Why no Greens?

Just heard on R4 news that it is because UKIP have gained a higher proportion of votes in by elections.

I'm afraid it is just part of the inequality that we are facing, I'm afraid it will only get worse! X

The vast majority of the voting public only hear the soundbites or read the headlines and do not really understand the party they vote for. I think they all have some excellent and some awful policies. All parties should be given a public platform as we are unlikely to sit down to read all the manifestos before we vote. The Greens deserve to be heard.

I agree.

The Greens do deserve to be heard and they have been heard a great deal and have influenced a lot of policies brought in by other parties. Anyone who wants to know what they have to say can find out very easily.

I wonder if UKIP are getting more "media attention" than some people think is fair because they are feared more than Greens? TBH I fear greenism too; it so often sounds totalitarian in attitude — the end justifies the means and all that.

I keep thinking dinners.

Minibags got her weekly greens today—homemade pesto, about a thousand percent better than that stuff in jars that supermarkets sell.

Oh God! I'd better go and cook something now I suppose. Or see what of Waitrose's best is lurking in the freezer.

The greens should be represented if the Lib Dems are - they are not far behind them.

Apparently the libdems are complaining about not being included in BBC election debates too. And I just saw something on Twitter about the SNP complaining too because, they claim, they are the third largest party. Hmm. In Scotland maybe, but not in the UK. Have they already forgotten that Scotland is still part of the UK?

Don't political parties have websites where they publish their policies? One doesn't have to depend on the BBC for information about any of them. I have never, ever watched or listened to a party political BBC broadcast (or any other; are there any others?) but I still manage to vote based on party policies.

There is a petition for anyone who thinks the Green Party is not receiving adequate and fair coverage: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bbc-news-stop-this-media-blackout-of-the-green-party

Blackout is an exaggeration. I saw something in the media about Caroline Lucas, published by the Green Party rather than the BBC admittedly, only today.

And here it is. Not strong on policy, it has to be said.

And perhaps not actually published by the Greens... but she clearly agreed to be photographed smiling in front of the Houses of P.

Perhaps because she's an MP?

And it's on Twitter, so not much room to say anything.
If you want to see more Green policy, watch this.

www.livestream.com/peoplesassembly

I don't rate the Green Party much.

Does anybody know if the Brighton and Hove Council run by the Green Party has at last stopped paying their council staff by using zero contract hours yet?

I believe the bins are now being collected in the area so I guess the strike which lasted ages has now finished.

Each to their own I suppose and that's how it should be.

I do however think that there should be a podium for Natalie Bennett in the debate if the criteria is the 'supposed' share of the vote in the next election. Aren't the Greens now level pegging with the Lib Dems?

Mind you watching today's Daily Politics and seeing the chaos of having 4 party spokesmen/women I can just imagine how having 5 would get nowhere but just become a shouting match and get us nowhere.

I do not rate the Tory party much. Never did, but they are now saying that their biggest mistake was what they did to the NHS.
Do they think we are stupid?

nhap.org/huge-embarrassment-tories-nhs-admission/

Labour began the dismantling of the NHS.

The last Labour Government laid the groundwork for everything that the Tory-led coalition is now doing to the NHS. Market structures, foundation trusts, GP consortia and the introduction of private corporations into commissioning were all products of an ill-conceived Labour vision of “public service reforms”.

That's a quote from the 'OurNHS' website.

What's that got to do with the tories admitting that what they have done to it is their biggest mistake?
They brought in the new health and social care act and completely destroyed the NHS after saying there would be no topdown reorganisation.

Another petition on Change.org to all the news agencies, not just the BBC.

www.change.org/p/bbc-itv-channel-4-sky-include-the-green-party-in-the-tv-leaders-debates-ahead-of-the-2015-general-election

"An object lesson in why it is a disaster to vote Green" by Tim Stanley.

The first comment beneath the article, by Colonel Mustard, amused me: "It just doesn't matter what the reality or consequences of voting Green are. What matters is that the party believe themselves holier than thou and they mean well. Voting for them is a form of selfie."

Which Tim Stanley is this?

Er... the Tim Stanley who wrote that article. That's all I know. I'm interested in WHAT is being said not WHO is saying it.

it matters to me whose opinion I'm reading so I can pass it through a reality filter, especially when it comes to politics. Whether it's written by someone on the far right or the far left; whether the view of an elder statesman or (in this case) a young man; whether they have a vested interest or not, and so on.
But that's just my own preference.

Yes. That's fine. I might use the political spectrum filter later on but I prefer an open-minded filter initially because I think always using the political spectrum filter (or other similar ones) can be prejudicial. So the 'what' remains more important to me than the 'who'.