Fix you

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

NHS! (again)

NHS demo yesterday was a success with a good number of people from the Greens there. Well done to all those who helped with the Green Party placards: they were out in force on the day! Wish I could have helped with them too!

The following motion in support of the demonstration and against private involvement in the NHS was passed at the Green Left meeting on Saturday last week. I am not sure if it has been publicised since (having been somewhat out of the loop with e-mails, aside from during procrastination time, due to a heavy week on the wards trying to finish off my A&E module! – also the reason I haven’t blogged for a while):

“Green Left notes the attempts at increasing private involvement in the national health service. Recognizing that healthcare commissioning is to be tendered to private companies (including some with a bad reputation in the USA) and that implementation of the Darzi plan for polyclinics will probably involve some private sector companies, we affirm that this is against the public service ethos central to an ecosocialist future.

We strongly encourage involvement and support of the Keep Our NHS Public demonstration on Saturday November 3rd 2007.”

Anyway, best get back to work… Have a dissertation to write and wouldn’t mind getting a bit further on the new edition of Joel Kovel’s book.

A change of design

In keeping with other Green Blogs and after the sadness of not being included in the top 20 green blogs on Jim’s blog (congrats to the excellent blogs that made the top 20!), I have decided to opt for a redesign. Hope you enjoy.

I thought I’d use this opportunity to highlight two very very important dates in the calendar in the remainder of 2007.

1) NHS Together Demonstration, Saturday 3rd November. Click here for details.

2) Climate Change Demonstration, Saturday 8th December. Click here for details.

I am sure there will be a big Green Party presence at both demos.

Also, congratulations to Derek Wall of GreenLeft on being re-elected as principal speaker. Good news and I am sure he will continue his (crazily) dedicated work!

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Whilst I can’t be uncritical of Venezuela, I can’t help but be inspired by some of the actions of the government there. Venezuela’s economy is quite dependent on oil, but the government appears to be trying to look at the most sustainable ways of using it: like selling it to Tfl at discounted rates to use on buses so that those on income support can get half-priced bus fares (only 45p a pop). A great way of encouraging people to ditch the car in favor of more sustainable modes of transport.

Tyranny of the Bottom Line?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7037657.stm

Yet another example of what happens when hospitals put profit before people, when the ‘bottom line’ rules supreme. Instead of prioritising human health and happiness, the bottom line has been prioritised. This is absolutely disgusting and goes to show how powerful the ‘bottom line’ is in forcing individuals and groups to submit to its need to be preserved.

As with so many things, an economic system where capital does not rule supreme would help prevent such things happening. For the time being, at least an NHS where services aren’t outsourced and which is provided with an adequate budget to ensure that all hospitals have adequate nursing care all the time would be a start!

Ecosocialist Meeting

Spinning off from the First Ecosocialist International (which I couldn’t go to), there is a meeting in London which I look forward to going to:

Wednesday, October 10, 7:30pm Confronting the Climate Change Crisis by Building a Global Ecosocialist Movement.

Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Sq. Cohosted by Socialist Resistance and Green Left.

Speaker: Ian Angus is a member of the Convening Committee for the international ecosocialist conference in Paris, October 7-8; Editor of the blog ‘Climate and Capitalism.’

Hope it will make for some interesting discussion and perhaps some projects to get involved in long-term (time-permitting!)

In support of…

…the postal strikes

Not only are the strikes fighting for decent pay for a decent days work, but they are also fighting for something that is important for us, the general public: the small ‘village post-office’. These are the centres of many rural communities and closing them down is a short sighted decision at a time when climate change is such a big concern. In addition they are fighting for a better postal service with no delaying of post rounds to even later in the day. It is important that our postal services are not scaled back any further. The government was warned when the service was privatised that the outcome would be a reduced quality, yet it still insisted on a gradual shift to the private sector. Opening up the service to competition was the last nail in the coffin of a postal service for ordinary people: particularly since the service has only been opened up to competition for business (bulk) mail. The businesses get cheaper post while we face not only rising costs but also fewer post offices while the royal mail has to compete to become more ‘efficient’.

What is the point of efficiency if efficiency means we have less to enjoy our lives with?