Spring Conference in London

Back today from spring conference at the Arts Depot, Finchley, where I was re-elected Treasurer of the Green Party Trade Union Group and was also filmed by Winkyball for the general election to go on  their video wall. I put an emergency motion on Haiti but unfortunately conference had not time to debate it. I was also elected to the International Committee, on which I will serve for the next few months.

I did not speak in any motions after the one on marriage equality. I was very supportive of the motion supporting the BMA's and Royal Nursing College's opposition to NHS privatisation and have also mentioned the impact of the recently announced budget cuts in Guy's and St Thomas' Trust in my candidate video. Details of the motion are below.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/18-02-10-Emergency-motion-supports-BMA-campaign-against-NHS-privatisation.html

I also attended a fringe meeting organised by the Trade Union Group on press and broadcasting freedom with a speaker from the NUJ, who warned of the impact of a media purely run for profit and with less and less real poltical reporting.

Last night I chaired the Green Left fringe on 'Mind the Gap. Combating Poverty in the UK' and heard a fascinating talk about health inequalities from my friend Malcolm Alexander, the noted health activist and Chair of the National Association of LINks Members. The conference updated our policy on health and also passed a motion on a maximum wage -something which was long overdue and which I and others in Green Left have supported for some time. Now with only two months, and possibly even less, to the general election, it is full steam ahead to get a good Green result on that day.