Election 2014: the untold stories:

Our wonderful lead candidate did not win but The Green Party of England and Wales has beaten the Liberal Democrats into fourth place in the European elections for the first time. In pre-election polls, as we past them in popularity, you would have thought this would be massively news-worthy. Mainstream media, including the BBC implicitly undermined The Green Party through omission. Greens have been referred to anonymously as one of the “other” parties (where they have not been completely ignored) in the lead up to elections and in much reporting of results. This is undemocratic and offensively undermining, not only of the party, but of many of the voices of Britain and the democratic system itself. (The Guardian is the main exception to this criticism). The Greens were polling higher than we have for 25yrs. That shift was reported by most, not as a Green Party achievement, but as a failure of everyone else.  These polls were reflected in results.  We are now the official opposition in Liverpool, Norwich and Solihull. Brighton and Hove Council remain Green. We have Green voices in Labour councils of Islington and Lewisham. In the South West, where I grew up, there is celebration over another Green MEP being added to the indomitable two we already have.

The story in the news is the success of UKIP, but just as the success of The Greens has been underplayed, the success of UKIP is overplayed.  A deeply worrying movement in public thinking but 90% of the electorate did not vote for them. Many did not vote at all and that, more than anything, helped them win the seats they did. The Greens didn’t win as many new seats as UKIP, but we did not field as many candidates. Nor have any of our candidates been suspended for extreme raciest, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and ablest comments as a growing number of UKIP candidates recently have. We are not funded by large corporations as UKIP is. 99% of the party is run by volunteers and we have less funds than other parties to paper the world with flyers so we focus on target wards. The more members and support we gain the more we are able to build on this; to field more candidates so that everyone who wants to can vote Green. If recent polls and social media trends are read correctly, a growing wave of people are voting Green and even more want to.  In the north of the UK UKIP support thins out. In Manchester Greens came second in terms of the popular vote, with 21%. Yet parties with less of the popular vote gained seats and they did not. This is a strange aspect of our system meaning we have to fight even harder than mainstream, better funded parties to succeed. Yet we are truly in the game now, a rising voice of hope working against the rising voice of hate. It has never been more important to stand together.

Much damage may have been done by Russell Brand’s call to not vote. Many with preference to Green policies and disillusioned by mainsteam parties have not voted. However, on social media and in person I have heard many others say they voted Green for the first time. Many say it is the first time they ever voted. Others say it is the first time they voted for what they truly wanted. With the general elections only a year away this can only be the beginning of the surge. Hope has tenacity and strength and we have much to strive for and protect for the common good. We must strive against voter apathy, scapegoating and hopelessness and tell the world about our policies.

So what can we do now? Complaining to the BBC for its biased reporting of the elections is one thing we would very much suggest. Please see the petition against BBC news media blackout of The Green Party. What we can all also do is tell another story. There are parts of the country where Greens got a large percentage of the popular vote. There are parts of the country where we became official opposition. We held seats and gained seats, both in councils and the European Parliament. We did this in spite of media bias lumping us together in the category of ‘other parties’. We saw surges in the polls and on social media in spite of a mainstream media determined not to report positive stories. A party run by volunteers with policies so many want but fear they cannot have became a rising voice in this election.

My story, as social media bod for the East Midlands, is the over 24hrs in which #VoteGreen2014 was showing as one of four most popular hashtags on Twitter. At one point it appeared the second most popular hashtag. The other party people were talking about voting for was, unfortunately, UKIP. Occasionally Labour was also one of the popular discussion points. This means everyone seemed to be talking about voting either UKIP or Green. On Facebook, I saw people who once would have dismissed us sharing Green Party flyers and talking about our policies. I remember saying to my husband as he waved tea in front of my face while I continued my role in the growing team keeping Green seen, that this was democracy awakening. More people were not just voting for the usual suspects. Those voting in fear included those fearful of economic and job uncertainty. It is our combined job now to continue to convince people that Green Party is the party fighting austerity and for job creation and bank reform; measures that will protect them. We have to fight the wave of hatred and the excuses for bigotry. Humanity has been here before. The ugly fact is that hatred has won seats and the map has new shadows across it. The good news is that Greens are in a stronger position to strive for the common good.  We need all hands on deck to build on this.

Find the Petition against BBC Blackout of Green Party in the Elections at:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bbc-news-stop-this-media-blackout-of-the-green-party?bucket&source=facebook-share-button&time=1400968778

Antonia Zenkevitch, MA Human Security

Euro elections – hope not fear

First of all I want to thank all the people who voted Green; and all the Green candidates and members who have been working tirelessly in this campaign.
After returning from our short stay at Kettering for the count yesterday, I have recovered from my disappointment. I knew that our chances of getting a seat were slim, but I had hoped for a higher percentage. I also have been concerned about now having two UKIP and two Conservative and one Labour MEPs in the East Midlands; this far right move has also been shown throughout Europe and is seriously threatening our Green, peaceful, equal and fair agenda. Banking reform, challenging corporate power, protecting workers’ rights, improving animal welfare, fighting climate change, investing in renewables and addressing equality in Europe is not supported by the right wing parties. That does worry me.
However, after reflections, I think we have done very well – such a strong trend is almost impossible to oppose. In the UK 1,2 million people have voted Green, and this is a clear message that there are many who trust and support or aims. Voters have also clearly shown their lack of faith in the Libdems, and admittedly I was pleased that we got more votes than them. Although I would obviously have preferred Libdems gaining seats to UKIP or the Conservatives. Here in the East Midlands, we came fourth – which is a great achievement. The campaign has also gathered momentum, and it appeared that many were motivated to help, join and some to even vote for the first time. I believe we raised the East Midlands Green Party profile. Someone today reminded me of our slogan of “hope not fear”. And I thought yes, absolutely. Voters and members believe in us, they believe in the positive solutions we offer. Whatever happens from now on in Europe and in the UK, we must continue to get our message out there.
Next year, we have local and general elections, which we must focus on. We also will analyse the results and start considering a long term strategy for the Euro elections in five years.
That’s how it is, Green activists and candidates have shown that even after disappointments, we just carry on. We reflect and learn regarding election strategies, but continue to fight for our uncompromising values. Because we all believe in our solutions – these are positive and achievable.
So than you again for your support, and we are looking forward to continue to fight for a better future for the common good.

Urgent appeal for funds to fight Newark by-election

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

On the 5th June there will be a by-election in Newark. If you are one of the national Green Party members or supporters who thinks it is vital that we stand and contest Parliamentary by-elections then we need you to show your support in the next 72 hours.

East Midlands Green Party has expressed support for the idea of standing, but a final democratic decision and selection of candidate have still to be concluded. They have authorised me to make this appeal on their behalf. An absolute minimum requirement is that the campaign raises £1,500 to enable them to pay for a freepost leaflet and to cover the deposit.This will not be a paper candidate: if we stand, we stand to fight the seat. The seat will be a focus of national interest following the resignation of the previous MP, and coming just 2 weeks after the European results.

It is essential that Newark voters have the option to choose a Westminster party that opposes austerity and, since the selection of Roger Helmer UKIP’s energy spokesman, this will be an opportunity for the Green Party to challenge the UKIP position on renewable energy as well as the extreme views Mr. Helmer holds on a variety of issues including rape and homosexuality.

We are currently seeking nominations for potential candidates. I myself have already agreed to stand for nomination to be the candidate as I was born in the town and still live and work locally and feel that Newark has to be able to choose an alternative to austerity and, as a gay man and trade unionist, want to ensure people in Newark know there’s more to UKIP than the Farage grin.

Please pledge your support with whatever amount you can and send that pledge to david.kirwan@greenparty.org.uk in the next 72 hours. If enough pledges are received we will then contact you with details of how to make your donation.

As you know the Green Party do not have big business or other organisations to bankroll us so we rely on your support, please consider supporting our campaign. If you are not in a position to pledge financial support perhaps you would consider joining the campaign team to give practical support on the ground? Thank you in advance for your support and please pass this message to any individuals or groups you know that may be willing to help.

Thanks

David Kirwan
East Midlands Green Party
david.kirwan@greenparty.org.uk

FOR A GREEN AND PEOPLE’S EUROPE

Map showing Green Parties in Europe

 

An inspiring post and invitation from Peter Allen, Derbyshire Green Party. Help create a Greener Europe together.

Although the Green Party doesn’t believe that contesting elections is all that a political party should do, and spends considerable time and effort campaigning on a whole range of issues , it does believe elections are important and give people the opportunity to vote for policies which they approve of. Some elections are more important than others perhaps  and I believe next May’s European Parliament elections, not yet much talked about, are more important than most.

This may be considered to be a surprising view, particularly when it is combined with a recognition that the powers of the European Parliament are extremely limited, with real power in the EU in the hands of unelected commissioners and the leaders of the various national governments. The importance of the elections is in the message it will give to our rulers (governments, commissioners and corporations) about the popular mood in Europe, and in particular the strength of opposition and unrest that exists across the continent to  austerity programmes being carried out by national governments, with the support of unelected commissioners in Brussels, and to the failure of all of Europe’s leaders to address the growing global climate crisis.

Here in the East Midlands we hope that our excellent lead candidate Kat Boettege will be elected to the new parliament, on the basis of opposing austerity and demanding radical action to combat climate change . One of our central messages is that cuts in spending on services that people rely on (schools,hospitals, welfare benefits, care for the vulnerable) will not solve the economic crisis but will in fact make it worse (and already is). It is denying people the opportunity to work in secure employment (in which they would make a difference for the better in other people’s lives and contribute to tax revenues whilst doing so). It is condemning many to a life of poverty and even destitution.  A second message is that, with carbon emissions already at a dangerously high level Europe and the world can no longer delay taking action to transform our power generation, transportation and food production systems to drastically reduce our these emissions in the hope of avoiding global catastrophe.

We are also saying that the EU must be more democratic, with the power of lobbyists on behalf of corporations curtailed and decisions made by elected representatives rather than unelected commissioners. One issue which we will be raising is the threat to democracy posed by the proposed ( and little known) TTIP treaty which would reduce even further the controls on large corporations.

Campaigning on the basis of the above we are offering an alternative to the failed policies of the various ” grey parties”, and to the nasty politics of hate and fear as represented by UKIP. In an election under proportional representation we are hopeful of success providing we make a big effort. Why not join us in doing so ?

Banker’s Bonuses

 

As part of our month’s focus on money and debt, this powerful article is written by Peter Allen, one of our candidates from Derbyshire, East Midlands, looking at Banker’s Bonuses in the light of national and international crisis:

 

With living standards in decline, a million young people unemployed, a crisis in the NHS and social care,  and rising levels of poverty and homelessness,  whose interests  might the government be trying to defend (at public expense) in the European Court ? … why bankers of course!

 

A few years back, after the financial crash, largely  caused by irresponsible behaviour by greedy bankers trying to line their own pockets, all politicians joined in the chorus of popular anger against them. Cameron and co accused Labour (with some justification! ) of allowing bankers bonuses and pay levels to get out of hand.

 

It was a sentiment that spread across Europe ( although in truth the amount of bonuses paid out in London was far higher than elsewhere in Europe) and has led to a new regulation ( agreed by all the other governments but being legally challenged by the UK ) which caps the bonuses payable to bankers. The cap is pretty generous (100% of their huge salaries or 200% “if shareholders agree”) but is being opposed by Cameron and co who argue that “it will just mean banks increase basic salaries instead”.

 

Perhaps the UK government is actually injecting a reality check, knowing that financial institutions are highly skilled in getting round regulations? Certainly the evidence of the last few years is that, having been bailed out by European taxpayers, they intend to carry on “business as usual”, making speculative decisions in the interests of short term gain, rather than investing for the long term benefit of Europe and the world.

 

The Green Party was not against injecting public money to stabilise financial institutions after the crash of 2008. but it said then, and it says now, that the bailout should not have been unconditional, allowing banks and bankers to continue to behave as previously. Rather public money should have been used to invest in a transformation of our energy supply, transport infrastructure and housing stock, creating decent jobs and starting to seriously address the imminently devastating impact of climate change.

 

In order to ensure the above banks will have to be properly regulated. This will require agreement at international level by governments committed to real reform. The election of such governments will require the creation of popular movements for radical change, across Europe and beyond, to challenge austerity and promote greater equality. Green MP Caroline Lucas, speaking to New Internationalist magazine in advance of the launch of the People’s Assembly earlier this year, summed it up

 

” It was an international banking crisis and this is an international crisis-and although each country has very different circumstances international solidarity and working together is absolutely crucial. Capitalism is international and people’s movements need to be international as well”

Fight Fracking Threat to Local Life in Lincolnshire Wolds

A planning application to drill for oil at Biscathorpe has been made by Egdon Resources Ltd.  This company holds licenses to develop the gas-shales by fracking between Lincoln and Gainsborough, and in the North Somercotes area.

It is unlikely that many will know Biscathorpe.  It is an idyllic and unspoilt beauty spot in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, with two fords crossing the River Bain, a lost medieval village and a picturesque church.

There is much concern about the consequences of drilling for oil in this area.  The impacts could include pollution of the river, damage caused by lorry traffic, noise and lighting, upsetting the fragile local ecology, and an end to the beauty and tranquillity of the neighbourhood.

Furthermore, following the recent IPCC report that there has already been enough oil and gas discovered to result in catastrophic global warming, there is the wider concern of additional oil exploitation in Lincolnshire.

On Sunday next, 13th October, a walk to Biscathorpe is being planned by the East Lincolnshire Green Party, at which all who might be concerned about this issue are welcome to join in.  Katarina Boettge, the Green Party’s East Midlands candidate for the European Parliament, will be participating.  Walkers are invited to meet at 12 noon on the green, Neve’s Garden, in Donington-on-Bain, for a stroll along the Viking Way to Biscathorpe for a picnic.  There and back, the walk is about three miles.  Sturdy footwear is advised, particularly if wet.

More information about the campaign to oppose the Biscathorpe oil well and to keep fracking out of Lincolnshire can be found at http://transitiontownlouth.org.uk/frack.html

Contact:  Maureen Barnett (01472 840674)

Diary Dates – A Green Month Ahead

With thanks to Nick Martin from Nottingham Secretary  and Simon Hales, East Midlands Secretary we share  important dates coming up, starting this week.  Your voice and standpoints are needed:

• Bombs are not the answer: tomorrow evening (Thursday 28^th August), Nottingham Stop the War Coalition have called a local protest against UK plans to launch missile strikes against Syria, risking further inflaming the situation there (see http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2013/08/27/caroline-lucas-a-military-response-to-assad-regime-could-lead-to-greater-harm-to-civilians/ for Caroline Lucas on the current situation in Syria). Assemble 6pm at the Brian Clough Statue if you want to make your voice heard.

• Nottingham Green Festival:This Sunday 1^st September is the annual Nottingham Green Festival at the Arboretum (off Waverley Street). The event runs between 12:00 and 6:00, full of wonderful stalls and activities. Nottingham Green Party will be running a stall.

 

• Our Leader Visits: We are pleased to announce that Green party leader Natalie Bennett is visiting us on Tuesday 24th September.
  There will be an opportunity for members to hear Natalie speak in the early evening from 6pm – 7.30pm at Ashston Court Hotel, Derby. This venue is right opposite Derby Railway Station.  www.astoncourthotelderby.com/business.html

If you can’t make it you can still be involved in campaigns and actions:

• Sign our petition against fracking at: http://my.greenparty.org.uk/civicrm/petition/sign?sid=3
• Find more Green Party Campaigns materials at: https://www.facebook.com/GPEWCampaigns

Green Party says NO to Foston Factory Farm, Green Party says NO to all Factory Farms

The Green Party is opposing the planning application for the development of a mega Pig Factory Farm by Midlands Pig Producers. We also oppose any factory farm for several good reasons outlined below. This specific development would be placed in the pleasant rural village of Foston on Uttoxeter Road, South Derbyshire. The planning application involves a pig rearing unit together with anaerobic digestion facility and associated infrastructures. Midlands Pig Producer already have a factory farm in the area which holds around 5000 pigs. The Foston unit would hold 25000 pigs with 1000 pigs being slaughtered every week.

South Derbyshire DC has refused permission, the matter now lies with Derbyshire County Council who have called for more evidence on environmental impacts. If they refuse the matter will almost certainly go to appeal and be decided by the Ministry of Environment.

Foston residents have been campaigning against this massive development for some time now. The site is bordered by housing and a women’s prison, the natal unit of which is within 130 meters to the pig farm. I have spoken to some residents who have serious concerns about possible health implications, which I understand have not been fully assessed. It is unclear what Midlands Pig Producers would do in the event of an outbreak of disease for example Food and Mouth. Residents fear that the pig unit and possible neighbouring houses and the prison might have to be quarantined and movement in the village strictly limited.

Furthermore local residents understandably do not wish to live next to a big industrial unit, with its associated noise, smell and traffic movements. Although the developers claim that they will filter off 90% of the noise and smells; residents fear that the remaining noise and smells from 25,000 pigs will have a serious impact on their lives.

Another really important point is the risk of flooding. This area is prone to flooding. The actual flood-line is very close to the development; and flooding increases the risk of water contamination. The Environment Agency has objected to the plan on the basis that the risks to groundwater contamination can not be properly managed.

The development will cause a significant increase in traffic movements and noise in an area that lacks the infrastructure to properly absorb these impacts. The proposal is therefore contrary to established planning guidelines for developments in rural areas. Furthermore, the access road to and from the site is not appropriate for heavy industrial and agricultural traffic.

The Green Party promotes a sustainable approach to food production and these mega units, reliant on cheap oil and animal feed are not sustainable, which is why we oppose not only the Foston piggery but also all factory farms. We believe that the land used to grow the animal feed should be used to grow food for human consumption. Producing meat means that these animals have to be fed. Land used to grow the animal food is taken from the area used to grow human food. More intensive units means less land for human food. The calorie needs of a growing pig is about double that of a human child under 10 and 50% higher than an active adult. So the food going to this pig unit could feed 50,000 children.

I feel strongly about animal welfare, since animals are able to experience many of the same feeling as humans do. Any human with some sense of empathy can sense that animals can feel fear, pain and discomfort, they also feel stress when separated from their young. Keeping pigs or any other animals in cages for all of their lives, without natural light, without the chance to be part of their social structures – is cruel. I understand that Midlands Pig Producers claim that they will keep to the RSPCA code of welfare for farmed animals. In my opinion these standards are inadequate for these intelligent and social animals.

Another major concern is the use of antibiotics. In large factory farms animals are kept in unnatural and confined environments, the outbreak and spread of diseases is, therefore a serious risk. In order to prevent this, animals are usually kept on low doses of antibiotics. 27% of all antibiotics are used in pig farming here in the UK. Experts are increasingly warning that bacteria are getting resistant to these antibiotics, which are the same as the ones used in human medicine. We rely on antibiotics heavily; without effective antibiotics normal operations and common illness can become lethal. Risking losing the service of valuable antibiotics through overuse as in factory farms is irresponsible.

As mentioned above, the Green Party says that we have to address sustainability in food production. These factory farms use a lot of energy and have a high carbon footprint. Since we are facing a major environmental crisis, we need to reduce energy usage and carbon omission. The UN has published information that states that the meat and diary industry produces 18% of green house gases globally; however other studies imply an even higher contribution.

These factory units will further harm small and medium sized farmers. Farmers cannot compete with the low prices that these mega units can achieve at the present time. This unit would have around 18 employees working in the factory; if the pigs were traditionally farmed, far more people would be employed and earning a living from this. Do we really want our British farming to become an industrial production line? Do we really want our landscape to be filled with industrial units? Or do we want to see traditional farms with grazing animals in the fields?

Having looked at this Foston development I could not find a single reason that I thought was persuasive in its favour. Local residents, traditional farmers, the pigs, the consumers’ health, our environment all would have to pay a price so that a handful of people could get rich. That is simply not a good reason to allow mega factory farms.

Party of the Future, Party of Now

The Green Party has been in the spotlight more and more in recent months. Nationally we have seen our leader on Question Time, Big Questions and BBC radio. Caroline Lucas and Natalie Bennett have written for The Guardian. We have heard a breadth of topics discussed from economics, to fracking, privatization to flood defense, welfare and benefits to population, climate change and the living wage. Nearer to home our profile is shining too. We in Midlands are getting some very positive press.  I mention only a couple of highlights. The title of this piece is inspired by an article written in the Nottingham Post, 17th April ’13, entitled ‘Party of the Future’ in which Arnold North candidate Jim Norris was interviewed. In recent poll in which people focus on looking at policies, Green Party policies have been coming out as the public favourite. This is based on policies people want most, rather than choice based on the false perception there are only two / three political parties to choose from. As Jim Norris is quoted as saying in Nottingham Post “We are standing as an alternative to the three main parties and one which actually is thinking about the future and being sustainable. People have been receptive to what we are saying.”

We are the party facing the future. For a swelling volume of people, there is an exciting and much-needed shift towards democracy and choice which opens up possibilities. In Northampton, independent candidate Tony Clarke has joined The Green Party and now locally campaigns with us under an “INDEPENDENT GREEN’ banner, standing at the election as a Green Party candidate. Increasingly Labour representatives and activists alike have been shifting allegiance to the Green Party. Former Labour leader of Worcester City Council and Party Chairman David Barlow joined the Green Party. In his company is former Worcester Labour Party Chairman and Councillor, Peter Nielsen. On 29th April Worcester News reported  Barlow saying “The Green Party offers exactly the kind of credible, progressive policies which I have always supported and from which the Labour Party has drifted away.”

Greens are a party growing, sometimes slowly, sometimes with great energy, always with determination and rooted values. A much repeated sentiment is that the Green Party is the party with ethical action and morality at its core.  This has been said by those who were once staunch supporters of other parties. Our stance on alternatives to austerity and our at present lone political voice in the fight against climate change and destruction of environment are among other common praise. Councillor Richard Mallander and candidate Katharina Bottege have spoken publicly about HS2, Kat also recently on local radio interviewed about the plastic bag tax. We have been photographed as we joined and helped steward local protests against the horrors of the bedroom tax.  Our striving towards equality is much noted, our commitment to a fair 50% of our candidates being women for example, is not going unnoticed when it stands alongside the other parties recent 21-30% women candidates. It is our action on the ground, in communities, that gains applause too. It also raises awareness of what we, as a party rooted in our communities, could achieve with more representation and more people choosing a party with the fair policies they want most, instead of choosing what they hate least.

In that shift away from putting up with complacency former Labour Party Chairman and Councillor  Peter Nielsen is reported in Worcester News on 29th April ’13 as saying : “The Green Party has the ethical and moral dimension that has been lost in our traditional political parties, in particular the Labour Party. The Green Party sees environmental sustainability and social justice as inseparable. It is now 40 years old, and has matured into an impressive and credible political organisation that I am happy to join and in which I feel completely at home.”

So folks, voting cards at the ready, they are a ticket to the future. May 2nd is the next stop on the journey.

Further Information:

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Greens-party-future/story-18729147-detail/story.html#axzz2QiROoObE

http://tonyclarkeindependent.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/i-guess-i-am-one-big-watermelon-green.html

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10355420.Labour_leaders_shift_their_allegiance_to_the_Greens

No Laughing Matter; one response to the budget

Green Party members in East Midlands have a few things to say about the latest budget. This response comes from Derbyshire’s Mike Shipley:

Some time ago, a picture of Osborne, Cameron and Danny Alexander was dong the rounds on Facebook.  It showed the three of them sharing a joke, the caption said:

‘What are they laughing at?  They are laughing at us!’

If our situation wasn’t so serious, laughter might be the best response to the Coalitions latest budget.  Big tax breaks for mega rich companies who will hide their profits off shore and pay huge bonuses, a penny of a pint for the rest of us. Thanks Gideon, you really understand the common people!

But our situation is no laughing matter. This budget is based on a lie.  The lie being pushed at the British public is that the financial crisis was caused by excessive public spending, and therefore this spending has to be slashed and the money returned to the private sector who will invest it to create jobs and restore the economy.

The truth is that the financial crisis was caused by reckless bank lending to the private sector, it was private debt that was out of control n 2008, not public spending.  It was the banks who created the problem, then they demanded that governments bail them out with public money, threatening to go bust if that money wasn’t produced.  In this game of chicken, unfortunately it was Governments who blinked first, encouraged by conservative economists who said that the banks were too big to fail, they had to be saved, all else had to go to the wall. In order to save the banks, public spending had to be sashed to find the money and keep the markets happy.

Now that the banks have been bailed out, they aren’t returning the favour. They aren’t providing affordable finance to projects that will benefit the taxpayers who bailed them out.  Instead they are sitting on the cash and using it to justify the continued practice of paying excessive bonuses to themselves. We are rewarding them for their greed and folly with our money that should be being spent on public services that would benefit us all.

None of this will Gideon Osborne recognise.  His mission is to win the gratitude of the super rich who will bankroll his Party’s election campaigns.  He is using the so called ‘crisis’ to drive his own agenda, which is to privatise as much of public provision as possible, so adding to the wealth of his core supporters.  Oh yes, he generously chips a penny of the price of a pint and cuts the fuel duty increase, but don’t bother to drive to the pub to drink to Gideon’s health, by the time he’s finished, this government of millionaires will have made the rest of us considerably worse off.

‘Who are they laughing at?  They are laughing at us.’