The Sheffield Green Party is a local branch of the national Green Party in the UK. We have a small but very active membership, are involved in local campaigns such transport and waste management, and have gained an increasing share of the vote in local and national elections. Following the atrocities in the USA on September 11th, half a dozen of us attended a rally of 300 people in the City Centre and quickly decided that we wanted to be represented on the steering group of the local Stop the War Coalition. Through this group we have helped to organise and had a presence at:
Now that there is a lull in the military action (and the media coverage of it) we, like others, are looking for ways to broaden and deepen the campaign.
The Green Party argues that security depends on removing the causes of violence. This goes far beyond tracking down individuals or groups who use violent means to try to achieve their goals. It involves seeking justice in the sense of making positive efforts to share the world's resources more equitably. And stability is not about a balance of power (or rather terror), but about creating sustainable societies. We feel it is crucial that these wider issues are included in the debate about how to bring about real peace. Caroline Lucas, MEP, is a good role model for us - speaking out against the war in Afghanistan one week and taking her ideas about alternatives to globalisation to the GAT conference in Qatar the next. Our task in Sheffield is to translate this kind of thinking into the local setting, showing people how creating an ecologically sustainable city will ultimately contribute to a safer world.
Over the coming months, we will continue to make these links:
We look forward to hearing reports of the Conference.
Jillian Creasy on behalf of Sheffield Green Party
jcreasy@onetel.net.uk
22 Clarke Street, Sheffield, S10 2BS. UK