Going Green? Go Grindey!

September Viewpoints

Well this week has been rather hectic, I think my highlight must have been when I was sat in World Development and my teacher asked me what my thoughts on Scottish Independence were and the whole class froze to listen – that was nice! However much has happened locally that needs to be talked about.

On Wednesday I attended another Warsash Residents’ Association meeting. One thing I feel I must point out is that when Cllr Keith Evans gave his report he spoke about “the top five foreign languages spoken in Hampshire” – I felt rather uncomfortable, because that part of the report just seemed pointless for a WRA meeting and just seemed to be some kind of rhetoric, I don’t know – it was just seem to just be placed there… I reckon it’s to “woo over” potential “kippers”. At the end of the meeting we were given a very interesting talk about “dowsing” (I’ll be frank, I never even heard of it till that day).

At the meeting the current Chair, Chris Bridges announced he will be stepping down in November – I wonder who will replace him?

On Thursday was the day of the Scottish Independence referendum and I had at least 30 people come up to me and ask me my views, it was rather nice of people to ask me. However there were reports of flash flooding in Fareham, and the one alarm bell that rang in my head and I instantly worried about the potential devastation that Welborne will have. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you build 6000+ homes you’re taking away potential areas of land that will absorb the rain water.  The weakest drizzle could end up having the most devastating of impacts and just think about how much more that could cost local authorities, especially Fareham, in flood defence expenditure!

At my college we have had a fantastic response to our new strategy for this year. So far many people have taken a keen interest in our new committee structure and I’m very grateful for Gregory Smith (the current chair) for his support in setting this up. Our members seem much greater than they ever were last year, we better make sure we don’t let them down by getting lazy and complacent, our work is certainly cut out for us this year – it is indeed a challenge that we shall win. We are getting ever closer to joining the NUS. As my previous blog post about my visit to South Downs suggest – they have been hugely influential for how this year has begun.

And finally the local party earlier on this month began their selection process for candidates for the general election, I’m not saying anything but the thought of standing for Fareham is something that I have pondered since the last election when someone put it forward as an idea!

Thank you for reading.

miles

Miles

Go Green folks, every time.

Going Green? Go Grindey!

Autumn Conference 2014

Well I came back Sunday, so I feel this to be a bit late. I’ve spent last weekend up in Birmingham for the Green Party’s Autumn Conference, it was held at Aston University – the hotel was lovely and so were the staff there, a truly welcoming atmosphere. I met some lovely people as well and got some very important business done!

This was “my spot” at the conference, right at the back in the middle.

Others from South East Hampshire joined me up there, which was quite nice! When I arrived on Friday I sat through one of the best speeches I have ever heard, from Natalie Bennett – an absolutely fantastic speech was given, I could tell I was right in choosing the Green Party to support. We then followed a rather unnecessarily heated plenary about the Standing Order’s report, however it did pass.

In the evening I spent some time in the bar chatting to a few friends of mine from other parties, got chatting to a few Young Greens – it was very nice! Then the welcoming event by the World Animal Protection group, of which Natalie was there so I kinda had to take…

 

a selfie!

 So then the next day, as I was having my breakfast – Natalie then joined me for breakfast, we had a lovely chat about all the things I was doing and what was going on in general, it was rather nice and it was a truly humble experience. I did have to kind of call my mum and let her know what had just happened, her reply? “NO way! That’s so cool!”. Amazing.

Caroline Lucas about to give a speech on Saturday 6th Sep

Saturday had the Plenary from hell, I kid – it was quite fun and well done, so a brilliant congrats to the chair of that. We had a good and healthy debate about Nuclear Energy, a couple of Young Greens voted for it but the majority (including myself) voted against it and in the brief pause between absorbing what just happened and getting on with the plenary I just went “HA!” at the back of the hall. 

In the evening I flocked back to the Bar and was joined by the rest of the South East Hampshire lot who had popped up to conference, which meant…

…another selfie!

So that was quite nice, meanwhile I had been trying to get a drink out of Keith Taylor MEP – since he tweeted back in February he’d get me one! I also had a chat with the Bristol Greens, seeing as where Bristol is the uni of choice for a certain friend of mine – Some really nice guys.

I met a lovely couple of people called Sally and “Vip”, very warm and welcoming bunch those two are – good sense of humour too! They were doing a stall about sustainable technology, so plenty of literature to give to mum when she’s talking about Apple! 

Overall I had a fantastic time, met some lovely people and I’m feeling really inspired – I wonder what interesting things might happen next year…

 

Thanks for reading!

 

miles

Miles

Green means GO!

There is a great deal of cynicism in the UK these days, and quite rightfully so! I mean who wouldn’t be cynical about politicians, political parties and indeed candidates after all that has happened, the lies, the deceit and the overall “Image” over “Substance” culture? Many of the people who go to my college seem to think that Green Party (or Greenpeace Party as someone thought it was) is just a bunch of vegan hippies trying to put up wind farms all over the place.

The Green Party is not JUST about the environment, it’s a party that prides itself on inspiring social change, a party that so desperately attempts to improve social justice wherever our members are in power and it’s this great deal of ignorance and lack of insight that is allowing the elite in politics to have their way with the public and push people who genuinely want to do good to the side. 

Over the past couple of Sociology lessons my class watched Michael Moore’s great documentary “Capitalism: A Love Story” about how banks and lobbyists had invaded their political system and indeed how alienated people WERE (emphasis) feeling disenfranchised with the whole system. I was surprised to see two things, one the distinct lack of interest from the majority of the class about what has happened to OUR society and two the fact no one (apart from myself and perhaps a couple of others) felt anguished by how easy these people with a ridiculous amount of money were able to get away with it so quickly!  All in all I feel as though I’m the only one willing to do anything about it. While it is true that I am standing in the Local Elections next year and that my issues will be purely local ones, but to bring about sustainable change it must be achieved through baby steps. One foot at a time. 

To get politics across to college students is a very difficult struggle, with many accusing the likes of me doing this for personal gain.  It is these accusations which, if it weren’t for my thick skin, would cut me deep so much that I’d give up my dream. I am determined no matter what to do something different, big or small – I want to do something that will enlighten people of all generations to fight the system when it doesn’t go our way. We are supposed to alter the system to fit our needs, but nowadays we’re being shaped to fit the needs of the system. Where did we go wrong? The short answer for you is “I’m not entirely sure”. This culture of either spouting hate at everyone with a rosette, “bending over and taking it” or following the trail of thought of “Mummy and Daddy” is highly damaging. I don’t blame people either, in the last 30 years we’ve lost people who mean what they say and say what they mean. I think that an ever growing proportion of people are forgetting how to think for themselves and that their whole thought process comes from adverts and what the media tell them.

One thing from my experience is that if you want to see change, think of things as a traffic light. Labour (Red) is stop, the Lib Dems are something you probably shouldn’t chance and Green means go! 

Thanks for reading,

 

Miles Grindey