Wales Green Party has today responded to growing concerns about fuel cost rises by calling for investment in public transport to provide an affordable and convenient alternative to the car.

Jake Griffiths, who is set to become the first Green Assembly Member according to recent polls (1), said:

“Continued car dependency just to get around is simply unfair at a time when people are feeling the pinch from spending cuts, job losses and the VAT rise. Increasing demand for oil from developing countries such as India and China means that fuel prices are only going to go one way in the future.

“It’s therefore vital that people are given the choice of affordable and convenient public transport. The Welsh Government needs to shift spending from building new roads to stopping train and bus fare rises, to grow the rail network and regulate bus services to ensure they go where people need them to.”

Griffiths is bidding to become Wales’ first Green Assembly Member in May, he concluded:

“This May just 7% of the regional vote would send me to the Assembly, where I would fight for decent public transport as an alternative to increasingly expensive car-dependency. Labour has never elected any regional AMs in South Wales Central so I would urge people considering them to lend the Greens your second vote.”

20th January 2011, Haywain Function Room, 7.30pm.

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising
4. Officers’ reports
5. Blog articles – review posts and broadening submissions
6. Campaigning: ‘Green Wales’ distribution/WAG election/Bettws Group/petitions
7. National Conference – Cardiff, February.
8. Any Other Business
9. Date of Next Meeting
10. Discussion topics – choose for next meeting

In preparation for item 5, could you all endeavour to have a good look through the blogsite articles.
https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/

To date, I am the only one who has submitted any thing to the blog. I would welcome feedback on what has been posted and would like to discuss broadening things out to encourage more people to share material of interest.

Feedback via email would be welcomed if you are not in a position to attend the meeting.

Item 9 is picking up an excellent suggestion from Tunny (or was it Neil?) to have a discussion topic that we could chew over at the end of other business (over some liquid refreshment dare I suggest). This would be an excellent way of looking at current party policy, things in the news, and sharing opinions and expertise. By agreeing topics a month in advance, it allows me to ensure I am abreast of Party policy, and gives everyone a chance to think about it and form opinions and/or questions.

Hope to see you all at the meeting,
 
Andy Chyba
Bridgend Green Party
Blog: https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/
Mobile: 078 1066 3241
Email: greens

http://www.twodoctors.org/myimages/patrickgreenhornet.html

This backs up continued good news in the latest opinion polls in Wales that continue to indicate that we are on course to secure our first WAG AM.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/04/poll-shows-greens-on-course-for-first-welsh-assembly-member-91466-27926497/

And for those that may think that electoral success could lead to compromising our ideals and radical policies, Caroline Lucas says, in her New Year message to the Party:

Politics does not have to be a straight choice between power and principles. In our election campaign in May, the Greens did not drop any of our radical policies. We stuck to what we believed in and against all the odds we won our first seat in Westminster. It shows that if you tell the truth and offer people something better, the public will respond. And this is what we must keep on doing. We must carry our message to the growing numbers of people abandoned by the Conservatives, disillusioned by Labour and betrayed by the Lib Dems. We must grow the Green Party as the radical progressive alternative, and give ourselves a louder voice than ever before.
Read her message in full here:

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/mediacentre/releases/2011-01-01-new-year-message.html

He rightly pleads with us to all to pour our hearts and souls into our politics in order to create a better world where there is no place for such atrocities.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/40983401#40983401

Four European countries have begun banning the poisons and bee populations are recovering. But chemical companies are lobbying hard to keep all killer pesticides on the market. A global outcry now for a ban in the US and EU, where debate is raging, could provoke a total ban and a ripple effect around the world.

Lets build a giant global buzz calling for these dangerous chemicals to be outlawed in the US and EU until and unless they are proved to be safe. Sign the petition to save bees and our crops and send this to everyone:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?cl=897929340&v=8125

What can we do to encourage and/or support local bee keepers?

As candidates for the WAG elections in May, the Party is not taking any risks with us being caught out by possible media interviews and the like. They have obviously caught wind of our propensity to speak our minds so readily. Should be fun!

So long as we are not being trained to ‘bull’ the public like Cameron has done with his husky hugging claims to be the greenest PM ever! Check out this report:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-for-sale–camerons-green-credentials-2177929.html

PS Don’t forget – next meeting is on Thursday 20th January, usual time and place. Any agenda items, by the end of next week if possible please.
Andy