NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE GREEN PARTY IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BRENT

27 Jul 2015

Flash Trader in Cricklewood: Community art event




London artist Kevin Vincenzo Keating   will be exhibiting a new art piece  
 around Brent this weekend.

The art piece is a giraffe called The Flash Trader and has been constructed from recycled shopping trolleys.

Kevin was inspired whilst walking around London and seeing an increasing amount of trolleys abandoned by roadsides and waste grounds  He decided that he would use the existing trolley design and merge it into the form of a giraffe. Kevin hopes that this engaging and humorous design will give a message that elevates the consumer, whilst placing emphasis on style and the practicality associated with recycling in consumerism.

Kevin has been touring his giraffe around London Galleries but also enjoys taking his art onto the streets and engaging A non gallery going public and younger people with art.

 This weekend, Kevin along with his group of community artists Creative Cricklewood, will be exhibiting on his home turf. Everyone is  invited to join in the fun, and entertainment. There will be an opportunity to  have a free portrait drawn by contemporary portrait artist Mary Saxe- Falstein.  Free raffle tickets will be given to all attendees, where the prize will be a trolley full of shopping. 

The local show starts Friday 31st July 6pm at the Queens Parade summer party Willesden. followed by 1st & 2nd August 12 noon to 6pm in Keyes rd Cricklewood NW2

 For details   Facebook Creative Cricklewood.   Kevin Vincenzo Keating
                     Email       x4nax@hotmail.com                   

22 Jul 2015

Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 (

Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 (in order of appearance) Green Party GLA candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 introduction by Caroline Allen (co-chair London Federation of Green Parties) and Laura Davenport https://youtu.be/KqMgh4On1sM Caroline Russell (@highburyonfoot)https://youtu.be/7NJUPHdUzgQ Siân Berry (@sianberry)https://youtu.be/LqJfJi8BEAs Peter Underwood https://youtu.be/yS6hZHUeAb4 Benali Hamdache (@GreenBenali)https://youtu.be/BGDnJuZ6AN0 Noel Lynch https://youtu.be/RH6XdYFaQjs Andrea Carey Fuller https://youtu.be/F_RYd6JVzZs Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 questions: alliances? https://youtu.be/1z9FgfDcqm0 Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 questions: strategy https://youtu.be/c_qqZiR6Yz4 Rashid Nix (@RashidNix) https://youtu.be/Pa_aodZGoFo Jonathan Bartley (@jon_bartley)https://youtu.be/O1AgfBsDlFI Barry Cooper's statement Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 https://youtu.be/OMdieNJ-pAU RoseMary Warrington https://youtu.be/5b1iKMsdSa8 Shahrar Ali https://youtu.be/hWF__JsxEMs Michael Gold https://youtu.be/2mnONflVUbI Tom Chance (@tom_chance) https://youtu.be/KMR81GMTTBQ Dee Searle, Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015. Dee Searle, was unable to be present in person, her statement was read by Jane Forbes.https://youtu.be/t35IcEE4g9E Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 questions, housing https://youtu.be/wUh6xQQVdzw Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 questions, policiing https://youtu.be/aHH9A7JB6uM Green Party Greater London Assembly candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 2015 summing up. Apologies to Sian Berry a technical problem prevented her final remarks being recorded. http://youtu.be/qOIDc5_m0v0

21 Jul 2015

WELFARE BILL⭕ HOW DID YOUR MP VOTE?

WELFARE BILL HOW DID YOUR MP VOTE?
FOR: 308
AGAINST:124
ABSTAINED: 184
WELFARE BILL PASSES IT'S SECOND READING BY 184 VOTES!!
ALL CONSERVATIVE MPS' SUPPORTED THE BILL
🔴184 LABOUR MPS' ABSTAINED
 SNP (56 MPs), the Lib Dems (eight MPs), the DUP (eight MPs), Plaid Cymru (3 MPs), Caroline Lucas, the Green party and 48 Labour MPs, ALL VOTED AGAINST IT!
🔴"I would swim through vomit to vote against this welfare bill, and listening to some of these nauseating speeches in support of it, I might have to" - John McDonnell MP
LIST OF LABOUR MPS', WHO VOTED AGAINST THE WELFARE BILL
Diane Abbott
Debbie Abrahams
David Anderson
Richard Burgon
Dawn Butler
Ann Clwyd
Jeremy Corbyn
Geraint Davies
Peter Dowd
Paul Flynn
Mary Glindon
Roger Godsiff
Helen Goodman
Margaret Greenwood
Louise Haigh
Carolyn Harris
Sue Hayman
Imran Hussain
Gerald Jones
Helen Jones
Sir Gerald Kaufman
Sadiq Khan
David Lammy
Ian Lavery
Clive Lewis
Rebecca Long Bailey
Andy McDonald
John McDonnell
Liz McInnes
Rob Marris
Rachael Maskell
Michael Meacher
Ian Mearns
Madeleine Moon
Grahame Morris
Kate Osamor
Teresa Pearce
Marie Rimmer
Paula Sherriff
Tulip Siddiq
Dennis Skinner
Cat Smith
Jo Stevens
Graham Stringer
David Winnick
Iain Wright
Daniel Zeichner
Kelvin Hopkins (Teller)

17 Jul 2015

Barnet and Camden are staging a Green mayoral AND list hustings

Barnet and Camden are staging a Green mayoral AND list hustings 
on monday 27 July 7pm at the Bohemia, High Road, North Finchley, N12 9QH.

This event could be BIG - it's one of few occasions to meet mayor and list candidates: an opportunity to meet next year's two, three or even four of the highest profile Greens in the country.

Members of your party (Enfield, Haringey, Camden and Brent) are warmly invited!
Please tell them about this event urgently.

The format:
Opening statements
"Speed dating" with the candidates
Closing statements

Looking forward
Poppy
Barnet Green Party

14 Jul 2015

Green Party GLA candidate hustings Sunday July 19th 1.30pm




Come and hear from the candidates who want to represent London Green Party on the London Assembly list in next year's London wide elections. 

Next year is not just the London Mayoral race - Londoners also vote for the London Assembly. The Green Party currently has two Assembly Members (AMs), elected by a proportional system. Our current AMs Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones are both standing down and we are aiming for more than two AMs next year! So our candidates need to be ready to step in to this important role if elected, but equally as important the list candidates must also help us run an exciting and inspiring campaign.

This event is a great opportunity to ask questions of the candidates and hear what they have to say. We are expecting a lot of interest so you must sign up for a ticket- these are free but limited. The hustings will start promptly at 2pm, please arrive in plenty of time.

If you would like to submit a question to be considered (some questions will also be taken from the floor, but there is very likely to be many more questions than time) please email your question to caroline.allen@greenparty.org.uk. Please make the title of the email 'Assembly Hustings Question'. The deadline for questions is noon on Wednesday the 16th July.

Please note this event is for LONDON GREEN PARTY MEMBERS ONLY.


Do you have questions about Assembly List Hustings- London Green Party? Contact Caroline Allen 

 REGISTER FOR A TICKET TO THE EVENT


London-wide Assembly List (of whom 11 will be selected to an ordered list)
 
Andrea Carey Fuller, Barry Cooper, Benali Hamdache, Caroline Russell, Dee Searle, Jonathan Bartley, Michael Gold, Noel Lynch, Peter Underwood, Rashid Nix, RoseMary Warrington, Shahrar Ali, Sian Berry, and Tom Chance.

12 Jul 2015

Green Party Mayoral candidates set out their stalls



The six candidates competing to be the Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate came head-to-head yesterday in their first major hustings event.

Councillor’s Sian Berry and Caroline Russell, Party Spokespeople Benali Hamdache, Tom Chance and Jonathan Bartley, and activist and mentor Rashid Nix were quizzed by an audience of over 200 at London’s Birkbeck University.

Debating their campaign priorities and vision for the future of London, the discussion ranged from solving London’s housing crisis, tackling wage inequality, and action on climate change.

Jonathan Bartley said:

"This is a make or break moment for the Green Party in London. It must seize the moment and demonstrate it has come of age. We must reach out beyond our usual core issues and strongholds, and show that we have an offer for every Londoner in every borough.”

Sian Berry said:

“If selected I'll work with campaigns and communities across London and help bring their energy into our campaign. Jenny and Darren’s nearly sixteen years in City Hall have turned the Greens into an established and respected voice, and we can help make this Mayoral election about the people, not just a person.”

Tom Chance said:

“I will work with campaigners and community groups for a London with genuinely affordable housing, more equal pay and streets for people instead of cars. Greens can give people hope of radical changes, with credible policies. I have the experience and expertise to win London to our cause.”

Benali Hamdache said:

“Every day in this city brilliant ideas are formed, great projects realised and creativity flows. We must preserve this dynamism. Inaction over soaring housing, rising costs of transport and toxic air pollution can only threaten our city. Only a Green mayor can deliver the change needed to keep London great.” 

Rashid Nix said:

“The Greens represent an idea whose time has come. After 16 years of red and blue politics, London has become a tale of two cities teetering on the edge of a social and environmental abyss. London makes dollars, but not much sense! The Green message should be broadcast from every rooftop without a solar panel.”

Caroline Russell said:

"I love London, but I believe it can be even better.  It can be both the world's greatest city and the world's greenest city – but only if everyone, from the wealthiest to the poorest, shares in its success. I want London’s dynamic economy to lead a worldwide revolution in social innovation and green technology, with a Mayor committed to ensuring that the benefits are truly shared with everyone who lives here."

The candidates will each now take part in a series of local party hustings. Members have until the end of August to vote for their preferred candidate. The party expects to announce the winner of the ballot in the first week of September.




9 Jul 2015

Green candidates for London Mayor and GLA list

From the London Green Party

Less than 48 hours to go ... But there's still time for you to get involved in our Mayoral hustings THIS Saturday (11th July).
 
Yes, in less than 2 days London Green Party's Mayoral hustings will take place at Birkbeck College - start time 1.45pm, finish around 4.30pm.
 
Our six wannabee Green Mayoral candidates (announced below) will face each other, London Green members and members of the press in a Question Time style event which that will help you decide who you want to represent you as our Mayoral candidate.
 
There are still some places left in the audience for this event that could determine who you vote for in the selection. You could be there to put your question in person to the candidates. However, you do need to book your place in advance (don't worry, it's free!) and you can do this by clicking here for more details and tickets.
 
The event will be filmed, and we will be taking questions live on twitter to ask the candidates. If you would like to submit a question to be considered please email it to caroline.allen@greenparty.org.uk, with the subject 'Mayoral Hustings Question'. You can tweet during the event using the hashtag #GreenHustings (but don't forget that if you are tweeting using an official account you should not do anything that may be considered to promote any individual candidate(s).)
 
The Assembly list hustings will be taking place on the afternoon of Sunday 19th of July.
 
The Green Party currently have two Assembly Members, both selected via the regional lists – Darren Johnson and Baroness Jenny Jones. With the Green Party vote share increasing by more than three times in the recent General Election and our membership surging, the London Elections in May 2016 present the party with a fantastic opportunity to increase our representation on the Assembly. This means the candidates you select matter more than ever.
 
Click here for full details and tickets to see the candidates in action - these are free but you must sign up in advance to attend.
 

Announcing our candidates

 
London Green Party Electoral Returning Officer Adrian Williams and the Officers of the London Green Party are pleased to announce that the following members (listed in alphabetical order according to first names) have submitted valid nominations for candidacy to represent the Green Party in the 2016 GLA elections:
 
Mayoral Candidacy (of whom one will be selected)
 
Benali Hamdache, Caroline Russell, Jonathan Bartley, Rashid Nix, Sian Berry, and Tom Chance
 
London-wide Assembly List (of whom 11 will be selected to an ordered list)
 
Andrea Carey Fuller, Barry Cooper, Benali Hamdache, Caroline Russell, Dee Searle, Jonathan Bartley, Michael Gold, Noel Lynch, Peter Underwood, Rashid Nix, RoseMary Warrington, Shahrar Ali, Sian Berry, and Tom Chance.
 
Voting will take place throughout August conducted by the Electoral Reform Society using primarily an online system. Only those who were members at the close of nominations (29th June 2015) will be eligible to vote. Members will be required to cast preferences for the candidates as in a Single Transferable Vote (STV) election - in the case of the Assembly selection, the higher up the list a candidate is placed the more chance they have of being elected to the Assembly in May 2016.
 
Detailed information about the voting procedure will be issued alongside ballots. The results are expected to be announced in the first week of September.
 
Full details of the selection and the detailed framework can be found on the members' website by following the links. 
 
We wish all our candidates the best of luck!

A 'Cruel and counterproductive' budget-Caroline Lucas

Caroline Lucas MP has labelled yesterday’s emergency budget as ‘cruel and counterproductive’ after the Chancellor announced deep cuts in welfare spending and failed to propose serious action on climate change.


Lucas said:


“This cruel and counterproductive budget is dire news for people in Britain and a serious blow to the Government’s already stained record on climate change.


“The welfare cuts announced today will plunge thousands of people in poverty, and cause families to be evicted from their homes. I’m deeply concerned that my own constituents are set to face needless hardship as this Government continues its economically illiterate and utterly unjust mission to hack away at our welfare state and public services.


“This Government’s ideological obsession with welfare cuts is gutting our social security system. It’s now vital that the Labour Party quickly rises from its post-election slumber and fulfils its job as the official opposition – giving in to the Tories on an issue like the benefits cap cut would be an utter betrayal of the many people in Britain who are struggling to get by.”


Lucas labelled the budget as a ‘serious blow’ for the fight against climate change.


"There is an enourmous climate shaped hole in this budget.”


“Ministers know that climate change presents a huge threat to our economy and national security - not just to public health and our environment.  Yet George Osborne has refused to change direction and, in axing the climate-change levy exemption for renewable electricity and committing to further funding for road building, he’s putting progress on climate change in jeopardy . We’ve seen yet another example of reckless short-term policy making that prioritises the profits of polluters over the public interest in a safe and habitable climate."


Lucas has also cautiously welcomed the Chancellor’s promise to increase wages.


Inheritance tax needs ‘radical overhaul’


Lucas is calling for a ‘radical overhaul’ of inheritance tax policy so that levels of taxation depend on the wealth of the recipient, not the donor.


She said:


“The plan to raise the inheritance tax threshold will, according to Treasury’s own analysis, benefit high income and wealthy households.


“Only five constituencies in the entire country have average house prices above £1m – all of them in London. The rise in the threshold will benefit just the wealthiest, at a time when we’re seeing swingeing cuts to our welfare state.


“Given that at present inheritance tax is one of the easiest taxes to both avoid and evade, and the very rich often find ways of paying very little –it’s clear we need to radically rethink the whole policy.  


“The level of the tax should depend on the wealth of the recipient, not the donor, so that, for example, all bequests to individual recipients who have less than around £200,000 should be tax free. This would encourage people to spread their wealth more widely.”


6 Jul 2015

LONDON GREEN MAYORAL HUSTINGS JULY 11TH

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES FOR LONDON MAYOR - HUSTINGS SATURDAY JULY 11TH

 1.30pm-5pm 

Birkbeck, University of London Malet, Street Room B34 WC1E 7HX London 
Come and hear from the candidates standing to be the London Green Party Mayoral Candidate in this Question Time style event.

In August this year London Green Party members will vote on who they want to be our Mayoral candidate in 2016. This will be a high profile role and the winning candidate will be a key member of the London Green team in this election. The Mayoral candidate will have a fantastic opportunity to gain media coverage for London Greens as well as the chance to support and engage with local London Green parties and important London campaigns and organisations.


Please note this event is for LONDON GREEN PARTY MEMBERS ONLY.

The event will be filmed for those who cannot make it and note that the Assembly list hustings will be held the following Sunday. Many local parties are also planning hustings events.

Order your ticket/s here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mayoral-candidate-hustings-london-green-party-tickets-17467447606