The Green Party focused on housing for the start of their campaign in the High Peak. Candidate Peter Allen was joined by Party activists on the streets of New Mills and Glossop, handing out leaflets to highlight housing policy.
Peter Allen said,
“The Green Party believes that everyone has the right to an affordable and secure home. We must set out to do this without doing further damage to our environment.”
The Greens say that where new housing has to be built, it must be to a high standard of energy efficiency. The Greens also point out that better use could be made of the existing housing stock.
Local authorities do not exercise the powers that they already have to make owners bring empty properties into use, and in the meantime properties are left empty whilst many people cannot secure an affordable home. It is wrong that wealthy second home owners leave holiday property empty while local people are denied a home.
Commenting on the response of the people he met, Peter Allen said,
“people were telling me that they had been intending to spoil their ballot papers or stay at home, feeling cut off from politics and disgusted by the expenses scandal. They thanked us for offering an alternative and said they would seriously consider supporting the Green Party, with it’s commitment to environmental sustainability and social justice.”
The Greens will be campaigning in Buxton next Saturday.
The Green Party knows that there is a housing crisis across Britain. We believe that access to affordable secure housing is a human right. In the High Peak nearly 4000 households are on the housing waiting list, yet less than 500 council and housing association homes were let in 2008/9. To address this shortfall the government requires around 5,000 additional homes to be built in the High Peak by 2026. We accept that some new building is necessary but we would plan new housing on the basis of independent housing needs surveys. Builders’ representatives have far too much influence over planning policy at present. Green policy requires that new homes are built to high energy efficiency standards and sited to minimise their impact on the environment. Existing homes should benefit from a nationwide insulation programme, reducing carbon emissions and creating Green Jobs. An immediate priority is to make better use of existing homes and buildings. Local authorities must use their powers to bring empty properties into use. It is wrong that wealthy second homeowners leave holiday property empty while local people are denied a home.
Peter Allen is your Green Party candidate in the High Peak. He continues:
The Green Party offers the voice of hope in Britain today. Our vision is for a fair and sustainable society. We have policies that tackle the economic and environmental crisis. After the election of Barack Obama in the US, for a moment the world dared to hope. That hope is now fading. The unwinnable war in Afghanistan has got worse. Despite the economic crisis that they caused, greedy bankers are still paying themselves massive and totally unjustified bonuses. Nothing was achieved at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. Nevertheless the hope and expectation that brought Obama to power remains. To quote Naomi Klein, “What the election and the global embrace of Obama’s brand proved decisively is that there is a tremendous appetite for progressive change; that many, many people do not want markets opened at gunpoint, are repelled by torture, believe passionately in civil liberties, want corporations out of politics, see global warming as the fight of our time, and to be part of a political project larger than themselves.”
We need to build a movement for radical change. Will you help us by getting involved (email: getinvolved@derbyshiregreenparty.org.uk) or by making a donation? Cheques, payable to Derbyshire Green Party can be sent to Slatelands House, Slatelands Rd, Glossop, Sk13 6LH
The Green Party position on Afghanistan is quite clear: we are against the power of the military-industrial complex, and we always doubt that violence and wars are a useful tool of policy, when all considerations are taken into account. We were against the invasion of Afghanistan, and if it were up to us, we would withdraw our troops immediately and unconditionally. However, given the real-politik of the present position, we can only advise Government on the best way to extricate themselves from the position in which they have foolishly placed our troops.
We accept that the government is not going to perform an immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Their plan, insofar as such may exist, is to train up the Afghan army, and to build up the competence of the Afghan government institutions until they can take over the security of the country. The latest wheeze is to try to bribe moderate Taliban to stop fighting.
Our opponents will argue that immediate withdrawal will lead to the collapse of the Afghan state, effectively handing it back to the Taliban, with all that means in terms of religious freedom, human rights, the position of women, flying kites, stoning, amputations &c. There is also the point that the lives of all those British soldiers would have been sacrificed in vain.
Our counter to this is that, given the present situation, the best way to achieve success, both in terms of getting our troops out with honour and to stabilise the Afghan state with some semblance of democracy, is to buy the opium and use it to relieve the agony of 6,000,000 people who die in Africa each year with untreated terminal pain. Most here will have experienced a friend or relative die of cancer in the UK, aided by morphine. Just imagine what that process would be like without any painkillers.
The advantage of the Opium Purchase policy is:
1. Win hearts and minds of the farmers
2. Pull the financial rug out from under the Taliban
3. Greatly reduce the damage done to our society by illicit morphine
4. Relieve the suffering of terminal cancer in Africa
5. Reduce corruption in Afghanistan
6. Enable our troops to come home with honour.
This policy is endorsed not just by the Green Party of England & Wales, The European Greens, the Afghan Red Crescent, the Italian Red Cross, the European Parliament, the International Council on Security and Development, but most recently a serving US army officer, which shows that it is gaining ground.
The central objection to this argument, presented by the Foreign Office to Caroline Lucas in correspondence, is that the mechanisms to buy and process the opium are not in place. This begs the question of why we do not use a fraction of the money being spent on the military effort to put them in place? That is what government is for, and it is what a Green Party government would do.
The Green Party will stand three candidates in Derbyshire in the forthcoming General Election.
Peter Allen, 49, of Glossop will represent the Green Party in the High Peak constituency. Peter says:
I am delighted that voters in High Peak will now have the chance to vote Green. This election will be the most important in recent times: Britain and the world face a perfect storm as we suffer the worst financial crisis in living memory, while millions of people are losing their homes due to climate change, and the search for continued growth wreaks devastation on the world’s rainforests and ecology. To cap it all, we experience an energy crisis, as easy-to-mine fossil fuels diminish. Only the Green Party offers the right response, with our programme for sustainable living and social justice.
To underline the urgency of Climate Change, Peter will be travelling to London with other Green Party members to take part in The Wave demonstration next weekend. Expected to attract a million participants, this event will demand that the world’s leaders face up to the dangers of global warming now and begin to implement policies necessary to ensure the survival of humanity on the planet. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas recently spelled out our collective challenge:
We now have to recognise that climate change is potentially the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced. At the same time the measures we need to tackle it, like a massive investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy will actually make jobs, and will help us out of recession.
The other two Green Party candidates in Derbyshire are:
In case anyone believes David Cameron’s greenwash, we suggest they take a look at the attached letter by Patrick McLoughlin MP, objecting to the proposed Carsington wind farm.
The intention of Derby City Council to cut approximately 465 jobs is indicative of the recent feeding frenzy and panic by all 3 main parties to drastically cut everything — which we condemn.
When unemployment has already reached 2.5 million, now is not the time for such action, which is bound to affect many frontline services.
Scrapping Trident, ID cards, and expensive PFI contracts would be a better approach.
Voters wishing to cast a positive vote now have one clear choice — the Green Party.
I have a growing concern about the amount of wastage that big supermarkets create with the food they stock. Hundreds, if not, thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible, in-date food is thrown into skips every week, and it has to stop. Firstly, the millions of animals killed per week to supposedly feed Britain are slaughtered for nothing but to be packaged and never consumed. Secondly, there are millions of people living in poverty who are either on the streets or genuinely struggling to feed their family, so this food wastage is both unnecessary and unacceptable.
What I would first like to focus on is the subject of the homeless. I have done some research and spoken to homeless people, as well as having a volunteer place at Women’s Work in Derby starting in September, who deal with female sex workers who are often trafficked, in debt to their pimps or boyfriends, not to mention being emotionally, physically and sexually abused, and more often than not, addicted to drugs. I discussed with one of the leaders the subject of what the women eat, and the answer was nothing, apart from the chocolate bars and cups of tea when they go to the Outreach centre. As they are trapped in a very dangerous lifestyle, they need real food to sustain them. I also feel that if there was more care involved, they are more likely to consider to try and work towards a better lifestyle; to make the conscious decision to stand up for themselves and kick their drug habits. I feel that if they were able to get one meal a day, cooked for them, using what supermarkets would usually waste, they would begin to realise they are worth more than this lifestyle of prostitution, which is never a choice, it is a lifestyle born out of desperation which they are often conned into. For example, many of the young girls and women who come from abroad to work are either kidnapped, sold and trafficked by pimps, boyfriends, or even their family, or they are promised jobs as waitresses or cleaners, for example.
I know that in Paris, they take the food that is wasted from supermarkets and have agreements with local restaurants to cook the food which is then given by outreach centres to the homeless. This will create more jobs in restaurants, as well as giving homeless people a base where they can be fed and get the support they need to get them to a better place in society. When people go without food, they become aggressive and desperate; of course, they are more likely to steal from someone to buy drugs than food, but if we create a network of people who care, for those who need care, they can sit down and have a meal in a normal environment where they are not on the streets, and not displaying threatening behaviour. It will also bring them in to talk to the volunteers and get the advice they need as well as a meal.
All this will contribute to them having a better life while they are on the streets, and hopefully aid them as they work towards a more positive future. After all, to make this change which is often difficult and can involve many relapses if they are drug addicts, they need something to inspire them make this change. I truly believe that if we do this, the number of people on the streets will decrease, and they will begin a transition from being homeless to having a place in society where they are valued and not living in poverty. If we get the right funding, it will create more jobs in restaurants. As this is such an important and beneficial scheme, I do believe that we will get funding from companies, as it shows they are supporting the community and will make them more popular.
While the food wastage includes more than just meat, I know the Green Party are aiming to stop factory farming completely, which as a vegan I totally support this, but some of the food wastage will include factory farmed meat. However, although I think it would be fantastic for the scheme to only cook vegan food to promote an healthy lifestyle, if the unwanted meat was used in the meals, this would be better than it being wasted and rotting in a landfill.
I sincerely hope that we can use this scheme for our community and other communities around the country, and I want to be involved. Please consider the ideas I’ve put forward, as so many people will benefit, and our people, whatever there background, need to be supported somehow and we want the number of people on the streets to be as low as possible.
The Derbyshire Times published a letter from John Riddall, a representative of the Ramblers Association, claiming the proposed wind farm at Carsington would destroy the peace and tranquillity that existed at Carsington reservoir. He also went on to criticise the High Court for upholding the Planning Inspector’s grant of permission to go ahead with the scheme. As the appeal could only be on points of law, apparently the correspondent was more knowledgeable on the law than the High Court! In response to that letter the DT has published our letter this week.
The Derbyshire Green Party objects to the narrow view John Riddall takes in his support of those opposing the turbines at Carsington (hardly a ‘Wind Farm’). Carsington reservoir itself has made a far bigger and longer lasting change to the landscape than this relatively small wind project will do.
The “peace and tranquility” he refers to is news to us, as it must be to others. Visitors are frequently subjected to the noise of bikers showing off the speed and power of their machines. In addition the Visitor Centre attracts thousands of people who travel there by cars that create noise, danger and pollution on a scale that will dwarf anything created by the wind project. All partly offset by the joy of sailing — and the sailors won’t hear the turbines!
Carsington reservoir was built to provide for our ever-increasing consumption (and waste) of water. Wind power is needed to meet our continuing demand for (and waste) of electricity. When we learn to live within what our island can provide on a truly sustainable basis, then we will find that wind and water power will again become essential to the maintenance of a lifestyle free of the drudgery experienced before the development of electricity.
The Green Party believes that the following should be taken into account when considering the application to develop a new superstore in Belper. The Development Brief should:
Explicitly require a Retail Impact Assessment to be carried out
Require that this Assessment be independently checked, including the use of information gained from reviews of Retail Impact Assessments used to support similar developments
Require that any development leads to a net increase in Full Time Employment jobs, not just for the area covered by the Development Brief, but at least for the area defined as Belper town centre.
There are several references to sustainability in the Draft Development Brief, but none specifically refer to traffic. Sections 8.9 to 8.10 blatantly leave it open for a developer such as Tesco to claim that they are using the very latest in building design, while omitting any reference to the increased traffic caused by a development such as a superstore.
There are several references in the Draft Development Brief to the “congested” A6, yet there is no evidence to support this rather emotive term.
The A6 is congested at certain times on summer Sundays (by people travelling to and from Derbyshire Dales and The Peak District), and on weekdays when a lorry is making a delivery. Such congestion is temporary, and more easily (and cheaply) dealt with by other means than by building another road.
Whereas drivers travelling by car to Derby during the week experience real congestion on the approach to Derby because of the sheer volume of traffic, traffic volume in Belper is not currently a problem. But a superstore, by its very nature, requires a huge amount of customer traffic to support it. That traffic will come from both directions along the A6 (causing real congestion with concomitant pollution at the Morrison’s roundabout and The Triangle) and/or the east side of Belper (in which case it will have to make its way along John O’Gaunt’s Way, Nottingham Road and New Road, or Far Laund, Chesterfield Road, Church Lane, Field Lane and Bridge St.). Add to this the delivery lorries required to keep the superstore stocked with goods which will not be locally sourced. How does this fit with the Borough Council’s duties under the Climate Change Act?
The Development Brief should:
Be supported by evidence of present levels of traffic on the A6.
Require a Traffic Impact Assessment which assesses the likely effects of any proposed development not only within the vicinity of the superstore, but on all roads likely to be affected.
Such an assessment should assess the likely traffic and pollution effects of all options for developing the site. It should:
Make explicit reference to the need to comply with the requirements of the Climate Change Act.
Require that any traffic increase is kept to a minimum.
With percentage shares ranging from 10.1% to 18.5%, we can be very pleased with the results. It’s really good to have achieved 3rd place in Chapel & Hope Valley and in Holymoorside & Wingerworth, pushing the Lib Dems and Labour into 4th places. Congratulations to all the candidates and thanks to those who helped in the campaigns.
ASHGATE
Electorate: 8667
Ray Russell (LD) – 1467 – ELECTED
John Boult (C) – 936
Avis Murphy (L) – 627
Patrick Ralph (G) – 342
Turnout: 38.9% Green Party share of vote: 10.1%
CHAPEL & HOPE VALLEY
Electorate: 11469
Tracy Critchlow (C) – 2058
Timothy Norton (L) – 753
David Mount (G) – 645
Jane Simm (LD) – 593
Turnout: 35.3% Green Party share of vote: 15.9%
HOLYMOORSIDE & WINGERWORTH
Electorate: 7216
Stuart Ellis (C) – 2131 – ELECTED
Doug Oxspring (LD) – 616
Kelvin Karim (G) – 585
Michael Prout (L) – 562
Turnout: 54.0% Green Party share of vote: 15.0%
LONG EATON
Electorate: 13067
Roland Hosker (L) – 1262 – ELECTED
Kevin Miller (C) – 1242
Susannah Allen (LD) – 528
Lee Fletcher (G) – 444
