Statement of solidarity with the people of Iran
14 January 2026 by Green Party
بیانیه همبستگی حزب سبز بریتانیا با مردم ایران
۱۴ ژانویه ۲۰۲۶
Responding to the the repressive and violent crackdown on protesters by the Iranian regime, Dr Ellie Chowns MP, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party, said:
در واکنش به سرکوب خشونتآمیز معترضان توسط رژیم ایران، دکتر الی چاونز، نماینده پارلمان انگلستان و رهبر فراکسیون حزب سبز در پارلمان گفت:
“The Green Party stands in solidarity with the people of Iran, who are demonstrating extraordinary courage, putting their lives at risk, in order to protest against the despotic Iranian regime.
«حزب سبز در کنار مردم ایران ایستاده است؛ مردمی که با شجاعتی فوقالعاده، جان خود را به خطر میاندازند تا علیه رژیم استبدادی ایران اعتراض کنند.
“We defend the right to peaceful protest and demand that Iranians are granted freedom of speech; we acknowledge that these are human rights that the people of Iran – women and girls in particular – have spent many years fighting to achieve. Their determination and bravery in the face of brutality is nothing short of heroic.
ما از حق تظاهرات اعتراضی مسالمتآمیز دفاع میکنیم و خواستار به رسمیت شناخته شدن حق آزادی بیان برای مردم ایران هستیم؛ ما اعلام میکنیم که اینها حقوق بشری هستند که مردم ایران - بهویژه زنان و دختران - سالهای زیادی برای دستیابی به آنها مبارزه کردهاند. اراده و شجاعت آنها در مقابل خشونت عریان، واقعاً قهرمانانه است.
“The scale of repression and bloodshed with which the regime has responded to protests – killing hundreds of protestors, and cutting off Iranian citizens’ access to the internet and global communication – is intolerable, and we welcome the UK Government’s new sanctions against the regime. We urge the government to use every possible diplomatic, economic, and legal lever available to hold those responsible for the persecution of protestors to account.
میزان سرکوب و خونریزی که رژیم در واکنش به اعتراضات نشان داده - کشتن صدها معترض و قطع دسترسی شهروندان ایرانی به اینترنت و ارتباطات جهانی - غیرقابل تحمل است و ما از تحریمهای جدید دولت بریتانیا علیه رژیم ایران استقبال میکنیم. ما از دولت بریتانیا میخواهیم از تمام اهرمهای دیپلماتیک، اقتصادی و حقوقی موجود برای پاسخگو کردن مسئولان آزار و اذیت و برخورد با معترضان استفاده کند.
“The right to freedom of expression and the right to protest are fundamental. Enabling those rights to flourish unhindered inside Iran is essential if voices and parties who support democracy and human rights are to survive and shape the country’s future.
حق آزادی بیان و حق تظاهرات و اعتراض، حقوق بنیادین هستند. پذیرش این حقوق اساسی و امکان شکوفایی بدون مانع این حقوق در داخل ایران، برای بقا و شکلدهی به آینده کشور توسط صداها و احزابی که از دموکراسی و حقوق بشر حمایت میکنند، حیاتی است.
“We strongly oppose US military intervention as this is likely to result in more deaths and chaos. The US record of interference in the Middle East is a sorry one, be it invading Iraq under false pretences with no post-war governance plan, or failures at proper nation-building in Afghanistan; American intervention has nearly always led to intensified regional instability. Instead, every effort should be made to use all other available levers to sanction Iran and to support those campaigning for human rights and freedom in Iran.”
ما بهشدت با مداخله نظامی آمریکا مخالفیم، زیرا این احتمالاً منجر به مرگ و میر و هرج و مرج بیشتری خواهد شد. سابقه مداخله آمریکا در خاورمیانه تأسفبار است؛ چه حمله به عراق با بهانههای دروغین بدون برنامه حکومتی پس از جنگ، چه شکست در ملتسازی مناسب در افغانستان؛ مداخله آمریکا تقریباً همیشه به بیثباتی منطقهای شدیدتر منجر شده است. در عوض، باید تمام تلاشها برای استفاده از سایر اهرمهای موجود برای تحریم ایران و حمایت از کسانی که برای حقوق بشر و آزادی در ایران مبارزه میکنند، صورت گیرد.»
Statement of solidarity with the people of Iran
Spring Conference - Is it worth it?
A very long time ago, the BBC decided to cover Green Party conference on Live TV. The chairs started a minute attunement, a tradition of holding a minute's silence at the start of a meeting. It did not go down well! The BBC cut the feed and had a bit of a panic about it, and basically stopped bothering.
A lot has changed since then. We had Members of European Parliament, we won them in many regions. Then we left the European Union and continued to increase the number of Green Councillors, approaching 900. The only remaining proportional seats are 3 London Assembly members and soon some in Wales, and there are 4 Members of Parliament. Even in those areas, they are very focused on target seats. That means not making a big splash, not relying on newspaper coverage and air time, but getting on with the job of delivering local Green News letters, speaking to voters on their doorsteps, and really focusing on the local community.
Most parties have a "conference season" where parliament has a quick break and they head to seaside locations or big convention centres in Birmingham and Manchester. The big 2 parties are professionalised and the conference can last around a week.
By comparison, Greens and Liberal Democrats spend time debating motions and voting as members. They tend to have 2 national conferences a year. The trouble is, "Spring Conference" always used to clash with the election campaign! The timing varied, but it was generally before a local election, which is really important to the Greens. But there is very little benefit of a conference towards winning elections: debating policies that seem disconnected from pot holes and dog poo, applauding leaders speeches delivered by people who most people in your patch have never heard of and can not name, because we get so little TV coverage as a smaller party. Green Party conferences sometimes make money but the cost is borne from the individual and it tends to end up in a different pot of money. If people don't buy enough tickets, it makes a loss, making the staff team incentivised to sell tickets rather than do their job of getting greens elected. Conferences I have attended have meant sleeping on floors, drinking and socialising late into the night, but early starts to set up and get to workshops. So I usually spend about a day or a week afterwards recovering from infections (though since covid I only attended online, I've seen the talk of who has the lurgy) and catching up on sleep. Since leaving Policy Development Committee I've decided it's not a good use of my time and energy and just given someone else my proxy vote and watched from the comfort of my desk at home. It meant less networking and socialising, but I already know people, and I already know a lot of conference regulars.
For instance, the Young Greens used to make money from Workers Beer Company. But a major stream of income for them has often been the Young Greens quiz, which includes a raffle. Because many people leave half way through, the Young Greens got to keep a lot of the raffle prizes. I had a great book by Sian Berry for a while.
For years, there was talk of what a bad idea it is for a party to up sticks and send its main people to a "spring" conference just when they should be focused on local campaigning, or going to places where there is local campaigning. In Brighton that wasn't a problem: they had a stand and you could pick up a round of newspapers and deliver them in your own time, in fresh air! In Yorkshire, we went on a little peace march, just conference participants. Some conferences had a photo call. But these are generally resource-intensive.
Some people attend conference and focus on governance and organisational matters. Others find this boring stuff irrelevant and really want to get stuck into policy motions. Some are controversial, others go through without much opposition. At some point they introduced "fast tracked" motions.
I have tried attending conference Thursday through Sunday. Usually on Sunday the time gets extended 1 hour from the chair. Sometimes conference has run into Mondays.
I think there's always been a sense we should abolish spring conference and one day we actually did it. A motion came to abolish spring conference. Members pushed it through.
All the while, there is policy fest, sometimes 2 a year, that is really useful and focused on policy.
As well as that there is the AGM which for some reason the powers that be set the quorum level too high, so when we turned up on the zoom, nothing could be decided.
The idea was to use the time saved at Spring conference to have regional conferences instead. We did one in London; that was only the 2nd one we ever did. It takes time, effort and resources of the busy volunteers and activists that run things. It was a pleasant change from the many online remote meetings we have had.
In conclusion, Spring conference was abolished for good reasons. Conference, which is a tiny minority of even the active membership, voted to bring back Spring conference. But this is only if it is approved by the executive or something like that. That way, if we can't afford it or don't feel it's appropriate, we aren't forced to have one. This has created uncertainty and the regional council has been on hand to advise whether or not to bother planning a regional conference.
I have attended many conferences. I have been told by the real professionals in the party they are often the same. I just wonder if the time and money would be more effective spent elsewhere. For me it is all the work missed, which is particularly busy on a Friday. I also don't like the way I am expected to work on a Saturday, as a Jewish member, and Jewish Greens meetup is little comfort being away from home. If I were a candidate I would probably be encouraged to attend. If I were Policy Development Committee I would have to attend. There is a conference access fund but it has limits on how many times it can be used and there is not enough to go round. It can not cover things like food, recovering afterwards, and missed work.
If it is brought back, decision-makers should consult everyone effected and think of the welfare of the party as a whole, its members, local and regional parties. They could ponder what is the point of a conference that gets barely any media coverage, that spend a day arguing about one governance report, and that is easy to access for an unrepresentative minority of members.
Letter to St Helier Hospital bosses
Take action
Write to the Board Members of the NHS Trust running St Helier and Epsom Hospitals.
Ask them to give the cleaners, porters, housekeepers, ward hosts and caterers the same NHS Agenda for Change contracts as the rest of the NHS staff. Demand an end to this inequality and injustice now!
Dear Board Members, Trustees and Executives of Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust,
In light of your continued refusal to provide full NHS contracts to hundreds of essential workers employed directly by the Trust, including cleaners, porters, ward hosts, caterers and housekeepers, I feel compelled to write to you.
These are the workers who keep your hospitals running. They are as much a part of the NHS as any doctor, nurse or administrator. Yet, they remain excluded from the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts and denied the pay and conditions that the rest of their colleagues enjoy.
It is disappointing, and frankly disgraceful, that in 2025 a publicly funded NHS Trust continues to enforce a two-tier workforce. These workers, who are disproportionately from Black, brown and migrant backgrounds, are being treated as second-class NHS employees in a system perpetuating structural inequality that you have the power to end.
While AfC staff are paid £14.92 per hour, these workers are stuck on £13.85. That’s thousands of pounds lost each year.
While others receive either 41% or 81% extra for nights and weekends, these staff receive no shift enhancements at all.
While NHS colleagues get full sick pay from day one, these workers lose wages for the first three days of illness.
While others enjoy up to 33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, they are stuck with just 24.
And while NHS staff benefit from one of the UK’s best pension schemes with a 23.7% employer contribution, these workers are on a paltry scheme with only 3%.
This is not an accident but a choice to save money on the backs of the lowest-paid and most marginalised staff in your hospitals.This two-tier system is degrading, demoralising and discriminatory. It sends a message that these workers are worth less. That their labour matters less. That they are expected to do the same work for worse pay and inferior terms. It is an unacceptable legacy of inequality and it must stop.
I understand that these workers have now decided to get organised and demand the dignity and equality they deserve. That should not come as a surprise. They have been left with no other option. They are not demanding more than others. They are demanding the same; no more, no less.
Your Trust has the power to end this injustice. You can take the moral and practical step of putting these workers on full NHS Agenda for Change contracts like many other NHS trusts across the country have already done.
You cannot claim to uphold NHS values while perpetuating this kind of inequality. If you are serious about your values of fairness, equality and dignity then now is the time to prove it.
I understand you are holding your next board meeting on the 3rd of July and I urge you to discuss and agree to their demands then.
These workers have already waited too long and they deserve your attention now.
Yours sincerely,
B
C51 consultation
Today the first drop-ins started for the consultation of the C51 scheme, Hamilton Terrace section. Traffic engineers were present along with City of Westminster highways engineers.
A trickle of vocal residents came in. Some have legitimate concerns, some not so much. Like the idea that the majority of people who responded to a previous consultation were against. That is not how it works. All that proves is that you have social capital and are able to mobilise numbers of people motivated enough to object. Some of the reasons: like pedestrian safety, indicate that people have been reading too much right wing newspapers with talking points claiming that cyclists are dangerous.
This is not just a bike lane. It also comes with improvements to lighting. The avenue of trees makes many parts of the Hamilton Terrace area in the shadows at night time, even when there are no leaves, the branches are thick.
I believe that Hamilton Terrace is the obvious candidate for a low- traffic neighbourhood. It has a high volume of traffic particularly at peak times. Much of it is probably through-traffic that could be on the A5 (Maida Vale). This would make the street (Street) quiet, so that people can talk to each other, or hear other hazards going on around them and safely react. Quiet ways used to be designated and this would have been one.
One legitimate concern we all have is the traffic lights, which are TfL controlled. I believe a cycle phase would solve the problems of cyclists not obeying the lights. If the cycle goes green seconds before the car green light, that solves the problem of vans not obeying the advance stop line (known as bike box). This is because vans have a blind spot and might miss vulnerable road users at a junction.
Going back to the modal filters, I would like to see how this would work. Hamilton Terrace is obviously going to be an expensive scheme. Modal filters would provide a revenue stream to make it financially sustainable. After all, why should we pay for this through our taxes and fares?
Westminster has a huge amount of inequality and deprivation. I would like to see schemes like this linking food banks, canal tow paths, schools of all types, F.E. colleges, fast food outlets, and council estates. Not only the super- rich should benefit from this.
The modal filter would pay for the best scheme which I believe is option 3: a 2-way cycle lane in the centre.
I believe there also needs to be a lot more bike parking of all types dispersed along the route, particularly outside mansion blocks of flats.
AGM season
There's a slew of share holder meetings taking place.
Here's what's going on in the Walt Disney company
Unfortunately I missed the deadline to vote by 1 day! I just have so much on this time of year to do with work.
Labour runner-up wishes to run as green candidate in Hendon
A former Labour Party member from Hendon who came 2nd in the selection has told me that he wishes to run in Hendon as a Green Party candidate.
https://labourlist.org/2018/10/david-pinto-duschinsky-selected-as-new-labour-candidate-for-hendon/
He really did come 2nd: honest.
Letter to Hendon MP
Dear David Pinto-Duschinsky,
I read your letter to Liz Kendall with interest, the so called get Britain working group.
The response online has really been something:
Who is the chair of the group?
Who are its members?
To whom is it accountable?
Will it consider the needs of people with long-term psychiatric problems, such as schizophrenia, who may not be able to work?
I also saw a question in reply to your social media (Elon twitter)
post: How many (what proportion of) disabled members of staff does your
backbench group of MPs employ?
I read from Exeter Green Party that you are refusing to tax the
super-rich: is this true? If so I would urge you to listen to the
compass group of Labour campaigners urging the Parliamentary Labour
Party to stop trying to appeal to the far right Reform UK Ltd. and to
appeal to green party voters instead: The Green party came 2nd in many
seats, and have as many seats as Reform UK Ltd..
Following yesterday's backing of scapegoating of disabled people for the
failings of the DWP, there have been calls for you to be voted out at
the next general election. Looking at the letter itself, you've got
Labour's mission wrong. The Labour Party was built and put into power
in order to give a voice to the working class. If you take for instance
your own selection that is a pattern that Labour has seen in every
selection: a workers representative beaten by a middle-class party
electorate in favour of a professional or non-blue-collar person as
prospective parliamentary candidate. That is Labour failing at its
mission, failing to back those living in social housing or council
housing. Those colleagues that look after these estates and do the work
such as pest control technicians are being pushed down and oppressed by
a manager class: the boards of directors of these social housing
associations. If I believed you were any better that a Conservative MP I
would urge you to meet with SHAC - the social housing action committee -
to try and resolve the dispute at Livv, which I understand has just
failed at ACAS. It's every day workers like these, or like bus drivers,
who politicians should stand with, to offer something better than other
parties.
I am justifiably angry: I myself was not in employment, education, or
training until I went back to school at the age of 25. The
opportunities I had then are being cut, while the starting salaries for
young people are not keeping up with the cost of living in Hendon. I
speak to people who are suffering from long covid who say that covid is
still happening and it is chronic in the working age population. You
could be doing a lot more to prevent this suffering. When the next
pandemic hits, our NHS and care sector should be prepared. It should
have more sick pay, sick leave for all, work-from-home as a right, and
proper health & safety precautions at work and on buses and tubes
such as good masks, ventilation, and staying at home when pupils or
staff are infectious. In the last few years inequality has massively
increased: The fact that the richest man in the world has lost hundreds
of billions and is still a billionaire shows that billionaires should
not exist. So why are you punishing disabled people (like Guardian
columnist Frances Ryan) for the sake of self-imposed fiscal rules and
what Labour calls the non-dom community?
I really expect better from you. the "get Britain working" slogan is
reminiscent of the lie from the darkest moment in European history, and
you have constituents with disabilities including mental health issues;
I've constantly asked you to listen to that and do better.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Samuel
faith and peace walk
Last year I joined in with the faith and peace walk which took place on clean air day. We walked with barnet multi faith forum around places of worship: churches, a synagogue, an islamic centre.
The next one will be on Thursday 19 June, clean air day. As usual it will be part of the London Festival of Architecture and the event has some funding (refreshments were provided at each stop)
This year 2025 will take place in New Barnet / East Barnet / High Barnet.
For older less mobile members of the community there will be accessibility designed into the event.
development for development's sake
A comment on nextdoor opening with "Not sure Barnet council is listening about the development in Edgware, Finchley and various parts of the Borough" has questioned if we have the infrastructure, naming hospital capacity, tubes, schools and mental health. She asked if maybe it would be more useful in The North.
The comment drew 57 comments in 1 day including the suggestion to send a delegation (or deputation) to speak to the council, something we've seen by Anuta Zack a leading landlord in Edgware.
The Council said it will not comment on specific plans which are being considered right now, as they look at the Barnet Plan, which was finalised and approved last week.
In conversation with local champions, I have heard a rumour that the Barnet Plan weakens the language around NCIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) saying it is optional which is not good for community. The popular "brews & views" cafe was built from these contributions.
Correspondance with a new Labour Member of Parliament
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Dear Ben
Welcome to the first edition of my monthly constituency e-newsletter. I hope the updates here are of interest. Let me know what you think!
Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested to read it, or ask them to sign-up here.
I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to Chipping Barnet residents for giving me the chance to serve our community. Over the summer I have set-up a new office and recruited a team of staff to help me serve our community. We'll be organising pop-up street stalls and coffee mornings for residents to meet me. And we are holding regular constituency surgeries by appointment.
I also want to wish Shana Tova to Barnet's Jewish residents as the new year is celebrated. I hope and pray for a better year ahead.
All my best wishes
Listening to Chipping Barnet
My first job as an MP is to listen to my constituents, whether you voted for me or not. I want to hear about your concerns and how I can make Barnet a better and safer place to live and work. Take my short survey and let me know how I can help improve our community.
Share your views with me
I am also keen to visit local community initiatives. Since being elected, it has been fantastic to visit local events and organisations that are doing brilliant work for our community. I enjoyed the magnificent flowers, cakes, and jams on show at the New Barnet Amateur Gardeners & Floral Art Society Autumn Show. I was moved to celebrate 30 years of Barnet Borough Sight Impaired at a fantastic event in St James’s Church in East Barnet, and I was very glad to discuss important local and national issues with the High Barnet Islamic Centre.
Visiting our local fire station
The London Fire Brigade of Barnet do life-saving work and so I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet local firefighters and hear about the vital services they provide. I’m proud to support and champion our emergency services in Barnet and across the country.
The MPs of tomorrow
It was such a joy to meet Sacred Heart Primary School Year 6 class in Parliament. It was a fun (if slightly daunting) experience to be grilled by them! If any local schools would like to come to Westminster then please contact my office and my staff team can arrange a visit.
Local Casework Summary
It is a privilege to support constituents and speak up for you about issues that affect your life – whether that’s pavements and potholes, visas and immigration, housing and healthcare, or planning and preserving green spaces. My team and I have been working hard to support around 1000 residents this month.
Apologies to anyone we haven’t managed to respond to yet. Please bear with us as we build our team and figure out how best to help people. Once we have caught up, we will aim to reply to anyone contacting us about a local issue within one week.
Standing up for you in Westminster
Dan Tomlinson MP standing in the House of Commons in a blue suit and dark red tie. MPs are sat behind him on the benches.
Asking Keir Starmer about the closure of Chipping Barnet police station
On 24 July, I asked Sir Keir Starmer a Prime Minister’s question about police cuts and the closure of the Chipping Barnet Police Station. The PM responded by committing to hiring 13,000 new police officers across the country as well as welcoming me to Parliament as Labour’s first ever MP for the constituency. I will be sure to fight for our fair share in Barnet.
You can watch my question in full on my X (formerly Twitter) account.
This changed Labour Party will always stand in the service of working people, and I look forward to continuing to raise issues in Parliament on behalf of the people of Chipping Barnet.
Did you know? My office can organise tickets for you to attend a debate in Parliament. Find out more here.
I’m pleased to have been appointed as the Parliamentary Champion for the government’s Economic Growth Mission – a cross-department role to support the government in their mission to deliver economic growth that makes people better off. I hope that through this role I can contribute towards getting the economy growing so that families in Barnet can enjoy prosperity that has, frankly, been lacking in Britain for some time now.
I know many parents in Barnet are worried about the impact of smartphones and social media on their children. I have been working with Smartphone Free Childhood and others to investigate what can be done to help parents and children in this area so that we can improve the mental health of our young people. If you would like to work with me on a campaign to support young people’s mental health through restricting access to smartphones and social media in schools or for young people more broadly, please get in touch.
There have been tougher moments in Westminster as well. I didn’t come into politics to cut Winter Fuel Payments to pensioners, but the government must make difficult financial decisions in order to reverse the economic decline our country faces. As someone who grew up in a family that struggled financially, I don’t want anyone to suffer as a result of the changes. I wrote an article in the Barnet Post about this.
I am standing outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, with Big Ben in the background. There are union jack flags on flagpoles directly behind me. I am wearing a blue suit and tie and smiling.
Voting for the King’s Speech
King Charles III delivered the Labour government's first King's Speech in the House of Lords. It outlined the draft laws which the government plan to introduce in the coming months. These included bills on workers' rights, the renationalisation of the railways, immigration, housing and planning, and House of Lords reform.
I stand in the House of Commons in a blue suit and dark red tie.
Highlighting NHS waiting lists
I asked Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, about waiting lists in our area. In November 2023, the number of people on local hospital waiting lists climbed above 100,000 for the first time. I will work with the government to ensure more appointments for our constituency and more support for the Royal Free Trust.
What will I achieve
The people of Chipping Barnet voted for me based on Labour’s manifesto and my local pledges. I will work to make Chipping Barnet a safer, greener and more prosperous place for every resident. As your local MP, I will fight to:
Increase police numbers in Barnet, and combat car theft;
Reduce NHS waiting lists and improve access to local health services;
Get the economy growing to make you and your family better off;
Help our high streets in Barnet to thrive again;
Get potholes filled in and improve the condition of our roads.
I have begun conversations with local police and others about a ‘car theft summit’. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements and opportunities to get involved in the months ahead.
Here to help
My team and I are always available to assist people living in Chipping Barnet who need our help and support.
Please do not hesitate to email me on dan.tomlinson.mp@parliament.uk, call my office on 020 7219 6510 or write to me at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA if you think I can help in any way. My team of caseworkers and I hold both in-person and virtual surgery appointments for more complex matters.
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Conference latest
At Green Party conference there were many positive panels and fringes, discussions, meetings, presentations and socials.
The only thing I regret is not being there myself, shofar in hand, and bagels a plenty.
The following may be of interest, perhaps will be in future history books
Councillor of Gipton & Harehills, Leeds Mothin Ali Speech @ Manchester GPEW Conference 8th September 2024
I am from the Leeds Green Party, and I'm the one that the Daily Mail dubbed the "Gaza councillor." I'm not the Gaza councillor; I'm the councillor for Gipton and Harehills. But like many across the UK, I campaigned on a platform of ending the genocide that's currently taking place in Gaza. I campaigned on a platform of ending the apartheid that's taking place in Gaza, and in the whole of Palestine.
I campaigned for a free, liberated Palestine, like many thousands of voters who voted for the Green Party, who put their trust and hopes in the Green Party as the voice of an alternative politics.
We keep talking about being that party that’s going to be radical, that party that’s going to be the party of change, but if we don’t pass this motion and if we don’t lead the rest of the parties, then all we’re doing is following like sheep.
We need to be leaders. We need to stand up and say that we’re not going to be the ones who follow, we’re going to be the trendsetters. We’re going to be the ones that lead, the ones that are offering a real alternative. We’re going to call it out for what it is. We’re going to call it genocide, because if we don’t use the right terminology, then we can never identify it accurately.
If we don’t use the right terminology and call it apartheid, then we will never identify the problem and deal with that problem. So I urge you, conference: stand with us, stand with the people of Palestine. Every seven minutes, another Palestinian is being killed.
We can’t allow this genocide to continue any longer. We can’t allow these people to be killed any longer. We’ve got to stand up, and we’ve got to make our voices heard. We’ve got to take real action. It is emotive because death is emotive.
I’m going to tell you a quick personal story, one that I don’t usually share because of fears for the people involved. For those of you who know my background, I’m a gardening YouTuber. I consulted with a family in Gaza to create a rooftop garden. Since the start of this war, that garden is no longer there. That family is no longer there.
How many more families are going to be wiped off the register before we actually call it what it is? This is genocide. We’ve got to be brave enough to call it genocide.
Seats where Green Party came 2nd: my comment
Bristol East
The selected candidate had to go after controversy and Ani kindly stepped in, a councillor in the highly student area of Central ward. I spoke to Ani at election day and admire her work on inner change and healing divisions in the party. The seat is an obvious target for those of us in The South, and I hope selection will happen early. I am told by East residents that we hope to gain councillors there which would allow us majority control of the city council. The area is home to the Barton House scandal. Bristol's acorn community union members noticed structural problems which were first ignored then the evacuation took place, and residents were moved back in. As a result a councillor candidate withdrew from the stress and party insider Ed was made Councillor last-minute and is now Lord Mayor. I have fond memories of Easton this diverse and neglected suburban part of the city, canvassing during the holy month of Ramadan, and inviting muslim members to a social in the local pub.
Huddersfield
Andrew Cooper is a well-known and respected councillor who keeps getting re-elected. He has in the past stood for the green party leadership, living very close to media city in Salford. In Leeds, the party have recently won a surprise win in the neglected Gipton and Harehills ward, which may also vote green in the future. The candidate there became famous and is popular on both left and right sections of social media, with tiktok and youtube followings, and was backed by Andrew Cooper. The area has a high muslim population alongside Dewsbury which elected an independent MP. Many mosques are present and each one sent coaches full of protesters to London last year. Like many non-target constituencies, the area received a visit from the Green Party's deputy leader Zack. Andrew Cooper is involved in the Local Government Association representing over 800 green councillors and working alongside independents and even UKIP and Reform councillors in the green and independents group. The party hopes to increase its councillors to perhaps 900 next year so this arrangement may or may not continue, as the greens form their own local government association grouping.
Sheffield Central
The seat was a winner in local elections and activists boycotted the candidate Alison who then stood as an independent, due to her views on gender. Alison had been a leading tree campaigner to defend the urban forest from Labour's outsourcing which was removing healthy mature trees. As a result of the local activist boycott, Sheffield was dropped from the party's short list of 2nd-tier target seats.
Bristol South
The party came 2nd. The candidate had joined as a former Labour party member and is a new Councillor. She was part of Bristol's full slate launched alongside now MP, Carla. She has been an autism and SEND campaigner, an issue that other parties are ignoring and one that Councillors will work hard to help young families with.
Hackney South and Shoreditch
For such a diverse borough, the Green Party's current make-up could be described as hipster or Yuppies. The Party holds 2 Councillors in 2 wards in the constituency which holds huge potential against an overwhelmingly Labour dominated town hall. Recently Labour have split and formed a new grouping for Gaza. They previously supported Zoe's run for Mayor forming the group "Corbynistas for Zoe". The Green Party candidate was a last minute replacement after the previous hopeful who had mental health issues had a spot of in-fighting and endorsed the young trans rights activist from the Lib Dems, in the London Assembly, earning a 5 year suspension, possibly longer. She doubled down on the remarks which became quite personal.
Leeds Central and Headingley
Headingly is of course the home of Martin SOC a long time Green Party campaigner for peace and disarmament with views on foreign policy. Martin previously served as a Labour Councillor. The party has re organised itself into a single Leeds party. The candidate Chris a retired lawyer did fund raise for a local aviation emissions campaign as well as for the party and the retained deposit and money that was not spent on printing leaflets will go back to Leeds Green Party's machine to grow its number of councillors across the city. While appearing professional and having a clear candidate photo and video of him talking against a blank indoor background, a campaign could be developed with more people, more team-work, and more creative inspiring videography.
Manchester Rusholme
I must admit I have not recently been to Manchester and only met former Hulme Councillor Ekua and a few others. Ekua has inspired many people. Labour piled in to lose her the seat as a green. This constituency contains Hulme which of course was where Deyike was. Labour have taken Manchester for granted. Like London, we can't just point at dog poo and pot holes; we also have to do politics and we have to do it differently. Unlike Chris' video, the candidate's video in manchester is well-produced with music, with shots envisioning the city and broader issues, but is also the candidate talking a lot. I would like Deyike's fund to support her in being selected early for this seat and having another shot: but Manchester has failed to properly win Councillors this year and that would have to change for it to go the way of Bristol. In my view the party should not have given up on Hulme so easily. With its significant Jewish community I remain fascinated with Manchester and last visited when Deyike was alive. I have also protested there against the Conservative Party conference. The Green Party needs to update its policy on High Speed 2 to win somewhere like this, but the transport policy working group is in my view dominated by greens against hs2.
The candidate being a local mum is excellent: all that's needed for gold candidate material is to be a school governor. Caroline Lucas is a mum; it's different from the stereotype or what many greens would consider a good candidate embedded in the community. In the recent election a key message was the vote green poster drawn by Emily, age 7 and the importance of a better world "for our children". Many responded to this by volunteering while their partners looked after the kids.
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
This is where we got a stonking vote in a recent byelection. If everyone that voted for us last week, remained loyal, we will have a wonderful Jewish Councillor, possibly alongside a wonderful Black MP. With 4 MPs and all of them white, this is where it could change. But will the Deyike fund support someone here? This in my view is 1 of 2 or 3 inspiring London campaigns, but will be ten times the hard work in the face of Labour who have dominated the council and the city for decades. It's likely that if Dianne moves on, we'll have a controversial and unpopular right wing Labour candidate to defeat, possibly in a by election. The only other by election we've ever won in the region is nearby, in Highgate. In a recent Mayor by election, due to a scandal, the Green Party candidate, who is a London Assembly Member and Mayor candidate 2024, increased the vote share.
Lewisham North
With no councillors here, the former stomping ground of Darren Johnson founder of the LGB greens in the 1980's - expelled recently for criticising the green policy on gender - Lewisham is unlikely to come up as a target again. I am experienced enough to remember the last time we targeted there. Labour mobilised across London to make sure we lost our Councillor grouping of 9 and never gained a foot hold, while the Lib Dems also behaved unhelpfully.
Birkenhead
Jo was an excellent candidate here gaining local TV coverage. We have a large group of Councillors and Jo makes an excellent case for selecting Birkenhead as a target constituency. It is likely that if Jo is selected here, Labour will throw everything at it. The Green Party's clean campaign pledge might be useful in deflecting these. Green Party Conference will take place soon in Manchester and this will be where we will see how The North will begin its journey to Westminster.
Jo is endorsed by the Muslim Vote alongside Sian and Carla.
Walthamstow
Walthamstow experienced a good result in the London elections. We can win Councillors there. As an outer London resident I take an interest in areas like this.
Peckham
Following on the momentum from the London elections with the same candidate, Peckham has failed to win any Green Councillors in the face of heavy Lib Dem and Labour forces. I have visited the area and it is where our office was at the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey. If we win in 2026 I will be pleased, and this would be a step towards more Assembly Members in 2028. We can win here: coming 2nd last time in the London Assembly. But the danger is targeting it, possibly losing, and then losing elsewhere.
Lewisham West and East Dulwich
I welcome this new entry who has lived in various places around the capital.
Manchester Withington
The transport campaigner Sam came 2nd but came 3rd in a recent Council election in Withington: quite an achievement for Manchester. With all these Manchesters popping up I would hope they can raise their game and increase their Councillors which went from zero to 3 recently.
Tottenham
David Lammy's seat. I was present here at the count. The area shows potential but members should have more of a say in the party's strategy, which has failed so far to win any councillors.
Dulwich and West Norwood
Pete Elliot is popular in the party, has served as a councillor, and served in the army. He has been the green party's housing spokes person. He lost his seat after the estate that elected him was decanted by Lambeth Council's property development arm. Previous candidates for the seat have been promising. Lambeth was the stomping ground of Rashid Nix a London Assembly candidate, and Jonathan Bartley the former co-leader of the party. Many promising people have stood to be Councillors here, including a highly disciplined team of non-target candidates who didn't do any campaigning in their own wards. One of the main organisers here resigned after gender disagreements and we now have a group of 2 councillors who have focussed on climate emergency and housing. One of the other organisers here moved to Bristol and became a Councillor.
Bristol North East
Lorraine stood and won re-election several terms as a Councillor in Eastville ward. She stood before in a different ward. She stood in Bristol East twice for Parliament. She stood in the Kingswood by-election. The Labour MP stood and won in the Kingswood by-election. Before he was the directly elected Mayor of Lewisham.
Leeds South
The candidate Ed is a local city councillor and a dad. Hilary Benn is the cabinet minister for Northern Ireland
Norwich South
The sitting MP here is Clive Lewis. A well known member of the socialist campaign group, he's been a military veteran, and somewhat of a green new deal champion. The Greens have held many council seats here. Many promising people have stood in the seat including our own newest MP and co-leader Adrian Ramsay.
Islington South and Finsbury
This is where Carne Ross stood. He is a great guy and it's been a pleasure working with him over the recent 9 months. It would make sense to have some kind of arrangement with Corbyn independent activists, but we would ideally want them to help here in the South of the borough, not just in the North, while our own members would be unable to help in the North due to party rules. The proximity to independent MP seats is a complicating factor which has so far failed to yield results. 4 Green MPs were elected and 5 Corbyn inspired independents. Those areas are spread far and wide across the country, not next to each other. We have councillors here just in Highbury that has been Corbyn's constituency, but have failed to break through into other wards.
Bristol North West
Mary Page joined from the Lib Dems and stood as a Councillor. She scrapped the mayor, an elected executive mayor who used to run Bristol. The Mayor was replaced with a committee system. The MP there is Darren Jones, part of the new labour cabinet and not such a popular guy amongst the pro Palestinian camp.
Stratford and Bow
Our dear friend Joe previously stood in a by election against Labour and ended up being beaten by a Newham Independents Councillor, who had resigned from Labour (This was before the Gaza latest war and was fought on such issues as ULEZ and parking). How the tables have turned with Joe coming comfortably against 4 independents and 2 smaller parties. Joe was one of those dedicated remainers in the later hours of the post election celebration that took the time to chat with me, and I'm in awe of his service to the party as the co-chair of its most senior governing body alongside a Greater Manchester colleague. This seat shows huge potential for the Green Party in the face of a climate and nature emergency. The local party are well-organised and building capacity by using social media to engage volunteers. They won their first seats on a fully Labour council and formed an opposition group. Independents can not form an opposition group. Joe took the time to tell me that the writing is too small and pictures not big enough, on the local unison leaflet. The selection for Joe in this seat was contested by other local Newham Councillors but he came out on top.
Streatham and Croydon North
Half Streatham half Croydon, the candidate here was an MEP for 9 months for the area, so one of the few serious people who could be an MP. He serves as a Councillor in Streatham. The boundary changes make this an interesting seat. Croydon also has some Councillors in the south / east. He fought this campaign brilliantly. The MP comes over from Croydon North with a similar large majority. He has been a minister and is now Environment Secretary (for environment food and rural affairs)
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Known to me as Cat, the serial candidate stood in Nunhead in Southwark in 2022 coming in 5th place. A young candidate whom I believe has been involved with the green party's 30 under 30 elite leadership training programme. The local MP has supported the right-wing candidate in a Labour Leadership election against Corbyn.
Liverpool Wavertree
Tom Crone was elected as a Councillor in 2023. He stood for Mayor.
Liverpool Riverside
Riverside has been a green constituency targeted before. I have visited the constituency and it is home to Labour's annual conference.
Manchester Central
Ekua needs no introduction. She is an artist and defected as a Labour Councillor after being disciplined by Labour for breaking the unwritten rule not to stand against the leader. She has served as a senior Labour Party elected official as well as Councillor for Hulme. The Green Party conference is due to take part in Manchester. I met Edkua on her visit to North London to talk about women in green politics.
Leyton and Wanstead
If I were disrespectful to the service the MP here has given to our country in the RAF, I would say this is the sort of place with a big Labour lead where there is a bitter selection battle and a candidate is parachuted in.
Typically for a green candidate she has stood in a local election and come 4th. Less typically unfortunately is the fact that she comes from a working-class background, a background that has been badly under-represented in the Green Party.
Sheffield Heeley
This is of course Alexi a tireless pro-Palestinian campaigner whose motion pushed through the city council has condemned Keir Starmer and his support for genocide. On similar lines he adapted a protest chant from the USA for our dear leader Keir Starmer. I met Alexi when he came to London with the Sheffield green party banner.
Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Re-elected as a City councillor since May. Sheffield Central is one of the most promising targets in terms of council representation translating into MPs.
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Again I was at the count for this one, Barnet Green Party provided the candidate though most of it is in Haringey. Neither borough has any green councillors. The candidate stood in the most recent round of council elections and was pleasantly surprised at the swing towards the greens across the country where polls predicted a 3rd place.
Cardiff South and Penarth
Anthony Slaughter is the leader of the Green Party in Wales. After winning in the Senneth, he hopes the party will become independent of the Green Party in England. I met Anthony on one of the big days out in Bristol laying the ground work to our big win. Many members came over the border to get us this, and we as team Carla owe them a return visit over the next 2 years towards their breakthrough.
Hove and Portslade
Was it this or Kemptown with the bitter Labour selection battle as a new Labour candidate was parachuted in to replace the much loved firey socialist. I visited the constituency before boundary changes. We focussed our efforts on Brighton Pavilion this time. In any Green Party election campaign in these cities my advice would be to win back those council seats you lost, and maybe win a few more to get a majority control of the council. To do this the party will learn to fend off attacks from other parties. This is a city where independents are also at play. Sophie is a mum and might find the time to become one of those councillors or to help elect more here. Peter Kyle is a cabinet secretary for science, innovation and technology
Poplar and Limehouse
This is the seat of Aspana Begum, the 1st Hijab wearing MP if I'm not mistaken. Poplar is the home of the Battle of Cable Street, in which Jewish and Irish communities united against the Police and Fascists. It is also the home of Natalie, who worked to win 3 London Assembly Members including our mayor candidate, and is the sole Councillor in the Green Party there. Natalie took the time to chat with boring old me after the London Assembly elections and we discussed her visit to Colindale.
Lewisham East
Lewisham East's green candidate Michael stood for Lewisham Mayor coming in 2nd place despite an independent candidate challenger. The Mayor was vacant after the Bristol Labour candidate resigned and moved out of London.
Queen's Park and Maida Vale
This was of course Vivien who is the chair of the Jewish Greens. Vivien met with me and organised a speaker meeting which Mona her running mate also attended. We attended a Palestinian restaurant and caught up with another attendee, from UK Friends of Standing Together. Vivien is an experienced candidate and represented the party at hustings and has been a wonderful source of advice for me.
The new Labour MP is famously the leader of Camden Council and Starmer ally.
Greenwich and Woolwich
Greenwich's Green Party candidate is a fairly new entry and I seem to remember reading about her when considering how to vote in the party list last year. Greenwich does not have green councillors and narrowly lost out last time. It has long been a borough of strong 2nd place results with my young green friend Marek standing here back in 2010. The result follows a similar trend of 2nd place results in the London Assembly super- constituency.
Oxford East
Oxford East has been a green constituency targeted before. It fits the old stereotype of university towns. The candidate quadrupled her vote here since she stood here in 2010 coming 4th
Nottingham East
A constituency I am familiar with from my student days. The sitting MP is popular with young people and adept at social media. A carer, trade unionist, and member of the socialist campaign group, we're unlikely to want to unseat her, but could help push her in the right direction and keep Labour true to their values. The East Midlands missed out on any greens representation in the European Parliament.
I would also ask, what constituencies are not on the list?
East Birmingham, the only Green Party council where I had to make a complaint to the borough about the behaviour of a sitting Councillor. I don't think he is in post any more, but may have joined another party. Many of their efforts previously targeted at Solihull have been re directed to North Herefordshire where we now have an MP, who has previously served for 9 months as an MEP. It's likely this will remain the case, as well as defending many seats held across the West Midlands region. Again, if we are to win here on the site of Birmingham International and the NEC, we're going to need a new rail policy. This is the stomping ground of the green party's Head of Elections who was a Councillor here and also spent a lot of time helping Adrian Ramsay's previous runs for Council and Parliament in Norwich South.
There were no 2nd places in the NE region. They should take comfort in the fact that Brighton Pavilion had the greens go from 3rd to 1st place: so we really can win anywhere.
a good news day
Today Marcus Drecker was released on bail and able to come home to his family.
And Lewes District Council just unanimously passed this motion
https://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=431&MId=3826
https://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/documents/s31058/Motion%20-%20Support%20for%20Zanes%20Law.pdf
Motion - Support for Zane’s Law
Submitted by Councillor Makepeace
Preamble
The current UK regulations with regard to toxic waste disposal and the danger to human
life, to our environment, and to the planet as a whole, from both historic landfill sites and
currently approved landfill sites operating the ‘dry tomb’ principle, are dangerously
inadequate. Especially so, in the face of climate breakdown, with rising sea levels,
increased rainfall, and widespread flooding.
In 2014, 7-year-old Zane Gbangbola died, and his father was paralysed with a diagnosis of
hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning, during catastrophic flooding in the UK. It is understood
that flood water passing through a historic landfill site carried HCN into Zane’s home, and
this was detected there at high levels by the Fire and Rescue Services on the night of the
tragedy. This is expected to be the subject of an Independent Panel Inquiry.
‘Zane’s Law’ seeks to address the crisis of contaminated land in the UK, reinstating
legislative provisions removed by successive governments from the 1990 Environment
Protection Act, and recognising the Human Right to a Healthy Environment, approved by
the UN General Assembly, in July 2022.
Therefore, ‘Zane’s Law’ proposes that the following measures be adopted into legislation
by the Government, to prioritise the protection and safety of people and planet, and the
human right to a healthy environment. The legislation if passed would likely include:
1. Each relevant Local Authority must keep a full, regularly updated Register of
Land that may be contaminated within their boundary.
2. The Environment Agency must keep a full, public 'National Register of
Contaminated Land' to be regularly updated by information from Local
Authorities.
3. All above mentioned Registers of Land must be accessible and available for
inspection by the General Public.
4. Relevant Local Authorities must inspect any land registered that may be
contaminated and must fully remediate or enforce remediation of any land which
poses harm to public safety, or which pollutes controlled waters*.
5. Relevant Local Authorities must be responsible for inspecting previously closed
landfill sites and fully remediating them or enforcing their remediation when they
pose a risk of significant harm to people or controlled waters.
6. The Government must take full responsibility for providing the necessary funds
for Local Authorities to meet these new requirements, following the ‘polluter pays’
principle: to recover costs as appropriate where those responsible for the
pollution can be identified.
These measures are not all in place currently and would requirement significant investment
and full funding from the Government to be implemented. These must take account of other
statutory requirements (such as data protection provisions).
Motion
This Council therefore resolves:To write to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health, and the Secretary of State
for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to express the Council’s support for new
legislation on contaminated land based on the proposed principles of ‘Zane’s Law’, to
request that these ministers support Baroness Natalie Bennett, by all possible means, in
her efforts to advance ‘Zane’s Law’ through the House of Lords, and that the Government
provides all necessary funds for Local Authorities and others to meet the requirements of
any new legislation.
* Controlled waters are groundwater or surface water intended for human consumption.
A petition written by A. I.
I created a petition on change .org and it couldn't have been easier. They integrated A. I. (artificial intelligence) to generate the text. It just asks a few questions: Why are you concerned, and so on.
The underwhelming output is here
https://www.change.org/p/ensure-community-involvement-in-burnt-oak-development
Hopefully it will appear in search results at some point.
To increase the score, they encourage multiple illustration photos and do split testing on them. I haven't got around to getting one together with people in it; I know faces are supposed to be the most powerful image you can use.
Here is the shorter link
https://www.change.org/communityburnt
do sign and share if you want a better place!!
My view on knife crime
Knife crime sits within a broader context.
Millions of people worldwide and many in the UK are killed and injured every day by car traffic, as well as the health effects of breathing their fumes and tyre particles. London is the hit and run car accident capital.
But somehow the horror of knife crime gets more attention, particularly when Sadiq Khan is up for re-election.
So what would the Green Party do about knife crime?
Too often violent crime is not punished enough by harsh custodial sentences. While the Green Party wants to abolish custodial sentences for those under the age of 18, it would also free up prison places by decriminalising and regulating the drug trade. This would free up prison places for serious violent crimes. Most of this is committed by men.
Other parties, and some charities, argue for deterrence but then try and say that drugs are the root cause, where as it's actually the way that drugs are policed and criminalised.
Awareness campaigns are sometimes scaring young people and making them actually more likely to carry knives. Research by Caroline Russell, London Assembly member, shows that police are going into schools and showing pictures of scary knives on social media, in many local areas.
The "London needs you alive" campaign was one such awareness campaign, which isn't targeted at your local voters but actually targeting children to encourage them to have something to live for and not to descend into nihilism that would make them risk carrying knives in their circles of friends.
In Nottingham, knives and guns have often been used in violent attacks and reprisals. Then the community came together, as mothers, elders, and black people, saying enough is enough. We don't want our young people to be victims of this any more. They demonstrated on the streets.
In London we've seen similar initiatives such as knife amnesty bins and "art against knives".
I've been particularly instructed by the Voice newspaper on this topic.
I've been aware of local community memorials for young victims of crime, for instance the 4front project.
& I've been inspired by recent peace protests which have sought to disrupt institutions until their demands are met. The families of survivors of violence (which often originates from the metropolitan police) are the most powerful leaders and when they are united, I believe in their power to make change.
Sian Berry and the City Hall Greens have diverted some money away from police violence to start the young Londoners fund and violence reduction unit. There have also been good moves from Sadiq Khan to bring experts form Glasgow and to treat the epidemic of violence as a public health issue. We've seen on BBC London how police, youth services, and the NHS are working together in an East London A & E department to offer interventions at a critical time in a young person's life. The Greens' budget amendments have consistently saved the youth services from closing over the pandemic and will continue to pressure a future government to properly fund youth services, which have been cut by the Conservatives over the last decades. They do this by showing the value of youth services.
I predict we'll see more of this but do check out the announcement that Zoe Garbett has already made about drugs. This looks to be a priority for her campaign as Mayor of London candidate this year.
From speaking with Zoe I know that as a local councillor she is also keen on preventing and raising awareness of cuts to local services such as DV. I believe that there's a link between DV and violence outside the home.
Stop and search has failed in tackling knife violence problems and created problems of its own and that's why I point to the above more positive solutions.
I'm also a big follower of USA politics. The school strikes to stop school shootings were the inspiration for Greta Thurnberg's movement Fridays for our Future.
Theatre Review: Chickenshed
Last night's production of The Toymaker's Child was special. It was the last show of the season, meaning that this review may contain some spoilers.
From the start, the BSL enterpreters were centre stage and well lit but fit into the setting. Though I do not speak BSL I would like to learn and this show gave me a chance to see it. There is loads going on in the stage, especially in the spectacular and exciting songs. There was a real band at the top rather than in a pit, with a violin, percussionists, and a saxophone. The lighting and technical side was masterful. At one point in the story, the robot drowns in water and it is an immersive experience for all the senses that made me hold my nose and brace for entry into the water spilling off the stage as smoke and lighting. The ushers too, behaved in an inclusive way, by holding signs in stead of distracting people by announcing stuff to us. My dad who works in IT liked the Windows windows, a quote of Microsoft Windows 10; and there was lots of technology, while borrowing from classic narratives of pinocio, the Christmas classic Wizard of Oz (the tin man well-played by a woman) and that tale of sisters, Frozen. The costumes too were amazing with the starring robot equipped with blue LEDs.
Music too was bang up to date.
The narrative was quite surreal and to be honest I could not make out what was going on. But powerful themes including the creator and toy-maker giving up, having a teenager, and wanting to control them or kill them off rather than let them go. Perhaps the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has created a monster too, and one day that monster will grow with its siblings and make friends with them. The relationship of the 2 female leads was so sweet and modelled half sisters who pick each other up when they are down, even risking their own survival, and coming out stronger. Their relationship is not just sisters, and not best friends but their only friends. It turns out the special robot is so intelligent and has many talents including dancing!
I also enjoyed the parody of the 24 hour news shock jock with absolutly nothing to say and very dumbed down. GB News? I wouldn't know; I've only been interviewed by them once.
I was left with a sense of hope but that more needs to be done so that the arts should be accessible to all.
Horizon scandal
wierdly, I met a CWU retired Post Office counter worker at a local protest. I would never have got to sit down for a cup of tea with him otherwise.
Anyway here is my draft letter to my MP. Too rude? too polite?
Tuesday 9 January 2024
Dear Matthew Offord,
As my MP you are no doubt aware that 700 post masters have been wrongfully prosecuted by the criminal legal system. You know that post offices process large amount of public money. In light of the Horizon scandal I hope that the vicitims will receive compensation as soon as possible. You might say, after supporting 14 years of Conservative government "get the Post Office done." That's putting it politely!
Yours sincerely,
Ben Samuel
A look back on 2023 in the Green Party
In the coming year we will win a controlling majority in councils around the country, including Bristol where the green party is the largest party but the city recently voted in a referendum not to be governed by an executive mayor but go to committee system.
How many campaigns have the Green Party won?
Still to win are:
Ella's law - Clean air human rights act.
In my opinion the party must become better at picking its battles and look outside of its horizon to ensure everyone is represented and that there is a clear plans for which legislation the parliamentarians put forward when they have the rare chance.
Defending the right to protest - This was a win the previous year and the government was forced to bring back some of the worst attacks as a new legislation. In the coming year some of this will come into force. We've seen people arrested for singing carols and climate activists sent to jail, and threatened with deportation.
Defending workers rights - Labour Party must be persuaded in this. Elizabeth May MP has led the way through the anti scab Bill in the Canada parliament.
Defeating the Rwanda Bill - to be continued late January
Zane's law - a priority that we are working on
Stopping fossil fuel projects such as Rosebank - It was stopped but then rescued
Campaign "wins" include
High Speed 2 is dead. It is not planned to reach Euston and phase 2 is cancelled. The Green Party is calling for a public inquiry into the management of the project.
London has now extended the Ultra Low Emission Zone, despite dirty campaigning linked to the Conservatives. Shamefully Kier Starmer has publicly criticised the Mayor.
Outer London now benefits from the bus routes we fought to save and new routes the London Loop. New infrastructure is open such as Crossrail (the Elizabeth Line)
the APPG reparations has been formed and this has been adopted by XR as a 4th demand.
Fossil fuels are mentioned for the first time in the climate change framework.
The City of Sheffield has called for ceasefire and condemned Kier Starmer. Organisations are considering openly endorsing the Green Party and have invited Carla Denyer, Ria Patel, and Natalie Bennett onto platforms (they were hoping for Caroline Lucas. locally greens have spoken and attended rallies too including a petition hand in by school strikers in Bristol which other MPs failed to turn up)
London Borough of Hackney has a policy to ban fossil fuels advertisements
How it feels to be Jewish in the UK at the moment
I was hearing the deputy leader and democracy spokes person of the Green Party on LBC yesterday. I am proud that we have one who does such a good job, alongside other spokes people, such as yesterday. I have always cared deeply but the battle lines are frought on social media and we find ourselves in an information war which we never conscripted ourselves into. What support we have: family here and abroad, our holy congregations, and the community leadership, is also frought and under strain.
With so many dying, including loved ones we've lost recently, and friends and neighbours we hear are bereaved: one neighbour lost 80 family members. It feels aweful. We have been in morning for the last month. I myself try and keep my spirits up but while I normally find politics enjoyable... lately it's been more of an experience of expressing my feelings of bereavement and loss, my anger, and the loss of people who political divisions have pit us as enemies when we were friends before.
I have always cared about both sides and stayed informed to quite a high level and engaged with social media. This has translated into physical exaustion from many demonstrations.
As a march we organise into blocks and I found myself torn between 2, these different identities.
On a recent demonstration with Jewish community and Brendan Cox, the Palestinian MP Leyla Moran, and a Tory, the organisers instructed us not to clash with the 5pm demo over at Parliament. Of course I was there, on time, even early. I see no contradiction in calling a ceasefire and also standing with Leyla Moran and faith leaders to recognise humanity. If anything, my 5pm demo attendance was a service to my party as a campaigns volunteer; filming a speech and allowing it to be shared on twitter as soon as I got to upload it on my cycle ride home.
As a cyclist, anti- austerity, environmentalist, and local issues campaigner I have been dividing all my hours between the different issues forcing me to make priorities.
On rare occasions I have allowed myself to read and even relax.
Some of my reading has been to raise my consciousness as previously I've read Jews such as Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, and Michael Rosen. But what about the deep library of Palestinian literature of the last 80 years? What if I am projecting my discomfort over what happened, onto Palestinians. As a Jew I have been target of love and messages of solidarity, as well as people calling my naive or a useful idiot. But Palestinians don't appreciate some of my comments and I have been ejected from a union whatsapp group. So has another member (called David) and even non Palestinian activist groups are becoming pro Palestinian allowing another Jewish friend of mine to be kicked out of a group. This is a pattern that allows me to sit with my own discomfort but it shows a lack of spaces where pro Palestinian Jews can discuss their genuine concerns and feedback about a small amount of behavoir without blaming but just maybe to learn and raise awareness of how to be inclusive.
In this difficult time I am therefore hugely grateful to groups like Na amod which aim to join the movement for a ceasefire and to end the occupation (which protesters believe is the root cause of the violence). Now more than ever. Chazak - power to the people.
That Green Party Conference motion in full
On the 4th of October 2023, the Prime Minister announced that Phase 2 of HS2 would be cancelled due to escalating costs. It is said that cancelling the Birmingham to Manchester part of HS2 would save £36bn, which is more than the £33bn that the whole scheme connecting London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Manchester, with links to HS1 and Heathrow was originally meant to cost.
At this point it seems uncertain as to what will happen to land which was compulsory purchased for cancelled parts of the scheme.
While there are differing views in the party about HS2, we should all be able to unite and agree that this situation is a national scandal.
The most recently published board minutes for HS2 Ltd show that the Government-owned quango intended to only reveal the costs of Phase 2b of the project after Parliament had voted to approve it, reminiscent of when Ministers withheld the fact they knew HS2 could not be delivered for the then £55bn budget when MPs voted to approve Phase 1 in 2015.
As such, conference requests the Green Party Parliamentary representatives to call for a full public inquiry into the Conservative Government’s mismanagement of the project. The scope should cover:
Lack of oversight and regulation of HS2 finances
The mismanagement of the Euston rebuild, including the government continually redesigning that has caused billions of extra costs and left residents with a building site for years longer than necessary, and the newly announced plans to descope Euston to 6 platforms and use the land for commercial development, severely restricting the potential for future services to the North of England and Scotland
The removal of safeguarding of the route, effectively an attempt to sabotage future governments
The redirecting of funds from HS2 cancellation to road building schemes which is incompatible with the Climate Emergency