I've just sent this to our internal discussion list and am reproducing it below. I'm also listing my selections of motions I've voted for to be discussed at Conference. A very happy new year to you.
I’m writing to thank all of you who contributed to the North West Euro campaign in 2009 and to those of you that have become members during or since the election result.
The disappointment at losing out on the last Euro seat to the BNP was immense. I still feel it and I know that every member, Green supporter and many political neutrals have felt that way as well.
What we do know is that each of us can make a contribution, however small, to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I’ve already said it is unlikely for personal reasons that I will stand for selection as the lead candidate again in 2014, although I do respect that some of you have already asked me to reconsider this. What I am asking of each of you as North West activists is to think of the contribution you can make, and to imagine it is going to be your personal actions between now and 2014 that can reverse the horribly close result we experienced this year.
I can’t possibly thank every individual for every piece of work they have done so far – there are far too many people who did too much to ever be fully credited – but to all of you the party owes you a great debt. But despite our regional disappointment, these are still exciting times to be a Green. An ICM constituency poll for the Green Party in Brighton Pavilion in December shows the following:
Greens 35%
Tories 27%
Labour 25%
Lib Dems 11%
Not only that, but 63% of the Labour and Lib Dem voters polled were willing to switch to us if they see us as the best tactical option to beat the Conservatives. Whatever huge disappointment we have had in narrowly missing out on more MEPs will be overcome even if we manage to elect a single Westminster MP. The British public understand Westminster and even a single MP will finally get rid of the “wasted vote” tag that is so often used against us by our opponents.
It is possible that we now have over 10,000 national members (it was 9,630 at the beginning of December), which would be 33% growth in just one year, with a General Election campaign still to come. These are exciting times for our party and we are needed now more than ever before.
I’d like to wish you a successful new year, wherever you are in the North West, and look forward to hearing about and reading about the difference you are making in the coming 12 months. Expect a post to follow from me on a practical action you can take straight away to help the party move forward from here.
With Best Wishes and Thanks
Peter
31 December 2009
Lib Dem New Year Message
It could happen to anyone, but this is a large "ouch"...
Labour bloggers are already doing the rounds with this from the Miranda Hart special.
Labour bloggers are already doing the rounds with this from the Miranda Hart special.
29 December 2009
Greens On Track to Take Seats at Westminster
An ICM poll of 533 voters in December in the Brighton Pavilion constituency returned the following results:
Green 35%
Conservatives 27%
Labour 25%
Lib Dems 11%
The really good news for us is the fact that 63% of Labour and Lib Dem voters are also willing to switch to tactically back the Greens to beat the Conservatives. We shouldn't expect any favours though. The prospect of a Green breakthrough at Westminster will present a long term challenge to both the Lib Dems and Labour, so we are expecting them to do everything in their power to prevent a Green breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Daily Press are reporting the Green launch of Obama style campaigning with our latest Internet Video release. I'm not a betting man but quite a few of the punters on politicalbetting.com are saying that one of the few good value bets on the election are on the Greens winning our first seat(s).
Expect another post from me soon with a New Year message. I hope you have all had a good holiday so far and thank you for following my blog this year.
Green 35%
Conservatives 27%
Labour 25%
Lib Dems 11%
The really good news for us is the fact that 63% of Labour and Lib Dem voters are also willing to switch to tactically back the Greens to beat the Conservatives. We shouldn't expect any favours though. The prospect of a Green breakthrough at Westminster will present a long term challenge to both the Lib Dems and Labour, so we are expecting them to do everything in their power to prevent a Green breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Daily Press are reporting the Green launch of Obama style campaigning with our latest Internet Video release. I'm not a betting man but quite a few of the punters on politicalbetting.com are saying that one of the few good value bets on the election are on the Greens winning our first seat(s).
Expect another post from me soon with a New Year message. I hope you have all had a good holiday so far and thank you for following my blog this year.
22 December 2009
Letter in the Independent Today
Now vote for a green future
I agree with Johann Hari (21 December) that the Copenhagen summit has proved an abject failure.
He is also right to encourage people to join campaigning groups and to urge those that can to take direct action against the immoral inaction on the part of our elected politicians. But it is wrong to deny that political change is possible. To do so will reinforce those already disenchanted by our badly tainted political system.
We know from painful electoral experience here in the North-west what happens when decent people fail to vote or engage with the political process. When two out of three voters stayed at home it enabled a climate change denier and leader of a racist political party to gain election as an MEP by the narrowest of margins.
It is time for wider recognition that the election of Green MPs in Brighton, Norwich and elsewhere, even under first-past-the-post is now a real and desirable outcome for the next parliament. To maximise the impact of direct action and campaigning work, we will need Green politicians in Westminster.
Peter Cranie
Liverpool
I agree with Johann Hari (21 December) that the Copenhagen summit has proved an abject failure.
He is also right to encourage people to join campaigning groups and to urge those that can to take direct action against the immoral inaction on the part of our elected politicians. But it is wrong to deny that political change is possible. To do so will reinforce those already disenchanted by our badly tainted political system.
We know from painful electoral experience here in the North-west what happens when decent people fail to vote or engage with the political process. When two out of three voters stayed at home it enabled a climate change denier and leader of a racist political party to gain election as an MEP by the narrowest of margins.
It is time for wider recognition that the election of Green MPs in Brighton, Norwich and elsewhere, even under first-past-the-post is now a real and desirable outcome for the next parliament. To maximise the impact of direct action and campaigning work, we will need Green politicians in Westminster.
Peter Cranie
Liverpool
18 December 2009
Global Gambling
Right now Copenhagen looks bleak. The BBC update currently reports the likely agreement as follows:
Recognises the scientific view" on keeping temperature rise below 2C (3.6F) but does not set it as a target
No date for peaking emissions - just "as soon as possible"
Developing countries to monitor and verify their own emissions without international oversight
"Support a goal" of raising $100bn per year by 2020, not commit to achieving that goal
No date for concluding a detailed agreement, nor whether it should be legally binding
Now even if we have a workable agreement, Britain as part of the developed world would need to cut 80% of our CO2 emissions by 2020. How realistic is that? If we had a large Green group holding the balance of power in a hung parliament, maybe. In the unlikely event of a hung Parliament with Labour propped up by a weakened Liberal Democrat party - I won't bet on it.
More realistically, with the Conservatives winning a small majority, or ending up as the largest party in a hung parliament, Cameron will struggle to avoid caving to pressure from fossil fuel donors and the ostrich head part of his own party that simply don't believe that humans cause Climate Change.
I am not optimistic that either option offers us hope for the future. The Liberal Democrats still support airport expansion in Liverpool, Labour supports Heathrow expansion and I am not convinced in the least that given their record in respect of Bristol airport, the Conservatives have any better credentials.
The kind of measures needed to cut CO2 by 80% in just ten years would be immense. For a start, cutting the national speed limit on motorways (and enforcing it) would cut CO2 emissions by 1.4 million tonnes. From Top Gear to the ordinary working person, who has to commute and already gets too little time to spend with her or his family, the complaints would be enormous.
However it is going to be this kind of political courage that is needed if we are to cut by 80% in just 10 years. Low cost legislation has a role to play. Limiters on new cars could be enforced by EU legislation. On the three days in a week I have to drive to work (because there is no public transport option from Liverpool to Skelmersdale when you finish lecturing at 8.30pm), travelling back at 60mph instead of 70mph takes about 5 minutes longer. It can be done and it should be done, even if that means some personal loss of time.
Realistically we seem to be heading for a 3 degrees celsius global temperature increase. That is a scary prospect. Many of the African delegates see the future of Africa being destroyed (24 mins 15). They are right to be concerned, and so should we. What will our reaction be to the migration of hundreds of millions of people heading north and west to Europe from equatorial regions that become increasingly uninhabitable. Or do we in Europe and North America expect Africans to die quietly, while our media chooses to ignore the difficult truths, as we have largely done in respect of the civil war in the Congo?
I'm not optimistic at the moment. I've just put my one year old son to bed, but his future is not secure.
Recognises the scientific view" on keeping temperature rise below 2C (3.6F) but does not set it as a target
No date for peaking emissions - just "as soon as possible"
Developing countries to monitor and verify their own emissions without international oversight
"Support a goal" of raising $100bn per year by 2020, not commit to achieving that goal
No date for concluding a detailed agreement, nor whether it should be legally binding
Now even if we have a workable agreement, Britain as part of the developed world would need to cut 80% of our CO2 emissions by 2020. How realistic is that? If we had a large Green group holding the balance of power in a hung parliament, maybe. In the unlikely event of a hung Parliament with Labour propped up by a weakened Liberal Democrat party - I won't bet on it.
More realistically, with the Conservatives winning a small majority, or ending up as the largest party in a hung parliament, Cameron will struggle to avoid caving to pressure from fossil fuel donors and the ostrich head part of his own party that simply don't believe that humans cause Climate Change.
I am not optimistic that either option offers us hope for the future. The Liberal Democrats still support airport expansion in Liverpool, Labour supports Heathrow expansion and I am not convinced in the least that given their record in respect of Bristol airport, the Conservatives have any better credentials.
The kind of measures needed to cut CO2 by 80% in just ten years would be immense. For a start, cutting the national speed limit on motorways (and enforcing it) would cut CO2 emissions by 1.4 million tonnes. From Top Gear to the ordinary working person, who has to commute and already gets too little time to spend with her or his family, the complaints would be enormous.
However it is going to be this kind of political courage that is needed if we are to cut by 80% in just 10 years. Low cost legislation has a role to play. Limiters on new cars could be enforced by EU legislation. On the three days in a week I have to drive to work (because there is no public transport option from Liverpool to Skelmersdale when you finish lecturing at 8.30pm), travelling back at 60mph instead of 70mph takes about 5 minutes longer. It can be done and it should be done, even if that means some personal loss of time.
Realistically we seem to be heading for a 3 degrees celsius global temperature increase. That is a scary prospect. Many of the African delegates see the future of Africa being destroyed (24 mins 15). They are right to be concerned, and so should we. What will our reaction be to the migration of hundreds of millions of people heading north and west to Europe from equatorial regions that become increasingly uninhabitable. Or do we in Europe and North America expect Africans to die quietly, while our media chooses to ignore the difficult truths, as we have largely done in respect of the civil war in the Congo?
I'm not optimistic at the moment. I've just put my one year old son to bed, but his future is not secure.
11 December 2009
Wanted - 400 new members
After a year of astonishing growth for our party, in vote share and membership, we are now less than 400 members away from reaching 10,000 members.
If you know someone who hasn't joined and should have, then ask them to do it now as an early New Year resolution. At the start of year we had just 7,553 members. Breaking the 10,000 barrier would mean we've grown the party by 1/3rd in just one year.
What this has done is prepared us well for the forthcoming General Election. It means we can stand more candidates than ever before and spend more than ever before. Imagine just how many more people will join us after the election of the first Green MP(s).
If you know someone who hasn't joined and should have, then ask them to do it now as an early New Year resolution. At the start of year we had just 7,553 members. Breaking the 10,000 barrier would mean we've grown the party by 1/3rd in just one year.
What this has done is prepared us well for the forthcoming General Election. It means we can stand more candidates than ever before and spend more than ever before. Imagine just how many more people will join us after the election of the first Green MP(s).
9 December 2009
Griffins and Phoenixes
Last week I was approached to share a platform with Nick Griffin. I turned the offer down.
Instead, the BBC NW Politics Show turned to Chris Davies, Lib Dem Euro MP for the North West. The show is still on catch up here. The debates between Davies v Griffin are at 35 mins 45 secs and at 48 mins. As I wrote beforehand, I thought it was a serious error of judgement by the BBC to give a denialist a platform on this subject, and unfortunately for Chris Davies, I don't think he performed as well as we all probably would have liked him to. We'll see what opportunity for redress we'll get as a Green Party soon.
On a more positive note, well done to St Michaels ward and Riverside constituency Green candidate Tom Crone, who makes his TV debut at 34 mins and 20 seconds in!
Instead, the BBC NW Politics Show turned to Chris Davies, Lib Dem Euro MP for the North West. The show is still on catch up here. The debates between Davies v Griffin are at 35 mins 45 secs and at 48 mins. As I wrote beforehand, I thought it was a serious error of judgement by the BBC to give a denialist a platform on this subject, and unfortunately for Chris Davies, I don't think he performed as well as we all probably would have liked him to. We'll see what opportunity for redress we'll get as a Green Party soon.
On a more positive note, well done to St Michaels ward and Riverside constituency Green candidate Tom Crone, who makes his TV debut at 34 mins and 20 seconds in!
4 December 2009
A Brave Discussion
About a month ago I read Gary Bainbridge's article in the Liverpool Echo. It was a brave piece and certainly nothing a politician could write. I can't agree with everything he says but he makes some good points.
I'm disappointed that on the left the arguments continue to fly back and forth in the comments sections of blog sites about who was to blame for letting Nick Griffin win a seat. It doesn't serve any purpose now. What does matter is how we plan for the future. I think we need to see some form of successful left unity project.
My personal view is that the socialist vote in 2014 is likely to be again be in the 1 to 3% range. If once again a separate socialist list (or lists) stand at the Euro Elections, those votes won't count against Griffin. What we have to do between then and now is discuss whether an arrangement can be made where backing is given to the Greens (or Labour or the Lib Dems) as part of a broad anti-racist strategy.
I'm disappointed that on the left the arguments continue to fly back and forth in the comments sections of blog sites about who was to blame for letting Nick Griffin win a seat. It doesn't serve any purpose now. What does matter is how we plan for the future. I think we need to see some form of successful left unity project.
My personal view is that the socialist vote in 2014 is likely to be again be in the 1 to 3% range. If once again a separate socialist list (or lists) stand at the Euro Elections, those votes won't count against Griffin. What we have to do between then and now is discuss whether an arrangement can be made where backing is given to the Greens (or Labour or the Lib Dems) as part of a broad anti-racist strategy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)