The Greenwash Fades...

I've actually spoken to people who voted Conservative because 'Cameron said something nice about the environment'. The Green Investment Bank was a fantastic idea, and won them a lot of votes, and the Lib Dems took on the Green New Deal, promising new jobs in the Green Sector, both of which were, of course, Green Party ideas.

The Green New Deal, based on Roosevelt's New Deal, clearly sets out how we can move towards environmental sustainability, whilst creating jobs, rescuing the economy, lifting people out of poverty and ending the need for armed conflict.

Now Cameron has turned his back on this plan, instead favouring his frankly weird Big Society idea, which basically means getting ordinary people to run the country for free whilst still paying (higher) taxes to the people who should actually be running the country.

I have nothing against charities, I donate, volunteer and even work for one, but it must be understood that charities exist where Governments fail. And now the Government is happy to exploit these well meaning people to fund their own interests.

Britain has a unique opportunity to lead the world towards a sustainable, peaceful, fair future, perhaps even making up for the crimes and destruction of the British Empire, but the Coagulation Government has decided instead to opt for abandoning ordinary people to the effects of poverty and climate change, while investing money in more nuclear weapons, more oil, and Cameron coming out saying he wants to make the military front and centre of our national life once again"

A peaceful, sustainable world? Or another British Empire, to protect us from the victims of our own actions? Hope or fear?

AV or PR

AV = Alternative Vote

PR = Proportional Representation

FPTP = First Past The Post

Nick Clegg is selling us short in agreeing to AV. Under the AV system, a more complicated version of the FPTP system, we will still have one party representing, not the majority, but the largest minority. No change.

Under the PR system, as used in Europe, every vote counts, and everyone is represented. We have Greens in the European parliament because some people voted for them. More people voted Conservative so we have more Tories in the European Parliament, but the Greens and UKIP, along with Labour and the Liberals and even the BNP are represented and have a voice. That's democracy!

The reason we don't have more Greens is because people who want to vote Green but don't understand the system don't vote Green, a situation made even worse in the FPTP system (If I had a pound for every time I heard "I'd like to vote Green but you won't win" I could have funded a much better campaign!!)

The compromise on the voting reform is compounded by the move to have less MPs. That means more people being represented by someone they didn't vote for, who effectively doesn't represent them. If anything we need more MPs, more parties, more people with a voice in parliament.

Under PR more people would vote, and more people would vote for what they really want. Or is that what the Government fear...?