2015-02-18
Josh Wyndham-Kidd
...On your home computer
Have you been following the dramatic rise of the Greens in the UK?
Adam Ramsay, a Scottish Green journalist and author, took us inside the #GreenSurge on Wednesday February26, live in the first global Green Institute webinar of the year. He's just returned to Oxford from Greece, where he covered SYRIZA's win, and he's still writing on the ripples from the Scottish independence referendum - so it was a fascinating session.
If you've got ideas for guests to invite to give global political education seminars like this, please let me know!
...On the way to New Zealand
The next Asia-Pacific Greens Federation Congress has been confirmed for June 12-14 outside Wellington, New Zealand. You can register online right now and check out the draft program, including trainings in party-building and fundraising, organising networks of young people and local government reps across the region - and of course meeting everyone!
It's one of the best chances we'll get to meet Greens from Indonesia, Japan, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, Mongolia, the Solomon Islands, Taiwan and New Zealand. We only have a Congress once every five years, so if you're thinking about coming - you should come.
There will be some funding available for Australian Greens to attend. We're putting the finishing touches on the application process; for now, contact me on international.secretary@greens.org.au to express your interest and find out more. We're also providing funding for developing country delegates to attend the Congress, and contributing ideas and trainers for the Congress program.
…On the way to government?
I've recently spoken to Greens in Greece and Sweden about the challenges of going into national government.
The two parties have taken different approaches to joining government. The Swedish party negotiated with the Social Democrats for a formal coalition and has taken 6 Ministries in Cabinet, including the Climate Ministry, while the Greek Green party joined the SYRIZA left-wing coalition electoral list and now has its first MP and its first Minister.
The people I've spoken to are still really excited about the opportunities ahead to get some radical, green things done - but they both acknowledged some very familiar challenges. Greening every decision but getting credit for none of them, fighting with other governing parties over core issues (notably fossil fuel use in Greece - turns out, coal corrupts everywhere), and making sure to stay true to our principles of transparency were all big difficulties.
I know I'm not the only Australian Green following their experiences with excitement, and wishing them all the best.
…On the Senate floor
Christine Milne has written to the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, urging him to grant clemency to the two Australians currently on death row there. The death penalty is always wrong, and all our MPs and many candidates and members have joined the campaign to cry out against it.
While the Liberals ate themselves last week (and wasn't that fun), they were busy trying to sneak the anti-democratic Transpacific Partnership trade deal in the face of community concerns. Peter Whish-Wilson led the charge against that in the Senate.
And here in Canberra, our Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury joined Global Divestment Day by closing the Commonwealth Bank account he's had since he was a Dollarmite — all because the Big 4 banks refuse to divest from fossil fuels. He's working hard to divest the whole ACT Government, too.
...and on point
Finally: here are divestment campaigners in Bristol, England, singing a slightly modified version of Let It Go, to get their bank out of fossil fuels. (It worked: the city of Bristol just announced they'll divest from fossil fuels too). You're welcome.