Bloggers, Women and Pumpkins – Green Party Conference Day 2 September 8, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Green in the City , trackbackI start the second day of the Green Party Conference at the fringe session with Make Votes Count, who campaign for electoral reform in the UK. We live in a system which thinks its clever to run elections mid-week, register voters by household and still has guaranteed seats for the state religion, so there’s a very long way to go on this one. I get to vote in four different elections, which might seem like an embarrassment of riches, but there are five different voting systems in all of that. No wonder so few turn out to vote.
Next stop is the founding of Green Party Women, and somehow I end up taking minutes and becoming the secretary. The debate about including men becomes rather heated and its all very uncomfortable though we do get through. I’m proud to identify as a feminist, but its a long time since I’ve engaged with the side of the movement that wants a lot of separate space. I worry that if we marginalise men, we force areas which should be shared to be ‘women’s issues, and that can be very counter-productive. The arguement that men don’t understand women’s issues seems dangerous to me. Why, say, would a childless woman understand issues faced by a mother better than a father does? I suspect I’m going to have a challenging time with this one.
There are no meal breaks in the schedule, and not much food on the site, so a couple of us head over to a Pret, to discuss guerilla gardening and how I’m happy to be the third on the list for the Somers Town ward of Camden Council. I’m a lot more keen on guerilla gardening. There may be an outbreak of marigolds on vacant lots in Somers Town any minute now.
I finally got to meet Tom Reynolds, who is a friendly chap, much slimmer than in the video. He’s manning the Open Rights Group stall, though not a Green himself.
And then lots more bloggers, at a fringe event about blogging, and the launch of Green Home, which will be a central point for Green Party blogers. A couple of people have even heard of CamdenKiwi (*waves at Sue and Jim). It would be good to see the Green blogosphere develop in the way the Conservative one has since Conservative Home was launched – lots of individual bloggers, doing their own thing, but communicating with each other and the rest of the world. Blogging seems like a rather green sort of thing to do.
Finally, another plenary, with motions on buying up the Afghan opium crop (excellent idea) and removing the UK’s ability to opt out of the social and environmental chapters of EU agreements. The Green Party is becoming much more pro-EU, I’m pleased to see. And someone won a prize for his pumpkin in an allotment contest.
Then, to the bar, a few drinks, a deep and meaningful conversation about the Dorje Shugden controversy, and miserable failure in the quiz. But now I know Sheffield United was the first football club in the UK. Useful, no?
Comments»
Delighted to read of all your Green activity. Secretary of Green Party Women AND on the list for the Somers Town Ward. Congratulations! Did you tell them of your previous experience as a Green candidate, I wonder? Elections here only two months away, but I’m too busy to contribute any more than a Green vote. I console myself with the thought that my role in re-defining work is supporting Green policy.
*proving I do actually read your blog*
Waves back – good to meet you – shame we couldn’t have chatted longer
You mean I look *fat* in the video!?
Tut.
And you seemed so nice in the flesh…
(And more seriously, very interesting points on the Green Party Women. To be honest I do feel excluded from such things, even when the larger subject is something I feel passionate about. Causes friction and all that.
And it was lovely meeting you.)
I had to run off right after the fringe (train from Euston!), but it was good putting a face to the blog, so to speak.