Vote Green viral videos

Love these little viral videos.  Please share with your friends:

Update on most influential Green Tweeters

After producing my top 100 list of most influential Green Tweeters, I have found been informed of a few more Tweeters who I missed of the list.  I have therefore revised the top 20:

Ranking	Username	Score
1	TheGreenParty	56
2	twodoctors	51
3	darryl1974	50
3	carolinelucas	50
5	sianberry	49
6	adamramsay	48
7	Jasonkitcat	46
7	garydunion	46
9	brumguvnor	44
10	Jim_Jepps	43
11	kemptownben	41
11	chalkface2009	41
11	GreenFeed	41
14	mr_andy_c	40
14	patrickharvie	40
14	TonyJuniper	40
14	imaginedpm	40
18	RupertRead	39
18	natalieben	39
20	DarrenJohnsonAM	38
20	aleddilwyn	38
21	GoHod	37
22	Scott_Redding	36
22	GreenRupertRead	36
24	GreenJennyJones	35
25	leonora1	34
25	AdrianRamsay	34

Do not choose the Lib Dems over the Green Party

I have a lot of respect for Peter Tatchell but feel he has made the wrong call by encouraging Green voters to vote Lib Dem.

I did support the Lib Dems in the last election, as under the leadership of Charles Kennedy it was clear where they stood, as a centre left party.  I am somewhat amazed that there is now a sudden surge of support for the Lib Dems, as their policies do not differ much from the other two main parties.  For example:

• The Lib Dems support the war in Afghanistan
• Although they have called for Trident to be scrapped, they still believe in keeping a nuclear deterrent
• Cut £15bn from spending, which will result in public sector job losses.

The recent Green Party press release on the Lib Dems rightly questions their green credentials:

Lib Dems are “The biggest eco-charlatans on this part of the planet”

As Nick Clegg today launched his party’s environmental policies with a direct attack on the Greens, a Green Party spokesperson branded the Lib Dems “the biggest eco-charlatans on this part of the planet”:

“Objectively speaking, the Lib Dems are the least trustworthy party on the environment. They have proven themselves the party most likely to say one thing and do another. Their track record is spotty to say the least.

“They say they want a low-carbon economy with new green jobs. But last week they revealed a plan to put the pathetic sum of £3bn into this, promising only a few thousand new jobs. The Green Party, on the other hand, has started with science-based CO2 targets, done the arithmetic and shown how to pay for a £44bn green investment package, which would create over a million new jobs.

“The Lib Dems talk about stopping roadbuilding but they’ve supported practically every new road from the Newbury bypass to the M74, and they’re still supporting the Lancaster Northern Bypass. They opposed Heathrow’s third runway but they’ve supported Manchester’s second runway and airport expansions just about everywhere else. They talk about green waste management but they currently support incinerator projects in Exeter, Plymouth and Barnstaple. In Essex they’ve proclaimed support for a zero waste strategy, which means no incineration, but they’re still supporting incinerators in Essex.

“They say they want a zero carbon economy by 2050, but they’ve opposed windfarm proposals in Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon and Worcestershire. In Lewisham they recently voted against a Green Party budget package that would have insulated 25,000 homes for free.
“In their proposed ‘green tax switch’ the Lib Dems promised to ‘cut income tax and switch to green taxes on pollution instead’ – which means either we’d have less money for schools and hospitals as we reduce pollution, or else we have to keep polluting in order to keep the tax revenue coming in.

“Frankly, the Lib Dems are the biggest eco-charlatans on this part of the planet.”

I'm not saying the Lib Dems do not have some worthwhile policies.  I do support their plans to scrap ID cards and bring in electoral reform, but the Green Party also promises to do this.

I do not have a Green candidate in my constituency of York Outer, but the one thing which above anything else stops me from voting Lib Dem, is their refusal to rule out supporting a Tory minority government.  I do not want to vote Lib Dem and getting Tory.

Lastly I would recommend the Green Party party political broadcast which was premiered today, showing that we don't believe there is little difference between the 3 main parties.

David Cameron and The Common People

Top 100 influential Green Tweeters

After reading Paul Waugh's Evening Standard blog which listed Top 100 Twitter 'Influentials' I though it would be interested to produce a list of the top 100 Green Tweeters.  I have based the list on the same formula used by Paul which runs Twitter usernames through the TweetLevel website.  The score it gives is based on:

• Influence - what you say is interesting and many people listen to it. This is the primary ranking metric.
• Popularity - how many people follow you
• Engagement - you actively participate within your community
• Trust - people believe what you say 

Apologies if I have missed some popular users off.  I have run all the users from http://twitter.com/TheGreenParty/greens-on-twitter and my own personal list http://twitter.com/mr_andy_c/greens

The tool does not work on users who have protected their tweets, so there will be a few notable exceptions.

Anyhow, here is the list:

Ranking	Username
1	TheGreenParty
2	darryl1974
2	carolinelucas
4	sianberry
5	Jasonkitcat
5	garydunion
7	brumguvnor
8	Jim_Jepps
9	kemptownben
9	chalkface2009
9	GreenFeed
12	mr_andy_c
12	patrickharvie
12	TonyJuniper
12	imaginedpm
16	RupertRead
16	natalieben
18	DarrenJohnsonAM
18	aleddilwyn
20	GoHod
21	Scott_Redding
21	GreenRupertRead
23	GreenJennyJones
24	leonora1
24	AdrianRamsay
26	LGBTGreens
26	alexforgoldsmid
26	PeterTatchell
29	HackneyMatt
29	AdrianWindisch
31	VickyWJ
32	nineveh_havant
32	anothergreen
32	greenladywell
35	highburyonfoot
35	MartinJDeane
37	adrianhollister
38	tom_chance
39	DocRichard
39	jennimiles
39	Blakesley
42	jimpreece
42	lasophielle
42	SouthwarkGP
42	hornseymatters
42	stuartjeffery
42	camdengp
42	JonNott
49	SimonGrover
49	lewgreenparty
49	BrumGreens
49	GreenGreenwich
53	ladyroisin
53	CharlieBGP
55	kevinwarnes
55	samcoatesUK
55	BarnardSteve
55	DilysCluer
59	busker999
59	clrandrewcooper
59	central_devon
59	bobbyblanc
59	chrisw100
59	GayleODonovan
65	Martinwhiteside
65	phil4northwilts
65	Martinwhiteside
65	CllrRMallender
69	MattHanley
69	StokeyGreens
69	mr_teatime
69	liverpoolGP
69	MarcusHemsley
69	biggreenfactory
69	TeresaDelaney
76	SvenRufus
76	LouisStephen
76	GinaDowding
76	shanoakes
76	stormpoorun
76	WalesGreenParty
76	Swlgbtgreens
76	EastBerksGP
76	GreenHighbury
85	GreenDPerrett
85	NorwichGreens
85	HulmeGreenParty
85	YHGreens
89	kentgreenparty
89	LeicsGreenParty
89	EastOxGreeens
89	Sheffieldgreens
93	bowesgreens
93	JackGJohnson
93	jamesbcy
93	KTGreens
93	worcsgreenparty
93	greenredflag
99	ThePiper54
99	swanseagreens

Okay, it is just a bit of fun with numbers.  But I hope it also shows how well Green activists have taken to Twitter and use it to help promote the Green message.

The Daily Hate Mail is at it again

I am no cheer leader for Nick Clegg but I found this recent article in the Daily Mail to be pretty vile.  To have an introduction to an article with the following text is xenophobic gutter politics:

His wife is Spanish, his mother Dutch, his father half-Russian and his spin doctor German. Is there ANYTHING British about Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg?

Parties should be challenged on their policies rather than trying to whip up xenophobic hatred against their leaders.

It shows the obvious panic of Tory supporters to be stooping to such depths.

UKIP - Not for the 'politically correct'

I received a leaflet today from the UKIP candidate for York Outer, Judith Morris.  One sentence immediately rang alarm bells, her concern about "the negative effects of political correctness".  So I thought I would dig around to find out a bit more about our UKIP candidate.  I did not need to look far as I came across a Q & A section on the UKIP website

On gay couples booking a room in a B & B:

With regard to the B & B question, I believe that the proprietors, like pub landlords, should have the right to serve or not anyone staying in their home.

Asked about the country's "lax moral standards":

However, I would firmly be against same sex marriages, abortion and euthenasia - but I re-iterate these are my own personal views but I would vote this way if given that option.

Her views are pretty typical of UKIP candidates.  I would recommend reading Richard Corbett's '25 things you didn't know when you voted for UKIP'

I also recommend the site UKIP watch

The Green Party - A real committment to peace

 (Picture taken from www.stopwar.org.uk)

It is with dismay, but not surprise that the 3 main parties have little to offer when it comes to our defence policy.  Labour, Conservative and Lib Dems are all committed to keeping our troops in Afghanistan, even though there is no sign of end to the war.  In fact, by the end of the year we will have been in longer than the Soviet Union, who could not take control of the country with a much larger force than we have committed.

The Green Party offers a real alternative with a commitment to remove our troops from Afghanistan, as it is now absolutely clear that our security has been compromised, not improved, by our part in the counter-productive invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

On nuclear weapons Labour and the Tories are committed to renewing Trident.  The Lib Dems have said they will cancel it but keep a minimum nuclear deterrent.  The Green Party would not only scrap Trident but would decommission the existing system and not renew it.

So the choice is clear.  If you want to commit our country to a secure and peaceful future vote Green.

Could the Icelandic ash cloud highlight the problems with globalization?

UK aircraft and those from many other countries have been grounded since Thursday due to the ash cloud being formed from the eruption of the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajökull which is drifting across Europe.

The crisis could be over in days, but there is no certainty that this will be the case, and the disruption could spill over into weeks or months.

At the moment most of the media attention is on holiday makers who are stranded.  But now stories have started to appear about the piles of rotting produce in Africa which cannot be imported while planes are grounded.  As reported on the BBC News site:

One of the UK's biggest fresh fruit importers said business had ground to a halt because of the disruption.
Anthony Pile, chairman of Blue Skies, said the company was losing £100,00 a day as produce was rotting in Brazil and Africa.

"Losing a day is a disaster, losing three days is unbelievable and I don't know what we're going to do if we go into the middle of next week," he said.

Transporting food across the world is completely unsustainable and it is time we started to completely re-evaluate our dependence on food from outside the country and moved back to local food production.

May be a natural occurrence like this is just what we need to highlight the failings of our current system.

Yorkshire & Humberside Green Party stand 20 candidates in the region

 

 

Yorkshire & Humberside Green Party are standing 20 candidates in the region.  For a full list of candidates visit http://yorkshireandhumber.greenparty.org.uk/region/yorkshireandhumber/people.html

If you live in the York area please consider coming to help Andy Chase's campaign for York Central.  You can also join the Facebook fan page here.

Tories inflicting their moral standards through the taxation system

The Tories have now outlined their tax plans, to give married couple and those in civil partnerships a tax break of around £150 a year.  The first thing I noticed about this was the late addition of civil partnerships, presumably added to try and take some heat of the Chris Grayling incident.

As the BBC website says:

It would apply to basic rate taxpayers earning under £44,000 where one partner does not use their full personal tax-free income allowance.

Is this supposed to act as an incentive for one spouse to stay at home?

Do the Tories really think such a trivial amount will encourage couples to marry or not to divorce?

The proposed tax is unfair for a whole host of reasons.  It discriminates against unmarried couples and single people for no just reason.  Single people often struggle much more financially as they have pay a mortgage and bills on one income, and as a result of this measure they will also be expected to pay more tax than married couples.

You would have thought the Tories would have learnt by now not to impose their moral standards upon the public.  Particularly as it back-fired so badly against them with their Back to Basics campaign in the 90s.

They are funding this scheme by a new levy on the banks.  Surely any income brought in should be used to reduce our national debt or protect public services.  Instead any savings or new sources of income the Tories are highlighting are being used to offer tax incentives to win votes.

Tories fail on LGBT equality

Today's article in the Observer came as no surprise to me.  Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling was recorded as saying:

"I think we need to allow people to have their own consciences," he said. "I personally always took the view that, if you look at the case of should a Christian hotel owner have the right to exclude a gay couple from a hotel, I took the view that if it's a question of somebody who's doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn't come into their own home."

Supporting such behaviour is unacceptable. B & B owners who display such hostility to gay couples are no better than those who used to display signs saying "No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish".  This sort of behaviour no longer happens and is universally condemned as well as illegal.  It is also illegal to refuse a room to gay couples and should be seen as just as unacceptable.

Everybody has the right to their opinions, regardless of how abhorrent we find them.  What they don't have a right to do is to offer a selective service to the public based on their beliefs.  If people hold homophobic beliefs they are clearly not suitable candidates for running a bed and breakfast.

This latest episode is just the latest in a series of blunders on LGBT rights by the Tories, most recent being the interview Cameron did with the Gay Times which showed a shocking lack of ignorance about what his colleagues were up to in the European parliament re LGBT rights.  When he showed that he was unaware that Conservative MEPs refused to support a motion which condemned a new homophobic law in Lithuania.

The Tory voting record on LGBT rights also proves interesting reading.  The vote on the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 was only supported by 29 Conservative MPs . The following members of the shadow cabinet voted against the bill:

Kenneth Clarke
Mark Francois
Dominic Grieve
Erik Pickles
George Young

Many more members of the party were conspicious by their absence with a Conservative turnout of 58.2%

Please consider signing up for the National Organ Donor Register

A recent article in my local paper reminded me of the great need there still is for people to sign up to the national organ donor register.

As their website says:

If you believe in organ donation, prove it

Would you take an organ if you needed one? Nearly everyone would. But only 28% of us have joined the Organ Donor Register.
More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. Of these, 1000 each year – that's three a day - will die waiting as there are not enough organs available.

My personal view is that the current system should be changed to an opt-out system.  I can understand how some people have cultural or religious reasons for not wanting to be on the register, and an opt-out system would accommodate them.  Having such a system would no doubt increase the amount of available donors.

After all, most of us, if we were ill would like to think that we would not have to wait a long period of time for a donor.  And if we rely on this system we should also be willing to contribute to it.