400 hear message of hope on Peak Oil

The meeting I missed in the Subscription Rooms went well by all accounts - a press release below and item on the blog site here (and for photos see under files here). Today I've been fortunate enough to spend the day at Ruskin Mill with Transition Town folk from across the country and Richard Heinberg - I'll write a bit more in a while - plus this evening Richard gave a presentation to the Cabinet - more of that in another post as well - need some sleep as it has been a long day.

Richard Heinberg, the world-renowned expert on Peak Oil, addressed a packed public meeting at the Subscription Rooms last night (30th May). His talk, supported by authoritative graphics and statistics, explored the nature of our dependence on oil and the pressing need to reduce this both because of the imminent exhaustion of oil supplies and its impact on climate change.

His message was one of concern as well as of hope. He spoke of the greater opportunities for community and meaning that are offered by the sustainable economy we are moving towards. 'People who hold the knowledge of Peak Oil privately to themselves may well become depressed', he said, 'whereas those who join with others to change their local community experience elation'.

There was considerable discussion about the failure of political action, although at last night's meeting there were at least three District Councillors, together with the majority of the town council, the town's mayor John Marjoram and the local MP David Drew. During his visit Mr Heinberg also spoke with SDC cabinet as well as addressing a conference on local food organised by the Hiram Trust and Ruskin Mill.

The meeting was organised by Transition Stroud, a community group developing a low-carbon future for the Five Valleys with the slogan 'A journey to a low carbon high life'. Future events include an open day at Stroud Slad Farm, the new community-supported farm, and a Transition Party at The Space on 20th July. More information is available from the Transition website: www. transitiontowns.org/Stroud.

Last chance to add voice to Sustainable Communities Bill

One hurdle left to get this important Bill through - 15th June - get letters out to MPs, Minister Phil Woolas and Gordon Brown along the lines of the letter below - our local MP David Drew has been great on this one and deserves massive credit for continuing to work on this - yes it has cross-party support incl Green MEP Caroline Lucas but there are fears it could still fall at the last minute.

I've written before on this blog about why this needs support - see more re the national campaign at:
http://www.localworks.org/

Gordon Brown, Houses of Parliament, London

Dear Mr Brown
Sustainable Communities Bill

As our future Prime Minister please ensure that the government stands by the assurances given by Minister Phil Woolas MP during the Sustainable Communities Bill committee stage that the government will support the Bill and not attempt to dilute it when it goes before the House for its Report and third reading on 15th June.

It seems to us that this Bill is very much in line with your personal vision of devolving power from the Centre which you expressed in your Labour Party Conference speech in 2006 when you said; “People and communities should now take power from the state and that means a reinvention of the way we govern: the active citizen, the empowered community, open enabling government…local councils, not Whitehall, should have more power over things that matter to their community.”

You have made restoring trust a big issue in your Leadership campaign: The Sustainable Communities Bill offers a real opportunity to achieve this by actively engaging people in the local democratic process. It provides a mechanism for truly devolving power and building Sustainable Communities.

Phil Woolas made very positive comments about the Bill, and the mechanisms in it, in Committee. If, following these, the government tries to water down the Bill on 15th June then it will be no surprise if many people continue to distrust politicians. So, please ensure that the Sustainable Communities Bill is not watered down from being a Bill in which councils and communities, to use Phil Woolas’s words, ‘determine’ the policies, to one in which they are merely ‘consulted’ and all the decisions are taken centrally in Whitehall.

Yours sincerely

Sewage ruling is good news

My understanding is that Thames Water Utilities Ltd, a statutory sewerage undertaking, responsible for some 80,000 kilometres of sewerage pipes in the Thames region, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency for illegally depositing waste, it being alleged that, on 11 occasions between February and April 2003, untreated sewage constituting controlled waste escaped into controlled waters in or on to land in Kent. The defence was that sewage which escaped did not amount to controlled waste. Section 75(4) of the 1990 Act defined “controlled waste” as “household, industrial and commercial waste”. See ruling here.

Photo: Repairs to the pipebridge - site of many sewage incidents - near Bread Street, Ruscombe last year

If my understanding is right this means that prosecution is now possible if sewage escapes not from EA consented outflows ie from manholes or other sources. Advice welcomed on this!

I wonder if this will also make prosecution easier for cases where sewage is spilled - there was the shocking case last month in Scotland where one hundred million litres of sewage, at a thousand litres a second, was discharged into the Forth when a pump failed at Edinburgh’s Seafield Wastewater Treatment Plant - see report here.

However we also need to stop the consented discharges - see article here re London's sewage tunnel that Thames water ratepayers in Gloucestershire will be paying for. The tunnel will be twice the height of a double-decker bus, will stretch for more than 20 miles and carry away more than 32 million cubic metres of sewage that pours into the river every year when the existing network becomes overwhelmed.

Raw sewage is currently mixed with run-off water is channelled into the river fifty to sixty times a year, about once a week, and the rate is expected to increase with climate change. It takes only 2 millimetres of rain to fall within one hour for pipes in London to fill up and to begin discharging sewage into the Thames at one or more of 36 overflow points. Sewage discharges drastically reduce the quality of the water and poison fish and other river life. In August 2004 a single discharge killed more than 10,000 fish and hundreds of thousands of fish fry. Clearly improvements to the system are needed but it is tragic not more cost-effective sustainable solutions are being considered as opposed to this £2 billion tunnel.

Brook meeting: Lawns latest and more

A log fire and exceedingly good seriously chocolatey biscuits - who wouldn't want to be at a Ruscombe brook Action Group meeting this evening. Some of the issues covered included:

Photo: me at brook at Hamwell Leaze

- feedback from the talks at Randwick Village Hall by Simon Charter and Julian Jones (see last blog item for 26th April for details of teh fascinating talk),
- an update on the Lawns - 1000 reeds planted (see below),
- a discussion re SUDS correspondence and how best to proceed (see 17th April blog for latest letters),
- an update on the RBAG website which now has most of the info replaced but is still difficult to navigate and find important info (any offers out there to help us?),
- the Memo of Cooperation - this is a loose agreement to get various parties to work together better - it has now gone out to District Council and will probably go to Cabinet in July for official approval - I'll be sending out more widely to other parties - more info on this in a future post,
- the Scoping exercise - this has begun with Water 21 and MSc student Ismaila - they are meeting weekly (see my blogs on 9th and 12th April) and we had a discussion about how best to further consult with the local community over any draft plans,
- Severn Trent and RBAG joint leaflet looking at issues in the valley - at last being finalised - should be printed soon then we want help delivering it to some 2000 plus homes!!
- Cattle - a farmer has now done works to significantly reduce cattle poaching,
- Bill Blake a former Environment Officer noted that the latest news from EU courts is that unconsented sewage discharges can now face prosecution - hopefully more on this very soon.

Latest on the Lawns

Photos: murky shallow water of the Lawns last year before work started and below three photos from Trwo magazine of BTCV volunteers collecting hazel from Siccaridge woods as a good supply of faggots plus photo of the dredging.

This below is the response from the Engineer (Cotswold Canals, British Waterways) to my email welcoming the work there and pointing out that the final scheme at the Lawns does not match the planned scheme they had negotiated with various community groups. The reasons given make the situation much clearer and it is very positive that this project has gone ahead - although as noted before it would have been good to have done work further up the brook first as advised by various water experts present at the last big meeting with British Waterways. However hopefully we will be able to tackle that now.

I am glad to hear that you that you have the services of an MSc student to assist you in progressing your study into issues along the length of the Brook, and that you are happy to see progress at the Lawns.

As you have observed, having worked with volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) to clear the laurels which were overshadowing the east side of pond in November, we then carried out the main works at the Lawns Pond in December. These works included a fish rescue (to prevent any fish in the pond being affected by the disturbance of the silt), some further tree works, dredging, including the removal of several fallen branches and one complete fallen tree, excavation of the overgrown area in the north east corner to become a reed bed, and installation of a barrier to retain the reed bed. The material removed was spread on the north west area of the pond and is regenerating naturally with vegetation now that spring brings fresh growth to the whole site. BTCV were also involved in the works by coppicing the hazel used in the barrier from a local Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust woodland.

BTCV volunteers returned to the site on 16th May and planted 1000 plants in the area cleared for the reed bed. These plants are currently fresh from the nursery, but will, given time, grow and spread. During these works, and on visits to the site for surveys, BW have removed a large quantity of debris from the pond and around the weir crest, including a pallet, plastic buckets, a road cone, plastic bags, bottles and other litter.

As you have noted, although the tree works and planting have been as planned, the dredging works undertaken were not exactly the same as those originally discussed. We had originally planned to deposit silt behind a hazel barrier along the eastern bank of the pond, with an additional area to the north east to also potentially be used dependent on the volume of material extracted and the bulking/slump factors.

After the initial discussions, further investigation in the pond and discussions with the contractor led to changes to the planned dredging works. The firm bed of the pond fell more sharply away from the eastern bank than anticipated in places, making the installation of the hazel barrier along this eastern edge less practicable. Having cleared the laurels and been able to assess the clearance between, and importantly beneath, the remaining trees more clearly, it was decided that the very long reach machines (around 17m reach) desirable to reach significantly beyond the planned retaining barrier would be impracticable. It was therefore decided to dredge as far from the bank as possible with a more modest long reach machine (13.5m reach was used, which had clearance for the knuckle beneath the remaining trees), and to deposit this material on the area to the north west of the pond, originally identified as a back-up deposition area. It was decided in the interests of the overall impact of the works on the site that it would not be beneficial to bring the excavator through to the southern bank as the disturbance caused would outweigh the benefit gained from the dredging as this area was found to already be quite deep when the pond was drained. The very heavily silted and overgrown area to the north east of the pond was excavated as planned, and an informal silt trap has been dug at the inlet to the pond, which can be accessed for routine maintenance by conventional plant.

The works, including the changes discussed above, were agreed with Andy Read of the SCLT, and the information we have gathered in doing the work is to be passed to him in a post-contract health and safety file to assist the SCLT with future maintenance.

Although slightly different to the plans we originally tabled, the works have fulfilled the aims of the project in terms of improving the amenity value of the site and the excavation of an area subsequently planted as a reed bed. Sight lines around the pond have been improved, there are fewer plants overhanging and dropping leaves into the pond and there is more light penetrating to the pond and surrounding areas which will reduce the dominance of tall trees and allow a wider variety of species to thrive.

We hope that you would agree that the Lawns site is much improved following these works and wish you all the best for your future work in improving the Brook.

Fire at Oldbury nuke today

I've had several phone calls today re the fire at Oldbury nuclear power station - BBC wanting a Green down at Oldbury to interview and other press wanting a comment. Sadly I've been in Cirencester for large part of today so have not been able to oblige - in some ways relieved as I really do not like the TV stuff.

Anyhow I have sent out press release re the fire to local press - see here - it was less than 2 weeks ago that I warned in a press release that there were unacceptable risks attached to restarting this 39 year old reactor after it had been shut down for nearly 2 years due to concerns - I hope that this fire will mean they will reconsider restarting Oldbury. The reactor is already alleged to be the most corroded reactor of its kind in the world. Whatever side of the debate people are on over new nuclear power stations it is clear that restarting is an unacceptable risk.

International sculptor Patrick Dougherty in Stroud

This evening at the recently opened Stroud College I was fortunate to hear Patrick Dougherty talk about his work and show slides. This was a unique chance to see this amazing artist and I think many will agree his landscape art is very wonderful - some enclosed below and also an link to his excellent website.

Photos: Stroud College entrance this evening and one of those long sweeping corridors

The Cotswold Water Park have Patrick as Artist in Residence there at the moment. They write on their website:

Sculptor Patrick Dougherty is known for large-scale installations that incorporate tree saplings. Working only with these saplings, the North Carolina based artist twists and wraps his medium to create large, organic sculptures. The surrounding environment and its given materials play a significant role in shaping his sculptures.

Photo: Patrick talking this evening

Dougherty often uses saplings gathered near the installation site, adjusting his designs to the different ways local materials bend and respond in his hands. Dougherty also enjoys working with communities inspiring them to create ambitious and unusual sculptures with natural materials.

His sculpture reveals the influence of elements more commonly associated with drawing, which appear in the linear hatchings and patterns of the branches. His work always delights the viewer with the unexpected and mysterious.

The evening started in the cafe and I had a brief chance to talk a little to him about the Ruscombe Brook Action Group and plans to improve water quality. The talk was then upstairs in one of the larger classrooms - put on in partnership with the Stroudwater International Textile Trust Festival.

Some of what Patrick said reminded me of an article by HRH The Prince of Wales in the most recent Resurgence magazine - the article isn't online but it has been a theme of some of his previous talks - see here - he, like many others, recognise that we have lost our capacity to see beyond our individual, and in many cases urbanized, lifestyles. This means that many people now have little or no physical contact with the Earth - a point I have also made in this blog repeatedly. People may see excellent programmes about Nature on their television screens, but they have little – if any – direct experience of their own.

HRH writes: "Nature has become a simplified and sanitized, arm’s-length experience, to be switched on or off at will. It is no longer the 'Mother Nature' that animated the entire world for generations of our forebears. As a result, so many have lost what I would call a 'sense of harmony'. Having become disconnected from Nature, we have discarded our sense of awe and reverence for the natural world. Tragically, we have also largely lost the once common belief that mankind is, above all, a participant in the natural world, with a sacred – yes, a sacred – duty of stewardship to fulfil. In some of our actions we now behave as if we were “Masters of Nature”, and in others as mere bystanders. If we could rediscover that “sense of harmony”, that sense of being a part of and not apart from Nature, and so regain our sense of stewardship, we would perhaps be less likely to see the world as some sort of gigantic production system, capable of ever-increasing outputs for our benefit – at no cost. And we would be more willing to recognize the Earth for what it is – a complex, living organism, dependent on harmony for its health – and ours."

It is worth reading the rest of what HRH has to say on the matter and ideas for the way forward (see here). For me art can have a key role to play - helping people to reconnect with the natural world - and landscape art like the work of Patrick Dougherty does just that.

Patrick is also spending a week in the Cotswold Water Park working with residents and artists. See his website here - quotes below taken from that site along with some of his works to encourage people to visit:
http://www.stickwork.net/

"Dougherty's works allude to nests, cocoons, hives, and lairs built by animals, as well as the manmade forms of huts, haystacks, and baskets, created by interweaving branches and twigs together. Many of his works look 'found' rather than made, as if they were created by the natural force of a tornado sweeping across the landscape. He intentionally tries for this effortless effect, as if his creations just fell or grew up naturally in their settings."
Linda Johnson, A Dialogue with Nature

"My affinity for trees as a material seems to come from a childhood spent wandering the forest around Southern Pines, North Carolina – a place with thick underbrush and many intersecting lines evident in the bare winter branches of trees. When I turned to sculpture as an adult, I was drawn to sticks as a plentiful and renewable resource. I realized that saplings have an inherent method of joining – that is, sticks entangle easily. This snagging property is the key to working material into a variety of large forms.”
Patrick Dougherty

20mph, white lines, Sandpit Lane and crash in Bread St

I met with a Highways Officer today re a number of local matters and see if we could clarify where we are at and move forward in a number of areas. Here are some notes from the meeting:

Photo: Site of head-on collision by 2 cars traveling to fast outside my door in Bread Street yesterday. Fortunately neither party appear to be hurt.

Mandatory 20 mph areas: it looks almost certain that the most recent further requests for 20 mph on stretches where traffic is currently doing less than 20 mph (eg Victory Road and part of Ruscombe Road) will be refused. It will not warrant the £10,000 or so expenditure for each road. Indeed other measures at slowing traffic maybe better use of money.

20 is Plenty: this is a voluntary scheme but has had success in other areas and Parishes who had implemented it have apparently been very happy with the scheme. As outlined before if we are to proceed then the Parish need to liaise with Highways over a number of issues like:
1. Survey the current traffic speeds (they will loan/hire us the necessary equipment)
2. Consult with residents about our plans and gain their support (public meeting)
3. Inform Police, Highways, Press.
4. Introduce the features of the campaign - posters, signage, flyers, etc.
5. Re-survey the traffic speeds to confirm effectiveness of campaign.
6. Feedback to residents (via newsletter?)
This scheme will not be possible on some roads but it could reduce some traffic speeds - as noted in the photo caption above there was a head-on crash outside my window yesterday in Bread St - no one hurt but cars are traveling too fast - any measure like this scheme can surely only help? Yet more signs goes against the principles of Shared Spaces - but perhaps this is a step on the road to Shared Spaces which requires more dosh and work before it can be implemented....

SDC temporary flashing speed sign: - no further news - apparently still awaiting delivery of sign. This has been going on a very long time.

Photo: "Gateway" or entrance to the village needs improving!

Implementing a Shared Space approach to traffic: we need to create a picture of what is possible that will contribute to traffic calming. The next step seems to be that we get a designer involved. This could be useful for key sites like Whiteshill Village Green and along Main Road plus possible suggestions re Gateways. Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council already have considered this approach which was put on hold due to a Highways question - however we could now proceed. The Highways Officer would like to be involved with the scheme but at this stage they have no money. However there is a budget re access and the busy Main Road clearly restricts access from one part of the village to the other - this may release some funds? In discussion re Village Green it was noted that grass areas were often v difficult and costly to maintain: other types of surfaces could work better?

Photo: Buses passing at entrance to Whiteshill Village: lethal for pedestrians

Middle of the road white line: The Highways Officer will check with Safety team whether removal of white lines would be a problem: she will also look at whether (if appropriate) they can be removed from the repainting schedule - they must be due soon as they are in a bad state of repair. To burn them off is costly and not always v satisfactory but may still be worthwhile. In Wiltshire average speeds were cut by 5% where lines were removed: the removal also tends to make drivers more alert and looking out for potential risks thus reducing likelihood of accidents. In this case the Highways Safety team would need to look at the matter.

Dropped kerbs in Whiteshill: Highways will look at why consultation with Parish wasn't better on this. These dropped kerbs appeared the day after the Parish received the plans.

Sandpits Lane Westrip/Standish Lane: this is being used by increasingly more cars as a short cut to and from the newly improved M5 junction at Standish - plus coupled with heavy more local usage as a shorter back route to Moreton Hill Care Home. This is a "highways" issue not a "rights of way" issue as Cllr Richard Huxford recently discovered. Katie has not yet seen paperwork sent by Randwick Parish Council. There are issues of speed of the traffic in a very narrow single track and safety concerning the many footpaths and bridleways crossing this Lane (including the Cotswold Way). Although there are "No Through Road" signs at each end and that the surface of the road is very poor in places the traffic is now becoming increasingly dangerous to residents and others.

The Parish have already asked the Care Home to bring to the attention of its employees and visitors the dangers of excessive speeding. The Parish are now "seeking clarification over suggestions such as more prominent and compelling signage, the possible use of 'sleeping policemen', the restoration of the two gates on the original gated and untarmaced section of the road." They have also contacted the police over the issues of speeding and its use as a short cut by drunken drivers and others possibly engaged in criminal activities during the hours of darkness. Residents understandably would not welcome any improvements to the lane that would encourage further vehicle use - only in reducing the increasing problems they are currently experiencing.

Highways will look into this issue: one way forward maybe to look at how the "No Through" can be best restored, possibly by means other than signage.

'Russia is not a democracy'

These were the words of Peter Tatchell after his recent beating and arrest at Moscow Gay Pride. I would urge people to sign this petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/RusLBGT/petition.html

Photo: View across to Whiteshill from near top of Ash Lane

The Green Party have also issued statements condemning the Moscow Police for arresting peaceful gay and lesbian rights activists - and standing by while those activists were attacked by extremist thugs, at a protest on Sunday to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Russia. The arrests and assaults took place in front of and opposite Moscow City Hall. Here is some more info below from the Green party press release - see also Derek Wall's blog for more info.

Activists, including European lawmakers, senior foreign human rights officials and celebrities, attempted to submit a letter, signed by around 50 MEPs, protesting against Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s renewed ban of the Moscow Gay Pride Parade. Veteran human rights campaigner and Green Party member Peter Tatchell was amongst those beaten by gangs of neo-Nazis, nationalist extremists and Russian Orthodox fundamentalists, with the apparent collusion of sections of the Moscow police and the Russian OMON riot squad.

Peter Tatchell had traveled to Moscow at the request of the Moscow Gay Pride organizers to support the event and the campaign for gay rights in Russia. He was the keynote speaker at the opening session of the Moscow Gay Pride conference on Saturday morning, 26 May 2007 at the Swissotel. The first people arrested were Mr. Alekseev, the organizer of Moscow Pride and German Green Party Member of Parliament Volker Beck. They were seized as they attempted to deliver a letter to Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, at City Hall.

Soon afterwards, Peter Tatchell unfurled a placard reading, "Gay Rights," written in both Russian and English. He was set upon and repeatedly bashed by right-wing extremists. Moscow riot police, the OMON, stood by while neo-Nazis punched Mr. Tatchell in the face, dragged him to the ground, and kicked him all over his body. Clutching a bloody eye, he was arrested by the riot police.

Speaking after the attacks he said: "They arrested me, but let my attackers walk free. There is no rule of law in Moscow. The right to protest does not exist. This is not a democracy. Today's protest was about much more than gay rights. We were defending the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest for all Russians, gay and straight. The ban on Moscow Gay Pride is one aspect of a much wider attack on civil society and human rights. It is evidence of a failed transition from communism to democracy and of a rising trend towards autocracy and authoritarianism."

Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall condemned the attacks: "This type of police action simply confirms that human rights are not respected in President Putin’s Russia. Russia, as a member of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, has a responsibility to allow its citizens the right to peaceful protest. European democracies must do everything they can to ensure that Russia does not shirk that responsibility. In this case, EU countries should impose a travel ban on Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, just as they did on Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko because of his appalling human right record. The EU is a force for anti-discrimination, and Green MEPs have been at the forefront of promoting new policies to ensure equal employment and partnership rights across the EU. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population deserves political allies who will work with us to benefit our community. The Green Party will keep on campaigning for a Europe that we can be proud of, where the LGBT community is treated as an essential and valued part of the our rich and diverse culture."

Following the violence against demonstrators in Moscow, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was amongst those who wrote to Moscow Mayor Luzhkov. He said:

Dear Mayor Luzhkov, I am writing to convey my deep concern at the reported physical violence against, and arrest of, Peter Tatchell, a Parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Britain, and other supporters of lesbian and gay rights, during their participation in an event in Moscow seeking to present a petition to you to lift a ban on the Gay Pride parade in Moscow. I have known Peter Tatchell for many years and know him to be a person committed exclusively to peaceful political activity. I would urge you to use your good offices to seek the lifting of all charges against Mr Tatchell and his fellow demonstrators. I would also urge you to resolve the root cause of this protest by lifting the ban on the Gay Pride parade in Moscow in line with the practice of most cities throughout the world. Yours sincerely, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London

Protest Song listed by University

The Centre for Political Song at the Glasgow Caledonian University exists to promote and foster an awareness of all forms of political song. At our recent Safe Water Campaign AGM we were treated to a protest song about water fluoridation - I sent this off to the Centre for Political Song and heard this morning that it has been accepted.

Photo: Rob and Jehanne Mehta performing the song

See our song here - words by Bernard Seward and music by Rob Mehta. The Centre are looking for more songs so if any blog readers out there know of any do think about contacting them. Here is their email to me:

"Many thanks for the e-mail, and for sending in the song, which we will certainly include on the website. If you have any other songs from your campaign, either now or in the future, please send them in. We at the Centre for Political Song are particularly interested in gathering in material from local campaigns such as yours. It seems that whenever an action group is formed people start to write songs to rally, sustain, promote, educate, and otherwise benefit their campaign; often these rather ephemeral songs are lost once the campaign is over. Please note that we are very short staffed at the moment, so it may be a couple of weeks before we can get the song up on the site."

Update on Stratford Road Tescos bus shelter

See my blogs for 19th Sept 2006 when a comment left on my blog led me to pursue this matter - also a blog item on 11th January 2007 with more info.

I have taken a number of photos like the one here of people queuing - many is the time people have waited in the rain. It does seem astonishing that Tesco have not sought to provide a shelter as a matter of urgency.

The good news is that the Town Council have also just rewritten to Tesco putting forward the idea of Tesco purchasing a bus shelter and I hear that a proposal is on the table at the moment. Tesco are planning a refurbishment in the Autumn and the manager notes that the cost of the shelter may be included in that - so there is hope - just! The Town Council will be chasing it in June and I have just written another email.

Debate: does the media enslave or liberate us?

This was the topic of Friday's Coffee House Discussion - Does the 'free' press exist? Can public sector broadcasting be trusted? Who controls what we read, hear and watch? Is the internet/www different? How best to use the media to create a fair and sustainable world?

Photo: Andy Reed, Prof Epstein and Richard Tierney

Stroud Town councillor and freelance journalist Andy Read chaired the discussion with Cheltenham-based Richard Tierney, Managing Director of the Gloucestershire Media Group and Debbie Epstein, a Professor of Social Studies at Cardiff University who lives in Wotton.

Richard Tierney posed questions about deregulation of the media and the possible opportunities of new independent media, while Professor Epstein, who has written papers on chat shows like Oprah and the Jerry Springer Show looked at the influence of the media in our lives.

In a day when the Gazette actually phoned for a comment re the Severn barrage and Greens had several quotes/letters in the papers this last week I should perhaps not be complaining (see list below of this weeks coverage) - but it is still the exception - too often Greens are never asked for comments and on the rare occasions it is usually recycling. This is especially noticeable during election time in some papers where the three main parties all get a quote but Greens don't - things are improving but we have to work much harder than the others - and don't have the luxury of loads of paid press officers - indeed even the Green party's national press officer is a voluntary post.

Those attending the Coffee House debated how far our public sector broadcasting can be trusted, how independent it really is and how far the internet can broaden or narrow our news. Can we really expect climate change to be reported by newspapers that rely on holiday and car adverts to survive? Or the news reporting to be fair when papers are owned by powerful individuals or corporations not even based in this country.

Also since all three main political parties now have virtually identical policies the quality of debate has also diminished. All this can lead to even less interest in the political process. What are the alternatives to mainstream media? How can we trust these? The evening ended up posing many more questions than answers......

This week included brief quotes from the following news releases:

- Oldbury restart
- nukes back on agenda (only second time Greens made national news page of Citizen)
- letter today to Standard re election
- Blairs decade of rising emissions
- John Marjoram hit both SNJ and Citizen with his No to Plastic Bags and election as Mayor

Mind you they didn't cover B52 two and other letters - see Glos Green party website for more details and if you want a monthly summary of Glos Green party news get GNN - see more and join here.

Latest issue of the monthly Glos Green party news 'GNN' out yesterday here.

Green councillors meeting and the Climate Change Bill

This morning Green District councillors came together to develop our aims for the next year: what should be priorities?

Photo: John Marjoram had done us proud with a selection of croissants from Star Anise

Some excellent plans were mooted and research started to see how feasible the ideas will be - plus of course there was a hundred and one other items like.....follow-up on the Environment Strategy, planning regulations, the canal, Sustainability Appraisals, working with the Town Council, working better with other parties and more - most of this will be circulated to Party members for comment or discussion.

I've also had a response now from the Council re their submission re the Climate Change Bill - my comments are here - now need to see if they have been taken on board for their comments - most of the key points seem to have been made - but need to look more specifically at all the details.

The main point where there is disagreement I suspect will be surrounding targets - official Green party policy now calls for annual C02 reductions of "at least 9%" (Note our online policy documents - MFSS hasn't yet been updated with the results of the last conference).

Stroud District Council adopted the national Friends of the Earth target of 3% per annum - and deserve credit for being one of the first Councils to do so.

However FOE acknowledge that their original suggestion of a 3% annual target is now insufficient - they've commissioned a report from the Tyndall Centre which shows 9% is more valid - it seems they're being carried along by the momentum of the original campaign and find it difficult to change the goalposts. It is clear a similar situation might arise here in Stroud but consider the proposed Independent Climate Change Panel for Stroud District will hopefully be able to consider that when they first meet. Will give this more thought before responding.

Better news on biofuels

My blog of 9th May 2007 raised very serious concerns about biofuels - those concerns remain but there is a small light in the EU - they are looking at biofuel rules in terms of sustainability.

The European Commission plans new measures to ensure increased use of biofuels reduces greenhouse gas emissions - in some cases it is leading to massive increases in emissions. Paul Hodson, a Commission official involved in turning those targets into law, said: "We want to define a minimum sustainability standard. We want to say if you don't meet the standards, you're not eligible for state aid and it doesn't count for the biofuel requirements."

He listed three criteria that would likely be included in the legislation when determining whether biofuels were "sustainable". First, they must have a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings compared with fossil fuels, from production to actual use. Second, land used to produce biofuels must not be areas such as wetlands that would have normally stored carbon in a natural way if it were not being used to grow crops. Draining a swamp, for example, to create land to grow biofuel crops would be discouraged. Third, the land used should not be home to a variety of plants or animals, what Hodson called a "high biodiversity quota", which would be displaced or destroyed in order to make room for crop growing.

The legislation will also seek to promote "second generation" biofuels such as wood and straw by giving them more weight when determining whether the EU targets have been met. The legislative proposal is due in November. I can see many gaps in this but it is a step forward.

Action cannot come too soon - it has been reported that Indonesia’s biofuel plan, for example, will increase palm oil production 43-fold, threatening the continued existence of the country’s remaining forests and peatland and emitting some 50 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere – equivalent to six year’s worth of emissions caused globally by the burning of fossil fuels.

PS Was sent this cartoon re biofuels - see here.

Parish Annual meeting: Snow wardens report is highlight!

Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Annual meeting at the Village Hall 24th May 2007 at 7.30pm to 11.00pm - it is a pity there were only 30 something people as the evening was very interesting indeed - see agenda below with some quick comments - the Parish will soon have their minutes on their website...and when I say the Snow Warden was the highlight that was not tongue-in-cheek - infact pretty well all the presentations were v interesting.

Photo: Bella and Gerri (our Snow Warden) showing photos of February's snow

Agenda

Chairman’s Report - John Rogers gave us a taste of Parish work over the last year - the changes to the Clerk, accounts and more.
Playing Field – Rebecca Charley - an update on play ground equipment replacement since the accident (see blog on 19th April 2006), news that only one of 25 trees in the new orchard has died - plans are afoot for a board to identify which each tree is.
Ruscombe Valley Action Group – Rebecca Charley - an appeal to keep vigilant and join the group - our next meeting is in Village Hall on 4th June (see my blog for 9th June 2006 for background info).
Report from our County Councillor - Cllr Len Tomlins shared news of his meeting today at County to discuss waste in the County.
Report from our District Councillor - that was me! I gave a summary of some of the local and wider issues I've been involved with since being elected last May - some of the successes and frustrations - the various key committees, consultations and more.
Address by Robert Kempner – Head teacher Whiteshill Primary School - this was an inspiring talk about the successes of our local school - health and arts awards, the setting up of a Forest School to start after half term (see my blog on 14th July 2006 for further info), next years plans to concentrate on green issues, 'Walk to School' week (this week!), planned international links with Crete and Poland, a Breakfast Club starting 8.00am and links with Callowell for after school - and news at last of the temporary buildings going - sadly they are only to be replaced with more temporary buildings but at least these wont let in rain and snow.
Address by Pam Thorne – Village Agent - see more on my blog for 25th October for info re this role - other blog items tell of her various activities to engage older people - like 3rd May re Tai Chi classes locally - her latest project is to look more at energy efficiency.
Churches report - we heard about threat to possible loss of up to three Churches in the region due to underuse - also about a tightening f regulations re burial - only a headstone - some graves had breached guidelines and had small gardens - this had made maintenance v difficult and reduced use - 14 deaths last year but already 30 funerals since Christmas.
Address by Councillor Philip Booth – Ruscombe Brook Action Group - I was able to show a number of photos and more and tell of progress - see my blog for 5th January for summary of last 2 years - latest news is we are starting work on assessment on what is needed,
Report from our Snow Warden – Gerri Kimber - this for me was the highlight with Gerri and her daughter Bella talking about our two days of snow in February with photos - plus the suggested emergency pack for dealing with snow which was apparently sent by the District Council - she took us through the contents which included a windup kit for a mobile, an analogue phone with 2 screws to attach it to a wall, a hand warmer and more!! Gerri had us all smiling and chuckling but also raised the point that the 3foot high snowman her daughter built was the largest she had been able to in the last 10 years - this compared unfavourably with her childhood where there was much more snow....
Parish Newsletter – Dilys Warren - the second edition has gone out and an appeal was made for comments and suggestions.
Address by Councillor Sarah Lunnon – Shared Spaces - Sarah gave an excellent summary of Shared Spaces - with photos of successful examples elsewhere and of Whiteshill and possible ways forward.
Improvements to the Village Green, Traffic Management, Village Gateways and planting of verges - Chair John Rogers - update on various factors.
Bus Shelters - do we want them in Ruscombe or Whiteshill anywhere? 2 or 3 comments were in favour.
Open Forum - discussion and questions about ways forward re traffic and more.

All this was followed with nibbles, cheese and wine and much talk - great to meet some more people locally - this is a good community to live in!! Do use the search facility to find out more about all these items - or call me on 01453 755451

Transition Drinks - every town needs them!

Transition Drinks (born out of Transition Stroud) yesterday evening at Nine Bar in Stroud - the bar had especially got in local Stroud brewery beer at our request - and very tasty indeed - read more re evening here.

The whole idea about the drinks is to be like 'Green Drinks' elsewhere - a more informal chance to meet people and talk - too little time at meetings - and great to meet some new faces - indeed anyone can come along and there must have been 30 or so through the evening.

I've also just confirmed the next dates with Nine Bar: Wednesdays' 27th June and 25th July at 7.30 in Nine Bar, 9 John Street, Stroud.

Synod to be asked to go carbon neutral on Vicarages?

Today I gave a presentation with some personal views and thoughts on climate change to clergy and others from the Diocese Environmental and Justice forum at Saint Aldate's Vicarage, Finlay Road, Gloucester (see photos with appropriate words above the altar).

I was invited after making some suggestions re the Churchs' Environment policy (see earlier blogs by clicking the 'Diocese' Label below) and challenging the Diocese re the lack of energy efficiency of their new housing developments - particularly the Vicarage in Cashes Green (again click on 'Diocese' for previous blogs). To me this was a great opportunity to make new links with others concerned about our future and also see if we can support the Church to become more of a leader in this issue.

Here are some of my notes below from the talk which followed on from a talk by Jonathan Whittaker from Traffic Lights for Peace - he gave more info on this project and an intro re the need to act and also talked about the local Save Our Planet Day on 7th July

Introductory points:
- Awareness growing re climate change but 10 years of rising emissions, £30 bn road building and doubling of airport capacity indicate little sense of urgency
- FoE Scotland note none of 3 main parties have policies to tackle climate change
- IPCC note 8 years or less to act
- 60% cut by 2050 planned but some scientists now saying need that by as early as 2020
- Greens have been seen as being too much doom and gloom and have failed to get across message that a greener lifestyle is in many ways better - greater employment, healthier local food, stronger communities, warmer homes from better insulation and a future where, instead of hours in traffic jams, we have clean, safe, reliable public transport. A future self-sufficient in energy: a safer world where foreign policy isn't about securing fossil fuels in unstable parts of the world.
- it is a serious challenge to get across urgency but at the same time bearing in mind the need to be positive to engage and empower people.

Cashes Green, Vicarage:
- the Diocese has with developers pulled down the Vicarage and plans 6 houses (including a new Vicarage) in it's place.
- two key issues;
(i) Loss of building liked by community: not a 'listed' building but few buildings of any distinction in that area and many memories of gardens being used for community events. Parish and community objected strongly to plans and seeming lack of willingness to consider alternative plans.
(ii) Pulling down building is not usually environmentally friendly and the replacement homes are not much above current minimum standards.
- reasons for energy efficiency standards given rather than carbon neutral include need to meet 'best value' practice, Church commissioners requirements and no requirement by Stroud District Council to meet higher standards.
- development is clearly not 'best value': we will be embarrassed by the standards of homes built now. Scandinavia much better and other parts of country.
- oil is running out - we need to build houses for at least the next 50 years not houses that are not even fit for the next 20.
- International author Richard Heinberg is in Stroud on Weds 30th May at Subscription rooms for a talk re Peak Oil
- Climate change - those energy leaky homes are contributing to climate change: the average Somali is about 100 times more likely to die from events caused by climate change than the average American, despite emitting roughly 16,000 times less carbon.

Churchs' role:
- Church could be leader
- Dr Rowan Williams (April edition of The Ecologist) calls for Church to take responsibility for Climate Change. Archbishop Rowan Williams: ‘For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian.’
- need for spiritual dimension to development process
- Shrinking the Footprint is excellent start
- 'We're in this together' campaign involving Church, Tony Blair and 8 corporations could divert attention away from what is really needed. The suggested actions are small but important but washing clothes at 30 degrees (one of the key pledges) is only a v small part of the answer. See their website and my previous blog comment by clicking on 'Diocese' below).

Discussion points:
- need annual CO2 target reductions to increase urgency and actions. Friends of the Earth has for example called for the Government to set an annual target of 3% reduction in CO2 emissions.
- Church to work towards carbon neutral. Many Councils and corporations are developing strategies to become Carbon neutral. Milton Keynes has a carbon neutrality on all new developments exceeding five homes.
- Engage with exciting new local grassroot projects to tackle climate change and Peak Oil - like Transition Towns - new group in Stroud
- New developments such as Vicarages by the Diocese to be carbon neutral and improvements to existing vicarages in terms of insulation/energy efficiencies. A couple of those present will be putting a question to Synod in June around this issue.

Other related news:

Sat 23rd June - Gloucester Climate Change March organised by Christian Aid - meet North Warehouse Gloucester Docks at 11am - march ends at Cathedral Green for picnic.

Weds 12th Sept and Thurs 13th Sept - Cut the Carbon march from Chepstow to Chipping Sodbury with events on route incl breakfast at Lynch Knoll - Christian Aid organising

Sat 15th Sept - West Regional event re Climate cHange in Bristol

Tues 2nd Oct - Climate March in London - coaches from Glos

B52 Two 'Not Guilty' - justified in actions to prevent Iraq war

The result has just come in a wee while ago for the B52 Two - get your news here before the papers and radio get it! Congratulations to all involved in the Court case - these two were real heroes. This Court decision shows that both Philip Pritchard and Toby Olditch, the two Oxford peace activists, were entirely justified in their brave actions to try and prevent an unprovoked war. Read my hurried press release here.

Correspondence continues on C&C and SP

I have again written again to the Government re Contraction and Convergence and Simultaneous Policy - See my blog item 10th May for the Government's most response to my original email and 20th April for more background.

It is perhaps encouraging that the Government are beginning to show a rudimentary grasp of C&C - they even see "certain aspects as ...appealing" - however they do not yet seem to have grasped Simultaneous Policy or at least they didn't answer my question on it. Here is my email sent today:

I welcome your comments that Contraction and Convergence (C&C) has appealing aspects however I do not consider that you have answered my specific question relating to Simultaneous Policy (SP). To me this is key to the whole process.

There is no shortage of sensible solutions to our global problems, but we lack an effective means to cooperatively implement them everywhere, simultaneously. It is clear that individual nations cannot tackle the challenge of global problems alone or even in limited alliances or unions. Other nations, alliances or unions would still be free to ignore or exploit problems like climate change to gain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. SP allows us to commit our nations to implement global solutions simultaneously. With SP, no nation, alliance, or corporation need go it alone; no one loses out, and everyone wins. To use this in conjunction with C&C seems a win-win situation and in line with all that the Government is saying about seeking a fair system.

You note that it would be premature to commit to a particular framework so what stage would the Government be prepared to join a Simultaneous Policy for Contraction and Convergence process if it were to be initiated by some other country?

As a final point I note that the Brazilian proposal would seem to be the only tabled alternative to C&C - but in that it would probably mean a 99% cut in UK emissions, while C&C would only mean a 90% cut or so. I do not understand why the Brazilian idea is appealing? C&C is a fair way that has gathered much international support.

I look forward to hearing from you again. All the best - Philip

John Bunzl from Simultaneous Policy emailed me to thank me for the first letter to Defra - he notes there are now 23 UK MPs officially signed up to the Pledge to implement Simpol alongside other governments. Let us hope we will break into the media's consciousness in the run-up to the next general election and that this will give added impetus to both C&C and Simpol.

Meanwhile Aubrey Meyer, the originator of C&C noted in an email to me "nothing worthwhile in life comes easy" - indeed - he also shared the news that he had just given evidence to ICE [Civil Engineers] and their six inquisitors included Elliott Morley. Things are moving forward....but where is the urgency.... James Lovelock had a grim piece earlier this month in the Sunday Times.

Free market capitalism leading to rising mental illness

Medialens - 'correcting the distorted vision of the corporate media' - is a great organisation which frequently has refreshing takes on world news - if you don't get their 'Cogitations' then I would strongly urge you do - the recent one on Mind Training had much of interest about how difficult it can be to appreciate the extent to which conditioning prompts us to ignore or reject versions of happiness.

Photo: Whiteshill view

David Edwards of Medialens writes:

Psychologist Oliver James provides an interesting example of this phenomenon in his book, Affluenza. James describes an account of his interview with Liz, a thirty-two year old full-time mother of a six-month old daughter. He asked Liz how she would feel if she took six years off work to look after her daughter and have a second child. Liz responded: “I think I would go mad if I stayed at home for that time because I would be giving my child everything of myself, and I wouldn’t be doing something for ‘me’: work, something pleasurable and fulfilling, subject to my child being happy. So when she’s eighteen months I will go back to work because that’s when my maternity leave runs out. But things could change. The last month has been extraordinary, seriously one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. I wake up in the morning and think, ‘I’m going to spend the day with her’ - and it’s gorgeous.’”

James asked: “So why would meeting the needs of a corporation be doing something ‘for me’, but it’s not if you’re looking after your daughter meeting her needs?”

Liz agreed that this was remarkable and struggled to find an answer: “Well, meeting her needs is much more important to me than anything else. Actually, that’s really extraordinary, why is it that paid work is more ‘for me’?... It shouldn’t feel like this, but I feel handicapped if I’m not earning. I’ve been earning for years now, never had to think once, ‘Can I buy this?’, just bought it. Now we’re on one income I can’t just make that decision.”

James commented on this exchange: “I found it fascinating that, when pressed, earning money in order to be able to consume what she wanted was something ‘for me’... Here is a woman who adores being with her daughter and meeting her needs, yet so profoundly has she confused wants with needs that she seriously feels that being able to buy the latest shoes is more ‘for me’ than meeting her daughter’s needs.”

James noted that in cultures where the maternal role is viewed positively, doing things for the baby is doing “something for ‘me’”. Liz has been persuaded by our society to identify self-centred consumption with personal happiness, but not the joy of loving and caring for her child. The impact of social conditioning is such that we are often unable to perceive, or stand up for, our best interests. Instead, we wrongly assume that we have freely chosen what in fact serves someone else‘s interests. Moreover, when we have invested much of our lives in achieving happiness in a particular way, we will find it a real challenge to contradict this strategy. To do so can feel like a betrayal of everything we’ve invested in and fought for in the past. A hundred habits may be urging us to continue as we are.

Oliver James' book looks more at what he calls the Affluenza virus - a set of values which increase our vulnerability to psychological distress: placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous. As he notes many studies have shown that infection with the virus increases your susceptibility to the commonest mental illnesses: depression, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorder.

While not new ideas the book is still refreshing - and worth a read - see here an article Oliver James wrote showing how selfish capitalism is responsible for greater prevalence of mental illness among English-speaking nations - a huge missed opportunity by Blair to set us on a different course - as James writes: "Let's stop the pretending: Blatcherism has been an inexcusable missed opportunity to take Britain in a completely different direction (towards Denmark rather than America) and it has significantly contributed to our spiralling rate of mental illness."

We all need a 'Roadwitch' in our neighbourhood

I came across the Roadwitch website recently and liked it - some great ways to calm the traffic in our roads.

Photo: Speed Camera made from tea chest and yoghurt pots (from Roadwitch website)

As blog readers will know this has been an area of interest of mine since being commissioned to write, "Better Streets for Stroud District" some 18 months ago - since then I've explored more the concept of Shared Spaces - see my article on the Resurgence website looking more at this innovative approach and loved the ideas from David Entwicht (not witch) in his quirky radical book "Mental Speed Bumps" and "Traffic Tamers" and also urban designer Ben Hamilton-Baille.

Photo: SOX is a "community clothesline" created with the teenagers of Beech Croft Road. It hangs across the street, effectively slowing down motorists as they gawk at the sky-high collection of mismatched socks collected from the street's residents (from Roadwitch website).

This Thursday in Whiteshill Village Hall the Parish have their AGM and have a selection of speakers including local District councillor Sarah Lunnon on Shared Spaces - this is to explore more what people might think about this for our area. She has just been to Holland and Denmark looking at how they pioneered this approach - there will also be a chance to hear about other groups - none of the speakers can talk for more than 15 mins - I'll be doing a bit on the District Council and an update on the Ruscombe Brook.

Locally interest is growing in this approach to traffic - last year I went along to a street party in Lansdown (see blog 1st September) and a residents meeting in Bisley Old Road that were also looking at these ideas - the Town Council and Stonehouse Town Council are also now exploring ideas - I think Stroud Town now has £10,000 put aside for a feasability project. Maybe before long we will see a Roadwitch (see here for details) on Whiteshill Main Road or perhaps a line of socks hanging over Bread Street?

Dental survey trying to push water fluoridation

At the start of National Smile Month the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) survey is underway - we need everyone to send them a very clear message about not wanting water fluoridation. See: http://www.nationalsmileweek.org/national_dental_survey/public_survey.html

Amongst other questions the survey asks is if your water supply is fluoridated and if you would like it to be. Here in Gloucestershire we are lucky enough not to be fluoridated. Let us send a message to the BDHF that we do not want fluoridated water. Your questions about water fluoridation answered here. See local campaign blog here.

National Vegetarian Week and eating meat

The 15th annual National Vegetarian Week, begins today and it is clear that eating less meat is a much greener way of life.
Vegetarians’ meat and fish-free lifestyle reduces their impact on the environment. Almost a fifth of climate-changing greenhouse gases come from livestock production!!! Animals reared for meat are a major source of water pollution and the majority of deforestation is carried out to clear land for livestock pasture and the growing of their feed crops. See more here.

Clearly there are also many other reasons for going Vegetarian or at the very least reducing meat consumption. My brothers cafe in Bristol is a great place to see what vegetarian food can really be about - see here but locally in Stroud we also have some excellent places like Woodruffs and Star Anise.

I do still occasionally meat - I was vegetarian for some years but after getting seriously ill I found that I was better eating some but it was and still is occasional - I will not be doing so this week. Apparently the Dalai Lama was a vegetarian in the 1960s but after developing hepatitis he was ordered by his doctors to eat meat again - he has apparently since 2005 turned to a vegetarian diet again. I have to say I am not entirely sure about this health issue - I wonder if with a nutritionally good vegetarian diet then meat would not be necessary? Or do some people need to eat some meat? Certainly a diet with lots of meat is not healthy.

I understand the Buddha did not made it a compulsory rule that all his followers have to be vegetarians. However he strongly encouraged us to be vegetarians. In the Bodhisattva practice of minimising harm to all beings and benefiting them as much as possible, the practice of vegetarianism as far as possible plays an essential role. We can see this in many of the Buddha's recorded teachings. Indeed there are moves within other religions to also call for less meat eating - there is an international Christian Vegetarian Association, a UK Muslim Vegetarian/Vegan Society and more.

Certainly it is clear that our current meat-eating is wholly unsustainable. Vegetarian and Vegan diets need to become much more the norm - and factory-farmed meat is an absolute no-no. Read also Green Principal Speaker Derek Wall talking about what it means to rise to the challenge of being vegetarian on his blog today: http://another-green-world.blogspot.com/

Levellers Day

Levellers Day was on Saturday - some went from the local Woodcraft Folk group and no doubt others from Stroud - sadly despite having to travel through Burford on Saturday I was unable to stop - a pity as the programme looked good with Green MEP Caroline Lucas, music and more - the Levellers were radical idealists, and have been called early socialists - although of course they had no concept of the workings of emergent capitalism.

The Levellers had beliefs in civil rights and religious tolerance - the idea was that William the Conqueror had brought the 'Norman Yoke'. This had taken the land from the Democratic, Egalitarian society they believed had existed in Anglo-Saxon times. God had created all men and women equal, and the land should be used by all people as a right. A programme was worked out by a committee, called the "Agreement of the People". A form of shop stewardmanship grew up, with 'agitators' who represented the men in the debates with the high officers in the great Army Council. The subject was the future of a new, King-less commonwealth.

During the Civil War, Levellers fought on Parliament’s side, had at first seen Cromwell as a liberator, but then saw him as a dictator. They were prepared to fight against him for their ideals and he was determined to crush them. Over 300 of them were captured by Cromwell’s troops and locked up in Burford church. On 17 May 1649 three soldiers from this movement were led out of the church and shot as ringleaders on Oliver Cromwell’s orders in Burford churchyard, Oxfordshire.

In 1975, members of the WEA Oxford Industrial Branch went to Burford to reclaim a piece of history that seemed to be missing from the school books. They held a meeting in remembrance of the Leveller soldiers. The following year, Tony Benn came and read in the church and in each succeeding year, people have come to Burford on the Saturday nearest to 17 May, debated, held a procession, listened to music and remembered the Levellers and the importance of holding on to ideals of justice and democracy.

See more here: www.levellers.org.uk

Sign the Breastfeeding Manifesto

A local resident and one other have asked if I'd mention on this blog the Breastfeeding Manifesto - it outlines seven key objectives necessary if the UK is to initiate and sustain improvements in infant feeding practice.

Photo: Whiteshill fog last week - view of Ruscombe

As it says on their website: "Working towards these objectives will help to ensure that women, irrespective of their socio-economic or ethnic background, are empowered to breastfeed for as long as they choose and that more babies can enjoy the benefits of their mothers milk."

The Manifesto can be found at: www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk

This manifesto was launched in October 2006 supported by a Coalition of over 20 organisations including UNICEF, Save the Children, the National Childbirth Trust and The Royal College of Midwives - it has already achieved cross-party support - but, for it to have the impact at Governmental level that is necessary to ensure it is fully supported, we all need to get involved.

It is quick and easy to do. Simply sign up here: www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk