Saturday 28 June 2008

Canvassing in Cott.


The regional gang joined us locals for some serious campaigning today. People in Cottingham were very welcoming – as ever – and everyone we talked to was very interested.

It was great having Green Party perennial Clive Lord around. As a founder member, he’s done every Green by-election since the last glaciation and is staying ten days. He even brought his tent!

Leslie Rowe, fellow Euro-candidate, brought campaigners all the way from Richmond (N.Yorks) and we went door-knocking too.

Local secretary, Martin Deane, spotted David Davis (yet again, 'by coincidence' in a constituency of about 120 square miles), and tackled him on detention and his vote for war on Iraq. Davis said he was a Privy Councillor. So that’s alright then. (One million dead, 176 British troops, a country destroyed). Davis honestly held that the war was to bring liberation and democracy to Iraq. “It was about oil!” Martin came back, “It was planned. The Americans wanted Iraq from day one.”

We did agree though to debate the issues sometime, so look out for an official hustings.

And hurrah! People were telling us that they had our leaflet already. The remainder will arrive by Monday - in time for the postal votes.

Feel like helping? Come on up!

shan@voice-international.net

12 comments:

Dave Hampton the Carbon Coach said...

CALL ME

07768 806451

Dave

Michael Meacher - Labour's Future said...

Iraq was about oil and I regret very deeply my decision to vote for it on the basis of deception by Tony Blair, whose war crimes trial awaits.

Iraq was about controlling long-term Middle Eastern oil supplies, and Afghanistan was about controlling long-term Caspian Basin oil supplies. Both illegal invasions were enacted with peak oil in mind.

David Davis voted for Iraq and so did I. The difference is that I regret it deeply and would vote against any further military action against Iran or North Korea. We have to produce a united front on the Left of British politics against militarisation and for proper solutions to the problems posed by peak oil and climate change.

I wish you well in the campaign.

Michael Meacher MP (Oldham and West Royton, and not a Privy Councillor)

LouTze said...

Hiya Shan and Martin

Have just invited you both to Facebook. The Shan Facebook group now has 110 people and it would be good if you can write directly to us, should you get time of course in amongst putting together your majority on the ground in the constituency!

Best

'LouTze'

Martine Luther Queen said...

Why civil liberties? Why not civil RIGHTS?

Are our freedoms - whether of thought, expression or association - really 'liberties' granted to us, say, by some unelected monarch or some unelective dictator (Bliar, Brown) who has co-opted the monarch's prerogative powers, or are they not INALIENABLE RIGHTS?

My RIGHT not to be spied on by this silly junta regime, or my RIGHT not to have my taxation robbed to fund nuclear weapons, are not liberties at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau

Graham Norton said...

Looks like Clive Lord has pioneered the famous 2008 Haltemprice and Howden Climate Camp...

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401183.html

http://www.youtube.com/climatelife

Would the real Matt Sellwood stand up please said...

and get up to Yorkshire with a tent and campaign?

Enough Facepalm already, Sellwood...

The Coventry Greens
http://coventrygreenparty.blogspot.com/

Matt Sellwood is my hero said...

It's precisely because of all your unpaid hours that we want you up in Haltemprice Matt! Would Spain put out a team without Torres today???

If two weeks is no good, how about a weekend in a tent? Or a Holiday Inn?

A Sellwood weekend is worth 1,000 times the average activist's two weeks!!!

Go Matt!!!

Manchester Greens

aleddilwynfisher said...

Hi Shan and the team,

Well done on everything you're doing!

I'm very impressed with the way you're standing on radical principles and confronting Davis! My take on it here - http://aleddilwynfisher.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/radical-politics-in-action-shan-oakes-for-haltemprice-and-howden-mp-update/

I will keep trying to get people to donate and help, although I am starting a new job with weekend training so I might not be able to make it myself!

Aled

Banksy said...

Great stuff. Good to see a Green is about to be elected. About time too.

Just a quick campaign idea: how about chalking "Vote Green" and other more imaginative slogans on the streets? I don't know the law on chalking, but since the rain washes the work away, how can it be more illegal than, say, invading Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Sierra Leone?

Some examples of chalking:

http://www.infinitepossibility.org/chalk/

- A Bristolian

Henry Porter said...

The Observer is hosting an event entitled "Liberty in Peril" in Westminster on Thursday 3rd July at 7pm, including David Davis (former MP), me (Henry Porter), David Aaronovitch, and Denis MacShane (but, predictably, no Shan Oakes and no other Greens).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/27/daviddavis.haltemprice1?gusrc=rss&feed=politics

TO RESERVE FREE TICKETS FOR THE EVENT, PLEASE EMAIL:
rsvp.gnm@guardian.co.uk

Ray Publick said...

PRESSURISE Tony Benn into pulling out of his support for capital punishment-loving, 28 day Habeas Corpus-suspending former Member of Parliament David Davis:

EMAIL TONY BENN AT tony@tbenn.fsnet.co.uk
http://www.bennites.com/EMAIL.html

Lots of love to Shan

From Ray Publick
http://www.republic.org.uk/

Jamie Wrate said...

Serena Williams: "How to Win":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7370993.stm

Serena Williams: "I always have to use the same dressing area, toilets"

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