On 26 Nov 2014 at 6:40am Mrs Hope wrote:
I am fed up with silly sneers about the Green Party. The Liberals betrayed their voters and after 11 lost deposits have no future. Labour are as much about the past as the Tories.
I want to set out the positive case for uniting radical Lewes behind Alfie Stirling. I`ll start with Peace and Defence.
We think security is not delivered,not by the threat of mass killing, but by building a just local and global society.
The old parties say we punch above our weight but why do we want to punch at all? We face no military threat and maintaining a nuclear capability is manifestly out of proportion to the sub state security issues of today.
That’s why we are the only Party with a clear commitment to immediate and unconditional nuclear disarmament, as well as removing US nuclear bases. We will dispense with a large standing army, a navy of large warships, fighter planes and a missile defence system.
If vestigial UK forces are involved in some intervention( which we never encourage) they will only do so within the UN auspices under International Law and with Parliamentary consent!
NATO is a military-oriented body, which imposes conflict cessation rather than encouraging peace building. We would take the UK out of NATO unilaterally and end the "special relationship" between the UK and the US.
Clearly some of our recent history would have been very much better had there been Green Government. Imagine military training areas used as nature reserves…sound like a dream? Well that's our policy! If I were to sum it up I would quote Elvis Presley …..“ Whats so funny about peace love and understanding “
I may deal with other policy commitments in due course or, better still read them unabridged at the Green Policy website which you will find I have plagiarized shamelessly.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 9:07am lewes resident wrote:
we are all doomed if the Green Party were to be in power,
On 26 Nov 2014 at 9:09am tom wrote:
I beg to differ on your statement "We face no military threat". We do face a significant threat. There are so many recent examples but the Russian invasion of Ukraine comes to mind.
The reality is the world is not a lovely, happy place where everyone wants to live in harmony.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 9:56am trooper wrote:
Well people there you have it the "Green Party" manifesto, and this bunch of lunatics want your vote !!! In the words of a famous tennis player "You cannot be serious" however I think they are, and if they get into any sort of position of authority this country is a potential disaster zone,and the lunatics will have taken over the asylum.Do NOT GIVE THEM THE CHANCE.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 10:30am david wrote:
I have lost faith with the Green Party because of the antics of the local group. I now worry that too many self seeking fragmented groups and factions may well hide within the fabric of the national representatives in exactly the same way that they seem to do locally. All to easy to call yourself 'green' and then promote the interests of the minority group you are part of. The word betrayal springs to mind.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 10:38am Old Bloke wrote:
The Green Party will never be a serious political force.
Dull of clearly bonkers odd balls that most of the country finds amusing. No surprise they had success in Brighton given the nature of that awful and deluded place.
Even there the Greens will be kicked out soon
On 26 Nov 2014 at 1:44pm Clifford wrote:
tom wrote: 'We do face a significant threat. There are so many recent examples but the Russian invasion of Ukraine comes to mind.'
So do you think Russia moving troops into an area of the Ukraine where the people wish to be linked with Russia is a threat to the UK? If so, you may as well say British troops being in Northern Ireland was a threat to Russia.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 2:55pm Old Bloke wrote:
Although "dull" was a typo and should have read "full" it remains applicable to the Greens
On 26 Nov 2014 at 3:22pm Badger wrote:
Oh dear. I was actually becoming quite pro-Green Party, but Mrs Hope's post has really put me off. Although I agree with nuclear disarmament, I don't think we could possibly follow through with even half the other stuff she mentions. It seems a bit cuckoo if it's really their policy. Who am I going to vote for now?!!!
On 26 Nov 2014 at 3:33pm Clifford wrote:
I wouldn't worry Badger, when the Greens in Germany went into coalition with the Social Democrats they supported the invasion of Afghanistan, Nato operations in the Balkans and the pre-invasion bombing of Iraq. Nothing to worry about there - look how quickly the Lib Dems sold out when they got a sniff of a nice office and car.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 4:47pm trooper wrote:
"Clifford" Good Post, you are quite correct about the Greens in Germany,however they are a totally different type of Green that we have, they are organised,disciplined, and pragmatic.Also their leader is German not a antipodean, and they do not have Caroline Lucas making a fool of herself for the publicity.They work in the interests of their country not in the interests of the deluded (Mrs Hope).I note that she states that she will deal with other "Policy Commitments" later, please not more claptrap.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 4:56pm Mrs No-Hope more like.. wrote:
"Imagine militray training areas as nature reserves.." .. err, actually many of them are just that, as for much of the time they are little used. Many training areas contain rare species or protected species of flora and fauna -and the fact that they are under the control of the military actually helps preserve much of the nature they contain, despite them being used by the army for exercises etc.
Nuclear disarmament -maybe/maybe not sensible, but the implied wholesale scrapping of the military, and withdrawal from NATO...now those are definitely two steps too far, look what is happening in Ukraine, when Putin has finished tehre he may well try the same approach in the Baltic states, or in central Europe. Okay he's not yet standing on our doorstep I agree, but unless we can show we have teh ability to sand u to the bully then we must stay within NATO and maintain credible, even if small, armed forces.
I have no doubt there needs to be a more concilatory approach to dealing with potential aggressors, or terrorist threats, as "the big stick" approach is far from ideal, but in the absence of UK carrying a "stick" of some sort the bullies may well simply kick down the door and walk in.
Sorry Mrs Hope, but the policies you suggest will not work under the present circumstances. I'm all for turning swords into ploughshares, but not while the likes of Putin or ISIS are around.
On 26 Nov 2014 at 6:41pm Mark wrote:
Wasn't "What's So Funny 'bout Peace Love and Understanding" a Nick Lowe song that Elvis Costello had a hit with?
On 26 Nov 2014 at 8:03pm Boris wrote:
One word, BRIGHTON
On 26 Nov 2014 at 9:41pm Zzz.. wrote:
Another phrase for you lazy Boris; "what about Brighton?"
On 27 Nov 2014 at 10:28am SHS wrote:
The Green Party - one or two good ideas but in general totally divorced from reality. Every Green Party candidate should be made to spend time working in an Indian clothing manufacturer, in a Shanghai office block, at the rock face of an Australian mining company, in the City offices of a hedge fund, delivering milk at 4 a.m., working on a UK dairy farm and finally spend 3 weeks in prison. Or maybe much longer.
On 27 Nov 2014 at 11:34am Clifford wrote:
SHS, surely you mean 'Every politician should be made...'
On 28 Nov 2014 at 7:04am Zzz.. wrote:
The Greens are the only party to take man made climate change seriously which suggests that are more rooted in reality than any of the other parties.
On 29 Nov 2014 at 8:44am Local wrote:
When is Norman Baker going to defect to the Greens? He might stand a better chance of election next May? At least if he stood on the Green ticket he might not poll last. *Queue Norman Wisdom*
On 29 Nov 2014 at 8:49am david wrote:
Exactly, Zzzz -and that's why I am in despair about the Local Green Party. Its misjudged alignments and affiliations have completely distorted the core policy of the national party. It has lost trust.
On 29 Nov 2014 at 9:13am Local wrote:
It's rumoured that the Greens have been approached by the LibDems to form a pact to keep the Tories out