The Green News Network is free monthly news update from the Gloucestershire Green party of key stories and news items. This 'August' edition has been delayed a few days due to other commitments.

For the full stories, blog updates and this months letters and news releases see elsewhere in this website.
....................................................................

Here is a flavour of this months news - for the full stories and background go to our website:

BY-ELECTIONS: Chris Harmer missed being elected by 47 votes in Nailsworth despite putting up one of the best Green campaigns ever. The Conservatives won the election with a well known local farmer. This is particularly disappointing as Greens have missed this seat 5 times in recent years - each time with a handful of votes but as John Marjoram said: "We will be back again and even more determined to win this seat." Meanwhile in the Cheltenham County by-election Greens came away with 5% of the vote.

STAVERTON AND HEATHROW: Cheltenham Greens have asked questions at a Scrutiny Committee meeting about the Staverton airport expansion. The quality of answers they received have shocked them - read why in news release. Read also our letter (unpublished) trying to correct the Echos disturbing editorial showing considerable misunderstandings around climate change and aviation.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAINBOW DAY - Greens were the only political party with a stall in Gloucester and Cllr Philip Booth initiated moves to get the Rainbow flag flying on all District Council offices on the day. We also sent a letter re the attack on a gay couple in Stroud and you can write in support of 18 Nigerian men charged with sodomy.

OLDBURY NUKE - the dinosaur is back online - see Green comment and on Tuesday 9th October we hope to have a talk in Stroud on nuclear power and Oldbury with two nationally known speakers.

PLANNING WHITE PAPER - this is a serious erosion of democracy, yet more centralisation of powers in Westminister and a removal of our right to consultation. It is no wonder so many important organisations like RSPB, Friends of the Earth, CPRE, the National Trust and others including the Green party are objecting to it.

PLAN TO MONITOR EVERY CHILD - from 2008 the government will be monitoring every child from birth and compiling significant amounts of personal information. Over 300,000 people will have access to the inevitably insecure system, which is intended to be up and running by next year.

"CENSUS ALERT" CAMPAIGN launched by Greens nationally and supported locally to stop a US arms company from running the 2011 census. Sign petition:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/census-alert/

GOVERNMENT FAILURE ON RENEWABLES TARGET - read our letter about Brown cutting green taxes, downgrading climate change and more.

IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: BRING TROOPS HOME - read Elinor Croxall's letter.

We have also sent out news releases and letters  on the Foot and mouth outbreak, the disappointing Home Information Packs, Greens selling secondhand books from shelves at Woodruffs cafe in Stroud and John Marjoram on Eastington Sports facilities - see also two green poems from Cheltenham Green party member.

........................................................................

PLUS THE BLOGS

Ruscombe Green: http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/
with over 1200 visitors a month it carried it's usual wealth of local and wider stories - here's a few:

 - A carbon-lite life is a happier life - research shows Britain is worse at translating its use of natural resources into long and happy lives for its people than two-thirds of its European counterparts. It also shows we are burning up more fossil fuels for less "wellbeing" than we did 40 years ago.
- Solar panels must come off Listed House
- New build on flood plains: insurance wont cover it
- Corporate manslaughter Act welcomed (but prison service delayed 3 years)
- Ban bottled water? Plus how to make a greenhouse out of plastic bottles
- Latest correspondence with Defra on C&C
- Several entries on Heathrow - the most important protest of our time
- Community orchards
- Tranquility score for Gloucestershire
- Baron Booth of Bread Streets plea for Lords Reform
- Cashes Green Fun Day: plus consultation re Ruscombe brook plans and how reed beds work
- Organic carp farming is the way to go
- Implications of A46 closure on Parishes
- National Trust warning re walking in woods in rain or heat
- Shameful redevelopment plans in Seaton (Devon)
- 1000 slugs per square metre in Gloucestershire
- Best film to understand money
- Wonders of Thistledown Environmental centre near Nailsworth
- Complaint about the Suzuki ad

Read Molly Scott Cato on 'Lies, Damned Lies, and Accounting' at http://gaianeconomics.blogspot.com/

Read Jonathon Porritt on 'NFU and vegans' at http://www.jonathonporritt.com/pages/

........................................................................

QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions. your actions become your habits, your habits become your values and your values become your destiny."
Ghandi

"For the developed countries to take measures to combat climate change is lifestyle-threatening. But for my people, climate change is life-threatening"
Sabihuddin Ahmed, High Commissioner for Bangladesh to the UK

"The categorical imperative of the mass industrial media has nothing to do with freedom; it is that you must submit to its power."
Theodor Adorno, 1903-69

"Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. And there are ways in which we can consciously work to develop feelings of love and kindness. For some of us, the most effective way to do so is through religious practice. For others it may be non-religious practices. What is important is that we each make a sincere effort to take seriously our responsibility for each other and for the natural environment."
The Dalai Lama

........................................................................

DON'T FORGET:

Friday 28th September: Is Capitalism Sustainable? Coffee House Discussion - Open to anyone - 7.30 to 9.30pm at Star Anise Arts Cafe at the Painswick Inn, Gloucester Street, Stroud. Details of the coffee house discussions at:
http://www.glosgreenparty.org.uk/coffeehouse

Plus Ragged Hedge Fair and Hawkwood Festival this weekend near Cirencester - read Ruscombe Green blog for info.

Details of other Gloucestershire Green party meetings can be got from John Marjoram on 01453 751189.

This Green news service first established on 13th November 2001. To subscribe or unsubscribe to GNN visit the Gloucestershire Green party website and to contribute to this news service contact the editor Philip Booth on  press@glosgreenparty.org.uk