Great Victory In Reading

In Park Ward Melanie Eastwood has become the second Green Cllr in a historic victory. The Greens now have group status.
Results
green 1585. 43%
lab. 1213. 33
Con. 732. 20
LD. 123. 3

So farewell Wazir and congratulations Cllr Melanie Eastwood.

Other news in Reading, LD leaderless as lab win in Redlands. Tories did well overall outside Park where they were dismal

There is much speculation about who is left in controll of the council. If Lab can form an alliance it may be them. Some are suggesting a Lab/Green alliance but thats news to us.

I would support any party on a policy I agreed on but not an alliance. In Oxford the Greens formed a coalition a few yeas ago and were blamed for everything that went wrong. Much as has happened to the LD. Lets see what our Cllrs decide, they meet to discuss this soon. Today is for celebrating not deciding.

Leaflet of Tory Shame 2

squating, what was actually said
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/08-04-2011-vacant-houses-london.html
Jenny Jones Green Party candidate for Mayor:
"I don't want to see squatters take over people's homes or damage their property. But I also don't want to see people criminalised for making good use of buildings left vacant for months or years while they are unable to access a home they can afford.

"Councils need to make better use of their enforcement powers, and the Mayor needs to support local groups who can bring empty properties back into use. Let's treat the problem, not ban the symptoms."

When Mayor Boris scrapped plans to raise the congestion charge to £25 Jenny Jones said: "The London mayor has put the interest of the few above the needs of the planet.

"We know that green taxes work. Last year, Londoners bought more low emission cars than gas guzzlers for the first time ever."

Conserative Crok

Is this what the Tories have sunk to?

Update;
Just confronted Cllr Hussain over this appaling leaflet. He justified it saying Cllr White voted 100% along with Labour, clearly a lie.

The local Tory MP Rob Wilson showed up, when I asked him about this he looked a bit sheepish. He wouldnt say a word to back up Cllr Hussein, said leave the postmortem till after the election. I gave him a chance to retract, he didnt take it. So now he too is damaged by this, as is their entire party. Shame on them.

Today is the day, local elections and AV referendum. This is the first chance in a year to tell our "leaders" what we think of them. Kivk em out, give the Greens a chance. And if you live in an area with ni candidate stand yourself.

Unfortunately some people are saying the AV vote is all about Clegg. What a shame, the first chance in how many decades to change a system and some want to waste it. Much as you may dislike Nick Clegg he is not worth it. Besides who would approve of Cleggs other half, Cameron. He is a Blaired version of Thatcher. All PR but the substance is Thatherism.

And what did Thatcherism give us? Industry cut, nations resources sold of. Banks deregulated, look what that resulted in, the current disaster that they blame on Brown.

So kick em all out and gives Greens a chance.

Vote A Get B

Sounds silly doesn't it. The implication that you vote for one thing and get another. Yet in Reading that kind of talk is getting more common, not by voters but by the ruling coalition.

Cllr Wills repeats these slurs here, Cllr Swaine here.

In Park Ward the new Conservative leaflet seems entirely negative.
"It makes no difference if you vote Green or Red.
The only Green Councillor has voted with Labour at every opportunity
Vote Green get Labour
...
Vote Green get Red"

Have they really got nothing to say about their candidate, who is after all the incumbent Cllr? From the language it seems they see the Greens as the big threat, I hope they are scared of us.

Remember the slogan Vote Blue Go Green? Its the same thought process, from the same party, and not true in either case.

Being in opposition means when you disagree with them, you vote against the ruling party. If there is more than one oposition then they may both vote the same way. Is it one of both of their faults? Why not blame Labour for voting the same way as the Greens? Its as silly that way round as the other. Funnily enough you only hear this sort of stuff at elections. Is it any wonder that voters don't believe politicians? Unfortunately this understandable cynicm means even the honest ones get caught up.

And in other areas, or at other times, conservatives and LD Cllrs do the same thing when in opposiion. How odd that they seem to thing its a criticism in others.

End Of Allotments From The 'Greenest Govt Ever'

Oh dear, yet another setback from the government that told us it would be the 'greenest ever'. Selling of allotments is a new low.

The Government that:
plans to scrap green laws
forest sell off, u turn, then u turn again,
rejects sustainable transport plan,
failure of carbon plan,
redefine zero energy homes
and many more.

The government puts up for sale 300,000 allotments. Plot-holders are up in arms over the plans to scrap historic right to council land.

The century-old right of people to demand an allotment from their council may be abolished by the Government under plans to scale back red tape.

Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, is examining plans to free local authorities from a 103-year-old obligation to provide plots of public land for cultivation by gardeners. The proposals could see local authorities, many of them strapped for cash under government-imposed cuts, selling off allotment land for profit.

Reasons To Vote Green May 5th

10 Reasons to vote Green

1. Fight the cuts to services. The Green Party stands full-square in opposition to these cuts. Instead of a response to a crisis of capitalism, this is an agenda the Tories have long wanted; let the wealthy dodge taxes meanwhile cut services for the rest of us. We should cut instead things we don't need, Trident, subsidy for the arms trade and nuclear power. And stop these wars that help no one yet cost lives and £billions.

2. Tax fairly. After years of Labour, inequality is greater in Britain now than any time since World War II. This will get worse under the current government. The changes we fight for are for banks and corporations to pay their way: a Robin Hood Tax on banks, the closure of tax loopholes, the collection of high-earner tax and ultimately for the 50% rate to apply to those on £100,000 and over.

3. Free University Eduction, No to tuition fees. Other parties u-turn on this was stunning. This is not what people voted for last year, with us you get what you vote for. We are getting concerned with academy schools.

4. Renewable energy for all. Kirklees has lots of it - solar panels, ground source heating, why not us? Energy prices are no joke. Oil decline is about to become a reality. Every Council should use its power now to promote renewables.

5. People and planet before profit. Politics is for people, families and society; it's about the Earth we live on, about equality and the sustainability of the way we live now, and the coming generations. Not protecting vast profits for the wealthy.

6. We need the best. A Green councillor will work equally with all for the best outcomes regardless of party camps.

7. Protect the NHS and other health provisions; from creeping privatisation, from mass redundancies and from the plans to turn doctors into managers.

8. An increase in the Green vote will make the other parties stop and take note that people are responding to the pro-people policies we are fighting for.

9. So little is being done to really protect our local environment. A green voice will make a big difference when it comes to planning applications and other initiatives to promote nature over unthinking human destruction. Stop building on the flood plain increasing the use of flooding, letting giant supermarkets to kill of local shops, funding road building not footpath and cycle provision.

10. Greens are promoting a YES vote to AV. It's not PR, but it's a step in the right direction. By ordering your preferred candidates, it favours the most widely acceptable candidates and so excludes extremists.