[Helen:] Right shall we
[Andy:] Yes start where we the last meeting I guess.
[Helen:] Right the last meeting was nineteenth of January last Wednesday. Present were Mark Bob John Andrew. No apologies received. Erm Mark facilitating. And we decided not to record the meeting because we had objections which is fair enough. Coordinator's report. Steve reported on Heworth Green car park demo. He'd been asked to get in touch with Mike for advice. Erm and Mike told us that new reports commi commissioned by the City Council and the new owners claimed there is no danger. Mike said that the chemicals involved were mobile as well as being potent and their ability is a potential explanation for lack of results in the Council's study. There is legitimate concern that the meeting decided that little could be done at this time we might be able to contribute to the campaign at a later stage. Leaflets campa campaign were distributed. Erm to be discussed at a future meeting for Steve to speak on the subject. That's for now. It's being. Erm Secretary's report. The stall is booked for Saturday for the energy conservation bill campaign. Erm and I I've requested an application form from the City Council for a demonstration for the big box pile up on the twelfth of February. Letters have been sent to Hugh about both of these campaigns. The police shelter erm both sets of student greens and Dick and your own candidate erm asking for their help with the big box pile up. Correspondence had been received from the green machine and the secretary was asked to write for more information because we weren't convinced with exactly what they were doing. Erm we'd also received information from the North Yorkshire European erm I've got M Y E C O and I can't remember what the C O stands for. Limited which seemed mostly to involve advertising and but I'd written off and told them their candidate was. We'd received a campaigns update from central office and had registered the big box pile up campaign with that campaign coordinator. We decided to buy twenty letter box stickers which I am to send for and give you the cheque to this end. Treasurer reported that there was no change and then there suddenly was because Andy demanded to be paid for production expenses. So we all got very excited because it was the first money we'd spent for a long time. Membership secretary circulated the latest membership list. John agreed to check that there aren't any more problems with our membership with John at central office just to make sure that we're all sorted. Complications coordinator distributed the postcards that he'd he printed and the S T V voting regulations he was requested to bring on. is on the way. No matters arose from previous minutes. The energy conservation bill. agreed to take to set up and take down the stall and be there for most of the day. Andy agreed to go and help set up and Bob likewise. Mark said he'd get along later on when he could. We decided to use our green ballot box that we made and painted for the Maastricht campaign for people to post their cards into so that we can count them at the end and post them all together. Erm hopefully Terry reported that he'd received a reply to his initial letter about the energy conservation bill. Confusing facilities. Mark shortly to get a L C two computer and suggested that it may be green party especially if we could purchase a suitable printer. petty cash and major postage. Ten pounds was given to forty five Broadway and a donation towards the phone bill. As the secretary's doing a lot of postal work Helen to keep the petty cash tin and present present the book at each meeting for inspection. She was also given a cheque for nineteen pounds to buy a hundred second cla second class stamps for the postcard campaign. The secretary then gave a briefing on the big box pile up campaign. He explained that it was something like new party policy on homelessness and would involve a march into town piling up lots of boxes and collecting signatures on a Valentine type partition to give to Hugh. Under any other business Humphrey challenged ha reported that he had challenged British Nuclear advertising campaign in which they claimed they're going to cause pollution. Erm unfortunately the advertising standards didn't uphold uphold the complaint but at least we made a point. Tasks to carry forward to the next meeting. Helen had to write to Penny erm voicing the all green party's objection to the supporters scheme that the National Party are putting out. Helen was about conference accommodation and John agreed to write to Jean complaining about the miserable letter they're sending out to people who've lapsed. Items to carry on to future agendas included the MacDonalds and affiliation and working with other groups. And the meeting adjourned at nine thirty two.
[Andy:] Okay does anybody object to those minutes or are we willing to pass them as a pretty accurate account
[Helen:] Well we need to go to the reports first.
[Andy:] Yeah?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah. He has an officer's report. Yeah.
[Helen:] Oh right. No you're right we agreed. The matters arising holds you off the reports.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Right oh.
[Andy:] So any objections to those minutes?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] No.
[Andy:] Right. the secretary's minutes.
[Helen:] Ha you haven't seen the spelling.
[Andy:] Coordinator's report please before we have to spell check the minutes.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Well staggeringly enough I don't actually have one this week because the only things I have to report are covered at in under energy conservation bill. So unless er anyone has any direct questions for me from the meeting erm
[Helen:] Erm can you confirm that we're doing the Green World stuffing?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Ah excellent yes yes. That is erm one piece of good news. We've confirmed that we're doing er the mail-out for Green World five. That'll be the weekend of the twelfth thirteenth of February. Erm the pay will be slightly less than last time. Erm but there we go er and everything's under way for that. And erm it should be reasonably light work. We we're keeping it under the first weight bracket er for for cost reasons. And there's there will be about four thousand to do. So same same as before, we'll be coordinating it from forty five Broadway and we'll erm be open house for for volunteers and I'll draw up a rota. Erm we'll we'll go for a couple of social eve evenings but probably the bulk of it will be during the day the er Saturday and Sunday. And that as far as I know is that.
[Neil:] That's on behalf of the national party it is?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] That's right. That Green World is the new national newsletter which took over from news and erm because I'm on the editorial board
[Neil:] Right.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] and I'm the mail-out coordinator we've we've so far mailed out all but one of the of the new magazines and er we didn't do the last one but we're we're scheduling up for doing this one. And it's the sort of
[Neil:] I wondered how I wondered how there was a personal message on one of my er Green World.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] What we tend to do we get bored after the first two thousand [LAUGHTER] and we start writing people letters [].
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Absolutely yeah. Erm and it's a birthday issue and and a quite an important one for setting up for the Euros and the mail action. So there'll be the Great World six will come out just long enough after the May elections to record our victories er as stop press. So er [LAUGHTER] yes []. So er this this one is setting everybody up for May and starting the the process for erm for June the the Euros and well to a certain extent we're building up already for any any editor content.
[Neil:] So so issue six will come out between the local and the Euro elections?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] That's right. Just after the er soon after the May elections as as physically possible
[Neil:] Mm.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] with the deadline printing deadlines.
[Andy:] Do we have a secretary's report?
[Helen:] We do. Erm I haven't heard anything yet erm about the demo form from the erm City Council so I'll give them a boot up their backside because it'll be a week since he said he put it in the post so. So erm so I can't confirm booking for that yet but we do have one more meeting before the big box pile up so not to worry. I wrote to Green Machine. No reply as yet. Erm I ordered and received the letter box stickers this morning. So if anybody wants to buy a letter box sticker now's your chance. The actual size they said. How much did we say in the newsletter?
[Andy:] Well we didn't. Erm
[Helen:] Oh didn't we?
[Andy:] I might be able to find it but I didn't put no I can't
[Helen:] Didn't we put it in?
[Andy:] No because we didn't have them then and there's another newsletter shortly so
[Helen:] Oh alright. Erm
[Andy:] And there [LAUGHTER] wasn't space [].
[Helen:] Erm erm erm okay in that case erm think of a number.
[Neil:] No we paid what one pound fifty for
[Helen:] We paid ten P each well ten P each plus fifteen P postage.
[Andy:] Probably somewhere in the region of twenty P each.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] No exactly [LAUGHTER] fiftee fifteen P [].
[Andy:] Fifteen P mm. Yeah but if we charge twenty P each we're actually making a profit selling them.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] That was the idea. I
[Helen:] Well the people who make them sell them for forty P er twenty P rather.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I hereby move that we do similarly.
[Helen:] Lets.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER]
[Neil:] Stack them high and sell them cheap.
[Andy:] Erm oh we'll they're going to go for twenty P plus cost of the stamped addressed return envelope
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] friend.
[Helen:] Which is slightly more [LAUGHTER] than some people [] do with their money. Erm... where are we. Oh yes orders to receive letter box stickers. Erm... Lisa is that I'm not quite sure, from the York University student rooms, is in to help us with the big box pile up. And having spoken to her on Saturday when she came along to the energy conservation stall I intend to invite her if it's alright with the meeting to our next meeting which is on the ninth of February to discuss how the Greens can help how the University Greens can help us with that demonstration. And perhaps forge a link you never know. So if that's that's approved I'll give that a tick and so we can bring it up again later.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Great.
[Helen:] Erm I've also received information on conference accommodation and on the billboards but I've billed those as separate items so that you don't listen to me half off all evening. That's it.
[Andy:] Okay. Do we have a treasurer's report in absent here?
[Helen:] No he's absent. He's. But I do have something from the membership secretary.
[Andy:] Right so that's other officers. membership secretary.
[Helen:] Well the membership secretary, if I can remember how to spell it, erm mm has indeed been in touch with erm John who very kindly sent us a free copy of erm their version of our membership list. Which is how we found out that one that we have a new member erm Sally who I'll add on to my list and er send a newsletter to. Also Joan Ian and Mrs Green erm we all thought they joined locally and the national party have no record. It's the same old story. Erm John has suggested that we send their membership on and then that's definitely it. We're now all up to date and we agree with head office and we can take it from here.
[Andy:] Erm one minor alteration on that point. I've got a membership card for possibly er previous
[Helen:] From January.
[Andy:] sort of yeah from the end of January's er
[Helen:] You've got six month's free membership don't worry about it.
[Andy:] Yeah I wasn't worrying about the six month's free membership. But it does put in rather six months out of phase with the local membership so at least
[Helen:] Well John sorted that he's brought you up to date now.
[Andy:] Mm.
[Helen:] Because you know it's the same thing.
[Andy:] I was gonna give the er local party er [LAUGHTER] it'll be sixteen months [] worth local membership
[Helen:] If you want to give us a donation that's entirely welcome.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Perfectly acceptable.
[Andy:] I'll buy some. I've already bought some
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER] yeah. []
[Andy:] bought some more er
[Helen:] So what Joe wanted the meeting to decide is should we ask Mark to send off a cheque for those three people?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I think that's the only way to proceed to to sort out this tangle once and for all.
[Andy:] Yeah. You see apart from anything else if those people joined through us then we we must make good.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And we fixed it. The system's fixed so.
[Andy:] Yeah. It it has to be fixed by either us or the national party. We can't ask those people for money if they've already joined once.
[Helen:] Okay. Erm I'll get Mark to send a cheque off when he gets back from....
[Andy:] Okay is that oh I suppose as as another officer I can er tell you that the the newsletter has indeed been finished and gone out. Erm I would like to apologize on behalf of myself and my proof reading team for the fact that two calls for nominations that erm that are in this newsletter don't actually appear to have closing dates on them.
[Neil:] Oh god.
[Andy:] Which is a bit of a stupendous cock-up from us
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] At least on my part I'm, if I had my engineer's hat on I'd er blame the proof reading team as well. But er I suppose really I er
[Helen:] Well you forgot to read it because you threw coffee over me.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] I suppose the blame is at least almost entirely mine. If not entirely mine. So I I would like to ask the meeting whether erm [LAUGHTER] I suppose [] technically for advice on this topic. think we can get away with putting out another newsletter on the seventh of February with a ballot in it anyway for these two things even though we didn't
[Helen:] Yes.
[Bob:] I think so. I I mean er I doubt whether we'll we'll have a full slate in February anyway so I mean they'll probably be the option for people to come in later and we'll probably end up co-opting people later and er I think we should
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah alright.
[Andy:] I'm pleased you think that because it gets me off the hook now. I think that because I don't think people wait until the deadline to er respond anyway. Helen?
[Helen:] Erm I think technically we're actually constitutional because it doesn't say anything in the constitution about us having to publish the deadline. It just says that we have to make the the call for nominations so long before we put out the selection ballot. So they can do it from they can work it out for [LAUGHTER] themselves actually []. briefing.
[Andy:] Ah so so it's alright. So everybody who got the newsletter when they read it should have thought, Aha best look up
[Helen:] I'm sorry
[Andy:] my copy of the [LAUGHTER] constitution [] that I filed away so neatly when I received that months ago.
[Helen:] I think perhaps an apology and erm and an in er the next newsletter might be appropriate for. Otherwise we'll phoning us up and complaining.
[Bob:] You'll probably be ringing people up anyway trying to get them to understand.
[Helen:] Yes I agree entirely. I don't think people are going to be disappointed if they miss out.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Great. Otherwise I if it's appropriate I'll say it looks like a great newsletter.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] Right on the newsletter front the other thing is the next newsletter we said would go in the post by the seventh of February. Which is actually two days before we next have a meeting which means I'm gonna have to slap another one together in a big hurry. So I'm collecting things to go in it. Er those things should include well something about the box erm next next day or whatever I can find. Details of about where and when. I've got a thing from Steve about erm planning permission or application for Sizewell C that I didn't have room for in this newsletter.
[speaker005:] Right.
[Andy:] He wrote it and handed it to me for this newsletter and I ran out of space. Could put the green councillors ten reasons to be one in I suppose.
[Helen:] Yes
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Oh yes definitely.
[Andy:] Anything to fit. It will depend what the space situation is. A nice grovel can go in. Advert for the letter box sticker. want stuff or is it contact through the office to.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yes.
[Andy:] Unless you have unless you have supplied a specific date.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Erm if you like I can provide a a specific spiel. Seeing as it is the you know the birthday edition. It will it is quite nice er make a thing of it.
[Andy:] I think also if we could have some sort of timings when people could turn up.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yes sure. Okay I'll knock those up and I'll have to run that by my household.
[Andy:] Mm yeah.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] So when do you need those by then?
[Andy:] Erm er middle of next week I suppose roughly.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Okay.
[Andy:] I would say next meeting is at it's the one time we're going to have one. Erm and do we have anything else to go in this newsletter?...
[Helen:] Erm
[Andy:] I could keep one in the green Eurobonds advert.
[Helen:] Yep
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah.
[Helen:] certainly.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Fine idea....
[Andy:] And if anybody thinks of any more diary dates or anything.
[Helen:] Yeah I'll let you know. I think there might be a I've got one announcement you can put from that.
[Andy:] Again if I collect more material than I have to use no problem. Got an item on media watch there did anyone notice that the Green Party was actually mentioned in the Guardian today?
[speaker005:] No.
[Andy:] Quite a celebration.
[Helen:] Wow.
[Andy:] About two lines commenting on the Government's erm you know growing strategy. Documents that they put out yesterday.
[Helen:] Mm the most we've had for months.
[Andy:] I know absolutely.
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER] Wow.
[Andy:] First mention I've actually seen in months.
[Helen:] Do we put I wonder who statement for that? That's not mine.
[Andy:] Right er well I think I've probably finished apologizing for what I did
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] write in the newsletter erm
[Helen:] Thank you for getting it out so quick Andy
[Andy:] No problem I'm sure. In future I'll try both to get the dates that are supposed to be in in there and get the copy into my mouth rather than my compatriots. Okay do we have any other matters arising from the minutes? Because I do. I've decided that this isn't any other business at all. I've got a picture of Hugh.
[Helen:] Have you?
[Andy:] Yeah I've got a picture of Hugh with one end of a decontaminate poster.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] Because er he was down there er trying to dip his nose in the toxic chemicals. Down at Heworth when we were getting er postcards filled in. [whispering] Our neighbour's looking. []
[Helen:] I think you can have a rest after campaign.
[Andy:] Erm.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Do you know what this is about?
[Bob:] Heworth Green.
[Andy:] Yeah I've read about it. According to this thing in the paper they er had a hundred and thirty people.
[Helen:] Mm.
[Andy:] And er
[Bob:] Hundred and thirty!
[Andy:] Well [LAUGHTER] that's what is says there []. You could
[Helen:] quite a lot don't they?
[Andy:] [reading] Protestors were joined by York MP Hugh Bailey and City Councillors as they gathered at Heworth on Saturday. Erm I'm surprised that slightly surprised that with council and Hugh were willing to go down given what we had given our information about how dangerous or not the site actually is. That it's not very nice but it's er
[Helen:] I didn't know Heworth was gonna be that
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yes.
[Helen:] until it mentioned
[Andy:] They're also apparently with ill health and amongst people living in the surrounding area. Whether there's any truth in this is... and the A A E who did the er survey include Atomic Energy Authority who who's like that as well.
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Right okay.
[Helen:] I think we must have missed a briefing from
[Andy:] Must must have done.
[Helen:] Might might be the one when you were away.
[Andy:] Right well there's a nice er we did get in the paper.
[Helen:] We did.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Mm.
[Andy:] Right any tasks to carry forward?
[Helen:] Well erm Steve asked to write letters to to Penny. I don't know whether Jean got John to have written to Jean or not. I think he might have done but he didn't say. Erm apart from that I think we've done everything this week.
[Bob:] Can you just quick quickly fill me in on what this letter to Penny is?
[Helen:] It was about the supporters' campaign in the last
[Bob:] Yeah.
[Helen:] there's an article about... erm where is it here somewhere.... It's basically offering people erm rather than becoming members they can become a supporter for five pounds a year of the Green Party for which they get three shortened up beat newsletters and this week it was two sides of A four. Together with two further appeal letters. I've just noticed she actually uses the sentence being a Green Party supporter isn't meant to appeal to everyone.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] Erm and the meeting felt that it asks it asks for for views from local parties and we felt that the amount of money
[speaker005:] [sneeze]
[Helen:] they're gonna make you're gonna spend nearly a fiver sending all that out to people and really we should be encouraging people to be members and not to just give us money from time to time.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And in my own role as as the as being on the editorial board of the newsletter erm we need all the effort that we can going in into that really. There's some justification for having Green Link as a separate publication but even that is is under question in the coming twelve months because our circulation just doesn't warrant all of these publications. There there we can barely sustain Green World at the moment. So erm having an extra network and all of the administration that goes with it seems very much a waste of time especially when it creates another tier of of sort of quasar membership. Funny business. So er we've gotta sort of
[Bob:] Object.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] we don't think this is a very good idea seeing as she's asked.
[Andy:] Okay erm can we move on. Conference accommodation and finance.
[Helen:] Right erm. As requested I wrote and asked about self-catering accommodation at the conference and I received a reply saying that there's one house that erm she's come across that she thinks might be particularly suitable for us. It's a house for for, where are we, for six people. In other words it sleeps six erm and the landlady's willing to have one person sleeping on the floor officially. slot more people in appropriate. Erm two single bedrooms and two double bedrooms plus a living room all facilities erm except for sheets and towels. Which we'd have to take.
[speaker005:] What no sheep?
[Helen:] No sheep no. Erm it would cost for the four for the four nights of the con conference, that's from the Wednesday night to the Saturday night inclusive, six pounds a night each will almost cover the cost and we've fitted in an extra person on the floor at three pounds a night that would clear the cost completely. And she said to let her know straight away if we think it might be suitable. Erm Steve and Mark and I are definitely interested so that's three people so we're looking for another three people to share. Bearing in mind that if we do have the whole house then people are only coming for a few days or or even one night could no they had somewhere to stay. Erm and along with this we were thinking about ways to subsidize conference for people and this might be one way to do it for the for York Green Party to pay part of the cost of renting the accommodation. Erm on the understanding that for any Green Party members that want to use it over the conference. That's just a proposal it's an idea. So there you go.
[Neil:] How many people have said that they're going so far?
[Helen:] Well er me and Steve and Mark and you you're going
[Neil:] Yeah.
[Helen:] too aren't you? So that's four of us definitely going to. Erm Alison says she'd like to but her you know it depends on this that and the other. Yeah.
[Neil:] I I'm definitely going to I picked this up from the information places. It's got all a list of all sort of bed and breakfasts and
[speaker005:] Oh.
[Neil:] holiday flats and things. And the holiday flats in here are quite expensive. But bed and breakfast are all very cheap. Erm you know. Where whereabouts is this is it?
[Helen:] I don't know she didn't say. Didn't that's one thing I don't know.
[Neil:] Cos if it's two or three miles away it's gonna be a bit of a problem.
[Helen:] Yes that's right. Erm I I need to check that.
[Bob:] How how much erm are the B and Bs?
[Neil:] Well quite cheap. I mean about ten pound is the cheapest and perhaps even twelve.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] The the extra advantage of the of the house would be cooking which we may get. Because if if people took advantage of the of these facilities it would make the whole business an awful lot cheaper for them.
[Helen:] And if there's four of us there definitely then that's we only each have to cook once while we're there.
[speaker005:] Yeah.
[Andy:] to get out of conference to go to cook.
[Neil:] If it's close.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Neil:] If fact it's it's I found it in the past to be a welcome very welcome break from the atmosphere because you can't hang around in in the dining hall without talking a Green Party.
[Andy:] As I remember it conference tends to run through until new clients so. Not really.
[Neil:] So long as we're talking about sort of half a mile away ma maximum or with other sort of proper travelling arrangements. If it's half less than half a mile away then it's it's fine but if not it starts to becoming problematical.
[Andy:] The other thing about financing it. So I haven't done the sums in my head. How much is it actually to get a place?
[Helen:] Well if it's six pounds for six people that's thirty six pounds a night isn't it? For four nights
[Andy:] Plus three
[Helen:] Plus a bit.
[Andy:] So it's about forty quid a night and there's Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday.
[Helen:] It's four nights.
[Andy:] So that's... that sounds quite a lot to ask the political party
[Helen:] Oh I wouldn't ask them to pay
[Andy:] Yeah.
[Helen:] That would be too much. But it's one way of distributing any money that the party wants to give to subsidize people so that everybody can benefit from it erm rather than means testing....
[Neil:] I'm happy as long as we we get the definite six people definite. We I think you know we can do go into just four four people.
[Andy:] I I'm quite happy to come in on it. I think I probably would like a single room though. Are there two single rooms?
[Helen:] Two single and two double.
[Andy:] Yeah well on a first come first serve [LAUGHTER] basis a single room I'd come in on it [].
[Helen:] Well strangely enough I think we'll have to have double rooms [LAUGHTER]....
[Bob:] Well if if we do only get four people it's going to be more isn't it?
[Neil:] Yeah.
[Bob:] It's going to be ten pounds a night each
[Andy:] Yes erm.
[Bob:] roughly and you don't get breakfast thrown in.
[Andy:] No that's right....
[Bob:] I I would hope to be able to party conference probably only which would mean turning up either Friday night or Saturday morning. So potentially two nights out of the four.
[Andy:] Does it have an address Helen?
[Helen:] No it's through erm
[Andy:] Right I just wondered if she gave you an address cos it you know got a super little town map here. If I was being cynical I'd volunteer Mark's car to get people to and from the town. If it was a long way out.
[Helen:] Well he said that was a possibility but I really so. But then again. Erm but then it starts getting very very silly. I mean this is basically she's she already books some flats and house a house because self-catering accommodation's in such short supply because of long lets over the winter.
[Neil:] Do we need to proceed on this now. Do we need to see if we can draw up an extra. I think one of the ideas behind the the party chipping in on this is because it would be extremely convenient for people who are popping in at the last minute for
[Helen:] Mm.
[Neil:] for a night or two to have somewhere that they know they can at least kip on the floor. Where you know so as not to have to risk going having to go to an expensive B and B because all the cheap places have gone. So to a certain extent the idea was to that if we had the thing worked out it would be of great benefit to the people who were popping by. Erm whereas at this stage the four of us could probably find accommodation which wasn't that much more expensive erm but to have the actual focus for the for the local party.
[Bob:] Could we have people to pay the six pound a night and erm you know a hundred and forty four to start with and just ask people to pay the six pound a night anyway and just get as much back as we can?
[Helen:] Yeah yeah.
[Bob:] Cos six pound a night isn't bad. It's less than we pay in Wolverhampton.
[Helen:] Oh it's very reasonable yes.
[Andy:] It would be possible I suppose with the commitment of people for the local party to make on the committee.
[Helen:] I mean I have a couple of ideas. I was going to ask Mike if he wants to come as an observer because he's never been to conference and erm
[Bob:] And when it comes
[Helen:] he was talking about spending a weekend with us anyway so it might be nice thing to do.
[Bob:] When it comes to that though there will be people from other green parties who who'll be looking for accommodation so at the last minute we can
[Helen:] Dick for example.
[Bob:] Yeah. We're hoping that we'll
[Helen:] If he's coming he might like to be to be
[Bob:] There's a good chance of filling most rooms most nights I would have thought.
[Helen:] Well shall I ring Joyce back and say providing it's close erm we'll have it and take it from there. Okay. Oh I haven't written.
[Bob:] Shall I alert Dick to its existence then?
[Helen:] Yes I think that would be that would be a nice thing to do.
[Bob:] Cos that would be a nice definite. Okay.
[Andy:] I'll make a decision when I'm in a position to.
[Helen:] Well this is why it would be a good idea to so people will have to decide in advance and just see how we go for
[Andy:] Do you have to send off a deposit or anything?
[Helen:] I'll find out when I ring and she'll. If I do I'll be ringing round frantically [LAUGHTER] find out what to do [].
[Andy:] I would suggest that given the decision we prepared to make now even if you have to send a deposit get the local party to stump up the deposit and collect the money as soon as convenient from the people who are committed to going.
[Helen:] Is that agreed with all of you here.
[speaker005:] Sure mm.
[Andy:] Since the local party's going to cover the shortfall anyway if there one.
[Helen:] Okay.
[Andy:] she'll be subletting rooms to people. Slum land for the Green Party [LAUGHTER] [].
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER].
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Right is that erm.
[Andy:] Okay presumably I should put something again in the newsletter about conference and this accommodation thing.
[speaker005:] Yeah.
[Bob:] Yeah it it means that you can point out that it makes it a lot simpler for someone to just pop over for a night and crash out on the floor.
[Helen:] Are you coming to conference at all.
[Andy:] No I won't be er my family situation can change so.
[Helen:] Oh.
[Andy:] Don't have to do things like erm.
[Helen:] We can always run a little creche actually for nanny from Scarborough got a baby as well. Give over one of the rooms to people.
[Andy:] When is it?
[Helen:] It's er the first weekend in March....
[Neil:] Anyway shall we
[Andy:] Okay shall we move on. Do you want to tell us all about the stall for for the energy conservation bill?
[Bob:] Certainly. Yeah the stall was extremely successful. We kicked off at eleven and went on till three and there were I think six people stuffing er in the course of the day Bob Andy Mark and myself and Chris. A late showing from the man himself. And erm I was particularly pleased to get Chris along because he was extremely effective. Erm what we were doing was filling in these these postcards asking MPs to turn up on February the fourth to support the energy conservation bill when it has its er second reading in Parliament. And erm it was ex ex it was great having Chris along because erm he went out and grabbed everybody in the street, pulled them in onto the stall and er and got them got them to sign on the dotted line so to speak. Er he came along after the the Heworth Green er demonstration. Which he described incidentally as a bit of a damp. And they all they all ran away very soon after the press left. So so he came along and did some work for us. Apart from that erm the scores on the doors forty six postcards were sent out which doesn't sound perhaps like very many but is in fact quite a lot of work when you're having to find people who's who people's MPs are for them and so on. And we were we covered sixteen different MPs which is especially good news because Hugh Bailey normally supports the bill and as far as we know is likely to turn up and and vote for it. But getting out to MPs like erm John Prescott the energy spokesperson for the Labour Party and so on.
[Helen:] And John Gummer.
[Bob:] John Gummer right yeah. Lots of people who are marginal erm we don't know erm ourselves if if they're intending. So this might help tip the balance. And because in with it it's a national campaign. It's er it's all all to the good. And so it's keeping up the the good work that's of of lobbying MPs to such a degree that they they've got to back it which is what's brought it to its second reading as one of the most popular er private member's bills in history. Erm we received eleven pounds eighty seven in donations. Er the cost of stamps was eight pounds seventy four and therefore our profit
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Bob:] profit was [LAUGHTER] three pounds thirteen pence [].
[Helen:] Not bad for somebody who thought it was going to [LAUGHTER] cost us money [].
[Bob:] So people gave us money for the stamps that we put on and other people gave us donations. All round erm it was great. We had our presence. It's a very effective direct piece of lobbying and at a time when a lot of people who obviously weren't Green Party supporters behind the campaign. The cross party campaign for the for the bill which we've written. So.
[Helen:] the only political party ever to have two pieces of legislation in the House of Commons without having any M Ps.
[Andy:] I'd just like to second that it was a good day and also to point out as the er man who made the postcards we shouldn't get too excited about this as a money making scheme. Because most of that three pounds thirteen's probably been paid for out hundreds of sheets of cardboard. So.
[Bob:] But considering considering we were we were
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER] Didn't make a loss. []
[Bob:] I held ten fifteen pounds for the privilege.
[Helen:] relation thing.
[Bob:] Every time I do a stall I I quake in my boots up until I do it and then I feel great when we're doing it and afterwards realize that it's been productive and we we've had a good lot a good response from the public. So there we go.
[Andy:] Helen do you want to tell us about the next stage?
[Helen:] Yes. Seeing as we all filled in our postcards ages ago we can write some more letters this week. Or tomorrow. I can give you a list of people to to write to. First of all there's Robert Atkins M P. This is the man who erm replaced erm Mr Yeo
[Bob:] [LAUGHTER] Oh yes. []
[Helen:] with his trousers down. Now I think erm Ron was a bit upset because he spent most of of Christmas sending Christmas cards and saying, Please please let this bill go through don't give it any. And he said, Oh alright then what's your wife like. Erm however No that's right. Erm Tim erm you know having desi have design? [LAUGHTER] resigned [] he was followed by Robert Atkins MP for South Riddle. Now Mr Atkins former job is as Minister in Northern Ireland so he's unlikely to know a lot about what was going on in the in the Commons at the end of last session which is a bit unfortunate. He's been hiding under a under an agreement.
[Andy:] He should at least be a very effective man.
[Helen:] Well it's important to get his support so that's one person that we can write to to erm seek support. That's Robert Atkins M P.
[Bob:] What what
[Helen:] Also
[Bob:] is his actual title? Sorry to butt in. He's the Secretary of State for Energy or Minister for Energy
[Helen:] Minister yes sure.
[Andy:] Secretary of State for the Environment wasn't it?
[Helen:] Minister for the Environment.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] It's Gummer isn't it?
[Helen:] No I'll come to that in a minute.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Oh.
[Andy:] Gummer is the Secretary of State.
[Helen:] Yes. And he's an expert on all this. John Gummer Secretary, oh he sent two postcards to you from his constituents. Erm Secretary of State for the Environment and Robert G Hughes who's the Environment Whip. But it's important that you get Robert G Hughes and not Robert Hughes who is Labour MP for Aberdeen. So
[Bob:] Aberdeen North I take it?
[Helen:] Yeah. So that's Robert G Hughes MP for Harr
[Bob:] Do you know his his
[Helen:] Harrow East.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] He's Environment Whip.
[Helen:] Yeah. There are more.
[Andy:] Right I want
[Helen:] But I think realistically that's probably enough work for all of us for the rest of the week.
[Andy:] And John Gummer was
[Helen:] Secretary of State for the Environment.
[Andy:] Right. Because I've already written to Atkins cos that's in the newsletter.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] So he's Secretary of State.
[Helen:] I'm asking the people round the table to write these extra couple of letters because we must be activists because we're here by definition. And so we're likely to I think if I put the whole list in the newsletter it might have put people off.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah.
[Helen:] Erm
[Andy:] Yes is it all about this any more in the newsletter next newsletter?
[Helen:] No because I think by the end well unless something dramatic happens on the fourth of February which is this Friday next Friday rather. If it does I'll be on to you straight on the phone. But otherwise I I don't expect to need any more work on this for this Friday.
[Andy:] Yeah. But we ought to have something about having a second reading in it anyway
[Helen:] Oh of course yes.
[Andy:] because it's news.
[Helen:] Yes indeed. Even if it's stop press.
[Andy:] probably getting tight for Monday the seventh anyway.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Brilliant.
[Neil:] On a point of information Helen what can happen on on this second reading if
[Helen:] Right I can I I can tell you. Erm there'll be a whole a whole day's debate on the bill which is an achievement in itself. At the end of which a number of things can happen. Firstly the bill can go through on the nod with no note. This is possible with ballot laws is now ballot bill. But we can't rely on it. It's quite possible that some MPs will try and talk the bill out. That is try and ensure that when the House rises at two thirty P M the debate on the bill is still in progress. And if that happened the bill automatically falls unless we can move the closure of the debate. Now this means that the sponsor of the bill, Allan, brothers,pro proposes that the debate be closed and the bill be given a second reading. In this case we must not only win the vote but we must have a hundred MPs in the House to vote for the closure. With me so far?
[Neil:] Mm.
[Andy:] But not all of those hundred must vote for the must vote for the closure there must be a hundred people there to take part in the vote is that right?
[Helen:] No. It is no good putting a closure vote by ninety nine to one or even ninety nine to nought. The objector cunningly doesn't vote. We must have a hundred MPs voting for the closure.
[Neil:] All of it ah right okay.
[Helen:] So we need a hundred present. Which is where on a Friday afternoon. But if if everybody else around the country has been lobbying as hard we have there's a good chance. After all there's three hundred and three hundred and however many was yes three hundred and sixty MPs who supported it. Three hundred and twenty seven put their name to an easy end. So out of those we should be able to manage a hundred surely. The other thing is if we're successful with Atkins if he's behind the bill the MPs are unlikely to talk it out. They'll accept it and put send it through on the nod if we can get his support.
[Neil:] So he's crucial. Why is the Whip so important? Because surely he's just enforcing the Minister's policy.
[Helen:] Erm yes. But these people get together.
[Neil:] Right.
[Helen:] I mean it's not as if Robert Atkins making all the decisions. Three hundred people say hang round the bar and say, conservation board I've had lots of letters, well so have I, we'll get get through them they might cause trouble. That that's the plan.
[Neil:] Well go for democracy the decision being you know for the country being taken by three
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Neil:] Tories rather than
[Helen:] Well that's right yes rather than one. Well they don't ask John Major of course. [LAUGHTER]. They can tell [LAUGHTER] John Major [].
[Andy:] So why I'm I'm slightly puzzled as to why Robert Atkins is actually more important than John Selwyn Gummer? I mean
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Because I'm because John Gummer's responsibilities extend a long way into things like housing and stuff as well don't they? Whereas Robert Atkins has more specific responsibility perhaps for getting this area.
[Andy:] People of one
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I don't know that's what I imagine.
[Andy:] people of one of the environment and the other's Secretary of State for the Environment.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah.
[Andy:] Fair enough. It's just bizarre rules of procedure.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] There are more Ministers of State that there are Secretaries of State.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] To be honest I think we should be grateful they don't have to have the court magician come in
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Wave their wand and recite the Lords Prayer.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Bob:] Fair enough. [clears throat] I assumed there would be a reason assume there was going to be a good reason. Erm so who else was on your list of people we ought to write to
[Helen:] South East Cambridgeshire who's the Parl Parliamentary Secretary to John Gummer.
[Andy:] Who's the sorry your and I can't
[Helen:] Sorry. Erm
[Andy:] Garry was Robert Atkins
[Helen:] Parliamentary Private Secretary.... And...
[Andy:] And
[Helen:] And James Paice [spelling] P A I C E []
[Andy:] [spelling] P A I C E []
[Helen:] Yes.
[Andy:] Of
[Helen:] MP for South East Cambridgeshire... and he's P P S to John Gummer.... and these people are erm unpaid helpers to Ministers and Secretaries of State it says here.
[Andy:] Unpaid. So
[Helen:] They're they're the eyes and ears of their boss and they have to report any political pressure so we have to [LAUGHTER] find something for them [] to report basically.
[Andy:] I I wrote to Atkins saying as Minister for the Environment er, Please support the energy conversation bill because it's dead good. Presumably I can also write to John Gummer saying is dead good. Am I right to write to the others saying I or should
[Helen:] Oh yeah.
[Andy:] I write to Gerry saying say, Please prod Robert Atkins and remind him that the energy conservation bill's dead good in case he's forgotten.
[Helen:] Erm no I think the former I think the Parliamentary
[Andy:] But I can write to him in his capacity as Robert Atkins' Parliamentary Private Secretary.
[Helen:] Yes.
[Andy:] Cos otherwise it looks like writing to random M Ps.
[Helen:] I think you're sort of drawing drawing their attention to the public concern over that sort of phrase.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And widespread [clears throat] cross party support.
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER] Yes. []
[Neil:] Honest guv.
[Helen:] wishy-washy statements for your audience.
[Andy:] I presume getting letters out is more important than high quality prose here is it?
[Helen:] Oh yes. Just a couple
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Cos I mean
[Helen:] of lines will do.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] name name dropping the supporters I mean for to those Tories telling them that the that the association for county councils for example is a backer probably counts more than telling them that that [LAUGHTER] is a backer [].
[Andy:] Yeah well I think particularly
[Ste (yes, Ste):] or green particularly
[Andy:] doing their own I just take the letters I've already written to other people change one sentence and change the er name on
[Helen:] That's fine so
[Andy:] comrade.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Printed off on my er employer's er computer and er put it in one of their envelopes and try to steal a stamp from them.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] We're gonna get it all down Andy don't worry. [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] How wide is the Green Party's main bill associated with do you think?
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Well in the main lobbyist has been Ron who's the who's our elected campaigns officers and he's quite literally been spending time treading the the hallowed halls of Westminster
[Andy:] I mean in the media.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] In the media I mean I haven't seen much about it in the media. Er
[Helen:] Well when when it was first read by erm it was mentioned that it had been written by the Green Party by radio four and the Guardian and the Independent. And as far as I know that's the only coverage I've seen personally of it.
[Andy:] Well I s I saw an article in erm the Green Alliance, a fairly shadowy organization, er mentioned in their newsletter. It was it was erm promoted by the association of conservation of energy.
[Helen:] Mhm.
[Andy:] So I rang them up. But that's yeah I haven't seen much.
[Helen:] Yeah it's supported by the
[Andy:] Well no they said they said prepared by er
[Helen:] Oh right.
[Bob:] What is the Green Alliance?
[Andy:] I don't really know. I don't know who they get their money from but they. I mean they used to provide the advisor to various secretaries of state I think didn't they?
[speaker005:] Ooh [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] I don't know who they are really. They send out this newsletter anyway.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] But I mean the main the main I mean in it in certain quarters we've been down playing that aspect of it simply to get it through.
[Andy:] Sure.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] But er all of the main organizations that have you know World Wide and Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and so on and Age Concern. They all know they were all told that it's it's all a bit above board. But in promoting it to MPs we've been drawing their attention to the kinds of organizations which in turn in their eyes just sort of represent that pyramid or structure of votes that.
[Helen:] And of course when it goes through they already have our our as it were
[Andy:] Yeah.
[Helen:] With a bit of luck and careful handling.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And the MPs who who asked to put it forward including Alan they they had to you know they came to Ron to ask, Can we put your bill forward.
[Helen:] They all know Ron anyway.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] He's a very old hand in lobbying er which shows it's how it's we've got it this far.
[Andy:] Mm.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Because he's known this labyrinth rubbish that they cling to.
[Andy:] Okay shall we move on to billboards?
[speaker005:] Mm.
[Andy:] Before we get bogged down.
[Helen:] I haven't received the samples, er oh sorry I I'll moving on to what we're talking about. The National Party are mounting a poster campaign for the elections. For both elections which hope hopefully covers the Euros and the er locals starting at the beginning er towards the end of the local election campaign to running through to the June. And they said erm if you would like to see the designs write and ask for a sample so we wrote and I haven't actually received any samples yet. But I have had a letter erm explaining where the billboards are in our area and how much they cost. It's a very badly written letter actually. For one thing it starts, [reading] Dear Mrs Knightingale [] which got my back up. Erm and then it goes on to say, [reading] Please find the enclosed the postal sites available in your area Miriam [] who's the Green Party person who's organizing it [reading] has provided the required areas and if you need any more details please don't hesitate to call me or my secretary. And under the sites may also availability at the time of booking. I look forward to hearing from you with your selections []. But introductory letter aside erm interesting.
[Andy:] Can I just get clarification here?
[Helen:] Yes.
[Andy:] That letter almost sounds like we us around this table are expected to choose some of the sites.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] We didn't just write for information as to what National Parties
[Helen:] Erm well I just wrote Miriam and said, I saw your article in Green Week can you send me further details. And this is what's happened so.
[Andy:] What it transpires is local parties who are interested enough get what's
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] get to try and choose site. Right.
[Helen:] Erm now then it gives us a erm a price here which I think is weekly. Because the availability columns are weekly so it makes sense that the price means weekly. Erm and it has a number of different types W and F. But if I run through the addresses I think it'll make sense because everybody will recognize where they are. Erm in York Holgate Road which is twelve pounds a week. Hundred and ten Fishergate which I think is the side of Jacksons that's fifteen pounds a week. Erm in fact there's two there. East Parade eighteen pounds a week. Tang Hall Lane eighteen pounds. Another one at Holgate Road fifteen erm York Road Acomb twenty. Walmgate twelve pounds and Hull Road twelve pounds. Er Fulford Road eighteen pounds. Presto Main Street Haxby eighteen pounds. Another couple at Acomb for twenty pounds and then they also give just a cost for Ripon and Scarborough. So I don't know about anybody else but that's cheaper than I expected it to be.
[speaker005:] Yes absolutely.
[Helen:] And the fact that they're several in Fulford that I'd say are very good sites. I always read them erm when I about Fulford.
[Bob:] At Fulford Road or Fishergate would be the best one to go for.
[Helen:] Yes.
[Andy:] Are these the sort of the like to the end of bus stops?
[Helen:] Well from what I can gather the cheaper one on Fishergate is a bus stop size one. There's one actually at the bus stop by the Police Station and there's another one on the corner of the erm just before you turn into Terrace there's there's a free standing one outside the shop there. And I think the eighteen pound one is probably the big one on the side of Jacksons building. Erm actually high up you know full size billboard. Which I'd say is less useful in fact than the little ones. I think the little ones might noticed.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Cos I mean I all whenever I'm going travelling into into York and they've changed that billboard I always look at it.
[Andy:] Yeah. People in cars will notice the big one a lot better.
[Helen:] Yeah that's true.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Which is our target audience
[Andy:] Obviously yes.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] wait at bus stops.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Right could be a policy decision this couldn't it? [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] Anyway I suppose before we decide we really need to know how much the National Party are going to charge us if anything for the actual posters and what the posters look like.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah.
[Andy:] And how many posters they what size and shape of posters they're doing which will affect which site of course.
[Helen:] That's right.
[Andy:] no good.
[Helen:] So I'll give
[Andy:] The erm type thing means what means little codes mean or does that give us any indication as to what these sites are?
[Helen:] No there isn't a key unfortunately.
[Andy:] Oh.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I'll tell you now if the poster says Labour isn't working I'm not having it.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Yeah what which is the nearest one to a Conservative Club? Cos there's a Conservative Club down in Fishergate isn't there
[Ste (yes, Ste):] They actually own the one on the side of the Conservative building I thought.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Or they thought they did until it always says Conservative propaganda [LAUGHTER] on the sides so I think that's a gonna [].
[Helen:] It's it's on a little table at the end which says rate card analysis and it had T V areas Yorkshire T V North East T V and then principle main secondary local corner shop other and totals [LAUGHTER] numbers in the middle [].... [LAUGHTER] Anybody got any suggestions on that? []
[Andy:] Will we pay the cost of the poster site? Is this your understand as well as the cost of the poster?
[Helen:] I think so. Well I think what they suggest to me that we have to pay for the poster site. Whether or not the Green Party then supplies the posters I wouldn't like to say.
[Andy:] Right so it's not just that the National Party want the people on the ground to choose the nice addresses.
[Helen:] Well that's the
[Neil:] I think it's clear that the money's coming from from the local parties. What they're ac what they're trying to do is coordinate enough local parties with the same poster that they can make a block booking I would have thought.
[Bob:] This might be a good way of raising funds by asking people particularly for the Euros I think. Why don't you sponsor you know, members who don't normally come to meetings, to sponsor erm a site for
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Bob:] I think a lot of people would be willing to do that. Erm make a big splash in the newsletter, Please sponsor your your Green Party poster for the elections....
[Andy:] Doing this this is one erm campaign that as a small proportion of the poster sites is it?
[Helen:] It looks that way yeah.
[Andy:] There must be lots of other.
[Helen:] I mean this they must have got my name through Miriam so they must already have worked out the they were working
[Andy:] Right. Okay are you willing to go away and
[Helen:] Yeah I think I need to talk to Miriam again don't I. Unfortunately I don't have a phone number I only have an address. But I'll write her a postcard to say, Yes it looks quite interesting when can we see the samples and can you tell us more about how the money works.
[Andy:] Yeah and confirm that that isn't a daily price.
[Helen:] I think that I'll have to confirm with the company.
[Andy:] Yes. But it just just seems suspiciously cheap. That twelve
[Neil:] Well I mean it's not the huge massive billboards. I mean if they're just sort of four foot things I mean it's not you know I think.
[Andy:] Yeah perhaps.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Anyway that's really into this idea.
[Andy:] Especially Bob's suggestion of calling for people to sponsor
[speaker005:] Sponsor
[Andy:] sponsor a poster. Erm should I at least be prepared to again stick something in the newsletter about. As you say it's the sort of thing that might appeal to people because then they can go and look at their poster. Be photographed next to it.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] What do you think? We could always do posting on the side of the Conservative building.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] Your direct your direct action at home.
[Andy:] Yes well come and visit you in prison.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Right does that cover billboards?
[Helen:] Yep.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] no that was a good agenda item just got silly.
[Helen:] [LAUGHTER]
[Andy:] Okay. Who wanted to talk about affiliation stroke working with other groups?
[Helen:] This is something we said we were going to discuss at a time in the future and I thought I'd stick it on and see how much time we'd got left.
[Andy:] Right. Well we've got twenty five minutes at present shall we can you just wipe around a couple of other things and then we'll come back to that if time remains?
[Helen:] Yes do.
[Andy:] Okay. Right intro leaflet. Do I hear apathy? Or directions?
[Helen:] Erm I think Neil might benefit from knowing what the intro leaflet is.
[Andy:] Right well we call it an intro leaflet because we like misleading agenda items mostly. What we actually mean is a sort of mini manifesto introduction to the Green Party booklet sixteen pages or so.
[Helen:] Oh yeah it's gone back to being a leaflet it was a booklet last week.
[Andy:] Yes yeah. Yes so what we mean is an intro booklet sort of A five sixteen or so pages covering ten or fifteen sort of major Green Party policy areas.
[Neil:] Mm.
[Andy:] Er the idea was we'd be able to sell it to people or give it to people depending on whether they had any money or not I suppose by the Green Party. If we were really lucky we'd be able to go to conference and try and sell hundreds of them to other Green Parties who might want to do the same. So we a number of us went away with lists of topics that we were going to write erm two hundred and fifty or so words about. And we went away clutching bits of and similar document and things like that. Erm and so far well I'm certainly willing to confess that I took these away full of good intentions and have have so far carried around this torn up copy of the Greater London Green Party for months.
[Neil:] Have they not done similar such publications knocking about the Green Party like catalogues for
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Well we we had our own local manifesto before and the idea, well in in practical terms it was extremely detailed and erm each rewrite was was a very big exercise and just photocopying er it was an extremely large booklet. So we thought essentially really we're slimming down our own local manifesto.
[Neil:] Right.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Where and actually sort of rather than saying this is our manifesto and you know our policy promises it's lacking excitement on our general policy.
[Andy:] It's also generalizing beyond local council issues.
[Helen:] Mm.
[Andy:] Local manifesto tends to be tied to and attempting to remain more timeless that one or two
[Helen:] Yeah more to sort of statements of principles rather than just a policy so it lasts a bit. And I wrote my section. I'd just like to make this perfectly clear that I did write a draft for work and leisure. And I even had added colours on this copy.
[Andy:] Yeah and I hope they weren't too harsh. They were written while I was on a train and probably in a bad mood.
[Helen:] I didn't didn't get the opportunity to explain to you the joke beside behind your writing don't use contractions in written material. Which is perfectly fair comment except that you've used a contraction.
[Andy:] I knew I'd used [LAUGHTER] a contraction you know []. So
[Helen:] It does say draft actually.
[Andy:] Yeah I know. I use contractions in the newsletter some times which is deliberately honest.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] It's like saying avoid cliches like the plague.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] I mean I I'd having been these comments and yes there are a couple of extra points put in there I think that that's fine. It's nice to get some of it done. What about the rest of you lads?
[Andy:] Well as soon as I have a window in my diary which I'm not
[Helen:] We'll let you off with the newsletter.
[Andy:] contribution it is said.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Alright I'll I'll undertake to to come up with something for our next meeting.
[Helen:] I mean all I I didn't I just did exactly what I was told. I put brought out a list of points. There's no grammar in there. There's contractions all over the place because erm and all sorts. I even used numbers instead of writing them out in full verse. So erm
[Ste (yes, Ste):] You can minute me and I'll erm
[Neil:] Did you use any semicolons?
[Andy:] Probably put a split infinitive as well.
[Helen:] Well I've got the checking erm. Right so Steve is undertaking to be the next brave soldier to [LAUGHTER] write something for []
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER] I don't know what I'm doing. [] The general
[Helen:] We have to be very busy. I mean this this this item has actually been deferred two meetings and
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Mm.
[Andy:] Yeah.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] We'll just been too busy.
[Andy:] Then I'll try and get something if I get time but. Okay
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Still I suppose the time's it's the actual the calendar's starting to tick for having this isn't it now.
[Neil:] Yeah if we're actually ever gonna make use of it we will, joking aside, have to try and get something.
[Helen:] Well after after the big box pile up I'm I'm free on the Green Party. And then the elections and then get our act together.
[Andy:] I don't think we need to be too sorry at the reason we're not getting it written is we're far too busy lobbying MPs and making protests in the centre of town and things. So it's probably good rather
[Ste (yes, Ste):] On balance.
[Andy:] Right. Any other business? I've got a couple of things. Do we have nominations for conference reps and local election candidates? Because these will need to go in the selection ballot in the newsletter what I am going to write.
[Helen:] Oh er you mean from people here?
[Andy:] Well
[Helen:] Yes?
[Andy:] Or I mean the flood of phone calls that have no doubt saved the erm Green Party.
[Helen:] Oh I'd I'd like to be a a delegate at conference but I can't be a candidate this year cos I'm captain of my and I think I'll be a bit busy anyway to be honest doing press work. It would be nice to have a break from doing it.
[Andy:] Right. Anybody wish to be put forward as conference attender?
[Bob:] The number is unlimited is it?
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] Yeah. We have three voting certificates but you can pass them around
[Helen:] It's a shared job.
[Andy:] Yeah.
[Bob:] Oh might as well then.
[Helen:] You just have to be approved by the that's all.
[Bob:] Yeah I'll do that thing.
[Andy:] Right so that's got three so far and
[Helen:] I mean I think if you're not sure whether you want whether you'll be able to go I mean you can still you can still be a delegate then if you do go then you're able to vote so.
[Andy:] So you'd like to be put down on the ballot to be approved do you?
[Helen:] Doesn't mean you have to go. Just means that if you do go you
[Andy:] Right I I that's fine yes I'll
[Ste (yes, Ste):] You see it makes it easier for us as well because it means that if you do if you are there we can leave you in charge for ten minutes while
[Andy:] Presumably Mark will run?
[Helen:] Yeah I would think so. I'll tell him to give you a ring if it's
[Andy:] Yeah right I'll put him down with a question mark.
[Helen:] Oh it's nice to see people to see a good list of people who are going.
[Andy:] And I could put myself down as in case I get there for a day or two....
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And for candidates erm yeah I'll I'll stand I'll have to bite the boys again.
[Andy:] Yeah. Talking of standing did did we ever make any progress on Fishergate?
[Helen:] We haven't got anybody.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] John hasn't come back to us.
[Helen:] No.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Erm John said he informed me he he'd stand for Monk again and he I told him to write write a.
[Andy:] John 's Monk. Presumably in the selection ballot we don't have to
[speaker005:] I think we do have
[Ste (yes, Ste):] We can have su suggested
[Andy:] But we don't
[Ste (yes, Ste):] wards.
[Andy:] But we don't definitely have to sign people. Er so you were Clifton. Which is erm Bill
[Helen:] That's Clifton.
[Andy:] That's Clifton. I I'm certainly interested I'm quite interested in Bishop Hill unless anybody else wants it. Erm again I mean I'm happy to give that if there's someone actually living in Bishop who wants it but erm I've got erm some someone who lives there wanted me to stand in. Good reason to er. Do you have any
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Not at this time.
[Andy:] I guess I can stand somewhere.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Well that's got the ball rolling.
[Andy:] Erm... and if anybody runs into anybody else and can ask them or anything if there isn't actually an army of er sort of letters coming through your door saying yes yes make me a candidate.
[Helen:] Just to remind everybody that we've decided that this year we weren't going to put pressure on people. Because it just took so much of our energy last time helping people fill in forms and everything. If people aren't comfortable enough to volunteer. I mean obviously if for example didn't ring up and say I want to sign your name your name tomorrow, I'd ring her up to see whether she'd lost her [LAUGHTER] mind or something []. Because you know she usually does.
[Andy:] She's actually got er terrible flu. But I'm going round to see her next weekend.
[Helen:] Yeah but you know what I mean. If it's somebody who we really expect to stand then by all means then chase them up. But I don't want to go around looking for candidates like we did last time. Because it's erm it just takes too much energy away.
[Andy:] Right.
[Helen:] And if we haven't got a full slate well I mean looking at that list we're doing quite well.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah.
[Andy:] So would you be likely to speak to John saying again wouldn't like to pressure Jean again but think John would like to
[Helen:] I'm sure John would. Erm I shall ring him and ask him make sure he's
[Andy:] I'll try and ask. So have we taken a decision to target Bishopgate then?
[speaker005:] Yeah.
[Helen:] It's five for the next five years. It's quite a commitment.
[Andy:] So we're looking for the ideal candidate.
[Helen:] Yep. This is before anybody gets any ideas at all.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] And the the reasons for it is because we're it's the sort of by far the most solid concentration of our our actual members and likely supporters.
[Bob:] I used to live down there towards one part of that.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Andy:] So it's all it's from that time on it's.
[Helen:] I'd like to get that back again if we could. But we really need a candidate and there isn't anybody erm obvious who's in a position to do it unfortunately.
[Bob:] Fishergate this year?
[Helen:] Mm. Yes.
[Andy:] Yes he does he lives in.
[Bob:] That's in Fishergate isn't it?
[Helen:] That's very true. Must be an experienced person. I don't know cold candidate.
[Neil:] No.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah the main difficulty is in is in the time period because it's it's quite likely that I mean I'd we'd been we'd been hoping that the target candidate could put in a reasonable amount of personal commitment to to the campaign. Other and if it wasn't for for me doing a course next year which would probably preclude me from doing that, I'd be quite interested. But I haven't got I couldn't at this stage say I could do a tap next year. Even the year afterwards may be not.
[Helen:] Well shall I ask Humphrey whether he's
[Bob:] Worth sounding him out.
[Andy:] Ask ask him if he'd like to do it. We'll come back to you if we can't find somebody who's got more time I guess.... Okay that sort of covers I think what I need to know for for election stuff. Because we've said we're gonna have a selection ballot. Right. Erm another thing I noted under any other business is green strategy document. This Government one. I mean this might not be a good time to chat about it. I it's just that I remember on Monday morning hearing on the radio that it was being talked about that afternoon and of course immediately forgot to go and get a copy of the next day's Guardian and read about it and all the other
[Neil:] It's today's Guardian.
[Andy:] It's today's Guardian. I've got it I've got it at home I can bring it in at the next meeting or whatever.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] That would be good.
[Andy:] Or drop it into their office. Possibly we could have later event if we'd read
[Neil:] Especially
[Andy:] about it we could you know five minutes.
[Neil:] Well you know I mean you said that they did a couple of lines just to say something about
[Ste (yes, Ste):] They both I mean they I think they've released four documents outlining the way in which they're going to meet their commitments and they one of their the Guardian gave devoted page six the whole of page six to this. Erm and one of the pieces was sort of comments from various interested parties and the Green Party got a couple of lines in there after the Lib Dems and before.
[Andy:] I was still laughing too much from from some comment that the Government did one one of their four promises was to was to put pri public transport before [LAUGHTER] private roads. I nearly cracked up []. John Major saying that people will have to accept restrictions on on car usages and it's an amazing thing to come from a Tory. Yeah and I I asked the question not too much from the Green Party point of view as from a personal point view as I I would like to know what my Government is saying to do about these things.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I I'd no idea he he'd actually he'd actually said something like like that.
[Helen:] He also said that there's no reason to give up the dream of economic growth but then there you go.
[Neil:] Well nobody thinks that.
[Andy:] They don't seem to be doing too well with the the energy of economic growth.
[Helen:] No.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Helen:] Dream more I guess.
[Neil:] No after all the party of economic growth and reduced taxation
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER] Yes []
[Neil:] I know I've I've read the publicity material and
[Bob:] I thought you were going to say you voted for them.
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Neil:] [cough] I would have had something to say about that.
[Bob:] That's not my party
[Ste (yes, Ste):] They had Sir Jonathan on the radio the day of the message saying they're long on rhetoric and short of substance.
[Andy:] That was the the overall comment I think that the documents were very very light on detail as you might I've was just I heard erm how Lord Jonathan has just been become become a pier or something. No it's erm his father died. It it's not a hereditary title I think but I think he can become a sir if he wants to. Yeah I just I guess I had hoped to be pleasantly surprised that it wasn't rhetoric
[Helen:] The only coverage I've seen so far is erm is the news and ten of all things. That we were watching last night. And the encouraging thing was that they're all things that a few years ago in the Green Party sort things out they're all there.
[Andy:] Absolutely.
[Helen:] For all that the Government is making a bit of er er idiot of itself by not embracing the things that it needs to embrace the things it needs to do, at least it's saying that it won't do them. Which is the first step from the process isn't it?
[Andy:] Did anyone see Panorama erm because er Panorama was was almost entirely
[Helen:] I've got it taped.
[Andy:] devoted to the question of of of road transport and its limitations and erm er although again I mean there was no particular mention to any party other than the Government, erm it it certainly seemed to be taking a very critical view of of road transport and it does seem to be spreading now. It doesn't seem to be er just a few sort of you know any more.
[Helen:] Yeah.
[Neil:] Certainly keeps them going on the grounds that eventually there will you know we'll be able to say and this is what we believed this long and you know this is what has been proved to be necessary. So it's
[Andy:] We can already say that I mean there there obviously there's a lot of talk now about erm taxation towards towards resource taxes and those sorts of things which the Green Party were saying you know fifteen years ago or something. And now everyone's talking about it and it's in one way it makes you gnash your teeth that that we're not getting the credit yet
[Ste (yes, Ste):] [LAUGHTER] yeah []
[Andy:] but in another way it's gotta be given I suppose.
[Helen:] Mm. One last item for any other business erm I forgot about. There's a book that goes with names in this campaign. Erm a policy statement like roads to the future which is what reminded me of it. And the price has gone down it's only five pounds if
[Ste (yes, Ste):] What from twenty five?
[Helen:] Yes thirty thirty five. Erm and I was going to say we will get a a boiled down version from with our materials for the campaign. But I was going to suggest that we order a copy of the book.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Certainly.
[Andy:] Okay we now have seven and a half minutes on affiliation other groups.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Personally I think we might er defer it because that
[Helen:] Perhaps we could start with an informal chat on the topic and work up to
[Andy:] Yeah can you give us sort of thirty second briefing on what we're supposed to be developing
[Helen:] Right well it came up when War on Want wrote to us and asked us to affiliate and we had a brief chat about it and felt that there are many groups that we could affiliate to. War on Want almost certainly weren't at the top of the list. Erm and then I think it was Andy actually who said that erm affiliation is something we could do with considering. I mean any groups at all and if so which ones. That it would be useful for us to affiliate to.
[Andy:] What are the implications of affiliating with somebody be questioned by that I don't know the answer to.
[Neil:] It depends sometimes he gets the information sometimes it's basically just registering your your approval with them.
[Bob:] I mean it depends on each organization doesn't it? Sort of two way two way thing you agree or don't agree between yourselves.
[Andy:] I'm in some ways surprised the non-political groups want to affiliate with with the party. War on Want are er for a long time have been the only probably the only erm that put their neck on the block as far as social and environmental aspects of the party go. But you know I agree with you cos that as a charity. Yeah they seem to have a lot more to loose than we do. Yeah.
[Neil:] There's been a lot of trouble lately a lot of problems haven't they. War on Want didn't they go bankrupt or something.
[speaker005:] They did yeah.
[Andy:] There is a possibility that War on Want should be considered as being relatively high on our list of people we would be willing to affiliate with.
[Bob:] That's something that not bad at all they do as well so....
[Andy:] So is this was the national War on Want who contact us or the local contact?
[Helen:] Erm it was a lady who came from Leek.
[Andy:] Oh.
[Neil:] Do we have any feedback from any other local parties or the National Party are they recommending it or they only putting out feelers to local parties and ask what what we feel about it?
[Helen:] No....
[Andy:] associated with for example you're party.
[Neil:] Oh that's just a mailshot deal. They quite likely the Green Party got a free mailshot and their communication returned or or even might have got some money from them you never know.
[Bob:] I thought this sort of thing would be something the Green Party nationally should decide that whether in principle we ought to affiliate with.
[Helen:] Yeah but the advice might not have gone amiss and
[Andy:] Yes surprising that War on Want aren't asking the national party
[Bob:] Yeah.
[Andy:] and instead are mailshotting all the local parties. I think it may be it may be that they could perhaps get more money if the local parties affiliated separately but...
[Bob:] What about our links formal or informal with other York branches of other
[Helen:] Yeah I mean this is this is erm more the sort of thing that I I had in mind.
[Bob:] Yeah.
[Helen:] Erm I think I mean we ought to be doing more with the local Friends of the Earth and local Greenpeace I feel. In the past Greenpeace have always rejected us and er on the grounds that in fact we're a political party. And Friends of the Earth it's only relatively new it's only been going properly for what two years.
[Andy:] And this could be
[Helen:] Yeah. We are getting on very well with the student green movements. Both of which are also non-political so that's that's a good step forward. Erm
[Ste (yes, Ste):] We've been concentrating a lot maintain the links with the with the university and the St James. Erm [clears throat] a lot of our members who were students in York stay on and and become you know active or in other parts of the country when they move on. It's very good good erm good thing for the party and they're usually quite starved of practical campaigning ideas and so we regularly try every at least every year to go and do a tour and erm we've been giving them we we're trying to rope them in on the various activities because they're crying out for
[Andy:] Poor Steve walking into the meeting at St James and there were about twenty people in the room and you said, This is the [LAUGHTER] green meeting isn't it []?
[speaker005:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ste (yes, Ste):] I can't believe it there's too many people. They're they're both by a fluke at the moment they're both very strong. They went into a quiet period a few years ago it was very quiet erm but er yes they're they're going strong. We have informal links or have had er our main contact has just left. I've been trying to liaise with the Save our Forests which is and forestry privatization and technically I'm on the committee. But my other commitments prevent me from turning up to their committee meetings now so erm I'm sort of stepping back on to I'm just on to their mailing list. But the orig the whole idea behind that was really to to keep the Green Party's finger on the pulse with that. Get people along get the information networked and also to to maintain a political presence amongst the people who are writing to to or potentially to vote for us. Erm because the the national policy is obviously to target the green movement erm as our natural constituency. Erm and the only way we're going to raise a profile with them is by is by making sure that whenever can we support their actions.
[Neil:] Anybody seen this?
[Andy:] Can I suggest that we wind up the meeting and er.
[Ste (yes, Ste):] Yeah thanks for thanks for facilitating Andy that's great. [recording ends]