Caroline Lucas speaks out for freedom for Palestine

Activists from Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Brent Stop the War and Brent Green Party were among those who attended the 'End the Siege of Gaza' demonstration at Downing Street. As well as continuing to press the case for government and EU action on the siege the event also helped launch the next Free Gaza Flotilla which will leave in June. The demonstration was noteworthy for the wide range of support it attracted and in particular the increased role of trade unions.

There was a lovely moment when children, complete with scooters, took on the pro-Israel demonstrators who had been allowed to mount a counter-demonstration directly outside the gates of Number 10. More kid power coming a few days after the great 'boy in a skirt' stand-off!

Teather lobbies Lansley, Cameron and Clegg on NHS Changes

Safe in her hands?

In a letter to constituent Sarah Cox, Sarah Teather MP has recognised the concerns of local residents on the proposed NHS changes:

I have received letters from an overwhelming number of constituents on this issue and I am well aware of the strength of feeling. I believe our National Health Service is a major part of this country's history and something to be proud of.

As I am sure you are aware, the Department of Health are taking the opportunity to pause and review the plans and allow for more consultation with GPs and the public.

I have already written to Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, outlining the concerns that many of my constituents have raised. I have today written to both David Cameron and Nick Clegg to make them fully aware of the views of the people of Brent on the proposed NHS reforms. I will be sure to write again as soon as I received a response.

Sarah Cox responded by saying, "We don't just want the NHS to be part of our history but part of our present and future too!"

Green Fun and Games in Willesden Next Saturday

Click on image to enlarge

Brent Friends of the Earth are announcing the line-up of stalls and a programme of activities for their first ever "Green Fair" on Saturday, 21st May 2011 in Willesden.  This free community event will take place outside the Willesden Green Library Centre, 95 High Road, Willesden, NW10 2SF from 10am - 5pm.

Stalls include free bike-fixing, children’s activities (I will doing parachute games) for Brent School Without Walls), vegetarian food, a bicycle powered smoothie-maker, advice on food waste from “Love Food Hate Waste” and on home energy-efficiency, Brent Council’s environmental projects, local environmental campaigns including Brent Friends of the Earth and Brent Campaign against Climate Change, a furniture re-use charity, and a car club.

A programme of platform activities, compered by Magician Ian Saville, includes demonstrations on gardening and fruit-picking, a “Green Question Time” with local MP Sarah Teather, plus a “Making Willesden Greener” debate with local ward councillors.

Steffi Gray, Community Liaison Officer for Brent Friends of the Earth says,

Our Green Fair will bring together local groups, businesses and individuals with an active interest in the environment, and show Brent residents that there are plenty of options for a low-carbon lifestyle in their area.  We have over twenty stalls, activities for children, a series of short talks and demonstrations throughout the day, plus a platform discussion with local Councillors and a “Green Question Time” with our local MP.  We hope it will encourage people of all ages to go greener.

The Green Fair is open to all.  It is funded by the Brent Ward Working scheme.  See www.brentfoe.com for more details.

Step out to step up fight to save NHS in Brent tonight

Come to the public meeting in Willesden Green Library tonight at 7.30pm to hear from local GPs, health workers, patients and campaigners.

A word or two from Caroline Lucas to galvanise you into venturing out this lovely sunny Spring evening:

Forcing our GPs to take on the extra burden of commissioning health care as Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities are abolished is a reckless strategy.
The fact is, the coalition government knows perfectly well that GPs will have neither the time, the will nor the necessary skills to commission health care - and this is precisely where private companies come in.

Andrew Lansley's proposals will mean that, for the first time, the NHS is opened up to EU competition law. In reality, this puts services up and down the country at the mercy of price competition between providers - making them dangerously vulnerable to a drop in standards.


The Health Bill has attracted criticism from many organisations, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and UNISON.

When Labour were in power, they welcomed in private healthcare providers and saddled the NHS with huge debts through PFI schemes. Labour started the ball rolling on a transition towards NHS privatisation - now the Tory-led government is taking us ever further down that road..

Battle for a fair and representative voting systems continues - Lucas

The recent election results released were full of promises for the Green Party, but provided a disheartening result for the 'Yes to AV' campaign. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, responding to the "No" vote in the AV referendum said:

This is a disappointing result for all of those who have campaigned for positive change in our democracy. The political context meant it was always going to be an uphill struggle; with the Tories united in opposition, a divided Labour party, and unpopular Liberal Democrats.

In the end, the nature of the choice over AV was not clear enough, thanks in no small part to the alarmist rhetoric and misinformation which characterised the ‘No’ campaign. Many have been shocked at the degree to which ‘No’ campaigners patronised and misled the British public. Rarely did we hear positive arguments in favour of FPTP – just desperate arguments begging us to cling to the status quo.

The result should not be seen by the Government as a signal that voters will not support truly progressive change. The battle for a genuinely fair and representative voting system continues – and the Greens will push for proportional representation at every opportunity.

Tiptoe through the bluebells with Misty Miller for the Woodland Trust

And now for something completely different as Monty P used to say and a chance to cheer up my blog for a green cause.

Misty Miller has joined forces with VisitWoods and the Woodland Trust to release a new charity single, 'Tiptoe Through the Bluebells'.

Download the track from itunes HERE

Caroline Lucas to speak at Gaza demonstration on Saturday

Green MP Caroline Lucas is among the speakers at Saturday's demonstration at 12 noon opposite Downing Street.

Campaigners will demonstrate  against the siege of Gaza and in support of the Freedom Flotilla 2. The demonstration is timed to commemorate the Nakba, the catastrophe which began in 1948 with the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland and continues today with Israel’s violent and illegal siege of Gaza.

Speakers at the demonstration will include:

Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for HammersmithBaroness Jenny Tonge, Liberal Democrat Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion Palestinian musician, Reem KelaniJody McIntyre, journalist and political activist
Jonathan Ledger, General Secretary of NAPO Hugh Lanning, Deputy General Secretary of PCS Simon Dubbins of Unite the Union His Excellency Manuel Hassassian, Palestinian General Delegate to the UKDr Karma Nabulsi, Oxford academic and a former PLO representative
Dave Randall, guitarist, producer and composerDiana Neslen of Jews for Justice for PalestiniansKate Hudson of CND
Lindsey German of Stop the War

The demonstration has been called by

Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)l, Palestinian Forum in Britain.

It is supported by a number of other organisations including Amos Trust, Association of the Palestinian Community in the UK, Communications Workers Union (CWU), Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Friends of Lebanon, Friends of Al-Aqsa, GMB, The Green Party , ICAHD UK, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine, Pax Christi, Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)l, The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, Twinning with Palestine, UNISON, UNITE the Union ,University & College Union (UCU), War on Want, Zaytoun.

NHS 'Listening Panel' Tomorrow

A poorly advertised NHS 'Listening Panel' is coming to London tomorrow, Friday May 13th to hear views on the Health and Social Care Bill which is currently on 'pause'. It will be held at Voluntary Action, 200a Pentonville Road, N1 9JP at 2pm. Anyone concerned about the changes is urged to attend and meet at 1.30pm outside the venue.

The issue of whether the Listening Panel is likely to be open-minded on the issue was discussed in April by John Lister in a Morning Star feature:  LINK

To front up the so-called “listening” exercise, an NHS Future Forum has been set up. It is stuffed with high-profile supporters of Lansley’s plans. All five of the GPs on the panel are among the minority of GPs who signed up for Lansley’s suggested commissioning consortiums. The whole forum is under the chairmanship of Professor Steve Field, who controversially supported Lansley’s white paper back in July and has since been replaced as president of the Royal College of GPs by Dr Clare Gerada, who has criticised much of the Lansley plan.

The forum on “choice and competition” will be led by Sir Stephen Bubb, a one-time Labour councillor and now at the head the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations.

Bubb is a vigorous advocate of competition and greater private-sector involvement in delivering healthcare. He led a challenge to Labour’s attempts to designate the NHS as preferred provider of community health services. Other doctors, trust bosses, primary care trust and strategic health authority bosses and senior council officers among the 40 hand-picked appointees on the forum are likely to be influenced by their career aspirations. They are unlikely to listen to any articulate critics of the Lansley plan.

The whole process has been set up to waste a month, to give the impression of responding to public opinion - and then to press through the key elements of the plan with little if any actual change.

There is no indication that the principal objections raised at the Lib Dem conference a few weeks ago have been taken on board by the Tories, not least because the suggestion that the private sector can somehow be prevented from “cherry-picking” the most profitable services from the NHS is pure fantasy.

Cherry-picking is central to the private provision of healthcare. Even the so-called “non-profit” social enterprises will have to focus on delivering a surplus from their work and will be compelled in a competitive market to withdraw from services which cannot guarantee to deliver them a surplus.

The only guarantee against the private sector cherry-picking services and destabilising existing NHS provision in many parts of the country is to drop Lansley’s plans altogether and to focus resources on investing in NHS care related to local need.

That’s why it’s vital that Labour and the unions crank up the pressure to force the Con-Dems to ditch the Bill.