Tuesday 24 June 2008

I've been selected as the official Green Party candidate

After a democratic debate inside the Green Party about whether we should stand in this by-election, I'm thrilled to announce that today the national party gave the go-ahead to us standing in Haltemprice and Howden, after I was selected last night by the local party to contest the seat against the Conservatives' David Davis on July 10th.
That's 16 days time!

Our constituency-wide leaflet is due to go to the printers tomorrow, and we're starting campaigning in earnest. Any offers of campaigning help can be directed to Martin Dean at sokuto12 'at' sokuto12.karoo.co.uk
I'm looking forward to highlighting the Tories' hypocrisy on civil liberties.

31 comments:

Matt W said...

Congratulations Shan! I think you've got what it takes to show up Tory hypocrisy on Civil Liberties. Sock it to him!

Derek Wall said...

Hi Shan,

well done, I am very proud to be in the Green Party because at the end of day the grassroots make the decisions and I as Principal Speaker support what is decided,

good luck my cheque is in the post honest

Anonymous said...

This is brilliant news. You have a unique opportunity to provide the only credible, progressive alternative to Davis's posturing. I am very proud of you and Hull/East Riding GP for providing the electorate with this choice.

Darren Johnson AM
London Assembly Member

Roger said...

Good luck Shan! I shall follow the campaign with interest. How does one donate to your campaign?

Rupert said...

I think that, at the end of the day, the Green Party can be proud of itself for coming through the strife of internal disagreement, and, in a very short time period, pretty much uniting behind the decision of the local Party to contest this byelection...
Very good luck, Shan!
But, to get the message through to the media and the public about how freedom is, as Stuart says above, something opposite to what neoliberalism and neoconservatism say, and how it is just laughable to resign over 42 days when you loudly backed 28 days, you'll need more than just luck...
Which is why I am about to put a big fat cheque in the post, and am busy persuading Green activist friends of mine to get up there and give you a hands-on hand in this unique byelection opportunity...

Anonymous said...

Good luck, Shan. I'm so happy that the local party and grassroots got there way when it comes to selecting the candidates. I wish you all the best!

Martyn Post

Anonymous said...

WHY STICK TO CIVIL LIBERTIES?

What about Trident renewal? Withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and the war crimes trial of Blair and Brown? Greenhouse gas emissions? Peak oil? The renewable revolution? Antidotes to NHS privatisation? Rail re-nationalisation? A citizen's income? Reform of the terrible tax credits system?

CIVIL RIGHTS?

Andy McKenzie

Anonymous said...

SHAN -

Please use this website to invite campaigners to join you in H&H:

http://www.millioncampaignhomepage.net

Luca

Anonymous said...

Good luck to you! I'm not a Green but I'm glad the voters will have a progressive choice available.

Anonymous said...

Forget cheques for donations. In the age of instant bank transfers and instant futures trading, cheques are rubbish.

Get somebody with the know-how to set up an Obama-style online (small) donations system so we can chuck our tenners at you.

'Loadsahoney'

Anonymous said...

From tomorrow, set up a daily surgery in the constituency in a specific place. Or, alternatively, peripatetically, from one place to another, over the next 16 days. Get people to come to you, tell you their grievances and what they need, and start acting as their MP straight away.

'EgoCandidatusSum'

Sumatra97 said...

SHAN

Great news that you're standing. You're going to be elected.

BUt please

Make sure you get your name in the news!

MEdialens have a good contacts list:

http://www.medialens.org/contacts/

Including the following:

Peter Horrocks, Head of BBC TV News
peter.horrocks@bbc.co.uk

Ian Rumsey, Editor, ITV News & ITV News Channel
ian.rumsey@itn.co.uk

Alan Rusbridger, Editor (Guardian)
alan.rusbridger@guardian.co.uk

Simon Kelner, Editor (Independent)
s.kelner@independent.co.uk

Jim Gray, Editor, Channel 4 News
jim.gray@itn.co.uk

Roger Alton, Editor (Observer)
roger.alton@observer.co.uk


TWO WEEKS TO GO - GET INTERVIEWED

Moralclimate said...

Please make a big issue about the continued turning of food into fuel, soon for power stations as well as cars.

The Green Party, unlike all 3 main parties, has called for a moratorium on the RTFO/ turning food into biofuel.

Such conversion is at the expense of the hundreds of millions now unable to feed themselves properly because of food price inflation, clashing with Millennium Goals, as well as felt in household budgets here.

UK was a net importer of food as it is and consumes more bio-commodities than it has bio-capacity to produce, according to WWF data. Biofuel is by orders of magnitude more land-intensive than almost any other energy source.

Calls for a moratorium on biofuels from foodstuffs, or incentives for them, have already been made by the heads of the International Monetary Fund, IFPRI and IRRI, economists C. Ford Runge and Jeffrey Sachs, former IPCC head (and Defra advisor) Robert Watson, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam, Cafod, IIED, Greenpeace, the RSPB, the Environmental Audit Committee and 30 Members of Parliament, the Green Party, several Republican senators including Sen. John McCain, the New York Times, New Statesman and Guardian (editorials).

Atomique said...

Pledge to halve your salary and halve your expenses allowances

You'll double your vote

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7472352.stm

Love from Cornwall Greens

Enviro-Ninja said...

Please campaign hard for all us Ninjas - no income, no job, no assets.

Unemployment (including Incapacity Benefit) is at least 3 million (I reckon 5 million) and inflation is at least 10% (Daily Mirror says 11.6%) not the false CPI and RPI figures of 3-5%.

Fight for us Shan!

aleddilwynfisher said...

Hi Shan,

Well done for taking on David Davis - I am glad that we are standing to inject a more progressive stance into the election, and to widen the debate to talk about civil liberties, civil rights and the wider authoritarian agenda pushed by both New 'Labour' and the Tories.

Here's my take on the kind of the issues we need to talk about - http://aleddilwynfisher.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/will-the-real-civil-libertarians-please-stand-up/

The real civil libertarians have stood up!

Best of luck,
Aled:)

Kid Eucalyptus said...

YOU NEED A CAMPAIGN PHONE NUMBER

Can somebody organise one ASAP?

Ecosocialist said...

How about an electoral pact/collaboration with Chris Talbot, the Socialist Equality candidate?

In the Reg Keys campaign against the Bliar in Sedgefield in 2005, several other candidates made way for Keys in the course of the campaign.

How about offering some kind of deal to Talbot? I am sure that you can find points of agreement in your opposition to Grey Davis.

Lothar Matthaus said...

There is a comment from somebody called Hind Hassan on the Shan Oakes Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33635377720).

Hind lives near Haltemprice and understands the follies in the Grey Davis position.

Is there somebody in your team who can contact people like Hind and invite them to the doorsteps of the constituency to join the campaign?

LM

Anonymous said...

This is, I think, the right decision for the citizens of this country. I am delighted that there is a candidate to explain what civil liberties really are.

Also, on the note above, Hind Hassan is a (very good) member of RESPECT (but not the SWP, I understand), and of the NUS executive committee, if you can get her to campaign, that will be very helpful.

Good luck Shan!

Adam Ramsay

Joseph said...

Can somebody film an interview with Shan Oakes and put it up on YouTube ASAP?

Joseph

Free Tibet 2008 said...

Can you get whoever did the Sian for London Mayor posters to get designing again? They were brilliant. Was it Gary Dunion?

Cyber-Ninja said...

When you set up the online donations page, please make it international. We now have Facebook links to our Facebook group in groups in the USA, Canada, France, Greece...you name it.

Anonymous said...

How about some sort of electoral pact/collaboration with the independent anti-rape candidate Jill Saward?

Alex Greenwood said...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get Caroline Lucas up to Haltemprice and Howden to campaign!

Malachi Chadwick said...

Set up a climate camp in the constituency from now until July 10th!

Jo Livington said...

PLEASE give us information on who to contact if we want to join the campaign on the ground, including info on accommodation.

AND QUICKLY - every second counts in this campaign.

Let's get you into the Commons, Shan!

GREEN PEACENIK said...

Get a list together of underground media - Resonance FM, Red Pepper magazine, New Internationalist magazine, Resurgence magazine etc. and get interviews with them.

GreenPeaceNik

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Shan. I'm very pleased to learn that you've been selected. I believe you will be an excellent representative of all the views and aspirations we all share.
Best wishes,
Dave Callaghan

PERRY MANKSTER said...

DAVID DAVIS CONCEDES DEFEAT

And posts Gumtree advert looking for office work from 10th July onwards:

http://www.gumtree.com/london/16/25482916.html

Chris Smith said...

What is the Green's Position on 42 days detention? I have tried to find it on your website, but can't>

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