LETTER TO GLAMORGAN GAZETTE

THE Sunday Times (22/09/13) is running a “Better School Meals” campaign, and as part of this, they have highlighted the very worst councils in terms of the the money spent on ingredients, and also the percentage of the price charged that goes on ingredients. Their findings thoroughly shame Labour-controlled Bridgend CBC.

Of all the councils in England & Wales, only 10 were found to spend less than 60p on ingredients for a school meal. Bridgend was next to worst in the entire country, spending just 57p. Northumberland is the only one to spend less at 56p. This is against a national average that, in itself, is poor at 75p.

And it gets worse. Bridgend was highlighted as the very worst in the entire country in what could be called its ‘rip-off’ league table, as only 27% of the £2.10 charge is spent on ingredients. Northumberland charges £1.90. Compare these disgraceful figures with what happens in other parts of the country. Wallsall, East Yorkshire, Bradford, Cheshire West and Chester all spend over 95p on ingredients for meals that they charge for no more than the £2.10 Bridgend charges.

Bridgend CBC apparently claims that they shave secured ‘competitive deals with suppliers’. I bet they have! But we all know that ultimately quality food is not the cheapest food. And this not explain why Bridgend CBC rips parents off by charging £1.53 over the ingredient costs – more than any where else in England & Wales. If they are getting such a good deal on the ingredients, why are they getting such a bad deal on the the other cost factors? Or are they simply profiteering at hard pressed parents expense?

It leaves a very bad taste in the mouth, doesn’t it? But it is what we have come to expect from the Red Tories in Bridgend.

Andy Chyba
Bridgend Green Party

PS – We are seeking disclosure of exactly where BCBC gets its ingredients from and, given how little it spends on them, why parents/pupils are being charged such high prices.

As requested by several people. Thank you for the many supportive comments I have received.

This campaign has dominated my life for the last 3 years and for long periods of that I wondered whether we had any chance of prevailing against the power and influence of the oil & gas lobby and their allies in Government, but I am here today to tell you that I am now totally convinced that we will prevail and prevent the devastation that this industry brings.

Why am I so confident? What has become clear in recent months is that this issue resonates with people, with voters, across the political spectrum in a way that issues like climate change have singularly failed to manage.

Despite the fact that climate change science is established and only challenged by the loony right-wing fringe; despite the fact that the arguments have been won and just about every world leader now acknowledges that we are well on course for catastrophic climate change, within the lifetimes of most people alive today; despite this no major country has found it politically possible to do anything like enough to avert the impending calamities.

We have been preaching about climate change for decades and instead of weeing in the wind, we look destined to be pissing in the coming gales for all we seem capable of achieving on this issue. The threat simply does not seem obvious, immediate or personal enough to influence people’s votes.

But fracking is different. It does, of course have a critical climate change dimension, but voters of all persuasions are beginning to realize what is at stake, especially when it pitches up in their back yards.

Witness the reaction in the Tory heartland around Balcombe. Fracking was fine when it was up in the desolate North, as the profits being made would boost their dividend payouts and pensions funds. But bring it to their doorstep and all of a sudden it is their water turning shades of green and black, it is their health being threatened, it is their leisure and tourism and agriculture being ruined, and perhaps most tellingly of all for fans of capitalism, it  is the value of their prized capital assets, their property, that is being decimated and made unsellable.

This is why they have welcomed us with open arms when we visit the Balcombe camp and recognize the sacrifices being made by people like Frances Crack and Caroline Lucas in risking their liberty for the cause.

We don’t fight for these people though. As ecosocialists, we in the Green Party and Plaid Cymru have long recognized that any environmental threat tends to be a socialist issue. Who is it that disregards the environmental consequences beyond ensuring they have a big enough compensation kitties for when it goes tits up?

BP were able to establish a $20 billion compensation fund straight after the Deepwater Horizon disaster (a disaster they had insisted could never happen) and it barely caused them a moments inconvenience. Meanwhile thousands of fishermen have lost their livelihoods and way of life forever; the tourism and hospitality industries, and the poorly paid people within it, have taken massive hits, while those with lawyers and accountants milk the compensation pot.

You see, it always the little guys that are ultimately made to pay for the mistakes of the big guys. Sound familiar? Here in austerity Britain?

So, we have voters from the left and the right finding common ground in opposing fracking, and we even have Conservative AMs championing the precautionary principle if we are to believe Suzy Davies. What a pity they are in opposition, I bet she hopes we think.

Which leaves us to consider the middle ground of the political landscape. And for that we need look no further than over my shoulder. This is, of course, crediting Carwyn and his mates with not quite being the Red Tories we see in Westminster, but where has been the leadership the Welsh people deserve on this issue?

Many of us here today have written to Carwyn, he is after all my AM in Bridgend, and what do we get? We get him peddling the ultimate myth of the fracking apologist,  regarding, and I quote his letter directly: “the role that gas will have as a key transitional fuel as we move to a low carbon energy system”.  

This only ever had any traction if we were to burn gas instead of coal, but there is absolutely no evidence of this happening – coal production has continued apace in the USA and a drop in coal consumption, in the capitalist world, only means a drop in price and greater demand and consumption in other, poorer, parts of the world.

The latest research coming out of the London School of Economics tells us that we have to leave between 60 and 80% of current known reserves in the ground if we are to stand a chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change. Wake up Carwyn – the very last thing we need is to keep looking for ever more extreme forms of fossil fuels.

If we had proper leadership here in Wales, we could be at the very forefront of the worlds low carbon economies given the staggering potential for renewable energy we have here in Wales – not just wind and solar, but ground source heating and biogas potential that would allow us to heat our homes a lot cheaper and safer than using shale gas – and not forgetting the near criminal waste of the second highest tidal range in the entire world rushing past our doors as regular as clockwork, just over there!  

The latest multi-technology proposals suggest a readily available 14GW is going to waste everyday in the Bristol Channel – the equivalent of 4 Wylfa sized nuclear power stations, at least 10 Gas-fired power stations, or put another way – more than enough to meet the average consumption level of the whole of Wales today.

So what doe we need? We need Carwyn to get his backside off the fence, get out here and listen to the hard cold facts of the matter rather than keep looking for a lead from the red Tories in Westminster that only ever give us slightly tamer versions of whatever the blue Tories say, and for him to recognize that we are not going away until we get the environmental and social justice of a ban on fracking in Wales.

Let’s hear you Carwyn!    Thank you!

Andy Chyba

Raising awareness about the impacts and irreversible damage that goes with the highly controversial unconventional hydrocarbon extraction techniques known as Hydraulic Fracturing and Underground Coal Gasification. Empowering Welsh citizens to RISE UP and call for a total ban on these methods of oil and gas extraction along with other forms of extreme energy that pose a threat to people, eco-systems, the environment, farm land and livestock, water and air.

For more info about how to get PROPERLY informed and involved, visit,http://www.frackfreewales.org/ or if you are a Facebook user,https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frack-Free-Wales/399311250153926?fref=ts All profits from this campaign will be going to Friends of the Earth Wales WALES, RISING UP TO BAN FRACKING

https://fabrily.com/WalesRising#.UkBioFFaqGI.facebook

Only £12.50 delivered – with proceeds to FoE – 40 orders needed minimum – I have just placed order number 6 – so lets get behind this folks!

Huge thanks and congratulations to Rhian Halford for organising today’s event – including fantastic touches like the pedal-powered PA system (powered for a legthy spell by BGP’s very own dynmao, Rozz Cutler).

A good selection of speakers included: Nigel Baker – Greenpeace Cardiff; Gareth Clubb – Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru; Frances Crack – founder of Frack Free Wales; Max Wallis – FoE Barry; Olwen Leavoid – Welsh National Rights Movement; Pippa Bartolotti – Leader of Wales Green Party; and Keith Ross – Safe Energy Wales. Entertainment came from the Côr Cochion choir.

I had the privilege of following Frances Crack, and although I was asked to keep it non-political, I kinda failed on that score, but it went down well enough I think. Thanks to Esther Nagle – you can judge for yourself:

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

Before Frances, a couple of friendly AMs came out and offered their support to the call for a moratorium.; Peter Black (Lib Dem) and Bethan Jenkins (Plaid Cymru). Esther caught Bethan’s speech too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0syGBctII8

I had to leave not long after my speech (work commitments) but I am awaiting word as to whether Suzy Davies (Conservative AM) showed up as promised. It seems not, which is a shame as she has fantastic news to share re the Welsh Conservatives seeing the light!

At the Fracking/UCG debate hosted by Sustainable Wales she quite cartegorically, in front of a large audience, staed that Cameron is being too hasty in his dash for gas; that we need to take time to weigh up all the evidence; that we need to throughly test the technology; that we need to get a proper bespoke regulatory regime in place first. A Tory preaching the precautionary approach! Hallelujah! (Must be a blue moon tonight!). But has she overstepped the mark and been ‘pulled’ from speaking today? Time will tell.

BBC Wales covered the event reasonably well – and you can catch it iPlayer for a week or so (from 11:11)  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bhcs6/BBC_Wales_Today_24_09_2013/

CAtch pippa at the end of the piece.

All-in-all another productive day for Welsh fractivists – we shall prevail!

Some other dates for diary:
Monday 23rd – Extereme Energy debate at Sustainable Wales in Porthcawl – 7.30pm
Tuesday 24th – Cardiff Bay anti fracking demo – please support if you can – from 12 noon
Wednesday 25th – Bridgend Against the Bedroom Tax – leafleting around Bettws – meet at outside the Life Centre at 5.00pm

So a busy week!!

7.00pm Thursday 26th September 2013 at theThe Railway PH at the bottom of Station Hill
ALL WELCOME (Especially new members!)

AGENDA:

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Minutes and matters arising
4. Officers’ reports (Andy (inc Conference feedback)/John/Neil)
5. Councillor feedback (Kathy)
6. Elections – target ward activity/Euro campaign
7. Campaigns update – Fracking (Rozz/Andy); PAAA (Andy/John); Bridgend Against the Bedroom Tax (Andy/Gareth/Delyth)
8. AOB (End of year social)
9. DoNM

REMINDER – If anyone needs a lift to any of our meetings, let Andy know and we will organise it for you.

Spend 15 seconds watching this – it is on electronic billboards on roads into Brighton this week (Labour Party Conference):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pwiNUo_w6Bo

Dear XXX HA,

We would be grateful if you could provide the following information:

1: What measures have XXX taken to engage with financially vulnerable tenants around Bedroom Tax related arrears?

2: Has XXX sought to engage with Welsh Government and other social landlords, either individually or through the auspices of Community Housing Cymru, to mitigate the impact of the ‘spare room subsidy’?

3: Has XXX sought to cooperate with Bridgend County Council to manage appeals and discretionary housing payments payments? Does V2C intend to undertake any further initiatives to assist tenants who cannot reasonably cover the additional cost?

4: Does XXX intend to use Ground 8 to evict tenants who amass arrears representing in excess of two months rent?

5: In light of the Fife ruling (http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/why-the-fife-bedroom-tax-judgments-are-even-better-news-for-landlords-and-councils-than-for-tenants/) does XXX intend to reclassify any of its existing stock?

We would be delighted to meet to discuss any or all of these points.

The Mooncup featured in one of the very first articles on this blog – it has proven popular with some local members – so perhaps it is time to remind you of its benefits

https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/the-mooncup-healthier-much-better-for-the-environment-and-saves-you-money-too-2/

The Mooncup is the original silicone menstrual cup designed by women to be a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. Loved by women all around the world, and made in the UK by a multi-award winning ethical business, the Mooncup menstrual cup offers an end to the waste, discomfort and expense of disposable sanitary protection.

Safer

Made from soft medical grade silicone, the Mooncup is latex-free and contains no dyes, BPA, toxins or bleaches. It’s also great for women with sensitive skin.

Tampons can cause dryness and leave fibres behind. The Mooncup is designed to respect your natural balance.

Greener

On average, one woman will use over 11,000 tampons or pads in their lifetime, which will end up in landfill or in the sea.

Cheaper

One woman uses up to 22 items of sanitary protection every period. Regardless of your flow, you only need one Mooncup, and it lasts for years and years, making it the most economical sanitary product you can buy.

For a limited period (excuse the pun) order from http://www.mooncup.co.uk/ and use promotional code GREENBRIGHTON2013 to get £5 off.

9:00 – 1700, Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS.

1800 till late, social with bands and comedy at a Venue tbc.

A conference which aims to share practical ideas for action, in order to help better promote green, socialist alternatives to austerity, neo-liberalism and the environmental destruction caused by Capitalism at every level, and to help build a bigger and broader Ecosocialist movement nationally and internationally in the process.

Ideas for action on:

Climate Change, Extreme Energy & Our Alternatives
Building an economy for the 99% Practical solutions on a local level

What type of democracy do we need?
Next Steps to an Ecosocialist future internationally

More info: http://ecosocialism2013.org

Having just returned from the Green Party Autumn Conference in Brighton, I would like to reflect on some of the highlights and key moments for me.

One of the ways in which the Green Party is unique in UK politics is that all the Party’s policies are debated and passed by the democratic vote of party members at Conference. With a broad range of people within the Party, this makes for lively debate and some largely healthy controversy. It can also lead to some occasional contradictions.

Contradictions within the constitution and standing orders meant that my conference got off to a lively start at the GPRC and SOC Report workshops. The contradictions within the disciplinary processes had allowed GPRC to expel Cardiff member Anne Greagsby for her alleged defamatory accusations against Wales Green Party Leader, Pippa Bartolotti. The problem is that the provisions for a tribunal within the constitution had not been used. SOC therefore deemed the expulsion unconstitutional – and this was ratified by Conference accepting the SOC report. Where this leaves the whole unseemly mess remains unclear at this stage, but natural justice would seem to demand that Anne be re-instated, but perhaps remain suspended, until such time as due process is carried out.

After this rather depressing start, Natalie Bennett’s opening speech was, thankfully, appropriately rousing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUGN-NVD_FT_Kyv_VdUxzc7A&v=mc50KVL0QJs

This was followed by a workshop on one of my pet topics – Education. I spoke in support of a review of Education policy in the face of Gove’s comprehensive reshaping of the education landscape, and the need to be more explicit about the Comprehensive vision that I have spoken and written about for many years now. (See the education chapter of my book) It was also pleasing to hear my visions of a truly Comprehensive education system being advocated by the headline speaker at a panel meeting on Free Schools – Tony Benn’s daughter, Melissa Benn. Unforunately, the motion fell – being squeezed into the last 5 minutes of a session and failing to get a proper debate – I was frustrated at not getting chance to speak! C’est la vie. http://melissabenn.com/campaigning/

So endeth day one – to be followed with a fish and chip supper and copious amounts of Brighton’s local ales in the company of Green Left friends and colleagues. Doug and I battled through the stormy weather to the crash pad at midnight and settled down before the deluge of Young Left – and some not so young – crashed in at 2pm. Simon Hales ensured a fitful night due to his extraordinary bursts of snoring that sounded like the death throes of a water buffalo! It was nearly the death throes of a watermelon!

Which brings to one of the more extraordinary aspects of this Conference. A couple of people went out of their way to distribute their anti- Green Left rants in print. One went under the name of a new Green Party forum, wittily entitled “The Kiwi & Lime” – playing on the name Green Left’s established ‘Watermelon’ conference magazine. It is unclear who the author, who appears to want to go by the moniker of Guru Nick, is targeting. His front page asks “Who are the people that may trouble the Kiwi & Lime supporter?” It proceeds to anticipate trouble from the right and the left!! Perhaps his apparent dislike of most people explains why he seems more obsessed with animal rights than human rights. In fact, the most trouble he found was with plenary session Chairs, several of whom had to shut him up for his inane ramblings. All very entertaining!

If this attack on Green Left was impossible to take seriously, Mike Shone’s effort was far from funny. He appears to want to shut down criticism of some of Brighton Council’s decisions and paint Green Left as ‘wilfully distorting’ things and ‘self-serving misrepresentation’. Serious, some would say defamatory, allegations. And I have already pointed out how seriously GPRC takes defamation! And if this were not bad enough, Shone had gone to the trouble of printing his vitriol in an 8 page A4 booklet that had 3 completely blank page, a near empty front cover, with 4 pages of well-spaced large font (size 18?). A shocking waste of paper, even if you regard him sharing his thoughts in this manner as a worthwhile exercise. This flagrant wastefulness alone deserves some form of censure.

Mike Shone was conspicuously absent from the well-attended Green Left fringe meeting on Saturday evening. He may have found cause to retract if he had. The meeting was attended by a group of Brighton Councillors, clearly at odds with the Kitcat administration to to point of clear and obvious distress. There was also a local anti-cuts activist (not in any political party) who painted a very poignant picture of the impact of Brighton Council’s decisions to date. She acknowledged that these had been modest to date – if you can call taking £3 a week Council Tax off people with barely £12 a week for food and transport modest. Given that any ‘efficiency savings’ have now been used up, the budget for next year will be a crucial watershed for all concerned. Whether Shone likes it or not – it is clear that it is not only Green Left members that are a little short of trust in Kitcat doing the right thing. It includes people a lot closer to things than him.

For me, the Green Left fringe was the highlight of the whole conference. It gave me real insight into the Brihgton situation and pause for thought as to what our priorities should really be, and despite the overt criticism, makes me even more committed to the principles that Green Left believe in.

Plenaries over the weekend saw important policy decisions being ratified – to nationalise the railways; to take steps towards eradicating debt-based money supply and fractional reserve banking; to do what we can to remove the threat of land grabs by big corporations around the world; important improvements to our mental health policy;and the banning advertising targeted at children. There were emergency motions condemning the badger cull; condemning the bedroom tax; condemning the PO sell -off; and reaffirming our steadfast opposition to fracking. The most important organisational decisions were probably regarding having two deputy leaders in future and adding a Trade Union Liaison Officer to GPEx.

Saturday night involved more beer and conviviality followed by another Simon Hales snorefest. This isn’t Simon, but if you turn your volume up full you will be getting an idea: http://youtube.com/w/?v=LtBQARqeK9M

I started Sunday with that hardy perennial of controversial issues at the “Population matters – or does it?” fringe meeting. This, you may recall was the one Ann Were urged us from Wales to attend due to the strong Wales involvement. This amounted to Ann Were chairing and Cardiff’s Seb Power being the panellist attempting to take on PM’s Roger Martin. Seb gave it his best shot, but it was an uneven contest in terms of numbers in the audience and the efficacy of the arguments presented. He made some basic errors such as presenting lots of incontrovertible scientific facts, but claiming they proved a hypothesis to which they were completely unconnected. As soon as he realised he was losing the argument, he reverted to specious claims of racism and staring at the ceiling. He is smart enough to learn and come again – but he needs to realise that the issue is not quite as black and white as he thinks it is. (Damn, that’s not a racist pun, is it?)

Maintaining the Welsh involvement, next up was Pippa’s Wales Leader’s speech. After what happened in Nottingham, rumours abounded that Pippa had bottled it and wanted someone else to deliver it (Chris Were and Natalie Bennett were mooted), but Pippa is made of sterner stuff than that and gave it a good go – sticking to safe ground and themes largely covered in the other set piece speeches. I am pretty sure, however, that it didn’t mention Wales at all and it is little wonder that there continue to be questions from senior party members about the merits of its position on the timetable. It may well be asked to make way for target region lead MEP candidates next conference (which doesn’t include Wales, just in case you were wondering).

This emerged in the Elections Committee meeting that Ann Were and I attended. This revealed that we are not as far behind other regions in getting our Euro campaign together as I thought – but did also offer to good ideas in terms of messaging and priorities. It will allow me to take the initiative in the absence of any useful support from the Wales Election Officer to date. This will be further helped having attended Mark Cridge’s excellent digital campaigning fringe. I have a long ‘to do’ list!

I final catch up with people like Romayne Phoenix; claiming my now traditional raffle prize off Pete Murry; and a final meal with the Green Party’s version of Sarah Millican – the multi-faceted and very funny Iris Ryder – and I was on my way home.

I am looking forward to the next one already.