Archives Issue109, November/December 2002 - Don't Attack Iraq
At the Green party Conference in Lancaster, which was held from the 12th to the 15th september, a resolution was passed concerning the likely war against Iraq. The resolution reads as follows:

"The Green Party, while deploring the brutality and internal repression characterising the Iraqi dictatorship, condemns proposals by the us President and the UK Prlme Minister for military intervention as immoral and illegal, and certain to lead to incalculable suffering for the people of Iraq.

"Military intervention will also lead to heightened tension and destabilize the Middle East. Far from increasing the security of the citizens of the us and the UK, it will in fact reduce the common security of all. The Green Party advocates a positive effort to address the causes of the crisis: the West's systematic arming and exploitation of such regimes, and the West's dependence on oil.

"The Green Party proposes an alternative approach based on reducing tension in the region, by the immediate lifting of sanctions against Iraq, a concerted international effort to resolve the palestine crisis, and renewed effort to abolish all" weapons of mass destruction, including those held by the us and the UK.

"The Green Party offers its support to all those peacefully campaigning against this war.·

Richard perkins reports:
The Green Party therefore gave its support to the peace demonstration in London on Saturday 28th september. I joined a group from Malvern who went on the train in order to take part. We arrived at Paddington in good time and split up to make our way in smaller groups to the Embankment where the march was due to start. I walked with Guy Woodford and we found so many people there that other nearby streets were also being used as assembling areas. It was nearly three hours after the official start time of about 12.30pm before our part of the demonstration began to move. We moved forward through the crowds and arrived at Hyde Park at about ten minutes to five. It must have been about 5.30pm or 6pm before the last of the march reached the Park. Although we missed many of the speakers we did still get to hear caroline Lucas MEP who is one of our two Green Party MEPS. she gave an excellent speech during which she announced the organisers estimate that there were 300,000 people on the demonstration. The later police estimate was in the region of 150,000. Whatever the number it was most certainly a massive demonstratlon.

I believe this to be an important time for people who are against a military attack on Iraq to make their opinion known. Before any attack is commenced there is still hope that the Prime Minister may withhold his support of president Bush if he feels that public opinion is overwhelmingly and strongly against a war. So do please write to the prime Minister, and the Foreign secretary, and join in any further demonstrations that you feel able to.

Archives Issue No 113, June 2004 - Peace, Justice and security
We all want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a fair and peaceful world.

After september the 11th the threat of terrorism hasn't receded. Poverty and oppression still fuel conflict and nurture extremism. The people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and palestine still long for real peace. But real peace does not come through the barrel of a gun.

Sympathy for the united States has been replaced with feelings of anger and injustice across the Muslim world, while in Britain our freedoms have been eroded.

Meanwhile conflicts like that in central Africa continue to claim millions of lives while being ignored by western governments.

Progress is not the inequality that comes from half the world living on less than £1.70 a day. Progress is not the heads of 471 multinational companies having more wealth than half the world put together. And at home, our commitment to human rights must extend to welcoming those who are forced to flee their own countries,?and building a world where they don't have to: refugees are made, not born.

Greens believe that Real Progress towards real and lasting peace must be built on firm~foundations. That means renewing our commitment to a radically reformed and revitalised united Nations, to international law, to justice and human rights.

Green Party MEP Dr Caroline Lucas has spoken of her experiences in Iraq and palestine at rallies across the UK.

Euro-MP Jean Lambert has campaigned against the tabloid media distortions of asylum seekers, and the London Greens were the first to call for the partnership Register allowing civil recognition to same-sex couples.

Archives Issue No II6, October 2004) "No· to the Arms Conference" A report from Joe Sturge

Last year the Royal united Services Institute (RUSI) booked Malvern Theatres for an arms conference - the subject electronic systems, based around drone aircraft, to co-ordinate the land, sea, air and space sectors of the "battlespace. for enhance "military effect·, These-systems were used in the Iraq invasion.

A group of us were appalled by this use of our civic theatre and by this huge expenditure of money and human skills in the development of ever more deadly war waging capability ~ all this while the Third world starves. We staged a high profile demo outside the theatre - leafleted the delegates - and bombarded the theatre manager with letters and petitions. To our amazement, without any consultation - the theatre accepted a repeat booking from RUSI for september 27/28/29 this year, -' Entitled "Exploiting Information for Military Effect: C4ISTAR in Networked warfare·, this year's conference explored the same cutting edge battlespace systems. speakers included top flight American, British and German military people. ;Sponsors included major American, French and British arms manufacturers.

Again we demonstrated, leafleted and put our case across in the local media. We have a considerable number of signatures on petitions which we plan, this year, to present to the District council. we're aware that Malvern Theatres needs money and this conference generates lots of it. But is that a good enough reason for them to sell their soul to the international arms industry, and thereby further the cause of Bush and Blair's military adventures?

Europe is increasingly being run for the benefit of multinationals, not its citizens.

Real economic progress involves encouraging more local, smaller businesses - the real backbone of the economy - rather than the multinationals, which wield huge power but provide relatively few jobs.

Real progress involves making sure everyone has a high minimum standard of living, including pensioners having their income linked to earnings.

Greens want to use EU policy to set high minimum social, labour and environmental standards for industry, both in Europe and on the world stage. we want to encourage responsible companies that are rooted in and serve the communities in which they're based.

A stable sustainable future means one in which we all have a stake - not just those in work, or those in Europe, but for all people around the world.

Green party EurO-MP Jean Lambert is the only Member of the European parliament to question the European Central Bank on its integration of economic with social and environmental policies. Jean is active in the wage Poverty campaign, speaking nationally on the need for an increased state pension. she is pushing for EU legislation to extend full-time employment rights to temporary staff. Our MEPS have campaigned for a binding legal framework for corporate social responsibility.

John has been chair of the council's planning Committee since re-election to the council in May 2003. But one year on he has now taken on a wider green' brief as a member of the Executive Committee and as portfolio-holder for recycling. Recycling has at last been accorded the status of a top priority for the council - one of just six!. And following the introduction this spring of a kerbside recycling scheme across the entire district, the challenge which John is now championlng is to take waste minimisation a great deal further. This, of course, requires a fundamental change of attitudes and behavior and a further stream of policy development - with much greater emphasis on reduction of Waste (less packaging etc. in particular), the re-use of Waste (e.g. bottles and containers), the retention of Waste (e.g. through home composting), the recovery of value from waste (e.g. using residual waste to make reusable fibre or alternative products) as well as simply recycling.

Last year more than 417,000 tonnes of waste - mainly from households - was generated in Herefordshire and worcestershire, of which only 19% was recycled or composted and just 3% sent for energy recovery. The rest - more than 325,000 tonnes from our two counties in just a twelve month period - was sent to land-fill.

At Malvern Hills District Council the recent roll-out of a kerbside collection of paper, textiles, cans and some plastics has, in the main, been pretty successful - certainly it has resulted in our recycling rate leaping up from just 15% in 2003-04 to 24% this year so far. That is really encouraging (and is in line with the target set by Government for the year). But obviously we Greens want to see massively improved progress than this, and quickly.

The next step is a stock-take review of options for the development of recycling - including consideration of how we can extend the initiative to embrace businesses and commercial as well as just domestic waste. Key to this debate about options for Malvern Hills, is the wider vision and strategy for waste management in Herefordshire and worcestershire that has recently been the subject of public consultation (by the Joint waste Forum).

Following promotion of the idea by Malvern Hills Local Agenda 21 Group, John has persuaded the District Council to host a public forum in september (a little like the GM Debate last october) to provide an opportunity for people hear about the issues, the options and the constraints, and to exchange ideas on how best to take forward waste minimisation in the district. Stand by for the date to be announced and try and attend to help to ensure that our district council continues along its greening path.