Rupert's Read

Charles Clarke is making national headlines today warning that Labour may lose the next general election. His concerns about Labour's prospects may be linked to last year's local election results in his own Norwich South constituency, where the Green Party came in first with 30% of the vote… And Norwich Greens have a strong chance of further gains at this year's local elections on 1st May. By 2010, which is when Clarke predicts there will be an election, we will be very strong indeed... Charles Clarke knows full well that his constituency is one of the strongest prospects for a Green MP -- and that, we in Norwich Green Party believe, is why he is running scared. Norwich South, btw, is one of three national Parliamentary target seats for the Green Party at the next General Election. [Clarke's comments have been making headlines all day today on Radio 4. They have so far to my knowledge hit the Daily Mail: here , The Guardian, here and the BBC: here T...

Dear readers of Rupert's Read; One thing I am pleased about about this blog is that when we have had debates or disagreements here, they have virtually always been good-tempered. Because the norm out there in the blogosphere is often not like that. Take 'Comment is Free', for example, on the Guardian Unlimited site: the level of debate on CIF is pretty awful, frankly, in terms of civility. It is a very unpleasant place to take part in any debate, generally, unless perhaps (as most commenters do) one hides behind the veil of anonymity (which 'ain't allowed' here). And the truth is, in case any fellow commenters reading this don't realise it, that there are many many people who get put off even reading (let alone posting to) CIF because of the volume of plain nasty comments that they risk getting, when they do. I am slightly singling out CIF here, because I believe that this is actually one of the worst places on the blogosphere in terms of this kind of ...

I am fed up with reading in the papers about 'terrorists' doing this and that. Anyone remember Nelson Mandela being called a 'terrorist'? Well, he was, over and over, for many years. Someone using the word "terrorist" is a fairly reliable symptom of an attempt to stop their readers thinking, and simply to scare and repel them from the people under discussion. It is quite similar in that regard to the use of words such as "nigger", "kike", "towel-head", etc. [For detail, I recommend a perusal of Steven Poole's fine book 'Unspeak'.] And before I get flamed, let me remark that I myself am a convinced believer in and practitioner of non-violence. I don't condone asymmetric warfare. But neither do I condone lazy and 'violent' communication.

Many streets in my ward are highly residential areas where, unfortunately, a small number of drivers drive TOO FAST. For safety's sake, we need 20mph speed limits. Furthermore: 'Modal shift' (to less polluting transport modes: bus, bike, foot) is the key to reducing carbon emissions. Cars driving too fast is the key reason why people do not shift to bike and foot. Ergo: reducing speed limits is the key to reducing carbon emissions. 20mph limits are green .

Well, yes, in a way we are ... the single issue is: all political issues, combined into one, wholistically. Because you cannot have (e.g.) a transport policy which is not simultaneously also a crime policy, an economic policy, an ecological policy, en education policy, a food and farming policy.... We are the only Party that truly believes in joined-up government. We look at things wholistically , unlike the other Parties. If that is being a 'single issue party', then I plead guilty! Another way of putting it would be... the single issue is: saving the human race, and making life wonderful.

OK, so let's get this straight: Low interest rates and easy money in the States (and Britain, and almost everywhere) led to a crisis in the 'sub-prime' mortgage market, which has brought on fears of a recession in the States (and everywhere). The Fed's response, as Wall Street cottons on to the danger of recession, and tumbles? Lower interest rates by three quarters of a percent, a week early! Are these people complete imbeciles? Let's get the next part of the story straight (i.e. what will happen over the next several months/years): Eased credit in the States leads to a further bubble in the 'sub-prime' mortgage market (and probably also a sudden surge of inflation), which in due course will lead to a still worse crisis, and thus to a real recession... The U.S. and U.K. nowadays are debt-ridden -- debt-sodden, debt-addicted -- countries, mortgaged to the hilt. The Fed has just redoubled that. It truly does beggar belief. We are living beyond our means. It...