Conference feedback

Back from conference in Hove last night and feeling really hopeful but exhausted. The two Green Left fringes were really exceptional, only let down by the fact that Jeremy Corbyn MP was unable to attend the Afghanistan one but his place was taken by Tom Willis from Sussex University Students Union and Stop the War Coalition activist. Farid Bakht also gave an excellent presentation.

This was followed on Friday by the motion on the war which reiterated the party's support for an immediate withdrawal of UK forces from Afghanistan and for NATO forces to follow. It also called for a peace conference and the protection of the rights of refugees and minorities in Afghanistan. As Caroline Lucas said in her speech on Friday "we are a bold party with bold policies" and it is clear that we are now the main anti-war party along with Respect. I proposed the motion and was very happy to see it passed nem con and as the party's national delegate to Stop the War Coalition I will be reporting back on this. I also reminded the conference of the major demonstration in London on October 24th against the war in Afghanistan organised by Stop the War and others.

The Green Left fringe on the green coalition experience on Saturday with former Irish Green councillor Bronwen Maher was also fascinating and I was the other speaker. Thanks to second generation Irish Councillor Romayne Phoenix from Lewisham for chairing it. Bronwen publicised the event in Ireland beforehand and it has received extensive coverage in the Irish press. The text of Bronwen's speech is to be found here

I also attended the Green Party Trade Union Group fringe on Welfare and Low Pay and was proud to propose an emergency motion on behalf of the Group supporting the efforts of trade unions to organise migrant workers and deploring the removal of cleaners from Latin America working at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London last June with the connivance of the management after it became clear that the cleaners had unionised. The motion also praised those student activists who occupied SOAS for days and secured a promise that nothing like that would happen again.

Another highlight for me was the meeting organised by the Equality Trust indicating the strength of the economic and environmenal argument that more equal societies are not only healthier and less violent but also more ecologically aware. The research presented demonstrates clearly that social justice and environmental concerns must go hand in hand.

Caroline Lucas's speech on the need to transform UK politics also first class.

Good to see some good candidates elected on to the Executive and various committees - congratulations especially to my Green Left colleagues and friends Andy Hewett and Farid Bakht/Phelim Mac Cafferty who were elected to the posts of Campaigns and International Coordinators respectively (the latter being a job share).

The party's policy on Israel and Palestine was also updated and I took part in the workshop on that.

I opposed the motion on the recall of MPs because I believe that it will be used essentially by right wing press and populist movements to deselect MPs who have a radical or leftwing agenda, as happened in California with Schwarzenegger. The motion was passed but I believe that an amendment is necessary to ensure that any such recall mechanism was not used for such purposes but only on grounds of illegal or inappropriate behaviour. I am quite fearful of the power of populist movements at present - witness the fuss around Esther Rantzen when nobody knows what her policies are - just that she is well known and agin the sitting MP.

It was good to see old friends at conference and get to know new ones. The Green awards at the end of conference is an excellent innovation and I was glad to see Cllr Romayne Phoenix win one for 'Green Campaigner' which she most certainly has been over the last year. I also have an award to deliver to fellow Lambeth member Remco Van der Stroep for organising the European election campaign bus tour in London.

I am now off on a well earned holiday for ten days and shall resume blogging on my return. The TUC conference next week promises to offer more interesting news and the Labour Party and Lib Dem conferences are soon to follow.