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Birmingham Green Party Newsletter May 2009

This City Green mailing is accompanied by a leaflet FELICITY NORMAN (electronic – separate file - or as an insert with the paper version); extra leaflets from Peter Beck 0121 MEP? 422 6975 or [email protected]

• Help with leafleting in the Target Ward (see page 3)

• Use the Green Party’s excellent websites – refer interested friends, neighbours and colleagues to www. greenparty .org. uk , to the BGP site listed at the foot of the page, or to http://westmidlands.greenparty.org.uk

• Help with stalls on Saturday 30 May: a.m., City Centre p.m. Details from Peter Beck (see above)

• Join the early morning leafleting teams at train Felicity on the Politics Show talking about Green jobs stations on Election Day (4 June): details from Peter B as above Thursday 4 June is the day when we aim to send Felicity Norman to the European Parliament. • Support the Green Party candidate at a Hustings on climate change, Wed 20 May, 7.30 p.m., Council The Green vote is not a “wasted vote” House, Victoria Square Electing a Green MEP is a real possibility, not just a • Put up lamp-post posters: no longer allowed in pipe-dream. The vote-counting system used in these , but still accepted in neighbouring elections will probably result in the first five West Sandwell from around 21 May. John Macefield Midlands seats going to the “main” parties; but the would like help putting up posters in Bearwood and sixth place may well go to one of the smaller parties, near the Albion ground: contact him at especially in the current climate of disillusionment with [email protected] mainstream politicians. We have to persuade voters to • Help leaflet Gay Pride, May 23-24: 70,000 USE their votes to make sure this sixth seat goes to attendance expected the Greens rather than, for example, the BNP. Every small action helps – your leaflet or poster could be the MAIN FEATURES INSIDE THIS ISSUE clinching one that swings the vote in our favour. Case against the Library of Birmingham p.2 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP Choice-based lettings – badly-done p.2 • Put a poster in your window. You should have received one as the centrefold in your recent copy Ladywood – new Target Ward candidate p.3 of Green World. If you need more, contact Hazel on 0121 772 7165 or [email protected] Diary p.4

• Offer a leaflet to friends, neighbours, colleagues. birmingham .greenparty .org.uk

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GREENS CONTEST BYE-ELECTION priority even for the City Council. In addition to the energy needed Ankaret Harmer is the Green Party candidate in to construct it, a south-facing the upcoming and East Handsworth Bye- glass building will be very difficult election. to cool/heat efficiently. • There is no evidence that the building of a new library will significantly benefit the poorest JOB OPPORTUNITY:IS THIS YOU? residents of Birmingham, (Unpaid, voluntary!) especially those living in the Ladywood Ward in which it is to As soon as the European Elections are over, be built. Indeed, if 20m GBP was BGP will be looking for an Elections Officer to budgeted for an overhaul of the serve on the Committee. The main task is to current building, that would leave recruit 39 candidates to stand for the GP in next 173million GBP that the building year’s City Council elections – the candidate for will cost could be far better spent Ladywood is already in place (see page 3). It’s elsewhere (e.g. tackling the not hard to find members willing to stand as housing crisis, insulation grants, “paper” candidates. The real work is making sure public transport, reducing care that nomination forms are filled in and filed on costs etc.) – a far better deal than time for each candidate, and organising the spending 193m GBP on a new collection of signatures of voters for the library. nomination papers. TRAINING WILL BE GIVEN IF NEEDED. An interesting addition to your CV! Contact Alan Clawley (previous incumbent) for further information: 0121 772 7165 or CHOICE BASED LETTINGS: NOT FOR THE [email protected] ; or Elly Stanton DEPRIVED (Secretary) to express an interest.

The Green Party has also responded to BGP RESPONSE TO COUNCIL’S the Council's proposal for a choice-based “LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM” letting scheme for Council housing in CONSULTATION Birmingham. Basically, Birmingham Green Party is very concerned about the Thanks to James Burn for collating and usability of the proposed system, as summarising BGP’s responses, and illustrated by the views of one submitting them Birmingham resident who will be affected by the change: The main points: Mrs B (who wishes to remain anonymous) is • The Green Party does not accept 55, living in Council accommodation, and the need for a new library when working three part-time jobs to make ends the present one is structurally meet. She has no car and has never used the sound and could be refurbished internet. She said "I'm too busy to get to the to the same standard as the library twice a week to make bids, so I'll have proposed one. Large amounts of to listen to over a hundred sets of house carbon-dioxide emitting energy details on the phone. How am I supposed to will be expended in the process of remember all that? Even if I got a viewing, I'd demolition and new construction. never get there on such short notice." On the other hand retaining an When asked what this was likely to mean for existing building will conserve the her, Mrs B said "I suppose it means I'm stuck energy that has already been here - the house is bigger than I need, and I used in its construction. wanted to move closer to my son and his wife, • Little thought has been given to who have just had a baby. I don't think that'll the issues of sustainability that happen now." are fundamental to the Green Party’s programme of action and For our full reasoning, please see the website: which are claimed to be a top birmingham.greenparty.org.uk 2 3

WHY LADYWOOD? CANDIDATE SELECTED James Burn, BGP’s Policy Coordinator, explains our recent decision to change our Target Ward FOR LADYWOOD

Many of our members are not surprisingly James Robertson has wondering the reasoning behind changing been selected as our our target ward from to candidate for the new Ladywood. The committee and the target Target Ward. to win group want to assure everyone that this wasn't a decision taken lightly or Campaigning will begin rashly! almost immediately, with the Following on from Solihull's success in getting the delivery of a “Ladywood first West Midland metropolitan Councillor elected, we Special” Euro-election leaflet were lucky enough to get some training from them in to all voters in the ward. how they went about their campaign. One of the main things they did was to carefully pick James writes : I am a father their ward, looking at all the available data, to see of one, married in 2000. I which was the most "winnable". was born in and grew up in Lichfield So we followed suit, and looked at data from every and Redditch: I went to Uni for my first one of the 40 Birmingham wards - for example turnout, management degree and then stayed on for a masters who the sitting candidates and parties are, number of in IT. So even though I have only lived in Brum since people living in the area, marketing data about who the 1987, I think of myself as being a born and bred people living in the area are likely to vote for, local Brummie. issues, number of votes we would have to get to win, I have been involved in the web since the year it location of the ward etc. etc. started: I have run a fanpage for a comic book artist We compiled a shortlist and the committee and target since 1995! I have designed websites, been an to win group discussed this and Ladywood came out internet consultant and most recently run the website as the obvious winner. for Birmingham City University. There are many advantages to this ward, for example I have been increasingly aware of the critical need to it is centrally located (as it covers the city centre) so all take action on the whole environmental agenda for Birmingham members can easily reach it by public many years, but it was the birth of my son in 2004 that transport and be involved in campaigning if they want really drove it home. I realised that we could easily to, and the number of votes we need to get to win it trigger climatic phase-shifts if we allowed the climate to compared with Bournville is considerably lower. To heat up by more than 2 degrees C, and so I decided it put this in perspective, if we could make the same gain was time to take personal responsibility and action. in Ladywood as we have in Bournville, we would have First thing I did in 2004 was to launch Freecycle in a very real chance of winning the ward. Furthermore, Birmingham: it is a simple concept: instead of throwing it is a Labour opposition, not a Conservative one, so something into landfill why not offer it to someone else we will benefit from Labour's current unpopularity. instead? The person receiving the item comes and As Ladywood is one of the most deprived wards in gets it so it is no more effort on your part and it stops a the city, this is a real chance for us to help improve the manufactured object - that has had carbon expended lives of our city's most vulnerable and excluded in mining it's raw materials, refining them, through campaigning, casework and advocacy, and to manufacturing the object, shipping it to the distribution promote our social justice policies and ethos, which is centre, then the retail centre and then to your home - the strongest by far of any party. from being left to rot in a hole in the ground. Finally, we also wanted to assure members that Birmingham Freecycle now has more than 20,000 we won't be chopping and changing wards again members and is expanding all the time. I still help to any time soon. Having looked in detail at the moderate the site every week. statistics, the committee agreed to commit to Then I started to volunteer with Birmingham Friends Ladywood for the next 4 years minimum. of the Earth and the only reason I stopped was because I saw them as other people might see them - as "only" a pressure group. They know what they are talking about and they can make some compelling changes - but if the government in power wants to SELECTION PROCESS FOR ignore them then they can. I saw that the only real At the Hustings on 9 May, James Burn was presented way to make lasting change and leave a planet fit for as the sole candidate for the Selly Oak Parliamentary our children to live on was to actually get into constituency. A postal ballot of all members in the government ourselves: and there is only one group Selly Oak Constituency is now taking place, in which dedicated to that and that is the Green Party. And that is why I am deeply honoured to be standing for the James will stand against “RON” (Re-Open Nominations) – the Green Party’s way of ensuring no party in Ladywood in 2010. one unsuitable is selected simply because they are the only candidate! Result in next issue of City Green . TARGET TO WIN! 3 4

REGULAR GREEN PARTY FUNDRAISING WALKS, DIARY STARTING SAT 27 JUNE GREEN PARTY ACTIVITIES Treat your body to the exercise and fresh air it needs! MAY Explore the picturesque countryside that is virtually on your Saturday & Sunday 23 & 24 May: Gay Pride leafleting – contact Chris: doorstep using public transport (mostly trains) and raise [email protected] some money for BGP.

Following the success of the Easter walk, enjoyed by 10 Saturday 30 May : Euro-election stalls ; Cotteridge a.m., City people, (£88 raised) we are launching regular Centre p.m. Details from Peter Beck 0121 422 6975 or Social/Fundraising BGP walks. We intend to do these on the [email protected] . 4th Saturday of the month, bi-monthly or even monthly, See front page for other May activities still to be finalised. depending on interest. We may also have some weekday walks for those who are free. If you are interested in coming JUNE along the cost to you will be £5 (£3 concessions).

Thursday 4 June: Election Day . Join the early morning Railway lines radiate in all directions from the City Centre. A leafleting teams at train stations: details from Peter B (as favourite for rambling is the Stratford line. Did you realise above). that when leaving Moor Street station going south, after only 20 minutes or so, every stop on the way to Stratford provides Tuesday 9 June: BGP Committee Meeting , 7.30 p.m., several interesting and varied walking options? Using other 28 Bond Street, Stirchley (James Burn’s) – all routes we will go to the Lickey Hills, Sutton Park, Cannock members welcome. Chase, etc. Group saver tickets are often available on the day. SEPTEMBER NEXT WALK SAT 27 JUNE is a ‘classic canal’ linear walk, Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 September: GP Autumn Wootton Wawen to Wilmcote, with 7 features (bring your Conference , Hove. camera). We will see The Bull, a large half-timbered building, the oldest church in (part Saxon), a formal OTHER INTERESTING DATES waterfall, 2 ancient cast iron aqueducts (one the largest in ), a detour through a quiet hamlet (with more half- Wednesday 20 May: Hustings on Climate Change . timbering), and Mary Arden’s house. She has promised to Support GP candidate Vicky Dunn, 7.30 p.m., Council come out and talk to us about GP policies! House, Victoria Square MEET AT 10.30 AT SNOW HILL station for 10.47 train Friday 29 May (return ticket to Wilmcote) arriving at WOOTTON WAWEN Reverend Billy and the Gospel Choir of Stop station 11.35. The distance is 6.5 miles, with a 4 mile option. Shopping Please wear strong footwear, bring a rucksack containing 5.30–6.30pm – free food and drink, and a waterproof if showers are forecast. Brindleyplace, Birmingham Hallelujah! Your saviour is at hand. Reverend Billy and Just turn up, or for any queries phone Harry on 0121 353 his magnificent Gospel Choir of Stop Shopping will 2442 . Harry Eyles sing, preach, charm, berate, seduce and rescue you – all in one evening. The Church of Stop Shopping is an activist performance group based in New York City, led by Reverend Billy, using the form of a revival meeting to encourage consumers to abandon the products of large corporations and mass media. Presented in collaboration with Fierce, this performance is the Church’s only date in the Midlands Editor’s note: I heard it on the grapevine that Reverend Billy is the Green Party’s mayoral candidate for New York City. ………………………………………………………………. Saturday 6 June (and each first Saturday in the month) New Economics Group , 10.15 a.m., Friends of the Earth Warehouse Meeting Room, Allison Street, ……………………………………………………………….

COPY DATE for next issue: 1 August 2009. Send contributions to the editors Ulla Grant and Hazel It’s not all walking – Greenies and friends enjoy the Clawley [email protected] sunshine in Anna and Stuart’s garden during their birmingham.greenparty.org.uk 0121 772 7165 Easter Monday ramble through the green spaces of Bournville 4