On 15 Apr 2011 at 8:50pm Lewes Trousers wrote:
I have been reading some of the Green literature and articles online. Are they really so po-faced and boring? I am scared at the thought this raggle taggle bunch of intense, self obsessed crazies might win any more seats at the local election, or that anyone voted for them in the first place. What on earth do they stand for other than it seems removing the robes from Town councillors. What exactly is lewes people the other lewes website... it seems like a green home from home.
I am confused, not only do i have to deal with AV and all these other stuff but then the Labour party has started knocking on peoples doors and talking to them. The other night they came to mine. Seemed like a decent enough bloke but then what do any of them stand for. At least we know now the Lib-dems are liars and two faced, they could win on that alone.
On 15 Apr 2011 at 9:21pm Biddily Bong wrote:
Down with VL
On 16 Apr 2011 at 8:38am steve watts wrote:
VL ?
On 16 Apr 2011 at 12:12pm Matt Kent wrote:
@ Lewes Trousers. If you read the candidate profiles on the Lewes Green Party Website you will see exactly what we stand for and what both current and prospective councillors have been involved with locally. Many Green Party Candidates are already working and trying to safeguard Community and Youth Centres, set up fuel co-ops, and lobby to ensure that local public services are not cut from above. If you attended Town Council meetings, you would probably want change their too, and from some of the performances of some Town Councillors that may represent you, you would agree with our aims to make Town Council more efficient, transparent and accountable to the electorate. Get in touch with the Lewes Green Party if you are still unsure. Cheers
On 16 Apr 2011 at 1:04pm Orange wrote:
Are the Greens left or right Matt? Looking at Germany they seemed to become neo-liberal.
On 16 Apr 2011 at 5:49pm Paul Newman wrote:
The Green Party are prodigiously left wing seem to be anti free trade and in favour of making us all poorer . Only in Lewes could they get a hearing .
On 16 Apr 2011 at 6:18pm Matt Kent wrote:
@ Orange. If you want to read about the Green Party in the UK the link is below and then you can make you mind up about how we differ to the mainstream. Our policies are about making society and the environment better and much fairer, whilst protecting our public services. So, yes, to the left. However in Lewes we stand for many more things. Local issues. Principally, working hard for local communities, working in Landport Youth Centre, Malling Community Centre, Petitioning for speed reductions to ESCC, Petitioning LDC for better recycling (Cardboard, Garden and Lower Grade Plastics), Lobbying ESCC and Norman Baker to Support BML2 Rail Link. These are things that matter to the residents of Lewes from speaking to people in the street and on the doorstep. Check out the Lewes Green Party Website to see what we do for you. Again the national website is linked below. Cheers - Matt
Check it out here »
On 16 Apr 2011 at 7:24pm Paul Newman wrote:
The stuff that bother me is Caroline Lucas suggesting International competiton be replaced (in a speech she made as an MEP) . It is an example of the anti Capitalism which informs Green thinking The Green Party`s belief that Wind power is good because it employs more people is on their web site and appears to be quite sincere. Is that the sort of council we need right now One that thinks costs are good ? How does this smash the City attitude sit with all the hard working people working in the City who live in Lewes ?
Lucas camped at Greenham Common as well as belonged t the CND an organisation funded by the murderous Soviet Union She shared a platform with Sheikh Yusf Al Qaradawi whose views on women homosexuals and much are else repulsive at an event organised by Ken Livingstone.
If you really want to know what you are dealing with though what about her support for an embargo of Isareli Goods.Do you also support an embargo on Israeli goods Matt ?
No objection to the Green Party you have to be honest about what sort of Party it is though . Its a bit more than just environmentalism and if you went by web sites the BNP are an innocent little Party with moderately cautious views about immigration.
On 16 Apr 2011 at 7:51pm Clifford wrote:
Paul, one interesting fact was that the Communist Party (the Soviet Union's voice in Britain) wasn't all that fond of CND when it started because calling for nuclear disarmament raised embarrassing questions about the Soviet bomb. Communists, of course, thought 'Soviet bomb good - American (and British) bomb bad'. I'll say nothing, of course, about 'useful idiots' because they are found on the right as well as the left.
On 16 Apr 2011 at 8:09pm Orange wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I took a look Matt and contrary to what Paul Newman says I couldn't see anything particularly anti-capitalist about the Green manifesto. It seems to accept capitalism and wants to tidy it up a bit. It reminded me of the pre-election Lib Dems. 'We'll promise lots of good things because we know we'll never be in a position to do any of them.' As far as I recall when the German Greens were in coalition with the Socialists in the early 2000s they went along with the invasion of Afghanistan and some Blairite economic policies. Very much like our Lib Dems when they found themselves in coalition with the Conservatives in fact.
On 16 Apr 2011 at 8:20pm MC wrote:
Left/right wing. Another outdated and damaging political straightjacket.
"Left wing, right wing, you can stuff the lot" (Crass).
On 17 Apr 2011 at 9:33am John Stockdale wrote:
Well, Matt, I was Labour and I'm now Lib Dem. But, I've never been tempted to become a Green. I've always felt they were an excellent and successful pressure group who made the mistake of becoming a political party. The three main parties are all significantly greener now than they were ten years ago. The way to get environmental issues pushed further up the agenda is to work with the parties in power locally and nationally and force the pace along. That means lobbying Tories in Tory areas, Liberals where they are in control and Labour in Labour heartlands. If you bid for power yourselves as a political party, you have to wait until you have a majority or at least you hold the balance of power in a coalition to make a difference. Meanwhile, because you have to choose a slate of other policies on non-Green issues you erode your own support base on the Left, in the Centre or on the Right by whatever choice you make.
On 17 Apr 2011 at 9:45am Clifford wrote:
MC wrote: "Left wing, right wing, you can stuff the lot" (Crass)
Yes, but Crass were genuine class war Anarchists.
On 17 Apr 2011 at 10:24am jrsussex wrote:
John Stockdale - Well siad. There is no point in minor parties, green or any other, at government level, with the finest will in the world they cannot possibly make any difference other than. as said, if they have a majority or can become part of a coalition. Much better to nibble away in local government and similat levels. A number of splinter groups have had tremendous success when starting at that level. One of the greatest examples being the anti-smoking lobby.
On 17 Apr 2011 at 11:57am Matt Kent wrote:
@ John Stockdale. 'The main three parties are significantly greener'? Sorry John, what is your position on nuclear power again? Is Norman still keen to increase the speed limit on Motorways to 80mph? Locally the District Council have scrapped the commercial food waste collection. What ever happened to the petition that the Greens put forward for doorstep cardboard, green waste and lower grade plastic collections? Why has it taken the LibDems forever to implement the 20mph zone in Lewes (have a look at your old leaflets over a decade ago)? Why on gods earth arent the LibDems supporting a decent regional rail strategy with BML2, but instead agreeing to the £100+ miilion 3 mile by-pass in Coomb Haven hear Hastings? Very Green!
You say the Greens have now power now, but they have power across other UK councils and will certainly overtake Labour in Brighton for example. More scare tactics from the LibDems again. Oh, and as you are an ex-Labour (and Indy etc), you might know that at the beginning of the last century it only took Labour 20 years to achieve a government from their initial two MP's that were elected to Westminster. People on this forum ask what do the Greens stand for, and answers I have given with links to national and local Green websites. Fundamentally though, John, what do the LibDems stand for now, as many people on the doorstep don't. Please clarify. Thanks. Oh, and forgive me, don't forget the conversation we had on the way to the Student Fee Cuts rally earlier in the year when you said that I would make a good councillor in Lewes. So I and the Lewes Greens must be doing something right for you to say that. Cheers - Matt
On 17 Apr 2011 at 1:34pm Bling Mare wrote:
Mmmm, the above post acts as a reminder as to why I will not be voting green.
On 17 Apr 2011 at 2:05pm supporter wrote:
Dream on if you you will overtake Labour you are living in cloud cuckoo land.
Yes people may say that to your face just to get rid of you from their doorstep but when the day of reckoning comes results will count.
On 17 Apr 2011 at 5:52pm Paul Newman wrote:
@ John Stockdale. 'The main three parties are significantly greener'? Sorry John, what is your position on nuclear power again?
What is yours Matt ?
On 17 Apr 2011 at 9:03pm Matt Kent wrote:
@ Paul. Read the attached link from a recent Green Party Press Release on our national policy and position on Nuclear. Greens oppose it. But from a local perspective, energy companies or cooperatives that produce local energy (like Ovseco for example) should be commonplace. More homes should be insulated, renewables should be encouraged by central and local government, but funding is now being reduced. I'm pretty sure the residents of Newhaven are still furious with ESCC for building an incinerator in their back gardens. Anaerobic Digestion plants (power from food waste, as opposed to making masses of methane from landfill) should be built locally. These are newer, cleaner and safer technologies that will provide energy and jobs locally, whilst reducing the need for coal, oil and nuclear. Labour sat on the fence for too long regarding the UK's future energy production so now we are stuck with a short term nuclear sticking plaster and a U-turn by the LibDems.
Check it out here »
On 18 Apr 2011 at 5:26pm John Stockdale wrote:
@Matt, I did say I thought you would make a good councillor. But that was meant to be a private comment and in no way a personal endorsement. There are plenty of good candidates of all political persuasions who don't get elected because they are standing for the wrong party in the wrong place at the wrong time - and I hope you are going to be one of them.
On 21 Apr 2011 at 2:43pm Teachers Pet wrote:
They stand 'cos they can't get any seats!