Don't Mention the War and a Thank you to the Health Service

Don't Mention the War

I should have written this yesterday - now the Independent on Sunday('Sindy') has got in before me. The famous Fawlty Towers line came to me as I prepared for a Hustings Event organised by GM Stop the War and CND. It's a good question - the death toll of British troops last year was higher than in any year since the 1982 Falklands War.
With good timing Radio 4's Today Programme covered a brief piece with 'The Three Main Parties (henceforth abbreviated to TTMP) Defence Speakers, plus the SNP's Alex Salmond, yesterday. I was particularly incensed with Lib Dem Nick Harvey's statement that 'If you're looking for a Party in England that's against the War in Afghanistan you'll struggle to find one!'.

Anyway on to the debate - The Labour and Tory Parties were noticeably absent. You would think they would want to defend their defence policies, but perhaps they are indefensible. The Lib Dem's at least were represented, along with more Parties opposed to the war in Afghanistan than Nick Harvey could shake a stick at.

Trident and the Afghan war are two issues where there are broad differences between the Parties:

Trident:
- The Green Party would decommission the existing system and definitely not renew it.
- The Liberal Democrats don't want to pay £97 billion pound for a replacement but seem happy to retain our existing weapons of mass destruction for 20 years
- Both Labour and Tory Parties are committed to spending £97 billion on a replacement (whilst cutting public services) and having a threat to commit genocide as part of our defence policy.

Afghanistan:
The Green Party recognises that this war compromises our security and calls for a return of our troops.
The Liberal Democrats want a return of troops soon, but support the current 'surge' which is continuing to stoke the cycle of violence
Tories and Labour seem content to fight on there for years or even decades.


The 77% of voters who oppose the war(according to the 'Sindy') don't need to struggle to find a Party to vote for in Manchester Withington - I'm here!

Bitten Candidate Praises NHS

I suppose it was only a matter of time. After 27 years of Green Party leafleting I suffered for the first time one of the fates that political activists fear. As I pushed a leaflet through a letterbox (in Hulme where I was supporting fellow candidate Gayle O'Donovan), a set of canine teeth closed down hard on my fingers.
As I withdrew I noticed the word 'Rottweiler' on a sign in one of the windows.

Following some useful first aid from one of the staff at 'Kim by the Sea' a colleague took me to A&E at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
I was seen promptly and efficiently; the nurse dealing with me was friendly and reassuring and gave me total confidence, and when I emerged I felt almost sufficiently recovered to go back out leafleting. Almost.

It was a reminder of just what a great institution our NHS is and how essential it is that we retain a publicly funded and publicly provided Health Service of which we can be proud.

On publicising my injury on Facebook, I was intrigued to discover that a Green Party couple I have known since I first joined the party all those years ago, actually met as a result of a dog attack whilst leafleting!. And they are still together.

Why I won't be watching the TV Debate Tonight

Today's the day that all the media hype about the Party Leader debates comes to a head, as the first one is Televised tonight on ITV (from Manchester no less). Given the pre-publicity it may well attract a large number of viewers - I won't be one of them.
There are two reasons for this:

- one is that I will be at a meeting with fellow Greens promoting our own campaigners here in Manchester

- the other is that I do not consider this a fair and appropriate debate, and I do not want to encourage it.

The ideas comes from the USA (like so many things) and it may be more suitable for a presidential debate but we do not have a President. Our constitution for what its worth effectively gives us 650 mini-presidential elections, including one here in Withington constituency. To date there are 7 candidates declared for Withington, all of whom should have in theory an equal chance; these 'Leader debates' straight away discriminate against 4 of those candidates.

The debates will be tightly controlled - no less than 78 restrictions have been placed by the Three Main Party machines on what can and can't happen, and audience participation is being kept to a minimum. Three impeccably groomed white males behind their lecterns giving us a half-hearted political equivalent of X-Factor.
The focus will be on things like appearance, body language, and possible gaffes; it is part of the elevation of personality over policy, and I do not see it as the solution to re-engaging the public with politics.

There are in contrast some opportunities coming up for people in Manchester to engage live with their potential representatives:-

Hustings Events

Sat 17th April Central Hall Oldham St. 2 pm Stop tthe War + CND have organised hustings for candidates in Manchester to answer questions on Afghanistan, Trident, Gaza, Islamophobia and Civil Liberties - I will be representing the Green Party at this - see here for more information

Tues 20th April, Friends Meeting House, 7 pm The Council and Climate Change - what next? Hear what candidates for the local elections for Manchester City Council have to say about climate change and what is/should be done in Manchester. My fellow candidate Gayle O'Donovan will be speaking for the Green Party - more information here

Thurs 22nd April, Hough End Centre Mauldeth Road West, 7.30 pm Public Hustings featuring all the Withington constituency candidates, organised by Unlock Democracy and Power 2010 - more details to follow.