Spurious spin

The recent survey of mayoral voting intentions showed Conservative Geoff Gollop in 3rd place not second and a very, very large number of undecided people. The Tories now have just 14 councillors across Bristol compared to 32 Lib Dem, 22 Labour and 2 Green. The Tory led Coalition Government is hardly popular at the moment...and yet it is said (here by Kerry McCarthy MP) that there is a real threat from the Tories!! The facts have shown right from the start of this campaign that in an all-Bristol election the Tories cannot win or get close to winning and that's one reason why the bookies have never rated them as having a realistic chance. Labour have an electoral interest in talking down the chances of Bristol 1sts George Ferguson the person who IS a real threat to them because of the breadth of his appeal and thus his ability to pick up lots of second preference votes in the second round of counting. Tribalism from Labour may well get them lots of first preference votes but restricts their ability to attract the second preferences needed.

Waste war

Excellent work on food waste from Kerry McCarthy, Labour's MP for Bristol East. The Post reports that she has launched a campaign to prevent surplus food from supermarkets from being thrown away.

Kerry McCarthy was today due to introduce legislation that would place a legal duty on companies to donate excess food to charities.

Her Food Waste Bill, which was due to be presented to Parliament this afternoon, has already received cross-party support, including from Green leader Caroline Lucas and Tory Zac Goldsmith. If no objections are lodged, it will progress to the next stage of the legislative process.

Under the Bristol East MP's proposed changes, barriers that are stopping organisations from donating food, like fears over legal liability, would be swept away.

Incentives would be put in place to persuade smaller companies to take part, while food that is unfit for humans would be given to livestock....' (more)

Kerry’s Bill begins to tackle one part of the food waste problem but there’s still a lot to do on food waste as a whole. There is concern about rising food prices yet 33% of the food we buy is thrown away ie one bag in every three! I'm not a fan of big supermarkets. They are a part of the food waste problem certainly but it’s clear that there are food waste and efficiency issues all the way along the chain from soil to shops to home to plate to soil again and each of us must take some responsibility.

Of course not all those who complain of or worry about rising food prices will also be wasteful but levels of food waste are so high that there must be a good deal of hypocrisy out there. This is a problem of lack of awareness but also a problem of plenty and of affluence. Where shortage and poverty are greatest waste is highly likely to be smallest, but shortage/poverty is generally not now the case in the UK and so wasteful habits and cultures have grown. We need to establish a thrifty culture.

Great tips and advice on cutting food waste, saving money and enjoying food from Love food hate waste.

Roads research?

No need to be so tentative - experimenting like this is a great idea. We should be experimenting with ideas more.

CARS could be banned from some of Bristol's roads to make way for cyclists on one day each week, an MP has suggested.

Kerry McCarthy said the idea had come from the Colombian ambassador, whom she had met as part of her work as a shadow foreign minister....

Ms McCarthy stressed that if the idea was transferred to Bristol there would need to be extensive consultation with residents and businesses.

"In Columbia, where it happens, it is in the context that some people are very nervous about cycling in the city centre with all the traffic," she said.

"Perhaps the idea could be tried in Bristol as a bit of an experiment.

"I wasn't putting it forward as a formal proposal, but I thought it was something that was worth looking at.... (full story)

Bristol East hustings

Bristol East hustings to come - all welcome to attend and put searching questions!!

1. This Friday 30th April, St John's Church, Lodge Causeway, 7.30pm. Organised by local churches and likely to cover all issues. Most candidates (including the invisible Tory Adeela Shafi) have been invited though I dont have a confirmed list.

2. Next Tuesday, 4th May, 7pm for 7.30pm debate at the City Academy, Russell Town Avenue. Organised by Greenpeace, so likely to focus in on issues like climate change, Trident nuclear weapons and so on. Labour, Tories, Libs and Greens will be present (not heard that TUSC or others will be there).

DEMREF 2010 press release

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

Give voters real power to sack MPs between elections

The MPs expenses scandal rolls on, with the publication of a key report* today. For me this means that giving voters real power to sack (recall) their MP (or Councillor or MEP) between elections, a longstanding Green Party policy, should be an important general election issue. Its one of my three key election messages as the Green candidate standing in Bristol East against my MP Kerry McCarthy. It will feature in my election address/leaflet along with: making health and wellbeing the measure of progress – the way we care for our elderly, educate our kids, look after our community and environment; and investing for our future - in decent trains, buses, local jobs and strong local communities.

I'll do my best to raise the profile of this issue and other issues of democratic reform. I debated this issue with Kerry McCarthy on her blog a while back - she opposed giving voters the power to sack MPs between elections saying,

'...I understand why you're suggesting what you're suggesting, but I think it would be hugely open to abuse...'

Scroll down through the comments section of Kerry's blog post here to look over what was said in full. I'd also like to point you to a blog entry of mine from the year before the expenses scandal surfaced (here), where I'm expressing concern about the way MPs pay as well as expenses is determined, arguing for paying MPs only what they need to do their job, no more, no less (to be assessed using a system similar to the one the Joseph Rowntree Trust used to determine categories of need).

The Guardian said this about the latest official report on MPs expenses: The system of MPs' expenses was today condemned as "deeply flawed" with blame heaped on both MPs and the Commons fees office as 390 politicians found to have been in breach of allowances rules were told to pay back more than £1m.

Sir Thomas Legg's report (pdf)* into MPs' spending over five years, published today, concludes that there was a "culture of deference" in which fees officials felt obliged to pay MPs' claims regardless of the evidence they presented and in some cases the rules of the system.

Out of £55.5m spent on second-home expenses during the years under review, 390 MPs have been ordered by Legg to repay a total of £1.3m. Some £800,000 has been received and around £500,000 is still outstanding.

More than half – 52% – of the 752 current and former MPs who were investigated have been asked to repay cash....

BBC News report on the Legg report into expenses here.

Significant stat (4): richest 10% now 100 times better off than the poorest

Pretty damning news for the Labour Government (and the previous Tory one) on how unequal UK society is. Labour say a more equal society is a key aim for them but they seem far more focussed the amount of economic growth than on the nature of growth and how wealth from it is shared. Labour's Home Office Minister, Phil Woolas MP said on yesterday's Daily Politics* when asked about growing inequality 'the gap between rich and poor has widened , as it does in liberal, capitalist societies'. Not much commitment to a more equal (and just) society there then!! More interested in super-rich business, celebrity and banker friends perhaps??

A whole range of social, health and economic problems are caused or worsened by inequality so its very important to spread wealth fairly. Fair is worth fighting for. Government should change systems and rates of taxation and invest in free care for the elderly and free insulation for all homes, beginning with the poorest. These approaches help tackle inequality and at the same time boost quality of life.

A detailed and startling analysis of how unequal Britain has become offers a snapshot of an increasingly divided nation where the richest 10% of the population are more than 100 times as wealthy as the poorest 10% of society...says The Guardian today, which goes on,

...The report, An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK, scrutinises the degree to which the country has become more unequal over the past 30 years. Much of it will make uncomfortable reading for the Labour government, although the paper indicates that considerable responsibility lies with the Tories, who presided over the dramatic divisions of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Researchers analyse inequality according to a number of measures; one indicates that by 2007-8 Britain had reached the highest level of income inequality since soon after the second world war.

The new findings show that the household wealth of the top 10% of the population stands at £853,000 and more – over 100 times higher than the wealth of the poorest 10%, which is £8,800 or below (a sum including cars and other possessions).

When the highest-paid workers, such as bankers and chief executives, are put into the equation, the division in wealth is even more stark, with individuals in the top 1% of the population each possessing total household wealth of £2.6m or more...(click the link above to see the full Guardian report).

More equality issues from: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/national_equality_panel.aspx
http://www.ifs.org.uk/projects/259
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8481534.stm*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2010/01/is_inequality_iniquitous.html

Rights and wrongs and animals

Copy of the press release sent out this afternoon by Vote Cruelty Free is below. Kerry McCarthy and I have signed up for respect for animals - so what about the Tory, Lib Dem and English Democrat candidates - will they be signing up too?

A second Bristol East candidate to Vote Cruelty Free, 19th January 2010

Green Party candidate, Glenn Vowles, has pledged his support for Vote Cruelty Free, a new non-partisan coalition of animal protection organisations working to put animals on the political agenda. He is the second candidate in Bristol East to back the coalition, following sitting MP Kerry McCarthy.

The alliance has sent its manifesto to all candidates announced for the next General Election and asked them to show their support for the issues raised. So far more than 170 candidates have pledged their support.

Glenn Vowles said, “I'm for high respect for animals and for the natural world of which people are a part. We should change the way we run our society and economy and the way we live our lives to practice true and genuine respect - in the interest of animals, of the natural world and of people.”

A Vote Cruelty Free spokesperson said, “Animal protection is an issue close to the UK public’s heart but this is often not reflected in current political debate. It is fantastic that Glenn Vowles has shown he believes in animal protection issues as much as his potential future constituents in Bristol East; we are calling on all candidates to follow his lead by pledging their support for Vote Cruelty Free.”

Vote Cruelty Free comprises the BUAV, Compassion in World Farming, IFAW in Action, League Against Cruel Sports and Respect for Animals. It covers a broad range of animal welfare issues including wild and marine animals, animal experimentation, cruel sports, the fur trade and farming.

Vote Cruelty Free is urging all candidates to pledge their support for the initiative. Voters can track candidates who have signed up by visiting the website at www.votecrueltyfree.org.

Bristol East Parliamentary Candidate

Copy of press release issued today: The Green Party has chosen Glenn Vowles to contest the Bristol East seat in this year’s general election.

Glenn Vowles, 48, who teaches Environmental Decision Making and Environmental Studies with the Open University has been a general election candidate on two previous occasions. He is also their lead campaigner in Knowle where he has helped to triple the Green vote to over 15% in recent years. He contested the Eastville seat in the 2009 local elections, raising to green vote there to 14%. His Vowles the Green blog is very well known and he writes regularly in the local press.

"I’m very excited to be contesting this seat for the Greens. Our current politicians and the systems they have created are self-serving and inadequate. I think voters should empowered with the ability to recall, effectively sack, MPs who break rules. This has been a longstanding Green Party policy and there is no better time for it than now.”

"There is very little to choose between the ‘big three’ parties and voting for them will fundamentally change nothing " Vowles said.

"The Green Party is about thinking afresh about the kind of economy, society and politics that is ethical and can sustain us and future generations. "

“The Government has become pretty unpopular and this is likely to increase those voting Green in Bristol East.”

Following a review by the Boundary Commission, Easton and Lawrence Hill wards have been moved from Bristol East (to Bristol West) and the electoral wards that now make up the Bristol East constituency are Brislington East, Brislington West, Eastville, Frome Vale, Hillfields, St George East, St George West, Stockwood.

[Picture, top left, shows all prospective candidates so far confirmed: Kerry McCarthy, Labour, centre; and going clockwise from top left are Conservative Adeela Shafi; English Democrat Scott Wright; the Greens Glenn Vowles; Liberal Democrat Mike Popham]

Is your MP signed up to cut their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010??

Campaign group 38 Degrees are working to get more MPs signed up to cut their climate changing emissions by 10% in 2010 (I sent a message to my MP on this, at 38 Degrees request, and then realised she had already signed up - should have searched her website more thoroughly!! Well done Kerry McCarthy!). There are many MPs yet to support the 10:10 campaign though - why not make a few enquiries and then send them a message if needed

See http://www.1010uk.org/

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."

*

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.

Eastville's Green candidate promises to pilot a 'petition for recall' system if elected

I've been arguing that voters should have the ability to petition for the recall of elected reps such as MPs and Councillors here on my MP Kerry MCarthy's blog. Unsurprisingly she is not in favour of the idea!! I think its very important to empower voters between elections, giving them the ability, under certain circumstances (such as the current expenses scandal), to force a resignation - apparently she thinks such a system would be open to abuse (interesting word to use, given the current circumstances of many MPs)!! As part of the debate I pledged as follows:

I'm very happy to give a guarantee to Eastville's voters that if I'm elected I would resign if it was shown that large numbers of my constituents felt I had breached Nolan's Seven Principles of Public Life for instance. Many MPs have breached these - they should resign!!