Please Answer The Question...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Hust good friends . . . political rivals have verbally slugged it out for yonks [pic: election.demon.co.uk]

I attended my first live political debate last Friday night. 

It felt like a particularly tee-total way to enjoy the arrival of one's 30th birthday.

But satisfying, nonetheless.

There were four candidates on the panel - Green, Conservative, Labour and Ukip.

I don't ever want to pick on individuals during this political period, but some observations I made from the event - by way of a 'personal do & don't list' - are as follows:

- Answer the question(!)

Over 70 questions had been submitted to the event (organised by campaign group 38 Degrees) from which 10 were chosen to be put forward. The candidates received the questions the day before, so had time to construct well-thought responses.

Half the time, however, the key words of the questions were overlooked. Such as 'What/how'. 

Instead of detailing plans for what we can do to improve situations and how to go about doing it, responses came across as though they were answering the question 'What do you think about said topic?' or 'Please, tell us more about which government inherited which mess from which government over the past 3 decades'.

- Don't have one hand in one pocket(!)

Nigel Mills, Conservative MP famed for getting caught playing Candy Crush in the House of Commons, could barely look anybody in the eye [fair play to him for attending as it was organised by a campaign group who would always be against his ideas] and had one hand in his pocket like a disinterested schoolchild.

- No personal or party digs

On the odd occasion, that old fashioned 'Labour-Tory' chat resurface, as alluded to above. The talk of which government inherited what is boring.

- Look people in the eye

Something crucial to good public speaking. I had to close my eyes or look at the floor when Nigel Mills was talking as his unease was too uncomfortable to deal with.

Still, fair play to him.

- Respond to the person asking the question

I like to think of there being five 'people' present.

There is the asker, the listeners, the candidates, the host, and I.

Then it reduces the event to a little chat round a table and all is well.

I'm saying all this and I've not even sat on a panel yet.

A political panel that is. I once sat on a wooden panel in between two old railway sleepers that was a customised garden bench during Euro 96.

Simpler times.

Speaking of wooden panels, I've heard people say: 

"Hoping for honesty prevailing in the House of Commons 

is like banging your head against a 2x4."

I know, let's do something about it.

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Playing Thirty...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Believe . . . I'm ready to get stuck in to the deceitful realm of politics

"Whoah, did you know that, by the time it's the year 2000, we'll all be FIFTEEN years old?"

Is what I recall saying in the playground at primary school, circa 1996.

For some reason, at the age of 11, I wasn't thinking that, by the very same calculations, in 2015 I would be turning 30.

Now this milestone has been reached, and I feel more ready than ever.

Although there were also times I didn't think I'd make it this far...

During a decade of alcohol abuse between 16-26 I ended up in hospital on numerous occasions after getting carried away and diving off balconies/tables/down stairs.

I had a vision in my mind that, if I didn't stop drinking, one day I would run across a road and not make it to the other side.

Luckily, I had already got that scenario out of the way after a heavy night following a film premiere of a London gangster flick (Rise Of The Footsoldiers) some years back.

After becoming disenchanted with Steve McFadden's suit [easily done] I said to my drinking buddy: "He thinks he's all macho, but look at him, teaming indigo velvet with violet silk. Get me two glasses of white wine from that free bar."

So he did. Not long afterwards, I woke up in a straight jacket.

I'd tried to run away from the Cafe De Paris in Picadilly Circus and, on the way across the road, had clipped the back of a - barely moving - taxi, spun round and clattered head first into a bus shelter.

As I lay unconscious on the ground, the police had assumed - not for the first time - that I was on acid.

Luckily the paramedics were on hand to strap me in and take me to A&E.

I don't think I've really told the above story to many people. Not for any particular reason, but it tends to blend in with the other hospital tales, none of which I am particularly proud of.

I was slamming down the booze back then, I suppose, because of a deep-rooted disenchantment with the world - and the inability to handle the pressures of the self-appointed responsibility to do something about it.

Basically I wasn't ready to start doing good stuff, as I was too pre-occupied with partying and telling people my hair wasn't a wig.

Of course, the more I drank, the less I did about the state of the world, the worse I felt, the more I drank, and so on.

Fast forward to the present day and a Parliamentary election beckons, following three-and-a-half years of sobriety. 

I'm still disenchanted with the state of the world, but now pre-occupied with a Party of a different kind.
One where Peace is paramount.

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Our Statement on the NHS

By THE PEACE PARTY

Not for profit . . . the health of the public may be more important than investor's balances

The Peace Party shares the concerns of all those who have emailed us recently on the subject of the NHS.

It has always been the Peace Party’s view that the NHS should be publicly and properly funded, and we are alarmed by the measures that are currently being implemented to privatise it.

We believe that health provision must be available free of charge in any civilised society. This principle was until recently recognised in the Secretary of State’s ‘duty to provide or secure a comprehensive health service’.

We deplore the removal of this duty in the Health and Social Care Act, a blatant breach of a principle that has always had widespread public support, and we strongly support moves to reinstate it.

We applaud MPs who have tabled the NHS Bill, and all those who have campaigned and are continuing to campaign for an NHS that can provide excellent care while remaining entirely state-funded.
Indeed, Peace Party members are actively involved in some of these campaigns.

The government must be made to realise that it does not own the NHS – it is owned by the people – and has no right to sell it off to the highest bidder. 

We also recognise that it was a previous administration that initiated the PFI arrangements that have already diverted vast amounts of money from the NHS into the private secto.

We will press the next government, whatever its party (or parties), to see the NHS as a service that must remain permanently and wholly in the public realm.

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What Dennis Skinner Told Me...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Blue hi . . . hopefully we can say hello to a bit more of this for the next few months

"Aaaaaayyyyoooooo/Yeeeeahhhh Booiii/Coooomme Onnnn!"

What I'm trying to say is: "It's now spring time."

I just looked at the title of this blog for a second and thought of the 90s pop band. But that soon passed.

I hope they're all OK, don't get me wrong.

But before digressing, allow us to gander at the image above and be like, 'yeah, BBQ time is not far off'.

I remember when the clocks went back as a teenager and the general consensus among mates was, 'this is wicked, you can be out playing football till half eight!'

Not-half great, more like.

Of course, it's not just football you can enjoy as a result of the impending light nights.

You could go metal detecting. And the rest.

Speaking of detecting metal, I'm going to have to detect some mettle over the next five weeks.

Nominations week opens soon for the Parliamentary and Local Council elections - both of which I shall be standing in.

It's all very official and I am having to practise patience in swallowing some rules and regulations.

For example, I was due to start teaching a weekly Tai Chi class at the local leisure centre, but am having to wait until after the election as you cannot be employed by the council and also run.

I mean, you could be employed at the leisure centre and also run on the treadmill, but not as a Local Councillor [not sure if it warrants capitals but makes me feel more important].

But this is merely preparation for many instances where red tape will stand in the way of common sense.

One simply has to accept certain inevitabilities with an attitude of patient endurance.

As Dennis Skinner once told me [he rang me back at 8.30pm on a Tuesday, from his Parliamentary office, as I'd left a voicemail on his constituency phone earlier in the day]: "You can't be naive enough to think everybody is going to come round to your way of thinking straight away, but if you know what you are standing up for is morally right, and you're patient, and you live long enough, you just might get to see it happen."
He also asked me why I didn't run for the Labour Party.

I reminded him of the point above, and said: "That's why I'm standing for Peace."

As the chat continued we spoke about his back-and-forth jibes with David Cameron, with the PM having to publicly apologise for calling the Bolsover Beast a 'dinosaur'.

Mr Skinner said: "I've been called worse in the playground."
And with that, the concept concern over one's impending ridicule was washed away.

Cheers Dennis!

Speaking of ridicule, I've heard people say: 

"Isn't it ridiculous how much lying goes on in Parliament."

I know, let's do something about it.

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Great News: You Are Miracle...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Mighty-chondria . . . we are the picture you see above, trillions of times over

When I made a debut appearance on TV news a month or so ago to talk about The Peace Party, the host, Abby Martin, wrapped up by saying: "Any last words. Thirty seconds."
I'd been relatively nervous throughout the chat but had finished by having a laugh about moonwalking through Parliament. But I wanted to leave on a sincere note, so said: "Just know that any action carried out by The Peace Party or myself will be motivated by an intrinsic love for all of humanity and influenced by the recognition that we are all, at our very core, on a cellular level, a miracle. And, hopefully when we all begin to celebrate this miracle together, then peace could become much more of a possibility."
So, to explain my enthusiasm...
The human body consists of around 60 TRILLION cells.
Each of these cells carries out between 2-5000 activities per second.
Five million of your body's cells die every second, but most are renewed.
Each cell contains up to 1,000 mitochondria, pictured above, which are also known as the batteries of the cell.
Here's the bit that made me go 'whoah'.
As the graphic at the top - from the book The Human Body: A Visual Guide To The Human Anatomy - states, these energy transmitters 'contain their own genetic material, and are believed to have evolved from symbiotic bacteria that combined with single-celled organisms at the dawn of life on earth.
So, within our 60 trillion cells, exist up to 60,000 trillion 'batteries' that are not genetically distinct from the first ever forms of life on this planet, which stretches back to unfathomably pre-human times.

miracle

ˈmɪrək(ə)l/

noun

1. an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency.

If a miracle is defined as above, then our second-by-second regeneration of cells, which has existed before science was even a concept, must be an uber-miracle.
And our mitochondria's DNA combination with the dawn of life on this planet, that would then go on to create humanity, could well be 'attributed to a divine agency'.
Good news all round.
And we'll never truly figure out how or why that life combined to form our species. In the same way we'll never truly figure out how the universe came to be.
Some say we only know about 20 per cent of what exists in terms of galaxies.
We can detect around 250,000 galaxies - meaning there are thought to be over ONE MILLION GALAXIES - which renders the quest for finding out how to be obsolete.
That's why, in Tai Chi methods, the simple enjoyment of 'life force' - aka the energy that is in our bodies, literally being pumped through our blood and so forth - is encouraged.
Simply 'playing around' with your body, stretching and wriggling about a bit can help improve the energy flow in such a manner that will improve your immune system.
The way this works is that the Tai Chi movements include poses (for example, raised arms) that drain your lymphatic fluid in a direction it may not go when you are stagnant after sitting at your desk or whatever.
The lymphatic fluid is also known as your immune system, but it doesn't get pumped around the body like blood does. Hence, it really is beneficial just to do a couple of minutes of stretching a day. Then your natural healing capabilities can kick in.
And this is not some sort of new age homeopathic bulldust - for any sceptics.
This is scientifically proven and has brought benefits to my personal existence beyond any previously held belief.
I am eternally grateful for the fact that no illness has befallen me since the implementation of these techniques.
Aside from enjoying energy and that, I've been enjoying crystals a bit more recently too, after reading about Egyptology at the local library.
I like the thought of the fact that these precious stones have been knocking around since those days of the pyramids being built.
A crystal - like I may keep in my pocket at any time - has existed on this planet for thousands if not millions of years.
In that sense, this crystal precedes us as we know it, and thus does not so much defy science, but precede it.
So I struggle to see how crystals aren't miracles, and as a by product of that philosophy, consider practically everything that exists to be a miracle. Sod it, existence is a miracle!
And the knowledge that we are not simply a part of that existence, but that we are that existence, allows us to enjoy ourselves as the, yep, miracles that we are.
Phew. Did I say the word 'miracle' enough there?

Speaking of miracles, I've heard people say: 

"You'll need one to get elected on to the local council."

But, as we know, they happen every second.

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Challenging the Mindset of War

By JOHN MORRIS, National Organiser

Tanks for what? . . . in an ideal world, these would be used as emergency services vehicles for floods and so on

Non-violent methods of communication will always be our pursuit here at The Peace Party.

We recommend the reading of an article by Dr Stuart Parkinson, of Scientists for Global Responsibility, entitled, "Challenging the mindset of war". 

Included here is a slightly adapted section on "Alternative Strategies" ("Non-violence" for us):

"There are many alternative strategies to tackling security problems which do not prioritise military action. The most obvious action Western governments could take would be to end military exports to countries with poor human rights records, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. Other international action includes:

- More concentrated effort to enforce arms embargoes in regions of conflict, as well as much stricter controls more generally of the international arms trade.

- Improving international financial controls to shut down funding routes for groups such as IS.

- Stricter border controls to prevent new combatants entering conflict zones, e.g. in Turkey.

- Continued negotiation to create more humanitarian corridors to help refugees fleeing from war zones;

providing adequate funding and resources for refugee camps, food aid and other support services.

- Rapid reaction mediation teams (composed of neutral parties) to help defuse political conflicts before fighting breaks out.

- Defusing international tensions by reducing military exercises, co-operating in arms control and disarmament programmes, and cutting military spending.

- More national and international processes for tackling underlying grievances, such as political exclusion, human rights abuses, inequality, poverty, and environmental damage.

Some of these options are being pursued at a limited scale but they need to be expanded and/or provided with more resources. It is particularly shocking that the UN’s World Food Programme was forced to halt its food voucher scheme for Syrian refugees in early December due to lack of funds. This meant aid for 1.7 million refugees was put in jeopardy as the harsh winter weather set in. Given the huge world military spending, nothing illustrates the distorted set of priorities better.

No one is under any illusions about the difficulty in solving the security problems in the Middle East, Ukraine, Africa or elsewhere, but it is clear there are many alternatives to military action and these remain poorly funded."

http://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/challenging-mindset-war

How Volleyball Helps My Politics...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Good golly-ball . . . being part of a team, working together towards a common goal, feels good

Of a Monday night in recent times, I would visit the local Chesterfield Leisure Centre to partake in boxercise followed by circuits, for cardio-calorie-burning good times.
But I miss the days when my calories would be burnt off in PE, the playground, and in the garden [almost always with a football].
I recall one glorious four-week period around the age of 14 when we played voleyball at school, and I had a great time. While typically fulfilling a full back role on the pitch for the school team, I loved going in goal for penalty shoot-outs and at break times etc.
And, at cricket, while terrible with a bat and capable of bowling a ball into a neighbouring field, I relished the wicket keeper role due to the 'diving for the ball' nature of the task.
So when I began seeing volleyball nets erected in the main hall after training each week, I decided to join in.
A few things strike one upon trying this sport.
It really hurts your forearms when you dig it. And I don't mean dig it like in a groove sense [although that does bring about forearm fatigue when wrist-rolling for instance].
The volleyball dig is one of three main shots. It is the one you would normally reply to a serve with, and involves squatting down slightly with you arms held out in front of you, palms upward, hands together ready to hoist the ball back up.
Then comes the set.
This is where a player - usually next to the net - pushes the ball up high into the air, ready for the spike, which is the third of the core techniques.
The spike is essentially the smash from upon high.
Patience is required in order to build the attack, using skills that can only be honed through repetition.
I have struggled with impatience in my time, and this can pose problems in all areas, including politics.
When one wants to achieve all that is on the cards right now, then a sense of 'I've not yet achieved everything I've envisaged and thus I am failing' can creep in.
With volleyball, I am forced to patiently focus, apply and build as part of a team.
These traits are transferable and can be applied to the long term work I do with The Peace Party.
I'm saying all this and I've been to two training sessions.
A take home message I suppose could be: Love volleyball, love life.

I've heard people say: 

"It's highly unlikely that you'll get a bloke doing volleyball-specific training exercises on that bit of grass outside the Houses of Parliament for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

What Price Patriotism?

By JOHN MORRIS, National Organiser

Grounds for battle . . . but luckily football is just a game

What price patriotism? Samuel Johnson said ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.’ And Oscar Wilde ‘Patriotism is the last resort of a rogue.’

Football is a game played by two teams of eleven people. The idea is to kick or head the ball into the opposing goal and if one team manages that more times than the other, then that team has won. Like all other sport, it is a game. 

Today, young people are encouraged to look on successful footballers as ‘heroes’ and teams are followed religiously often showing hostility to any other team. Team colours matter and T-shirts are sold at inflated prices as though to support that team shows some sort of patriotism connected to that team. All this, of course, is promoted by the boards, with promotional material being turned into apparent icons to be worshipped by the gullible. Where international teams are concerned, once a team wins then that country is obviously far stronger than its opponent in every way and a power to be reckoned with. But – all this is simply a game.

The propaganda and drama built up during world cups can sometimes lead to violence and even racist incidents with flag waving the central element in all this nonsense. However, when it comes to that kind of patriotism extended to countries and not to a game of football, it can lead in exactly the same way not only to violence and racism but to war on a global scale.

What is ‘patriotism’? It is supporting the piece of the planet we are born on against all other pieces of the planet. It is not so long ago that Britain was an empire. Not because of its greatness in keeping the world peaceful, but because it stole other areas of the planet for itself using the nebulous excuse of commercial necessity. This, erroneously, is assumed to have put the ‘great’ in Great Britain, when all that is meant is that Britain became England plus Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This meant the waving of the Union flag was justified and showed our strength over and above all other countries. By the beginning of the 20th century war was the obvious answer to all ills and, so long as the British flag was flying high, was going to bring peace at last to the world.

But injustice breeds anger and anger breeds revolt and revolt ends up in – war. And so the 20th century went on, patriotism and flag waving creating the most carnage-filled century the world has ever seen. The ‘flower of our youth’ destroyed, maiming and destruction the norm and anger and hatred so rife that we now stand at a crossroads where the use of nuclear power is once again being discussed.

Like the flower power song of the 1960s,‘When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?’ Pro patria mori? Which country, and why?

Peace, Poverty and Deprivation (A new Peace Party Statement)

By JOHN MORRIS, National Organiser

Care's fair ... it only seems right that government should address inequality wherever possible
[pic: equalityuk.org]

The ‘free market’ is anything but free. Any advanced financial and economic system has to be underpinned and regulated by law – it is never, as some argue, simply a natural and therefore inevitable phenomenon. Contracts are legally enforceable, debts have to be paid; and the notion of property itself depends on our definition of ownership and the laws determining acceptable mechanisms of exchange. This being so, we have a democratic right and a social responsibility to determine how our financial and economic systems should be constituted.

The current arrangements have evolved to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor – that’s what being rich or poor means. Where there is competition for resources the rich will always win. Thus the rich acquire the power to determine the structure of the financial and economic systems, and are then able to control the media to ensure their widest possible acceptance.

Deprivation is an inevitable consequence of this imbalance of power. The rich, who by and large control the economy, have no emotional stake in the well-being of the poor, who are seen solely as ‘workers’ and ‘consumers’. And because the media promote the views of their owners most public discourse also regards them in that light. Ameliorating the lot of the poor and deprived therefore has to be justified in ‘economic’ terms. 

For example, ‘early interventions’ to help deprived and unhappy children are promoted on the grounds of ‘cost-effectiveness’ – it’s more expensive later on!

The Peace Party rejects this approach entirely. Poor people matter as much as rich people. 

Unhappy children need support, encouragement and love regardless of their parents’ financial status, and independently of the likelihood of their becoming criminals later in life. To suggest otherwise is to imply that an even better intervention would be one that could prevent the cost and inconvenience of a subsequent life of crime without addressing the underlying problem, just as long as it was cheaper.

The Peace Party will work for an economic system that exists for the public good rather than for private profit. The focus of government intervention has to be shifted from the maintenance of
financial interests, many of which are aggressively inimical to those of society as a whole, to what used to be called the ‘common weal’. 

It goes without saying that the needs of the vulnerable, and particularly of children, will be at the top of the priority queue, but it also has to be recognised that it will be a long haul. The arguments have to be made and the drift towards public disengagement from politics has to be reversed. And critically the myths that serve to support the received economic wisdom and that seek to justify the ‘austerity agenda’ need to be dispelled.

In the mean time we will support those who work tirelessly within the current structures to mitigate their worst excesses, and wish them well. 

But we must not lose sight of the real objective – a peaceful and equal society where the alleviation of deprivation, poverty and all forms of avoidable suffering are the concern of everyone, including the government.

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How Zumba Fitness Helps My Politics...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Rhythm of ignite . . . fun workout loosens body while clearing mind and freeing spirit

I've had a great week. 

Did all sorts of official politics stuff in the Town Hall over a series of meetings to discuss the rules and regulations of thine Parliamentary candidature.

It turns out I can also run for my Borough Council - Holmebrook - as well, for which there are two Councillor seats available. 

This is great news because, as I am sure I'm not alone in thinking, it looks unlikely that I will triumph as an MP in this first campaign.

However, now I have an election on my hands that I can actually win. Exciting.

Time to start door-knocking around the local estates.

Meanwhile, I bumped into the same couple from the cider-drinking immigration chat the other day.

Incidentally this time I was on my way home from another candidate briefing.

We got chatting about the local area and I mentioned my plan to provide free dance classes for kids.

"My 8-year-old daughter would love that," said Sarah.

Then they invited me round for dinner next week.
So what started off with a few shouts across the street has turned into a friendship. And what seemed like a fun novelty [offering free dance classes] may turn into something that actually helps get The Peace Party elected onto the local council.

Zumba's been a godsend.

When overtly practicing popping techniques, the muscles can get too used to 'hitting' the beat and thus lose fluidity.

Wriggling about and gyrating to Taylor Swift once a week does wonders for the lumbar flexibility.

I shied away from feminine moves for many years after being verbally abused muchly in my local town on nights out, for wearing polyester, 1970s floral shirts and - I'll be honest really rather - tight trousers.

A couple of times I got duffed up for clearing dancefloors with various combinations of disco and drunken flailing.

So I just kept popping because it was way more masculine.

But doing Zumba has allowed me to become comfortable with expressing myself however I want again.

As a peace-loving, Tai Chi-living juice enthusiast - who does a pyrouhette every now and again.

Speaking of spinning around, the world continues to do so, and as it does, time passes.

As time passes, the election date draws ever closer.

Chances are there won't be a Peace candidate in your area just yet, but - in the spirit of word of mouth - do spread the word of our existence, as this is merely the beginning of a snowball.

And just like that snowball - you stay cool now.

In Peace,

Tommy

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get a a disco CD played in the canteen of the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

We are just like the immigrants...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Hust good friends . . . I eagerly anticipate non-mudslinging political debate

Well, what a lovely week of official political business here in Chesterfield.

On Monday I attended the Chesterfield 2015 General Election Prospective Parliamentary Candidate briefing at the lovely Town Hall (above).

On the way there, an underweight, mid-afternoon cider-drinking, Rottweiler-walking couple began shouting 'nice hair mate/oi afroman' from across the road.

The reason I have overtly described them is that it paints the picture of the type of individual that is currently cast out by this society. I am not one to judge for I will have spent many afternoons [sometimes mornings] drinking cider in the street [or park, or on a bus/in a library if it were syphoned off into an apple juice bottle from the supermarket] between the ages of 16 and 26.

So I crossed the road and asked them how they were doing. In all honesty they looked a bit scared when the security of the two-lane barrier had been traversed, and didn't really know what to do.

I find it often diffuses a situation when one enquires as to the wellbeing of another.

"You up to much this afternoon," I further probed.

"Just trying to get a load of bull**** sorted," replied the lady of the pair.

The bovine-dung they were referring to was the sorting of benefits. We had found common ground on this matter as I had recently experienced the frustration of JobSeekers' Allowance. We then genuinely hit it off when I spotted that one of them had a K Cider (8.4 per cent) while the other was drinking White Storm (7.5 per cent) which led to a chat about 'pennies per unit of alcohol' and they were visibly impressed with the calculations I still have in mind from the frugal days of uni-boozing.

Be-cider-self . . .  girl drinks in the street [pic: Guardian.com]

When I explained I was running for Parliament, their response was - without missing a beat: "Please just do something about those f*****g immigrants. We can't get any jobs because they're here."

"You might want to vote for Ukip," I chuckled, in a way that will never be intended to demean the intentions of the purple party.

She said: "No, but they're all over here, I saw it on a program once, there were loads of them working in a chicken factory, and living illegally in a disused building in the middle of nowhere."

Luxury.

Then my tone turned into a political man trying to sound ordinary [although I am a working-class mining-town lad when all is said and done]. Like when Ed Cameron talk about 'meeting a dinner lady called Beverley' etc.

I said: "The thing is, that picture you painted doesn't sound like they are having a very good time. 

"I remember working on a fish farm in the uni summer holidays. I spent two months living with a pair of Polish blokes - Kristoff and Marius - whose life involved spending ten hours a day, six days a week, chopping heads off trout. Each night, they would get home and take it in turns to Skype their families for 15 minutes, before crashing out asleep.

Trout of order . . . the image we have been given of immigrants is, quite frankly, innacurate 

"They were basically putting themselves through hell - for UK minimum wage - so that their families could live a better life back home and their kids could afford school meals. They love their families, in the same way that you love your families. Us three are exactly the same as the immigrants in that sense.

"But what we would be looking to do is find ways of working with the - among others - Polish/Romanian communities in a way that might treat the problem at source and lessen the need for them to escape and leave their families. Thus, ultimately lowering levels of immigration."

The lady responded: "So you would be helping the issue?"

"I suppose so, but in a way that sees them as fellow people, as opposed to illegal and foreign," I said.

"Hmm," they both mused, possibly as though this were the first time they had encountered a proposition that wishes to deal with the situation in a way that sidesteps useless anger.

Because what is the point of having enemies when we are all - as humanity - surely working towards the same goal of achieving happiness and finding enjoyment in the giving and receiving of love?

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get a former-fish farmer elected for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Intentional Women's Day...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

The world needs women . . . and this should be recognised with equal pay and opportunity

Yesterday (Sunday 8 March) was International Women's Day.

The quote on the image above is powerful enough to bring to mind the contribution women make to society [of course, this contribution comes on top of giving birth to all of society's members] as well as the power of peaceful and well thought out demonstration.

As it happens, World Peace Day is on Septmeber 21st, which spawned the peace365 movement/campaign, which ultimately aims to see this day extended throughout the rest of the year, as per below...

A good year . . . as a relatively well-known singer put it, 'Imagine'

It would be nice to see 'International Women's Day' extended to 365 days a year as well.
I've got a mum for whom I am exceedingly grateful. Fetal gestation is nigh on impossible sans womb.

It is difficult to think at what point men became so arrogant that they declared women to be second class citizens.

Chances are, to you reading this now, the concept of such inequality may seem like a distant memory or 'something that happens in other countries', but our role as a forward-thinking nation that prides itself on being at the forefront of equal rights and multicultural acceptance may be to set the bar as high as possible and aim for 50/50 on all major decision-making bodies within the government, and a larger representation of women on boards of big businesses.

Then we might move away from trying to build the biggest buildings and have the fastest trains [satiating the male ego's desire for bragging rights, possibly, but does it help kids learn more about what's in an apple, or help an elderly person heat their home?] and think about how we can look after people.

The Green Party are setting a fine example with regards to raising the bar for numbers of women in politics, but - as I have heard them referred to on radio - to call them 'the women's party' is also a little unfair.

It makes it seem like the party doesn't hold sufficient machismo to attract a male crowd, which ought not to be the case.

It also sounds a little dismissive, as if 'women can go over there and talk about the environment and compassion-led policies, while we [men] plan a new high-speed rail infrastructure and compete for the opportunity to show which one of us knows most about money.

Just think about the plethora of Prime Minister's Question Time showings where 'grown-ups' display pre-juvenile behaviour, on national television, heckling each other and shouting each other down.

Does any listening actually occur? 

I like to think so. And I wouldn't be surprised if it were the gentler gender with their ears open.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get MPs listening to each other and focussing on the concept of basic manners for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

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Dancing Through the Corridors of Power

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Baby steps . . . I'll start with some basic footwork in the morning, then take it low prior to PMQs 

It's a complicated story that I may detail more another time, but, late in 2014, I ended up in the semi-final of Arabs Got Talent.
It was part of a dancing double act [my partner being Tunisian] into which I had been brought in as a last minute replacement, but sour relations between the other two parties meant legal complications and a consequent dropout from the show.
But while this was happening [it involved a 56-hour round-trip journey to Beirut, which comprised full day of filming and live performance in front of a 500-seater auditorium] I was also tweeting about peaceful politics as it was days after David Cameron sanctioned air strikes in Syria.
I was also pulling in evening shifts as a production editor on The Sun's tablet edition.
That golden 'Dancer-Politician-Journalist' occupational triad.
I wasn't sure which ones to focus on next.
I had been fancying a change of scenery following a decade of on-and-off red top reportage, so said to Dad one night: "I think I'll be moving home to pursue The Peace Party. What do you reckon?
He said: "But you have always wanted to be a dancer though, and maybe Arabs Got Talent could be a final throw of the dice?"
He's right, as I'm nearly 30. While age is but a number, in the realm of physical performance, it pays to have youth on your side.
"Yeah, but I was thinking about incorporating dancing into the politics," I replied, "I'm getting my Exercise To Music certificate soon and will be teaching at the local leisure centre. I could pledge to teach dance for free in schools and stuff."
"You could be a dancing politician," said Dad.
And that was that.
I am now comfortable answering the question of 'what do you do?'
The nature of the dance I enjoy to exhibit is 'experimental street freestyle', which is a fairly new category found in dance championships and so on.
Here is an example of a recent video I recorded. Incidentally it was filmed on the roof terrace of The Sun newspaper's News UK building in the final weeks before my departure. I would go out there in between double shifts and do tai chi, while surrounding the area with crystals in a bid to bless Rupert Murdoch's private office, asking that he may feel the love of humanity.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get disco-focussed MPs moonwalking through the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Give Spirulina to kids in schools...

By TOMMY HOLGATE

Super-ulina . . . this green algae boasts so many positive side effects

I remember sitting down in Primary school and having milk. Or, more rather, we were forced to sit round in a circle and drink it until we could drink it no more [ie, finished the bottle].

I know the school was trying to do us good [it was a catholic school after all, and Jesus said to be nice to each other] and it was because it contains calcium, which is useful for bones and teeth.

But the memory I'm detailing here was the good old days of milk, before the genetic modification of cow's growth hormone levels led to an increase in production capacity for these churning bovines, resulting in pus-laden, potentially cancer-causing liquid that has a knock-on effect to human health [article here].

I envisage - in a nutritionally conscious world where children are taught properly about how to treat the body - a sit-down session filled with life-giving nutrients and superfoods.

Spirulina is one of the oldest forms of life on earth [also now widely purported to be beneficial in fighting cancer], and it has been claimed that 1 gram of quality spirulina provides a similar amount of essential minerals as 1kg of common fruit and vegetables.

NASA and the European Space Agency have even started reseraching ways to incorporate the substance into astronauts' diets for their Mars missions.

It is also extremely efficient in terms of how it is produced, and what energy results from it [taken from this Guardian article].

In her paper on food security in the context of a growing demand for protein, Dr Hanna Tuomisto calculates that the algae (along with ‘in vitro’ meat) has the lowest land use per unit of protein and unit of human digestible energy. 

In other words, it offers the potential to improve food security while also benefitting the environment by requiring less land to produce the same amount of protein and energy as livestock [this point is worth noting as there is often debate over how efficient veg farming is versus livestock farming].

I sometimes wonder why this kind of substance isn't promoted more by the government?

I suppose it is because natural, non-patentable substances, plus the good health of the nation [ie, less people taking prescribed medicine] do not necessarily equate to large amounts of money to be made by large food and drug companies.

Dr Urs Heierli suggests that the lack of widespread political support to date comes down to a misguided set of priorities:

"Political forces and their international institutions do not, it seems, consider hunger as intolerable and as a major human problem. 

"Malnourished children are not seen as future voters and many politicians appear to have other priorities. 

"The food industry was also not interested in fighting malnutrition, in the past at least, as this struggle has not seemed to be profitable."

Once again, profit is getting in the way of helping people.

It would be nice to see these kinds of supplements available - and administered in a creative way, blended with smooth fruit juices etc - in schools and hospitals.

There will always be somebody to say, 'but what about the cost?', but also - thankfully - there will always be Tony Benn's famous words, 'If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people'.

Maybe one day the government would be able to subsidise programs that get more nutrients into more human bodies. 

*************

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get nutritionally-focussed morally upstanding politicians chomping on carrots in the House of Commons for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Well worth looking into...

By JOHN MORRIS

I heart learning . . . with non-violence on the curriculum, compassion could become society's default state

Well worth looking in to.

Founded in 1999, the Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE) is an internationally organized network that promotes peace education among schools, families and communities to transform the culture of violence into a culture of peace. The Global Campaign for Peace Education is presently coordinated by Tony Jenkins and the Peace Education Initiative at The University of Toledo.

Peace education is a holistic, participatory learning process that includes teaching for and about human rights, nonviolent responses to conflict, social and economic justice, gender equity, environmental sustainability, international law, disarmament, traditional peace practices and human security. 

The methodology of peace education encourages reflection, critical thinking, cooperation, and responsible action. It promotes multiculturalism, and is based on values of dignity, equality and respect. 

Peace education is intended to prepare students for democratic participation in schools and society.

The Global Campaign for Peace Education has two major goals:

1. the integration of peace education into all curricula, community and family education worldwide to become a part of life; and

2. the education of all teachers in the content and methods of teaching the knowledge and skills of making and building peace.

Sounds good to us.

There are so many peace organisations being connected across the world now it surely must be time for the snowball to gather pace.

Another organisation doing incredible work to unite people based on the principle of human kindness is The Charter For Compassion.

They have drawn up a simple but all-encompassing constitution centred around the golden rule of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Something The Peace Party will be pushing to get signed by our local councils in a bid to join the growing global network of 'Compassionate Towns & Cities' comprising other communities from the US to Malawi, Pakistan and many many more.

More info on becoming a Compassionate Community can be found HERE.

I've heard people say: 

"You won't get world peace for love nor money."

But maybe one day we could. With a little bit of either.

Feel free to contribute to our 2015 General Election crowdfund campaign or follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit our website.

Meanwhile, Peace Party's Tommy Holgate is uploading a series of videos throughout March from a long distance handcycle journey partaken for Sport Relief in 2014. Day two can be found below...