Quote of the day
25 minutes ago
21 November 2009
Thanks Everyone
I think we've got about 95% of Greenbank ward covered now with our latest GreenView leaflet. Thank you everyone who helped, especially if you got wet!
14 November 2009
Latest Poll
The new ComRes poll for the Independent on Sunday has General Election voting intention as follows:
Tories 39%
Labour 25%
Lib Dem 17%
Green 6%
UKIP 5%
BNP 3%
SNP 3%
Tories 39%
Labour 25%
Lib Dem 17%
Green 6%
UKIP 5%
BNP 3%
SNP 3%
13 November 2009
Probably Not
Last week I was talking with a Labour councillor and Lib Dem employee of Chris Davies here in Liverpool. They asked me if I would go for it again at the next Euros. Answering honestly (one of the regular faults of Greens as opposed to other politicians), I said probably not. Given that I have spoken with our opponents about it, I should share some of those reasons with my Green colleagues.
In 2004 I was gobsmacked by our result at the Euros. We stood still in terms of vote share and despite the increasing prominence of the Green agenda, that had not transformed itself into Green votes. Here in the North West, the BNP overtook us, and as someone involved in anti-racist work at the most local level, it became very clear to me even then that there was now a very real danger that Nick Griffin could become an MEP in 2009.
I gave up full time work. In the five years that followed I sold my flat to enable me to do survive financially, often working for the Green Party full time both locally and nationally. We had some incredible successes. As Elections Co-ordinator from 2004 to 2007 we saw our number of councillors jump from 68 to 92, in Liverpool we won two successive elections in St Michaels to gain group status on the council. I spent a lot of time travelling across the North West, attending local party meetings, offering support during electoral campaigning (particularly in Halton and Manchester) and doing whatever I could to further the development of the Green Party. This was at a great deal of personal cost and opportunity cost.
Looking ahead for the next four and half years, there is simply no way I can match the preparatory work I did from 2004 to 2009. I can't financially afford to work less than full time and don't have another flat to sell. I am now blessed with a very active 11 month old son and an understanding wife who went through an absolutely hellish time during the campaign. Some days I left the house before 6am and didn't get home until after midnight, and prospect of doing that again, particularly when my son is older, does not hold much appeal at the moment.
In the strategy that I pushed heavily, I staked a lot on encouraging socialists and people on the left to back the Greens, and unfortunately I was not successful enough. Just days before the Euro Elections I wrote to a prominent candidate on the NO2EU list in the NW and asked (ok - pleaded) for him to break ranks and back us, because it was likely to be so close between us and the BNP. I was unable to persuade him to do so. If I had been successful I think we may have just succeeded and I'd be writing some quite different blog post right now.
It will always be a regret for me if I never become a Euro MP. It was a job I felt that I could do very well for the party. While I wouldn't completely rule out another run at it (four years is a long time), I'll continue to answer "probably not" if anyone asks.
It does beg the question who might lead the Green list next time here in the NW. I think whoever chooses to do it should be thinking about that prospect now. We have some excellent and talented people here in the North West, too many to mention here, but three people in particular do deserve a mention as potentially our first NW Euro MP.
Ruth Bergan effectively acted as my main back up in the campaign. As number 3 on the list, she covered hustings I couldn't make, did a huge amount of behind the scenes work and contributed hugely to our election effort. Her role in 2009 was very like the one I played in 2004 and I feel she definitely has the skills, knowledge and experience to lead the campaign and be our first Euro MP.
John Reardon is a former Carlisle Labour councillor. He was one of the good people that stayed in for as long as he could to fight to try and save the Labour Party. Since he joined the Greens he has helped transform the party in Carlisle. Expect to see Green councillors elected there within three years.
Finally, I'd include our newly elected Lancashire County Councillor Sam Riches, who has hit the ground running and is doing the essential outreach work that is needed in some areas of the North West.
For now, I'm getting on with local politics, and hopefully providing support to others as and when required. We've got a huge amount to do here in Liverpool, and I'm looking forward to doubling the number of Green councillors we have here next year and potentially holding the balance of power on the council. So enough blogging and back to some work on local leaflets!
In 2004 I was gobsmacked by our result at the Euros. We stood still in terms of vote share and despite the increasing prominence of the Green agenda, that had not transformed itself into Green votes. Here in the North West, the BNP overtook us, and as someone involved in anti-racist work at the most local level, it became very clear to me even then that there was now a very real danger that Nick Griffin could become an MEP in 2009.
I gave up full time work. In the five years that followed I sold my flat to enable me to do survive financially, often working for the Green Party full time both locally and nationally. We had some incredible successes. As Elections Co-ordinator from 2004 to 2007 we saw our number of councillors jump from 68 to 92, in Liverpool we won two successive elections in St Michaels to gain group status on the council. I spent a lot of time travelling across the North West, attending local party meetings, offering support during electoral campaigning (particularly in Halton and Manchester) and doing whatever I could to further the development of the Green Party. This was at a great deal of personal cost and opportunity cost.
Looking ahead for the next four and half years, there is simply no way I can match the preparatory work I did from 2004 to 2009. I can't financially afford to work less than full time and don't have another flat to sell. I am now blessed with a very active 11 month old son and an understanding wife who went through an absolutely hellish time during the campaign. Some days I left the house before 6am and didn't get home until after midnight, and prospect of doing that again, particularly when my son is older, does not hold much appeal at the moment.
In the strategy that I pushed heavily, I staked a lot on encouraging socialists and people on the left to back the Greens, and unfortunately I was not successful enough. Just days before the Euro Elections I wrote to a prominent candidate on the NO2EU list in the NW and asked (ok - pleaded) for him to break ranks and back us, because it was likely to be so close between us and the BNP. I was unable to persuade him to do so. If I had been successful I think we may have just succeeded and I'd be writing some quite different blog post right now.
It will always be a regret for me if I never become a Euro MP. It was a job I felt that I could do very well for the party. While I wouldn't completely rule out another run at it (four years is a long time), I'll continue to answer "probably not" if anyone asks.
It does beg the question who might lead the Green list next time here in the NW. I think whoever chooses to do it should be thinking about that prospect now. We have some excellent and talented people here in the North West, too many to mention here, but three people in particular do deserve a mention as potentially our first NW Euro MP.
Ruth Bergan effectively acted as my main back up in the campaign. As number 3 on the list, she covered hustings I couldn't make, did a huge amount of behind the scenes work and contributed hugely to our election effort. Her role in 2009 was very like the one I played in 2004 and I feel she definitely has the skills, knowledge and experience to lead the campaign and be our first Euro MP.
John Reardon is a former Carlisle Labour councillor. He was one of the good people that stayed in for as long as he could to fight to try and save the Labour Party. Since he joined the Greens he has helped transform the party in Carlisle. Expect to see Green councillors elected there within three years.
Finally, I'd include our newly elected Lancashire County Councillor Sam Riches, who has hit the ground running and is doing the essential outreach work that is needed in some areas of the North West.
For now, I'm getting on with local politics, and hopefully providing support to others as and when required. We've got a huge amount to do here in Liverpool, and I'm looking forward to doubling the number of Green councillors we have here next year and potentially holding the balance of power on the council. So enough blogging and back to some work on local leaflets!
12 November 2009
Honoured
I'm honoured to have got a whole section to myself on the back of the latest Wavertree constituency newspaper from the Lib Dems, with a wonderfully selective quote:
"...we should avoid Lib Dem / Labour marginals, such as the constituency I live in, Liverpool Wavertree."
So if you've googled me to find out what I actually said, the full article is here. If you don't have the time or interest to go through what is, in all honesty, one of my drier postings, the full quote is as follows:
"The second consideration is our own contribution towards any electoral understanding with the Lib Dems. A national level analysis would point to a strategy that would see the Greens avoid standing candidates in Lib Dem / Tory marginals. In the unlikely event that a majority Labour government was a possibility, it would also mean that we should avoid Lib Dem / Labour marginals, such as the constituency I live in, Liverpool Wavertree."
While you have to chuckle at the brass neck of these article writers, I don't think they give Wavertree voters enough credit. The vast majority of people have internet access. Google "Peter Cranie" and "blog" and hey presto, the full truth, rather than a selective quote. If you have found the site like this, please leave a comment to let me know what you think of these tactics.
"...we should avoid Lib Dem / Labour marginals, such as the constituency I live in, Liverpool Wavertree."
So if you've googled me to find out what I actually said, the full article is here. If you don't have the time or interest to go through what is, in all honesty, one of my drier postings, the full quote is as follows:
"The second consideration is our own contribution towards any electoral understanding with the Lib Dems. A national level analysis would point to a strategy that would see the Greens avoid standing candidates in Lib Dem / Tory marginals. In the unlikely event that a majority Labour government was a possibility, it would also mean that we should avoid Lib Dem / Labour marginals, such as the constituency I live in, Liverpool Wavertree."
While you have to chuckle at the brass neck of these article writers, I don't think they give Wavertree voters enough credit. The vast majority of people have internet access. Google "Peter Cranie" and "blog" and hey presto, the full truth, rather than a selective quote. If you have found the site like this, please leave a comment to let me know what you think of these tactics.
1 November 2009
This Week's Good and Bad
Good things happened this week:
Tony Blair is not going to become European President. To reward someone who failed to stand up to the most ideological and right wing US President in modern times on the issue of invading Iraq, would leave the whole of Europe tarnished Blair's poor judgement on foreign policy. It won't happen.
Jacqui Smith and the disgraced Tony McNulty, were both forced to apologise on the expenses issue.
Birmingham Greens are not standing in the Hall Green constituency. By standing down here for a leading figure in the anti-war movement, Salma Yaqoob, even though she represents another party, the Greens have shown the vision of a new type of politics, as outlined by Caroline Lucas earlier this year, is a real possibility.
So did bad things:
There was an appalling homophobic attack in Liverpool this week. There will be a candlelit vigil tonight at 8pm.
The BNP are likely to be able to access further European funds if they successfully set up a pan-European alliance on the far right.
The mess made by our occupation of Afghanistan is clear to see. There is a corrupt western backed regime, that doesn't have democratic legitimacy, in a country where democracy is fragile at best. I'll express my own frustrations here.
Afghanistan is an example of the regional horrors of geopolitics from the Cold War to modern times. The Mujahideen 'freedom fighters' were armed and backed by the United States. From the Mujahideen, the Taliban emerged as the strongest faction, plunging the Afghan people and in particular, the women of Afghanistan, into a new dark age.
Nothing is ever simple, but our politicians didn't care about Afghanistan or the oppression of women there from 1996 to 2001, and they got it wrong invading in 2001. We are in an unwinnable war, where there is little that we can achieve for the good of the people there, particularly when the current President is willing to pass laws like this one.
The Green Party opposed the war in Afghanistan. We were attacked for this by many. We should remember what the Labour government, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives said. They got it wrong.
We need a better vision of international politics, and we are not going to correct all the historical problems of the world in one or two generations. But we can act ethically. The more nations that do so, the better the world our children will inherit.
Tony Blair is not going to become European President. To reward someone who failed to stand up to the most ideological and right wing US President in modern times on the issue of invading Iraq, would leave the whole of Europe tarnished Blair's poor judgement on foreign policy. It won't happen.
Jacqui Smith and the disgraced Tony McNulty, were both forced to apologise on the expenses issue.
Birmingham Greens are not standing in the Hall Green constituency. By standing down here for a leading figure in the anti-war movement, Salma Yaqoob, even though she represents another party, the Greens have shown the vision of a new type of politics, as outlined by Caroline Lucas earlier this year, is a real possibility.
So did bad things:
There was an appalling homophobic attack in Liverpool this week. There will be a candlelit vigil tonight at 8pm.
The BNP are likely to be able to access further European funds if they successfully set up a pan-European alliance on the far right.
The mess made by our occupation of Afghanistan is clear to see. There is a corrupt western backed regime, that doesn't have democratic legitimacy, in a country where democracy is fragile at best. I'll express my own frustrations here.
Afghanistan is an example of the regional horrors of geopolitics from the Cold War to modern times. The Mujahideen 'freedom fighters' were armed and backed by the United States. From the Mujahideen, the Taliban emerged as the strongest faction, plunging the Afghan people and in particular, the women of Afghanistan, into a new dark age.
Nothing is ever simple, but our politicians didn't care about Afghanistan or the oppression of women there from 1996 to 2001, and they got it wrong invading in 2001. We are in an unwinnable war, where there is little that we can achieve for the good of the people there, particularly when the current President is willing to pass laws like this one.
The Green Party opposed the war in Afghanistan. We were attacked for this by many. We should remember what the Labour government, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives said. They got it wrong.
We need a better vision of international politics, and we are not going to correct all the historical problems of the world in one or two generations. But we can act ethically. The more nations that do so, the better the world our children will inherit.
24 October 2009
A St Michaels Byelection? - An Update
Is the leader of Liverpool City Council misusing council tax money? That is the question, and I’m inviting you to answer it in my blog poll. Let me explain what is going on.
If a common issue has come up in a certain locality – for example anti-social behaviour – and the locally elected ward councillor has acted on it and wants to inform residents about this action, they have the facility to do this through issuing “street letters”. These are letters that are a general response to all residents in the area.
This is a good system. It allows local councillors to respond to local residents and do the job they were elected to do, regardless of political affiliation.
In St Michaels ward, there are two Green councillors and one Liberal Democrat, Cllr Peter Allen. In the past, the local Green councillors have used street letters issued by the council, but more usually we print our own leaflet (at no cost to local residents) to enable us to give a more comprehensive response.
We’ve now found out that Warren Bradley, the Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council, and ward councillor for the Wavertree ward (about a mile from the ward boundary) is issuing street letters funded by city council tax payer’s in St Michaels. This has followed the telephone canvassing and door knocking I reported in my earlier post.
Cllr John Coyne, leader of the Green group has contacted Committee Services, who so far seem unconcerned this is going on, and has put in a Freedom of Information request about the correspondence. Clearly this is a marginal seat, so there are political implications if Lib Dem councillors from outside the area are now using tax payer money to campaign.
In my view, this clearly steps beyond the bounds of what is acceptable political conduct. If Cllr Allen wishes to contact residents and issue street letters, then he is entitled to do so, but it seems more and more likely that he has been deselected. Why should Liberal Democrats from other parts of the city be allowed to do this?
The equivalent action would be for the Greens, Labour or Steve Radford’s Liberal Party to start issuing street letters in target wards of our choice around the city, while sending the bill to overstretched residents in the form of their council tax. I’m sure that all three of our parties wouldn’t dare attempt what would clearly be an abuse of the system, but the leader of the council has done!
Time for local journalists to get onto this latest scandal. We Greens will be very happy to hear from you and to fill you in on the details. In the meantime, please do vote in my blog poll.
If a common issue has come up in a certain locality – for example anti-social behaviour – and the locally elected ward councillor has acted on it and wants to inform residents about this action, they have the facility to do this through issuing “street letters”. These are letters that are a general response to all residents in the area.
This is a good system. It allows local councillors to respond to local residents and do the job they were elected to do, regardless of political affiliation.
In St Michaels ward, there are two Green councillors and one Liberal Democrat, Cllr Peter Allen. In the past, the local Green councillors have used street letters issued by the council, but more usually we print our own leaflet (at no cost to local residents) to enable us to give a more comprehensive response.
We’ve now found out that Warren Bradley, the Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council, and ward councillor for the Wavertree ward (about a mile from the ward boundary) is issuing street letters funded by city council tax payer’s in St Michaels. This has followed the telephone canvassing and door knocking I reported in my earlier post.
Cllr John Coyne, leader of the Green group has contacted Committee Services, who so far seem unconcerned this is going on, and has put in a Freedom of Information request about the correspondence. Clearly this is a marginal seat, so there are political implications if Lib Dem councillors from outside the area are now using tax payer money to campaign.
In my view, this clearly steps beyond the bounds of what is acceptable political conduct. If Cllr Allen wishes to contact residents and issue street letters, then he is entitled to do so, but it seems more and more likely that he has been deselected. Why should Liberal Democrats from other parts of the city be allowed to do this?
The equivalent action would be for the Greens, Labour or Steve Radford’s Liberal Party to start issuing street letters in target wards of our choice around the city, while sending the bill to overstretched residents in the form of their council tax. I’m sure that all three of our parties wouldn’t dare attempt what would clearly be an abuse of the system, but the leader of the council has done!
Time for local journalists to get onto this latest scandal. We Greens will be very happy to hear from you and to fill you in on the details. In the meantime, please do vote in my blog poll.
A Question of Time
After the result of the European Election, it wasn't an "if" about when Nick Griffin would go on Question Time, but a when. For the last ten years, we've had two Euro MPs, and both Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert have been given slots on the programme.
When the results came in, and the BNP beat the Greens narrowly here in the North West, it was a certainty that they would be offered the same. Had we Greens taken 3 seats to just a single BNP Euro gain in Yorkshire and Humberside, by the obscure Andrew Brons, there would be no Nick Griffin on Question Time or even much discussion about the BNP now. The knives would have quickly been out for him within his own party.
It is a sad state of affairs, and it is still difficult to comment on. However, last night I posted a response on a Socialist Unity thread on this, highlighting three articles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6417906/One-in-four-would-consider-voting-BNP.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6886015.ece
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=4096
The first two are worth reading for an explanation about why the appearance is significant (an ostrich approach to this problem won't do) and the final one is a reminder that we as Greens got our preparation, predictions and rationale for standing up against the far right, but we simply didn't persuade enough people, particularly those on the left of British politics, to switch their vote to us.
On the 27th May 2009 I wrote:
"The latest detailed breakdown of voting intention figures from YouGov for the North of England shows both the Greens and the BNP on 8% each..." [the result was 7.7% and 8% respectively]
"The stakes are very high. A Euro seat will give a guaranteed national presence in the British media for the next five years..."
I also wrote:
"The BNP are already standing in over half the county council seats in Cumbria at this election. If Griffin wins, they will be everywhere across the North West, and expanding out beyond that, within five years. They will be embedded, with the capacity to fight every seat, at a time when a Tory government will be making the biggest cuts in public services we’ve ever seen, and Labour will still be disgraced and rejected by the white working classes it once represented."
It is this final quote that we need to pay attention to. The BNP are going to attempt to build their political party and build a wider ideological movement - just look at the activities of the so called English Defence League so far.
We don't yet have the answers we need to defeat them, but there are going to be some key tactical points. In 2014 the BNP could advance in the Euro Elections, perhaps to 5 or 6 seats, or they could be wiped out by some much more astute tactical voting (we could learn a few things from the way ballots are cast in Northern Ireland). There is going to be another electoral battle, another opportunity to halt them, but it will be far, far more difficult than it was this time.
It is also a long time to have to wait. We have to hope that the obvious political and tactical mistakes the BNP will make outweigh the increases in their membership and media profile.
When the results came in, and the BNP beat the Greens narrowly here in the North West, it was a certainty that they would be offered the same. Had we Greens taken 3 seats to just a single BNP Euro gain in Yorkshire and Humberside, by the obscure Andrew Brons, there would be no Nick Griffin on Question Time or even much discussion about the BNP now. The knives would have quickly been out for him within his own party.
It is a sad state of affairs, and it is still difficult to comment on. However, last night I posted a response on a Socialist Unity thread on this, highlighting three articles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6417906/One-in-four-would-consider-voting-BNP.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6886015.ece
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=4096
The first two are worth reading for an explanation about why the appearance is significant (an ostrich approach to this problem won't do) and the final one is a reminder that we as Greens got our preparation, predictions and rationale for standing up against the far right, but we simply didn't persuade enough people, particularly those on the left of British politics, to switch their vote to us.
On the 27th May 2009 I wrote:
"The latest detailed breakdown of voting intention figures from YouGov for the North of England shows both the Greens and the BNP on 8% each..." [the result was 7.7% and 8% respectively]
"The stakes are very high. A Euro seat will give a guaranteed national presence in the British media for the next five years..."
I also wrote:
"The BNP are already standing in over half the county council seats in Cumbria at this election. If Griffin wins, they will be everywhere across the North West, and expanding out beyond that, within five years. They will be embedded, with the capacity to fight every seat, at a time when a Tory government will be making the biggest cuts in public services we’ve ever seen, and Labour will still be disgraced and rejected by the white working classes it once represented."
It is this final quote that we need to pay attention to. The BNP are going to attempt to build their political party and build a wider ideological movement - just look at the activities of the so called English Defence League so far.
We don't yet have the answers we need to defeat them, but there are going to be some key tactical points. In 2014 the BNP could advance in the Euro Elections, perhaps to 5 or 6 seats, or they could be wiped out by some much more astute tactical voting (we could learn a few things from the way ballots are cast in Northern Ireland). There is going to be another electoral battle, another opportunity to halt them, but it will be far, far more difficult than it was this time.
It is also a long time to have to wait. We have to hope that the obvious political and tactical mistakes the BNP will make outweigh the increases in their membership and media profile.
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