A huge thank you to everyone who has been out canvassing and delivering our GreenView A3 newsletter locally today. I've been doing my small bit but this truly is a team effort, and we seem to be outnumbering our opponents on the ground which is good news. This is unsurprising given that both Labour and the Lib Dems are very hard at work in the marginal constituency of Wavertree.
Labour seem to be doing a bit of canvassing in Greenbank and I'm sure that the Lib Dems are working the phones when they can. What is really positive is when I get dyed in the wool Labour and Lib Dem supporters who say they will definitely use their local vote for us. That is going to be a real challenge to both of our opponents.
I've emailed Liverpool Direct about a contaminated bin issue in the ward that I picked up while I was out, and I'm sure there will be some other bits and pieces to pick up on from other members of the team.
28 February 2010
26 February 2010
Majority of Students are Backing the Greens
An interesting piece here from JMU journalism. The majority of students are likely to vote for the Greens in the coming General Election.
"...when asked who they would vote for, the highest number of students said the Green Party would get their backing, with the Conservatives coming a close second."
This is clearly good news for us in our target constituency of Liverpool Riverside, which houses the vast majority of Liverpool's students population, and saw votes in two Riverside wards of around 60% (St Michaels) and 40% (Greenbank) for the Green Party in the Euro Elections last year.
I can't reveal it now, but we have a big local story brewing, that will send shockwaves through Liverpool politics in the run up to the local elections. I'm looking forward to letting people know in about a month's time.
"...when asked who they would vote for, the highest number of students said the Green Party would get their backing, with the Conservatives coming a close second."
This is clearly good news for us in our target constituency of Liverpool Riverside, which houses the vast majority of Liverpool's students population, and saw votes in two Riverside wards of around 60% (St Michaels) and 40% (Greenbank) for the Green Party in the Euro Elections last year.
I can't reveal it now, but we have a big local story brewing, that will send shockwaves through Liverpool politics in the run up to the local elections. I'm looking forward to letting people know in about a month's time.
21 February 2010
Conference Summary
[A bit of internal politics in this blog post, so if you prefer the non-Green Party specific stuff, stop reading now...]
After missing last Conference (the first one in many, many years) it was good to be back, but I have to admit to having got a bit frustrated on Friday that D03 didn't get heard - it was the main reason that many of us had travelled down from the North West. However, I was delighted to hear that thanks to the magnificent Brian Candeland, it was tabled at the end of today's plenary and passed on the floor of Conference.
D03 effectively ringfences a share of national party money for use in target Euro regions. We were so close last time to a significant increase in our number of Euro MPs that we need to make sure that in 2014 we fulfil our potential for expansion and become a truly national party in Euro terms, not just in local council representation. Credit also to Geoff Smith our regional election agent for the drafting work.
On Friday we did pass D02 which renames the former "Manifesto for a Sustainable Society" as "Policy for a Sustainable Society". This is a crucial amendment. It means that the times when our candidates were confronted (often mischeviously) by journalists saying that policy xyz is in the Green manifesto, confusing our policy documents with a specific election manifesto, are now past. If we are being interviewed on the General Election or European Election in future, the questions will be on our current manifesto, rather than the entirety of our policy documentation. It makes life considerably easier for us candidates as well in terms of the amount we have to memorise!
On Saturday I got to both plenaries and heard an excellent speech by Adrian Ramsay, our Norwich South candidate and Deputy Leader. It was also a good day in terms of catching up with many people that I had not seen since before the Euro Elections. From the plenaries I did attend, the new Health Policy looks pretty good, although I wasn't able to stay until Sunday and therefore see it through to the final amendments. Stuart Jeffrey provides a good overview here.
I also managed a fair bit of Liverpool leaflet writing up and down on the train, and the real heroes of the weekend were our members who were out canvassing in St Michaels and Greenbank. We are getting back some excellent returns and we are on track to double our council representation.
After missing last Conference (the first one in many, many years) it was good to be back, but I have to admit to having got a bit frustrated on Friday that D03 didn't get heard - it was the main reason that many of us had travelled down from the North West. However, I was delighted to hear that thanks to the magnificent Brian Candeland, it was tabled at the end of today's plenary and passed on the floor of Conference.
D03 effectively ringfences a share of national party money for use in target Euro regions. We were so close last time to a significant increase in our number of Euro MPs that we need to make sure that in 2014 we fulfil our potential for expansion and become a truly national party in Euro terms, not just in local council representation. Credit also to Geoff Smith our regional election agent for the drafting work.
On Friday we did pass D02 which renames the former "Manifesto for a Sustainable Society" as "Policy for a Sustainable Society". This is a crucial amendment. It means that the times when our candidates were confronted (often mischeviously) by journalists saying that policy xyz is in the Green manifesto, confusing our policy documents with a specific election manifesto, are now past. If we are being interviewed on the General Election or European Election in future, the questions will be on our current manifesto, rather than the entirety of our policy documentation. It makes life considerably easier for us candidates as well in terms of the amount we have to memorise!
On Saturday I got to both plenaries and heard an excellent speech by Adrian Ramsay, our Norwich South candidate and Deputy Leader. It was also a good day in terms of catching up with many people that I had not seen since before the Euro Elections. From the plenaries I did attend, the new Health Policy looks pretty good, although I wasn't able to stay until Sunday and therefore see it through to the final amendments. Stuart Jeffrey provides a good overview here.
I also managed a fair bit of Liverpool leaflet writing up and down on the train, and the real heroes of the weekend were our members who were out canvassing in St Michaels and Greenbank. We are getting back some excellent returns and we are on track to double our council representation.
18 February 2010
Fazakerley: Where Were They?
Today voters in Fazakerley have been going to the polls to vote in the byelection caused by the death of Labour councillor Jack Spriggs. It is expected to be a safe hold for Labour, but the BNP have put in a lot of effort and Liverpool Anti-Fascists have been working hard to get their views on the BNP across. It will be interesting to see what the result is.
There was a last minute burst of activity from the Liberal Democrats, but they are likely to drop from 2nd to 3rd place. We’ve only stood a “paper” candidate, giving people the opportunity to vote Green if they want to, but the Conservatives, the Liberal Party and UKIP failed even to manage that.
So where were we? As a small party with limited finance, we made a deliberate decision not to campaign in Fazakerley, as every penny spent elsewhere means we have less to spend in the areas of the city we can actually win council seats.
So where were they? Any bloggers or supporters of the Conservatives or UKIP want to comment on why you couldn’t even manage the simple task of collecting 10 local signatures and getting a candidate?
[I’ll put up the result and some further comment once it is in]
Edit:
Result just in
Labour 1525 (57.6%)
Lib Dem 807 (30.5%)
BNP 234 (8.8%)
Green 84 (3.2%)
I am pleasantly surprised. Credit to Liverpool Anti-Fascists on this one - their anti-BNP literature looks to have hit the right note. The Lib Dems seem to have picked up most of the 200 votes that went to the Tories and (Radford) Liberals last time. Looks like a serious "Good morning" effort went in at the last minute and it would be interesting to see what it contained.
A seriously bad result for the BNP after gaining 14% last time and given the amount of leafleting they had put into the campaign. Back to the drawing board for them in Liverpool.
There was a last minute burst of activity from the Liberal Democrats, but they are likely to drop from 2nd to 3rd place. We’ve only stood a “paper” candidate, giving people the opportunity to vote Green if they want to, but the Conservatives, the Liberal Party and UKIP failed even to manage that.
So where were we? As a small party with limited finance, we made a deliberate decision not to campaign in Fazakerley, as every penny spent elsewhere means we have less to spend in the areas of the city we can actually win council seats.
So where were they? Any bloggers or supporters of the Conservatives or UKIP want to comment on why you couldn’t even manage the simple task of collecting 10 local signatures and getting a candidate?
[I’ll put up the result and some further comment once it is in]
Edit:
Result just in
Labour 1525 (57.6%)
Lib Dem 807 (30.5%)
BNP 234 (8.8%)
Green 84 (3.2%)
I am pleasantly surprised. Credit to Liverpool Anti-Fascists on this one - their anti-BNP literature looks to have hit the right note. The Lib Dems seem to have picked up most of the 200 votes that went to the Tories and (Radford) Liberals last time. Looks like a serious "Good morning" effort went in at the last minute and it would be interesting to see what it contained.
A seriously bad result for the BNP after gaining 14% last time and given the amount of leafleting they had put into the campaign. Back to the drawing board for them in Liverpool.
10 February 2010
Sad and Preventable
I read this story about appalling cruelty to animals in today's Echo. It isn't for the faint hearted, so if you prefer not to read, I'll summarise it as teenagers getting thrills from seeing their dogs rip other small animals into pieces.
You can't blame the dog. You can blame the owners. You can also blame society and the attitudes we take towards animals. There are probably now over 10 million cats and 10 million dogs in Britain. A large proportion of these are owned by responsible people and given great care and attention. However a significant proportion are not cared for by good owners. A puppy or kitten is treated like the latest toy.
There is also a concerning development where young men view a fierce dog as a tool of aggression, much like a knife. You can be sure that dog owners like this or who behave like the teenagers above are the same owners who let their dogs foul freely in our parks, on our pavements and throughout our streets.
It isn't clear what the solution is, but technology has moved on. If enforcement on parking works, and indeed generates substantial revenue for many local councils, we need to look at what can be done about dog fouling. This isn't just about cleaning up the pavements, but will be about making a major cultural change in Britain.
We need a society where dog ownership is a serious responsibility, where penalties for cruelty and misuse of animals are strict, and where deaths of toddlers at the hands of dangerous dogs with irresponsible owners are no longer making regular headlines in our local and national newspapers.
You can't blame the dog. You can blame the owners. You can also blame society and the attitudes we take towards animals. There are probably now over 10 million cats and 10 million dogs in Britain. A large proportion of these are owned by responsible people and given great care and attention. However a significant proportion are not cared for by good owners. A puppy or kitten is treated like the latest toy.
There is also a concerning development where young men view a fierce dog as a tool of aggression, much like a knife. You can be sure that dog owners like this or who behave like the teenagers above are the same owners who let their dogs foul freely in our parks, on our pavements and throughout our streets.
It isn't clear what the solution is, but technology has moved on. If enforcement on parking works, and indeed generates substantial revenue for many local councils, we need to look at what can be done about dog fouling. This isn't just about cleaning up the pavements, but will be about making a major cultural change in Britain.
We need a society where dog ownership is a serious responsibility, where penalties for cruelty and misuse of animals are strict, and where deaths of toddlers at the hands of dangerous dogs with irresponsible owners are no longer making regular headlines in our local and national newspapers.
6 February 2010
Reporting Back on Today's Leafleting
The campaign in Greenbank is certainly underway. Some fairly recent Lib Dem leaflets were spotted lying around the place and Labour were also out leafleting today, but with far fewer people than we had.
Elaine Allen looks set to replace Cllr Buckle as she is named alongside Paul and Jan Clein as the newsletter editors. Labour's leaflet wasn't bad, full of local stuff and Laura Robertson-Collins looks like an able enough candidate. The Lib Dem offering was a bit poor, but this is just my opinion.
We've commented on the budget in the leaflet and hopefully we'll have a guest blog with David Bartlett's Dale Street Blues this week to put our views across. We've also highlighted some of the achievements of elected Greens in Liverpool, and wanting to reconnect people to park space. But we have highlighted the poor attendance of the outgoing councillor and the fact that it hasn't been good enough. City councillors in Liverpool are paid nearly £10,000 a year and 70% isn't really good enough. 42% certainly isn't.
This election will need to tackle the shortcomings in our local democracy. The Liberal Democrats have been in power for too long in Liverpool, but there is not a lot of enthusiasm for Labour, particularly given the national situation. I look forward to a vigorous campaign with Laura Robertson-Collins and Elaine Allen. Greenbank is going to be one of the most interesting wards to watch in the city.
Elaine Allen looks set to replace Cllr Buckle as she is named alongside Paul and Jan Clein as the newsletter editors. Labour's leaflet wasn't bad, full of local stuff and Laura Robertson-Collins looks like an able enough candidate. The Lib Dem offering was a bit poor, but this is just my opinion.
We've commented on the budget in the leaflet and hopefully we'll have a guest blog with David Bartlett's Dale Street Blues this week to put our views across. We've also highlighted some of the achievements of elected Greens in Liverpool, and wanting to reconnect people to park space. But we have highlighted the poor attendance of the outgoing councillor and the fact that it hasn't been good enough. City councillors in Liverpool are paid nearly £10,000 a year and 70% isn't really good enough. 42% certainly isn't.
This election will need to tackle the shortcomings in our local democracy. The Liberal Democrats have been in power for too long in Liverpool, but there is not a lot of enthusiasm for Labour, particularly given the national situation. I look forward to a vigorous campaign with Laura Robertson-Collins and Elaine Allen. Greenbank is going to be one of the most interesting wards to watch in the city.
Greenbank Leaflet Today
We are out delivering a leaflet around Greenbank ward today, comparing our record to that of the incumbent councillor. I'll do a full blog post on this later, but if you are logging on and want to click through to the links on councillor attendance, please use the following:
Here for the initial screen
Then press the earlier button to look at the previous periods
Here for the initial screen
Then press the earlier button to look at the previous periods
2 February 2010
Smelling Pisstakes
An absolute classic from UKIP. They have managed to print a poster spelling Britain as "Britian". You couldn't make it up.
1 February 2010
Fazakerley Byelection
On the 18th February there will be a by-election in the Fazakerley ward in the north of the city. I'd be understating the case if I was to say this was one of our weaker areas in the city. Alex Rudkin is standing as our candidate and is a long standing local member, has done a lot of animal rescue work and went to collect his own signatures and do his own paperwork.
The other candidates in the election are Labour, who should retain the seat fairly comfortably, the Lib Dems and the BNP. The absence of UKIP and the Conservatives may even enable the BNP to claim a second place here. While every voter in Fazakerley will once again get the opportunity to vote Green if they want to do so, we are carrying on with the work we need to do if we want to double our representation in the city, and potentially hold the balance of power after the next local elections.
In other news, the news goes from bad to worse for Labour's new Parliamentary candidate in Wavertree. Kilfoyle, Shankley and now internal electoral questions.
Having written all that, in the last week I met a Labour member who despite having more in common with us than New Labour, can't bear to leave the party he has been a member of forever. I also overheard a conversation in a cafe where someone expressing real disapproval of the selection result ended the conversation, "... but I'll still vote for her. Why break a habit of a lifetime." It is this "football support" as I call it (you support your team however much you disapprove of the manager or players) that continues to sustain Labour. However Wavertree now looks like a much stronger chance of Lib Dem gain than it did just over a week ago.
The other candidates in the election are Labour, who should retain the seat fairly comfortably, the Lib Dems and the BNP. The absence of UKIP and the Conservatives may even enable the BNP to claim a second place here. While every voter in Fazakerley will once again get the opportunity to vote Green if they want to do so, we are carrying on with the work we need to do if we want to double our representation in the city, and potentially hold the balance of power after the next local elections.
In other news, the news goes from bad to worse for Labour's new Parliamentary candidate in Wavertree. Kilfoyle, Shankley and now internal electoral questions.
Having written all that, in the last week I met a Labour member who despite having more in common with us than New Labour, can't bear to leave the party he has been a member of forever. I also overheard a conversation in a cafe where someone expressing real disapproval of the selection result ended the conversation, "... but I'll still vote for her. Why break a habit of a lifetime." It is this "football support" as I call it (you support your team however much you disapprove of the manager or players) that continues to sustain Labour. However Wavertree now looks like a much stronger chance of Lib Dem gain than it did just over a week ago.
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