Protest against Brown vote Green

[Big Daz]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... reen-brown" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Protest against Brown – vote Green

Disillusioned Labour voters can vote Green with confidence now that social justice is front and centre of the party's agenda

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* Peter Tatchell
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o Peter Tatchell
o guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 3 June 2009 21.30 BST
o Article history

What are Labour voters to do? Party loyalty is understandable, but the party they once supported is no more. During 12 years of Labour rule, social inequality has returned with a vengeance, with a widening gap between rich and poor, including more children and pensioners living in poverty. By the end of last year, income inequality under Labour was greater than during the reign of Margaret Thatcher.

Isn't it time for Labour voters to revolt? Why keep voting for a party whose government has betrayed its roots and values?

There is an alternative. The Green party embraces the social justice agenda that Labour has long abandoned. We are more than a party of environmental protection. We are also a party of fairness and equality, with progressive policies on jobs, housing, education, health and pensions. Unlike the Liberal Democrats, we don't support free market capitalism or use dirty tricks during election campaigns and we don't talk green in national politics only to do something else entirely at the local level.

Under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Labour lost its heart and soul. It has become the party of war, privatisation and attacks on civil liberties. The Labour government promoted the financial deregulation that led to the banking crisis, resulting in bankruptcies and mass unemployment. It refuses to take legal action against the corporate criminals who have pushed Britain to the precipice of a full-blown economic depression.

Labour's policy rot was not caused by Brown alone. The whole Labour government – including Alan Johnson – backed the party's rightward drift.

When a Labour government pursues anti-Labour policies it no longer deserves respect or loyalty from Labour members and voters. Arrogant, out of touch, complacent and authoritarian, Labour is not Labour any more. It's time has passed.

For all these reasons, after 22 years' membership I left Labour and joined the Green party. It isn't perfect – no party ever is. But compared to Labour and the other political alternatives, the Greens are now the most progressive force in British politics, with our visionary agenda for grassroots democracy, social justice, human rights, global equity, environmental protection, peace and internationalism.

The Greens now occupy the emancipationist political space that was once occupied by Labour. We offer the most credible progressive alternative to Labour.

To deal with the economic crisis, our agenda includes a Roosevelt-style Green New Deal to simultaneously tackle unemployment and climate destruction. The Greens would invest in new green industries to create a million green collar jobs. We would put money into energy conservation, which would lead to tens of thousands of jobs in double-glazing, loft insulation and the fitting of energy efficient boilers. This would also help cut fuel poverty and reduce household energy bills. We'd also invest in renewable energy, including wind, tidal, wave and solar. This would help revive Britain's decimated engineering industry and establish new technologies that could be exported worldwide at great financial benefit to the UK.

Labour's great, historic achievement was the creation of the NHS and the welfare state, but Blair and Brown sought to dismantle them. Their commercialisation and semi-privatisation of health and education is something that not even Margaret Thatcher attempted. They have out-Thatchered Thatcher.

While the Labour government has promoted a stealthy privatisation of public services, the Greens oppose privatisation and defend public services as essential components of a just society and a decent quality of life for all citizens. We reject Labour plans to close post offices and to privatise the Royal Mail.

In contrast to the anti-trade union policies of Labour, the Greens support the rights enshrined in the trade union freedom bill which gives new protection to employees.

Similarly, the Blair-Brown government sought an opt-out from key sections of the EU social chapter on workers' rights. The Greens, however, have been steadfast in opposing the opt-out and insisting on the fair treatment of employees.

While Labour's policies for senior citizens have been miserly, it is Green policy to end pensioner poverty by providing free social care to the elderly and raising the single person's state pension to £165 per week and linking it to average earnings.

We are also pushing for a major house-building programme and the refurbishment of older and disused properties, in order to give low-income families the chance to have a good quality home at a rent they can afford.

These measures could be paid for by cancelling Labour's wasteful and reactionary expenditure of more than £100bn on new Trident nuclear missiles, ID cards, two super aircraft carriers, the botched computerisation of the NHS and further motorway expansion.

This is crunch time for progressive politics. Labour has turned its back on its traditional values, torn up previously cherished socialist ideals, sidelined the trade union movement, waged an illegal war, tried to impose 42 days' detention without charge, and made unsavoury pacts with big business and George W Bush.

The Labour leadership has pandered to prejudice and irrationality on issues including asylum, drugs, terrorism, Europe and crime. Principles have been abandoned for the sake of a few more sympathetic headlines in the Daily Mail and for another cup of tea with Rupert Murdoch.

Labour voters don't have to put up with this rightwing nonsense. They can vote Green in the knowledge that they are voting for a party that offers a powerful challenge to neo-liberal economics and globalisation.

Greens put the common good before corporate greed, and the public interest before private profit. Our synthesis of the best of the red and the green integrates policies for social justice and human rights with policies for tackling the life-threatening dangers posed by global warming, environmental pollution, resource depletion and species extinction. The future is bright – bright Green.

[genesis]

Arn,t the greens in favour of post office privatisation, or liberalisation?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Arn,t the greens in favour of post office privatisation, or liberalisation?

Nope:

Greens condemn Royal Mail privatisation plans http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/dupli ... plans.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Business secretary Lord Mandelson has supported the conclusions of a report by an independent review panel led by businessman Richard Hooper which advised selling 25% - 33% of Royal Mail to a foreign buyer. The current pension fund debt, which may deter potential investors, would first be taken on by the government.

The proposals have already proved highly controversial. It is estimated that up to a hundred MPs would take part in a backbench rebellion if the current plans went to a vote without modification. Jim McGovern MP has resigned his post as private secretary to postal affairs minister Pat McFadden in protest. And the Communications Workers Union has stated that it will disaffiliate from the Labour Party in the event of any form of privatisation.

The proposal also contradicts Labour's manifesto commitment to a "publicly owned Royal Mail."

Prospective Green Party Euro-MP for Eastern Region, Councillor Rupert Read said today:

"We strongly oppose any privatisation of Royal Mail. The Green Party has long campaigned against transferring essential public services to private hands.

"The Royal Mail is a cherished and trusted national institution first established as a public body by Oliver Cromwell. Even Margaret Thatcher thought it should remain publicly owned.

"Privatisation benefits big business interests, not consumers. We have seen this in the NHS, BT and the railways, to name a few instances. A report by Postwatch, the consumer watchdog, has failed to find any significant benefits to individual users from the 'liberalisation' of the postal service.

"Private companies will cherry-pick the most profitable parts of the organization which currently fund essential but unprofitable services like rural collections, leaving the public to pick up the bill in the future and leaving Eastern Region with a poorer service.

"To call for the part-privatisation of a major British institution at a time when the dangers of 'the market' have been so clearly exposed in recent months is clearly madness. The substantial job losses called for by this report are the last thing our struggling economy needs at the moment.

"Royal Mail has announced an impressive new environmentally-responsible method of business mail. This is a great example of what a public service provides and I am concerned that a privatised postal service would not come up with such innovative ideas."

[k979aaa]

Arn,t the greens in favour of post office privatisation, or liberalisation?

The greens will have us all out of a job transporting huge a mounts of dead tree's around the country is not good for the environment!.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Arn,t the greens in favour of post office privatisation, or liberalisation?

The greens will have us all out of a job transporting huge a mounts of dead tree's around the country is not good for the environment!.

see post before yours they actually like the moves Royal Mail is making in Green issues.

[randompostman]

No greens want a full public postal service the only main stream one i think but is someone on royLMilchT standing for election

[k979aaa]

Sorry i don't trust the green's and never will they will encourage e-mail and ban flyer's and hammer delivery cost's it is not conducive too the future of the staff of royalmail nor the public good and the business's of the nation!. Delivery cost will be hammered by the massive increases in fuel duty and car tax!. Get your priorities right service the workforce and then the business/government!.

[Big Daz]

Greens in Europe including UK greens opposed the the postal services directive from the EU, Most Labour and Conservatives and Lib Dem supported it.

100% pro trade union including the trade union freedom bill.

The two current Green MEPs have a good track record on supporting workers rights in Europe.


Their plans are for a million new jobs in green industries, tidal power wind power solar power more home insulation etc etc.

[Big Daz]

here is some info that may be of use to you -- feel free to forward it to others within your Union:

Here in Norwich, as across Suffolk and Norfolk and indeed much of the country, all Parties are posturing as defenders of our Post Offices.

Well: Here is some interesting information about the EU’s Postal Services Directive...
The best explanation is at http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l33231.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It makes reference to the existing legislation, which is detailed at http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l24166.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a press report from the European Parliament following the recent proposals at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expe ... ult_en.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And the transcript of the debate - http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/get ... anguage=EN" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; On this page you can access 'explanation of votes' (middle right), which are quite interesting! They make clear where, unfortunately, the Members of Parliament of other Parties actually stand, on this issue, their local protestations notwithstanding...

Greens put in an amendment to the new Directive when it came before the European Parliament in July 2007 saying ‘to the extent necessary to ensure the maintenance of the universal service, member states may continue to reserve services to universal service providers’. None of the other Parties supported it.Greens also opposed fixing in advance a deadline for the expiry of the old system because consultation with social actors indicated that more time was needed to find a proportional and equitable means of maintaining guarantees of universal service – again, no support from other political parties.

The Commission wanted to make it voluntary for governments to lay down any conditions on rights of workers and other social and working provisions for the providers of services outside the scope of universal service. Greens said this should be mandatory – none of the other Parties agreed.
Is it any wonder that we say that only the Green Party can be trusted to defend the Post Offices: locally, nationally, and internationally?

In the European Parliament, as your MEP for this Region, I would join other Greens in truly defending the postal service from being dismantled.

Best wishes; Councillor Rupert Read, Norwich Green Party.

[k979aaa]

I don't think anyone who works for royalmail would believe we are an environmentally friendly company till you can say we are why are you believing what they say when they are opposed too the destruction of trees (paper) the climate change (royalmail emits the most co2 of any business as it has the largest fleet in the country) The green's are fluffy on the outside but you will pay for it when they get in and one day they will. BUT I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR THEM!. THE LEFT OF NEW LABOUR YES.

[borders]

well it seems it did not go too well for our postie Mr Shimmy- Party Total Net +/- Total Net +/-
Conservative 29 +7 1330 +217
Liberal Democrat 1 -1 439 -8
Labour 0 -4 159 -250
Independents 0 0 91 +4
Green 0 0 16 +6
Residents Association 0 0 9 +2
UK Independence Party 0 0 6 +6
Mebyon Kernow 0 0 3 0
Liberal 0 0 2 0
British National Party 0 0 2 +2
Others 0 0 28 13
No Overall Control 3 -2

[baldrick]

Perhaps he should have heeded his Fuehrers orders about members not posting on
internet websites and blogs as it would expose the members as bigots, nazis, and morons.

But the fascists might yet pick up one or more MEP seats (and £250k pa) as they apparently
got 11% of the vote in the council elections, and would only need to get 7.5% - 8.5% to get
MEP seats in the EU PR voting system, on a low turnout.

[andy2007]

well it seems it did not go too well for our postie Mr Shimmy- Party Total Net +/- Total Net +/-
Conservative 29 +7 1330 +217
Liberal Democrat 1 -1 439 -8
Labour 0 -4 159 -250
Independents 0 0 91 +4
Green 0 0 16 +6
Residents Association 0 0 9 +2
UK Independence Party 0 0 6 +6
Mebyon Kernow 0 0 3 0
Liberal 0 0 2 0
British National Party 0 0 2 +2
Others 0 0 28 13
No Overall Control 3 -2

Are you sure that those aren't the 2004 results?
I've looked on both the BBC, and European Parliament Websites. And I can't find any results yet.

[Big Daz]

Perhaps he should have heeded his Fuehrers orders about members not posting on
internet websites and blogs as it would expose the members as bigots, nazis, and morons.

But the fascists might yet pick up one or more MEP seats (and £250k pa) as they apparently
got 11% of the vote in the council elections, and would only need to get 7.5% - 8.5% to get
MEP seats in the EU PR voting system, on a low turnout.

The amount of MEP's each region has varies, the more MEP's a region is to have the greater the chance of the BNP getting a MEP.

European results do not come in untill 9pm onwards sunday night as some countries are still voting/havent voted yet.

[Big Daz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/e ... _99999.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;