Dates for Your Diary: Mobilize for a Greener, Fairer World.

Off the back of a fantastic conference in Birmingham, here are some dates which are essential for your diary.

20th of September: Demand One Million Climate Jobs

On the 23rd of September the UN will host a "Climate Summit" in New York City, USA. The stated aim is for world leaders to bring together bold initiatives to tackle climate change, and mesh these together into a legally binding agreement by 2015. Realistically, this is set to be another talking shop, which will conveniently serve to green-wash the big businesses and states involved. 

 However, on the eve of this summit there will be two important counter-events held in the UK. The first is the re-launching of the campaign for "One Million Climate Jobs". This campaign, organized by the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group, is primarily concerned with putting forward an alternative which serves to address the interlinked economic and ecological crises. Instead of austerity, they are calling for massive public investment in jobs that will transform our economy away from contributing to climate change, paid for by a radical redistribution of wealth. 

On the 20th of September they will be hosting their conference "The International Fight for Climate Jobs" and launching an updated pamphlet. This initiative, which is linking labour and environmentalist struggles, is phenomenally important and should be supported wholeheartedly by Green Party members. 

21st of September: People's Climate March

The following day will see the People's Climate March weave through central London in order to voice its despair at the lack of action on behalf of our governments, and voice support for the ambitious and audacious transformations that will be required to stop runaway climate change. 

The march will be one of many taking part across the world, from Bogota to Johannesburg, and of course including New York City where the UN summit is being hosted. 

This march is supported by a broad coalition of pressure groups, charities, NGO's and trade unions, including the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group discussed above.

28th of September: March on the Tories Conference and "Hard-Up Festival"

On the 28th of September the Tories will be hosting their Autumn conference in Birmingham. At last years conference demonstrators outnumbered delegates. It is vitally important that at their final conference before the next general election we show our disgust towards the Tories austerity and continue to strengthen networks on the left. The TUC will be organizing a demonstration against the conference, which will conclude with a rally which is being dubbed the "Hard-Up Festival".

18th of October: Britain Needs a Pay Rise

"Join us for a march and rally in London on the 18th of October 2014, to help call for an economic recovery that works for all Britons , not just those right at the top , Britain needs a payrise!" - the TUC http://britainneedsapayrise.org/

I can already hear some of you saying "another march?". I too have doubts about the efficacy of well-mannered marches from A to B as tools for initiating change. However, given the scale of the problems we face, it is important to use grasp every opportunity we have. Even if government ministers and capitalist fat cats are unlikely to be swayed at all by our presence, these marches represent an opportunity to put our vision of an alternative world forward to the population. It is also vital that Greens assert ourselves as the party of, and for the working-classes. These demonstrations can act as a brilliant forum for networking with like-minded people and strengthening ties on the left. Furthermore, groups such as UK Uncut and Disabled People Against Cuts are able to use these demos as opportunities for creative direct action. 

Coaches will be converging on the capital from all over, please check for your local pick-up and book your place as early as possible. 

November 19th: National Demo for Free Education - No Fees, No Cuts, No Debt. 

For the most part, the student movement which exploded onto the scene following the ConDem's trebling of tuition fees in 2010 appears to have faded away. For anyone involved in left-wing politics back then, it was clear that the Student's were taking the leading role in fighting the austerity agenda. University campuses and school grounds were alive with grassroots organization that quickly outstripped the cumbersome and reserved NUS. The streets of many cities thronged with students and school-children that refused to passively accept the poor deal they were dealt by the government; campuses went into lengthy occupations with draconian responses from vice-chancellors on six-figure salaries; important links between working-class and student movements were made. 

However, we should not be complacent about the passiveness of today. A militant student activism that took root in 2010 continues to thrive today on many campuses. Birmingham university continues to be a battleground, Sussex students launched a vibrant occupation last year in solidarity with workers whose jobs were being outsourced, and the University of London Union became such a thorn in the side of the establishment that its democratically elected representatives have been replaced by officers appointed by management. 

On November 19th the Young Greens are co-operating with numerous other organizations to arrange a national demonstration for free education. Whether you are a student or not, we would love to see you there!

To Summarise:

• 20th of September: International Fight for Climate Jobs Conference

• 21st of September: People's Climate March

• 28th of September: Demonstration at Tory Party Conference

• 18th of October: TUC Protest - Britain Needs a Payrise

• 19th of November: National Demo for Free Education 

Laurence Goodchild - Rugby Greens Trade Union Liaison.

Rugby Greens slam St Andrew's Church Hall planned development

St Andrew's Church Hall

Letter sent to local papers & Private Eye

Sir,

We are told by the law of the land that a  Conservation Area is declared in order to preserve the character and appearance of an area.

Your readers will be concerned to note that the current planning applications to Rugby Borough Council shown above, for a new Caldecott Square that would back onto our town parish church St Andrews,would achieve just the opposite!

The applicants state that the design has been carefully chosen to fit in, but St Andrews Church House, a handsome (if unexceptional ) 1934 three storey communal building, would be demolished and replaced by a five storey apartment block , of a modernist cuboid design with flat roofs and balconies, much better suited to the Costa Blanca! ( Blocks A and B). 

The applicants argue that is all right because its appearance would be blocked by commercial buildings (the shops) , yet anyone can see that those are only three storeys high. It would also include nil social rented housing so no help for the Housing Waiting List.

Herbert Gray College in Little Elbrow Street, is a rather fine Georgian Listed Building of pre-1849 with an 18th century core, which stands to be disfigured by huge extensions of modernist cuboid glass plate walls with grey cladding panels, which could hardly be less sympathetic to the Georgian /late- Victorian buildings surrounding it.

It is understood that our Conservative-run Borough Council has already approved an earlier application here for a modernist hotel, so the planners feel pushed into accepting this new application as the existing one is even worse ; well, this is hardly an effective policy for preserving a Conservation Area and leads to the tail wagging the dog.

Bats roosting at Herbert Gray College also would not be protected , as the bat survey done is only half complete.

Readers still have a week to raise objections at the Town Hall against this architectural vandalism of our Conservation Area, and the case officer is Mr Holt.

Former users of the Church House may also wish to apply for it to get Community Asset Status which would at least freeze its demolition to see if it can be found a viable use. Anyone wishing to pursue this is invited to contact Rugby Green Party on our website as we have had  recent success in this procedure with the Imperial Hotel in Oxford Street.

At this rate we are going to lose all of Rugby's historical areas bar the School !

Thank you,

Peter Reynolds, Chair - Rugby Green Party

Trade unionists worldwide call for an end to the siege of Gaza

The military occupation of Palestine, and the complicity of the most powerful states on earth in this occupation, is a massive injustice.

Unfortunately, we only tend to receive news about this situation every few years when the Israeli “Defence” Force decides to murder hundreds, if not thousands of civilians. The harsh daily reality of life in the Gaza strip and the West Bank are mostly ignored in between. Instead, when violence flares up we are presented with an ahistorical picture which mistakes “blaming both sides” for objectivity. Whilst schools and hospitals are being bombed, whilst children playing on the beach are targeted, whilst chemical weapons such as white phosphorous are deployed, our media outlets parrot IDF press releases about defending itself. What is often conveniently left out of this narrative is the fact that Israel is militarily occupying Palestine and proceeding to build illegal civilian settlements on this land; one of the grossest violations of international conventions. This is not a straightforward case of interstate conflict, but is instead a case of occupier against occupied.

However, as evidenced by the voting patterns in the UN, and the protests which have erupted in cities and towns globally, the majority of the world has its eyes wide open with regards to this. The governments of some the poorest countries on earth, such as Bolivia, have spoken out against Israel’s offensive. They join their Latin American neighbours Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, El Salvador and Chile in breaking off normal diplomatic ties due to what they deem to be “crimes against humanity”.

On the 26^th of July in London I joined with tens of thousands of people in a march from Downing Street to the Israeli Embassy in protest against the siege of Gaza. The crowd was diverse, with people from many different backgrounds and many different organizations. I was especially proud to see grassroots trade unionists carrying their branch banners, and trade unionist leaders up on the platforms speaking.  British trade unions now have well established links with organizations such as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. (Dozens, including my trade union Unite, hold official affiliation). These links between trade unions and social movements are vital in terms of political strategy, and recognize that we need to organize both within civil society and as producers at the place of work. Beyond pressuring our government to change its policy, trade unions such as Unison and the FBU are actively campaigning in support of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign which is putting economic pressure upon the Israeli state and companies which are complicit in the occupation.

Photo: Demonstration in London. From The Weekly Bull on Flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0

Trade unions from all over the world have answered the call from Palestinian trade unions for solidarity. From New Zealand to South Africa, they are reaching beyond immediate bread and butter issues in order to condemn these atrocities. As most big social democratic parties have lost their role as educators, and the media has become even more concentrated into the hands of the elite, the role of trade unions as political educators rather than just tools for collective bargaining is important.

Obviously though this commendation for the actions of trade unionists should not be seen as triumphalism. Press releases condemning the occupation, marches and rallies should all be applauded, but we have been here before and their strategic effectiveness is questionable. I can’t offer the definitive answers assuming that there even are any, but there have been some great summaries out there recently in terms of practical action which you can take today both as an individual and as a trade unionist:

From Red Pepper

1. Support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign   
2.  Hear from people on the ground
3. Challenge media bias
4. Join a group and take to the streets 
5. Listen to dissenting Jews and Israelis
6. Confront the arms trade

From the BDS movement

1. Stop handling goods imported from or exported to Israel
2. Divest your trade union pension — and other — funds from Israel Bonds as well as from corporations and banks that complicit in Israel’s occupation and human rights violations
3. Dissociate from Israeli trade unions which are complicit in the occupation
4. Support our call for a military embargo on Israel
5. Share information with your members about the siege and destruction of Gaza and ask your members to boycott Israeli products and to share their knowledge with family, co-workers, and friends 

Laurence Goodchild - Rugby Greens Trade Union Officer

For living wages, not poverty pay! Support the July 10th Strike.

On July the 10^th over a million workers will walk-out in a nationwide strike. Members of numerous trade unions have voted in favour of the action, which includes fire-fighters, teachers, council staff and school support workers.  The local Green Party has voiced its support for those on strike. 

Laurence Goodchild, Rugby Greens Trade Union Officer, comments “the Rugby Green Party understands and shares the concerns of those who are taking action on the 10^th of July. This strike action is not the result of an irrational or hostile trade union leadership. It is an action of last resort, democratically pushed for by thousands of ordinary working-people; taken due to numerous long-standing grievances.  Many of those walking out on the 10^th will be amongst the lowest-paid workers in the country, for whom losing a days pay whilst struggling with rising household bills will not be taken lightly. ”

The common grievances raised by the unions involved include continued real-term pay cuts, attacks on pensions, the slashing of public services, and a lack of commitment to proper negotiations from government employers.

Terry White of Rugby Young Greens added  “As one of the richest nations on earth, we believe that it is totally reasonable for workers to be paid a living wage. Instead, what we have seen is tax cuts for the highest earners, huge profits for energy companies whilst bills rise, continued growth in inequality, and no effective clampdown on tax evasion. Young people continue to suffer disproportionately. We sincerely hope that this co-ordinated action succeeds in defending jobs, pay and working conditions.”

Notes:

Specific unions which have voted in favour of strike action include Unite, Unison, GMB, FBU, PCS and NUT. So far most estimates put the number of strikers at just over a million (including the BBC): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28129412

The 1% pay rise offered to some workers amounts to a real-terms pay cut due to inflation (CPI) sitting at 1.6% now – expected to rise nearer to 2% over coming months: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/inflationreport/infrep.aspx

For a summary of grievances, and an explanation for why they have decided to strike please see the joint Unite, Unison and GMB leaflet “Why we're taking action”: https://www.unison.org.uk/upload/sharepoint/On%20line%20Catalogue/22544.pdf

Join Rugby Young Greens Today!

rugby@younggreens.org.uk

People's Assembly Against Austerity March Demo Protest London 21st June ...

Ecosocialism: Fracking, Climate and Revolution - a report from the conference

“Socialism without ecological concern will still wreck the planet, while ecological concern without a socialist analysis of capitalism will fail to save it” – Michael Lowy [i]

It could be argued that over recent years there has been very little to inspire optimism in socialists or environmentalists. Despite numerous elite talking shops about protecting our environment, and assurances that accumulated wealth would “trickle down”, the last 40 years have been characterized by increasing poverty, inequality and acceleration towards runaway climate change. Previous alternatives to capitalism, such as the “communist” countries of the USSR and China, have had a dire record in terms of ecological destruction and corrupted the vision of socialism as an alternative [ii]. On the other hand, some environmental movements and parties have become complicit in maintaining the status quo. Take for example the German Green Party’s support for militarization, or the involvement of environmental NGO’s in the REDD program at the expense of indigenous communities [iii]. At its heart this is a much more complex situation, but speaking in general terms I think it is correct to say that we have largely failed to prevent the socially and ecologically damaging effects of capitalism.

In this respect, the progression of the concept of “ecosocialism”, which attempts to address the fundamental deficiencies of the socialism and environmentalism highlighted above, is tremendously important [iv]. Although the British left tends to be characterised by dogmatism and division, the conference hosted on the 7^th of June titled “Ecosocialism: Fracking, Climate and Revolution” exemplified its more positive values. Hosted by Socialist Resistance (SR) and Revolutionary Socialism in the 21^st Century (RS21), the one-day conference featured a remarkably broad range of participants from political parties, social movements and trade unions including: the Green Party of England and Wales, Left Unity, Front de Gauche (Left Front France), War on Want, Biofuel Watch, PCS, the Labour Party, Green Left, Fuel Poverty Action, Campaign Against Climate Change, and Frack-Off Manchester.  

Video footage of most of the speeches made at the conference is available here, so I will avoid giving long descriptive outlines of what every speaker said. Instead, I would like to highlight several points of agreement and common themes which arose from the day:

·         The ecological crisis is here and now, not in some far-off future. Of greatest significance is catastrophic climate change which is having a disproportionately negative impact upon those who bear least responsibility for it – the global poor.

·         It is essential to challenge the “common sense” that economic growth equals social progress. Instead of “production for production’s sake” our economy should be geared towards meeting real human and social needs, something which is compatible with a reduction of material production (and fossil fuel use), but only in we tackle social inequality. We can see roots of these ideas already well-developed in indigenous concepts of “buen vivir” (good living) [v].

·         Socialism must fundamentally change itself to take on an ecological concern or otherwise become irrelevant.

·         Although only a socialist transformation will allow us to solve the ecological rift between nature and humankind, it is still worthwhile supporting campaigns for “reforms” which will allow for a very limited and non-structural slowing of capitalist destruction.

·         Following on from this, ecosocialists must work within social movements of resistance which do not necessarily have a revolutionary outlook; through this they can try to link class and social struggles.

Many of these points of agreement played themselves out in the practice of the conference itself. For example, speakers from social movements gave passionate talks discussing their personal experiences in fighting for reforms. Michala from the Oxford University fossil fuel divestment campaign spoke about how they were lobbying their university to cut ties with Shell, and Claire from fuel poverty action expressed her disgust at cuts to free insulation schemes. Although not explicitly talking about capitalism and socialism, through their self-organization these movements help develop the people in them and represent an opportunity to link everyday needs with a bigger picture.

As a member of the Green Party and Green Left I was very pleased to see Natalie Bennett speak at this event. This wasn’t a whole-hearted endorsement of ecosocialism from the leader of the Green Party, but her acknowledgement of the need for significant social transformation and willingness to share a platform with revolutionary socialists shows that the party is a long-way off what some of its most cynical critics accuse it of being.

For now, as Jonathan Neale stated in the closing comments of the day, we must “throw ourselves into the movements of resistance”, and articulate an alternative which is desirable in the eyes of the vast majority of the population who will lose out in the unfolding ecological crisis.

Laurence Goodchild - Rugby Green Party

(views expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the party)

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[i] Quoted from Derek Wall’s “The Rise of The Green Left” p.20

[ii] Most socialists no longer view the USSR, its satellites in Eastern Europe, or China as socialist or communist at all; primarily because production was planned by bureaucratic elites rather than democratically. 

[iii] For an analysis of the German Greens see Jachnow “What’s Become of the German Greens” New Left Review Vol. 81 pp. 95 – 117.

[iv] For a brief explanation of what ecosocialism is please read the international ecosocialist declaration: http://bit.ly/SFLON4. For further elaboration please search for the fantastic work of Derek Wall, John Bellamy Foster, and Daniel Tanuro.

[v] Sylvain from Front de Gauche (Left Front France) expressed his support for struggles towards “21^st Century Socialism” underway in Latin America. “Buen Vivir” and “Sumak Kawsay” originate from indigenous communities in Latin America, the original sustainable development; these concepts have been taken up somewhat within this move towards socialism of the 21^st century.