Webchat with Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, Weds March 4th, at 1pm

[JustineMumsnet]

I'm very pleased to say that the leader of the Green Party England and Wales, Natalie Bennett, will be joining us for a webchat this Wednesday, March 4, at 1pm.

The Greens have been under the spotlight over the last few months, with a surge in membership, and controversy about whether they should be included in the pre-election TV debates.

Now's your chance to ask Natalie about leadership structures, the record of the Green council in Brighton and Hove and Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas, whether there's a long-term movement towards smaller parties in national politics, Green policies on housing, benefits, health, the economy and the environment - and what it's like to be at the eye of a media storm. Plus anything else that takes your fancy of course.

Natalie was born in Australia and worked as a journalist there and in Thailand before settling in the UK in 1999. She worked for The Guardian, among other UK newspapers, before becoming Green Party leader in 2012. She's standing for Parliament in the 2015 General Election in the constituency of Holborn and St Pancras.

cottage, that's brilliant. You are so right about "I can pay for it so I deserve it".

Gibbering .... on the one hand you say The truth is Blair's New Labour was as neoliberalist as the Tories. We've had nothing but neoliberalism for almost 40 years. and on the other you say 'back away from party squabbles'.

And there is a reason why there ARE such squabbles; Old Labour Brown ran Labour from 1997, and we saw a fat State where as a percentage State employment rose faster (as a %) than the private sector by 2010, halved social housing builds, ever higher taxes e.g Council Tax up over 110%, discouraged savings, did not understand business, wanted to stay in the EU no matter what happens - I am sorry, I really do not see the 'neo' similarity with the Conservative Party pre 1997 or post 2010.

What we DO KNOW is the 'country economic model under Labour, similar to France, DID not work as it wasn't a sustainable economy, and you are looking for social answers to something currently on a more sustainable footing, from which other policies can be be afforded, once we shake off the worst recession in 80-years.
Mar 2 2015; "French factory decline even worse than Greece"
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11444091/French-factory-decline-even-worse-than-Greece.html

Greens can 'think outside the box' as much as they like, but as France found, wealth is mobile, legal tax planning reduces ideological tax raids - and although Osborne has closed many tax loopholes, until every global loophole is closed (and the OECD is trying), there is no green or nay other colour magic dust to fix it all.

You are a credit to your party, VoyageofDad. You aren't the equalities spokesperson, by any chance, are you?

It's arguable that the reason the environment has been so abused is precisely because women have been systematically excluded from decisions about how we treat our planet throughout history.

Prostitution is a symptom of our exclusion from power and it feeds into the view of us as being less human than men - being for their use and not having the right to bodily integrity the way men do. So feeding into further planet abuse.

But hey, our humanity is a side issue, right? Women, stop talking about trivialities. Talk about the things men define as important.

It's precisely because men define what politics is about, what is important, what matters, that we even need a party whose primary goal is to start reversing the damage done to our planet by the men in charge.

VoyageofDad serious question: do you think women have the right to bodily autonomy or not?

Oh is he still talking?

You do realise that femsplaining doesn't hold up as a term while mansplaining does, greenboy?

The reason being that mansplaining means telling women shit they already know while expecting to be taken seriously and have your words respected because your socialisation as a man means that your opinions aren't automatically ignored, ridiculed or deemed trivial and unimportant because you saying them proves they're shit.

It doesn't work the other way round because women's views are regularly ignored, ridiculed or deemed trivial - as you've so brilliantly demonstrated here, so they don't self-importantly believe that they have the right to set the parameters of debate and dismiss men who disagree with them.

Are you the equalities spokesman by the way?

I'm trying to think of an analogy for you voyagedad that will explain why I don't think they are woman haters, but I do think they are wrong/misguided.

It's a bit like having toxic smoke spew out over a village and instead of stopping the toxic smoke, they propose to help pay the hospital bills.

It might make the inhabitants live longer and slightly healthier, but it does nothing to stop the rot.

Nope. Wrong again. They don't need to listen to me, but if they feel differently than me on a topic that I deem very important, then I won't vote for them.

Much the same with your objection to sticking your badge to Dave's arse.

I presume he has opinions that are respected by organisations. I aspect some of those opinions you do not agree with. I'm guessing you have voiced those opinions at some point over your lifetime.

I'm guessing that no one has ever told you, that you have no right judge him on those issues, as though you are right and he is wrong, especially as organisations agree with him.

How very dare you.......

*expect

Actually VoyageofDad, there are very few things which are not gender issues.

The fact that you don't know that, is not very surprising. What with you being on the right side of the gender divide and all.

VoyageofDad I will ask again: do you think women have the right to bodily autonomy or not? It's an easy question. Yes or no?

feministcurrent.com/8347/10-myths-about-prostitution-trafficking-and-the-nordic-model/

Voyage for every organisation supporting the NZ model there is another organising objecting to it, not just stompy-footed feminists wanting it all their way but survivor organisations.

Remember there is a lot at stake financially for a lot of people, most of them men. The pro-prostitution lobby is huge.

Bullshit.

The leader of the Green Party is no longer on the thread and hasn't been since yesterday.

Hence why we're continuing to discuss this here as it's the only issue that is stopping some of us voting green. It is such a major issue that it is a bar to us voting.

In every other party, there might be a few policies which you don't agree with or are a bit dubious about, but the broad values and aspirations of the party fit in with you so they're not stopping you voting for them.

When it comes to your humanity however, then it's a dealbreaker.

You may find women's humanity trivial and silly. That's your privilege and it's up to you. We'll still carry on finding it really, really important though.

voyageofdad Privilege in action.

VoyageofDad third time asking a very easy question: do you think women have the right to bodily autonomy or not?

So the thread running in FWR isn't enough for you ? You need to dominate two threads with your views.

"Keep in your place, women. Don't be too loud, or expect to occupy political space anywhere else."

I am really saddened, * VoyageOfDad, by the turn your posts have taken on this thread.

VoyageofDad ArcheryAnnie in NOT using 'bullying and insulting' behaviour. What on earth is wrong with you?

Tell me where I have bullied or insulted you?