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NEWS

Here is a flavour of this months news plus below some interesting events planned and what's in the blogs this month - for the full stories, reports and background go to our website:

CAMP HOPE: Gloucestershire Airport's attempt to deny that climate change exists was roundly condemned but surprisingly not picked up by local papers like last month their failure to cover Cheltenham Greens challenge of the Boroughs Scrutiny panel. Greens are supporting the planned camp at Gloucestershire's airport over the weekend 20th/21st October (details below): please put date in diary. There is also a letter about how campaigners risk being seen as hypocritical.

CLIMATE FRIENDLY FORTNIGHT: Philip Booth got a 450 word comment piece on climate change in The Citizen and at Stroud District Council Greens reluctantly supported a measure to increase renewables on new developments: reluctant as it did not go far enough.

IRAQ: a letter calling for troops home and another welcoming Rifles regiment to their new home in the Forest and hoping they will be at ease there.

HUNTS GROVE: Greens issued a joint statement with Tories and Lib Dems condemning David Drews call in of this development.

NUKES: Greens joined environmental groups by withdrawing from a consultation on whether to build new nuclear power stations, accusing the government of a "public relations stitch-up".  See below big name nuke speakers coming to Stroud on 9th Oct.

WEAVERS CROFT CLOSURE: John Marjoram and Martin Whiteside have had good coverage over the outrage of the loss of these beds and the continued moves to privatise our health service. The response from other parties to twist Martin's words indicates that perhaps an election is brewing.

TORIES: Two letters - one re tax cuts proposed by the Tories would merely increase the growing inequality between rich and poor and one re their Green pretensions.

A46 CLOSURE: Cllrs Booth and Lunnon got front pages in Citizen on separate days with the impact of the A46 closure on their communities: see Philip's blog for regular updates and latest news on this issue.

FLOOD LESSONS: Greens submitted reports to Defra and County re lessons that must be learnt from floods.

Plus our website has info on Sarah Lunnon organising Friends of Park Gardens and the public meeting re Slad brook (see Philip's blog), supporting TUC demand for EU referendum, Greens returning from Liverpool conference, continued support for Triservice centre and Remploy.

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PLUS THE BLOGS

Ruscombe Green: http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/
with 70 entries this month - here's a few:
- Actions on Burma
- Reproducing a GM article that led to legal action to close websites
- Campaign to get Glos to sign up re Every Disabled Child Matters
-  Government action to prevent Councils pushing renewables on new developments
- Radio 4's wind mischievous documentary
- Staverton - the airports denial that climate change is manmade
- Arctic will be ice-free in 23 years
-  Ban additives to reduce Asbos?
- Our weather, mozzies, Peak Oil  and  Iraq death toll reaches million
- Easyjet go Green?
- Plus various Council meetings including Scrutiny, Full Council, Village Halls, Post offices and Travellers and Gypsies.
- Plus lots of local Whiteshill, Ruscombe and Randwick stories on A46, sewage and more and photos of Ragged Hedge Fair and Fringe.

Read Molly Scott Cato's post on Mitigation, Adaptation and super nanny - are we being manipulated? The demise of Mervyn King plus Tescos and Northern Rock all at:
http://gaianeconomics.blogspot.com/

Read Jonathon Porritt on the recent Guardian article re population control and on cycling - a recent report shows for a mere £70 million a year the Government could secure by 2012 a 20% increase in cycle journeys, 54 million fewer car journeys, and a reduction in CO2 emissions of at least 35,000 tonnes a year - at:
http://www.jonathonporritt.com/pages/

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QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"The stage is now set for direct competition for grain between the 800 million people who own automobiles, and the world's 2 billion poorest people."
Lester Brown from the Earth Policy Institute, speaking at a briefing to the US Senate this year.

"If we are a single issue party, the single issue is life on earth. That is like the trunk of a tree, that supports and connects all the other parts, roots and branches.  We are all dead, if the environment dies. Everything we do - economics, human rights, everything - flow from ecology".
Richard Lawson on the Green party

"Yet my mind was not at rest, because nothing was acted, and thoughts ran into me, that words and writings were all nothing, and must die, for action is the life of all, and if thou dost not act, thou dost nothing."
Gerald Winstanley

"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don*t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that."
Thomas Edison in a 1931 conversation with his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone

"The Buddha always told his disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculation. Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he directed his disciples toward practical efforts. Questioned one day about the problem of the infinity of the world, the Buddha said, 'Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same.' Another time he said, 'Suppose a man is struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately. Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first.' Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth."
Thich Nhat Hanh, in Zen Keys

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EVENTS:

TOMORROW:  Friday 28th September - Is Capitalism Sustainable? This Coffee House Discussion looks set to be a particularly lively discussion with Molly Scott-Cato, Green party Economics spokesperson, Neil Carmichael, Conservative Parliamentary candidate and Katy Albiston, Politics Lecturer. Open to anyone - 7.30 to 9.30pm at Star Anise Arts Cafe at the Painswick Inn, Gloucester Street, Stroud.
More info: http://www.glosgreenparty.org.uk/coffeehouse

Wednesday 3rd Oct 7:30pm  Transition Towns & Resilience Building - 20 min video presentation from Rob Hopkins at  The Memorial Hall,  Newent.

Tuesday 9th October - "Living in the Shadow of Nuclear Power" - a public meeting sponsored by the Green party with nationally renowned nuclear experts, John Large and Dr Ian Fairlie. John Large, a top nuclear scientist will look at the safety of Oldbury nuclear power station. The 39-year old plant, which is 16 miles from Stroud, has seen repeated shut-downs for a variety of safety problems. Dr Ian Fairlie, a consultant on radiation will look at the arguments about whether nuclear is the answer to climate change. There will also be a time for public questions. Details: 7pm in the Old Town Hall, The Shambles, Stroud. Entrance is free but donation to cover expenses welcomed.

Tuesday 9th Oct 4-5pm   A Changing World, talk byTony Juniper at CheltenhamTown Hall. The Director of Friends of the Earth talks about environmental threats to the planet & what individuals can do to save the planet. Part of the Literature Festival - tickets from the box office 01242 227979.

Weekend of 20/21st October - Camp Hope - Local environmentalists and anti-airport campaigners in Gloucestershire are waging a publicity campaign against the planned airport expansion at Staverton Airport, which is applying for planning permission to extend its runway. If the extension goes ahead, it will allow new services to be introduced to cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and other European cities. The airport’s management justified its expansion by a series of lies claiming that it will cause no damage to the environment and they even tried to claim that there was no such thing as global warming. A mini climate camp near the airport following the model of the inspirational Climate Camp at Heathrow is planned. During the weekend, there will be workshops on the Saturday including Green party members and David Drew MP and peaceful protests against the airport on the Sunday. Contact for details or check Green party website nearer the time: Kevin.lister@btopenworld.com

Sunday 4th Nov Time/place TBC -  Talk on Green Politics in the US - Mary Paul. Cheltenham. A Rendezvous Cafe event, contact Dennis at Rendezvous at: dzm99@yahoo.com .Wednesday 7th Nov ‘Resurgence’ talk: CommonGround on ClimateChange-developing an All-Party approach to mitigate global warming. Contact 01237 441 293 .

Saturday 8th Dec National Climate Change March – London. Speakers include George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas. A coach will be leaving from Gloucester about 8.00 am , with two pick-up points in Cheltenham and Cirencester and return to Gloucestershire by 7.00 pm: seats will cost £10 per person. Contact cathyclimatechange@yahoo.co.uk
 or cheltenhamfoe@yahoo.co.uk Forest of Dean coach transport contact robinlarkham@hotmail.com; or try:--  info@campaigncc.org,  www.campaigncc.org, 02078 339 311 ; or visitwww.icount.org.uk

Details of 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