Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas elected co-leaders

One of the great things about going to the Green Party conference is that you get to hear breaking news first hand. The Green Party Autumn conference at Birmingham University was a particularly news worthy conference as results of our leadership contest were due to be announced. 

Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas we knew were very strong contenders and sure enough they were returned as co-leaders with 86% of the vote - no divided party here and a very civilised and inspiring transition it was too.

It was certainly the result that I was hoping for and they both gave an inspiring speech:

They covered a range of topics: migration, 2nd referendum, proportional representation, corporate greed, climate change, redistribution of wealth and power, welfare and diversity. They finished with a standing ovation and left the stage to the sound of a Fatboy Slim classic which fitted the moment perfectly with "we've come a long way together through the hard times and the good" ringing out across the conference. Looking forward to working with them in the future.

It also reminded me of another Fatboy Slim classic which to me captures our environmental problems perfectly, "right here, right now", the journey from the primordial soup to the fella at the end is a stark reminder of how rapidly our impact has spread and the challenge we face in making our world a more sustainable place to live within our limits:

The day after conference Caroline and Jonathan were out of the starting blocks with a great interview on BBC breakfast time the next day:

It's useful to note that in New Zealand they already have co-leaders for the Green Party and are the third largest political party. What strikes me about Caroline and Jonathan's co-leadership is how it challenges the traditional view of party leadership and helps strike a much better work  / life balance by spreading the workload. As committed as they are, they also need to assure their own wellbeing to keep them strong in the face of the rigours of modern day politics with its 24/7 media of the moment pressures. I wish you the very best of fortune Jonathan and Caroline and we will do what we can here in Peterborough to support you.

Our Outgoing Leader, Natalie Bennett

The conference wouldn't have been complete without a speech from our outgoing leader Natalie Bennett. I had the fortune to meet Natalie during the 2016 council election campaign and she did us the honour of a visit on election day:

                                         May 2016

We talked about the local party and our campaign to get the first councillor elected in Peterborough and yes, even the party leader had to take her shoes off before coming in to the house. It was great to see Natalie stood in my kitchen in her stocking feet! 

So it was with some sadness that I listened to Natalie's closing speech, knowing how hard she had worked it was an emotional time for us all to see her step down. Nonetheless her speech was an inspiration and I was left feeling very proud to have worked alongside Natalie playing my own party in her Green revolution! Her achievements are extensive and she has worked tirelessly to make the Green Party what it is today - a force for the common good to be reckoned with! Her full speech can be seen here:

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/09/03/full-speech-natalie-bennett-delivers-farewell-speech-to-autumn-conference/

This was my favourite quote and one to remember that could easily spark a whole conversation with potential voters:

"What’s clear is that we cannot continue as we are. If someone tells them Green plans are “unrealistic”, look them straight in the eye and say: “You’re the unrealistic one. Dream on if you think we can continue as we are."

Natalie closed with the comment:
"My title will be “former leader”, but the reality is that I’ll be joining you all in being leaders – for every member of the Green Party is a leader.

You’re helping lead Britain, and the world, away from the destructive, inhumane, unsustainable politics of the past four decade, towards a society, a world, that works within the environmental limits of our one fragile planet while delivering a decent life for everyone.

You’re making a difference in your community – as a councillor, as an organiser, as a talker and a doer – people who together can transform our society.

Thank you for everything you’ve done, and everything you’re going to do.

I look forward to what we can achieve, united, together."

Peterborough Green Party members be inspired because Natalie is talking about you!

Amelia Womack was elected as Deputy Leader and her speech can be seen here:

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/09/03/full-speech-green-party-deputy-leader-amelia-womack-address-autumn-conference-in-birmingham/

Amelia stands as an example of how young women can aspire to great things. She was 29 when she was elected as deputy co-leader two years ago proving that young people can lead. I particularly like her personal account of a present she received on her 30th birthday:

"I’ve got a little figure in my room that reminds me of that when I’m working - it’s a suffragette, made by a Young Green for my 30th birthday. And it reminds me every day that it's not well behaved women who make history - it is those who take risks, speak truth to power and have the tenacity to take on establishment thinking time after time. In fact, it’s not the well behaved anyone who makes history - it’s those with the ideas, the passion and the action to force a stagnant establishment to shift."




Going through the motions!

The other great thing about conference is that we get to discuss and vote on new or changing policies. I haven't quite worked out how we go about proposing changes yet with my focus on Peterborough rather than the national side of things but that's something I am going to do - I have lots of things I want to see implemented - more on that in a future blog. One thing we did vote on was to simplify the process so it will be a lot easier to submit motions for change in the future. It will also mean they are scrutinised harder so that valuable conference time is not wasted on poorly developed motions that have not under gone sufficient development beforehand or do not have sufficient evidence to support them.

These are my notes from the plenary discussions:

Motions

New policy to allow independent TUs access to workplaces and workers time off to meet the TUs (important for e.g. Call centres).

Updated policy on unpaid carers - giving supplements above Citizen Income, support to young carers, champion flex working

Animal welfare policy change that improves welfare of animals in food production 

House of Lords Proportional Representation bill that Jenny Jones is working on was passed.

Labelling - motion passed to have a labelling system describing how animals lived and were killed.

GMOs - referred back due to complexity of amendments and more work needed.

It was agreed to set up a group to look at conference voting for those who can't attend conference

New flexible and quality policy process passed

Governance working group deadline extended

Motion to hold Spring conference alongside global and European greens congress passed. 30th March to 2nd April. 

Gender pronouns removed from constitution (replaced with their, they, etc) to reflect the inclusivity of the party for transgender and none binary people.

Emergency motions

Priority for GPex on fracking after North Yorkshire decision 

GP instructed to produce more media to support fight against NHS cuts

These weren't all the motions presented but this gives you a flavour of some of the issues that were discussed. There we certainly some lively debates both in plenary and at the workshops where the motions were debated. I was involved in a fluoridation of water debate which was a testament to how passionate Greens can be once we get down to debating the issues surrounding any particular policy area. Unfortunately the motion didn't make it in plenary due to time constraints and this was one of the disappointing aspects of the conference. Some very important motions didn't make it to the vote due to conference running out of time. There was one particular motion set to change our cultural heritage policies that had been to conference 5 times and still hadn't made it to the vote. Members vote on the priority of motions to be heard at conference so fingers crossed this important policy area will make it next time.

Global Greens 

One surprising area for me that sparked my interest was discussions around Global Greens and the forthcoming conference in Liverpool which will be held alongside the Green party conference. This will be bringing Greens from all over the world to our conference - an exciting time for worldwide Green politics. I am starting to help the coordinator, Keli Yen, with a plenary discussion on Green Oceans, an area that I am passionate about.

https://www.globalgreens.org

Keli Yen is the coordinator of the Global Greens. Her enthusiasm and motivation is infectious:

It is difficult to cover everything in a blog that happened at conference, the police wake-up call at my hostel, the inspiring chat with activists raising money to fight the badger cull, the long discussion with Robert Lindsay on local party politics, eating vegetarian for a whole weekend. This was my 3rd conference - it looks like conference will have a permanent place on my calendar. All I can suggest to my fellow Greens is get along next time if you can and prepare to be inspired!

Greener Spaces for People and Wildlife

65% of UK species that we have data for have declined, 30% strongly in the last 50 years including more than 50% of bee and butterfly species and iconic mammals such as the hedgehog and water vole. These are shocking but perhaps not surprising findings in the landmark State of Nature Report 2013 compiled by 25 UK conservation and research organisations.

In order to reverse the decline first and foremost we need protection of our Green spaces. There are many concerted efforts by a range of conservation charities and none government organisations that help ensure such protection is put in place and maintained. This is critical to the future of our native wildlife. In order to maintain that protection we need to ensure the stewardship of these protected areas is taken on by the next generation – a tall order when we are competing with a plethora of computer games, consoles, tablets and smartphones. The onus therefore has to be on creating green spaces that are accessible not far away in some distant place, not served by public transport and only reachable by car. We need to bring nature back into peoples lives so that children can interact with butterflies and frogs, the hedgehogs and robins.

Why is this important? We only have to look around to see that as a population we are experiencing increasing levels of obesity and physical inactivity and one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The presence of local, accessible wildlife can encourage physical activity and help to improve health. These are some of the facts:

1. Individuals with easy access to nature are three times more likely to participate in physical activity and 40% less likely to become overweight or obese

2. People living near moderate or high quality green space are twice as likely to report low psychological distress than those living near low quality open spaces.

3. The simple act of viewing nature from a window can reduce stress, increase recovery from illness and improve concentration and mood.

4. Nature near the home reduces the risk of crime, aggression and domestic violence.

(Source: Secret Spaces, Wildlife Trusts)

So how can Peterborough take advantage of its natural environment and realise these benefits? The first step is to know more about where our green spaces are and what potential they have for wildlife. The Bristol green space-mapping project by the Wildlife Trust is a great example of what can be achieved mapping and categorizing green spaces in relation to potential for wildlife. In Peterborough we have 8 biodiversity areas, 3 of which are recreation grounds and grass cutting 3 x per annum. There is no promotion of these areas and Peterborough is a long way behind other cities in considering its green spaces. There is a need to categorise Peterborough spatially and to change the criteria for defining green spaces so we can encourage better connection of wildlife corridors and people.

Let’s not feel overwhelmed by the decline in our native wildlife. We can all help individually too. If you have a space in a garden no matter how small you can make a difference. Even if you sink a washing up bowl into the ground you will find frogs visiting your garden. Put a hedgehog-sized hole in your fence to help connect feeding areas. Plant a range of native wildflowers in an area of rough ground and the bees and butterflies will come. Volunteer with a local community group to look after your green spaces.  Better still join the Peterborough Green Party and help us get our first green councilor elected so we can start to reverse the decline and improve the wellbeing of Peterborough for people and wildlife.

Some top tips for hedgehogs:

https://peterborough.greenparty.org.uk

Link to Sate of Nature Report:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/stateofnature_tcm9-345839.pdf

Link to Secret Spaces Report:

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/secret_spaces_local_wildlife_sites_2014_summary_report.pdf

To help hedgehogs and record their presence visit the following link and become a hedgehog champion:

http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/pages/hedgehog-street.html