LocalPlus travel includes local travel and travel to the nearest major town or city. In rural areas, thousands of pensioners will find that Labour's poorly thought out scheme means that they can't travel to their usual market town because it's over the county boundary and not included in their free pass.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)