Rupert's Read

I paid another visit to Suffolk last yesterday, to learn more about the production and distribution of food, which is still a major part of the local economy. We began with a tour of the Alder Carr farmers' market, near Needham, talking to many of the customers and local stallholders, all of whom must grow or produce within a 45-mile radius.   I also heard from Nick Hardingham (who manages Alder Carr Farm with his wife Joan) about the various small businesses that have grown from the original pick-your-own soft fruit enterprise. Eight separate activities take place at Alder Carr, most dependent upon one or two others, as for example Alder Carr ice cream which uses farm-grown fruit, while fertility is enhanced by manure from the livestock, the restaurant uses farm ingredients, and of course the farm shop sells a widening range of produce plus jams and baking from the farm kitchen.   I also visited the farm shop in Bramford run by Councillor Step...

Dr. Rupert Read, the lead Green Party candidate for the Eastern Region in the forthcoming European elections, visited Beccles on Saturday as part of a tour of Suffolk to see the work of Green Party Councillors within the County. Rupert, who arrived in Beccles by train, was particularly interested in the promotion of rail travel in eastern Suffolk by the provision of a passing loop at Beccles.   Rupert said “It is excellent to see local Green Party Councillor, Graham Elliott, making progress on this important infrastructure project.   It will make a real difference to Beccles and will promote more sustainable travel across the whole of eastern Suffolk.”   Rupert then went on to visit the open air swimming pool in Beccles to offer support to the newly formed Beccles Lido Limited which is hoping to take over ownership and management of the pool in the very near future.   Rupert Read adds “This is an ambitious community project that will have a real impact on the town and the sur...

The Greens have scrupulously analysed the Conservatives' green paper number 8 on de-carbonising Britain, which was published in January and which forms the basis of current thinking at the top of the Conservative Party (as emphasised in George Osborne's speech this week), if not necessarily amongst many actual Tory MPs and councillors.   C'llr Rupert Read, prospective Green Party MEP for Eastern England, said: "They call themselves the 'Conservative' Party. But what their proposals add up to would be a degradation of our shared environment. They would not conserve for us all a decent future. "If you are actually interested in conserving things, and if you want a future in which we as a nation are energy-independent, the only way is Green." A communique from the Green Party nationally said: "A few of the Tories' new ideas closely mirror pre-existing Green Party policies - except that despite all experience, the Tories have p...

Here is the link to the powerpoint pres on this talk that I am giving tonight in Saffron Walden: http://www.rupertread.fastmail.co.uk/Peak_Soil.ppt

Rupert Read gets Green Party "shadow" public services portfolio - and calls for major re-nationalisation programme Norwich City Councillor Rupert Read has been appointed to an important national post in the Green Party. The Green Party of England & Wales will announce on Thursday April 9 that Dr Read, a Norwich Green Party councillor and lecturer at the University of East Anglia is the party's new national spokesperson on public services - a key area of policy for the Greens. Councillor Read has greeted his appointment by immediately stressing the party's determination "to fight for accountable public services, and to keep pushing the radical and ethical agenda on public services that separates the Green Party from the big three parties." Speaking from his home in Merton Road Norwich today, Rupert Read condemned the government's plans to continue privatising public services. He said: "The Green Party wants public services which do...