Where do we Go Green from here?

So having just worked up to the County Council Elections we now find ourselves hurtling toward the big one, General Election 2017 (hashtag GE2017!). With our sole defence of the Green Party seat in Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas has worked tirelessly to both be a fantastic MP as well as a figurehead for the Green Party. So what are the options?

Progressive Alliance...
This seeks to make deals with the other progressive, left leaning parties to step aside if this represents the best prospect to take a seat from the Conservatives. This needs to be able to work both ways on an "I'll scratch your back if you scratch my back" basis. This worked brilliantly for the Richmond Park bi-election when the Greens actively canvassed for Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats who then defeated Zac Goldsmith (albeit an independent candidate by then having abdicated his Tory seat). Similarly The Lib Dems are not standing against Caroline Lucas. However, this principle is fraught with risk and the potential for one party to renege after the other has given way is ominous. The very latest is this is not going to be Green Party policy this election.

Shifting Sideways...
One of the prominent Green European MEPs, Molly Scott-Cato, is moving across to stand as an MP for Bristol West. Whilst her reputation precedes her and she has a highly visible public profile she is standing against a female Labour MP who turned in a 5,763 majority in 2015. Another example is former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett who will now be standing for the Sheffield Central constituency.

Location, Location, Location...
I have to claim a particular interest in this approach! I am proud to have been born and bred on the Isle of Wight where the Green Party candidate for the island constituency is Vix Lowthion. She secured 13.4% of the vote in the 2015 General Election but that was then behind the now spent force of UKIP (21.2%) and the recently disgraced Tory MP. Furthermore she is riding on the crest of a huge increase in support for the Island's Greens in the recent county elections along with the justifiable anger about the potential of Fracking sites on the garden isle.

Keeping it Local...
I am delighted that our Colchester and District Green Party able to field two candidates as two constituencies cross our patch. Mark Goacher, a relatively seasoned campaigner, stands in Colchester and one of our rising stars, Blake Roberts, stands in the Harwich and North Essex constituency (which covers Mersea Island).

So where do we go from here?
The very good news is that it is looking promising for Caroline Lucas to be returned to the Houses of Parliament for a further term. For some others, such as Vix and Molly, there is a real chance of gaining at least another seat.

Locally, however, it is really tough...
Potentially Colchester is a marginal seat as there may be a strong Lib Dem challenge from Sir Bob Russell. I think it is more likely the Conservative Will Quince will increase his majority. I think both Mark and Blake will garner enough votes to be a worthy component of the Green Party national vote and I commend them to you.

P

It's been a Hard Day's Night...

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	Change
John Jowers	Conservative	2525	48.67%	1.67%
John Akker	Independent	1058	20.39%	20.39%
Bry Mogridge	Labour	533	10.27%	-5.13%
David Broise	UKIP	474	9.14%	-18.66%
Jo Hayes	Lib Dem	317	6.11%	1.71%
Peter Banks	Green	281	5.42%	0.12%
	Electorate	Turnout	% Turnout
	14344	5188	36.17%

In fairness I'm still recovering from Polling Day for the Essex County Elections last Thursday 4th May. Despite the ignominy of trailing back in last place I do celebrate the 280 folk that care enough to vote for a vision that includes the survival of our planet beyond our own generation, thank you!

The Greens have gained seats nationwide and we do have some promising prospects for the forthcoming general election but it seems the image of The Green Party is still seen as just a bunch of tree hugging, sandle wearing vegan hippies that want to switch the lights off...

The trouble is I found the prejudice about the party is so deeply embedded when I chatted with voters. Many are simply not prepared to even discuss the fallacy of their perceptions and fiercely want to protect their position of one I can only describe as wilful ignorance. Equally I experienced a warmth and respect from both unexpected sources and those already in my circle of friends. Above all the heartfelt messages of support and encouragement I received yesterday cheered my spirits no end, my spark returneth!

Now it is onward to the General Election 2017. The Colchester and District Green Party have a fantastic candidate for the Harwich and North Essex constituency in my colleague Blake Roberts who will be saying hello soon!

Once again a HUGE thanks, you know who you are!!

P

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

Whilst the film "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (click for trailer) is set in the United States and the internal plane travel is not so prevalent over her in the UK there are a couple of apposite analogies to our current times.

Firstly The Green Party vision for transport would centre on the middle option or, indeed, all local mass transport systems such as trams and buses. Within the Manifesto there is a commitment to taking the railways back into public ownership along with encouraging people to use the bus, cycle or walk locally. I remember seeing a roadside placard proclaiming "Cheap Flights - Costing the Earth" on the A120 near Stansted Airport; cutting, clever and correct!

Early in the film, without giving a spoiler, a freak snowstorm results in all flights being cancelled. I doubt the notion of Climate Change was at the fore in the scriptwriters mind, however, it gently illustrates the power of nature over best laid plans. Of course, as signed up Green Party members we are strong on Climate Change policies which include the reduction of the Air Pollution that air flight, ships and road transport contribute. Here technology is providing some answers, as in electric vehicles, but psychologically we still need to be less wed to car ownership regardless.

More disasters befall the two main characters, brilliantly played by Steve Martin and the late John Candy. As the story unfolds, despite their seemingly irreconcilable differences, they have to form a strategic alliance to make any sort of progress. Which neatly leads me on to the second analogy, that of co-operation between political parties.

Since becoming involved in entry level politics I have met good, principled people of all political persuasion. Inevitably there are some that I share more values with than others. I have seen firsthand how consensus has such a positive effect on moving projects forward and the well-being of the participants.

So I suggest parties must determine the best way of working together, whether that be in coalition or progressive alliances. Using a nod toward music let's see harmony above hostility...

See you at the Polling Station!

P

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Peter Douglas Cameron Banks
Colchester and District Green Party all of 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

It started off so well... Election Fever

This is the election week my brain was focused on, working towards Thursday 4th May. I had a plan worked out day by day, I could see a pathway forward. But now these County Council Elections have been completely overshadowed by the snap General Election coming up next month. Of course, there were rumblings that a May / June General Election could be on the cards yet it still feels as though everyone has been caught on the hop. And the cost of having another election day not in sync with the County Elections must be yet another waste of the public purse that could be better spent elsewhere.

So I fear the turnout this week will be derisory. Intriguingly, though, it could trigger some interesting results, possibly yielding healthier returns for those that choose to canvass diligently. Here, in my division of Mersea and Tiptree, there is a strong, independent candidate with seemingly limitless funds giving the current incumbent something to be concerned about. In contrast, my campaign, as the Colchester and District Green Party candidate, has been fiscally hampered by voluntary prudence so, instead, I have concentrated on using this blog along with other Social Media portals Twitter and Facebook.

I stood as a candidate for the first time last year in the Colchester Borough Elections and was delighted similar literary efforts resulted in a healthy increase in votes and percentage share. I am hopeful the trend will continue again this time and will be honoured if you see fit to help achieve that goal by Voting Green!

P

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Peter Douglas Cameron Banks
Colchester and District Green Party all of 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

Embracing change for the Common Good -#MyManifesto

#VoteGreen2017 in the Essex County Council Elections on May 4th 2017
Download full leaflet here, folds down to A5 landscape orientation.

P

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

Being Green #MyManifesto week four

Take me Higher - Aspiration not Austerity
Everyone needs encouragement whether starting out or later in life. There has to be a culture in which aspiration is encouraged and nurtured [read more]

Ban the Bombmongers...
Tory Sir Michael Fallon's extraordinary statement declaring the UK's Nuclear arsenal is no longer considered just as a deterrent but as the possibility of a first stike... [read more]

Stop calling us Ordinary, we're all Extraordinary!
I know I'm not the only one who gets infuriated when politicians refer to the general public as 'Ordinary People'! How very dare politicians unilaterally decide to distinguish themselves as Extraordinary whilst implying the rest of society isn't? [read more]

Learning not Loading - Love your Teachers
So everyone needs to value our teachers more. Let us allow our teachers to inspire without the enormous burden of endlessly having to submit data [read more]


and from:
Being Green - #MyManifesto week three

Don't throw your love away - Love not Litter
My local rant about the weekend litter around the bins on Mersea has received more views, to date, than all the previous blogs below [read more]
Be Ye Transformed - Rich but not Wealthy  Part Two of my previous day's post as we still consider the ramifications of the forthcoming snap election whilst in the throes of challenging for the local county council elections [read more]

Equality not Inequality - Looking Through You
A reaction to the news of the snap election focusing on how inequality blights this country and increases poverty [read more]

What is Normal? Discover not Dismiss
Celebrating the diversity of the human condition. Therefore relishing campaigning for more support for those that need to rely on extra care - whether from disability, illness, old age or dementia and championing the many Guardian Angels in our midst [read more]


and from:
Being Green - #MyManifesto week two

Welcome not Waiting - transforming finances...
A criticism levied at political parties when they criticise a rampant austerity policy is “how will you pay for everything?”. For the Green Party some major contributions to the public purse seem all too obvious with the response “stop commissioning white elephants”! [read more]
Homes not Houses - Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home...
It seems every hamlet, town, village and city is under pressure to accept unsustainable housing quotas. The Green vision is for the creation of affordable, energy efficient homes rather than comply with excessive, energy hungry property developments. [read more]

Health not Wealth - Song for Nye
We need to recapture the vision of Nye Bevan and restore the NHS to its rightful place of a fully funded public service to all rather than a creeping privatisation primarily serving shareholders. It is abundantly clear the NHS needs substantial investment and appears to be feared by some members of the current government. [read more]

Trust not Terror - Mersea Island beach hut fire... My short report and photographs from the morning after. I support our police, military and emergency services receiving extra funding rather than the crippling budget cuts they are enduring. How much better would it be if our communities and the true public servants felt secure and valued? [read more]


and from:
Being Green - #MyManifesto week one

May the Fourth be with you...
One month until May the Fourth be with you when it will be: Essex County Council elections day too! [read more]

Travel not Traffic
The Green 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 and the more on the road the greater the air pollution. [read more]

Nature not Nuclear
Old nuclear has served its time but left a dangerous and lengthy legacy of radioactive waste. It is urgent and essential to invest in developing renewable technologies for the future of our country and planet. [read more]

Respect not Reject

In these politically turbulent times politically we need to be a country that offers empathy toward those who suffer from the terror of trafficking and war.

P

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