Rupert's Read

There is no better time to be thinking about how we can make Norwich a place that doesn't suffer from the depletion of oil   The 'Transition Norwich' group will be holding its 'Great Unleashing' (launch event) at St Andrew's Hall at 7.30 pm this Wednesday evening (Oct. 1st). [See http://www.transitionnorwich.org/  for details.] Speakers at the Unleashing will include Rob Hopkins (who founded Transition Totnes and thus the whole Transition movement, and who I debated on this blog and on his, last year) and local MPs and Councillors. The central part of the Unleashing will be small-group discussions on particular aspects of creating a resilient Norwich. These will include food, transport, buildings, the economy, waste, government, and Heart and Soul. These groups will begin work on developing an 'Energy Descent Plan' for Norwich: working out how Norwich will practically cope with having less fossil fuel energy in the future. I will be atten...

  Norwich councillor Rupert Read, prospective Green Party MEP for East Anglia, today expressed sorrow and sadness at the late night murder of  Frank McGarahan in Norwich City centre (1).  But Dr. Read, a local resident of Norwich, also called for the self-examination of a society in which this vicious act could occur.  He said "Our thoughts today are with the family, friends and workmates of the Mr. McGarahan.  The men who perpetrated this violent act are to be condemned thoroughly and brought to justice. " His murder is symptomatic of a society which has in some cases grown selfish and materialistic in its prosperity.  The greatest honour we could pay the courageous Mr. McGarahan is to prevent similar tragedies ever happening again.  "To prevent incidents like this re-occurring  we also need to examine just why a group of adults in a reasonably wealthy society should feel the need to beat another ma...

Amidst the vast turmoil of today's financial markets, it is funny to see how small are the proposed solutions being put forward by any of the 'main 3' Parties. See http://rupertread.fastmail.co.uk/From%20Limehouse%20to%20Campbell,%20and%20beyond.doc  for my history in one of those Parties; I left the Liberal Democrat Party when Charlie K. took over; and since then, the general thrust of LibDem policy has only been yet further to the 'Right.' The gaping hole in the political spectrum is occupied: by the Green Party. The fundamental problem with the LibDems is that they stand for so little. Clegg is trying to get them to stand for 'liberty'. But this, unadorned, is fundamentally a right-wing idea. The crisis convulsing our planet should make clear to us that it is time for a return to ideology. We need a bold new analysis - a Green New Deal [ http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/z_sys_publicationdetail.aspx?pid=258 ] to tackle peak oil, manmade climate...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/25/conservatives.eu

  Newly formed  AODA, the Anglian Offshore Dredging Association consisting of CEMEX UK Marine, Hanson Aggregates Marine, United Marine Dredging, Volker Dredging Ltd. and Sea Aggregates Ltd are considering a new set of dredging areas off our East Anglian coast. A further large extension (Area 495B) is being sought offshore between Gt. Yarmouth and Lowestoft, to the east of the existing dredging area, and also another new area (Area 496) some ten times that area already being dredged at the existing site off Southwold.  The near edge of this Area 496 is to the west of the existing dredging ground, less than half the distance from the shoreline as the existing dredge site. AODA is holding a 'Public Information Day' on this issue at the Vice Admiral Bar at Great Yarmouth Racecourse THIS FRIDAY, open from 2.00 pm with three 15 to 20 minute presentation sessions to commence at 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm. I will be there...

Liftshare is a website where conscientious commuters can easily find like-minded individuals from their local area with whom they can share lifts to and from work each day -- and save lots of money in the process!  It provides the forum in which people can build up social networks, so for those who don't know someone in their immediate social environment who wants to car share, then Liftshare is the answer.  And if for those who already car share, Liftshare can be used to find more people to share with so the costs can be split further still, and CO2 emissions further reduced.   Liftshare has proved to be a successful innovation over the past decade.  They currently have over a quarter of a million members (including me) and over a million trips are registered.  The Green Party has been encouraging more car-sharing to help counter man-made climate change caused by excessive...

I have been asked to give more evidence of the LibDem lurch to the Right. Well, here is a powerful piece of such evidence: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/sep/14/libdemconference.pfi Isn't PFI by definition "cooking the books"?... This is a LibDem sop to the interests of big finance. Isn't this an incredibly ironic moment to choose, to trust the very people who have at the present time brought the world's economy to its knees?!! p.s. And how about this: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8935.html And check Scott Redding's apposite _comment_, here: http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/09/labour-party-gordon-change Hard to see a Party happy to have Conference sponsorship from Tesco as anything other than sold out.