Climate Camp Cavorting

I visited Climate Camp today with my daughter Clementine and friend Rachel. I've not been to the previous climate camps, but since it was in London this year it seemed like the ideal opportunity.

Blackheath is a great spot for the event, and it is a brilliantly organised affair.

I heard a talk from some of the women who were at Greenham Common. It was interesting to hear their first-hand account of that infamous camp - the hardships they endured during the winter is certainly inspiring. (Hmm...I wonder how many people would go to Climate Camp if it was staged in December? Maybe I'm being too cynical...).

One of the women said (twice, in fact) that it was always particularly galling at Greenham that they would camp there year-round, and then at their monthly actions, some women (and I quote) "would turn up, fluffing their hair, and then talk on our behalf to the press even though they were just there for the day."


Ah yes, sisterhood! It's a fine thing. I can understand that it would be rather galling, but surely the point with Greenham - and indeed with Climate Camp - is to get the message out to the press. Indeed, I saw a female press photographer today selecting two attractive young women and taking their picture, knowing as she did that the press would be more likely to use such a photo.

Of course it's not great that people judge on appearances and place such a high value on aesthetics, but surely we should be pleased that the message is getting into the press, and out to the public?

I was surprised to see a lack of police presence - in great contrast to April's G20 protest, I'm pleased to say! I did see some firemen. And a man with two ferrets on leads, much to my delight.

Another highlight was being threatened by a 3 year old in the children's tent. When I asked him to share the paint he said "I am going to stab you in the eye. I am going to kill you."

"That's not very nice," I remonstrated. "It really isn't in the spirit of Climate Camp, you know..."

This held very little sway with the tiny tearaway.

Thus ended my experience of Climate Camp '09.

The Plot at Hornsey Police Station

Today, along with my fellow Stroud Green candidates Anna Bragga and Pete McAskie, I attended a ‘guerilla gardening’ event on Tottenham Lane. A neglected piece of land, supposedly one that the council should’ve been tending, is in the process of being transformed into a mini oasis of colour and scents.

We met the woman behind this excellent venture, Bethany Wells, and spent several hours with a group of volunteers. We swept up debris, dug over the soil and started planting donated plants such as geraniums. We enjoyed cakes, art, and homemade lemonade, not to mention the great community spirit!

The idea is that anyone who wants to can come along to the plot, which is next to the police station on Tottenham Lane, and do a bit of gardening whenever the fancy takes them. Bethany explained that rather than wait for the council to do something, she decided to take action and sort out the land herself. It’s a good attitude to have.

Earlier this year, together with a group of residents on my estate in Highgate, I cleared a disused garden and planted vegetables, fruit and flowers. We are now enjoying the fruit of our labour, with carrots, onions, tomatoes, beans and potatoes in abundance!

The guerrilla gardening movement is an interesting one. Since reading Richard Reynold’s excellent book ‘On Guerilla Gardening’ earlier this year, I can’t go past a disused plot, flower bed or tree pit without imagining it either blooming or providing food for local people. There are health, environmental and community benefits to this kind of action – it needs to be encouraged!

http://guerrillagardening.org/

Choose and Book - whose choice?

I've had an encounter with the NHS's 'Choose and Book' system - and I have to say I am not thus far impressed. The idea is that it gives GPs the ability to book you an appointment directly, without doing a referral.

The reality is it's a major pain with a lot of margin for error.

I saw my GP in April, when he made me an appointment for my 2 year old daughter to see a dermatologist for an ongoing skin problem. The GP used the Choose and Book System.

I was initially made an appointment at the Finchley Memorial Hospital on 18th June 2009.

This was then cancelled by the hospital and I was given the date of 6th July 2009, this time at Barnet Hospital in Hertfordshire. This was going to be very difficult to get to. When I ‘phoned the 'Choose and Book' line I was told that I couldn’t choose which hospital to attend.

I couldn’t attend this appointment because I was having an operation that day. I was then sent another letter telling me this had been cancelled and that an appointment had been made on 20th July 2009.

I did not attend this appointment, but instead ‘phoned and cancelled it because my daughter’s skin had by this time cleared up.

My experience of 'Choose and Book' does not seem to be atypical according to anecdotes I have heard from other patients. I would like to know:



1. Why did I have to wait such a long time for the initial appointment?
2. Why did I get letters both confirming and cancelling the appointments, sent on the same day? This confused me as I didn’t know which letter was accurate.
3. Why was I sent out of London to see a dermatologist? I thought the point of Choose and Book was that you could CHOOSE. Is this not the case?

I've written a letter to the Chief Exec of Haringey PCT (now called NHS Haringey!)to get some answers. If anyone else has had a problem with 'Choose and Book' please let me know.

Kitchen Cupboard Drama

This picture of devastation was taken yesterday at 1-8 Hutton Court, Victoria Road, Stroud Green. What you can see in front of me is the remains of an old council-fitted kitchen. I say this with some authority because it looks just like my old council-fitted kitchen which we replaced ourselves last year!

This is the second time I’ve come across masses of dumped builders’ waste outside a Homes for Haringey block in Stroud Green this year – I reported on this back in February. Whether the Decent Homes programme is to blame on this occasion or not is as yet unclear, but whatever is the case, it is completely unacceptable.

I’ve reported this to the council and will check up at the weekend to see whether it has been removed or, as so often is the case, yet more crud has accumulated…

Kingsnorth - Surrounded!

It’s not every day you find yourself, along with a thousand or so other people, surrounding a coal-fired power station, chanting:

“E-On!
Kingsnorth!
Is this what our planet’s worth?”

But on Saturday, after a walk through undulating wheat fields in the baking sun, this is just what I did. I was accompanied by my husband, Chris, and two year old Clementine, possibly the youngest of the Green Party’s ‘Young Greens’.

We were there to highlight the fact that new coal-fired power stations cannot be the allowed if we are to meet the Government’s aim of a reduction in Carbon emissions of 80% by 2050. Talk of ‘carbon capture’ is just that – talk – and whilst we continue to bury our heads in the sand and think coal, we neglect to invest in and to develop renewables – which could provide jobs for millions.

Kingsnorth is in many ways a litmus test – if it is allowed to go ahead, we will be giving the green light for more of the same. If cancelled, perhaps we will have the courage to leave coal behind and build really sustainable solutions.

My own belief is that there is not just one solution, but an amalgamation of many would be the answer. There are lots of questions still to answer but surely we should be investing more and more in finding those answers now, before it is too late?

It was an inspiring day, visiting the site which has already made history, after the so-called ‘Kingsnorth 6’ climbed the cooling tower there are wrote ‘Gordon’ down the side. I highly recommend Nick Broomfield’s short film on the subject, by the way – I should think it will inspire many people to become activists:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sidpgz8iGQ8

We’ll certainly be needing an army of those over the next few years!

Greens know how to party

After all the hard work that the European elections entailed, what with canvassing, leafleting, and the odd bio-battle-bus, it was time to celebrate in style. Jean Lambert, our re-elected Green MEP for London joined about 50 party members and supporters for cocktails, fine food and great music.

Yes it rained, but we sheltered under our borrowed gazebos. A great time was had by all!

Low CVP Conference Report

Today I attended the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership 6th Annual Conference at City Hall. The day kicked off with a talk by Dr. Kevin Anderson, Research Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

He told us that we often hear that an increase of 2 degrees in the earth's temperature would be just about tolerable, but that we wouldn't survive with any more than that - 4 degrees for example. In fact that isn't true. Whilst the Northern hemisphere would survive with an increase in 2 degrees, for the Southern hemisphere it would be disastrous.

Dr. Anderson said that we have known the consequences of accelerating climate change since the early 1990s. We have done almost nothing. Our lifestyles haven't changed (in fact, they've become even more wasteful in many ways).

He set out the speed at which we would now have to change our ways, including the speed at which car emissions would have to be brought down. Never mind targets for 2050 - Dr. Anderson was talking 130g CO2/km by 2010, 70g by 2020 and 35g by 2030. Plus - and this is the real sting - he said these wouldn't have to be the average for a fleet of cars, but the maximum. I thought of some of the large 4x4s currently emitting almost 400g CO2/km and felt my soul sink a little. These are tough targets.

So far, so bleak. Or perhaps realistic. There then followed lots of speakers, ranging from those from the automative industry, NGOs, SMMT, plus the new Secretary of State for Transport and Boris Johnson. Many speakers refered to Dr. Andrerson, saying he had set out too bleak a picture, that what he had said wasn't necessarily true, that we must think of the economy...I put my head in my hands and decided to build a raft for when the sea inevitably laps at my door.

I know we Greens can't be too bleak in our messaging. I know we have to sugar the pill. But let's face it, we can't bury our heads in the sand and keep quiet in case we scare people. We've got 90 months now to shout as loudly as we can: this is the problem, here are our solutions. We demand action, and reject procrastination. As Dr. Anderson concluded, we need emissions to be brought down by 6% per annum. "You might say that's impossible." he said. "If that's impossible, try living with an increase in temperature of 4 degrees."