This article, from Wednesday’s Guardian, is highly relevant and the policy (RA405) adopted at Spring Conference this year states our support for the rights of migrants to healthcare regardless of status:

RA405 The Green Party will oppose any person being left destitute after a failed asylum claim or if deemed to have not applied “appropriately”. Any person in the United Kingdom should be entitled to the basic necessities of life, including but not limited to food, shelter and medical care, by legal means, whether this be achieved through employment rights or public funds.

Moyra Rushby, quoted in the article, spoke at a well attended fringe meeting held by Green Party Trade Union group (GPTU) on migrant workers at that conference.

What is happening (as given in the example near the end) is truly inhumane treatment by the NHS of vulnerable people who suffer because of a system that is chronically underfunded. It is a small step from this to the idea that ‘if you haven’t put into the box, you aren’t allowed anyting out’. If undocumented migrants can’t get healthcare while they remain in the UK, why should someone who has never paid taxes? Once healthcare is not seen as an inalienable human right, we are on a very slippery slope indeed.

Apologies for the long period since the last post (yet again, work and the rest of life gets ahead of me!).

SM

The London Elections on May 1st will undoubtedly set the tone for London for the next 4 years. It is vital that people use their votes to keep the BNP out (they’re aiming to gain possibly 2 seats on the assembly, in what would be a disaster for London), keep Boris out (he’s somehow really in with a chance of coming first) and keeping the Greens as progressive voices on the London Assembly.

I will be voting while keeping all three of those objectives in mind. For the mayoral elections, being able to express a first and a second preference means voters can vote Green without losing their chance to have their say in the almost certain Ken vs Boris battle. VOTE SIAN 1 KEN 2 on the Mayoral Ballot Paper.

As for the London List, I really hope that we increase the number of Green members on the assembly. Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones have been exceptional members on the assembly and have gained major concessions from Ken his past 2 terms. It is possible we’ll get 4 members (Noel Lynch and Sian Berry joining Darren and Jenny on the assembly) but I really hope that, at the very least, Noel will rejoin the Assembly after a 4 year absence. If you’re not going to vote Green anywhere else, HERE is where to do it: VOTE GREEN ON THE PEACH BALLOT PAPER FOR THE LONDON-WIDE LIST.

The election broadcast aired a couple of nights ago, and the youtube version of it is posted here too. Fingers crossed that voters are convinced by our message and that we’ll get a large Green vote from Londoners on May 1st in the hope that it will help keep the progressive agenda top of London’s priorities.

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(P.S. Apologies for the long absence: I will eventually get better at updating this regularly!)

Wonderful weather today and I had the good fortune of having time this morning to go for a walk around central London and see some of the beautiful spring flowers. Thought I should share (all taken on my mobile, so not amazing quality):

Another week has passed and I am another week closer to the end of my 4th year… Scary.

Gaza is experiencing an escalation in violence perpetrated by Israel (the main aggressor in this sad story) against its people. The people who suffer most, of course, are the civilians who are caught in the middle. It is vital that governments from around the world speak out loudly to condemn these crimes against humanity. The Israeli military has weapons which the Palestinian resistance could not even dream of and believes it is legitimate to use these and collectively punish the Palestinian people.

Alas, I fear there is not much hope. Israel willfully neglects to listen to UN resolutions and international pressure and has repeatedly shown that it is willing to use force even where there is a very high risk of civilian casualties. The BBC’s reporting has become so poor in this (and other issues) now that I have found myself turning to Al Jazeera in an attempt to access some more interesting news. But the best place is the blogosphere where I can hear all voices, from all sides and make up my own mind.

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Thank you to Derek for putting a link to this article on patenting crops in Iraq on his blog. Well worth a read!

“The problem with capitalism is that it best rewards the worst part of us: the ruthless, competitive, conniving, opportunistic, acquisitive drives, giving little reward and often much punishment - or at least much handicap - to honesty, compassion, fair play, many forms of hard work, love in justice, and a concern for those in need” Michael Parenti (1933-)

Far too long since I last blogged, but am back from Green Party Conference where I had a really great time, and had lots of interesting discussions. I decided it was time to blog again.

I arrived there on Friday afternoon and got straight into my first meetings. Unfortunately, I didn’t arrive in time for the International Group’s plenary session entitled ‘Global Voices’ with speakers from Palestine, Nigeria and Venezuela. I *hope* a video will be made available online.

The first meeting I went to was the launch of the Party’s response to the Darzi Review entitled, ‘Virgin Births and Private Polys’. Well done to Stuart Jeffery (a fellow blogger and the party’s health spokesperson) for an excellent review which I will link to here when it is up (for now, the press release is here). Important discussions were had about our policy on ‘polyclinics’ among other things. I will blog properly on this soon.

Jane Ennis gave an excellent introduction to eco-socialism to finish my first day with. She began by speaking on the history of ecological socialist ideas, with particular focus on William Morris (’I tell you that the very essence of competitive commerce is waste’, WM, Art Under Plutocracy, 1883) before handing over to Derek Wall who made the case for eco-socialist economics.

Saturday began with Keith Ross holding a fringe for all us ‘first-timers’ at conference, really useful in helping us work out where everything fitted in!

Derek Wall gave an impassioned speech at the plenary and was given a standing ovation by many in the audience. He argued that while the Green party should be realistic, it must have the radical ideas needed for change which will help everyone. This was followed by voting on reports and organisational changes to the party (unfortunately I missed the policy changes debated and voted on during Thursday and Friday sessions).

The Green Economics policy working group was fascinating, discussion future changes to the party’s economic policy. It was great to take part in such a discussion on how to make economics work better for people and the environment. I also picked up a copy of the International Journal of Green Economics, which has since provided me with several hours of interesting reading (yes, I know, now everyone’s idea of fun…).

A great meeting organised by the Trade Unions Group on Migrant Workers was had next, where we were lucky enough to have a speaker from MedAct along side our London MEP, Jean Lambert, speaking about problems with policy on migrants. It was highlighted how awful changes are being made to healthcare for ‘failed’ asylum seekers and refugees which will result in many being unable to access vital care. Several government reports have been unable to provide ANY evidence of ‘health tourism’ yet this ideology is being used to be totally inhumane to thousands.

The next to meetings I went to were on energy: one organised by the International group on the ‘Geopolitics of Oil’ and another on ‘Biofuels’. It was made clear by the speakers at the second that biofuels are not the solution the climate change rollercoaster. Instead, they will cause land-use changes which will exacerbate the crisis. There will be a protest against the use of such fuels on the 15th April organised by the Campaign against Climate Change.

The best fun at conference was to be had by talking to people outside the organised meetings: speaking to members from all over the country and discussing ideas with them is truly fascinating and a reminder that I am in the right party! The evening session was some stand up comedy by George Marshall who pointed out that our addiction to images of climate catastrophe is like an addiction to chocolate, and some of these images are so over-the-top as to be like ‘climate porn’ (hence ‘chocolate porn?’ as this post’s title - apparently it will double the number of hits I get on here :p)

So there we are, my summary of my first party conference experience. It was great fun and very interesting. Hope to be at the next one in Autumn!

Time keeps pounding away and it is almost 2008 before I’ve even caught up with the fact it is 2007! I am starting on Paediatrics now which I look forward to, although it strikes me as a lot of hard work!

Several blows very recently for what I see as progressive left-green politics, both locally and internationally, including:

1) The pro-leader side won the leadership debate in the Green Party meaning that as of Autumn 2008 we will be holding elections for a Leader and Deputy in the place of principle speakers. Thanks to Tim Turner and all of the Green Empowerment team for working so hard. Unfortunately, in the end, we couldn’t convince the rest of the party. I don’t think this will bring any benefit to the party, I think that any votes we win will be useless. This is an important step in the path to selling out, I can just hope that no more steps in that direction will be taken.

2) More importantly internationally, Chavez lost the referendum for his constitutional reforms. Chavistas have probably done more for eco-socialism than any other group in the world and should be strongly supported against American imperialism. Under Chavez, Venezuela has become a country of people who, for the first time, feel empowered. The vote was not lost due to the anti-chavez side getting more votes than last time. It was lost because people who had supported for Chavez didn’t vote in this election. I am sure questions are being asked about what has gone wrong and I sincerely hope that good remedy can be found. I would hate to see the benefits of the Bolivarian revolution to be lost.

3) The London Green Party’s selection ballot for MEPs has put the top 4 as: Jean Lambert, Ute Michel, Shahrar Ali and Joseph Healy. I was hoping that Dr Healy would do much better since he embodies much of what the Green Party should, in my view, be: radical, left-wing, anti-’bullshit’, pro- rights (from womens right through to LGBT rights, abortion rights and ideological rights) and strongly anti-fascist. He would make a great MEP and speaks several European languages as well as being educated in history.

I can’t say I am too happy overall. However, we must keep fighting for change. If we do not, we may as well give up completely. I for one, won’t stop the fight: wherever it may take me. The climate change march on Saturday (photos below!) was good and gave me the opportunity to meet the Romanian Green Party’s secretary-general, Silviu Dumitru, who gave me hope that there are great progressives in some of our sister parties around Europe too.

A good account of the march is here: http://greenmansoccasional.blogspot.com/

studentmedic

Well, while I recover from the weekend I have had a great lecture on Ethics and Law today by my favorite lecturer here at uni.

Lectures are often mind numbingly boring but this one was truly enjoyable. A great analysis was given of power and conflicts of interest as well as a good discussion on the ethics of selling organs. Just a couple of quotes which I thought were worthwhile:

“because men care not, in that subject, what be truth, as a thing that crosses no man’s ambition, profit, or lust. For I doubt not, but if it had been a thing contrary to any man’s right of dominion, or to the interest of men that have dominion, that the three angles of a triangle should be equal to two angles of a square, that doctrine should have been, if not disputed, yet by the burning of all books of geometry suppressed, as far as he whom it concerned was able. ” Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan Chapter XI

“All people have the right to sleep under the bridge but for some reason, only poor people take advantage of this”  Mark Twain

Anyway, enough rambling! Except to look forward to the climate change demo on Saturday and hope I can make it to an LSESU Environment and Ethics Week meeting tomorrow…

studentmedic

Sad to hear that one of the greatest Iranian poets of her generation and a fighter for human rights and particularly women’s causes, Jaleh Esfahani, has passed away. Those who had the opportunity to know her and speak with her about her rich and interesting life are very privileged. I include here, the English translation of one her poems:

A better world

If you ask me what life is,
seek ceaselessly,
wish for a better world,
I would say.
Today more than ever,
I am conscious,
awoke, full of thought,
asleep but wide awake.
I treasure time,
I love the earth.

I get such a delight
at the brightness of the day,
as if this is my first day
and also the last.
My delight greets me,
and mingles with the pain of
farewell.
Between the two,
there is a mysterious harmony.

In this alluring commotion,
I am restless,
like spring birds,
My heart aches when at home.
My heart aches from useless thoughts,
and parroted words,
and daily news,
when they talk of hot deals and
cold wars,
and not the secret of the blossoming of
people’s powers.

I seek an expanse,
wide as the universe,
and a world which,
does not require
killing and sacrificing.

1974

May we bow down in reverence to the new (to soon be found) leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. Congratulations to the Yes side, I hope they now have what they want.

So much for the politics of emancipation. This may bring us electoral success (though I doubt it) , but at what cost? ‘Nuff said.