How do we fix this mess?

We have a leadership election coming up in the @greenparty.org.uk It’s a strong field, but for me the future of our party clearly sits best in the hands of @elliechowns.bsky.social & @adrianramsay.bsky.social, who have shown how to win & use power to secure positive change #TogetherWeWin

This month’s Shopping List from #Stroud District Foodbank, if you’re in a position to donate

The candidates in the @greenparty.org.uk leadership election are all inspiring leaders, but I’m backing @elliechowns.bsky.social and @adrianramsay.bsky.social because they’ve blown me away with what they’ve achieved in Parliament in their first year 💚

Some of the spontaneous floral diversity in my lawn this #NoMowMay ☺️

Join Ellie Chowns and I on Tuesday 20 May at 8pm for our online launch event. Come and hear our thoughts and ideas about how we can make transformational change in our party, in our communities and in the halls of power at every level of government. Sign up: mailchi.mp/ellie-adrian...

🥁The first cows will return to #Minchinhampton and #Rodborough Commons from tomorrow! 🥁 🙏Please keep speeds low, especially at dusk & in poor weather 🎉And all welcome at the @nationaltrust Marking Day celebration at the Old Lodge this Sat, 17th May, 11am - 3pm

Great to see @elliechowns.bsky.social and @adrianramsay.bsky.social launch this campaign As a party, we’re growing fast, united & serious about power. So impressed with both Ellie & Adrian for all they’ve achieved as Green MPs, & now would be proud to see them lead us #TogetherWeWin

Ten bird species singing on Besbury Common this morning, including a lovely nuthatch, and lots of encouraging signs of spring

Good to join you at the table at the first meeting of the Emergency Board @minchchloe.bsky.social Thames Water does not deserve the £3bn gift from the Govt. They have failed and must be put into #PublicOwnership NOW!

Thanks @tom--scott.bsky.social Great to see so many people out there today committed to holding Thames Water to account 💦 #weownit #saveourrivers #sewagescandal

At the RCJ for the inaugural “Emergency Board” of Thames Water, standing up for the bill-payers, workers & natural environment of Gloucestershire, while closed door discussions take place re the company’s future inside. Give us a seat at the table! With @greenjennyjones.bsky.social & Steve Williams

Great to hear from @renishaw.bsky.social Stroud Brewery & Howard Tenens, & other #StroudDistrict businesses about their fantastic sustainability work at the Local Strategic Partnership today. A reminder that we can vote with our feet by spending our 💰 at our many great, ethical & local businesses

New lows for the government today, with the aid budget slashed and no UK minister sent to the Rome nature convention 😰

Ukrainians yes, Palestinians no. Is there a word for that?

This webinar was a really helpful dive into the practical implications of climate change for council service lines and how councils will need to react and transform - slides will be shared here localpartnerships.gov.uk/resources/tr...

Many thanks to @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social for publishing my article on access to justice: www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a...

The beautiful Peace Doves in #Tewkesbury Abbey. 9000 paper doves, each decorated with messages of love and peace by local schools, community groups, and residents. Such a lovely reflective space 🕊️ www.tewkesburyabbey.org.uk/peace-doves-...

So now we have it. Rachel Reeves's claim that a third runway at Heathrow Airport would boost economic growth comes from a report commissioned by .... Heathrow Airport. Instead of acting in the national interest, she's channelling corporate lobbyists. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@adamhorowitz.bsky.social Little Metropolis at the @goodonpaper.bsky.social party last night, highlight of a great night #Stroud 🎶 ✨

Nice little biodiversity oases these green lampposts (plants and bird/insect boxes), just off Oxford St

Green polling average is higher & staying higher than anything I can remember. Our membership is higher than I can remember (close to 60,000), we just got our best ever General Election result and we've quadrupled our cllrs in the last 5 years. Now is the time join join.greenparty.org.uk

I’d welcome support from local Labour friends and colleagues to push back against this terrible plan. This is surely not what you voted for? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Heavy rain held off just long enough this pm for a really enjoyable couple of hours chatting to residents in Thrupp about their county council concerns. Lots of worries about local government reorg, the logic of which is a mystery to us all, but helpful to be able to talk through the practicalities.

Well said @carladenyer.bsky.social This government deliberately chose yesterday to prevent voting on a law that would have been pivotal in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Shameful.

Failed by Labour 😞 So much work from so many into this Bill, from @carolinelucas.bsky.social who first brought it to Parliament, to the amazing @zero-hour.bsky.social team, @rozsavagemp.bsky.social for bringing it today, & everyone who’s done so much to champion it🌿 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The government is ousting the head of the Competition & Markets Authority on the grounds that the CMA is not "sufficiently focused on growth" (*not* its role). He's being replaced by a former boss of Amazon UK. Grim even by Keir Starmer's standards. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Government are planning to approve expansions in a desperate attempt to boost 'economic growth'. Four UK airport expansions including Heathrow would cancel out the carbon savings of Labour's clean energy plans in just five years. The Government must rethink.

When things seem a bit much,as they often do this century, I find making positive changes helps. Here’s a change you could make today, our voices are needed more than ever. join.greenparty.org.uk

Great to discuss the #CANBill tonight with #Gloucestershire MPs, @zero-hour.bsky.social and a brilliant group of young people from across the county. God speed to @rozsavagemp.bsky.social and cross-party supporters in Parliament on Friday 🌿

There is something in the simplicity from this Guardian politics summary…

For Blue Monday we can't think of anything more appropriate than this charming depiction of a man getting his face eaten off by a leopard. #MosaicMonday

"The Green Party is clear – President Trump is a misogynist, a racist, a convicted criminal and, we believe, a fascist." The joint statement from our Co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay can be found here: greenparty.org.uk/2025/01/20/s...

Lammy praises Trump’s “incredible grace & generosity” on #BBCR4today. His earlier verdict was more accurate (“dishonest, xenophobic”). A man who made “criminal efforts” to overturn 2020 election result, who will trash climate & nature & threaten minorities. Solidarity with all who feel fear today

River & lakeside walk in the Cotswold Water Park this morning, Cetti’s warbler and treecreeper👌

This is by far the most wonderful story I've read all week. I'll be linking to it in tomorrow's newsletter. I haven't seen it get too much attention so I'm sharing it here as well. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Please sign. Please repost.

Vital reading for the government with its current obsession with growth at all costs (growth of what and for whom is never spelt out). A commitment to restore nature was conspicuous by its absence from PM’s Plan for Change, launched last month - that urgently needs to change 👇

The conversation around the climate crisis isn’t to change or not to change – change is coming for us whether we’re ready or not. Time for leaders to take their heads out of the sand - we need to decarbonise, fast, and make our communities resilient. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Office for Environmental Protection review says of 43 environmental targets: 9 on track, 12 partially on track and 20 off track Says: “This gov must act urgently and decisively to catch up.… It has several legally-binding commitments only a few years away. The window of opportunity is closing fast”

Beautiful spooky sunset coming over the common on my bike earlier tonight

Off to #Gloucester this morning to chair the Environment Scrutiny Committee at the county council, which today is a deep dive into Gloucestershire’s public transport system (and its shortcomings). Looking forward to pressing officers on what more GCC can do to improve matters on all things 🚊 🚌 🚈

Alarmed by so many aspects of Labour’s rushed AI plans - opening up of our data to bad actors, job losses, bias in policy development (and the small matter of “unleashing” something with vastly more processing capacity the human brain…) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Greens oppose plans to postpone (read cancel) the May 2025 elections in Gloucestershire stroud.greenparty.org.uk/news/2025/01...

I love Love to Ride!

Just signed up for Glos Toads on Roads for the first time, excited to meet the amphibians of #Chalford 🐸 Here’s the form if you’d like to do the same www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ee6...

No devolution of power in Labour’s plans to do away with the tier of local govt most people call “the council”, the reverse 😩 Services still needed, but delivered more remotely, with less accountability & community engagement. And in the process, huge cost, resource & recruitment challenges 🤯

💡Digital tech is a huge help in my role as a councillor, but I’m increasingly conscious of my digital carbon footprint and looking to reduce it ✅Great tips here if you’d like to join me davidsuzuki.org/living-green... ✅And for small businesses, here: www.southoxon.gov.uk/wp-content/u...

Today marks the introduction of Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ) in major portions of 14 Dutch cities, including Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Delft—intended to decarbonize the logistics sector while increasing the attractiveness of urban areas and decreasing air/noise pollution.🧵

"Stop fantasising about a decarbonised utopia and start acting on resilience-building strategies that can protect our communities and steward a path through the rising tide of trouble." Great piece by @rupertread.bsky.social on the need to refocus on adaptation. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...