Age of more stupid

Thanks to Newport Friends of Earth.

They put on a screening of the film of the Age of Stupid in Newport tonight. It's a good film even though it occasionally strays off piste. The most memorable images are the ugly faces of Home County nimbies explaining how wind turbines would disturb their views of their flat countryside. Spoilt, overfed, threatening and selfish they mouthed environmental platitudes while sabotaging a worthwhile green enterprise. 

The greatest threat now in the growing ranks of global warming denying Tories - soon to be augmented by new dim Tory MPs. In the apres-film discussion we were urge to influence our candidates in the General Election on global warming. A woman in the audience pointed out that there are two green candidates in Newport West. Was this sensible?

No. It's not.

 

Beauty due

Very soon now the beautiful butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis. 
 

Glinting under layers of scaffolding is a fully glazed building. It's elegant lines are now hidden. 

In August last year I joined local dignitaries in a topping up ceremony.

 

 when it reached its highest point. Soon on  a warm Spring day the handsome building will be unveiled, proudly adding lustre to the elegant pedestrian bridge and new tree-lined boulevard.

Newport Nouveau is launched.

Windfall

Financial progress for my Tory Opponent.

I was sympathetic with the lack of success of his appeal for money last week. He asked for contributions for his target of £1,000. Sadly nothing had been received. 

But today, he is £500 better off in a strange way. Still no-one has sent any money in. But his target has been reduced to £500. That's progress of a sort.

Comments

[Gareth]

I did try to donate your Tory opponent 1p, but the system, wouldn't allow it. Doesn't he know that finances are tight?

[Patrick]

PF
The 'age of stupid' might not be so alarming if we didn't have a choice of 'stupid' political parties to elect at this election.

All main parties use the same measure of sucess , ...GDP.

It's this 'stupid' thinking that has put us all in the present mess we are in.

Our goals of materialistic wealth via industrialized life cannot continue.

We would need the resources of Three Earth's to raise everyone on earth to the standard of an average British person.

Yet this is the system we seek to impose on the rest of the world as they are 'primitive' and need 'progress'.

Distinguished Scientists from every scientific field tell us (before they are sacked) we don't have enough time even if we changed direction right now.

This is still not enough for Western Governments to continue in full pursuit of growth, GDP, pollution and climatic devastation.

If you want more GDP and environmental destruction then vote for any of the three main 'stupid' parties because this truly is 'the age of stupid.'

[Kay Tie]

"Spoilt, overfed, threatening and selfish they mouthed environmental platitudes while sabotaging a worthwhile green enterprise. "

And they say the Tories are the nasty party. Blimey, you're full of poison today..

[DG]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/01/labour-gordon-brown-hard-man

This gave me a chuckle, thought I'd share

[Paul Flynn]

That was very generous of you Gareth but not your best investment decision if you hope for a return.

[Paul Flynn]

You should see the film KayTie. You would then realise how restrained and generous I aam in my description of the nimbies.

[Paul Flynn]

can't disagree with that Patrick. As our crooked election system makes it almost impossible for Greens to be elected, the best hope is to 'green' the parties that will wield power.

It's bad news on that front. the Greenest Tory Peter Ainsworth and the Greenest Labour MP Alan Simpson are both standing down. The Greenest Plaid MP lost his seat last time because a Green stood against. that's the point that a women in the audience made last night about Newport West.

We should be able to rely on a bit of strategic thinking on behalf of the Greens and plaid in calculating which MPs they may dispossess. In Newport West it could well be 'Vote Plaid/Green and Elect a Tory'.

[DG]

"the best hope is to 'green' the parties that will wield power."

Very true, but the best (perhaps the only) way to 'green' the parties in power is to keep them worried about losing seats via vote erosion to the Greens.

[DG]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/apr/14/g20-police-action-tomlinson-memorial

Can anyone explain to me how on earth a 6 foot officer of the law is able to slap a tiny little woman around like a red-headed stepchild - and call it "self-defense"?

Seems to me that protesters have a lot more reason to be frightened of the police than the police have to be frightened of them. This is an absolute travesty. No jury in the land would have let that go, which I suppose is why there's no trial by jury in such cases.

[Paul Flynn]

Not true DG. Challenges from Green candidates mean that other candidates do not have to make concessions to green issues because those votes are lost anyway. If we had a system of PR, it would make sense for all parties to accumulate votes. Labour is committed to start on the path to PR.

[HuwOS]

A sudden decision to have a referendum on the completely naff alternative vote system is hardly a commitment to start on the path to a decent PR system, it isn't even on the path to the awful list based pr system.

[Paul Flynn]

We have had this argument before. This is the first time that either of the two major parties have opted for any system but first past the post for General Elections. Both have benefited from a system that cheats other parties and the principles of democracy. That is progress.