Tactical Voting or Tactless Wasted Votes...

Unite to Remain is a collaborative Tactical Voting scheme for one or more candidates to stand down in a marginal seat held by a Tory in the last parliament. Practically this has come down to a relative handful of Green, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dem candidates that could represent one another solo. Agreement by the relevant parties in advance is then subject to a process of negotiation and sanctioned by the respective party’s head offices. It is not something a candidate would decide unilaterally.

The Labour Party have NOT joined forces with Unite to Remain and exclusively insist that Tactical Voting is where other candidates should all stand down for Labour exclusively, almost regardless of the potential for an alternative party to gain a seat from the Tories. In some constituencies (for example the Isle of Wight) Labour not standing aside for the Green Party candidate will most likely result in a Tory being re-elected, potentially affecting the final majority in the House of Commons.

The downside is that it takes away the democratic opportunity to vote for your own party if your candidate has been stood down. Furthermore, if ALL non Labour / Tory candidates stood down in a particular constituency to strengthen Labour’s chances then everyone voting would effectively be endorsing and maintaining the tired old First Past the Post and Two Party systems.

Boundaries and Absolutes

When, along with everyone else, I consider a political party’s manifesto (and claims) I will discover typically around 95% of the policies I am very content with and the remainder not so much. So I categorise the ‘tricky 5%’ of policies into Boundaries and Absolutes.

A Boundary I would be prepared to move or step across. An Absolute is a line I simply would not cross. My prime example of an Absolute is Nuclear Weapons. I would not vote for any party that supports use of nuclear weapons or the renewal of the Trident program. Therefore, in England, I can only vote for the Green Party. In Scotland and Wales I would have the possibility of supporting another party should Tactical Voting be a path for the greater good.

The expression “hold your nose and vote (tactically)” is being bandied about at the moment. In all conscience I and, I suspect, many more Green Party members, simply cannot do this.

Bigger Picture

The Two Party system of Right versus Left has been in place for many years. Labour claim, with some justification, that they are the only party (other than the Tories) that could achieve an overall majority. Because of the polarised differences between these two main parties it is unusual for voters to transfer their loyalty.

As a candidate, it is quite clear that the Green Party (and the Lib Dems, but for a different reason) have been receiving votes from disaffected Tories. This presents a different scenario to trying to simply increase one’s own party’s votes. Where the Green Party hoovers up these votes it effectively diminishes the Tory vote in the constituency that the Green Party candidate may well have already been pressured to stand down. It is clear this is happening in a number of constituencies. Pulling the Green Party candidate out, ironically, then serves to increase the Tory vote and therefore reduces the chance of the Labour (or Lib Dem) candidate winning that seat.

Overall, it must be said that in both safe and relatively safe seats voting tactically instead of voting for the Green candidate is not only a wasted vote it also undermines the principle of true democracy and the quest for real change. It also hurts financially, not only in diminishing the chances of saving deposits but also in reducing the ‘Short Money’ that all parties considered to be in opposition receive in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

Vote Green, If Not Now, When?

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Standing up for the Environment...

Travel not Traffic! #MyManifesto 01

The Green Party vision is to re-vitalise and re-own public transport as well as encouraging cycling and walking. Problems of congestion and parking are simply caused by too greater dependence on private cars - the more on the road the greater the air pollution.

In our more rural areas I will campaign for the creation of cycle paths, both to connect villages and our towns. This will encourage more cycling and be far safer than risking life and limb on the highway. This initiative, in turn, will lead to more healthy lifestyles and cut down on visits to the doctors.

As the responsibility for our Highways falls within Essex County Council's remit the Green Vision is for more environmentally friendly, low carbon buses along with supporting car sharing whilst allocating sites where electric cars can connect to charging networks.

P

Picture credit: https://pixabay.com/en/highway-jam-road-roadway-1929866/

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Peter Banks, both of 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

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Colchester Green Party Electric Car Event...

Electric Car / Vehicle (EV) Workshop

public event – all welcome

Sunday 18th September 2016 at 3pm - finish 5pm

Firstsite : Lewis Gardens : High Street : CO1 1JH

Forum and Q & A on Air Quality, Myths and Visions

Darren Smith - EV Advocate Glyn Hopkin Nissan

Test drives (pre-book with greens@mband.co.uk)

twitter.com/ColcGreenParty
eastern.greenparty.org.uk/colchester-green-party

www.facebook.com/colchestergreenparty

This Colchester GP event could not take place without the generous support of Glyn Hopkin Nissan

Never mind the Batteries…

Myths and Mysteries - The Electric Car - Future or Fallacy?

So let me fess up straight away, my name is Peter Banks, I drive an electric car and, since my conversion, I want to share the good news about EVs (Electric Vehicles) with everyone! So am I biased? Of course! My carbon footprint is less, I am now practising what I preach and I’m saving money. Whilst the last point will be highly important to many, for me making a personal, yet token, action towards saving the planet is reason enough.

My second confession is I have been concerned about our environment for some time and nailed my colours to the mast by joining the Green Party in 2008. Sadly, in this country, addressing climate change is not given the urgent and critical priority it warrants.

So, how did I get here?

Until recently I drove a diesel car, rather than a petrol version, because I was led to believe that was the most environmental option. In September 2015 I was horrified to discover it could have far worse emissions than specified after the ‘Diesel Gate’ revelations. When I started the tricky task of researching my next car the massive amount of jargon and rhetoric was overwhelming to my non petrol head grey matter! Then came the epiphany...

From a Twitter post I followed a link to a talk by Robert Llewellyn, he of Red Dwarf and Scrapheap Challenge fame, and a clearer light started to dawn. Whilst he now has his own YouTube channel, Fully Charged, all about news relating to EVs, it was his TEDx talk, as above, that summarised his own journey. Whilst he claims not to be a scientist, and he is shockingly poor at mental arithmetic, his layman’s approach to explaining sometimes difficult concepts in straightforward, non jargonised language - with a generous helping of humour - is compelling.

Unfortunately there is much mis-information bandied about concerning Electric Cars, ostensibly referred to as research, which, on closer inspection, proves to be data provided by vested interests in the status quo, aka the fossil fuel industry. So let’s banish five myths to start with.

Myth One - EVs are slow

Essentially petrol and diesel engines utilise Victorian technology. They employ the same principle as a good old Steam Locomotive: pistons, cylinders, valves and connecting rods but obviously use a more efficient fuel. Now, despite fossil fuels being very energy dense, electric cars do not have to convert energy to such extremes: the battery powers a motor that drives the wheels which is highly efficient and makes them extremely nippy. In fact the prestige Tesla cars can achieve an impressive 0-60 mph performance of under 3 seconds!


Myth Two - EVs are expensive

Yes, the List prices of EVs are higher than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, however, there is currently a £4500 pound government sponsored discount, zero road tax, no congestion charges and, along with manufacturer's deals, this actually makes the cost competitive. On top of all that even if you have a relatively low mileage of say 20 miles a day (the average daily car commute is 26 miles) you will save £1600 per year!

Myth Three - EVs are heavier and cause more pollution

I could think of ruder words but let’s just go with ‘Tosh’! Come on, they are NOT heavier than trucks, buses or heavier than thou 4 x 4s for goodness sake?! EVs utilise something called Regenerative Braking which reverses the use of the motor to slow the car down whilst also recharging the battery. Similar to changing gears to slow down it means brake wear is much less and, taking Tesla, Nissan and BMW, for example, their manufacturing plants have each committed to providing renewable energy on site. Another challenge raised is that the electricity when charging is never ‘Green’. Well, even if all electricity used l was non-renewable, CO2 emissions are reduced by more than 50%, and we are producing more electricity from renewable energy all the time – although we could do more!

Myth Four - If everyone drove EVs the Grid couldn’t cope

The founder of Ecotricity has carried out detailed research and the numbers are such that if every car in the UK was an EV an increase of 12% of grid capacity would be required. However most charging is carried out at home overnight when the demand on the grid is at its lowest which actually helps reduce the overall costs of shutting down power stations and turbines to reduce output. On top of this the massive amount of electricity used to refine crude oil to diesel or petrol would be recovered.

Myth Five -The batteries might explode

I’ll make this one short! Batteries can overheat but there is sophisticated technology to cool and control that. So how long have you driven a car around with a far more explosive medium just behind you? Petrol / diesel cars are all potential bombs…

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There’s so much more I could share - suffice to say I am entering an exciting new world which fulfils my environmentalist standpoint and is proving to be a very pleasant pilgrimage!

You can share the start of this journey at 3pm Sunday, September 18th in FirstSite, Colchester. CO1 1JH. The Colchester Green Party are holding an Electric Vehicle Workshop with a Guest Speaker Darren Smith from Glyn Hopkin Nissan, daily video blogger James Cooke and yours truly in the Chair. Electric Vehicles will be on display and you can even sign up for a test drive.


First published in the Regional Life magazines - used with permission and with minor edits!
Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_cIAxRc9U Robert Llewellyn on TEDx

Robert Llewellyn on Hinkley Point C madness...

This very clever chap famous for his role as Kryten in Red Dwarf and as a presenter of Scrapheap Challenge has a YouTube channel devoted to mainly electric cars along with presentations about environmental issues. Whilst he professes to be a Nuclear Power supporter but this excellent and entertaining short film tackles head on the lunacy about Hinkley Point which will be of great interest to local Mersea bods.

P

Seeing Green...

So I was asked to stand as a candidate for the Green Party in the Colchester Borough Council election coming up on 5th May 2016... I said 'Yes'... here's a summary of 'Why Me?' thoughts:

Yes, I was born and bred an Islander, albeit on the Isle of Wight, and first visited Mersea in the 60s before moving here permanently in 2002. I feel a deep sense of belonging to the Borough, this island and am passionate about the need for greener, renewable energy, sustainable businesses and lifestyles.

In the ward of Mersea and Pyefleet we live directly in the lee of Bradwell Power Station. Currently the station is being decommissioned and dismantled with completion dates repeatedly shifting from 2015 through to 2019 and possibly even further. The issues in the process have meant that the highly radioactive reactor cores have had to be encased in-situ which means that they, along with the Intermediate-Level Waste (ILW) store, it will be on our doorstep for the next century or so. Another part of this process is dissolution of fuel element debris (FED) which results in a discharge of radioactive residue, after treatment with nitric acid, directly into the Blackwater and Tritium into the atmosphere. As the river and estuary are relatively shallow it means this radioactive effluent will travel back and forth in the Blackwater for many tides before dispersion, promoting continued local community objections. Additionally the trapping of eddies of effluent in the mud creeks and saltings strengthens and concentrates this waste for longer still.

It is now being proposed that ILW from other sites should be transferred to Bradwell, which will make the site a regional waste store OR would not only increase the amount of waste on the site but, more importantly, the amount of radioactivity.

Entrust the role of councillor to me and I will work with local agencies and protest groups to prevent this. Groups such as:

• FAB - Fight Against Bradwell (closed Facebook Group - apply to view)
• MIEA - Mersea Island Environmental Alliance
• BANNG - Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group
• Save Mersea Harbour
• Blackwater Guardians

Since entering parliament in 2010 Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has been extraordinarily diligent in her efforts to ensure public views are represented. I would do the same for Mersea. You will already know me through my involvement in HM Coastguard (to 2015), the Parish Church and other voluntary groups and activities. As one who contributes towards the creative arts I am well qualified to encourage culture and aspiration for all to enjoy the fruits of our labours.

Let’s join together and make the world a better and more joyful place for us and the generations to come can enjoy.

P

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Lisa Britton, Peter Banks and Bartosz Mizgier
Colchester & District Green Party, all at 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

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A year of being comfortably green...

It's been just over a year since the solar energy photo voltaic panel (PV) system has adorned this house and has provided me with another distraction - I do love my stats! Additionally it has provided many surprises along the way, anyway, let's start at the very beginning...

On Mersea Island it is apparent there has been a substantial take up of the electricity micro-generation using solar panels as they are clearly visible on many homes. Indeed, there are a handful of proactive installers based on this relatively tiny patch which would contribute towards the prevalence.

One of the first things I discovered when having decided to embark on having an installation was to invite quotes from the local teams as well as further afield. In total I contacted six, all but two visited and quoted for different configurations, that was the first puzzle. I settled on a fairly local off-Island company, Igloo Environmental, who already had happy customers on the Island.

This property does not have a South facing roof, the pitch roof is East - West with additional flat roofs, one which is fairly large. An initial proposal was for brackets to angle panels on that flat roof, but the first surprise was that panels can either be laid flat with only ~10% reduction in output OR be installed on an East - West roof with a similar reduction. Igloo eventually came up with an optimised solution with panels on the flat roof, on the East side of the property, positioned as far East as legally permitted and panels on the West facing pitch. In fact the West roof is slightly inclined toward South, even better!

The outcome of this is that the flat panels receive sunlight much longer than if they were on the East facing pitch, so overall we get a really good result, only marginally less than an ideally aligned house with a South facing pitched roof.

Igloo were up against a bit of a deadline, only partly my fault, principally due to interest and take up peaking as deadlines approached. This resulted in a dearth of components, mainly the panels themselves. However, all parties were delighted that deadlines were met and everything worked first time. Since the original installation they have been back just once and then only to address a couple of minor, aesthetic matters.

Another major surprise was that when everything was connected and tested I noticed that it was immediately started generating electricity even though it was overcast. It intrigued me that none of the sales pitches had ever mentioned that the generation depends on the level of light rather than sunlight. A good selling point, surely?!

Another key point that only really has any clarity when it is explained is what the Feed In Tariff (FiT) really is. In a way FiT is a bit of a misnomer, because the main income is from the total electricity units the system generates whereas the Feed back to the grid bit is estimated at half the generated units and paid at something like 3p. I managed to scrape in when the rates were higher, around 43.3p per kWh unit generated, even though it is now around 20p/kWh the sums still work out very favourably.

All the companies provide detailed graphs and figures of expected generation, in this case Igloo predicted that in the first year we could expect to generate 2954kWh whereas the system actually provided 3432kWh, a 16% excess, result! Furthermore when the system is generating more than you use, that is when the surplus is fed back into the grid. A light on the main electricity meter indicates when this is the case. It is quite hard to accurately calculate how much is returned but my billed usage has dropped from around 5000kWh to 3000kWh per annum. So roughly the system has made up that 2000kWh therefore an estimate for the surplus would be 1432kWh which the provider can resell at around 17p per unit.

Having the system does make one much more aware of daily usage, early on I would go round the house looking for lights I could switch off to trigger full parity for 'free' electricity. Now I am careful not to switch two power hungry devices on simultaneously, so kettle followed by toaster and only slightly less obsessed about switching devices off. However, I am still a bit crestfallen every night when the light finally goes!

As an investment it is brilliant, to receive tax free 'interest' of around 25% pa is incredible, the cost was under £8.8k and well worth borrowing for. I know there is criticism that this is only financially accessible to some but it is reducing energy usage. In an earlier post I relate how we had bees in the roof space and their re-deployment. That renovation also included serious extra insulation along with further upgrades to the main roofspace insulation. This is just part of a cunning plan to reduce costs and energy consumption and, despite a certain amount of ignorance, I embarked on the solar energy journey to be environmentally responsible rather than to make any money back. That's a rather pleasing by-product of being a bit naïve, a somewhat green Green!

P