A short tour of the London Green Fair

by Natalie Bennett

I didn’t manage to make it to the London Green Fair until late today, so no doubt missed lots of good things, including what sounds like an interesting talk on the London Orchard Project, and our own Alexis Rowell speaking about balcony foodgrowing – which had inspired several of the people I met.

I also only caught a little of the debate involving London Green MEP Jean Lambert on business and climate change – although I did hear her strong proclaiming the need for rapid, strong regulatory action, which certainly went down well in the big tent debate.

Many of the stalls were regulars who I know well (with quite a few Camden Green Party members staffing them), but there were some new ones that I found intriguing, including The Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland, formed only last year. Sounds a lot more fun, and better exercise, then a noisy, smelly petrol mower.

There was also a big focus on bees – I picked up a leaflet from the Natural Beekeeping Trust, another from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and had a chat with a cheery man dressed as a bumblee representing the Friends of the Earth Bee Cause.

From Healthy Planet I collected some basil seeds, which should definitely enliven thecusines over the summer, and I also picked up a leaflet for the London Permaculture Festival, which I missed last year but hope to make this.

There were lots of stalls selling various products; the one that impressed we was the Katcha Bilek stall, with handbags, purses and belts made from recycled tyres. Clever and stylish.

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Thanks! The Camden and Barnet London election results

The Green Party’s Jenny Jones has won 5.3% of the first choice mayoral votes and 22.9% of the second choice votes in Camden and Barnet.

In the London member (proportional) vote, on the orange ballot paper, 10% of Camden and Barnet voters made us their choice, helping to return Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson to the London Assembly.

In the Camden and Barnet constituency vote, Audrey Poppy colllected 10.7% of the vote. (And Tory sitting member Brian Coleman was displaced by Labour’s Andrew Dismore.)

Thank you to the at least 28% of residents who gave us at least one of your votes! And to everyone who helped with the campaign – delivering leaflets, addressing envelopes, or putting up a “Vote Green” poster.

And across London, and in Camden and Barnet, the Green Party finished third in the mayoral and London list votes (and in Camden and Barnet also, clearly, in the constituency vote), making us now clearly the third party at the London level.

(A more detailed breakdown of the vote, which will give Camden figures, will be available next week.)

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The powerful case against HS2

by Natalie Bennett

Congratulations to Fran Heron for last week setting out on the pages of the Camden New Journal, on behalf of Euston Against HS2, the case against this expensive and terribly limited project.

She shows a great deal more sense than Lib Dem chief Tim Farron, whose solution to his party’s national support for the project, in the face of united local opposition, is to suggest to the Camden New Journal “moving the track 100 yards”.

Quite where he thinks it could be moved to – running down Hampstead Road maybe, or dumped on Mornington Crescent Tube – is left unspecified.

It is pleasing that national figures are realising that the destruction of the long-established, well-known Drummond Street curry houses, and the demolition of 216 Camden homes, with 256 more potentially “blighted” – might just be hard to justify.

But still the Green Party is the only national party opposed to this plan. Perhaps the Lib Dems, their members having found their voice on the subject of NHS reforms, might like to go further in recognising the need to oppose this overly costly, environmentally unjustifiable plan.

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Phoenix Garden Agricultural Show

Today saw the third Pheonix Garden Agricultural Show and St. Giles Fayre. Luck was with everyone as it was a gloriously sunny day and the cows, sheep, goats and dogs all seemed to be enjoying it as much as the humans.

Morris Dancers got members of the crowd joining in

The joys of a brass band

 

Camden Friends of the Earth spreading the message

 

Mr Punch was a big hit with the kids

What's a fayre without stalls with tasty treats?

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Save the Diva

On Wednesday in the Brunswick Centre shoppers were treated to something you certainly don’t see every day – an Eco-Opera.

The unscheduled ten minute mini-opera performed by The Opera Group and supported by Friends of the Earth took a cheeky look at those who think they can just forget about climate change and it will go away.

The performers hold up their opening banner.

I’m no Opera-buff so don’t know my aria from my entree but the crowd seemed to appreciate the show. With the helpful assistance of local Friends of the Earth activists who were giving out leaflets some of them may well have gone away thinking about this innovative bit of street theatre.

Anyway, I was on hand to video Save the Diva so see what you think;

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