Thursday, April 15, 2010

Peter Tatchell in Bristol

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I'll be introducing Peter Tatchell at a discussion event next Thurs, 22nd April, 8pm, The Thunderbolt pub, 124 Bath Rd, BS4 3ED. £3 on the door.

'Big business isn't working - why the future is Green' is the topic the prominent rights activist, campaigner and Green Party member will be speaking on. Click on image to enlarge.

For me Peter is an inspirational character who has shown great courage and persistence on both a personal and on a political level...whether its his attempt at a citizens arrest on Robert Mugabe, advocacy that we protest about the Pope's forthcoming visit to the UK, or his very persuasive argument for gay marriage via a civil ceremony as a benchmark for equal treatment under the law, and more...details via: http://www.petertatchell.net/

The Age of Stupid south east Bristol screening

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An Indie Screening of The Age of Stupid, the climate blockbuster from the director of McLibel, starring Pete Postlethwaite: Tues 20th April, 7.30pm, The Thunderbolt, 124 Bath Rd, Bristol BS4 3ED. Free entry. Click image to enlarge.

"You wont see a more important film this year" according to the News of the World.

"I defy anyone to come out and not feel like they've got to make a difference" Caroline Lucas, Green Party Leader.

Bristol Happiness Lectures 2010

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You may recall my post on the Happiness Lectures a couple of years ago. I wrote about sustainability-happiness connections. Many people are overloaded and stressed due to fast, urban lifestyles and long hours of work. They are often in debt, anxious and depressed, wasteful and polluting because of their dogged pursuit of more and more. People try to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ but gain no fulfillment from this as they go around the unsustainable viscious circle of consumption. Yet politicians in the big parties still say we need more consumption to get us out of recession!

I've written on happiness and related topics a fair amount (published in date order here). Thought I'd mention this year's Bristol Happiness Lectures taking place at St George's Hall on the Tuesday evening, of May 18th (see picture, click to enlarge). The lectures also mark the launch of the new improved edition of the book Find Your Power, now subtitled 'a toolkit for resilience and positive change' by Dr Chris Johnstone from Bristol University, a key thinker on happiness and related issues. Pity the lectures are not happening during the election campaign, to encourage discussion on wellbeing.

The new edition of Find Your Power has a forward from Rob Hopkins, of the Transition Movement. It has been updated to look more into our current context of economic uncertainty and climate challenge, and has new material on resilience, recovery from depression and addressing global issues. This is a book that can be applied to any kind of change - and it addresses both personal and planetary issues (including climate change and peak oil). I'll be reviewing Chris Johnstone's updated book in full on this blog later in May/June.

For more on the link between tackling depression and addressing global issues, see the article 'Resilience, Recovery and the Self-help SSRI' which can be downloaded from the writing page on Chris Johnstone's website at http://www.chrisjohnstone.info/writing.htm

Green Party | “87% of Britons would be better off” under Green Party’s recession-busting manifesto, says the candidate tipped by ICM, YouGov and Betfair to become UK’s first Green MP

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Green Party “87% of Britons would be better off” under Green Party’s recession-busting manifesto, says the candidate tipped by ICM, YouGov and Betfair to become UK’s first Green MP

The Green Party today launched its general election manifesto Fair is worth fighting for at the Brighton Metropole Hotel. The manifesto (1) was launched by Caroline Lucas, the Green Party leader who is tipped by pollsters and bookies to take the Brighton Pavilion seat on 6th May. Deputy leader and Norwich South candidate Adrian Ramsay also addressed the lively press conference, as did Darren Johnson, Green Party candidate for Lewisham Deptford and current chair of the London Assembly...

To see the key policies and read or download the manifesto click here:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/policies.html

DEMREF 2010 press release

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GLENN VOWLES ISSUES CHALLENGE TO FELLOW CANDIDATES TO BE OPEN WITH VOTERS ABOUT CLEANING UP POLITICS

Glenn Vowles, Green Party candidate for Bristol East has challenged other candidates in his constituency to openly state their views on reforms that might help to restore public trust following the scandal over politicians’ expenses.

Glenn has taken part in DEMREF 2010, the non-party election web initiative that allows voters to compare the reform policies of their candidates. He believes that all candidates should put themselves forward for voter scrutiny in this way, in the interests of openness and accountability, but the only other Bristol East candidate to take part so far is Lib Dem Mike Popham.

"Voters want to know where all politicians stand on reforming politics following the expenses scandal that has seriously damaged public trust," Mr Vowles said. "I challenge all my fellow candidates, especially Labour's Kerry McCarthy and the Tories Adeela Shafi, to take part in DEMREF 2010 so that the voting public can scrutinise our views and make an informed choice about which of us has the best policies for cleaning up politics."

DEMREF 2010 asks candidates for their views on fixed-term parliaments, free voting, the electoral system, open primaries, voting age, recalling MPs and House of Lords reform. There is also space for candidates to put forward their own favoured reforms.

Ends

Contact:

Glenn Vowles, tel 9717023
glennvowles@bristolgreenparty.org.uk

Notes for editors

DEMREF 2010 can be viewed at www.polinfluence.com/DEMREF2010.html

Voters concerned that their candidates have not taken part in DEMREF 2010 should simply text (standard charge) the name of their constituency (no other information required) to 07770 503610 and a reminder will be sent to the relevant candidates.

To take part in DEMREF 2010, candidates should email tony.samphier@btinternet.com