Harrow Students Debate the Big Issues

I had a great time last week at a Question Time style hustings at Harrow College.  I was pitched against Bob Blackman, Conservative (who will resign as Conservative leader of Brent Council AFTER the election); Tony McNulty, Labour; Fred Leplatt, Respect; and Nahid Boethe (Lib Dem). There was a lively audience of 80-100 mainly first-time voters who questioned us on the economy, capitalism and climate change, Afghanistan, BNP, tuition fees and black and asian political leadership. 


Students were asked about their voting intentions before and after the debate. The results were encouraging. Voting intention before the debate in brackets:

Conservative 18% (20%)

Labour 23% (25%)

Liberal Democrat 9% (7%)

Green 23% (9%)

Respect 11%

Other 5% (9%)

Not voting – 7% (18%)

Don’t Know – 3.5% (9%)

The most important issues for the students, listed in order of priority, were: Education, HE Fees, Afghanistan and the Economy.

Harrow Observer report - Click on image to enlarge

 

Greens are the REAL alternative

"....But the bigger political picture, in the wake of the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s, won't get a look in. That's partly because over some of the crucial controversies, the public is on one side of the argument and the political class on the other.

"That's the case with the war in Afghanistan, the cossetting of bankers, privatisation of public services and tax privileges for the weathy, for instance. The main parties in England support them, so most voters will have no choice."

So said Seumas Milne, writing in yesterday's Guardian summing up the cosy consensus amongst the three main parties.  The Green Party does hold sharply different positions on these issues and if you are lucky enough to live in Brent you can vote for them:

• AFGHANISTAN - We are for withdrawal of our troops and a regional peace process
• BANKERS - We want reform of the finance sector, separation of retail and investment banking and a 'Robin Hood' tax on international  financial transactions
• PRIVATISATION -We are opposed to the privatisation and deregulation of services and would end PFI schemes 
• TAXES ON THE WEALTHY - We would increase taxes on the wealthy, close loopholes and have a special permanent tax on bankers' bonuses

Why You Should Vote Green on May 6th - Caroline Lucas

Give up one minute of your time to hear Caroline Lucas on why you should vote Green.

POLICIES NOT PERSONALITIES? TEST YOURSELF

An enterprising site has been set up which lists the policies of six political parties in 10 areas.  You choose the most important policy areas for you personally, and then vote for the policy you prefer.  This is done blind - you are not told which policy belongs to which party.

At the end you are told which party your choices favoured.

Simple?  Have a go by clicking this link  VOTEFORPOLICIES

Boris turns Brent Cross protests into a joke

Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, demonstrated his cosy relationship with developers and contempt for democracy when he spoke at the London Planning Awards 2010. He dismissed the widespread opposition to the environmentally disastrous Brent Cross Cricklewood Regeneration with a flippant 'Never Mind'.

The fact that the Mayor gave the opposition such contemptuous and cursory consideration must reinforce the pressure on the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to call in the application for a Public Inquiry.

Darren Johnson, Green Party AM said,

This sound clip reveals that beneath the Mayor's chuckling veneer lurks a cavalier disregard for the views of Londoners and a reckless abandonment of any pretence of reaching an informed and balanced view of major development applications and their environmental impact. A public inquiry is essential.

Brent Needs the Green Party's Equality Policies

from 'The impact of income inequalities on sustainable development in London' a report for the London Sustainable Development Commission by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett of the The Equalities Trust. PDF of the report HERE

A key report concludes this month that:

• 
  
  Economic growth has ceased to be a reliable source of higher standards of wellbeing. Many countries achieve levels of life expectancy similar to Britain but at a fraction of our levels per capita  of national income and emissions.
• 
  
  The high rates of many social problems in London, and Britain more widely, are directly attributable to the scale of inequality and would be reduced if inequality was decreased.
• 
  
  This means that future improvements to the quality of life now depend more on narrowing income differences than on economic growth.
• 
  
  The pressure to consume is substantially increased by inequality because inequality increases status competition.
• 
  
  The achievement of a low carbon, sustainable society depends on people's willingness to act for the common good. Greater equality strengthens community life, public spiritedness, and trust while weakening individual status competition.
• 
  
  Tackling inequality and climate changes requires a change in mind-set away from anti-social consumerism and instead an ethos where wework together to improve the quality of the social and natural environment.

The full report goes into much more detail about the benefits of greater equality and is at pains to point out that the benefits would not only be for the poorer section of the population but for everyone. The table above shows the impact for London as a whole.  Elsewhere in the document figures show that with greater equality Brent would almost halve its incidence of mental illness, sharply reduce teenage pregnancies and reduce the level of obesity (currently the third highest in London).

As Brent Green Party's spokesperson on Children, Families and Schools, and a school governor, I was struck by the graph based on Unicef research that shows the UK's position on children's wellbeing/income inequality.

All this makes the Green Party's redistributive policies absolutely central in tackling social and climate change problems.  In creating a more equal society we will be giving ourselves important weapons to tackle issues that threaten us all.

Why Equality is Better for Everyone

Read this book before casting your vote in the election:



The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, Penguin, £9.99
ISBN 978-0-141-03236-8

CLICK HERE for Equality Trust slide show giving the statistics used in the Spirit Level

Message from Greenpeace: Government must reconsult on 3rd runway

"Fantastic news! Both the climate and common sense have scored a major victory at the High Court today, where the government's plans for a third runway at Heathrow have been dealt a huge blow.

In response to a legal challenge against the mounted by a coalition of organisations that include Greenpeace, Lord Justice Carnwath ruled that the Government's decision to give a green light to the proposed third runway does not hold any weight. He said that their claims to the contrary were 'untenable in law and common sense'.

The judge said that the government's decision hadn't properly taken into consideration climate change policy or the economic case and surface transport. Effectively this means that for the runway to go ahead, the government will have to re-consult on these major issues as part of an overhaul of its wider aviation policy.

While the government has been sent back to the drawing board, it is very hard to see how it can resuscitate any enthusiasm for the new runway. However, we will be keeping a very close eye on the situation, and we won't rest until the any new government has scrapped the plans categorically and permanently."

Martin Francis, Green Party candidate for Brent North said, "This is great news but we must remain vigilant and make sure the thrid runway is a feature in the forthcoming election campaign.

I am one of 73,000 people who have become beneficial owners of Airplot, bang in the middle of the proposed site,  in an attempt to spread ownership of the land needed for the third runway and make the government deals with thousands of individual owners.  We're still going to need your help to see the runway off once and for all. We want to reach 100,000 beneficial owners - so tell your family and friends to sign up! "  SIGN UP HERE