Jon Nott

A fetishistic approach to security is a perverse way to keep us safe

2008-09-04T09:29:00.002+01:00

... is the title of a great article tucked away in today's technology Guardian. Bruce Schneier looks at our irrational responses to terrorism and what we should do instead.

Blogging Green Party conference

2008-02-14T17:01:00.002Z

I'm blogging this week's Green Party conference at Green Despatches
Red Pepper's unofficial despatches from Reading.

Stop Kingsnorth

2008-02-09T06:48:00.000Z

I was interested to get an email today from the World Development Movement plugging their Stop Kingsnorth campaign. I expect Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the like to be campaigning against a new generation of coal-fired power stations, but for WDM to make this such a major campaign shows how serious they are about linking climate change to their core issue of tackling the underlying causes of poverty.

As they put it on the Stop Kingsnorth site:

Climate change is the greatest crisis facing humanity. Whilst rich countries are responsible for most of the emissions pumped into the atmosphere it is the poorest, most marginalised communities in the world that will be hit the hardest by climate change.

Kingsnorth power station alone will release more CO2 each year than Ghana. It will not use carbon capture and storage technology, and so will contribute to climate change that is already hitting the world’s poor first and hardest.

They also have a useful map indicating seven more planned coal-burning power stations.

MayorDex

2008-02-01T19:21:00.001Z

This widget monitors coverage of the London Mayoral candidates and rates them by %age improvent.

Warning - Young people are getting angry

2008-01-27T18:14:00.000Z

What's more important UFOs, Chuck Norris or Climate Change?

2008-01-27T11:22:00.000Z

There's a petition calling on US reporters to ask the questions that really matter here.

Re-elect Jean Lambert, London's Green MEP

2007-11-04T17:15:00.000Z

In addition to the national referendum of Green Party members on whether we should elect a Leader (see below), London members will be receiving another set of important ballot papers soon.

The London party is currently selecting our candidates for the 2009 Euro Elections and I'm part of a group working to ensure that the party re-selects our fantastic sitting Euro-MP, Jean Lambert.

As the re-elect Jean blog says:

We're a group of Londoners, some of us are members of the Green Party, others are not, but we are all really pleased that back in 1999 London was the first place in the UK to elect a Green politician to represent us in the European Parliament. We're proud that Jean Lambert is our Euro-MP and so we're working to make sure she gets re-elected in 2009.

And if you're on Facebook, you can join the re-elect Jean group.

5 out of 6 potential Green voters want a leader

2007-11-04T16:42:00.000Z

As ballot papers arrive this week for the Green Party's referendum on whether to replace our "Principal Speakers" with a Leader and Deputy Leader, a new poll has shown that 5 out of 6 potential Green voters would prefer the Party to elect a leader.

The YouGov poll shows 84% of those who expressed a view think the Party should replace its "Principal Speakers" with a Leader.

There is very little variation by gender, age or region - the lowest levels of support for a leader are in the North East region and the 18-24 age group (81% in favour) and the highest in East Anglia (92% in favour).

Given this overwhelming message from the people we hope to be elected to represent, I hope that Party members will join me, Darren Johnson, Caroline Lucas, Sian Berry and 75% of our elected councillors in voting YES when their ballot papers arrive.

Green Leaders

2007-09-12T17:39:00.000+01:00

And this from Unlock Democracy

Green Leaders
By Simon Maine

Politics without leaders? This has been the philosophical mantra behind the Green Party ever since its inception in 1973. The party is unique in British politics by adopting a policy of collective leadership with two principal speakers. But this may be set to change as Britain’s persistent niche party debates the possibility of joining the mainstream by adopting a single leader.

The issue is set to dominate the party’s conference in Liverpool next week and a binding poll amongst members in November offers the opportunity to elect someone to lead the call for a more environmentally sustainable way of life. The ‘Yes’ campaign has already begun; Caroline Lucas MEP explains in a press release:

“Other Parties are incapable of leading on critical issues, such as dangerous climate change: their commitment to the chimera of endless economic growth - and their having been captured by corporate interests - make it impossible for them to do so. The Green Party needs to be visibly seen and shown to be leading on this, the central issue of our time: but how can we do so, if we don’t even trust ourselves enough to have a Leader?”

She makes a good point. It’s admirable that the party doesn’t want to rush headlong into copying the centralized models of other parties but maybe it’s time that some real leadership was exercised on the ‘green issue’. The Green Party knows it can never become a party of government. Under the current electoral system they would be lucky to get even one MP. Its real raison d’être is as a pressure group and in the coming years it will become less likely that the political mainstream can ignore the calls from the Greens. No doubt there will be much philosophical hand wringing at the party conference but it would be best if the Greens wised up to face the world as it stands and not the world they would like to live in. Collective leadership is admirable but ineffective.

The Central Issue of Our Time

2007-09-12T17:35:00.000+01:00

From The Guardian's "Backbencher" column

Hang on a minute, say Green activists. What about our party conference? It's a fair point. The Greens are meeting in Liverpool between tomorrow and Sunday when a series of fringe debates will culminate in a major debate on the conference floor on the issue of the moment: leadership, the very topic the Ming-ites are keen to avoid.

The Greens too have traditionally avoided hierarchy and leaderism which they dislike. But they pay a price for having collective leadership and titles like "principle speaker": diminished political impact in an era which elevates leaders who come in handy on TV. Theirs is a hard conference to report on. Colleagues of the Backbencher's have tried.

Today Sir Jonathan Porritt, chairman of the government's big-tented sustainability commission, weighed in to join those backing the need for a leader, who include Darren Johnson, a London assembly member, and Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, who grandly calls it "the central issue of our time".

"If ever there was a time when the Green party needed a formally elected leader, it has to be now. The Green party's analysis and policy proposals are more relevant today than ever before, but with all the major parties seeking their share of the 'green mantle', the party urgently needs a clear, passionate and persuasive leader out there, doing the job in a way that both the public and the media can relate to much more easily than is the case today," he explains to slow learners.

Even Greens need leaders - Mark Lynas

2007-07-12T13:25:00.000+01:00

Ex-Green Party member and Six Degrees author, Mark Lynas, makes a good case for radical Green leadership in this week's New Statesman. It's good to see the debate getting outside the activist forums and into places that the average member (or potential member) might see it.

Planning Disaster

2007-07-11T08:43:00.000+01:00

Today sees the launch of a campaign against the government's plans to relax planning restrictions and allow a new generation of nuclear power plants, airports, out of town supermarkets and house-building on flood plains.

Planning may not seem the most exciting topic to campaign on, but if the government push this through, it will be a lot harder to stop some of their most damaging future plans.

The public consultation is on now and I urge you to join me in backing this campaign.

Reason vs Emotion

2007-07-11T08:00:00.000+01:00

An excellent article by Jonathan Freedland in today's Guardian about how people respond to politicians, looking at why the Democrats keeping losing elections they 'should' win.

Freedland is writing in response to Drew Western's new book, The Political Brain, which seems to be a psyhcologist's take on an argument made very coherently by George Lakoff (a Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics) in Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate.

Lakoff's book is an excellent analysis of why how you say things is as important as what you say. As Freedland points out in his article, this is often mistaken for dumbing down or populism - but there is a big difference between, on the one hand, knowing your audience and talking to them (rather than at them, as so many politicians are wont to do) and on the other, re-writing your policies based on focus groups and opinion polls.

The fatal flaw in the New Labour project was not that they decided to communicate more effectively, but that they thought they needed to adopt right wing policies along with the effective communications techniques that the right have been using for decades. I'm hopeful that the Green Party is in the midst of improving its ability to communicate its vital message whilst avoiding the trap that Labour fell into.

Yes to Green Leadership

2007-07-02T20:41:00.000+01:00

Britain needs leadership. Green leadership
Leadership is the inspiring, organising, motivating force that makes sure good ideas actually get put into practice. The Green Party has such good ideas. We have so much potential. But if we as greens do not realise our potential, and soon, we will not just be letting ourselves down; we will be selling-short our planet and everything on it. We owe it to the world to make Green ideas work, and make them work now; not in 10 or 15 years but right now, from today. Ours is a generation perhaps unique in all of human history. And ours is a political party uniquely placed to make a difference.

The referendum - your say
In November 2007, a referendum ballot will be sent to all members of the Green Party of England and Wales. The question before them will be whether we should retain the posts of "Male and Female Principal Speaker" with no vote on the Executive, or to replace them with a "Leader and Deputy" or "Co-Leaders", with responsibility for presentation of policy and election campaigns and a vote each on the Executive.

Green Party Conference has already agreed by majority vote that this motion should be put to the broader membership, and that is why it is before you now.

I hope that you will join me and help stregthen the Green Party's democracy, participation and effectiveness by voting "Yes" in the upcoming referendum.

If you are not already a member of the Green Party, but would like to join and help the Green Party take its rightful place at the centre of British politics, you can join here.

Irish Greens hold six seats - may enter government

2007-05-27T12:39:00.001+01:00

We've recently seen the Scottish Greens take a pivotal role in the new parliament and it looks like the Irish Green Party (Comhaontas Glas) may be about to go one better and take cabinet posts. The Greens held all six of their seats, while other smaller parties (Progressive Democrats, Sinn Fein, Socialist) and independents all lost seats. Green leader Trevor Sargeant has ruled out a formal coalition with Bertie Ahern's Fianna Fáil but may be able to find an arrangement that guarantees progress on Green priorities and may even end up with a seat at the cabinet table.

The Green's Election broadcast (a better quality version is on RTE) was much praised and is well worth three minutes of your time.

PRE-ELECTION ANALYSIS FROM RTE (Irish National Broadcaster)

Six years ago the Green Party did not even have a leader. Now, depending on the numbers game after the election, a Green leader could even be the next Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister).

Talk about climate change!

The scenario of a Green Party Tánaiste, of course, would only come into play if the party entered a coalition with Fianna Fáil.

Trevor Sargent, the party leader, has said that while he would not lead the Greens into a coalition with Fianna Fáil, he would consider serving in Cabinet.

That may be considered a strange position to adopt but these are different times for the Greens.

Since dropping the notion of collective leadership in 2001, the party has been on a curve of increasing professionalism. That evolution saw the party go from one seat in the 28th Dail to six in the now dissolved 29th Dáil.

The party has continued to adopt modern campaigning methods and techniques and these, allied to heightened global awareness of environmental issues, the impact of the Al Gore movie and local issues such as the contamination of the Galway water supply have all combined to give momentum the Greens as they hit the campaign trail.

Most political pundits now accept the party will certainly hold its six seats and that it could even double it to 12 seats, perhaps even a few more if it gets all the right breaks.

Even if the Greens do not hold the position of Tánaiste after the election the party looks a sure bet to have ministers at the Cabinet table, whatever the shape of the next government.

LibDems confused over Post Office closure

2007-05-22T14:05:00.000+01:00

An excellent piece from today's Guardian Diary about Islington's ever-consistent LibDems.

Hats off, finally, to the ever-alert Lib Dems, who yesterday protested against post office closures outside the post office at 238 Essex Road, Islington, currently threatened with closure because it and 221 other fine properties across the borough have been put up for sale by Islington's Lib Dem-controlled council. Brilliant.

Critical Mass

2007-05-22T13:54:00.001+01:00

The monthly "organised coincidence" of cyclists that is Critical Mass - people getting together to see what London would be like if more people cycled on a regular basis and to enjoy the delights of some temporarily car-free central London streets - has been the subject of a legal battle for the past year. Here's an update from someone who's been following the intricacies more closely that me.

Renewed Kafka-esque legal threat to cyclists

The Appeal Court, on Monday 21 May, overruled last year's High Court decision that the monthly Critical Mass bike rides in central London, as a "customary" procession, are exempt from Public Order Act requirements for advance notification to the police. A 2-1 majority in the Appeal Court decided that precisely because the rides had no fixed, pre-planned route they were not "customary", and therefore the law does require ... er ... the event's route to be notified in advance. Hmmm.

Initial press reports that this means the ride itself is illegal are wide of the mark. Participation in an un-notified procession is not of itself an offence. The Appeal judges themselves pointed out that to convict anyone, the police would need to prove that they were an organiser. Which will be difficult since there aren't any. But police could impose conditions on all participants "to prevent serious disruption" - although the court pointed out there wasn't any.

In response, the next ride - on Friday 25 May - looks like being a big 'un. Meet under the south end of Waterloo Bridge between 6pm and 6.30pm. (One might point out in a non-organisational manner.)

All Change?

2007-05-11T15:03:00.000+01:00

Tony Blair's resignation has prompted rejoicing among those who want to see him as solely responsible for UK involvement in the mess of Iraq. Yet many of his sharpest critics still see military domination as the ultimate solution to a political crisis, rather than as part of the problem.

Conscience is working hard to remove the blinkers, showing that there are many realistic, hard-nosed alternatives to militarism with its huge social, economic and environmental costs. Conscience is campaigning for the right to have the military part of our taxes go to these alternatives, not to war.

As Gordon Brown moves next door, help to make a deeper change. Click here for a short animation.

Walk It

2007-04-09T16:34:00.000+01:00

Following in the footsteps of Transport for London's excellent journeyplanner, which makes pulbic transport so much easier when you are using an unfamiliar route, is WalkIt.com.

They only claim coverage for central London, but I've checked out as far as Archway and got reasonable directions. It recommended the exact route I take to work and while I wouldn't take their suggestion to my old office (I'd take a scenic route to avoid walking along the Holloway Road), it is probably the most direct way and easiest to follow if you don't know the area.

They give estimated journey times depending on your walking speed and as a bonus they calculate how many calories you will burn and tell you how much CO2 you've saved by not using a car or bus.

Black Gold - The story of coffee

2007-04-08T11:44:00.001+01:00

Released in the UK on 8 June, Black Gold has already received rave reviews at festivals all over the world, comparing it to Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me and prompting a backlash from coffee giant Starbucks.

Count your carbon (and then cut it)

2007-04-07T07:38:00.000+01:00

An excellent review of two Carbon Calculation books in today's Guardian by Jeremy Leggett, author of Half Gone: Oil, Gas, Hot Air and the Global Energy Crisis. He looks at Chris Goodall's in-depth calculator How to Live a Low-Carbon Life and Mark Lynas's pocket guide Carbon Counter: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint.

"I could nitpick about what is counted and what is not in these two fine books. But that would be futile. The point is this. If kilograms-of-carbon-saved becomes some kind of measure of wealth and health, then Microsoft's all-embracing carbon-counting software will not be far off. The carbon-aware future is coming. Despite the hills of carbon beans, and the need for fairly complex spreadsheets, it is going to be nothing if not interesting. Goodall and Lynas are the pioneers, and are doing a good job of taking us with them."

Urban air pollution 'more dangerous than Chernobyl'

2007-04-03T07:09:00.000+01:00

Our London Green MEP, Jean Lambert, has warned before of the dangers of high levels of air pollution in our city. But today's report from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology comparing the impact of air pollution to the effects of fallout from Chernobyl follows hot on the heels of a report from Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which said air pollution was responsible for 24,000 premature deaths in Britain every year.

If you live in London you can sign up at AirText.info to receive a text message warning if high levels of air pollution are forecast in your area.

Ban the Bulb - Venezuela leads the way.

2007-04-02T12:15:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to post about the Ban the Bulb campaign since reading Leo Hickman's article in the Guardian.

"As bright ideas go, it doesn't seem to get much more obvious than banning the incandescent bulb. The humble tungsten filament bulb has done a grand job lighting up the world for more than a century with little need for a change in design, but with more energy-efficient alternatives now widely available, many are asking why we still cling to this wasteful and outdated technology."

I'm reminded of it by this piece on the Australian GreenLeft site about a campaign in Venezuela which has replaced 45 million incandescent light bulbs.

Do you have a Useless Account?

2007-04-01T09:46:00.000+01:00

In the spirit of the day and to fill in time while waiting for another "server busy" message from the Glastonbury website, I've created a Useless Account.

Why zero carbon homes aren't enough

2007-03-30T07:00:00.000+01:00

Another great round up on MSN Money - this time about greening your home and how Labour are failing to use the tax system to promote green action.