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The ‘Democratic Deficit’ in Ealing

by Jeremy Parker

At the local elections in Ealing in May 2018 the Green Party showed – again – that it is a serious opposition party.

The current electoral system is rigged to prevent parties smaller than Conservative and Labour winning seats.  Many voters understand this already – here are some facts and figures.

Despite standing only one candidate out of 3 in each ward, the Green Party got 5% of the total vote.

Ealing’s Third Party

If there has been a fairer ‘Proportional Representation’ (PR) system we would have got 3 councillors elected, on the basis of this vote. If we had stood 3 candidates in each ward we would have got about 6 councillors.

  • The Green Party candidate got more votes than each of 49 LibDems in 19 wards out of their total of 69 candidates in 23 wards.
  • The Green Party candidate got more votes than each of 3 Conservatives in one ward (Elthorne).
  • The Green Party candidates comprehensively beat UKIP, BNP and Polish Pride candidates.

These statistics show that the Green Party can realistically be considered ‘the third party’.

We know many people believe in green policies but do not vote Green because they don’t think Greens can win.  But our view is that the only wasted vote is for a party you don’t believe in.

The size of the Green vote already influences Labour and Conservative policies for the good. And every time the public sees a good vote for the Greens, pressure for PR increases.

Fair is Worth Fighting For

So don’t just vote Green!  Lobby for a fairer electoral system which will elect more Green councillors and MPs.

Only with Green representatives will ordinary people get a real say in their future. Only with the Green Party will we get a fairer and more equal society. Instead of a country run for the benefit of developers, bankers and tax-dodgers.

By Nic Ferriday

Being an active member for the Ealing Green Party

by Jeremy Parker

The Ealing Green Party relies entirely on volunteers to run. But what does it mean to be an active member for the Ealing Greens?

One of our new members describes her experience so far…

Meet Marijn

Life in the Green Party

“Most of us don’t really think about what members of local political parties get up to. The main interaction you will have with active members is probably around election time when they come knocking on your door to tell you about their activities and asking you to vote for them.

Like most people, I have always been polite, taken their leaflet, but other than that never really engaged. When it was time to vote, I didn’t recognise any of the faces on the ballot and would just tick those who were standing for the party I wanted to support.

I joined the Green Party just over a year ago and became an active member about 8 months ago. I didn’t even really know what an ‘active member’ was. First of all, did you know that just by voting you haven’t done even half of the things you could do to help out your party of choice? And most of us find even just going to the polling stations a chore.

Politics is Life

How did we become so disengaged from politics? How did we forget that everything around us is politics; from the height of your pavement’s curb, to the litter in your local park and rubbish collection, to the new high-rise development going up in your back garden. People often say they are not interested in politics. I now know that this is like saying you’re not interested in breathing. You may not be interested in it, but it is still happening.

So I went along to my first Ealing Green Party meeting which they hold once a month. If you are a member of the Ealing Green Party you are always allowed to attend. I don’t really remember why I decided to go along. I don’t have any friends who are active for their local political party or anything like that, but I guess I was curious as to what the people would be like.

My First Meeting

When I arrived the meeting was in full swing and I didn’t have a clue what was going on. They were talking about issues I had never heard of before, using terms which I didn’t understand. I took notes and tried to take in as much as I could, but pretty much all of it was going over my head.

It wasn’t until after when we all had a drink and people were chatting, that I started to get a better understanding about how things work. Everyone was very friendly, so I felt like I could ask questions without worrying about sounding stupid. I didn’t even know the basics, like that a borough is divided up into wards, and I didn’t even know which bits of London belong to Ealing. I discovered how big the borough of Ealing actually is, and realised how little of it I’d explored!

A few months later, I have a much better understanding of local issues and feel confident and supported in meetings to be able to ask when I don’t understand, and sometimes even contribute a point of view myself! The learning curve is steep, and I feel like I’ve become a little bit smarter every time I come away from one of our gatherings!

After this first meeting I had loads of ideas buzzing around in my head and I jotted them all down into an email and sent it to some of the people I had been chatting to that night. They responded and asked me to get involved with various things.

And I think that’s how it kind of starts. You show that you are interested and committed to help, and the group will take you in with open arms. Local parties have extremely limited resources, including people. They are all doing this on a voluntary basis, out of concern for their local neighbourhood.

Get Involved!

So if you can do more than just show up at the polling station at election time (and please, do that as well!!), you really should. It’s a brilliant way to get to know your borough, not just the places that you would normally hang out. You make friends with your fellow party members which is great; especially in London where you have to travel at least an hour to go have a cup of tea with someone. It’s lovely to know people so near by!

And perhaps most importantly: slowly but surely you start to understand more about how things work. How decisions are made, and how you can help create change. You learn what the issues are, whether it is housing, protecting green spaces, safety, roads, traffic, hospitals, and before you know it you’ll be so much more knowledgeable on these issues than you ever were.

As an active member you commit as much time as you can. You can pick the particular issues you’re passionate about. You can decide how you would like to help, be it designing flyers, knocking on people’s doors, helping with data entry, writing for the party blog, helping with social media, or going to events that are relevant and reporting back to the group what you’ve learned. The list is endless.

Whatever you decide to do, know that we are out there trying to make our shared living space a better place for all of us. If you see us handing out flyers, come have a chat. If we come knocking on your door, let us know your thoughts on local issues. We are doing this for all of us, and we are happy to do it.”

Marijn Van De Geer

In a Nutshell

Being an active member can include the following:
  • Attending party meetings
  • Designing flyers
  • Delivering flyers
  • Canvassing and doorknocking
  • Data entry
  • Writing for the party blog/website
  • Helping with social media
  • Attending relevant events and reporting back

What you get out of it
  • Meet new people
  • Discover your local area
  • Understanding of local politics
  • Empowerment by being heard
  • Improve your neighbourhood
  • Build a community

If you live in the Acton Central Ward you can vote for Marijn to be your Green voice on 3rd May!

An Open Letter to the Planning Committee of Ealing Council

by Jeremy Parker

Ealing Council Chamber

To the Concerned Parties of the Ealing Planning Committee,

On 18th February 2018 a meeting of Ealing’s planning committee was convened. The first item submitted for approval at this meeting was a proposed residential tower block to be constructed in North Acton on the site of a former Art Deco wing of the Imperial College: the “Perfume Factory”.

A Powerful Objection

The proposed development was controversial because of its height and because of the density of its living spaces, which inspired a strongly worded speech from the designated objector, Mr Jonathan Notley, a local activist. There followed an equally strong debate, and by the time the vote came it was clear that at least two of the committee intended to vote against the motion, one of them citing the phrase “rabbit hutches in the sky” with reference to the 20 studio apartments that were well below what the new London Plan considers a “liveable space”.

The vote then took place, and this took the traditional form of the raising of hands of all those who approved of the application, and then the raising of hands of all those who objected. The Chair, Steve Hines, counted 6 votes in favour and 6 votes against the application. This meant that he could bring his own casting vote into play. He chose to wave through the motion, and thus the Perfume Factory development was, for the moment, approved.

An Extraordinary Mistake

It took an eagle eyed and bold member of the public to spot what had happened during the decision making process: and this member of the public, thankfully, took action by having a message sent down to Mr Hines from the public gallery. It transpired that a mistake had been made by the planning meeting’s adjudicator; a mistake that was missed by the 3 people who sat next to him (including the Planning Committee’s legal advisor) and faced those who took the vote.

The voting numbers had been miscounted!

There were a few moments of confusion, as this incident appeared to be without precedent. However it was eventually decided to take the vote again. Upon a second time of asking, it was seen that the application for the Perfume Factory had in fact been rejected by 7 votes to 5.

Footage of the meeting, including the two votes was recorded by Mr Notley, and can be seen in this humorous montage:

Upon viewing the footage, and in hindsight, it does not seem difficult to see that the hands of those approving in fact numbered less than those raised against. However, mistakes do happen.

But the vital question now is how do we take this forward? How can we ensure this does not happen again?

A Plea for the Future

What makes this doubly important now is the issue of trust. Because if there is another close vote, especially upon a contentious project like the Perfume Factory, then questions may be asked about the veracity of the decision. And even if they are not explicitly stated, this memory will be there.

It is clear that more transparency is required: with twelve members of the planning committee, votes should be taken one by one and then formally recorded. This would provide more accountability, and of course greater accuracy. Also, why is the recording or filming of planning meetings considered such an unusual step?

The level and style of development being seen now, not just in Ealing but across London and other major cities in Britain, has become a prominent and controversial issue. The public are, understandably, angry and mistrustful. The way to assuage this mistrust is with greater openness and democracy.

Yours Faithfully

Mr Jeremy D Parker
Ealing Green Party

Parliament Week at the Impact Theatre

by Jeremy Parker

An Invitation From Impact Theatre

Impact Theatre are an excellent organisation based in Perival, and are dedicated to promoting a positive image of disability, developing communication and building self-confidence, through participation in performing and creative arts. When they invited me to their Parliament Week event (along with candidates from all other political parties) it was an opportunity I could not pass up.

Engaged and Ready for Dialogue

I am glad to say I found a group of people who were very engaged and ready for constructive dialogue. They were very kind to me, and when the time came for me to give a talk we had a conversation on subjects that ranged from how democracy works, the differences between the political parties, the current situation in Britain, relations between America and Britain, and of course the environment!

Tough Questions!

I must admit that of the many questions I was asked, the one that stumped me the most was “who has the biggest mouth, Donald Trump or Boris Johnson”! After umming and ahing for a few seconds I decided “I wish both of them would think before they speak” which went down well enough. But overall this was a fantastic experience.

Green Shoots!

I am glad to say my talk was positively received and I am told there may be some “green shoots” at the Impact Theatre! But whatever their choices when it comes to voting, I hope that the people of Impact Theatre remain as interested and engaged as I found them.

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