27th September 2009

"Defence for Peace?" Green Party sponsored Coffee House Discussion at The Space on the 25th of September 2009

"One of the best evenings so far!" - John Marjoram

The Green Party sponsored evening of discussion turned out to be "one of the best evenings so far" as described by John Marjoram, the Deputy Mayor of Stroud, who was a key player in the organising of this event. There was a turnout of around 80 people, all engaged in challenging and informative discussion on topics including the replacement of the Trident missile system and the need to spend more on peace and poverty eradication and less on armaments.

All four parties were represented and spoke from the platform: David Drew, MP for Labour, Parliamentary Candidates, Cllr. Martin Whiteside for the Greens, Neil Carmichael for the Tories and Lib Dem spokesperson Cllr.Dennis Andrewartha. This was the first opportunity that the four politicians had, to test their policies, in front of a very lively audience, ahead of the elections that is expected to be called in May 2010. The atmosphere was one of genuine interest, with the audience repeatedly applauded policies emphasising total nuclear disarmament and calls to scrap Trident.

During the course of the evening Green Party Parliamentary candidate Cllr. Martin Whiteside - who has wide ranging experience of working in situations of poverty and war - found support for his views on non-proliferation and democratic solutions to international problems. Martin commented that: "The Green Party is absolutely clear on its policy of no Trident replacement and immediate nuclear disarmament, this is the moment for Britain to take a World lead on this issue. We want to see withdrawal from NATO which is an out of date alliance and greater democracy and role for the UN as the most appropriate body for resolving international disputes"

Only the Conservative spokesperson spoke in favour of the need to retain Trident. David Drew was challenged from the floor on whether he was representing his own view or that of the Labour Party on this. He said he would oppose Trident.

See more photos and links to Thursday evening with Bruce Kent here.

Questions from the audience

During the coffee break the audience broke up into groups and formed a number of challenging questions for the speakers including a question on taking direct action with reference to the blockades held annually outside the Faslane Naval Base since 1999. Martin Whiteside answered: "When you believe that something is wrong and that direct action is all you can do about it, then you should do it!"

Also questioned was the weight of British history upon its future, to which Martin Whiteside responded, "We must move away from our colonial past, not in the direction that Labour is taking, considering two mega aircraft carriers, which project forward strike capacity rather than genuine defence and which will mean massive cuts elsewhere". The evening was brought to a close by the chair of the night Jane Mace, who made a special tribute to the frontline journalists who bring us news by which we are empowered to act from around the world. Jane Mace in turn received applause for her excellent chairing of the discussion. John  Marjoram commented: "The questions brought by the audience were very good, the structure of the meeting was good, and it was one of the best evenings so far."

Next month the Coffee House discussion returns to Star Anise cafe and looks at planning locally: Where should housing go? Where should wind turbines go? And more.