Spring 2008 conference report
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The conference was formally opened on Thursday in the grand setting of the late Victorian Old Town Hall by Rob White, target candidate in Reading, who spoke of how he'd seen the local party grow, from meetings in a members' kitchen to last year getting within 100 votes of a council seat - something that members are working very hard to achieve this May.
The keynote speech was given by Caroline Lucas, MEP and principal speaker, who received a standing ovation for the speech in which she said: "Never has the muddy middle ground of the grey parties' policies been less up to the job." More: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3326.
Caroline's new website was launched with appropriate ceremony, and some very nice organic chocolate - you can find it, if not the chocolate, at http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/. Many were also checking out the new website of our London mayoral candidate: http://sianformayor.org.uk/.
Derek Wall, principal speaker, used his speech to outline a vision of a Green economy, which "would be more democratic and more reliable, as well as more sustainable". More:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3329
The first emergency motion, passed on day one of conference, condemned the 'disgraceful' corporatisation of the NHS, citing the recent health contracts won by American health firm United Health Europe. It called on the Government to engage in proper consultation with main stakeholders in the NHS: British citizens. More: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3323
Among the policy motions, three were passed directing the preparation of new or substantially revised sections of the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society. Conference directed the revision of the population policy, the creation of a gender and equity policy, and work on the details of our citizens' income policy. (If you would like to join an email discussion list on any of these, please contact internalcommunications@greenparty.org.uk - input is always welcome.)
Conference also completed in large part a substantial revision of the party's energy policy, although some aspects of the proposed policy were referred back for future work.
The proposed policy linking our sustainable agriculture policies to the huge climate impact of livestock farming was passed, as was a motion backing reforms to the existing abortion law, and (with a small amendment), a policy on "justice for the Palestinians", and a policy opposing the government's decision to leave hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers without access to funds or healthcare, or the right to work.
Among the organisational matters, a new post on the Green Party executive, of equality and diversity coordinator, was created -- the first coordinator will be elected at autumn conference - and a decision made that should a change to the constitution be considered through referendum, the result of that cannot be revisited for two years.
Further emergency motions were passed on support for efforts to oppose a third runway at Heathrow (two), against fluoridation (two), on arts funding (http://www.greenparty.org.uk/emergencymotions/112), ownership of railway companies, on the plan to return child asylum-seekers to their country of origin, and on government attacks on unwaged people.
NB: This is a summary - more details can be found on the members' website and the national site.
(You can also read lively unofficial reports of conference at the Green Despatches blog: http://greendespatches.blogspot.com/. And a decision was made by a group of Green Party bloggers to start a Green Party home joint blog - if you are a blogger who is interested in participating, please contact jimjepps@hotmail.com.)
The keynote speech was given by Caroline Lucas, MEP and principal speaker, who received a standing ovation for the speech in which she said: "Never has the muddy middle ground of the grey parties' policies been less up to the job." More: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3326.
Caroline's new website was launched with appropriate ceremony, and some very nice organic chocolate - you can find it, if not the chocolate, at http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/. Many were also checking out the new website of our London mayoral candidate: http://sianformayor.org.uk/.
Derek Wall, principal speaker, used his speech to outline a vision of a Green economy, which "would be more democratic and more reliable, as well as more sustainable". More:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3329
The first emergency motion, passed on day one of conference, condemned the 'disgraceful' corporatisation of the NHS, citing the recent health contracts won by American health firm United Health Europe. It called on the Government to engage in proper consultation with main stakeholders in the NHS: British citizens. More: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3323
Among the policy motions, three were passed directing the preparation of new or substantially revised sections of the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society. Conference directed the revision of the population policy, the creation of a gender and equity policy, and work on the details of our citizens' income policy. (If you would like to join an email discussion list on any of these, please contact internalcommunications@greenparty.org.uk - input is always welcome.)
Conference also completed in large part a substantial revision of the party's energy policy, although some aspects of the proposed policy were referred back for future work.
The proposed policy linking our sustainable agriculture policies to the huge climate impact of livestock farming was passed, as was a motion backing reforms to the existing abortion law, and (with a small amendment), a policy on "justice for the Palestinians", and a policy opposing the government's decision to leave hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers without access to funds or healthcare, or the right to work.
Among the organisational matters, a new post on the Green Party executive, of equality and diversity coordinator, was created -- the first coordinator will be elected at autumn conference - and a decision made that should a change to the constitution be considered through referendum, the result of that cannot be revisited for two years.
Further emergency motions were passed on support for efforts to oppose a third runway at Heathrow (two), against fluoridation (two), on arts funding (http://www.greenparty.org.uk/emergencymotions/112), ownership of railway companies, on the plan to return child asylum-seekers to their country of origin, and on government attacks on unwaged people.
NB: This is a summary - more details can be found on the members' website and the national site.
(You can also read lively unofficial reports of conference at the Green Despatches blog: http://greendespatches.blogspot.com/. And a decision was made by a group of Green Party bloggers to start a Green Party home joint blog - if you are a blogger who is interested in participating, please contact jimjepps@hotmail.com.)
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