Pippa Bartolotti, Leader of the Welsh Greens said, The announcement from Siemens that the last phase of infrastructure in the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm is being put in place, vindicates our long held policy that wind power is a practical solution for much of our energy needs.

The Green Party in Wales has been campaigning for renewable energy sources to power our homes and industries for decades. They have been putting pressure on senior ministers to end ongoing uncertainty over support arrangements for green power technologies as industry has hesitated to invest because of mixed messages and incoherent policy.

Pippa Bartolotti continued, We are over the moon at this announcement. This is a huge step forward in the reduction of CO2 by Welsh homes, and a massive confirmation in our belief that green energy is possible, preferable and achievable.

I look forward to the day when all our energy can be sourced from sustainable industries. Wind power is just the start. With more investment in wave and solar, more money invested in innovation, research and design, and a clear lead from government that these industries are the source of good quality and sustainable jobs for the future, Wales can be the prosperous zero carbon nation it has long aspired to be.

Gwynt y Mors construction so far has already supported hundreds of design, engineering and construction jobs in Wales and elsewhere, and generated over £300m for the UK economy.

Renewables and sustainable biomass could power Wales without any need for fossil fuels and nuclear power, and at the same time reap the much needed benefits of reduced greenhouse gasses, improved health and greater job creation.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that there is a window of roughly 10 years to mitigate the effects of climate change.

(‘Mitigate’ is an interesting choice of word!!)

From: Orford, Rachel (R.) FORD BRITAIN TRUST

Subject: RE: Your support for Christian Fundamentalist mis-education

Dear Mr Chyba

Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the Ford Britain Trust and its link to the Bridgend Christian School.

The objective of the Ford Britain Trust and its Trustees is to support the communities in which employees of Ford Motor Company Limited work, and to make a difference by providing relatively modest grants for projects of a capital nature. The Bridgend Christian School made an application in 2010, which was successful and enabled them to purchase school furniture for use by its students in their educational setting and we hope in some small way the Trust has made a difference to the school.

I am afraid that we are unable to comment on your concern over the religious teaching methods of the school. It would not have been part of our assessment criteria to consider the curriculum content of this or any of the schools which apply to the Trust. The Trust has strict eligibility criteria for its grant applicants and indeed states that it does not contribute to projects of a religious nature; in the spirit of diversity our grant-making activity is based on social tolerance for all. This schools application focused on the needs of its students, some of which we understand struggle in mainstream schools, which led the Trustees to consider it a project worthy of funding. If this school submitted a grant application in the future which met the Ford Britain Trust criteria, they would still be considered and may well be successful, depending on the number of other deserving applicants.

The Trust does not insist on acknowledgement of its grants by beneficiaries and we are not always aware of the many instances when they do so, but all recipients of its grants are authorised to use our logo on any materials they may produce.

I trust that this addresses your concerns.

Kind Regards

Rachel Orford

On behalf of Gary Smith

Director

FordBritain Trust

Registered Charity 269410

From: Andy & Natalie Chyba
Date: 27/07/2012 00:16:53
To: Orford, Rachel (R.)
Subject: RE: Your support for Christian Fundamentalist mis-education

Dear Rachel,

Thank you for your considered response which seems to carefully try to position you on the fence!
The statement in blue sounds categorical enough, but then is immediately countered by the the statement in red which implies you will tolerate, indeed support, anyone and everyone, even if they are crackpots!!

Clarity is provided by the statements in green that signal that despite knowing what these people are doing, you would still countenance supporting them and are perfectly happy to have the Ford brand name and logo associated with these people. Thank you for this clarity.

Far from addressing my concerns, it greatly deepens my concerns about achieving a saner and more rational world, and worries me that such a big organisation as Ford can be so naive and irresponsible in its charitable activities.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Chyba

From: BenQ

Dear Andrew,

We do not financially or otherwise sponsor this education establishment. As a manufacturer of AV equipment that supplies to UK education resellers, there is the possibility of them indirectly purchasing and using our equipment, be it projectors or LCD monitors.

Kind regards

Royce Lye
UK Sales & Marketing Director.
BenQ

For more audio-visual learners amongst you, this short video encapsulates this and other reasons why Eco-socilaism has to be the way forward:

http://vimeo.com/8303882

Andy.

It is worth a listen.

http://lbc.audioagain.com/player_popup.php?channel_id=361&user_id=0&sec_id=nosubscription&guid=2012-08%2F13%2Ff7572495e1eac5bd822684df2d0472ef

They’re coming to the UK. This Sunday, an extremist religious group is holding workshops for gays and lesbians on how to hate themselves for who they are. These types of “therapy sessions” collect cash for one purpose only: to sell the idea that people who are not straight should stifle it.

And it’s not a small fee. These “treatment” sessions can cost up to £525. But we know our plan is working. The French government has launched an investigation into these false treatments. And in Argentina, the scheduled “cure” session was shut down after our campaign made national news.

We’re setting off a global domino effect to shut down these sessions and ban “gay cures” for good. Will you call on the British government, and the governments at every tour-stop, to stand against gay “cures”?

www.allout.org/endgaygures

These dangerous practices pretend to “cure” people’s sexuality when they actually inflict serious psychological harm. The upcoming session planned for London is part of a global tour of gay “cures” that All Out members have been following around the world. Right now, our record is 2 for 2 and the UK is up next.

We have no time to lose – the next session starts on Sunday. Will you add your name now?

www.allout.org/endgaygures

The campaign is up and running and already taking a few strange turns.

We were expecting most, if not all, of the other local parties to have a go at this by-election, but I would have quoted long odds on the combination that are actually standing.

At the close of nominations, we find the opposition to our candidate, Gareth Harris, consists of:

• MARTYN JONES – Labour – who does not live in Bettws, but lives in Coytrahen and was elected to Llangynwyd Lower Community Council just a few weeks ago in the May elections, so don’t expect to see him too often in Bettws. Seems strange, and rather sad, that Labour cannot find anyone to stand who actually lives in Bettws. It suggests that Labour are complacent enough to think that any candidate they put up will stroll in to the seat, and so are looking to do a favour for a member of the Party faithful. Bettws deserves better.
• MATTHEW VOISEY – Conservative – Yes, you read right, a Conservative has decided to have a tilt at Bettws. Where was Matthew Voisey in May, you might well ask? The answer is he was comprehensively losing his Council seat in Oldcastle (Bridgend town centre), where he lives in Merthyr Mawr Road. So having been rejected by the constituents who had elected him and live around him, he is clearly desperate to make up the loss of income he is now facing from losing his seat, and sufficiently desperate to think that the people of Bettws may offer him a lifeline. Hilarious!
• CATHERINE JONES – Independent – Again, the question has to be where was Catherine in May? Nowhere to be seen, is the answer. As far as we are aware, Catherine has never been involved in politics or any other form of campaigning, so it will be interesting to see what her agenda is. At least she lives in Bettws, and most Independent candidates for Councils have strong local interests. It is too early to judge whether Catherine is going to mount a serious challenge or whether she is just a chancer. Time will tell, but it seems odd that she has found the motivation to stand now when there was no sign of her just 3 months ago. Intriguing.

Where are PLAID CYMRU and the LIB DEMS ?

At least they are consistent. They could not be bothered in May. They cannot be bothered now.

Gareth ought to have a good chance against this opposition. He is Bettws born and bred, and has the full support of the Green Party at every conceivable level. He is not a career politician; he is a local boy who wants to be proud of where he lives and help create a better environment and more vibrant community for all who live there.

We are behind him all the way.

PARTY LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS

Ballot papers should be with all members by now. Please take the trouble to read the Candidates statements and look at their websites.

Inform yourself and vote.

Be cannot moan about poor turnouts in elections if we do not engage with our own internal elections.

More info here:
https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/green-party-internal-elections-2012/

https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/green-party-leader-election-hustings/

https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/leadership-election-candidates-update-bridgend-chair-pins-his-colours-to-the-mast-and-invites-debate/

http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2012-08-02&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

A whirlwind of energy and ideas, Stephen Ritz is a teacher in New York’s tough South Bronx, where he and his kids grow lush gardens for food, greenery — and jobs. Just try to keep up with this New York treasure as he spins through the many, many ways there are to grow hope in a neighborhood many have written off, or in your own.