Green politicians are "least likely to put self-interest before country" - new poll

A YouGov poll published on the 28th May 2009 suggests the British public trusts Green politicians far more than those of other parties.

Over 2,000 people were asked - regardless of the party they normally voted for - which party's politicians they thought were most likely to put their own financial interests before the interests of their country. Allowed to choose three parties, only 5% named the Greens as likely to put self-interest before the country's.

The survey also shows:

• Labour appeared to be the least trusted, with 45% of respondents naming Labour politicians as likely to put financial self-interest before their country.
• The Conservatives were almost as bad, with 40% naming them.
• Next were the BNP, the LibDems and UKIP on 20%, 16% and 15% respectively.

Read the full report here.

Green Party MEPs rated best for animal rights voting record

In an analysis done by Protecting Animals in Democracy, the Green Party scored joint best amongst UK MEPs on animal rights.

Both Caroline Lucas (Green MEP for the South East) and Jean Lambert (Green MEP for London) received a score of +15 (only matched by Plaid Cymru's Jill Evans).

The analysis was based on recent votes on a new EU law on animal experiments. The votes took place recently (on 5 May 2009), and there were 15 votes taken into account for the analysis.

The Conservative Party scored the worst, with a score of -13.07.

UKIP was 2nd worst amongst political parties from England and Wales, at +1.38.

Labour MEPs scored +7.95, whilst Liberal Democrat MEPs averaged to +3.55.

The analysis cites Caroline Lucas as having "been especially active for animals and helps to table pro-animal laws. The Green group is now an influential force in the European Parliament, and UK Greens can rally their colleagues to help make a major difference for animals."

It also notes that the Euro-manifestos for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives do not mention animal protection as an issue at all.

You can read the Green Party's full policy on animal protection here,

Green leader comes top in Open Europe's "premier league" MEP poll

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the Green Party, has been rated best British MEP on transparency, accountability, democracy and waste by campaign group Open Europe.

And Britain's Green Party MEPs were ranked above the groups of all other British parties.

Open Europe published a ranking of all 785 Members of the European Parliament, scoring their record on promoting transparency and reform in the European Union over the last five-year term.

Green Party News - 1 Million New Jobs

The Green Party wants to create 1 million new jobs renewable energy, home insulation, local agriculture and public transport.

If you're voting in the European Elections in the UK vote Green on the 4th of June.

Who do CLARO voters vote for in the European Elections?

The following is a copy of a letter, received by email on the 10th May, written by a James Longman. He said that this "is a copy of a letter I have sent to the Editors of the local English written papers. It will be interesting to see if it gets printed and if so what response there is to it".

The email shows that in addition to sending it to me as English spokesman of the Orihuela Costa Working Group of Los Verdes, he also sent it to the PSOE party in Orihuela Costa and Stefan Pokroppa of the PP at the Ayuntamiento.

I wasn't going to put it on this blog as I was expecting to read it in the papers, but as at today it hasn't been published by any of them, for what ever reason, so here it is.

There is only one answer of course to his question, 'Los Verdes - Grupo Verde Europeo'.

"Dear Editor,

In its latest newsletter (8th Edition Spring 2009) the CLARO party makes reference to the European Parliament elections and the voting rights of residents of Orihuela Costa for the forthcoming election on the 7th June 2009.

We are aware of the conceited claims by CLARO that they are the only party that has been working to resolve the problems of “Non-Spanish European Union residents” in the Orihuela Municipality registering to vote, although they do say “with the help of the European Parliament”.

In its publication CLARO says “we would urge all those who are eligible ... to vote. The European Parliament can be very helpful in ensuring respect of citizens’ rights.” I agree with this sentiment entirely.

However it goes on further to say “since C.L.A.R.O is a local independent party we will remain neutral in regard to the European elections”.

That really is not good enough! Especially as the party chose to base its logo on the European Union emblem!

What advice does CLARO have for the 916 voters (just 2.9% of the total votes cast) in the Orihuela Municipality who supported them (CLARO) with their votes in the local elections in May 2007 (when it failed to obtain a Council seat)? What advice does the party give to the new supporters they continually claim to have and seek to obtain by the next local election in 2011?

Having said that the European Elections are important, the leaders of the party cannot in all conscience now say that they remain neutral! What party do they advise their supporters to vote for?

Through the media, and its own newsletters, CLARO has continuously criticised the PP (Right Wing), PSOE (Socialist) and Los Verdes (Green) parties for failing to look after the rights of the residents so they cannot in all conscience suggest voting for any of them - Can They?

So what are the options for the CLARO voters? Perhaps Bob Houliston, as President, or one of the Executive Committee members, such as Jimmy Badal, would care to claro-fy the situation. Who do CLARO voters vote for in the European Elections?

Surely the party is not suggesting that its supporters waste their votes by not voting at all? No surely it wouldn't! Come on CLARO show some leadership. Where should the votes go.

It would be hypocritical for the voters to vote for a party in the European Elections that they oppose in the Local Elections – wouldn't it?

Surely if a voter is told by CLARO, and believes it, that a party is not suitable to run local government then it cannot suitable be for higher government – Can It?

This is symptomatic of the problem of voting for a local, blinkered, one goal, independent party such as CLARO in Municipal elections! When it comes to the bigger National and European picture CLARO, as locally, are of no value at all! No presence in the government means no effective voice for the voters."

It gives food for thought doesn't it!

Greens welcome UN support for "Just Transition" to a low carbon economy

The UK Green Party has welcomed United Nations support for the principle of a "just transition" to a low carbon economy which prevents the burden of change from being unfairly carried by workers in high-energy industries - and their families and communities.

The Green Party says the UK government and the EU should now fully commit to backing the principle in EU submissions to the Copenhagen conference.

"Just Transition" is the principle that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be fair and not disproportionately hurt the workforces of high energy industries - making them pay for progress with severe cuts in living standards and employment opportunities. The social costs of transition, it is argued, must be shared. The principle also means that trades unions, businesses and communities affected by transition must be consulted along with other civil society bodies.

"It is right that the principle of a just transition to a sustainable society should command widespread support. A rapid transition to a low carbon economy is vital but workforces and communities which have produced steel, cement, coal or cars must be consulted and supported not destroyed - and given assistance, investment and training to reskill for sustainable work. Teesside steelworkers or Birmingham carmakers must be part of a low carbon economy making sustainable products".Said Rupert Read, the Green Party's spokesperson on public services. "The governments of the UK and the rest of the EU must back this principle at Copenhagen along with the urgent measures necessary to bring about a low carbon economy. Green parliamentarians across the EU will be supporting that."

Freiburg a 'Green' Germany Town

Freiburg Germany - BBC

Mark Mardell, the BBC's Europe editor, well he is for a short time longer, has written an article entitled 'A Greener Germany' about the city of Freiburg in the Black Forest region.

The city is the largest in Germany where the Green Party are in power and the residents live the benefit. Green politicians are in charge and the deputy mayor, Gerda Stuchlick, says: " There are clear consequences. We've reduced CO2 by 40% and we have 10% renewable energy. What's unique is we have institutions, policy and the will of the people coming together."

It likes to be known as "Solar City". The town hall and the football stadium, swimming pools and the station boast mirrors to create solar power. New houses have to consume a third less energy than German law requires.

An interesting article well worth reading. It indicates the benefits of Green Party policies.

Spain emissions fall but far above Kyoto benchmark

MADRID, May 21 (Reuters) - Spain's emissions of greenhouse gases fell 6.5 percent in 2008 year but were still 42.7 percent above the benchmark set by the Kyoto protocol, members of a working party monitoring climate change policy said on Thursday.
In 2008 Spain emitted the equivalent of 413.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, the Comisiones Obreras union said, compared with 289.8 million in 1990, the Kyoto reference year.
Comisiones Oberas sits on a panel with government and business leaders to review emissions and provides a detailed report every year.
The Environment Ministry has said separately that greenhouse gases produced by industries covered by the European Emissions Trading scheme fell by 12.4 percent in 2008.
The Kyoto Protocol obliges cuts in greenhouse gases by rich nations of at least 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Spain was allowed to expand emissions by 15 percent above 1990 levels because it was not then deemed fully industrialised.
Spain's government has said it plans to offset another 2 percent points of the excess by investing in carbon-capturing forests and another 20 points by by emissions rights from less industrialised countries.
That means Spain aims to comply with Kyoto by holding emissions at 37 percent above 1990 levels. Comisiones Obreras noted that emissions were still almost six points above that target and would thus have to be much lower by the end of 2012 to average out at 37 percent.
Comisiones environment spokesman Llorenc Serrano said it was likely that emissions would fall again in 2009 due to Spain's economic recession and renewable energy generating an increasing share of Spain's electricity.
Renewable sources provided 30 percent of Spain's electricity in April, compared to 20.5 percent in 2008 as a whole.
"The challenge will be to keep emissions down when the economy begins to revive," Serrano told a news conference.
Spain's Industry Ministry estimates that energy consumption per head in the country is 20 percent above the European average and has launched several energy-saving programmes.

Guardian - Martin Roberts

5 Portions of Fruit & Vegetables - Good or Bad?

In April of this year I read a report in the Science Daily (Apr. 29, 2009) that research from the Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP) reveals that older people are not eating enough fruit and vegetables.

Whilst I am not admitting that I fit into this age category the report caught my attention.

Dr Katherine Appleton from the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast conducted the research on behalf of CAP and said: "Fruit and vegetables are vital for psychological as well as physical health. We found that fruit and vegetable consumption became lower with increasing age and that intake was particularly low in males and people living in more deprived areas".

Dr. Appleton also made the point that "older people should eat more fruit and vegetables. They are more likely to do this if they are aware of the five-a-day recommendations and associated health benefits. We recommend that more should be done to raise older people’s awareness of these issues and increase their exposure to products and dishes that contain fruit and vegetables".

Now today I read another report in the Science Daily (May 20, 2009) that eating more healthily might be better for us as individuals, but would it be bad news for farmers?

A research project funded by the UK Research Councils’ Rural Economy and Land Use Programme had found that if we all followed government advice to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day this could have serious implications for the countryside.

The interdisciplinary team, led by Bruce Traill, Professor of Agricultural and Food Economics, at the University of Reading, set out to examine how the UK could produce healthy foods that consumers wish to buy at prices they are willing to pay and to assess the impact on land use and the rural environment and economy.

Professor Bruce Traill said: “Undoubtedly the UK Government has a duty to promote the health of the population" ............“But we do also have to consider the potential unintended consequences of policies. For rural communities, such as the dairying industry of south west England and upland areas of the UK these could be far-reaching and need to be taken into account".

Consequences of the increase in the level of production suggested in the report include; increase in the amount of land under intensive market garden production with more polythene tunnels; increase pressure on water supplies because of the need to irrigate more crops; reduction in the number of small farms with them being absorbed into large land holdings; loss of employment in livestock farms in upland farming areas and supporting businesses.

Some may say the easy solution is to eat more vegetables and source the increase production levels from overseas growers. But won't this add to further problems of global warming and climate change, with the increase levels of CO2 due to the extra transport needed to bring the fruit and vegetables to us, and the destruction of the natural environment to provide more farming land in the third world countries where production would probably be. Aren't we told to try and source produce locally.

What a quandary!

Were CLARO rattled by J Longman's Cala Mosca Letter ?

In March I posted an article entitled What's the true reason behind the CLARO 'Save Cala Mosca' camapaign following the receipt of a letter from a James Longman of Orihuela Costa, and followed this up with The Le@der publishes 'Save Cala Mosca' letter .

Today I along with representatives of the PSOE and PP as fellow addresses, received an email from James Longman informing us that the Leader newspaper had published the following letter from him under the title of Cala Mosca Row .

"WOOOOOOW - I seemed to have rattled CLARO over my views about the value of and the real reason for their 'Save Cala Mosca' campaign to such an extent that I get a mention in their latest newsletter.

"We will not be deterred by the criticism and scepticism expressed recently in letters to the Editors of local newspapers from those from other parties, apparently the Greens and the Socialist party, who would have us give up the fight to save Cala Mosca. Here is an extract from a letter by our Executive Committee colleague Jimmy Badal defending C.L.A.R.O’s standpoint.

EXTRACT OF LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE LEADER

“After reviewing the difficulties in saving Cala Mosca, Mr. Longman comes to the conclusion that it cannot be done and states that C.L.A.R.O. must agree. WE DO NOT AGREE and are not going to be content with doing nothing. I am happy to say that over 3,000 (NOW 4,000) people who have so far signed C.L.A.R.O’s petition obviously do not agree either. There are possibilities of saving this last green area on Orihuela Costa and we will, and are, exploring them all. It is late but it is not too late to do something."

Unfortunately I haven't been able to read the full text of his letter and reply to it.

If I am so far off the mark - why did Jimmy Badal bother to reply, via the Le@der newspaper, to counteract my views? Why not ignore them as the ramblings of an individual.

Surely the general public wouldn't consider the views of one individual above that of such an illustrious and auspicious party as CLARO!

Perhaps there is an element of truth in what I said that worries the leaders of CLARO.

Let me 'claro-fy' that the views expressed were personal and not on behalf of any political party, either PP, PSOE, the Greens, or others that are not known to me.

Come on CLARO tell us what these "possibilities of saving" Cala Mosca are, don't keep them a secret, or haven't you thought of them yet!

It is too late to still be thinking about them and exploring them. You have already started the campaign and leading people to believe you have the solution. Your are in my opinion still misleading the people again.

(Why didn't J Badal make reference to the PP "from other parties, apparently the Greens and the Socialist party, who would have us give up the fight to save Cala Mosca." in this quote."

He said in the email " It will be interesting to see what response, if any at all, there is from either Bob Houliston, Jimmy Badal, Norah Bond (coordinator of the campaign) or any other member of CLARO's executive committee.

Perhaps the public might get some truth as to what the "possibilities of saving this last green area on Orihuela Costa and we will, and are, exploring them all." are!"

He further added, "You might also be interested in looking at the Weblog http://notclaro.blogspot.com ."

Cocaine was found in the air of Madrid and Barcelona

In April of this year we learnt from a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia that Madrid and Barcelona have the worst air and are the most polluted regions in Spain.

Air pollution has been a fact of life for a long time in the Spanish cities, but now scientists say it is not just the smog that chokes the population.

A new study has revealed that at least five drugs were found in the air of Madrid and Barcelona the principal being Cocaine and in addition to this they found trace amounts of amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid, a relative of LSD.

The Superior Council of Scientific Investigations, a government institute, said on its Web site there was no reason for alarm. It went on further to clarify that the tests were done in areas where drugs were likely to be consumed. In Madrid, the test site was close to a ruined building believed to be frequented by drug dealers. And in both Madrid and Barcelona, the studies were carried out close to universities with results of the study showing higher concentrations of the components on weekends, suggesting that drug consumption was up in these periods. What a surprise!

A researcher who worked on the project said the levels were far higher than those found in similar studies in Europe. A study in Rome and Taranto in 2007 revealed cocaine levels in the region of only 12% of that in the two Spanish cities.

According to the U.S. State Department, Spain is Europe's largest consumer of cocaine and hashish. It is also a major transit point for narcotics shipments from South and Central America as well as Africa.

'Los Verdes - Grupo Verde Europeo' - European Election Campaign Launch

The 'Los Verdes - Grupo Verde Europeo' chose to launch their campaign for the European elections at the Biocultura 2009 exhibition of environmentally friendly products held this week in Barcelona.

The 'Grupo Verde Europeo' is the coming together of various regional Green Parties within Spain to form a coalition to present a united list of candidates for the European Parliament elections on the 7th June.



The list is headed up Kristien Lesage, who is spokesman for Los Verdes del Mediterráneo. Originally from Belgium, Kristien is now resident in Mislata in Valencia. She is a member of the Heerlen Group, a network of members of different Green Parties of Europe that work to promote the direct participation in taking European decisions.

Position two on the list is held by Esteban Cabal, a writer. In 1991 he was the first Los Verdes Councillor to be elected in the Madrid Comunidad. In 1999 he headed the list of European candidates and obtained the support of 150,000 votes. Professionally his links are in the field of natural and alternative therapies.

Josep Lluis Freijo, founder of 'Els Verdes de Cataluña' holds the third position and in addition is the coordinator of the electoral campaign. As a green entrepreneur, his work is related to the field of bio-and ecological projects.

The three candidates, accompanied by a group of members and supporters, toured Bioculture 2009, the natural products trade show being held in Barcelona, where they unveiled Green Party proposals to emerge from the ecological crisis.

All of them wore a green work helmet as a symbol of the 20 million jobs which could be created in Europe if the European Union implements the proposal from the European Green Party entitled "Green New Deal", an ambitious public investment in energy alternative and sustainable business sectors. "

The candidates of the 'Los Verdes - Grupo Verde Europeo' pledged to boost , from the EuroChamber, organic farming and the market for natural products, as well as bio-construction and the recognition of natural medicines.

The 'Los Verdes - Grupo Verde Europeo' expects to achieve half a million votes in the European elections of June 7, which will surely result in becoming the third political force in Spanish politics and give them representation in the European Parliament.

Think Again Vote Green

For those Ex-Pats in Spain who are going to vote for the European elections in the UK - Think Again Vote Green.

'Smart Turbine Blades' To Improve Wind Power

ScienceDaily (2009-05-08) -- Researchers have developed a technique that uses sensors and computational software to constantly monitor forces exerted on wind turbine blades, a step toward improving efficiency by adjusting for rapidly changing wind conditions.

Bioelectricity Promises More 'Miles Per Acre' Than Ethanol

ScienceDaily (2009-05-08) -- Biofuels such as ethanol offer an alternative to petroleum for powering our cars, but growing energy crops to produce them can compete with food crops for farmland, and clearing forests to expand farmland will aggravate the climate change problem. How can we maximize our "miles per acre" from biomass? Researchers writing in Science say the best bet is to convert the biomass to electricity, rather than ethanol.

Think Big - Vote Green European Green Party 2009

Sir David Attenborough calls for more protection for orang-utans

Sir David Attenborough has called for greater protection for the wild habitat of orang-utans amid fears "emotional" television programmes about rescued apes have failed to raise awareness of the need to protect the rainforests where the animals live says Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent in her article in the Telegraph.

"Every bit of the rainforest that is knocked down is less space for orang-utans. They have been reduced very seriously in the past decade, and we must do all we can to reverse this devastation. I fully support World Land Trust in its bid to save this important land!" Sir David is quoted as saying, in the article.

This picks up the theme of the consequence of the destruction of the rainforest habitat and survival of the orang-utans for the production of palm oil highlighted in the previous article 'How Britons fuel destruction of the rainforest'.

How Britons fuel destruction of the rainforest

"British consumers are fuelling the rising demand for palm oil, speeding up the destruction of rainforests and killing off orangutans."

A thought provoking article by Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent of The Independent begins "A cooking oil that is driving the destruction of the rainforests, displacing native people and threatening the survival of the orangutan is present in dozens of Britain's leading grocery brands, an investigation by The Independent has found".

The article concludes with a list of manufacturers and their products that are fueling the genocide of the environment and animals. I like millions of consumers would not realize the damage we cause when purchasing our comfort foods.

I remember the old advertising campaign for Mars bars, 'a Mars a day helps you work rest and play' (not used now) but now I look at it with the view that a Mars a day destroys the world in its way.

Half A Glass Of Wine A Day May Boost Life Expectancy By Five Years

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2009) — Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years—at least in men, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The researchers looked into how much alcohol the men drank, what type it was, and over what period, in a bid to assess whether this had any impact on the risks of their dying from cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and from all causes.

The researchers found that men who drank only wine, and less than half a glass of it a day, lived around 2.5 years longer than those who drank beer and spirits, and almost five years longer than those who drank no alcohol at all. Drinking wine was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes.