Manchester Green Party Calls for Targets to Combat Child Poverty - Levels in City highest outside London

The Green Party is challenging Manchester City Council to set Child Poverty Reduction targets and dedicate resources to reducing the number of families living in poverty to the national average within 5 years.  The city has the highest levels of childpoverty outside London.

Deyika Nzeribe, Co-Chair of Manchester Green Party said "This should be the minimum aim if Manchester City Council wants to show its commitment to tackling child poverty seriously.  Following the elections, we now know we have a purely Conservative government in place for the next 5 years. We can expect deeper cuts causing far more hardship. Labour council leaders must act now! We can't leave this issue to be dealt with by foodbanks."

He added:  "While council leaders are in the news being photographed with topTories like George Osborne, in the much spoken about race for a Greater Manchester Mayor and devolution from central government, these incredible levels of child poverty must not be forgotten."

EndChildPoverty [has reported that 39% of families with children in Manchester live in poverty, which is nearly 10% more than every major city in the North of England. This is despite Manchester being the third wealthiest city in the country. Moreover, the figure of 39% of families with children in poverty is just the average across Manchester. In Hulme it is 47% and Moss Side its 49%, with Rusholme, Longsight and Ardwick suffering similar deprivation.

The Greens say that though politicians in the city frequently point to the government as being responsible, other Labour councils in the North have notably lower levels of child poverty. Following this year’s elections, Manchester has a 100% Labour Council and the MP for Manchester Central, the constituency where child poverty is worst, is the shadow minister for Children and Families.

Deyika Nzeribe stated: “Even if some people or politicians were to feel no moral urgency to act, it should be recognised that lowering poverty and inequality also improves health and reduces crime within a population, reducing the cost to the state It should be an aspiration of a healthy, growing city to be reducing and eradicating child poverty."

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The Green View Election 2015 Edition

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Over 3000 voters disappear from Hulme’s Electoral Roll

Government changes to the voter registration process have resulted in 39,787 people disappearing from Manchester’s electoral roll in the last 12 months.

In Hulme, comparing figures from March 2014 and March 2015, the number of voters in Hulme has dropped by 3442, a decrease of 26%.

The change to the registration system has disproportionately affected young people, students, private renters and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

A closer look at the figures revealed that although the average fall in voter numbers is 13% in 4 of the 5 districts of Hulme, in the 5^th area which has a high student population, that fall is 73%.

Deyika Nzeribe, the Green Party Local Election candidate for Hulme said “With the deadline for registration being this Monday April 20^th, its essential people pay attention and take action or they will miss their chance to vote for a change in government, local and national.

If you don’t like politicians but want to vote, go to the independent ‘Vote for Policies’ website, make your own mind up.”

There are 10% less people on Manchester’s electoral register than this time last year, which could radically alter the outcome of the election. In the Manchester local elections in 2014, The Green Party came 2^nd with 12.7% of the vote, whilst the Lib Dems came 3rd with 11.7%.

The council wards that have seen the greatest drop in registered voters are areas with high populations of students, private renters and minority ethnic voters.

The City Centre has lost 37% of its registered voters. Ardwick has lost 33%, Withington 28%, Hulme 26%, Rusholme 23% and Fallowfield 21%.

Meanwhile, more affluent areas with a higher percentage of homeowners have remained largely unchanged. Chorlton has only lost 3% of voters, whilst Didsbury East lost 2%.

You register to vote online in under 5 minutes by visiting https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and entering your national insurance number.

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Universal Basic Income

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Basic Income not means tested

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The Green View March 2015 - Hulme Wants More Jobs

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Green Party calls for Referendum on Greater Manchester Devolution

News of the devolution deal [1] between the 10 Greater Manchester Councils and the Coalition Government took most people in the region by surprise. 

Also surprising was the news that the Devolution was conditional on the region accepting an elected Mayor as part of the deal.

Though the agreement, negotiated out of view of the public, brings some services under local control [2] there are no additional resources that would not likely come to the region anyway. In fact, Manchester Council is facing an additional £60 million in cuts. [3]

Laura Bannister, Green Party general election candidate for Manchester Gorton, said, "When Scotland voted on devolution in September, it was seen as a high water mark of democracy with 84.6% of the population voting [4]. The debate and discussion leading to the referendum took place over two years. No such process has happened in Greater Manchester."

Chair of Manchester Green Party, Deyika Nzeribe agreed, "The Green Party is in favour of devolution when done correctly. It has to be discussed and accepted at a local level. The Green Party therefore calls for a consultation of the people of Greater Manchester, followed by a referendum, to decide whether we want devolution and if so, what form it should take. This is the biggest governance change in Manchester in a generation - people have a right to decide this for themselves. We will work with others to make this happen."

Since the devolution announcement, a popular campaign has formed to get a referendum for the people of Greater Manchester. The campaign, ‘DevoManc’ is encouraging people to sign its online petition [5] and have a Day of Action on Saturday 10^th January 2015 with petition signings all over the Greater Manchester [6].

Notes

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/devolution-to-the-greater-manchester-combined-authority-and-transition-to-a-directly-elected-mayor
2. http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/News/Elected-Mayor-For-Greater-Manchester
3. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/prime-minister-david-cameron-warns-8064096#rlabs=14
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_independence_referendum,_2014
5. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/people-must-have-right-to-vote-on-devo-manc
6. https://www.facebook.com/events/392412037594684/

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Hulme Greens Campaign Action Day Sunday November 23rd

Its just under 6 months to the Local and General Election.

Although the Greens are increasing in profile and going up in the polls, it’s the campaign on the ground, in the streets that will make the difference come the Elections.

The work to get an elected councillor continues in Hulme.

This Sunday November 23rd is the Hulme Campaign Action Day.

We will be meeting at Kim-by-the-Sea, 12pm midday and be out until 4pm latest.

We are pleased to have with us Green Party Regional Development Officer Pat Cleary.

There will be some training, doing surveys, and elections strategy.

Come down, meet other Greens, take the campaign to the streets.

The Event details are here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/896253740393370/

Join the Hulme Greens Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/116302497332/

Like the Manchester Greens Page: Manchester Green Party

Contact

hulme@manchestergreenparty.org.uk

07955064319

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Green Party urges Manchester MPs to Vote for Palestine in Parliamentary Debate

2014 has been notable for turmoil in the Middle East.

The Syrian War continued to kill thousands of people [1], the Iraqi government continued to appear unstable [2] and the new common factor in both is the emergence of the Islam State (IS) group [3].

The IS murder of Western captives and large scale killings of peoples in Syria and Iraq have drawn Western nations back into a war likely to last years. [4]

The other great source of conflict in the year was in Gaza between Israel and Palestine [5]. Over the summer there were over 2000 casualties before a ceasefire was negotiated [6]. This ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine has been the longest, most intractable problem in the region.

But in Britain an initiative by MPs Grahame Morris and Manchester’s Gerald Kaufman may change how this country engages with that conflict [7]. They have sponsored a debate, taking place on Monday 13th October, ‘The Future of the Two State Solution in Israel and Palestine’, which could lead to the Britain recognising Palestine as a state.

Doing so would make Britain the second Western European country to do so after Sweden [8] and give momentum to peace talks resuming.

Manchester Green Party commends the MPs for initiating the debate and urges MPs John Leech and Lucy Powell to attend the debate and vote for Palestinian recognition. A link to the Vote for Palestine website can be found here.

Manchester Green Party Chair Deyika Nzeribe says “The West’s poor position is  arguably  the result of having foreign policies based on ‘interests’. After the lesson of the second Iraq War, 100 years after ‘The Great War’, Britain finds itself again at the brink. But in the recognition of Palestine, there is the potential for something new to happen.”

Kieran Turner-Dave, Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Manchester Central, said

“We all want to see prolonged and sustainable peace in the Middle East. In order for international diplomacy to work, people of every community must give equal recognition to the two nations of Israel and Palestine. I would support an immediate arms embargo on both nations; and work with any organisation promoting peaceful democratic engagement to ensure a future in which children of Israel and Palestine are safe, and every citizen’s human rights are protected”.

Ends

Notes

1.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War

2.    http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/20/time-running-out-iraq-nation-spirals-chaos

3.    Vice News – The Islamic State http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUjHb4C7b94

4.    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/islamic-state-mps-will-back-air-strikes-but-fallon-warns-that-war-could-last-for-years-9756564.html

5.    http://www.vox.com/cards/israel-palestine/intro

6.    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28939350

7.    http://www.scriptonitedaily.com/2014/09/16/breaking-uk-parliament-will-vote-to-recognize-the-state-of-palestine/

Manchester Green Party Statement on Palestine http://www.manchestergreenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/08/2014-09-08-israel-palestine/

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Manchester City Council - The Apartheid Moment 2014

In 1994, the elections held in South Africa ended apartheid and elected Nelson Mandela as President.

In England, Manchester City Council and its councillors played a prominent role in the anti-apartheid movement. They enacted sports and cultural boycotts, they actively divested any South Africa related assets and investments.

When it came, Manchester, along with the rest of the world, celebrated the end of apartheid.

20 years later, in England 100s of thousands of people have been moved to march and protest. Shocking scenes of death and injury on television over the past few months have showed the world the effect of the Israeli army’s bombing of Palestine. In this latest spike in violence, the mainly Palestinian victims have numbered over 2000 dead and 10,000 injured. The vast majority of these have been civilian.

After a short ceasefire, the bombing of Palestine seems to have resumed.

When not being bombed, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live, in essence, under military occupation. Those Palestinians living in Israel itself live under an apartheid-like regime.

Amnesty International has long recorded the human rights violations being committed as part of their call for the peace and adherence to international law.

Earlier this year, legendary anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke to this.

"I have witnessed the systemic humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children by members of the Israeli security forces," he said in a statement. "Their humiliation is familiar to all black South Africans who were corralled and harassed and insulted and assaulted by the security forces of the apartheid government."

A long-time supporter of the BDS (Boycott Divestment Sanctions) campaign in support of Palestine, he also said

“In South Africa, we could not have achieved our freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the Apartheid regime” and

“To those who wrongly allege unfairness or harm done to them by this call for divestment, I suggest, with humility, that the harm suffered from being confronted with opinions that challenge one's own pales in comparison to the harm done by living a life under occupation and daily denial of basic rights and dignity”.

For Manchester City Council, though it has supported calls for peace – organising humanitarian aid for Gaza, it has also set itself against the pro-Palestine campaigners – working with police to suppress demonstrations.

In Manchester, the campaign for Palestine has been powerful and without rancour against the oppression and violence in Israel.

This is a moment of decision for the City Council and its individual Councillors.

This is its ‘Apartheid moment'.

Again, Desmond Tutu speaking to Haaretz, ''Those who turn a blind eye to injustice actually perpetuate injustice. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor".

Manchester City Council should

• Divest itself of any assets, investments and relations that directly or indirectly supports the Israeli government
• Support peaceful action in the city in the campaign for Palestine

Councillors should take a lead and say if they are in support of the campaign for Palestine.

Its easy to look back misty-eyed at the anti-apartheid campaign in South Africa. 

With so many dead and injured in Palestine, now is the time to act.

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Manchester Green Party Public Meeting Thursday August 14th - Israel and Palestine: What is to be done?

In the 6 weeks since the beginning of July, very nearly 2000 Palestinians have died in the Israeli assault on Gaza.

Though the deaths of three innocent Israeli teenagers, initially blamed on Hamas, was reported as the tipping point for the latest spike in violence, this cycle has been going on for years.

In late 2008/ early 2009, approximately 1500 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli action and in November 2010, 170 died.

The latest bombardment has led to pressure on Israel for a permanent ceasefire and although short cessations in the fighting has occurred, the death toll still rises, the images of the dead and injured both heart-breaking and sickening.

Whats to be done?

There have been widespread calls for an arms embargo, sanctions, a boycott of goods, investigations into war crimes.

There have been protests, marches and vigils all over the world, including Israel.

What should happen next?

What should be the response of politicians in England?

What is the Green Parties response?

We will be discussing these areas on Thursday.

Speaking will be

Annie Neligan – who has been to the West Bank several times speaking on her experience there, Green Party policy and putting that policy into practice.

Dr Anat Greenstein is an Israeli woman living in Manchester. She has been involved in feminist and anti-militarist activism in Israel for more than 20 years and will be speaking on the anti-war war movement and campaign against Zionism within Israel.

Mohammed Ghalayini from Gaza and part of the Manchester Palestine Action (MPA) which is working towards building a sustainable boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement in Manchester.

When: Thursday August 14th, 7pm

Where: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, M2 5NS

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Manchester #BringBackOurGirls Event Thursday July 17th 7pm

It is nearly 100 days since the 267 Nigerian school girls were kidnapped from their school dormitories.

They now live with the threat of being sold into slavery.

Except for the recent visit to Nigeria by Malala Yousafzai in support of the girls, recent press coverage of the situation has decreased.

Local groups however, have continued to raise awareness.

Manchester #BringBackOurGirls are holding a public event on Thursday July 17^th from 7pm to 9pm. This will be #Day94.

Colette Williams one of the organisers of Bring Back Our Girls Manchester said “It seems as the whole world has forgotten that these girls are still at the hands of their abductors, in fact most people believe that they have been rescued and have been returned home. It is important that the plight of these girls is kept on the agenda and we need to keep up the call for their safe return.”

Deyika Nzeribe, also involved said “It’s important that an incident like the kidnap of nearly 300 girls does not get lost in the news cycle. Local support in Manchester and Liverpool has been great so far and the #Day 94 event will continue in that vein”

Amongst the contributors will be

Ade Arogundade – Chair of Manchester’s Nigerian Union

Olusegun Ayodele – Perspective on Nigeria past & present

Ms Bola Lydia Akinyemiju - President Nigerian Students Society, The University of Manchester

Liz Cameron – UNISON, speaking on Child Trafficking

Performers incl. Rejoice, Empress Asher, Venice & Lishon-Sam-Shanice

The evening will be hosted by acclaimed local poet and performer Chanje Kunda.

This is a free event but places are limited so please book places through Z-arts:

Box Office: 0161 232 6089

Email: info@z-arts.org

#BringBackOurGirls Manchester are grateful for the support of Sustained Theatre Up North and Z-arts in the development of this event.

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Comment: Manchester, Cottonopolis and Slavery – Lets have a Parade…

'Going Global' for Manchester?

(This is a personal comment and not representative of the views of Hulme or Manchester Green Parties.)

Sunday June 22^nd 2014 is the annual Manchester Day Parade. The theme this year is ‘Going Global’, looking at Manchester  ‘from Roman fort to Cottonopolis to world class 21C digital city… the original modern city Going Global!’

‘Cottonopolis’ was the period of time when Manchester became a wealthy and powerful city on the back of the cotton industry. The same cotton industry that was built on the backs of slaves and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

While Manchester is proud of many things that can be celebrated as part of a parade, ‘Cottonopolis’ is NOT one of them. It’s an inappropriate subject for such an event. On social media there has been several calls for Manchester City Council to reconsider this part of its festivities but these calls have fallen on stony ground. The lack of response is notable as, despite the Labour Council having 100%of the seats and the mix of ethnicities in Manchester, it  has NO councillors of African Caribbean descent.

The Manchester Evening News in its article “10 reasons for Mancunians to be proud ahead of Manchester Day” says that ‘despite the livelihood of the city and its people depending on cotton, it was Mancunians who campaigned to abolish the trading of slaves from Africa.’

Well that’s nice but that discounts the nearly 250 years of English involvement in the slave trade and Manchester was a major beneficiary. And to be clear, we’re talking about actually real life slavery on an ‘industrial’ scale, not the slightly unsavoury tv version. Millions of people were shipped across the oceans and its estimated nearly 2 million died during transportation alone, some of whom were thrown overboard on purpose so slave ship captains could claim on their insurance for ‘lost property'.

Cottonopolis is one of the first ways Manchester  went ‘global’, its not the type of thing you celebrate by throwing on a costume (unless its supplied by Sainsburys) or decorating a ‘float’.

I, for one, will not be going.

Deyika Nzeribe

(Manchester activists are putting on an alternate event 'Understanding Reparations' Sunday June 22nd 4pm, WIOCC, Manchester).

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Comment: You only think you are a Labour Party supporter (but you’re not)

Its easy to have a go at a rival party just before an election but  an interesting thing happened at a ‘Europe and Immigration’ hustings event yesterday.

On Twitter, the prospective Labour MEP candidate was criticised by a Labour Party supporter in the audience. I was a little embarrassed for him given the twitter feed was on the big screen.

After speaking very receptive members of the audience, there were several  things I should have said, like

• The government’s latest Immigration Bill (which asks landlords to check the status of immigrants, cuts back on the right to migrate to join family and drastically cuts down the ways you can appeal) only got through Parliament with Labour assistance. The Greens opposed it.
• Tuition fees lead to an average student debt of approx £35,000 on a 3 year course.  Labour is planning a commitment to reduce fees from £9000 to £6000. Established Green Party policy is to scrap tuition fees completely. Every young person, every student should be voting Green.
• Labour Party is currently thinking over  renationalising the railways. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas presented a  bill to  Parliament do just that in 2013.
• Labour invented the bedroom tax, the government just extended it
• Labour introduced significant privatisation to the NHS, the government just extended it

Green Party positions on a whole range of issues are more in line with those of Labour party supporters than the Labour Party itself.

What I did do is point the audience to the Vote for Policies website and to make their own mind up.

Everyone should do it and vote accordingly.

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#BringBackOurGirls Vigil Tuesday May 6th Manchester

A ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ Vigil being held tonight 
Tuesday May 6^th, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester from 5pm – 7pm. The Manchester Green Party fully supports this campaign.

For more information visit the Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/events/402072226600264/

A Liverpool vigil is organised for Saturday May 10^th  1pm, St Lukes Bombed Out Church. 

For more details visit 

http://sqmbizmaguk.wix.com/liverpoolbringback.

To sign the petition visit
https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/over-200-girls-are-missing-in-nigeria-please-help-find-them-bringbackourgirls

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