Wednesday 11 February 2015

Green spaces sell off

I will be doing what I can to make people more aware of what is happening in Bexley. Green Bexley will not be Green much longer unless we remove the people who are in charge! Successive governments have put business over peoples lives and their communities and the Green Party want to put people first! The fact that Bexley is selling off 25% of their (our) Green spaces is a scandal! We will never get them back! Add your voice to the protest now! And vote Green at the general election to ensure the destruction of our green spaces is stopped!! 


http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11783929.Parks_and_open_spaces_debate__should_Bexley_Council_dispose_of_27_sites_to_save_cash_/?ref=twtrec

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Green Party Statement on Rupert Read's comments

Statement from Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, and Amelia Womack and Shahrar Ali, Deputy Leaders of the Green Party:

"As leaders of the Green Party we wish to state our disappointment with the comments made by Rupert Read and express our sympathies with anyone who was hurt or offended by his remarks.

"We are pleased that Rupert Read has issued a full apology and hope that his meetings with LGBTIQ groups will help to repair some of the upset that has been caused.

"The Green Party is wholly committed to fighting for equality and fair representation for all transgender and LGBTIQ communities and we wish to reiterate and reaffirm our party's commitment to that cause.
We now want to do all we can to move forward positively and continue the important job of standing up for LGBTIQ rights."

Statement from the Green Party Women's Group:

"We reiterate the sentiment of the Green Party's leaders in response to these comments from Cambridge parliamentary candidate; Rupert Read. We were deeply concerned that Rupert Read's comments could promote misunderstanding of trans issues, and of modern feminism. Green Party Women considers feminism which excludes trans people to be an extremist fringe, with no place in the Green party, or the wider feminist movement. The feminist movement cannot succeed without paying attention to all aspects of inequality. We welcome all women with open arms, and defer to trans women in issues of particular relevance to them.

"We hope this incident serves as a reminder for all our future candidates of the importance of being informed about issues of oppression. We will continue to work to ensure the party fights for inclusive feminism, and that all our candidates and members are briefed on the issues of all women."

Friday 16 January 2015

Green Surge

The Green Party is growing at a phenomenal rate while UKIP's popularity looks set to peak very soon. By the general election we should be easily the third largest party in England & Wales! And yet we are still excluded from the leaders' television debates. Sometimes it seems as if the BBC is the official UKIP broadcasting service!

As the New Statesman puts it:

"(Green Party) membership could soon exceed that of Ukip. The latest figures, compiled by Adam Ramsay of OurKingdom, put the Greens' total membership at 40,879, just 635 behind Ukip (whom the broadcasters have, of course, invited to the debates). He calculates that "at the current rate of growth, the Greens will overtake Ukip within a week, and be ahead of the Lib Dems before polling day ".

The party's membership has more than doubled since September when it stood at 20,000. By contrast, Ukip's growth rate has slowed, with the party gaining just 2,514 members since June. The most recent figure for the Lib Dems puts membership at 44,576, a year-on-year rise but still well down on its 2010 level of 65,038."

Of course, as everyone knows now, we're already ahead of the Lib Dems. 

People are starting to wake up!

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Transgender politicians

Labour have announced to great fanfare here, here, and here, that they are fielding the first ever trans candidate in British parliamentary elections, which of course, just isn’t true. 
You can find a more truthful history of trans candidates in the UK written by someone who has researched the subject and  shows her working! 
It's also sad that Emily herself hasn't corrected this untruth on her own website
So while I'm pleased that Labour has selected a trans woman to stand for parliament, I am not pleased by the two articles yesterday in the Evening Standard and the Pink News both repeating the lie that she is the first, which seems to have been repeated across the media today. 
As a transgender Green I want the Green Party to be recognised for their achievement in selecting two trans candidates before Labour selected one! 

And I want trans women from previous elections to be recognised for their achievements too.  The Liberal Democrats and the SNP should both be applauded for fielding trans candidates as long ago as 2005 and 1992. 

I would never pretend to be the first trans candidate for political gain. I recognise that I owe a debt to those going before me and I'm more than happy to take 5th place as a trans person and 4th place as a trans woman.
The true achievement this time has been Charlie Kiss standing. The first trans man as far as we know, ever to stand, who was selected back in 2013.

Charlie Kiss, PPC for Islington South & Finsbury

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Monday 8 December 2014

Introduction



My name is Stella Gardiner and I have been selected as the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Bexleyheath and Crayford.
I have been a Green Party member since 1993.  Before that I was in the Labour Party but left as the party drifted ever rightwards.
In my younger years I was active in CND, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, & Earth First. I took part in protests designed to raise awareness about environmental issues such as traffic reduction,destruction of habitat, climate change and nuclear power.
I now work as an environmentalist and deal with sustainability issues on a weekly basis. I’m particularly passionate about transport, wildlife, trans rights, & women’s rights.
Most recently I’ve been active in Bexley Cycling Campaign and various LGBT organisations, including my workplace network, and my union LGBT network.
I am transgendered, and also on the autistic spectrum. As such I believe in equality for all and that we should all have equal access to opportunities in society, including good housing, jobs, fair pay, education and representation in politics.
I believe my personal experiences, that of being transgendered and autistic give me a particular insight into the struggles that face disadvantaged people. 
Stella Gardiner