Green Party Opposed to Royal MailPrivatisation

The Green Party urges residents in

West and South Dorset to write to

our MPs asking them to oppose the

privatisation of the Royal Mail.

The planned privatisation will initially

guarantee the current universal postal

service. But in time, after increasing

profits by changing the pay and

conditions of the already relatively low

paid postal workers, profits will be

increased further by reducing services in

rural areas. It is known that residents in

rural areas will have to pay more for deliveries.

This will badly affect people living in rural counties like ours.

We would like residents to ask our MPs why an industry which makes a

profit for us, the taxpayers, is being sold. Not only will this profit now flow

to the private sector but our villages will lose their friendly postmen and

women who often do more for our communities than simply push letters

through doors.

The answer will be that a private company can borrow money and increase

its profit further. But, given that private companies find all sorts of ways of

avoiding tax, this profit will only benefit the new shareholders while making

rural residents, after the postal workers, pay for it.

And as the pay of the postal workers falls, taxpayers will have to support

them through the benefits system ­ an indirect subsidy for the new

shareholders. Far too many essential services have been privatised like

this, only to come back to us for similar subsidies.

To allow this to happen to the Royal Mail will be a price too high for all of

us in Dorset, especially those in our villages.

Green Matters

news from the Green Party in West and South Dorset

www.westandsouthdorset.greenparty.org.uk Summer 2013

NewsTolpuddle

We were represented again this year at the Tolpuddle

Festival on a sweltering weekend in July. We were able

to use our eye­catching new banner stand to hand out

literature, and then we joined the grand procession of

banners through Tolpuddle village on the Sunday, running

the gauntlet of the anti­wind farm protestors! We had a

constructive discussion with one of them during which no

one was hurt.

On The Road

Trusty local Greens will be taking the banner stand on the

road this Summer to the deepest, darkest parts of Dorset

that no other political parties can reach. If anyone would

like to come along please can they contact

anne@phonecoop.coop for dates (mainly Wednesdays

and Saturdays) and locations which are currently being

organised.

Boot Hill, Weymouth

In June, we took residents’ concerns over the new

junctions at Boot Hill and Asda to the Traffic Managers at

Dorset County Council. Clare Sutton says, “They said

they will not walk away from any problems and are

actively monitoring the junctions. But we are calling on

Councillors to give a more balanced assessment of the

'success' of the Weymouth Transport Package. We also

need to see more action to reduce air pollution along

Boot Hill."

We have made a successful Freedom of Information

Request to release all data on air quality in Weymouth.

Soon to be on our own website it can also be found here:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/air_quality_3#i

ncoming­404243

Now, in July, we have 2 weeks of disruption caused by

Southern Electric replacing a cable. Dorset County

Council has stated in answer to our query, that it believes

it has the necessary powers under the New Roads and

Streetworks Act 1991 to coordinate and direct work. In

the past WPBC did use the same powers to prevent non

emergency streetworks during the peak of the holiday

season. Why can't DCC now that it has taken over the

role of highway authority?

www.westandsouthdorset.greenparty.org.uk

SWDorsetGreens

West and South Dorset Green Party

email: westandsouthdorset@greenparty.org.uk

Photo: Dave Bonta

RE

Jane Burnet

EVENTS

AUGUST

Tuesday 13th, Weymouth.

Action at Weymouth Railway station for “the RPI

day of action” when inflation figures are

announced which determine the increases in

train fares. For more info contact

anne@phonecoop.coop

Sat 17th Dorchester. EARTHWORKS mini

festival organised by Churches Together Ecology

group, Dorchester Borough Gardens from

11.00am with music, craft, stalls, body painting,

skittles and fun.

SEPTEMBER

Sat 14th 9.30am­1pm, Dorchester.

W+P Transition Towns are organsing a half­day

seminar on Climate Change with Oliver Letwin

MP, John Tomblin (W+P Transition Towns) and

Pete West (Renewable Energy Development

Officer, DCC) making presentations. To register

and to book a place please contact John Tomblin

on 01305 832180 or email jvtomblin@aol.com

Friday 13th ­ Monday 16th, Brighton.

Green Party Conference, Metropole Hotel.

OCTOBER

Sat 19th 11am to 3pm. Bridport

Community Orchard Apple Day

Opinion Piece:

Economic Folly?The three main Parties at Westminster are all repeating the mantra

that growth is the way out of our economic problems. They only differ

over how best to encourage it. However, we experienced GDP

growth right up to the start of the financial crisis in 2008 and that very

growth was the source of many problems. In prosperous economies

virtually all growth is now simply waste of the earth’s resources and

does not improve overall contentment. Worse than that, it is

contributing to climate change and is effectively consumption in the

present at the expense of future generations. I feel the Green Party

needs to explicitly reject the growth model and put forward a coherent

alternative.

Just as contraction and convergence is the only convincing proposal

for tackling emissions on a global scale, the same principle applies to

wider resource consumption. On a finite planet the much­needed

economic growth in poorer countries needs to be accommodated by

reducing consumption in the rich world. Rich societies need to start

planning for managed contraction. Fortunately that can co­exist with a

better quality of life and a healthier society. A large part of our existing

economic activity is trivial and excessive private consumption or

wasted state expenditure on countering the consequences of our

mismanaged and inegalitarian society. Examples are the bloated

police and prison system, our costly and pointless military expenditure

and unemployment benefit for millions while many millions more work

excessive hours. Income and work need to be shared far more

equally among the population and a 30­hour week would rapidly

ensure this, allied to the citizen’s income and a tax system that

eliminates the super rich.

Approaches like the Green New Deal (massive public investment into

energy efficiency, renewables etc.) are welcome but should not be

presented as a more effective way to generate growth – rather they

should form part of the strategy to make managed economic

contraction compatible with a fairer, healthier society.

Green Party Meetings for members and supportersMonday September 30th, 7.30pm, in the side room at The George,

Bridport, including a discussion on Renewable Energy and we begin the

process of choosing our general election candidates.

Monday October 28th, 7.30pm, in the Cerne Abbas Room at the United

Church, Dorchester: Business meeting

Mon November 25th, 7.30pm, in the Town Council Room at the Willowbed

Hall, Chickerell, including a discussion on Europe or Austerity (tbc)

Printed and promoted on behalf of West and South Dorset Green Party by Brian Heatley, Lorton Barn, Lorton Lane Weymouth DT3 5QH 270713

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Contributions to the newsletter are welcome at any time. The next issue will be in

October. Articles, news, letters, replies, information, events, opinion pieces, rants,

book or music reviews... please send to the newsletter editor, Richard Edwards,

via email to: westandsouthdorset@greenparty.org.uk

Julian Jones