Strong-willed, independent-minded MPs - yes please!

The Bristol Evening Post has been doing its own examination of local MPs expenses. The other day it was my MP Bristol East's Kerry McCarthy's turn (story here). One thing that is striking about the whole expenses affair is how a large proportion of MPs are far from strong-willed, independent-minded individuals. Take this quote from the Post's story,

Ms McCarthy, 44, who won her Bristol seat in 2005, said: "When you get elected, you ask the older hands what you do and they were quite adamant that you should claim for this or that because that's what you were entitled to."

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For me these words illustrate the point I'm making very well. Do we really want to elect people who cant find their own way and dont make up their own mind? Kerry seems to think it perfectly acceptable to go along with the crowd without thinking and questioning (Either that or she is giving us lame excuses for the choices she made). Surely we need our key decision-makers to have more character than this?? Mind you maybe the the qualities Ms McCarthy has are the reason she has become a junior whip.

Councillor Brown made "racial slur" and "breached code of conduct" but no sanction is required!?!

Can you square these two statements in todays local paper report about the council officer investigation of the 'coconut' slur used by Cllr Brown against Cllr Jethwa (pictured)? The council official first says,

"I am of the view that Councillor Brown breached the code of conduct for members in that she failed to treat a fellow councillor with respect by using a racial slur during the full council debate on February 24."

But goes on to say,

"If I am asked to recommend a sanction then I would say that no further action is required given that Councillor Brown apologised for her comments."

Rules for behaviour mean little or nothing if they are not enforced - ask any parent, teacher, lawyer...We need to expect and demand more from people elected to represent us, whether its over expenses, behaviour and language use in debates, behaviour that is reasonably consistent with policies they are advocating for the rest of us, or whatever.

Lib Dem fix for Bristol???

Can we fix it? Yes we can! So say both Bob the Builder and US President Barack Obama – and now that they have at last won overall control of Bristol City Council Bristol’s Liberal Democrats have a clear opportunity to fix Bristol. Their manifesto, called ‘Six to Fix’ gives what are in some cases pretty specific benchmarks against which we will all be able to assess their progress, though these most often relate to small scale change in the city not tackling a bigger or general problem and timescales for changes are, with one exception, absent.

To give them credit, Bristol’s Liberal Democrats have performed extremely well in order to get into this position. They know how to fight elections very well indeed. They took four seats from Labour in the recent local elections in addition to successfully defending all eleven of the seats they previously held, including a threat to their Ashley seat from the Green Party. They were helped by the very poor Labour performance – they lost eight out of the ten seats they defended (four to Tories, four to the Lib Dems) and only narrowly held on to the two seats they won. Thus ended years of a ‘hung’ council where no party had overall control, which featured see-saw politics and two parties always ganging up on the other through unholy alliance – this is a very good opportunity to give Bristol some firm direction and leadership.

There are some tough problems to solve. The Lib Dems have said they want to ‘Cut congestion and get better transport for all’ (including backing suburban rail; more money for road safety, pedestrians and cyclists; introducing a cashless ‘Oyster Card’ for Bristol buses). Under the transport heading issues like residents parking and air quality wont go away. The key benchmark of progress here is congestion.

Lib Dem policy two is ‘A clean and green city’ (which includes more money for street cleaning, getting tough on flytipping; a ‘parkie’ in every major park and more play areas for children; fighting the green belt grab and preserving our green spaces). It will be very interesting indeed to see the extent to which the Lib Dems oppose building on Bristol’s green belt, particularly since Bristol City Football Club propose to build a new stadium on green land in Ashton Vale, where many houses are also proposed and at least part of which is green belt. All party leaders except the Greens have given public and enthusiastic support to the proposed new City stadium in principle and they are backing a bid to bring World Cup football to Bristol, which a new stadium would be necessary for. Amount of green belt and other green space built on is a key indicator here. I’d also add that the total carbon emissions of the city are a key indicator because everyone recognises that low carbon emissions are a key feature of being green – and the connection with cutting congestion is obvious.

‘Boost Bristol’s Bobbies’ says policy three (including a fair share of police; campaign against ID cards; new crime reduction schemes on repeat offenders and violent partners). Police and Community Support Officer numbers are easily counted and tracked but this does not necessarily mean more peaceful, orderly, lower crime neighbourhoods, so the benchmark is not so straightforward. Real, effective leadership would give us less crime and more peace and order.

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The Lib Dems get very specific about policy 4, which promises ‘Three new libraries, a new school [North Bristol] and a new pool [East Bristol]’. This policy includes a promise to ‘fix Labours school places mess’. This year saw chaos for parents and pupils trying to find the school place they need and want for their child and so this pledge to ensure that 2010 sees no repeat of the previous fiasco. The local press has described this as a poisoned chalice!! We will all be able to see whether the various facilities are built and whether school places – but there is no promise on an overall improvement in the quality of education and it looks like the Lib Dems will implement most if not all of the plans to create bigger primary schools which wont be popular in many places and is seen by some as going against the quality of the educational experience. Real, effective leadership would improve the quality of education, not that this is straightforward to assess!

The pledges in policy five ‘Beat Gordon Brown’s recession in Bristol’ (including keeping the council tax as low as possible and campaigning for it to be scrapped; extra help on debt for small businesses and individuals; investment in training and apprenticeships) are more nebulous and designed to pick up votes during a time of recession. We all know that the council cannot make Bristol a recession-free zone and everybody would subscribe to the other policies under this heading the way they are worded!

Policy six ‘50% recycling by 2010 and no incinerator’ (which includes switching from a large, dirty incinerator to clean and cheap new technology; free corn starch brown bin liner bags; reversing the recycling rate drop under Labour) really should be under the ‘clean and green city’ heading. Mass incineration has already been abandoned, though putting alternative approaches into practice within a decent budget is doable but not straightforward. ‘Free’ corn starch bags will need to show that they can more than make up for the carbon cost of producing and consuming them and for their financial cost to the council but its uncertain that all the required data to make the assessments was sought by the council beforehand. Improving Labour’s recycling record wont be difficult because their work on this was poor – achieving a 50% [household waste] recycling rate by 2010 would be great (and a target with a timescale makes a change!). We still need to push on a lot from there if we are to have a low waste city though and someone (central govt??) needs to get a grip on total waste, most of which is not generated in households of course.

Council Leader Janke backs new stadium and world cup bid

Stories relating to the proposed new Bristol City stadium and the possibility of World Cup football coming to Bristol abound - the Bristol Evening Post is really going to town on this one. Here (and here) are a few more stories in todays paper about Council Leader Barbara Janke support for the bid and new stadium and the support of a local publican (yesterday they had a story about support from 'Germany' as the Post exaggeratedly put it). My reaction to Barbara Janke's big involvement in the online comments is below.

Lib Dem Council Leader Barbara Janke is not the person who grants planning permission to BCFC. Permission is given or denied by the relevant planning committee following input from officers and members of the public etc. Planning committees are statutory not political in nature, at least they are supposed to be!! Whilst I hope that councillors also use their good sense when making judegments on planning applications they have to apply certain criteria - and world cup or premiership football aspirations are not amongst these (and in any case they are transient, uncertain factors).

Fairly assessing the proposed new Bristol City stadium

The Bristol Evening Post reports, again how a new stadium for Bristol City is crucial to the success of the bid to have World Cup football in Bristol. I think what we need to keep in mind here is how the city can best come to a fair decision. There are certain factors that, under current planning law and guidance, are not legitimate planning criteria against which the application should be judged. These include: World Cup games in Bristol aspirations; Bristol City FC premiership aspirations; support for the application from the local media for the stadium; support from political party leaders for the stadium; support from a multi-millionaire and major supermarket chain for the stadium proposal. These things therefore, at least in theory, should not affect decision making - I sincerely hope that this is the case.

I agree with a lot of what Andy, Tony and Rob said (below), commenting on the Post story. Tony's blog is well worth a read (http://simplysouthville.blogspot.com/).

It is not the stadium plan that is the most contentious thing here; it is the way in which the local people and the council are being hoodwinked and pressurised into giving it a green light.The constant press releases from the football club, and the incessant white noise in the evening post serve to crank the pressure to approve the scheme. The England world cup bid could easily fail; the Bristol bid (dependent on the stadium) could also easily fail: then the football club will have landed their only real prize, and the rest of Bristol will be left with a vague sense of having been duped.Evening Post - wake up to yourselves, it is not your job to campaign for Bristol City Football Club, or Tesco. How about being impartial for a change?????

Andy, Bristol

The article says: "The council's local plan has Ashton Gate earmarked for housing. But times have changed since the plan was written."The times may have changed but the need for affordable family housing hasn't. One thing does remain and that is we don't need another supermarket in this area of Bristol.Are the powers that be really going to rush through a planning application that could damage the area forever, for the sake of two or three potential World Cup games in nine years time. Let's do it right. A development at Ashton Gate that will benefit the local community and a new stadium for City that it can afford. Tesco a 'white knight'? More like the Grim Reaper for Southville and Ashton.

Tony, http://simplysouthville.blogspot.com/

A large car park, a supermarket in a tin shed and a petrol filling station - is that the best anyone at Bristol City can come up with for their old ground?It would be a complete waste of a great opportunity. OK the World Cup in Bristol would be great, but it will only last for four weeks. We will be stuck with the consequences for a lot longer.

Rob, Crews Hole Report

Anne Widdecombe for Speaker !!

If I was now an MP I'd be voting for Anne Widdecombe to be the new Speaker of the House of Commons. She's not my political colour of course and I dont agree with her views on religion but she is of very strong principle and conviction, she is, as far as I am aware, completely untainted by the expenses scandal, she is very independent-minded, is well known by the public and connects very well with them. Its important that we dont get yet another Speaker from the Labour Party because the last two have come from them. Crucially Anne has said that she would only be Speaker up to the next general election, which is very important for me. Its not right for the current House of Commons, which has many discredited MPs and procedures, to choose a Speaker to serve a long term in office. Far better for the credibility and reputation of the Speaker and of the House of Commons for a new set of MPs to make a choice of Speaker for the more usual, longer period in office.

'Redacted Dawn' Primarolo's week

Its not been a good week for Bristol South MP and new Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo. The Bristol Evening Post reported on Wednesday that she is to lose her funding from Unison because the trade union are protesting against the privatisation of public services and only want to work with MPs who 'stand up for the union's values' ('MP will no longer be 'bankrolled'', Bristol Evening Post, 17 June 2009).

On Thursday Dawn was again under pressure about her expenses when the Daily Telegraph reported that 'Dawn Primarolo claimed on second home in Bristol. In 2004, switched to London flat and claimed mortgage interest payments'.

And of course House of Commons officials did Dawn and her fellow MPs no favours at all by blanking out huge amounts of information on expenses receipts they finally published - making it impossible to trace the presence or absence of abuse/wrongdoing. The Bristol Evening Post wont make the coming weeks that easy for local MPs either as they have said 'There are literally thousands of receipts and documents which we will plough through to report on each MP.'

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Scrutiny of everything MPs do is great for democracy, whether by the media, unions or whoever. My concern about some of the proposals emanating from Gordon Brown is that they consist of more layers of bureaucracy which over time might turn out to be little better than than current House of Commons authorities. I'd like scrutiny and accountability to be much more direct to voters.

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Asides:

Unison has done some very good green work, see http://www.unison.org.uk/green/ .

Further information on the work of the Green Party Trade Union Group,

http://www.gptu.net/pssess4X/3c/hpage.shtml

Questions to Council's Cabinet on: hedgerow loss; green belt; environmental decision making

Questions to be put to the Bristol City Council Cabinet meeting of 25 June, for the attention of Cllr Gary Hopkins:

*Hedgerow loss due to Cycle Houses
Plans for the development of ‘cycle houses’ on the former Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Factory site have been granted planning permission. The development would, unless modified, mean the destruction of approximately 150 metres of mature hawthorn hedgerow. Hedgerows are of high landscape and conservation value. They add diversity to and are a traditional feature of the landscape. They provide foraging, roosting and nesting sites for birds. They are rich in animal and plant species (around 500 vascular plant species are found in UK hedgerows). They are home to many types of insect, mollusc, spider and small animal. They act as wildlife corridors allowing flora and fauna, including birds, foxes, badgers, mice and other small mammals, beetles and molluscs, routes for dispersal from remnant islands of habitat through an increasingly hostile landscape.

1.Can you confirm that Bristol City Council has sold to the developers a plot of land on/adjacent to the Bristol to Bath Railway Path that includes the 150 metre (approx) hedgerow referred to and that the Liberal Democrat administration authorised this sale?

2. Did the Bristol Liberal Democratic Party at any time in the last year appeal to the developers to modify their cycle house plans so that hedgerow loss was avoided?

*Development on green belt land
1.Should large scale development be permitted on green belt land around Bristol, whether the development impinges on green belt in whole or part?

2.If development is permitted on green belt land should the developers plans and designs be required to compensate as much as is practically possible for all the environmental impacts they cause eg through maximising the use of green design, green technology and green schemes?

*Environmental decision making and corn starch bags
In a debate on Cllr Bolton’s blog I said ‘…the decision on the [corn starch] bags has been taken without full information being sought! This is irrational. Environmental decision making should be put on a firm evidence-based process. This has not been done by any party running the council…’ to which you Cllr Hopkins replied ‘I do not base my judgements on guesses but on evidence’. My subsequent request for data on the total environmental impacts of the corn starch bags in this debate was not replied to and so I doubt that full information has in fact been sought.

1. What figures does the council have for the carbon footprint of these corn starch bags, in order to assess whether they more than make up for their carbon cost?

2. What figures does the council have for any other environmental costs the corn starch bags may have eg water footprint, land take, biodiversity impacts...?

3.Can you outline if/how you intend to quantitatively and fully assess the net effects of corn starch bag introduction: on the environment; on the economics of waste management for Bristol?

Met Office climate change projections: serious consequences for us all

The latest climate science projections from the highly respected Met Office can be found here. Below I've reproduced the key Met Office findings for the South West of England by 2080. The graph shows the regional temperature increase by 2050.

Medium emissions scenario

*Under medium emissions, the central estimate of increase in winter mean temperature is 2.8ºC; it is very unlikely to be less than 1.6ºC and is very unlikely to be more than 4.3ºC.

*Under medium emissions, the central estimate of increase in summer mean temperature is 3.9ºC; it is very unlikely to be less than 2.1ºC and is very unlikely to be more than 6.4ºC.

*Under medium emissions, the central estimate of change in winter mean precipitation is 23%; it is very unlikely to be less than 6% and is very unlikely to be more than 54%.

*Under medium emissions, the central estimate of change in summer mean precipitation is –23%; it is very unlikely to be less than –49% and is very unlikely to be more than 6%.

The consequences for us all and for our society and economy are very serious due to more floods, droughts, heat waves, storms, impacts on health and public services like rail travel, impacts on food production....The costs of inaction on tackling climate change far exceed the costs of taking effective action now.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/18/uk-weather-climate-impact-report

Bristol Airport submits expansion plans

The local paper today reports that plans for the expansion of Bristol International Airport have just been submitted. Included in the report is this statement,

Robert Sinclair, chief executive officer of Bristol International Airport, said:

“The application has been modified to address the key concerns raised.

"It now strikes the right balance between allowing the sustainable development of the airport to meet the long-term demand for air travel to and from this region, while also reducing and mitigating the environmental effects.”

...The airport said it will also commit to maintaining CO2 emissions at or below 2007 levels...

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This shows a complete (and deliberate??) misunderstanding of what sustainable development means. Maintaining carbon emssions at 2007 levels is the committment - but the new Climate Change Act states that we need to make deep cuts!! Cuts in emissions of 80% by 2050...are completely inconsistent with plans for airport expansion here and in many other parts of the UK.

Mind you, like several of the commenters on the Evening Post website, I do think the plans look 'wonderful/very good/fantastic' - I'd happily sell off the stabilty, security and sustainability of future generations in order to get what I want today - NOT.

Greens are about all issues and how they interconnect

Great article here (and reproduced below) by Jenny Jones, Green Party London Assembly member and longstanding senior figure in the party. She is right to say that Greens address all issues and how they interconnect and interrelate....you would not be able to build a sustainable society, reconciling the economic and social with the environmental, otherwise!!

There are many shades of Green:

It's disappointing to see someone of Leo Hickman's stature reinforcing old stereotypes. His assertion that the Greens are a "one-issue" party is plainly wrong and his reasoning – that "the clue's in the name" – doesn't entirely stack up.

Let's think about this for a moment. Suppose there was a party called... oh, I don't know, let's say Labour. By Leo Hickman's reasoning we would all assume it was a one-issue party that dealt only with employment issues. Its flagship policy would be Jobcentre Plus. It would have no policy on crime, because crime isn't work. It could have no policy on defence, health or public transport, except insofar as wages and contracts were concerned. Is that what we would assume about a party called Labour?

Possibly the Greens are asking for trouble because they have a flower as their logo. But then, so does Labour. And the Lib Dems have a startled chicken, but would anyone say this aptly symbolised the Liberal Democrats? (Ok, I concede that particular point).

It always was strange that people would describe the Greens as "single issue". You only ever had to look at our manifesto to see policies on everything that everyone else had policies on.

It's also a fundamental misrepresentation. The Green party – formerly the Ecology party – formerly People – has an ecological perspective. Ecology is about everything and how it all interconnects. How could anyone ever see everything and how it all interconnects as a single issue?

This is what's distinctive about the Green party: it is the original party of joined-up thinking. The other parties have traditionally seen issues as though they were separate things in separate boxes. So, for example, transport policy was only about moving people and goods from A to B. But ask a Green to invent a transport policy for you, and they wouldn't know how to be so narrow. A Green or ecological perspective will, by its very nature, think of the thing itself and how it interconnects with everything else. Hence transport and climate change; transport and social inclusion; transport and congestion and the resulting costs to businesses; transport and disruption of communities; the impacts of transport's noise and air pollution on health; transport and external costs; and so on. That's how you end up with a Green transport policy, as opposed to endless roadbuilding, airport expansions and the highest rail fares in Europe.

That the party that blazed new trails and pioneered joined-up thinking was caricatured as single issue, against all logic, against all evidence, is one of the big ironies of modern British politics.

Most of the time, most people get most of their information about politics from the mass media. It's a relief to see that the media have recently been giving more attention, for instance, to the Green party's economic policies. Indeed, one highly respected journalist in the Daily Telegraph last week congratulated the Green Party for being ahead of the economic curve with its Green New Deal. But the reappearance of the "one-issue Greens" myth in the Guardian, of all places, in the last few days shows that the falsehood still lives.

Whoever this falsehood serves, it doesn't serve the British voter. Democracy depends on good information. The media acknowledge their duty to tell the truth. I think there's one major task the UK media could undertake now, while British politics is in such a state of disarray that the British voter is clamouring for sweeping reforms. It's this: tell the British voter about the Green party. Not about its environment policy, but about its million-jobs manifesto. Its commitment to re-regulating the buses and doubling the number of them. Its policy for re-nationalising the railways and slashing rail fares. Its policy of rescuing the NHS from privatisation, restoring free dental care and dramatically improving maternity services.

These are good policies, and they're policies only the Green party is offering. They're popular policies, and the readers and viewers and listeners would like to hear about them. Telling the voters about all of this can only be a good thing for British democracy.

Unelected master of manipulation Mandelson is really running the country

Give him credit (and his full 37 word post-reshuffle title), the Right Honourable Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham, Lord President of the Council, First Secretary of State, and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, has not taken long since Gordon Brown brought him back from his unelected position within the European Union to become the unelected person who is really running the country.

We have been told by our politicians that they will change our discredited democracy to bring it closer to the people. In the new Brown Cabinet 7 members/attendees come from the unelected House of Lords: Mandelson (Business…plus kitchen sink!!), Adonis (Transport), Malloch-Brown (Foreign Office) , Drayson (Business, Innovation, Skills), Scotland (Attorney General), Royall (Lords Leader), Kinnock (Europe). This is a higher proportion than for many, many decades. Not a good start is it!!!

Tesco's revised plans for a car park on The Friendship pub garden

Copy of an email sent by me to Bristol City Council.

For the attention of Ron Moss, case officer now dealing with application 08/04903/F:

I'm writing to express my continued opposition to Tesco plans to build a car park over the pub garden of The Friendship Inn in Knowle. The revised plans recently submitted by Tesco are entirely inappropriate for this part of Knowle as they would make the roads less safe and local quality of life worse.

In April all councillors on the planning committee, with the exception of the chair, expressed big concerns about Tesco's plans, having gone to the site to assess things directly - and several of them expressed fundamental concerns, not just concerns about the design.

Both local councillors oppose the plans. A petition with thousands of names on it opposes the plans. Tens of locals have written to express road safety concerns. Local green campaigners have expressed concerns about further traffic and pollution, loss of trees and green space. Real Ale campaigners have told the council they want to see the a local pub survive on this spot. Bristol Civic Society has applied for the pub to have listed building status. The local shopping centre and small businesses in the area are opposed to the plans. Each distinct group agrees with the concerns expressed by the other groups!

What concerns me about the letter the council sent informing me of revised plans is this sentence,

'We may not contact you again until a decision is made, unless the application is to be considered by the Development Control Committee, or is withdrawn.'

This makes it sound like it is not definite that the planning committee will look at the revised plans and take representations from those concerned (or supportive) of what is proposed. There are major concerns about these plans from a wide spectrum of people and they certainly need to go to before the planning committee.

10 More Green MEPs across EU, Green vote in UK up but no extra MEPs

The five seats shown as Green include 2 Green Party, 2 Scottish Nationalist and 1 Plaid Cymru (these parties all belong to the Green/EFA group in the EU Parliament).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/euro/09/html/ukregion_999999.stm

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Full breakdown of Green/EFA results via this link. Ten additional Green/EFA MEPs, in the main due to significant gains in France (8 more MEPs).

http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dok/288/288971.2009_european_elections_results@en.htm

Green local elections gains, including Devon and Glos, but not in Bristol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/09/html/region_99999.stm

Vote Green: positive, principled politics

News from the Green Party:

Green Party leader wins ethical politician award - again!

Observer ethical awards honour Caroline Lucas MEP for second time

On the eve of the European elections, with the Greens showing at a record 15% in today's ComRes poll, the Green Party is proud to announce that Dr Caroline Lucas MEP is to be named as the Ethical Politician of the Year in the fourth annual Observer Ethical Awards.

Caroline Lucas beat Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable and Conservative leader David Cameron to the top spot - picking up the prestigious award for a second time.

Caroline, a passionate campaigner on social justice, green economics, the environment and animal welfare – at both the grassroots level and in the European Parliament – also won the title in 2007 against David Cameron and Gordon Brown, and is delighted to have been chosen to receive the award once again by readers of the Observer.

Dr Lucas said: "I am honoured that Observer readers have chosen to recognise my work in this way – it means a great deal. At a time of serious political malaise, economic upheaval and environmental challenges, the Greens’ positive vision for the future has never been more important. The party’s policies to create up to a million new green jobs, tackle climate change, protect public services and safeguard civil liberties are at the forefront of efforts to create a new political landscape in which people and planet are always at the heart of decision making.

"I am proud to be a member of a political organisation with strong principles and clear ideas, which is driven by a determination to bring progressive, engaging and ethical politics into the mainstream."

For more information on the Observer Ethical Awards, please visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/observer-ethical-awards.

UKIP: we need genuine euro sceptics not this negative, reactionary, backward-looking mish-mash of mavericks

Searches on the web for information on the political parties before tomorrow's local and Euro elections shows that more people are now looking for information on the Green Party than any other party, except UKIP (graph here). Voters, apalled by the MPs expenses scandal, should beware of voting UKIP as an alternative to the Labour, Conservative or other parties however - not least because their record on personal ethics is a very poor one (see below)!!

UKIP centres mostly on what it does not want and what it is opposed to rather than putting forward a positive and coherent strategy (which they dont have anyway). We need genuine euro-sceptics to challenge the current grossly undemocratic EU. UKIP are a negative, reactionary, backward-looking mish-mash of mavericks who often have more in common with the notorious Republican candidate for Vice President of the USA, Sarah Palin, than British people with good sense who rightly question much about the current EU. Some key members of UKIP dont believe in Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection and are in denial about climate change despite overwhelming, independent evidence, which has been verified over and again - these are not people who are in the 21st century!! (See here).

Open Europe, an independent think tank which questions 'ever closer union' as a feature of the EU, ranked UKIP's leader tenth from bottom in a league table of our MEPs for transparency, accountability, democracy and waste. Of the bottom thirteen MEPs six are from UKIP. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas came top the British MEPs in Open Europe's league table.

In the 2004 Euro election UKIP had 12 MEP's elected - but now only 8 remain to represent us. Former leader Roger Knapman left, accusing current leader Nigel Farage of being more interested in plush offices than principles (Farage has reportedly boasted about using his £2million worth of EU allowances to finance his campaigning). Robert Kilroy-Silk left after his leadership bid failed. Ashely Mote was convicted of benefit fraud and kicked out. Tom Wise was charged with money laundering and kicked out. That these people were amongst those selected as candidates to begin with shows very poor judgement and standards (more here).

More analysis of UKIP as a party against progress here.

Labour voters badly let down by the ethics, economics and ecology of Brown and Darling

The two individuals in the Labour Govt people need to have trust in more than anyone are PM and former Chancellor Gordon Brown and current Chancellor Alistair Darling. Great power over us is vested in them. However, to put it mildly they are letting us all down very badly. Labour voters in very large numbers feel particularly let down and many are transferring their vote to the Greens, a natural home for the progressive centre/left (see here). I sense significant denial, the unconscious defense mechanism characterized by refusal to acknowledge painful realities, thoughts, or feelings, in Mr Brown and Mr Darlings ethics, economics and ecology (along with many other MPs and political parties in fact).

Alistair Darling's ethics have been seriously questioned. He is under fire for claiming expenses to cover accountancy advice. He has 'flipped' his Edinburgh/London properties four times in four years to great financial gain. The latest is that the far from right and honorable Mr Darling is to repay around £700 of wrongly claimed expenses, despite denying he had claimed for two properties at the same time!! This man is supposed to be in politics for social justice reasons for goodness sake!

Its not just Alistair Darling's ethical credentials that are under question. His economic and environmental credentials are under fire too. He has, along with Gordon Brown, presided over virtually unprecedented economic chaos and failed to put in place what is needed to give people secure, stable and sustainable livelihoods. Increasing numbers of voters, progressive [now former] Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters in particular, are looking to plans such as the Green New Deal as the best option (one million jobs for starters, and kick-starting a green industrial revolution involving: wind-turbine and solar panel manufacture; more trains, trams and buses; jobs-rich sustainable waste management systems; a revolution in UK agricultural output...).

The Aviation White Paper which laid the foundation for massive air travel and airport expansion, is apparently one of Alistair Darling's key 'achievements' during his period, before becoming Chancellor, as Minister for Transport. His work, that of Gordon Brown, and work done under their direction assumed: an optimistic outlook for the UK and the global economy; an ongoing rosy picture for the aviation industry; stable and fairly low oil prices...the exact reverse has happened! Neither Darling or Brown have environmental credentials to speak of, not least because the exploration of and planning for aviation expansion on their watch took little or no account of carbon emissions targets and the socio-economic consequences of climate change.
There are many further examples of the work of Brown and Darling I could detail such as plans to build hundreds of miles of roads and expanding the number of coal-fired power stations whilst simultaneously saying that climate change is the most serious threat we face...

With such 'leadership' its no wonder that half the public feel that half our MPs are corrupt and very large numbers want a general election before the year is out (see survey details here).

Greens overtake Lib Dems and battle UKIP for third place - new poll

The polls are pretty volatile at present but even so this latest one shows excellent and growing support for the Greens (see comment direct from the Green Party below). At this level of support Ricky Knight would become the first Green MEP for the South West and many other Greens would be elected and re-elected across the UK.

Greens on 15% overtake LibDems

Big vote predicted for "a million green jobs to tackle recession and climate crisis at same time"

A poll to be published the day before the European elections suggests the battle for third place will be between the Green Party, the LibDems and UKIP.

In the new poll, conducted by ComRes (1), the Greens have overtaken the LibDems for the first time since 1989. The poll suggests the Greens may be about to match their historic 1989 Euro-election vote of 15%.

The poll shows support for the different parties as follows:

Conservative: 24%
Labour: 22%
UKIP: 17%
Green: 15%
Lib Dems: 14%
BNP 2%

If the poll proves accurate, the Greens will probably win seats in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West and Eastern regions plus Scotland, as well as holding existing seats in London and the South East. The Greens may even scoop up a second seat in the South East, with Brighton councillor Keith Taylor joining party leader Caroline Lucas, who was first elected in 1999.

Last Sunday's Telegraph/ICM poll showed the Greens on 11%, ahead of UKIP nationally for the first time in the campaign. The Sunday Telegraph suggested that "the resurgent Greens" might win eight seats.

And in an earlier Green Party/YouGov poll, 34% of respondents said they would either definitely vote Green or consider voting Green if they knew more about the party.

A party spokesperson said: "It's not all protest vote. I think our manifesto for a million jobs, aimed at tackling the recession and the climate crisis at the same time, has probably struck a chord with a lot of people.

"In the last few days of the campaign we need to work hard to mobilise the Green vote, because in a proportional election every vote counts. A 15% Green vote would mean a half-dozen or more extra Green MEPs to go and fight for those million jobs in the Green New Deal."


Note:

1. Poll commissioned by the Green Party. Fieldwork carried out 29-31 May 2009. Sample size 1,005 GB adults, polled by telephone.

Liberal Democrat voters the largest group likely to switch to the Greens, followed by Labour voters

Just had the Liberal Democrat Party European election leaflet through my door. A lot of it is, surprise, surprise, pretty unremarkable. However, it does feature a paragraph worthy of comment on the Greens (along with paragraphs on the Conservatives and Labour) entitled ‘Their record of shame’ (the title’s a bit rich I’d say, given that several Lib Dem MPs have been forced by public pressure to repay expenses claimed)!! Now, this paragraph is interesting because poll evidence shows that the largest group that would consider switching to the Greens are Lib Dem voters, even though its usually far more common for Greens to attract former Labour voters, who this time came second!! Obviously the Lib Dem Party feel the threat to their vote from Greens.

This is what the Lib Dem Party’s inaccurate misrepresentation said,

‘The Green Party have always been anti-EU even though it is our best chance of tackling climate change. The EU has helped to clean up British rivers and beaches and ban animal testing of cosmetics, but the Green Party let their ideology get in the way of getting things done for the environment.’

*Greens ‘anti-EU’??

Frankly the Lib Dem Party should be much more questioning about the current EU which has been distorted by vested political and economic interests into a union dominated by economic interests, which lacks democratic control, and promotes the goals of multinational corporations, not of people. Greens are not campaigning to withdraw from the EU but we do believe that it should be radically reformed so that its made up of overlapping, co-operative, democratic, decentralised groupings of nations and regions. (More detail on the Green view of Europe here).

*Greens ‘let their ideology get in the way of getting things done for the environment’??

First the list of Green initiatives for people (just some of them shown in the long list below) in itself shows that we get things done (The Lib Dem Party still have not got the idea that being Green is not just about the environment and should note the wide range of our economic, social and political as well as environmental initiatives below). Second, the statement is illogical because Green ideology is itself about getting environmental things done, in combination with the social, economic and political, through the principle and practice of sustainability.

For you
Ensured better regulations for consumer goods
Won support for tougher laws on animal protection
Worked for urgent action on climate change and the environment
Promoted peace and human rights at home and abroad
Opposed the privatisation of public services and the closure of local post offices
Campaigned to end the Parliament’s wasteful two seat arrangement in Brussels and Strasbourg
Worked towards a more local, organic and sustainable food system
Ensured the health of EU citizens is put at the heart of European policy making
Demanded a global economy which puts people before profit
Promoted a fairer system of world trade to help reduce poverty

For women
Backed EU wide action to help ensure that women are guaranteed a life free from all violence
Secured support for the EU’s Cancer Task Force to investigate the environmental causes of cancer, (delete including) especially breast cancer
Called on members of the European Union to ensure that all women can fully enjoy the right to reproductive and sexual health care and information
Campaigned for the EU to fund improvements to maternal health, specifically to prevent deaths in child birth, across the world
Challenged whether the UK’s lax licensing laws for lap dancing clubs are a breach of European legislation designed to promote equality of treatment in the workplace

For workers
Demanded a massive investment in green industry and employment training, to create hundreds of thousands of new green-collar jobs here in the UK
Called on the European Commission to review the impact of the Posted Workers Directive on national jobs
Lobbied the UK authorities about better protection for temporary workers, including guaranteeing the same basic working and employment conditions as other employees doing the same job
Backed EU plans to limit the working week, giving people the chance to opt for a better work-life balance
Worked alongside trade unions to challenge the privatisation of public services and the impact this has on workers rights and job security

For the LGBT community
Led a European Parliament campaign for mutual recognition of civil partnerships between different countries
Called on the European Commission to condemn LGBT oppression in places like Iran, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain and Honduras
Backed calls for a new law that would outlaw hate crimes perpetrated against LGBT people
Urged the British government to offer asylum to those fleeing persecution because of their sexuality or gender identity
Placed pressure on Eastern European countries to fully support LGBT rights, including backing PRIDE marches

For older people
Called for a £165 a week non-means-tested citizens’ pension for every pensioner in the UK
Challenged the UK’s decision to withdraw entitlement to free adult education for many older people
Ensured that EU law on equality and employment (is there some text missing here?), by opposing a mandatory retirement age
Supported constituents whose pensions schemes have failed
Helped protect constituents’ right to health care when they retire and live some of the time in another European country

For younger people
Campaigned to protect higher and further education from being run for profit
Encouraged the EU to provide more funding for cross-cultural programmes between young people in different countries
Worked hard to ensure that the internet remains accessible to all
Called for a Europe wide strategy to combat the trafficking of children
Demanded that children seeking asylum in the UK are not kept in detention
Supported NGO initiatives to promote greater public understanding of younger people

Should council tax payers help fund the proposed Bristol City stadium development??

Tesco's desire to turn Bristol City's Ashton Gate stadium into a superstore are again in the news. This time the concerns of local businesses and people are reported and lively online debate included:

'Mr Landsdown says...he needs Tesco's money. What will he need next, a subsidy from the Council?' (Rob, Crews Hole).

Indeed he will Rob. In yesterday's Post Steve Lansdown is quoted as saying this,

"There's a feeling that Steve Lansdown is going to pay for the lot but the city of Bristol has to pay for some of it because this is going to be around for a lot longer than I am. I'll pay for some of it but there are others who can chip in as well."

Mr Lansdown it seem wants: to build over green space; wants Tesco and council tax payers money to help him do so; wants to push the whole process along by exerting his not inconsiderable influence, along with that of the media, Tesco, the FA...on the leaders of the big three parties on the council (who in turn will influence all councillors - including those on the relevant planning committee). I doubt that he is concerned at all about the impacts on the diverse range of businesses already operating in the area.

Greens are the most trusted party: the evidence

Recent polling evidence shows that the Green Party is by far the most trusted. Voters were asked by You Gov which party's politicians they thought were most likely to put their own financial interests before the interests of their country. The results:



*Labour - least trusted, named by 45% as likely to put self-interest first.
*

*Conservatives - almost as bad, named by 40%
*
*BNP - 20%
*
*Liberal Democrats - 16%
*
*UKIP - 15%
*
*Green Party - most trusted, named by just 5% as likely to put self-interest first.

This is of course in the same week that campaign group Open Europe rated the Green Party's leader Caroline Lucas as the joint best British MEP on accountability, transparency and reform (details here) and Joanna Lumley urged people to vote Green.

Remembering all who fought for us

Excellent post on the BNP over at James Barlow's blog. Well worth a visit.

Proposed Bristol City Stadium: unbalanced, biased reporting

Further reporting of the proposed new Bristol City stadium in the local paper today, with a very biased, lengthy report mainly consisting of the views of multi-millionaire Steve Lansdown. Its a big concern that Bristol's politicians are already saying an enthusiasctic yes to the proposed Bristol City stadium. We need leaders with a bit of spine, objectivity and good judgement - unfortuneately recent events show us that the Lab, Lib Dem and Conservative Parties dont give us this.

There is a formal planning process to go through. This is the law and its not too much to ask that its done properly is it?? Both the principle and the designs have yet to be approved. Many issues, such as loss of green spaces, are controversial and much that has been used to support the stadium proposal eg world cup football and/or rugby in Bristol, is highly speculative. We need politicians to properly think through the kinds of development that are truly beneficial both in the short, medium and long term. Unfortuneately these days it seems that the big political parties are more interested in where the 'big money' is and in the kudos they can get by being associated with 'glamorous' projects.

The rich and powerful behind Bristol City, Tesco and developers should not be allowed disproportionate influence. Its notable that the Bristol Evening Post's reporting of this issue has been very far from balanced. Why were the views of the residents of Ashton Vale not sought by reporters and included?? Why were the views of concerned greens not sought and included??

"Vote Green" says Joanna Lumley - an Ab Fab endorsement!!

The Daily Mirror, Independent, Evening Standard and Daily Mail all report Joanna Lumley's support for the Green Party. She said "I urge you to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European elections."

Joanna praised Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, saying that she is "a tireless campaigner... staunchly defending human rights and strongly promoting greater protection for animals".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lumley-goes-green-in-european-elections-1691811.html

*

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1188893/Campaigner-Ab-Fab-star-Joanna-Lumley-comes-Green-Party.html

*

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23700109-details/Lumley:+The+Green+Party+is+the+obvious+choice+in+poll/article.do

*

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/28/saint-joanna-gives-greens-her-blessing-115875-21394866/

Objective planning decision likely on Bristol City's proposed new stadium??

Its been reported that Bristol City FC's Ashton Gate ground may be flogged to Tesco so that they can build a superstore there. This prospect is seen by some as very important for funding City's proposed new stadium. The Labour, Lib Dem and Tory Party leaders on the council all say how much they strongly support the idea of a new Bristol City stadium. Then they say that the planning process must be stuck to!! Are they seriously expecting Bristol's people to believe that all the time, effort and support they are giving to the new stadium proposal has no impact whatsoever on whether planning permission is granted?? Come on.

Supporting and improving our public services

I recently received a letter from the Public and Commercial Services Union asking for my views on public services, I presume because I'm a local election candidate for the Greens in Eastville. Here’s how I replied to the questions they posed:

1.Do you support PCS’s campaign for fair and equal pay?

Yes, fair and equal pay is very important. We must narrow the income gap and build a secure, stable and sustainable society for people, based on strong local economies working together. The lowest paid should pay no income tax at all in my view.

2.Where do you stand on cutting civil and public service jobs?

Cuts in services must be opposed and its very unlikely that cutting large numbers of jobs would have no impact on services at all. ‘Efficiency savings’ as they have been called aren’t ‘efficient’ at all if services are cut.

3.Do you think in the current climate that [Dept for Work and Pensions] office closures should be halted?

With unemployment rising steeply its surely vital that we mobilise available resources to help people find work and training – office closures are very hard to justify therefore.

4.Where do you stand on privatising public services?

I’m very strongly opposed to the privatisation of public services. The Green Party’s ‘Green New Deal’ for spearheading the economic recovery includes significant investment in public services, including social care, housing and transport. The Green Party strongly believes that local provision and access to high quality public services such as schools, libraries, hospitals, nurseries, post offices and public transport are essential to maintain thriving communities and a good quality of life for all.

5.Do you think more tax staff should be employed to collect [lost or non-pursued] taxes, closing the tax gap [and removing tax loopholes]?

Its well worth devoting the staffing needed to pursuing taxes and closing loopholes. This pays for itself and raises money for spending on public services.

6.Do you support an extension of the ban [on the employment of racist, fascist, far-right group members] to other civil and public services [the police and the prison service have a ban already]?

Yes, we must take all effective steps to combat racism, fascism and nazism. Membership of far-right groups is clearly incompatible with non-discriminatory working practices which all civil and public service providers have signed up to.

Recall system for MPs: sign the petition

I've indicated in previous posts the Green Party's longstanding policy of legislating to put in place a recall system for MPs and Councillors (see here and here). Its natural territory for me to urge you to sign this petition calling for a recall system to be set up asap (read over the message below from petition organisers, the new campaigning group 38 Degrees).

In the wake of the MP expenses scandal, trust in politics and politicians in the UK is collapsing. Political parties may suddenly be falling over themselves to “get tough” with the worst MP expenses offenders, but can we rely on politicians to clean up this mess on their own? At the moment we're stuck with disgraced MPs until the next election, no matter what they have done. We need MPs to answer to us, and that means a new “recall law” to give local people the power to call a fresh vote and sack disgraced MPs. Right now party leaders are debating how far they need to go to regain our trust, and if we act quickly together we can influence this debate and get this new law passed.

Click here to demand a new recall law: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/recall/

We have two weeks before we present our petition for a new recall law to the leaders of all the parties. Please help us to make sure it’s a loud enough call for change. If enough of us take action together, we'll show parliament and the media that real change is needed. The idea for a recall law in the UK has been gaining momentum, with major newspapers and even some MPs weighing in over the last few weeks. The next step is to prove how strongly voters feel - exactly what a large petition will do.

How many other jobs do you know where once you’ve been hired the people who hired you can’t sack you for five years, no matter what you’ve done? In other countries including the USA and Canada, “recall laws” allow voters to call a fresh vote when an elected official has lost their trust. Now we need the same in the UK. Politicians are feeling the heat and know they have to take major steps to regain our trust. Let's seize this opportunity to make MPs more accountable to us, for good.

Click here to make sure MPs really answer to us: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/recall/

Thanks for getting involved

David, Hannah, Warren, Nina and the 38 Degrees team

Local, environmental, online jobs: 4 website community facilitators wanted

Passing on details of this local, environmental, online job opportunity:

An exciting opportunity to be a website community facilitator.

Do you have an interest in the environment and things that affect your local area?
Would you like to learn more about having your say on online forums?
Do you like to talk with friends about things that are happening in Bristol that affect you?

We are looking for four community facilitators, who will keep an eye on what people are saying on an online discussion forum and promote discussion.

www.askbristol.com is a council website which promotes discussion about issues that affect people living in Bristol, so these views can be passed on to people making the decisions.

Past discussions have included cycling, excessive drinking, the council’s budget, and recycling to name a few. Go to http://www.youtube.com/bristolcitycouncil to see videos of some of the things we have talked about in the past.

The website currently has a focus on traffic noise pollution, as part of a project to raise awareness, highlight problems and solutions, and encourage people to tell us about quiet areas where they enjoy spending time. Find out more here www.askbristol.com/noise

What is involved?
You will be employed for two hours per week for six months and paid £8.23 per hour through the City Jobshop. If you are claiming benefits you will need to declare this work so find out in advance if this will affect your benefits payments.

You will need to have access to a computer and internet connection at home, or be able to access the free computers at the library (which can be booked for up to two hours a day on week days) or anywhere else you know of where you can use a computer with internet.

As well as work on the Internet, you will spread the word about the website by chatting to people you know and any groups you are part of, and by distributing leaflets.

You will need some experience of using computers and the Internet to find out information from websites and have experience of using email.

You might also have some experience of social networking sites like myspace, facebook or youtube, and blogs but this is not essential.

You should have an interest in the environment and your local community and a willingness to learn new skills.

You will be asked to keep a log of how you have spent your time and what you have achieved.

You will need to attend one and a half days of training, where you will find out more about what needs to be done and how to do it.
You will need to commit two consecutive hours on one day of the week (Monday to Friday). These hours can be flexible (i.e. not necessarily during the normal 9-5 working day, and not necessarily the same hours every week). Hours will be arranged so that the four facilitators are working on different days. We would also occasionally require a degree of flexibility from you, for example, in being able to attend training sessions.

How will you benefit from being involved?

§ You will receive training about how to be a community facilitator.
§ You will learn new skills and gain experience relating to the Internet and building links in your community. These skills will be useful both personally and in a work environment.
§ You will have the opportunity to earn an extra income from home whilst working around other commitments.
§ If you are currently not in employment and will be seeking work in the future it will be an opportunity to gain confidence and add to your C.V.

Tasks will include:
Promoting discussion on the Viewfinder site (www.askbristol.com/viewfinder) site.
Moderate comments on viewfinder according to the code of conduct and acceptable use policy. You will be able to refer to a council officer if you are unsure about any content.
Promoting the traffic noise website with existing contacts, and in local area e.g. speaking to friends, community or other groups.
Distributing Ask Bristol publicity cards in their local area and other places you visit.
Going on to other websites/forums to promote the traffic noise website.
Looking out for relevant comments on other sites to say how this relates to noise pollution and directing people back to out site.
Moderation of comments on the quiet map.
Adding your own photos to the quiet map (if you have a digital camera – not essential).
Keeping a log of what you’ve done.
Logging usability issues with the website via the feedback email.
Involvement in evaluation at the end of the project.

If you are interested in being involved, but would like to talk to someone first to find out more, please contact Makala Cheung at Knowle West Media Centre on 0117 3532895

If you would like to apply, please write a letter or email to Makala by Friday 29th May 2009 entitled ‘Community Facilitators’ saying a bit about why you would like to be involved and why you think you would be good at it. Let us know if you are a member of any groups or clubs you are involved in, and of any websites you use regularly. Please include your contact details.

After this we will contact you to let you know if we would like to meet you to talk further about how you are suitable for the role.
Email makala@kwmc.org.uk
Makala Cheung
Knowle West Media Centre
Leinster Avenue
Knowle West, Bristol, BS4 1NL

Spot the real clown

No need to comment much on the video clip below featuring Anthony Steen MP (top left in the picture!) - it speaks for itself. No need to compare Steen's words with the MPs expenses guidebook which states that,

'Claims must only be made for expenditure that was necessary for a member to incur to ensure that he or she could properly perform his or her parliamentary duties'.

Suffice to say that he will be one of hundreds of MPs who will be swept away at the next election. The MPs expenses scandal could do our democracy some good as a result, as long as we get some radical democratic changes too!

Green leader blasts 'rotten' parliamentary system

This brief audio clip of Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas calling for the blasting 'open of this 'rotten' parliamentary system' and outlining a whole range of reforms, on Radio 4's Any Questions recently, is very powerful stuff - and was very well received with loud and long applause by the audience

Sikh Federation urges a Green vote - and another good poll figure is reported

Very encouraging developments for Green campaigners today.

Sikh federation urges Sikhs to vote Green:

http://rosso-verde.blogspot.com/2009/05/sikh-federation-says-vote-green.html

Greens at 9% in the polls (Guardian/ICM), very close to UKIP, BNP struggling to feature at all:

http://charlie-boltons-southville-blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-poll-puts-greens-on-9.html

The intention to close St Peter's Hospice in Knowle

Two excellent letters appeared in Friday's local paper, making a great case for keeping St Peter's Hospice as an extremely valuable local community service in St Agnes Avenue, Knowle. I fully support the case made by the day hospice volunteers and will be writing, as they suggest in their letters, to express my feelings and will copy in local councillors and MP. I've copied the first of the letters below:

We refer to your recent article regarding the future plans for St Peter's Hospice.
As volunteers at the Day Hospice, we were all amazed to receive individual letters advising of the intended closure of this valuable facility in September.

We were all dismayed at this announcement, withdrawing such a valuable service to the very community which has given its overwhelming support to the hospice over the past 30 years since its founding at the Knowle site.

The people of South Bristol have taken this charity to their hearts during that time. Many local individuals and businesses alike feel this to be their charity.

The withdrawal of this facility is considered by many to be just a first step towards the total withdrawal of the hospice in South Bristol.

We, the volunteers, see at first-hand the huge benefit which the day hospice has provided to the people who have needed it most. Many of these people find even the short journey to the hospice to be quite arduous and to expect them to travel to Brentry will, for many, be a journey too far.
Many of these are also carers and the extra time spent travelling not only affects them but their loved ones at home.

The day hospice works at Knowle because the patients are able to see a specialised doctor without an appointment, talk to nurses about the worries and troubles they have in dealing with their medical condition without time limit.

Many find talking to others in a similar circumstance of benefit. Whilst this service might be undertaken by community nursing, not as many patients would receive this support as at present. Many more would need to be referred to their own GPs.

Whilst we are told to accept change, there is a difference between change and withdrawal. We have no doubt that a properly orchestrated appeal to cover the costs of the necessary repair work to the fabric of the building in Knowle would have been supported by the people of South Bristol.

Yet again, another valuable service in South Bristol will have been lost forever. Not withstanding the suggestion that a new facility will ultimately be built in the Hengrove Park area, the closure of the Knowle site may see the withdrawal of a large number of the hospice's existing supporters on this side of the city.

Day Hospice Volunteers.