*London Mayor confirms that police record and monitor innocent people

Answers from the London Mayor confirm that the Metropolitan Police regularly monitor people who are not suspected of committing any offence. Images and supporting information are kept in anticipation that certain individuals might be involved in protests in the future. This can include filming civil rights monitors who are themselves monitoring the actions of the police.

Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones, who asked the questions, said:

"The Metropolitan Police have spent huge amounts of time and money monitoring innocent people, whilst failing to catch serial rapists because they claim to be over stretched. The police should stop chasing innocent people because they might commit a crime and put that energy into investigating the claims of women who have experienced sexual assault."

"I find it surprising that law abiding Londoners may end up along side known murderers and drug dealers on Crimint, the general database used to catalogue criminal intelligence, on the basis that a police officer thought that they might become involved in unlawful actions. I also find it rather silly that Londoners are paying the police to gather information on protestors who are filming the actions of the police."

The written answers have been received from the London Mayor, March 2009

*Infamous female serial killer doesn't exist,Phantom of Heilbronn is a DNA forensics mixup

For many years, German police have been searching for a seemingly very busy female serial killer. Traces of her DNA have been found in up to 40 crime scenes, dating back to 1993. Finally, the mysterious female has been located, with help from Austrian police.

They found the woman working at her job in a factory packing cotton swabs used to take DNA samples.

Seems that the cotton swabs are sterile and suitable for many medicinal purposes, but were never guaranteed to be totally DNA-free. The procedure to ensure that a swab has absolutely no traces of any DNA makes the product significantly more expensive. Various police forces thought they could go with the cheaper ones simply because they were sterile. Now they've found out that what seemed to be a great deal has ended up wasting thousands of hours in searching for a prolific killer who never existed.


ONE WONDERS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE BANGED UP AS A RESULT OF DODGY FORENSIC EVIDENCE.

* EARTH HOUR - this coming Saturday.

WWF are leading the way with a call to arms this coming Saturday evening. We are all being asked to turn off our lights at 8.30pm for one hour.

This Earth Hour is being supported by an impressive array of companies, organizations and local authorities who all want to high light their concern for the lack of real progress on the issue of climate change.

This is a painless but very visible way of adding our voices to theirs so that politicians and leaders of all kinds get the message that the people of this country really care.

So, if it is at all practical, would you please support this by turning off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday evening and resorting to candles instead.

Would you also forward this to family and friends as the more people who support this, the louder the message will be.

*Calls for bus route to link Finchley to the Royal Free

From The Barnet Press:
MEMBERS of East Finchley Green Party are calling for a new bus route to link Finchley to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, saying there is great public support for the plan.

It takes about an hour, hopping between two buses, to travel from Tally Ho Corner to the hospital in Pond Street – a journey of just five miles which takes about 12 minutes by car.

Noel Lynch, of East Finchley Green Party, has been collecting signatures for a petition calling for a new route.

See the rest of the article here:

http://www.barnet-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=7778&y=2009&searchword=Green%20Party

*28 March at 8.30pm - Earth Hour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CRs-7lRlPo

*Flicking the lights off

A spoof of Sarah Silverman’s now-almost iconic “I’m f**king Matt Damon” skit is doing its bit for the environment…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REmXFArDY_k

*A green martyr

www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/tim-nicholson-a-green-martyr-1648388.html
Tim Nicholson: A green martyr

Sacked executive can argue he was discriminated against because of his belief in climate change, judge rules

19-03-2009 / By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor

An executive sacked from a giant property company can claim he was unfairly dismissed because of his "philosophical belief in climate change", a judge ruled yesterday.

In the first case of its kind, employment judge David Sneath said Tim Nicholson, a former environmental policy officer, could invoke employment law for protection from discrimination against him for his conviction that climate change was the world's most important environmental problem.

That conviction amounted to a philosophical belief under the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations, 2003, the judge ruled on a point of law at a pre-hearing review of an employment tribunal in London.

Mr Nicholson, 41, had been head of sustainability at Grainger plc, Britain's biggest residential property investment company, until he was made redundant in July last year. He is now bringing a case for unfair dismissal, claiming that one of the reasons for his sacking was his strong belief about the importance of the environment - which put him at odds, he said, with other senior executives within the firm.

Grainger had good written policies both on the environment and corporate social responsibility, Mr Nicholson told the hearing - but there was a "mismatch" between the policies and the way in which the firm was managed. When he tried to get
it to act in a more environmentally responsible way, he said, senior company executives obstructed him.

In a written statement submitted to the hearing, and then in oral evidence, Mr Nicholson listed a series of examples where, he said, Grainger's practices were very different from its proclaimed environmental stance. One of his jobs, he said, was to try to establish a carbon management strategy for the company - which had been listed as a target in the annual report and accounts. But when he tried to work out the firm's carbon footprint to implement it, senior staff from the
human resources and financial departments refused him the necessary data.

Grainger's green policies would sometimes be shown to potential clients as part of a company package, he said, but the firm's executives would turn up at the meetings in "some of the most highly polluting cars on the road".

There was no control on how many flights people took, he said, so, "given the carbon intensity of flying", he raised his concerns with the company's chief executive, Rupert Dickinson, but never received a direct reply to his email. Eventually he was told by another member of staff that there would be no change to existing policy. In his written statement Mr Nicholson said: "He [Mr Dickinson] showed contempt for the need to cut carbon emissions by flying out a member of the IT staff to Ireland to deliver his BlackBerry that he had left behind in London."

Grainger had sought to have Mr Nicholson's attempt to use the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations struck out. Counsel for the company, Harry Trory, contended at length that Mr Nicholson's views on climate change and the environment were based on fact and science, and did not constitute a philosophical belief.

But the judge found in favour of Mr Nicholson.

"In my judgment, his belief goes beyond a mere opinion, he said,

Mr Nicholson told the hearing that his green beliefs affected how he lived his life,
"including my choice of home, how I travel, what I buy, what I eat and drink, what I do with my waste and my hopes and my fears".

He said: "For example, I no longer travel by airplane. I have eco-renovated my home. I try to buy local produce. I have reduced my consumption of meat. I compost my food waste.

"I encourage others to reduce their carbon emissions and I fear very much for the future of the human race, given the failure to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale."

Aged 41, and married with a small son, Mr Nicholson now works for a green medical charity in Oxford. He said after the hearing: "I am pleased with the result, and I hope this sets a predecent that will support anyone who shares my views on climate change and the environment."

The full employment tribunal is now set to take place from 4 June. Grainger might consider an appeal against yesterday's ruling, Mr Trory said.

*European Green Party Song Contest

TODAY is the LAST DAY you can make your voice heard and vote for the campaign song!

Please go to EGP 's website, register and vote for your favourite song.
http://europeangreens.eu/greenvisionvoting/


Think Big Vote Green! :
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Think-Big-Vote-Green/51666949887?ref=nf

* Come to a St. Patrick's Day party this Saturday night.

SATURDAY 14 MARCH 8-11 ish

GRAND ST PATRICK'S DAY (GREEN) PARTY

at 98 Torrington Park London, Finchley N12 9PJ.

Suggest to all to bring a bottle or dish.
Suggested donation of £5 pp (or whatever you wish) towards the Green Party Euro election fund..

'Party' Food will be available.
DJ and dancing plus good conversation - an enjoyable evening.

Phone noel for further info on 07961 44 1722

*CONFERENCE ON SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY IN EUROPE

Green Islands Network and London Federation of Green Parties

Saturday 14th March 1.30pm to 4.30pm at Dragon Hall, Stukeley Street, London, WC1. All welcome.


1. Discussion of Surveillance in Europe with Tony Bunyan, Jean Lambert MEP and Guy Herbert

2. The Security State – Northern Ireland Today with Steven Agnew and Jean Lambert MEP


The conference will be followed by a social and networking Event in the Ship Inn, Gate Street, Holborn (Complimentary food and drink) 5pm onwards.

* Roll up for the environmental 'auction floor'

John Vidal
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 March 2009 00.05 GMT


Buy a bright idea

Found a spare million euros down the back of the sofa and fancy supporting a worthwhile green cause? The European commission wants to hear from you. With too many problems in the world and not enough money, the EC plans a Dragons' Den-style event in Brussels on Friday, where project organisers can pitch for cash. The environmental "auction floor" conference will showcase almost 100 proposals for EC grants that were rated highly but were refused "simply due to budget limitations". Potential donors – countries, private funds, foundations and others – can choose from biodiversity initiatives and efforts to promote clean energy and protect forests. Roll up, roll up!

Pile 'em high
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which has billions of pounds to clean up nuclear waste but has no brief to support or oppose nuclear energy, is using some pretty perverse logic these days. Last week, Richard Mrowicki, head of strategy and business planning, claimed that building new nuclear plants on the sites of existing ones would reduce decommissioning costs because the sites of ageing reactors will not have to be returned to greenfield status. Come again, Richard? Surely if you build more reactors it will increase the radioactive waste stockpile, which you – or someone else – will have to clean up?

*One Address: Planet Earth

One of the songs performed by Stepan at Sunday night's gig:



The flowers that were growing here

Will blossom here no more

The hearts and minds of bureaucrats

Are rotten to the core

There’s no investigation

And no builders hesitation

As the playing field makes way

For yet another shopping mall.

The trees that once were growing here

Are learning of their fate

The bricks and slabs are piling up

To build a new estate

The trees end up as household wood

We’re told it’s for the public good

And not to worry

Saving earth is something that can wait.

As species our divisions are

The mountains trees and seas.

So why do we spend time and effort

Making more than these?

When it comes to caring

For the rock on which we live

All we’ve done is take and take

But no one wants to give.

Temperatures are rising now

And so are all the seas,

And gas and coal and oil use

And emissions from all these.

If nuclear ‘s an option

Then what lesson does it take

To make us learn and not repeat

Chernobyl’s big mistake?

The animals keep vanishing

As we proliferate

Then we spend time destroying

Other humans that we hate.

If aliens are watching us

They’ll give this place a miss

And keep it from their children

Hoping ignorance is bliss.

As forests turn to open fields

And fields then turn to sand

How will we tell our children

That they just don’t understand?

The world that we are giving them’s

Becoming a disgrace

A testament of failure

To the stupid human race.

So let me tell you something

If I may, for what its worth

We all have one address

And that address is Planet Earth.

© Stepan Pasicznyk 31/3/06

The youtube video address for this song is

http://www.co2-footprint.co.uk

*Sea levels rising twice as fast as predicted

Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica force UN scientists to issue dramatic warning

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, The Independent.


Wednesday, 11 March 2009


Sea levels are predicted to rise twice as fast as was forecast by the United Nations only two years ago, threatening hundreds of millions of people with catastrophe, scientists said yesterday in a dramatic new warning about climate change. Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are likely to push up sea levels by a metre or more by 2100, swamping coastal cities and obliterating the living space of 600 million people who live in deltas, low-lying areas and small island states.


Low-lying countries with increasing populations, such as Bangladesh, Burma and Egypt, could see large parts of their surface areas vanish. Experts in Bangladesh estimate that a one-metre rise in sea levels would swamp 17 per cent of the country's land mass. Pacific islands such as Tuvalu, where 12,000 people live just a few feet above sea level, and the Maldives, would face complete obliteration.

Even Britain could face real challenges in lower-lying areas along the east coast, from Lincolnshire to the Thames estuary, with a much greater risk of catastrophic "storm surges" such as the great flood of 1953 that killed 307 people.


The challenge facing the world's biggest polluters
Yesterday's urgent wake-up call to governments about global warming – telling them the data on which they are basing their official advice is flawed – came from four scientists from the US, Australia, France and Germany, who gave a press conference at a scientific meeting on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Konrad Steffen, from the University of Colorado, Dr John Church, of the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research in Tasmania, Dr Eric Rignot, of Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, and Professor Stefan Rahmsdorf, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, are all experts in sea-level rise. Their views represent the mainstream opinion of researchers in the field, taking account of the most recent data.

Only two years ago, the UN's Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its Fourth Assessment Report, or AR4, that the worst-case prediction for global sea-level rise was 59cm by 2100. But the scientists in Copenhagen suggested that the 2007 report was a drastic underestimation of the problem, and that oceans were likely to rise twice as fast.

Yesterday's meeting was a scientific overture to the global conference on climate change, which takes place in the Danish capital in December. The four researchers underlined how critical it is that world leaders act to slash the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from industry and transport which are causing the atmosphere to overheat.

Advance negotiations begin in three weeks in Bonn. On pages 20 and 21, we illustrate in detail just how great the task is, profiling the main emitters of CO2 and what they are doing – or not doing – to cut back. Yesterday's alarm call was clearly intended to inject more urgency into the process.

Rising sea levels are caused by the thermal expansion of the ocean – where water increases in volume as it warms. But although the melting of ice already floating in the sea does not add to the level, because it is already displacing its own mass, melting into the sea of land-based ice most definitely does.

It is the accelerated melting of the vast, land-based ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, caused by rapidly rising temperatures at high latitudes, which is now speeding up the increase beyond anything previously forecast. The Greenland ice sheet, in particular, is not simply melting but melting "dynamically" – that is, it is collapsing in parts as meltwater seeps down through crevices and speeds up its disintegration. Critically, the four scientists said, this process was not taken into account in the AR4 report, leading to estimates of sea-level increase which were far too low.

They revealed remarkable figures showing just how fast it is now happening. Professor Steffen said Greenland was losing 200 to 300 cubic-kilometres of ice into the sea each year – about the same amount as all the ice in Arctic Europe. This on its own is causing the global sea level to rise by more than a millimetre a year, he added, whereas a decade ago Greenland's contribution to sea level rise was non-existent.

Dr Church said that the most recent satellite and in situ data showed seas were now rising by more than 3mm a year – more than 50 per cent faster than the average for the 20th century.

"As a result of improved estimates of the observed rise, the thermal expansion, the melting of the glaciers and of the ice sheets, we now have a much better quantitive understanding of why sea level is rising," he said. "Without significant, urgent and sustained emissions reductions, we will cross a threshold which will lead to continuing sea level rise of metres."

Professor Steffen added: "What we have learnt in the past three or four years is that the ice dynamic is much stronger than the models indicated, and the prediction has to be revised up to a metre or more – which is enormous if you look at the impact."

Britain's Environment Agency was apparently unique when it discarded the IPCC's 2007 advice as flawed. Based on its own estimates, it is planning flood defences for 2100 on the basis of a one-metre rise in sea levels – with a "worst-case scenario" of 2.7 metres.

"These startling new predictions spell disaster for millions of the world's poorest people," said Rob Bailey, Oxfam's policy adviser on climate change. "Poor coastal communities in countries such as Bangladesh are already struggling to cope with a changing climate, and it can only get worse. This must be a wake-up call for rich countries who are not doing anywhere near enough to prevent these cataclysmic predictions from becoming a reality."

*The Gig

Even though the crowd was small, everyone present agreed that it was a wonderful evening. We had three great acts - very different, but complimented each other very well:

Sarah Ellen Hughes really won over the crowd with what Jean Lambert MEP referred to as a stunningly beautiful jazz version of "Over the Rainbow" It is easy to see why she was lead vocalist with the National Jazz Orchestra. She was ably accompanied by her sister Anna, a Hackney Green Party activist.

Tower Hamlets Green Party member, Morgan Phillips, performed some great self-penned numbers, quite funny with a dark tinge. His final song about the 400,000 mobile phones lost each year in London taxis was quite humorous until he made the connection with the hundreds of thousands killed in resources wars in the Congo - much of it for the material to make all these mobile phones! It was a virtuoso performance. You can see him on his website, but he is actually much better live www.myspace.com/mogsiemusic

Stepan Pasicnzyk http://www.youtube.com/ukrainianmusicvideo
a Ukrainian-Irish accordion player, did not need a mike. He has a wonderful deep voice. He performed Ukrainian songs in English and some English songs in Ukrainian.

Where else would you hear a wonderful rendition of Bob Marley's Redemption Song - in Ukrainian? Not to mention Boney M's 'Rasputin' in Ukrainian to the tune of the X-Files. This latter really got the crowd clapping and stomping. Wonderful stuff!!

Next gig is on Sunday April 19th. 8pm at Capirinha Jazz Bar, 177 Archway Road, N6
Admission is free and we hope to keep up the high standard.

*Green Party Monthly Gig

at The Capirinha Jazz Bar, 177 Archway Road, London N6 5BL

THIS SUNDAY, March 8th.
8pm-late

We have a wide range of acts, so an entertaining night is guaranteed.

There might be time for an open mike.

Among the performers are:

Sarah Ellen Hughes:
Hackney jazz singer Sarah Ellen Hughes performs with her sister Anna on guitar. A proficient and versatile singer, Sarah has been singing on the London jazz scene for just over a year. She has worked with such musicians as Dave O’Higgins, Jim Hart, Iain Mackenzie and Gareth Lockrane. Prior to this, Sarah spent 3 years as the principal vocalist of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO), most notably performing at Ronnie Scott's (Jan 07 & Jan 08), Pizza Express Dean Street, and The Stables.

Stepan Pasicnzyk
Former accordionist co-writer with The Ukrianians for Vorony and Kultura
Musically active in various stuff before them, and after after various session work including for projects by Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, Justin Sullivan of New Model Army, a London Theatre music accompaniment arrangement, & sessioned on Swills (TMTCH) Elivis Lives Here and currently putting out odds and ends on iTunes
http://www.the-ukrainian.co.uk

Morgan Phillips.
Singer songwriter.
www.myspace.com/mogsiemusic


Admission is free (The Green bucket will be passed around)

Why not bring along your friends?

Jean Lambert MEP will be in attendance.

The Jazz Bar is just about 200 yards downhill from Highgate Tube. Busses 43, 134 and 263 pass the door.

It's across the road from The Green Room, so you can call in there before the gig.

Further details from Noel on 07961 44 1722

*Green Party job

Communications Assistant - European Elections
temporary position, 3 days per week until 12 June 2009
£19,005 pro-rata


http://www.greenparty.org.uk/jobs.html

We need a part time communications assistant to work with our press team to support our media and online campaigns for the European Parliament elections on June 4th.

If you are interested please email your cv to recruitment@greenparty.org.uk

For an informal chat, please contact Tracy Dighton-Brown, external communications co-ordinator on the Green Party's national executive, on 07595 250111.

Closing date: 10am Tuesday 10 March

* London Green News.

The latest edition of our mass-circulation tabloid newspaper is now being distributed across London.

LGN has a printrun of 200,000 with high production values.

Articles include:

Jean's Euro-vision.
London Greens go on-line.
Barnet Bus Blues.
Don't cut Lewisham Hospital Services.
Croydon Greens save school.
Camden fights for a living wage.
Mayor's budget costs families and environment.
London lagging behind on keeping warm.
EU support needed in Gaza.
Assembly calls for Fairtrade boroughs.
Greens condemn Heathrow expansion.
Mayor fails on transport for London.
DNA breached Londoners' rights.
Mayor demonizes London youth.
No plane sailing for Heathrow.
Troubles with Asda.
Continental shift - Green initiatives around Europe.
Meet your Euro-Greens.
Why vote in the European Elections on 4 June.
Local Food for local people?
Food, fun and Festivals.
June election chance for Greens.



You can see it here:
http://london.greenparty.org.uk/

We urgently need help with deliveries. Contact me on noellynch at lineone.net

+ UK BETRAYS PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE - AS EVER

Only four of the 27 European Union nations -- Britain, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden -- supported the EU Commission's bid to force the two member states to lift their GM ban.

These four rogue states were acting illogically, since EU ministers agreed unanimously on 4 December 2008 that national bans on GM crops would be respected; that GM risk assessment in the EU is not fulfilling legal requirements and must be improved; that long term impacts of GM releases have not been properly assessed; that independent scientific opinion should be taken into account; and that insecticidal GM crops such as MON810 maize should also be assessed under EU pesticide laws because of the toxins they release.

Speaking about UK environment minister Hilary Benn's betrayal of this agreement, Dr Brian John of GM Free Cymru said: "It beggars belief that Mr Benn should sign up for the unanimous statement by the EU's Environment Ministers on 4 December, and then vote with the Commission today. This is the second time this year that he has voted with the Commission for GMO releases, demonstrating either a lack of good faith or a very short memory. When are we going to get some joined-up thinking in DEFRA?"

Benn's vote also failed to reflect the views of the national assemblies/parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

http://www.greenpartyni.org/



+ ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THE VOTE
Links to multiple articles.
http://hejdagmo.se/2009/03/03/grattis-gmo-fria-osterrike-och-ungern/

"I just hope that [the pro-GM head of the EU Commission] Barroso will realise that the commission needs to change its position o[n] GMOs. It's completely unacceptable that essentially they keep trying to bulldoze through their pro-GM agenda in spite of public opposition and we know that a vast majority of citizens in just about all of the member states are not in favour of GMOs." - Caroline Lucas, Green MEP
http://tiny.cc/lswOy

*Vote - Caroline Lucas!

Dear all,


I hope you'll agree with me that Caroline very much deserves to win the Observer Award for Ethical Politician of the Year 2009


Please cast your vote for Caroline Lucas before the deadline which is this coming Monday 9th March!


Here's the link:


https://www.global-research.net/oea/