Ruscombe Green: 2012: a year of hope?

We have had a financial crisis that became a sovereign debt crisis, rioting on the streets and the largest general strike in a generation. The OECD have predicted a double dip recession, yet our Government has committed itself to continued economic austerity and public sector cuts beyond the next parliament. Inequality continues to grow - Barclays' top executive's earnings have for example increased by a stratospheric 4899.4% since 1980, whilst wages for the average worker have only seen a three fold increase.

Yet all around the world people are questioning the way the world is run. The global #Occupy movement is demanding justice for the 99%, while Harvard students walked out of their lessons to protest the narrow economics they were taught. Here in Stroud we have seen last January the massive march against the cuts and in September the march for the NHS. We have had Judicial Reviews called to try and limit the closures to libraries and challenge the privatisation of our NHS.

Opposition is growing - even the climate change talks in Durban while on many levels a failure it was also the first time the whole world signed up. Caroline Lucas has called for a new economic order - see here.

I was able to visit earlier this month #Occupy at St Pauls - these photos are from then - it was great to see people working to create a different world - a Green party colleague some months ago produced a draft of what a manifesto could look like - I like his thoughts - am sure we could all add more. See also number one film here.

One other very positive development is the movement to create a law against ecocide - if you haven't come across this do watch the YouTube below which summarises what it's all about - and you can see Polly Higgins in Stroud in March.