Key Quotes

"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist."
(Kenneth Boulding)




"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. "

(Raymond Chandler)





"Live simply so that others can simply live." (unknown)





"I cannot live without books" (Thomas Jefferson)





"Sport is war without the shooting" (George Orwell)





"New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it" (William Rossa Cole)





The secret of a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits (Patterson Hood)































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Wednesday 12 September 2012

Green Party Conference September 2012

It's many years since I've attended a conference, and my experience in the past has come from the NUT and Labour Party; for this reason I wasn't sure what to expect from the Green Party Conference in Bristol.



 Having joined the Party I knew that I wanted to learn and immerse myself in the culture of the party.

For personal reasons I was unable to attend on the opening day (Friday) when the formal hand of the party leadership would take place. Caroline Lucas would hands over the reins to Natalie Bennett. Since conference ended I have watched their two speeches and the speech of Caroline Lucas sums up exactly why I found myself atrracted to the party and why I would spend the next three nights in Bristol.

At 9am on Saturday morning I was in a workshop learning the ins and outs of conference, this familiarisation would have been essential to someone unfamiliar with this type of debating forum. On a personal level I found it useful, it jogged the memory and prepared me for the days ahead.

The main session of the morning was taken up by speeches from Jason Kitcat , leader of Brighton and Hove Council whose theme was Brighton's getting greener. This was followed by the handing over of the deputy leadership from Adrian Ramsay to Will Duckworth. Will gave a personal moving and humourous speech. He explained that after becoming a house husband after a fruitless year looking for work, he read every party's manifesto and discovered that the Greens agreed with him on everything, and he joined the party in 2008. He co-formed Dudley Green Party in 2009 and by 2012 he became the party's first councillor in that authority.



His description of the other parties strategy was spot on, particularly the Labour "hiding in the cupboard" analogy. As he said "forget the grey,it's the 50 Shades of Blue that get me hot under the collar"

I went from the main hall to two sessions that discussed media and stategy. Both were thought provoking, as I tried to adapt messages and strategy to suit my situation in Ingatestone.

The afternoon dealt with motions , a range of issues from working hours to animal racing. Late afternoon and I was sitting in the Compass debate between Rupert Reed  and Neal Lawson ( Lavour Party and Compass Organiser). Compass has been the one genuine non sectarian campaigning broad based body on the left in recent years. Based around the concept of the Good Society , Compass has engaged in debate on key themes, the debate on Saturday was on the issue of growth.  it was a well rehearsed debate, in part because I'd listened and read Rupert Reed's analysis via Green House. However Neal Lawson made on comment that struck a chord and I'll undoubtedly use again. He said : " We live in a utopia , the trouble is it's not our utopia, its one designed and made by neo-liberals".

On Sunday I made a beeline for a discussion group on whether to pay an allowance to the party leader. While Caroline Lucas lead the party this issue really didn't arise, as an elected politician, first as an MEP and then MP, she could fulfil party and media engagements easily, however there was a realisation that if the party was to advance the new leader would need time to devote to campaigns,meetings etc and this would be rendered ineffective if the leader had to find employment. It was an interesting debate with valid contributions on both sides. Ultimately it was decided to pay an allowance, again a historic decision for the party.

Sunday ended with a plenary session discussing party pollicy on disability followed by a panel debate on "What if growth doesn't happen ? A long but personally rewarding day, where I felt more attuned and engaged.

Back on Monday and an early session on Greens in Power, a discussion organised by the Association of Green Councillors. For the first time I felt inclined and confident to contribute, I was beginning to meet other delegates and interact. Later that morning I went to a feedback session where I could make some points as a "newcomer" both to the party and conference.

Overall this was an inspiring experience, and one I hope to repeat, to quote a headline I read on Guardian online : " They're jolly, they're green, and they might be giants"

The End of the Season

A win in the penultimate game of the season and Surrey are safe. A month ago our place in Division 1 appeared to be in jeopardy, but an upturn in performance has seen Surrey accumulate sufficient points. It seems that last season's champions Lancashire will be relegated, such are the turnarounds in county cricket.

The dispute between the ECB and Kevin Pietersen had at least one positive, it gave Surrey a quality batsman in the middle order when one was most desparately needed.

In recent months players have been changed more regularly than socks, and the selection policy has to say the least been baffling. In the penultimate game at home to Nottinghamshire, fast bowler Tim Linley took five wickets in the Notts first innings; all good you might say, except Linlay has been overlooked for much of the season.

Nothing highlights the problems at Surrey more than the treatment of Matthew Sprigel. For much of the season Spreigs has been a mainstay of both the CB40 and T20 sides. On more than one occasion he was steered Surrey to victory when defeat looked on the cards. Yet the Coaching staff have denied him the chance to cement a place in the county championship side. A player who bats, who has taken valuable wickets in limited over cricket and excels in the outfield, has effectively been an outcast from the county side.

I assume it came to noones surprisewhen it was announced that Matt was joing Northamptonshire for next season. No one could blame him, but Surrey have lost a local cricketer who has played for the county since 9 years of age. Even more bewildering was the fact that Coach Adams told the Surrey members forum in August that he regarded Spriegs as a player of immense potential. Actions and words seem some distance apart.

I'm sure many Surrey players will be delighted when the season ends, it seems that it will conclude with rain once again the dominant feature. A season that initially promised much has unfolded in ways that no one could have imagined. Perhaps everyone needs to put time and space between them and the Oval. Hopefully next season a clear pattern and strategy will evolve,and cricket will once again be fun and the sun will shine.