Hi Andy

We already knew that fracking was a bad idea, but this is astonishing.

Last night, David Cameron’s plan to allow fracking firms to drill under our homes was rubber-stamped by the House of Lords.

But here’s where it gets even worse: At the very last moment, the draft of the law was updated to allow fracking firms to pump “any substance” under people’s homes and property — and leave it there! [1]

This makes a mockery of the prime minister’s claim that UK fracking regulations are some of the most stringent in the world. And it absolves fracking firms of any responsibility for clearing up the mess they create.

Our MPs are now the last defence before the laws are approved by Parliament. Can you sign the petition asking all MPs to strike down Cameron’s new fracking law?

https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-backlash

The fracking industry has already been mired in accidents and mistakes. In April 2009, cattle were discovered dead near a drill site in Louisiana. An investigation later found fracking fluid had leaked from the well pad and run into an adjacent pasture. And in July 2013, US fracking firm XTO Energy was forced to shell out $100,000 in compensation after a spill of contaminated wastewater in Pennsylvania. [2]

Despite claiming that the UK has tough regulations to prevent disasters like this, the government is now rushing to remove obstacles, muddling through laws that will put the interests of shale drillers before the safety of our environment and our climate.

We don’t have long before MPs will get their final say on Cameron’s plan to allow drilling under our homes. If we can show them how unpopular his idea is, they’ll think twice before voting it through.

Please ask your MP to take a stand today:

https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-backlash

Thank you

Richard
Greenpeace UK

1. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/14/uk-to-allow-fracking-companies-to-use-any-substance-under-homes
2. http://issuu.com/greenpeace/docs/case_against_fracking-withadditions/21

There’s a new petition trending on Change.org, and we think you might be interested in signing it. BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky: Include the Green Party in the TV Leaders’ Debates ahead of the 2015 General Election. Robyn Meadwell London, United Kingdom Sign the petition It has been announced that the leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage has been invited to join the leaders debates on national TV before next year’s general election. However Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, has been excluded from these debates. UKIP has just gained its first MP; the Greens have had an MP (Caroline Lucas) for 4 years. The Green Party beat the Liberal Democrats in the 2014 European Elections and is polling neck-and-neck with them in General Election opinion polls. In May 2014 more than 1.2 million people voted Green – more than 150,000 more than voted Liberal Democrat. Natalie Bennett has just as much a right to be on that panel as the men. Apparently it’s too “messy” to have too many candidates in a TV debate. By excluding a party with a female leader, we are sending a clear message to the public — politics is still an old boys club. Sign the petition

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/13/general-election-2015-tv-debates

This is pretty vital for any of us all. There are several petitions out there but the one gaining most traction (about 200 a minute) is this
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/invite-all-small-parties-to-join-the-election-television-debates
Regards

Andy Chyba

Begin forwarded message:

This is a message to the discussion list – if you use the list address in you reply it will go to all members

Dear all

As the first step of our campaign to stop the austerity cuts at the National Assembly our Wales wide petition has been launched using the campaigning section of the 38 Degrees website.

Here is the link: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-austerity-cuts-in-wales-rhowch-stop-ar-doriadau-llym-yng-nghymru

Thanks to all for commenting and improving the draft letter to AMs and triple thanks to all those who helped with the Welsh translation – it was no mean feat with one helper saying they would ‘so long as it is not War and Peace’ and after doing it said ‘it was’!

This has now been posted on our Facebook page.

Since the conference a People’s Assembly Wales web-blog has been established with the full letters and all the arguments. It is linked from the 38 Degrees petition: http://pawalescymru.blogspot.co.uk/

Although a Twitter site for People’s Assembly Wales was set up last year I’ve had a chat with the person who established the account and due to technical issues it was thought best to move to a new one and this is: https://twitter.com/

Now, of course the rest of the work starts: getting signatures. Please share, like, retweet, email, talk and tell, just about everything you can think of to get people to sign. If we can start to get toward the first couple of thousand signatures say over the next 14 days it should be strong grounds for going mass media releases, even more even better.

Keep in touch as we prepare the next stage!

Cheers

Len Arthur – convenor

Tax the rich: An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by Mike Konopacki. Written and directed by Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers. An 8 minute video about how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don’t want to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but the people aren’t so sure. This land bears a startling resemblance to our land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZsXrzF8Cc

Maybe worth sharing with the people you know who just don’t get it!!

The weather was kind to us, although the unfavourable forecast probably reduced the crowd somewhat, and we saw bigger crowds than last year, more colourful and tuneful protestors and a real sense that the voices of opposition have more momentum that the frackers themselves. We even had the clearest and most unambiguous opposition to fracking to date from a Labour AM – take a bow Mick Antoniw.

But the real stars were the fractivists themselves.

Donal Whelan – The Vale’s Not For Shale – fabulous speech from the heart about what it means to be a fractivist:

Richard Cockle – Frack Free Llantrisant – was a star turn and in demand for photos!

Keith Ross – Frack Free Wales – being interviewed on the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-29582585

Keith later chaired the Frack Free Wales Coalition meeting which I found very encouraging too.
Every meeting sees new people and new groups emerging. It was great to have new people from Brecon and Caerphilly this time.

The meeting was productive with lots of feedback about what Frack Free Wales can do to further its support work for the local groups and activists.
A strong message for me was that, with good representation from regions not directly threatened, as far flung as Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, we are reaching a phase in the campaign where it is not just the NIMBY’s seeing the relevance of this issue. We can reach out to anyone with an interest in a more sustainable future for everybody. This will sustain the movement and see it continue to grow, as people are joining and getting involved knowing it is a long haul battle, but a battle people know simply has to be won.

Four years ago I felt like a lone voice in a big empty void, but now I am surrounded by an ever-growing organic community that will continue to grow and flourish and, I believe, will lead us not just to victory over the filthy frackers and their filthy money, but to a whole new world of community energy initiatives. We are seeing the first seeds of this being sown in the Vale, and it is the logical extension for this community of people to focus on in the peaceful times once the war against the frackers is won.

Keep watching this space.

Andy Chyba

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The tragedy here is that not so long ago Cardiff Green Party was thriving and was in a good position to capitalise on these favourable demographics.

Given the successes we have seen in Brighton & Hove and Bristol, and also given Plaid Cymru’s weakness here, we have clearly seriously missed a trick here. If we cannot improve on the dismal 1.6% we got here 5 years ago we are clearly doing something very wrong indeed.

Andy C

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/green-party-will-have-a-significant
-if-not-decisive-impact-on-the-2015-election/ by Ian Warren

“Rather it would be more appropriate to consider which demographic groups
voted for the Greens in the May 2014 local elections and to then identify
seats where such demographic groups account for a higher proportion of such
groups.

My analysis has shown that the following demographic groups voted for the
Greens in 2014:

* Well educated singles living in purpose built flats
* City dwellers owning houses in older neighbourhoods
* Singles and sharers occupying converted Victorian houses

* Young professional families settling in better quality older terraces
* Diverse communities of well-educated singles living in smart, small flats
* Owners in smart purpose built flats in prestige locations, many newly built
* Students and other transient singles in multi-let houses
* Young renters in flats with a cosmopolitan mix

However the Greens are in a fight with the other parties for these voters
come the general election. The key for the party is to identify those seats
where these groups account for very large proportions of total households. A
list of the top ten seats with such demographics is:

* Cardiff Central (41.1% of households) – 13% LibDem majority
* Sheffield Central (39.7% of households) – Lab majority of 0.4% over Lib Dems
* Bristol West (37.6% of households) – 21% Lib Dem majority over Lab
* Brighton Pavilion (36.7% of households) – Green-held
* Manchester Withington (33.9% of households) – Lib Dem majority of 4.1% over Lab
* Wimbledon (33.6% of households) – 24% Con majority over Lib Dems
* Newcastle-upon-Tyne East (30.6% of households) – 12% Lab majority over LibDems
* Tooting (30.6% of households) – 5% Lab majority over Con
* York Central (29.5% of households) – 14% Lab majority over LD/Con
* Hove (28.7% of households) – 3.7% Con majority over Lab

In many of these seats the Green Party can reasonably expect to increase its
vote share, with the possible exception of Brighton Pavilion where one can
plausibly make the case that every percentage point of Green support was
maximised to the full in 2010. The assumption at this stage must be that the
Lib Dems will lose many voters from 2010, and a good proportion of them have
shown in the local and European elections that they are not averse to voting
for the Greens.”

FASHIONISTAS’ FROCK SWAP RETURNS

Wednesday October 15th 7.30pm

The Green Room (above SUSSED)

Back by popular demand-the classy clear-out returns. A chance to raid your closet for items you know longer wear, swap them and go home with something amazing to freshen up your wardrobe. At the same time we can reduce our carbon footprint and have fun. That can’t be bad!! says charity Sustainable Wales.

“As a nation we have a staggering £30 billion worth of clothes stashed within wardrobes that we never wear. Around 30 per cent of clothes bought every year are not worn. 0.4 kg of CO2 is saved for every item of clothing that is re-used rather than bought new, stated Director, Margaret Minhinnick.

Participants should bring at least one loved item (clothing / shoes, accessories and jewellery), considered too good for charity shops. They must be of decent quality, permitting a same value swap.“You know the stuff”, Margaret said, “those shoes you brought but were a little bit too big, that dress you love but just isn’t your colour or no longer fits! But please don’t bring anything with holes, out of shape or stained! Men’s clothes and children’s clothes are also welcome.*, she added.

1item =1swap, 2 items = 2 swaps etc

Entry £3.00 refreshments at our pop-up cafe

Everyone welcome. For more info check www.sustainablewales.org.uk or tel 01656 783962

Margaret Minhinnick
Director
Sustainable Wales Cymru Gynhaliol
4/5 James St.
Porthcawl
Bridgend
CF36 3BG
01656 783962

http://www.sustainablewales.org.uk/

Donate

Sustainable Wales is an environmental charity. Committed to sustainable development, we focus on society, economy, jobs, creativity and the arts and their inter-connection with the natural world.

I received this today as a member of the Bridgend CBC Citizens’ Panel.I would urge all Bridgend residents to read it and undertake the online survey + book onto one of the consultation meetings listed below, preferably after reading:

• https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/report-of-the-wales-against-austerity-and-cuts-conference-cardiff-41014/
• https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/analysis-of-2015-16-wales-government-draft-budget/

I would go to the Bridgend College one, but we have our Branch meeting that night so I will probably look to go to the Pencoed one.

Andy C

Dear panellist,

As you may be aware all across the UK, local councils are facing unprecedented challenges in the face of reducing Government funding and increased demands on essential services. As Citizens’ Panel members we would like to welcome your views on our public consultation over how Bridgend County Borough Council’s plans to deliver a balanced budget in 2015-16.

The consultation will take place between Monday 6 October and Monday 17 November and will ask local people for their views on how the council is proposing to deliver services and save money against a backdrop of diminishing local government resources.

Designed to give residents an opportunity to make their own alternative suggestions while answering a series of structured questions, the consultation will incorporate a number of community workshops and an easy-to-use ‘budget simulator’ tool which will enable people to demonstrate how they would go about spending the council’s £255m budget, determine which services need to be prioritised and identify a savings target of £12.4m for the year. The savings achieved will facilitate a proposed council tax increase of 4.8 per cent for 2015-16.

People can take part in the 2015-16 budget consultation by visiting the consultation pages at the council’s website – www.bridgend.gov.uk/consultation – or attending one of the following community engagement workshops.

– Wednesday 29 October: Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, 6pm

– Monday 3 November: Maesteg Comprehensive, 6pm

– Tuesday 4 November: Pencoed Comprehensive, 6pm

– Thursday 6 November: Bridgend College, 6pm

– Tuesday 11 November: Cynffig Comprehensive, 6pm

– Wednesday 12 November: Porthcawl Grand Pavilion, 6pm

If you would like to attend a community engagement workshop at one of our six venues, please secure your place by emailing: consultation@bridgend.gov.uk.

You can also pick up a copy of the consultation at your local library or life centre and use publically available IT facilities to fill it in online or access the budget simulator.

If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, or would like more information, please contact Andrew Harris at Bridgend County Borough Council on 01656 643664.

Councillor David Sage

Deputy Leader, Bridgend County Borough Council